CA1244634A - Method and apparatus for producing a substrate composed solely of longitudinal yarns - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for producing a substrate composed solely of longitudinal yarnsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1244634A CA1244634A CA000462366A CA462366A CA1244634A CA 1244634 A CA1244634 A CA 1244634A CA 000462366 A CA000462366 A CA 000462366A CA 462366 A CA462366 A CA 462366A CA 1244634 A CA1244634 A CA 1244634A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- yarns
- flight
- belt
- support members
- endless
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
- D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
- D04H3/02—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments
- D04H3/04—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments in rectilinear paths, e.g. crossing at right angles
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A method and apparatus for forming a loop-shaped substrate composed solely of helical wound yarns. An endless winding belt is mounted on a pair of support rolls for travel in an endless path and a plurality of yarns are connected in parallel spaced relation to a threading section disposed along a side edge of the belt. As the belt is driven in its endless path, the yarns are wound on the rolls in a helical pattern. Guide members are located adjacent and upstream each of the rolls and include a plurality of openings to receive and uniformly space the respective yarns. After the group of yarns has been wound in a single convolution, the wound convolution is shifted laterally along the length of the rolls to thereby enable subsequent convolutions of the yarns to be wound on said rolls.
Description
i24~634 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING
A SUBSTRATE COMPOSED SOLELY OF
LONGITUDINAL YARNS
sackground of the Invention Conventionally, papermaker ! S felts have been formed by weaving a fabric base and then needling fib-rous batts to the base. The use of woven fabric has certain disadvantages. ~he fabric is normally woven in endless configuration on a loom and due to the size of the felt, a very lengthy set-up time is required before the weaving operation can begin. When fabricating felts of substantial size, it may take a group of work-men several days to set up the loom before weaving can commence. Furthermore, since felts are generally becoming larger, the size of the loom required is also becoming larger.
The shuttle, which is used in the conven-tional weaving operation to interleaf the cross yarns with the warp yarns, is only capable of containing a limited quantity of yarn and after deletion ofthe yarn, additional lengths of yarn must then be overlapped with the trailing end of the original length, resulting in pressure points in the completed felt.
As a further problem, the normal weaving pro-cess produces distortion of the yarns at the side edges of the woven fabric and non-uniformity in spacing be-tween the yarns. The non-unifornity must normally be corrected through tedious manual operations.
A further disadvantage of utilizing a woven fabric in a papermaker's felt is that the points of crossover between the cross yarns and the warp yarns act as pressure points and can cause disfiguration of the paper web. It has also been recognized that cross yarns impede the drainage characteristics of the felt which can adversely affect the felt's performance on the papermaking machine.
. , .
~2~ 34 To overcome the disadvanta~es of the woven bàse E~4rle, United States Patent No~ 4,4935,~0 di~clo,~es a method and apparatus for forming a ~ubstrate co~po~ed solely Oe machine direction or lon~L~udinal yarns. In accordance with the inventlon of tl1e aforernentioned patent, a plurality of yarns or strands are dra~n fro~ a .supply anc1 wo~nd ~o~ a palr of parallel rolls in a hellcal pattern by a travelling winding member. T~e winding n~ember is con~ec~ed to a loop whleh extends aro~nd the rolls anc1 the yarns ~re attached to the trailing end o~ the winding me~ber. As the rolls rotate, the ~lnding me~ er travels in a helical path ~round the rolls to thereby draw the yarns ~rom the supply and wind the yarns in a helical pattern about the roplls. S~aclng members, such as combs, are located parallel to the rolls ~nd maintain proper spac~
ing and order of the yarns as they are wound a~out the rolls.
Su~mar~ of the Inventlon The invention is dlrected to an ll1proved ~ethod and apparatus for making a lovp-shaped substrate or base rnaterial con~isting solely of helieal yarns and whlch can be used in the manufact~re of textile products such as papermaker's felts.
In a~cor~ance with the invention, a pair o~
guide rolls are ~ounted in parallel spaced relation, and a ~elt is ~ounted on the guide rolls and i~ adapted to tra~el in an endless path~ A group o~ spaced, generally ~arallel yarns or strands are connected to a side portlon of the belt and extend generally parallel tQ the di~ection of travel of the helt. As the belt travels in lt~ endless path, the yarns are drawn ~rom supply creels and wo~nd on the parallel gulde rolls.
