US3633844A - Creel adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

Described herein is an adapter useful in mounting large diameter spools on small diameter arbors. The adapter generally comprises two small diameter bearings attached to a relatively rigid cage assembly; the bearings being suitable for mounting on the arbors and the cage being suitable for supporting the spools. Other features of the invention appear in the following specification.

Description

United States Patent Inventors William B. Sordoni Forty Fort; Frank S. Westawski, Plains, both of Pa. Appl. No. 65,172 Filed Aug. 19, 1970 Patented Jan. 11, 1972 Assignee Sterling Engineering and Manufacturing Company, a division of Public Service Enterprises of Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

CREEL ADAPTER '8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 242/130 Int. Cl IB6Sh49/02, D03 j 5/08 Field of Search ..242/130139,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,636,696 4/1953 -McBride 242/130.1 1,233,064 7/1917 Kretzschmar. 242/130 2,248,716 7/1941 Markle, Jr. 242/46.6 2,437,100 3/1948 Liambach... 242/130.l 2,790,610 4/1957 McBride 242/130.l

Primary Examiner- Leonard D. Christian Attorney-Watson Leavenworth & Kelton ABSTRACT: Described herein is an adapter useful in mounting large diameter spools on small diameter arbors. The adapter generally comprises two small diameter bearings attached to a relatively rigid cage assembly; the bearings being suitable for mounting on the arbors and the cage being suita- 'ble for supporting the spools. Other features of the invention appear in the following specification.

CREEL ADAPTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to means for supporting yarn packages and more particularly to adapters for use in the textile industry where yarn spools having relatively large central bores must be mounted upon a mechanism provided with relatively small diameter pins or arbors.

In the textile industry it is conventional for textile manufacturers to receive yarn wound on tubular spools which are usually cylindrical or conical in configuration-These yarns, as received, will be referred to herein as raw yarns. Prior to forming fabric it is generally necessary to unwind the raw yarn from the spools so that it may be formed into the warp or warp yarn, in the process commonly referred to as warping. Warp yarn which, during warping, is wound on the warp beam, is generally composed of raw yarns which have been removed from a very large number of spools, often as many as several hundred. By virtue of the fact that warping requires the simultaneous mounting and unwinding of so many spools, the apparatus employed is rather large and costly. It is imperative, therefore, that the same apparatus be adapted to form warp yarns for many different kinds of fabrics.

Different types of fabrics are composed of different warp yarns and different warp yarns are composed of different raw yarns. Since there are almost as many spool sizes as there are types of raw yarn the warping apparatus, in order to be able to form many different warp yarns, must be able to accommodate' spools of many different sizes. To achieve the requisite versatility without undue expense the creels upon which the raw yarn spools are mounted for unwinding are constructed with a plurality of small diameter protruding arbors. The spools, which have relatively large bores, are mounted on the creel by the use of adapters. The adapters fit over the creel arbors and provide support for the spools.

In recent years there has been a proliferation of different types of raw yarns, particularly as a result of inventions in manmade fibers. This proliferation in yarns has been accompanied by similar proliferation in spool sizes. In addition to varying in size, spools also vary in configuration; the two most common configurations being cylindrical and conical.

Since warping entails the rapid unwinding of raw yarn from spool, efficient operation requires a close fit between spool and adapter and between adapter and creel arbor. Excessive play of the spool often results in the spool coming off the creel and disrupting the warping operation. Similarly, the use of an adapter which is too short for the spool mounted on it also tends to allow the spool to work its way off the creel. On the other hand, an adapter which is too long and therefore protrudes beyond the end of the spool has a tendency during warping to tangle the yarn and to disrupt the process.

Thus, the necessity for using adapters which are specifically designed for and suited to the spools being unwound is manifest. Due to the large number required, the cost of purchasing them has become a significant expense. Since each spool requires an adapter, and since each adapter is suitable for use with a very limited number of different size spools the proliferation in spool sizes has resulted in the accumulation by processors of a substantial stock of adapters. Hence, not only has the cost of purchasing adapters become a significant expense, but so too has the cost of storing them. In addition to being expensive, storage facilities frequently are not readily available.

The most common adapter of the prior art, and the one which the present invention is primarily intended to supplant is fashioned from a solid cylindrical or conical block of wood having a small central bore therein. Attached to the block of this prior art adapter and concentric with it is a thin, flat circular wooden plate having an outside diameter greater than that of the block and having a central bore of the same diameter as the bore of the block. The outside diameter of the block is such as to accept the spool for which it was designed, while the diameter of its bore is such as to fit over the creel arbor in conjunction with which it is intended to be employed. The outside diameter of the plate is greater than the bore diameter of the spool thereby enabling the plate to act as a stop.

