WO2018122880A1

WO2018122880A1 - Transport belt for transporting fibre strand and a method for making same

Info

Publication number: WO2018122880A1
Application number: PCT/IN2018/000001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Amirthalingam JOTHIMURUGAN
Original assignee: Jothimurugan Amirthalingam
Priority date: 2017-01-02
Filing date: 2018-01-01
Publication date: 2018-07-05

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport belt (31) for transporting a fiber strand to be condensed over a suction slit of a condensing zone in a drafting zone ( 1) of spinning machines. Said transport belt (31) is preferably a narrowmeshed woven band coated with Thermochromic materials (32).

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

TRANSPORT BELT FOR TRANSPORTING FIBRE STRAND AND A METHOD FOR MAKING SAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates spinning machines. Particularly, the present invention relates to compact spinning arrangement in the drafting and condensing zone of spinning machines. Still particularly, the present invention relates to a transport belt for transporting a fiber strand to be condensed over a suction slit of a condensing zone in a drafting arrangement.

BAC GORUND OF THE INVENTION

The modern Ring spinning machines comprises compact spinning arrangement in the drafting system. The compact spinning system controls the fibre strand during drafting and supports to produce yarn with minimum number of protruding fibres. Various types of compacting systems are available in the existing technology. Suction compacting is one of the most commonly used Compacting system in the Ring spinning machines. Said suction compacting arrangement consists a suction device with slit and a transport belt over the slit area and a pair of Top rollers for drafting the fibre strand.

A woven fabric comprising polyamide multifilament yarns having a diameter of less than 0.1 mm is used in Transport belts. Said transport belt comprises centrical holes arranged in travel direction, through which holes the suction air stream enters. The size of the perforations determines to what degree the fiber strand is bundled transversely to the transport direction in the condensing zone. The transport belt is guided during operation over a suction slit, which extends in transport direction and which is essentially wider than the perforation. The condensing of an already drafted, yet still spinning twist-free fiber strand serves the purpose of rolling outwardly projecting edge fibers around the core strand, so that a better material utilization is permitted and that the fiber strand is less hairy before being imparted a spinning twist. This results in a smoother and more tear resistant yarn.

The transport belt is disposed over the suction slit present in the suction device. Said transport belt rotates over the sliding surface and the suction slit at practically no distance thereto, all the air which is sucked in becomes practically "effective air", which results in a particularly good degree of effectiveness in condensing. The drafted fibre strands are condensed through suction and twisted to form as a yarn and wound on the bobbins. United states patent application number 6,073,314 describes a device for condensing the fibre strand and a transport belt made from polyamide fibres as an endless woven loop with plural perforations.

During continuous running, the micro dusts and the short fibres accumulated in the sliding surface between transport belt and suction device as an effect of suction. Continuous accumulation of dust and short fibres form a tuft and stuck in the edge portion of suction slit in the suction device. Over a period of time, the accumulation of fibre dust results in increment in tuft size. When the size of tuft increases, it affects the flow of drafted fibre strand which results in thread breakage and yarn quality deterioration.

Various patents have been filed in the area of compact spinning transport belt. For example,. Indian patent application 11387/DELNP/2015 discloses a conveyor belt for transporting a fiber material to be pneumatically compressed which is composed at least in a region that conducts fiber material of an air permeable sheet material in particular a woven fabric made of plastic filaments and said plastic filaments are at least partially electrically conductive. The electrically conductive plastic filaments contain electrically conductive filler objects which have a nanostructure and are made of a ductile material. Presently, there are no systems available to find out the accumulation of dust in the suction slits. It is not visible and it can be identified only through observation like, irregular fibre flow, frequent yam breakages and lean bobbins due to more breaks. Once the problem is observed, the operator has to lift the top arm and remove the transport belt and clean the suction slit.

To overcome the drawbacks present in the existing art, the present invention describes a transport belt with thermodynamic coating and a process for coating the surface with thermodynamic polymers which shall be used for compact spinning in Ring spinning machines.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of the existing compact spinning system mounted in the Ring spinning machines.