In the preferred ~o~m of the inventlon. a generally triangular section is attached to one side lZ~634 edge of the belt, or is formed integrally with the belt, and a plurality of connecting members, such as needles, are mounted in parallel relation on the base of the section and the group of yarns is individually attached to the needles. With this connection, the yarns are disposed generally parallel to the length of the belt and are offset laterally from the belt.
In a second form of the invention, the base of the triangular threading section is provided with a series of interconnected internal recesses and the yarns are threaded into the recesses in a manner such that knots connecting the yarns to the threading section are located within the recesses and are not exposed.
Positioned ahead of each guide roll in the direction of travel of the belt, is a guide member having a series of spaced grooved or openings to receive and space the yarns as the belt moves in its endless path. After passing through the guide member, the yarns are carried by the threading section in parallel spaced relation around the adjacent guide roll.
The winding mechanism includes a provision for shifting each covolution of wound yarns along the guide rolls, laterally of the direction of movement of the belt, so that subsequent portions of the yarns can be threaded into the guide members and laid in spaced relation onto the guide rolls. In the preferred form of the invention, the means for shifting the yarns takes the form of a guide member having a helical flight and the spaces between adjacent convolutions of the flight constitute the threading grooves or openings to receive the yarns.
The helical flight is composed of a threading section and a storage section. The pitch of the ~ .
.
~2~39~
threading section is greater than that of the storage section so that the yarns can be readily threaded into the grooves in the threading section and any knots conecting the yarns to the endless belt will not interfere with the threading. When the helical flight is rotated, the threaded yarns will be shifted or moved into the ~torage section of the flight in which the spacing between the grooves is reduced so that the wound convolutions of the yarns will be maintained in close proximity. Rotating the helical flight to move the yarns from the threading grooves to the storage grooves will correspondingly shift the wound yarns longitudinally along the guide rolls.
A mechanism is included to intermittently rotate the helical flight a sufficient number of revolutions to move the threaded yarns to the storage section of the helical flight. After the threaded yarns have been shifted to the storage section, rota-tion of the helical flight is terminated to permit successive portions of the yarns to be threaded in the threading section of the helical flight in succeeding passes.
The invention produces a substrate composedly solely of longitudinal yarns in endless form and having the desired length and width, so that no splicing of yarns is required in order to produce the endless configuration.
Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.
Description of the Drawings The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus of the invention;
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Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the winding belt showing the gusset and the attachment of the yarns;
Fig. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and showing the helical transfer member;
Fig. 5 is a top plan view with parts broken away in section of a modified form of the connection mechanism for connecting the yarns to the endless belt;
and Fig. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5.
Description of the Illustated Embodiment Fig. 1 in schematic form illustrates the apparatus of the invention for producing an endless or loop-shaped substrate formed solely of helical yarns or strands. The substrate can subsequently be used to produce a wide variety of textile products and has par-ticular application in producing a papermaker's felt.
The apparatus for producing the substrate includes a pair of generally parallel guide rolls 1 and
A SUBSTRATE COMPOSED SOLELY OF
LONGITUDINAL YARNS
sackground of the Invention Conventionally, papermaker ! S felts have been formed by weaving a fabric base and then needling fib-rous batts to the base. The use of woven fabric has certain disadvantages. ~he fabric is normally woven in endless configuration on a loom and due to the size of the felt, a very lengthy set-up time is required before the weaving operation can begin. When fabricating felts of substantial size, it may take a group of work-men several days to set up the loom before weaving can commence. Furthermore, since felts are generally becoming larger, the size of the loom required is also becoming larger.
The shuttle, which is used in the conven-tional weaving operation to interleaf the cross yarns with the warp yarns, is only capable of containing a limited quantity of yarn and after deletion ofthe yarn, additional lengths of yarn must then be overlapped with the trailing end of the original length, resulting in pressure points in the completed felt.
As a further problem, the normal weaving pro-cess produces distortion of the yarns at the side edges of the woven fabric and non-uniformity in spacing be-tween the yarns. The non-unifornity must normally be corrected through tedious manual operations.