As can readily be seen, the adapter just described is relatively heavy, bulky and expensive to manufacture. In addition, the large number of such adapters which at any given time are not in use occupy considerable storage facilities.

It is an object of this invention to minimize the disadvantages referred to above by providing an adapter which is inexpensive to produce and which, when stored, occupies a much smaller volume than that occupied by the prior art adapters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The creel adapter of the present invention comprises at least two centrally located but axially displaced bearing members adapted to fit over a creel arbor, which bearing members are attached to a relatively rigid cage assembly made of heavy gauge wire. The cage assembly preferably contains at least three frame elements, each off which has one support strut. Although it is possible to build an adapter having only two frame elements it has been found that such adapters permit an excessive amount of wobble of the spool during unwinding operations. Each bearing member is preferably in the form of an annulus having a central opening slightly larger than the external diameter of the creel arbor with which the adapter is to be used, whereby the adapter is permitted to rotate on the arbor after mounting. The internal diameter of each bearing, while larger than the external diameter of the arbor is not so large as to permit the adapter to wobble unnecessarily during rotation.

The configuration of the cage should be such as to receive and hold a yarn spool without permitting undue movement, other than rotational movement, of the spool relative to the adapter during unwinding. Thus, an adapter designed for use with cylindrical spools should have struts essentially parallel to the axis; whereas an adapter designed for use with spools having conical configurations should have struts which are farther from the axis of the adapter at one end than they are at the other. In order to minimize wobble of the spool the radial displacement of each strut from the axis at any given point should be just slightly less than the radius of the bore of the spool at the corresponding point.

When the relative sizes of bearings to arbor and of cage to spool bore are such as to permit rotation of spool on adapter and of adapter on arbor the spool can be said to have 2 of rotational freedom. When, however, the relative sizes are such that a friction fit occurs between either arbor and adapter or between adapter and spool, the spool has only a single degree of rotational freedom.

Another feature of the adapter of the present invention is the incorporation of stops associated with the cage. The stops protrude beyond the largest geometric solid defined by the cage when the adapter is rotated about its axis. The stops protrude sufficiently to prevent the spool from passing over them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a full understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a creel adapter constructed in accordance with the present invention, and illustrating, in phantom outline, the creel arbor upon which the adapter is mounted and the raw yarn spool which is mounted on the adapter.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a creel adapter constructed in accordance with the present invention in which one bearing element is intermediate the ends of the adapter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third alternative embodiment of a creel adapter constructed in accordance with the present invention which is designed to accept conical spools and illustrating stops formed in a manner different from that in which they are formed in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The adapter of the present invention is designated generally in the FIGS. by the numeral 10. Referring first to FIG. I, the adapter is shown mounted on creel arbor ll, drawn in phantom. Also shown in phantom is the raw yarn spool package 12.

The adapter of FIG. 1 comprises frame members A, B and C, a lower bearing 13, and an upper bearing 14 which is axially aligned with bearing 13 to permit insertion of arbor 11. Lower bearings 13 is attached to three radially extending legs a, 15b and 15c, and upper bearing 14 is attached to three radially extending legs 16a, 16b and 16c. Legs 15a and 16a are attached to the opposite ends of strut 17a. Similarly, legs 15b and 16b are attached to strut 17b and legs 15c and 16c are attached to strut 170. Thus, each frame member is comprised of one upper and one lower leg and an intervening strut. Although the frame members are shown in the drawing as being equally spaced angularly about the axis of the adapter, they need not necessarily be so arranged. For example, if the angle between members A and B is 60, the included angles between members B and C and between members A and C may be 150. Generally, if there are only three frame members the sum of any two included angles should not be less than 180 and preferably should be about 240.

Each of the adapters shown in the FIGS. has three frame members. Three is preferred to two because two usually permits excessive wobble which is eliminated by the use of three properly located members. Three is also preferred to four or more because three generally provide adequate support and rigidity and are less expensive to manufacture than are four or more. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not intended to be limited to adapters having three frame members. Adapters having four or more frame members are clearly within the invention. Similarly, adapters having only two frame members are also within the ambit of the present invention, particularly if at least one of the frame members makes wider than line contact with the spool. Regardless of the number of frame members employed, however, it has been found that they should be located in such a manner as to ensure that any plane drawn through the axis will have at least one member on each side of it. It has also been found that the angle between adjacent members, especially if there are only three, should preferably not be less than 20.