It is an .object of the present invention to provide a colour changing transport belt for compact spinning system in Ring spinning machines.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a transport belt with thermodynamic material for the ring spinning machines.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a transport belt and method for coating the Thermochromic materials on the transport belts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

According to the main aspect of the present invention, the transport belt for transporting fibre strand is movably mounted on the suction device of the condensing zone arranged downstream of the drafting arrangement, wherein said transport belt consists Thermochromic materials. Said transport belt is preferably a narrow-meshed woven band coated with Thermo-chromic materials. Preferably, said transport belt shall be an endless and perforated and can take the form of a latticed belt or sieve foil or advantageously as a narrow- meshed woven band. Said transport belt surround the hollow profile and cover the suction slit in the hollow profile. The transport belt is made up of filament yarns made up with thermochromic materials.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the thermochromic material is Leuco dye in the form of powder or Liquid crystals. Alternatively, said Thermochromic material is an inorganic material for example, titanium dioxide or Zinc oxide.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the thermochromic coating is applied at the centre portion, edge portion, or on the entire width of the transport belt. Said Thermochromic material is applied as surface coating through any preferable surface coating techniques.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 depicts a compact drafting system known in the existing art.

Figure 2 depicts the problem in front compacting rollers arrangement in the existing art.

Figure 3 depicts the front compacting rollers arrangement according to the present invention.

Figure 4a to 4c depict the various embodiments of transport belt according to the present invention

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding, of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

Figure 1 describes the Compact drafting arrangement (1) known in the art, which comprises three driven bottom rollers (2, 3 and^* 4), which are arranged in a known, way on continuous drive shafts arranged in the machine longitudinal direction. Upper rollers (5, 6 and 7) in the form of pressure rollers, are arranged at the bottom rollers (2, 3 and 4). The bottom roller (4) and the top roller (7) form together the front roller pair (8) of the drafting arrangement (1), on which the roving or sliver (9) delivered in direction (A) undergoes a complete drafting process. Downstream of the front roller pair (8) therefore, a drafted fiber strand is present, which undergoes a subsequent treatment downstream of the drafting arrangement (1), before it is delivered in delivery direction (B) to a twisting device, for example a ring spindle, and twisted to a yarn (11).

The middle bottom roller (3), as well as the middle top roller (6) are provided with a lower belt (12) and an upper belt (13). In addition reference is made to a guiding table (14) for the lower belt (12). A condensing zone (15) is arranged downstream of the drafting arrangement (1), which serves the purpose of condensing the drafted fiber strand (10). A suction device (16) is arranged at the condensing zone (15), which suction device (16) comprises a closed hollow profile (17). The.hollow profile (17) is comprised of plastic or stainless steel or of any other low-friction coated material. It serves as a sliding surface for transport belt (18).

The transport belt (18) is an endless and perforated and can take the form of a latticed belt or sieve foil or advantageously as a narrow-meshed woven band. They surround the hollow profile (17) and cover the suction slit (19) in the hollow profile (17). The transport belt (18) transport the drafted fiber strand (10) to a nipping point (20), which is formed in that a nipping roller (20) presses the respective transport belt (18) against the hollow profile (17). The suction slit (19) is sufficiently long to reach the nipping point (20). .

The suction device (16) is provided with a suction air connection pipe (21), which is located approximately in the center between the two spinning stations and connected to the main suction unit. A nipping roller (22) mounted over the suction device (16) drives the respective transport belt (18) and presses it against the hollow profile (17) of the suction device (16). The nipping roller (22) is driven by the top roller (7) of the front roller pair (8) by a transfer gear arrangement (23).

Figure 2 depicts the problem in compact drafting arrangement (1) in the existing art. The drafted fibre strand transport through the suction slit (19) undergoes a subsequent treatment downstream of the drafting arrangement through the suction air from the suction device (16) and suction air connection pipe (21). Due to suction, the liberated fibres are collected under the transport belt (18) and stored at the edge portion of the suction slit (19). Over a period of time, the collected short fibres are accumulated and forms as a tuft (24). When the size of tuft (24) increases, .it obstructs the flow of drafted fibre strand and also affects the suction of compacting device which results in frequent yarn breakages.