A further disadvantage of utilizing a woven fabric in a papermaker's felt is that the points of crossover between the cross yarns and the warp yarns act as pressure points and can cause disfiguration of the paper web. It has also been recognized that cross yarns impede the drainage characteristics of the felt which can adversely affect the felt's performance on the papermaking machine.
. , .
~2~ 34 To overcome the disadvanta~es of the woven bàse E~4rle, United States Patent No~ 4,4935,~0 di~clo,~es a method and apparatus for forming a ~ubstrate co~po~ed solely Oe machine direction or lon~L~udinal yarns. In accordance with the inventlon of tl1e aforernentioned patent, a plurality of yarns or strands are dra~n fro~ a .supply anc1 wo~nd ~o~ a palr of parallel rolls in a hellcal pattern by a travelling winding member. T~e winding n~ember is con~ec~ed to a loop whleh extends aro~nd the rolls anc1 the yarns ~re attached to the trailing end o~ the winding me~ber. As the rolls rotate, the ~lnding me~ er travels in a helical path ~round the rolls to thereby draw the yarns ~rom the supply and wind the yarns in a helical pattern about the roplls. S~aclng members, such as combs, are located parallel to the rolls ~nd maintain proper spac~
ing and order of the yarns as they are wound a~out the rolls.
Su~mar~ of the Inventlon The invention is dlrected to an ll1proved ~ethod and apparatus for making a lovp-shaped substrate or base rnaterial con~isting solely of helieal yarns and whlch can be used in the manufact~re of textile products such as papermaker's felts.
In a~cor~ance with the invention, a pair o~
guide rolls are ~ounted in parallel spaced relation, and a ~elt is ~ounted on the guide rolls and i~ adapted to tra~el in an endless path~ A group o~ spaced, generally ~arallel yarns or strands are connected to a side portlon of the belt and extend generally parallel tQ the di~ection of travel of the helt. As the belt travels in lt~ endless path, the yarns are drawn ~rom supply creels and wo~nd on the parallel gulde rolls.
In the preferred ~o~m of the inventlon. a generally triangular section is attached to one side lZ~634 edge of the belt, or is formed integrally with the belt, and a plurality of connecting members, such as needles, are mounted in parallel relation on the base of the section and the group of yarns is individually attached to the needles. With this connection, the yarns are disposed generally parallel to the length of the belt and are offset laterally from the belt.
In a second form of the invention, the base of the triangular threading section is provided with a series of interconnected internal recesses and the yarns are threaded into the recesses in a manner such that knots connecting the yarns to the threading section are located within the recesses and are not exposed.
Positioned ahead of each guide roll in the direction of travel of the belt, is a guide member having a series of spaced grooved or openings to receive and space the yarns as the belt moves in its endless path. After passing through the guide member, the yarns are carried by the threading section in parallel spaced relation around the adjacent guide roll.
The winding mechanism includes a provision for shifting each covolution of wound yarns along the guide rolls, laterally of the direction of movement of the belt, so that subsequent portions of the yarns can be threaded into the guide members and laid in spaced relation onto the guide rolls. In the preferred form of the invention, the means for shifting the yarns takes the form of a guide member having a helical flight and the spaces between adjacent convolutions of the flight constitute the threading grooves or openings to receive the yarns.
The helical flight is composed of a threading section and a storage section. The pitch of the ~ .
.
~2~39~
threading section is greater than that of the storage section so that the yarns can be readily threaded into the grooves in the threading section and any knots conecting the yarns to the endless belt will not interfere with the threading. When the helical flight is rotated, the threaded yarns will be shifted or moved into the ~torage section of the flight in which the spacing between the grooves is reduced so that the wound convolutions of the yarns will be maintained in close proximity. Rotating the helical flight to move the yarns from the threading grooves to the storage grooves will correspondingly shift the wound yarns longitudinally along the guide rolls.
A mechanism is included to intermittently rotate the helical flight a sufficient number of revolutions to move the threaded yarns to the storage section of the helical flight. After the threaded yarns have been shifted to the storage section, rota-tion of the helical flight is terminated to permit successive portions of the yarns to be threaded in the threading section of the helical flight in succeeding passes.
The invention produces a substrate composedly solely of longitudinal yarns in endless form and having the desired length and width, so that no splicing of yarns is required in order to produce the endless configuration.
Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.
Description of the Drawings The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus of the invention;
124~3~
Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the winding belt showing the gusset and the attachment of the yarns;
Fig. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and showing the helical transfer member;
Fig. 5 is a top plan view with parts broken away in section of a modified form of the connection mechanism for connecting the yarns to the endless belt;
and Fig. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5.
Description of the Illustated Embodiment Fig. 1 in schematic form illustrates the apparatus of the invention for producing an endless or loop-shaped substrate formed solely of helical yarns or strands. The substrate can subsequently be used to produce a wide variety of textile products and has par-ticular application in producing a papermaker's felt.
The apparatus for producing the substrate includes a pair of generally parallel guide rolls 1 and
2, which are journaled for rotation in a frame or sup-porting structure 3.
One of the rolls 1 is driven by a drive mechanism that includes a motor 4 which operates through gear box 5. The output shaft 6 of the gear box is connected by a belt drive 7 to roll 1 to thereby rotate the roll. Rolls 1 and 2 are driven in syn-chonrization by a drive belt 8 which connects rolls 1 and 2. Alternately, roll 2 can be driven by a separate motor and operated in synchronization with roll 1.
In accordance with the invention, a group of yarns or strands 9 are contained on a creel, not shown, and are adapted to be wound around the rolls 1 and 2 in .~, 12~3~
a generally helical pattern to provide the endless or looped substrate.
The term "yarn" as used in the specification and claims is intended to include strands of mono-filament, multi-filament, fiber materials, or mixtures of these materials, in either twisted, untwisted, intertwined or plied forms. The yarns can be formed of any desired material, such as wool or synthetic materials.
Yarns 9 are wound about rolls 1 and 2 through operation of an endless winding member 10 which, as illustrated in the drawings, can take the form of a belt.
As shown in Fig. 1, a generally triangular threading section 11 is attached to a side edge of belt 10, or alternately, is formed integrally with the belt and the base or trailing end of the section,in the direction of movement of belt 10, defines a flap 12 which is un-attached to the side edge of the belt and can pivot with respect to the body portion of the gusset along the hinge line 13.
The individual yarns 9 are connected in spaced parallel relation to flap 12 of gusset 11 by connectors which, as shown in Fig. 3, take the form of needles 14. The ends of yarns 9 are passed through the eyes lS of the respective needles and are tied back to the yarns by knots 16.
Driving of rolls 1 and 2 by the drive belt 8 will correspondingly move the winding belt 10 in its endless path of travel to draw the yarns 9 from the creels and wind the yarns in parallel relation on the rolls 1 and 2.
In accordance with the invention, a guide member 17 is located upstream (with respect to the direction of travel of belt 10) from each of the rolls .~ .
iZ~9~63~
1 and 2. In practice, the guide member 17 can be located upstream 1/2 to 2 times the length of triangular threading section 11 from the respective roll. In the preferred form of the invention, the guide members 17 take the form of helical flights and the shafts 18 of the guide members 17 are suitably journaled in frame
One of the rolls 1 is driven by a drive mechanism that includes a motor 4 which operates through gear box 5. The output shaft 6 of the gear box is connected by a belt drive 7 to roll 1 to thereby rotate the roll. Rolls 1 and 2 are driven in syn-chonrization by a drive belt 8 which connects rolls 1 and 2. Alternately, roll 2 can be driven by a separate motor and operated in synchronization with roll 1.
In accordance with the invention, a group of yarns or strands 9 are contained on a creel, not shown, and are adapted to be wound around the rolls 1 and 2 in .~, 12~3~
a generally helical pattern to provide the endless or looped substrate.
The term "yarn" as used in the specification and claims is intended to include strands of mono-filament, multi-filament, fiber materials, or mixtures of these materials, in either twisted, untwisted, intertwined or plied forms. The yarns can be formed of any desired material, such as wool or synthetic materials.
Yarns 9 are wound about rolls 1 and 2 through operation of an endless winding member 10 which, as illustrated in the drawings, can take the form of a belt.
As shown in Fig. 1, a generally triangular threading section 11 is attached to a side edge of belt 10, or alternately, is formed integrally with the belt and the base or trailing end of the section,in the direction of movement of belt 10, defines a flap 12 which is un-attached to the side edge of the belt and can pivot with respect to the body portion of the gusset along the hinge line 13.