Bearings 13 and 14 have an inside diameter which is slightly larger than the outside diameter of arbor 11, thereby permitting passage of the arbor through the bearings with a minimum of clearance. Although the inside diameter of bearings 13 and 14 is not extremely critical, it should not be so great as to permit excessive wobble of the adapter when seated on the arbor. Excessive wobble causes excessive wear of the arbor as well as of the adapter bearings and, in addition, can lead to shaking of the spool off the adapter or to tension fluctuations of the raw yarn during warping.

At the other extreme, if the inside diameter of bearings 13 and 14 is too close to that of the outside diameter of arbor 11, mounting of the adapter on the arbor will result in a friction fit, whereby rotation of the adapter on the arbor is inhibited or even prevented. Stated another way, a friction fit between arbor and bearings tends to deprive the spool of one of its 2 of rotational freedom. In some automated textile operations rapid unwinding is accompanied by substantial rotation. For those applications it is important that the spools rotate as freely as possible about their axes. To insure the greatest rotational freedom possible the inside diameter of bearings 13 and 14 should be sufficiently large to preclude a tight fit when mounted on arbor 11 but should not be so large as to allow too much wobble.

In other textile operations 2 of rotational freedom are not required and a friction fit between arbor and bearing can be tolerated. In fact, for some applications a friction fit may even be desirable. Under those circumstances bearing diameters l3 and 14 need be only so large as to permit mounting on arbor 1 l with essentially no clearance.

While the drawings illustrate adapters having two separate flat bearings, it should be understood that the present invention also contemplates an adapter having a single tubular bearing. For example a suitable tubular bearing extending from the location of bearing 13 on FIG. 2 to the location of bearings 21 would be entirely suitable.

In the event the creel with which an adapter is to be used is provided with arbors which are not of constant outside diameter throughout their length, the inside diameters of bearings 13 and 14 may be suitably constructed to take this factor into account. Such adjustment is well within the competence of those skilled in the art.

In FIG. 1 struts 17a, 17b and 17c are shown as containing detents 18a, 18b and 180 respectively. When a spool is mounted on the adapter the detents act as stops and prevent the spool from passing over them.

During unwinding of the raw yarn, it is desirable that neither the arbor nor the adapter protrude substantially beyond the upper end 19 of spool 12. Since under normal circumstances the length of the arbor and the height of the spool are fixed quantities, the minimization or elimination of protrusion is usually accomplished by locating stops 18a, 18b and 180 at an axial distance from the upper extremity of the adapter equal to or less than the height of the spool which is to be mounted on it. It as been found, however, that if the distance between the stops and the top of the adapter is less than about one-half the height of the spool there is a tendency to wobble and pull off. Preferably, the axial displacement of the stops from the end of the adapter should exceed two-thirds the height of the spool.

Although the adapter of FIG. 1 is shown with a detent in each strut, adapters can be constructed in accordance with the present invention which have fewer than three stops. Generally, the smaller the clearance between the struts and spool bore 20 the less there is need for more than one stop. When there is very little clearance the axis of the spool and the axis of the adapter cannot deviate significantly from coincidence and a single stop, for example 18a, will serve the purpose adequately. The greater the clearance, however, the greater will be the need of additional stops. Use of only one stop when there is a relatively substantial clearance permits canting of the spool when mounted on the adapter so that the axis of the spool is displaced angularly from the axis of the adapter. The greater the clearance, the greater will be the angular displacement ofthe axes and the more objectionable will be the wobble which results upon rotation.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2. This adapter is designed particularly for use with creels having arbors that are substantially shorter than the length of the spools to be mounted on them. As explained above, the adapter should preferably extend onto the spool for at least two-thirds of its length. It can readily be seen that in order to satisfy this condition it may often be necessary for the adapter to exceed substantially the length of the arbor. Under such circumstances the adapter illustrated in FIG. 2 is ideal. Since bearing 21 is located intermediate the ends of the adapter, the device will accept an arbor about as short as the distance between the bearings while still accommodating spools up to twice as long as the overall length of the adapter.

In FIG. 2 bearing 21 is shown attached to struts 17a, 17b and through supports 22a, 22b and 220 respectively. The supports are also shown as extending beyond the struts whereby, in addition to supporting bearing 21, they also serve as stops. Obviously, when the relative lengths of spool and arbor permit, using supports 22a, 22b and 220 to serve two functions is economically advantageous.

The adapter of FIG. 3 was designed to accommodate a conical spool. Its struts 23a, 23b and 23c are not parallel to the axis. Rather, each is closer to the axis at the top of the adapter than it is at the bottom. When the adapter is rotated about its axis the struts define a frustum of a cone having an internal angle essentially the same as that of the spool to be mounted on it.