Figure 3 depicts the front compact drafting arrangement (1) according to the present invention. The present invention is a transport belt (31 ), advantageously as a narrow-meshed woven band coated with Thermochromic materials. The Thermochromic material is coated on the surface of Mesh apron. Said Thermochromic materials are responsive to heat and changes its colour when temperature increases. Figure 3 particularly describes the colour changed portion (32) of the transport belt. The contact between the tuft (24) and transport belt creates a friction and results in heat generation. When temperature increases in the surface of transport belt, the Thermochromic coating layer changes its colour. The operator can easily view the colour changed apron and thereby he can identify the dust accumulation immediately.

Figure 4a to 4c depict the various embodiments of transport belt according to the present invention. The Thermochromic coating shall be given at the centre portion (32a) of the transport belt. Alternatively, the Thermochromic coating shall be given at . the edge portion (32b) of the transport belt. Alternatively, the Thermochromic coating shall be given to the entire width (32c) of the transport belt in horizontal direction with a frequent interval.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the thermochromic coating shall also be applied to the driving means such as flat belt, timing belt, V-belt etc,. During running, the drive motors possibly produces heat. In case of any mechanical damages in the parts such as bearings, the heat generation will be higher. When the heat is higher than the normal limit, the drive belt changes its colour, so that the heat generation problem shall be easily identified. Heat reactive materials change state, shape and/or color when exposed to temperatures above ambient. Naturally, many materials change shape, eg. melt, at high temperatures. The shape and/or color can be altered at relatively low temperatures. Thermochromic material is one of the heat reactive materials which are available in the form of pigments, Leuco dyes, powders and Liquid crystals.

Most thermochromic materials are based on liquid crystal technology. At specific temperatures the liquid crystals re-orientate to produce an apparent change of colour. The liquid crystal material is micro-encapsulated and Billions of these capsules are mixed with a suitable base to make thermochromic printing ink or paint. Liquid crystals shall be most preferably used in Transport belt, as their responses can be engineered to accurate temperatures. There are two types of said Liquid crystals used in dyes and inks often come microencapsulated, in the form of suspension

Thermochromic Color-Changing Paint Pigment changes color as the temperature changes. As the temperature goes up, the pigment becomes colorless, revealing the base coat or graphics underneath. Thermochromic Pigments change color when exposed to heat and turn back to their original color when the temperature drops again. These pigments can be mixed with an acrylic base or screen printing ink. The ratio of acrylic base to coloring pigment depends entirely on the application and density of color required.

Thermochromic dyes are based on mixtures of Leuco dyes with suitable other chemicals, displaying a color change (usually between the colorless Leuco form and the colored form) in dependence on temperature.

Alternatively, Polymers and . inorganic materials shall also be used as Thermochromic material. An embedded thermochromic additive or a high ordered structure built by the interaction of a polymer with an incorporated non- thermochromic additive can be the origin of the thermochromic effect.

Alternatively inorganic materials for example, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide shall also be used to deliver the Thermochromic effect.

In view of the present disclosure which describes preferred and best modes for providing a colour changing transport belt for example mesh apron for spinning machines. Modifications and variations would present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Any modifications and variations coming within the meaning and range of equivalency are considered within the scope.

Claims

I CLAIM:

1. A transport belt for transporting fibre strand is movably mounted on the suction device (16) of the condensing zone (15) arranged downstream of the drafting arrangement (1 ), characterized in that said transport belt (31 ) consists Thermochromic materials (32).

- 2. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said transport belt (31) is preferably a narrow- meshed woven band coated with Thermochromic materials.

3. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said transport belt (31) is an . endless and perforated and can take the form of a latticed belt or sieve foil or

. advantageously as a narrow-meshed woven band.

4. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said transport belt (31) surround the hollow profile (17) and cover the suction slit (19) in the hollow profile (17).

5. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said ^~ Thermochromic coating is applied at the centre portion (32a), edge portion (32b) or on the entire width (32c) of the transport belt (31).

6. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said Thermochromic material is Leuco dye in the form of powder or Liquid crystals.

7. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said Thermochromic material is an inorganic material for example, titanium dioxide or Zinc oxide.

8. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said Thermochromic material is applied as surface coating through any preferable coating techniques.

9. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said transport belt .(31) is made up of filament yarns made up with thermos-chromic materials.

10. The Transport belt for transporting fibre strand as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said belt is also any of the driving means such as flat belt, timing belt or V-belt.