The individual yarns 9 are connected in spaced parallel relation to flap 12 of gusset 11 by connectors which, as shown in Fig. 3, take the form of needles 14. The ends of yarns 9 are passed through the eyes lS of the respective needles and are tied back to the yarns by knots 16.
Driving of rolls 1 and 2 by the drive belt 8 will correspondingly move the winding belt 10 in its endless path of travel to draw the yarns 9 from the creels and wind the yarns in parallel relation on the rolls 1 and 2.
In accordance with the invention, a guide member 17 is located upstream (with respect to the direction of travel of belt 10) from each of the rolls .~ .
iZ~9~63~
1 and 2. In practice, the guide member 17 can be located upstream 1/2 to 2 times the length of triangular threading section 11 from the respective roll. In the preferred form of the invention, the guide members 17 take the form of helical flights and the shafts 18 of the guide members 17 are suitably journaled in frame
3. Each guide member can be selectively rotatively positioned through operation of a drive mechanism, shown schematically as electric motor 19, which is connected to the respective shaft 18 of the guide member.
Guide members 17 are identical in construc-tion and are preferably formed of finned tubing. As best illustrated in Fig. 4, each guide member 17 includes a threading section 20 and a storage section 21. Threading section 20 includes a helical flight 22 which has a pitch considerably greater than the pitch of the flight 23 of storage section 21.
To guide the winding belt 10 in travel, each guide member 17 is provided with a pair of collars 24 and 25 and the space between the collars defines a groove or track to receive the belt 10. AS best illus-trated in Fig. 4, the collar 24 has a substantially greater height than collar 25 and the outer diameter of collar 25 corresponds generally to the outer diameter of helical flight 22.
As the winding belt 10 travels in its track defined by collars 24 and 25 and approaches the guide member 17, the triangular section 11 will ride upwardly over the collar 25 of the guide member, which at this time is stationary and not rotating. As the flap 12 of section 11 approaches the guide member, the yarns 9 will drop into the spaces or grooves between the convolutions in helical flight 22 of threading sectlon 20. After the yarns have been deposited within the .
12~'~63~
grooves in helical flight section 22, a mechanism is provided to operate motor 19 to rotate the guide member 17 to thereby shift or convey the yarns 9 along the length of the guide member and into the grooves in the flight 23 of storage section 21. To actuate the motor 19, a limit switch 26 is mounted on bracket 27 above and slightly downstream of the guide member 17 in a position where it will be contacted by section 11 as the section rises and moves over the collar 25.
Tripping of the arm of switch 26 will operate the motor 19 to produce a predetermined number of revolutions of guide member 17 to transfer or shift the yarns 9 laterally to the storage section 21 so that in the next pass of section 11, subsequent portions of the yarns can be wound in the helical flight 22 of threading section 20.
The greater pitch of the threading flight 22 as compared to the storage flight 23, facilitates threading of the yarns into the grooves between ad-jacent convolutions of the flight and insures that knots 16 will freely pass through the grooves. In addition, the greater pitch allows wider tolerances for threading and greatly enhances the runability of the winding system. By reducing the pitch of the storage flight 23, the wound yarns will be maintained in close proximity for subsequent use.
The drawings illustrate six yarns 9 being wound, but it is contemplated that any desired number of yarns can be attached to section 11 and wound on rolls 1 and 2. Utilizing six yarns, the guide member 17 is rotated six revolutions to transfer the six wound yarns laterally so that the first six convolutions of the helical flight 22 will be free of yarns and thus can receive subsequent yarns in the second pass. If, on the other hand, twenty yarns 9 were being wound, the g guide member 17 would be programmed to index twenty revolutions to shift the threaded yarns to the storage section 21 before the next pass.
As the rolls 1 and 2 are smooth surfaced, shifting of the yarns 9 by the helical guide members 17 will correspondingly move the yarns in spaced relation along the rolls 1 and 2.
The triangular threading section 11 provides several distinct functions. Not only does it form a means for attaching the yarns 9 to the winding belt 10, but due to its triangular configuration prevents twisting of the belt when tension is applied to the yarns 9. As a further advantage, the location of the attachment of the yarns to the base of the section causes the section to skew as it travels between the rolls 1 and 2 and thus tends to move the portion of the belt to which the section is attached outwardly away from the previously wound substrate, as shown in Fig.