The adapter of FIG. 3 has stops 24a, 24b and 24c in the form of spokes emanating from bearing 13. When the adapter is rotated, stops 24a, 24b and 24c define a circle having a larger outside diameter than the largest diameter of the conical spool for which theadapter was designed.

The adapter of FIG. 3 also has bearing 25 which is slightly different from the other bearings shown. Bearing 25 is supported by upright 26 attached to one of the legs of one of the struts.

Although normally adapters of the present invention have frame members attached to bearings at both ends, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or attached to a bearing at one end and to one another at the opposite end, as illustrated in FIG. 2, they may also be left unattached at one end. For example, in FIG. 3 the lower bearing assembly provides sufficient rigidity and support for the frame members to allow dispensing with attachment of the upper ends of the frame members to anything.

While the above description of the invention has been inthe environment of creels used during warping it will be readily apparent that adapters of the present invention can be used in any setting where relatively large bore tubular packages are to be mounted on small diameter arbors.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the novel subjects matter defined in the following claims:

1. An adapter for supporting tubular packages on an arbor comprising an essentially rigid cage having at least three frame members located around a central axis and at least one bearing member, said cage being secured to at least one bearing member, said bearing members being axially located for receiving therethrough a supporting arbor, each of said frame members comprised of at least one leg having an inner end and an outer end and an elongated strut, said inner end being secured to one of said bearing members and said outer end being secured to said strut, said strut extending generally in an axial direction from said leg.

2. The adapter of claim 1 wherein there are at least two bearing members and wherein each of said frame members is comprised of a strut intervening a first leg and a second leg, each of said legs having an inner end and an outer end, said inner end of said first leg being secured to one of said bearing members, said outer end of said first leg being secured to said strut, said inner end of said second leg being secured to another of said bearing members and said outer end of said second leg being secured to said strut.

3. The adapter of claim 1 wherein each of said frame members is comprised of a strut intervening a first leg and a second leg, each of said legs having an inner and an outer end, said inner end of said first leg being secured to one of said bearing members, said outer end of said first leg being secured to said strut, said outer end of said second leg being secured to said strut and said inner end of said second leg being secured to at least one other second leg.

4. The adapter of claim 1 wherein at least one of said struts is located on one side and at least one other of said struts is located on the other side of every plane drawn through said axis.

5. The adapter of claim 4 wherein said cage has three frame members located apart.

6. The adapter of claim 1 wherein said cage continues at least one stop which projects beyond the surface of the geometrical solid defined by rotating said adapter about its axis.

7. The adapter of claim 6 wherein said cage contains three stops.

8. The adapter of claim 7 where said cage is comprised of three frame members and wherein each frame member contains a strut having a detent therein, each of said detents forming one stop.

Claims (8)

1. An adapter for supporting tubular packages on an arbor comprising an essentially rigid cage having at least three frame members located around a central axis and at least one bearing member, said cage being secured to at least one bearing member, said bearing members being axially located for receiving therethrough a supporting arbor, each of said frame members comprised of at least one leg having an inner end and an outer end and an elongated strut, said inner end being secured to one of said bearing members and said outer end being secured to said strut, said strut extending generally in an axial direction from said leg.

2. The adapter of claim 1 wherein there are at least two bearing members and wherein each of said frame members is comprised of a strut intervening a first leg and a second leg, each of said legs having an inner end and an outer end, said inner end of said first leg being secured to one of said bearing members, said outer end of said first leg being secured to said strut, said inner end of said second leg being secured to another of said bearing members and said outer end of said second leg being secured to said strut.

3. The adapter of claim 1 wherein each of said frame members is comprised of a strut intervening a first leg and a second leg, each of said legs having an inner and an outer end, said inner end of said first leg being secured to one of said bearing members, said outer end of said first leg being secured to said strut, said outer end of said second leg being secured to said strut and said inner end of said second leg being secured to at least one other second leg.

4. The adapter of claim 1 wherein at least one of said struts is located on one side and at least one other of said struts is located on the other side of every plane drawn through said axis.

5. The adapter of claim 4 wherein said cage has three frame members located 120* apart.

6. The adapter of claim 1 wherein said cage continues at least one stop which projects beyond the surface of the geometrical solid defined by rotating said adapter about its axis.

7. The adapter of claim 6 wherein said cage contains three stops.

8. The adapter of claim 7 where said cage is comprised of three frame members and wherein each frame member contains a strut having a detent therein, each of said detents forming one stop.

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