1, so there is no possibility of the section contacting and distrupting the orientation of the previously wound yarns. In addition the hinge 13 between the base or flap 12 of the section and the body of the section permits the gusset to more nearly conform to the curvature of rolls 1 and 2 as it passes over the rolls. To insure proper threading, the length of triangular section 11 should be 2 to 20 times the width of base 12.
While the drawings illustrate a single threading section 11 associated with belt 10, it is contemplated that a series of sections 11 can be mounted in spaced relation on belt 10, in which case the guide member 17 would be operated each time a threading section 11 passed thereover.
The invention produces an endless substrate consisting solely of machine direction helically wound .~ .
~2~634 yarns in any desired length and width. ~ecause the substrate is wound in endless or loop form the time consuming and expensive operation of splicing yarns to form an endless configuration is totally eliminated.
As the system is capable of winding a multi-plicity of yarns, as opposed to winding a single yarn or end, the overall production time for producing the substrate is substantially reduced.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which a modified form of connector is employed to connect the yarns 9 to the gusset 11. As shown in Fig. 5, the connector 28 includes an elongated plate 29 having a tongue 30 which is secured between two layers 31 and 32 of gusset flap 12. As shown in Fig. 5, the rear end of plate 29 is formed with a plurality of parallel recesses or slots 33, the inner ends of which communicate with holes 34 which extend through the plate.
The adjacent upper ends of holes 34 are connected by cross passages 35, while the lower ends of adjacent holes are connected by cross passages 36. To complete the assembly, a top bar 37 can be connected to the upper surface of the plate by screws 38 or the like.
To connect each yarn 9 to the connector 28, the yarns is dropped into passages 33 and the end of the yarn is then inserted downwardly through the cor-responding hole 34, then passed laterally through cross passages 36 and back up through the adjacent hole 34, continuing on back through passage 35, and then tied with a knot to the incoming yarn 9, leaving the knot in passage 34. After threading all of the yarns 9 in this manner, the top bar 37 is assembled. Through this manner of threading, all of the knots are enclosed and there are no exposed knots on the yarn 9. By enclosing ~.~
i2~4~3~
the knots, it is possible to reduce the pitch of the helical flight 22 of guide members 17 over a system having exposed knots.
The apparatus of the invention produces a looped or endless substrate composed solely of machine direction yarns and can subsequently be needled with fibrous batting to produce all or a part of a paper-maker's felt, or other fabric. The needling operation can be carried on directly on the winding apparatus or alternately, the array of helical yarns can be removed from rolls 1 and 2 and subsequently installed on a conventional needling machine. Pressure sensitive adhesive tape can be spread transversely across the array of helical yarns to maintain the proper spacing if the yarns are to be transferred to a needling machine.
Through use of the invention, the time for producing the substrate can be greatly reduced over conventional weaving methods.
Guide members 17 are identical in construc-tion and are preferably formed of finned tubing. As best illustrated in Fig. 4, each guide member 17 includes a threading section 20 and a storage section 21. Threading section 20 includes a helical flight 22 which has a pitch considerably greater than the pitch of the flight 23 of storage section 21.
To guide the winding belt 10 in travel, each guide member 17 is provided with a pair of collars 24 and 25 and the space between the collars defines a groove or track to receive the belt 10. AS best illus-trated in Fig. 4, the collar 24 has a substantially greater height than collar 25 and the outer diameter of collar 25 corresponds generally to the outer diameter of helical flight 22.
As the winding belt 10 travels in its track defined by collars 24 and 25 and approaches the guide member 17, the triangular section 11 will ride upwardly over the collar 25 of the guide member, which at this time is stationary and not rotating. As the flap 12 of section 11 approaches the guide member, the yarns 9 will drop into the spaces or grooves between the convolutions in helical flight 22 of threading sectlon 20. After the yarns have been deposited within the .
12~'~63~
grooves in helical flight section 22, a mechanism is provided to operate motor 19 to rotate the guide member 17 to thereby shift or convey the yarns 9 along the length of the guide member and into the grooves in the flight 23 of storage section 21. To actuate the motor 19, a limit switch 26 is mounted on bracket 27 above and slightly downstream of the guide member 17 in a position where it will be contacted by section 11 as the section rises and moves over the collar 25.
Tripping of the arm of switch 26 will operate the motor 19 to produce a predetermined number of revolutions of guide member 17 to transfer or shift the yarns 9 laterally to the storage section 21 so that in the next pass of section 11, subsequent portions of the yarns can be wound in the helical flight 22 of threading section 20.
The greater pitch of the threading flight 22 as compared to the storage flight 23, facilitates threading of the yarns into the grooves between ad-jacent convolutions of the flight and insures that knots 16 will freely pass through the grooves. In addition, the greater pitch allows wider tolerances for threading and greatly enhances the runability of the winding system. By reducing the pitch of the storage flight 23, the wound yarns will be maintained in close proximity for subsequent use.
The drawings illustrate six yarns 9 being wound, but it is contemplated that any desired number of yarns can be attached to section 11 and wound on rolls 1 and 2. Utilizing six yarns, the guide member 17 is rotated six revolutions to transfer the six wound yarns laterally so that the first six convolutions of the helical flight 22 will be free of yarns and thus can receive subsequent yarns in the second pass. If, on the other hand, twenty yarns 9 were being wound, the g guide member 17 would be programmed to index twenty revolutions to shift the threaded yarns to the storage section 21 before the next pass.
As the rolls 1 and 2 are smooth surfaced, shifting of the yarns 9 by the helical guide members 17 will correspondingly move the yarns in spaced relation along the rolls 1 and 2.
The triangular threading section 11 provides several distinct functions. Not only does it form a means for attaching the yarns 9 to the winding belt 10, but due to its triangular configuration prevents twisting of the belt when tension is applied to the yarns 9. As a further advantage, the location of the attachment of the yarns to the base of the section causes the section to skew as it travels between the rolls 1 and 2 and thus tends to move the portion of the belt to which the section is attached outwardly away from the previously wound substrate, as shown in Fig.
1, so there is no possibility of the section contacting and distrupting the orientation of the previously wound yarns. In addition the hinge 13 between the base or flap 12 of the section and the body of the section permits the gusset to more nearly conform to the curvature of rolls 1 and 2 as it passes over the rolls. To insure proper threading, the length of triangular section 11 should be 2 to 20 times the width of base 12.
While the drawings illustrate a single threading section 11 associated with belt 10, it is contemplated that a series of sections 11 can be mounted in spaced relation on belt 10, in which case the guide member 17 would be operated each time a threading section 11 passed thereover.
The invention produces an endless substrate consisting solely of machine direction helically wound .~ .
~2~634 yarns in any desired length and width. ~ecause the substrate is wound in endless or loop form the time consuming and expensive operation of splicing yarns to form an endless configuration is totally eliminated.
As the system is capable of winding a multi-plicity of yarns, as opposed to winding a single yarn or end, the overall production time for producing the substrate is substantially reduced.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which a modified form of connector is employed to connect the yarns 9 to the gusset 11. As shown in Fig. 5, the connector 28 includes an elongated plate 29 having a tongue 30 which is secured between two layers 31 and 32 of gusset flap 12. As shown in Fig. 5, the rear end of plate 29 is formed with a plurality of parallel recesses or slots 33, the inner ends of which communicate with holes 34 which extend through the plate.
The adjacent upper ends of holes 34 are connected by cross passages 35, while the lower ends of adjacent holes are connected by cross passages 36. To complete the assembly, a top bar 37 can be connected to the upper surface of the plate by screws 38 or the like.
To connect each yarn 9 to the connector 28, the yarns is dropped into passages 33 and the end of the yarn is then inserted downwardly through the cor-responding hole 34, then passed laterally through cross passages 36 and back up through the adjacent hole 34, continuing on back through passage 35, and then tied with a knot to the incoming yarn 9, leaving the knot in passage 34. After threading all of the yarns 9 in this manner, the top bar 37 is assembled. Through this manner of threading, all of the knots are enclosed and there are no exposed knots on the yarn 9. By enclosing ~.~
i2~4~3~
the knots, it is possible to reduce the pitch of the helical flight 22 of guide members 17 over a system having exposed knots.
The apparatus of the invention produces a looped or endless substrate composed solely of machine direction yarns and can subsequently be needled with fibrous batting to produce all or a part of a paper-maker's felt, or other fabric. The needling operation can be carried on directly on the winding apparatus or alternately, the array of helical yarns can be removed from rolls 1 and 2 and subsequently installed on a conventional needling machine. Pressure sensitive adhesive tape can be spread transversely across the array of helical yarns to maintain the proper spacing if the yarns are to be transferred to a needling machine.
Through use of the invention, the time for producing the substrate can be greatly reduced over conventional weaving methods.
Claims (11)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An apparatus for producing a loop-shaped substrate composed solely of helical wound yarns, com-prising a pair of support members, an endless winding member mounted on the support members for travel in an endless path, means for preventing movement of said endless winding member longitudinally of said support members, a plurality of yarns, connecting means for connecting the yarns in generally parallel relation to a side portion of said winding member, said yarns being disposed generally parallel to the direction of travel of said winding member, drive means to drive the wind-ing member in said path of endless travel to thereby wind and yarns on said support members in helical pattern, guide means spaced between said support members and having generally parallel yarn receiving receptacles extending generally parallel to the direc-tion of travel of said endless member, and transfer means acting in synchronization with said winding member for shifting the feed point of the wound yarns along said support members in a direction lateral of the direction of movement of said winding member to thereby enable additional portions of said yarns to be wound on said support members in a subsequent pass.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises a helical flight with spaces between adjacent convolution of said flight constitut-ing said receptacles, and said transfer means for shifting comprises second drive means to rotate the helical flight in a direction to move the yarns longit-udinally of the axis of said flight, said support yarns to shift laterally of the direction of travel of the winding member.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said helical flight includes a first threading section and a second storage section, the helical flight on said threading section having a greater pitch than the flight on said storage section, said threading section being disposed in alignment with the path of travel of said connecting means so that said yarns will be received within the spaces between the convolutions of the flight of said threading section.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, and including sensing means for sensing the deposit of said yarns in said spaces for operating said second drive means to rotate said flight and shift said yarns.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said connection means comprises a generally triangular sec-tion attached to the side portion of said endless wind-ing member, one end of said section having a pointed tip facing in the direction of travel of said winding member and the opposite end of said section extending laterally from said winding member, said yarns being connected to said opposite end.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said section comprises a body portion secured to the side portion of said winding member and a base portion hinged to said body portion and unattached to said wining member.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, and including a plurality of connectors disposed in spaced relation on said base portion each of said connectors having an opening to receive one of said yarns.
8. the apparatus of claim 1, and including means responsive to the yarns being received within said receptacles for operating said transfer means to shift the wound yarns along said support members.
9. A method of forming an endless substrate composed solely of longitudinally extending yarns, comprising the steps of mounting an endless belt around a pair of spaced generally parallel support members, connecting a plurality of yarns to a side edge portion of said belt, driving the belt in endless path to thereby wind the yarns on the support members in a helical pattern, maintaining said belt in a fixed path of endless travel on said support members, positioning said yarns during movement of said belt in laterally spaced relation in a guide receptacle, and moving the receptacle to shift the feed point of the wound yarns along the support member in a direction lateral to the direction of movement of said belt to thereby enable additional portions of said yarns to be wound on said support members in a subsequent pass.
10. A method of forming an endless substrate composed solely of longitudinally extending yarns, comprising the steps of mounting an endless belt around a pair of spaced support members, connecting a plural-ity of yarns in spaced relation to a side edge portion of said belt, driving the belt in an endless path to thereby wind the yarns on the support members in a helical pattern, preventing movement of the belt long-itudinally of said support members, mounting a helical flight adjacent and generally parallel to at least one of said support members with the spaces between adjac-ent convolutions of said flight being yarn receiving recesses, separately depositing the yarns into said recesses as said belt moves in its path of travel, maintaining the helical flight in a generally station-ary condition as the yarns are deposited in said recesses, rotating said helical flight in a direction to transfer the yarns contained within said recesses longitudinally along said flight to a storage location to enable additional portions of said yarns to be received within said recesses in a subsequent pass, and terminating the rotation of said flight after said yarns have beeen transferred to a storage location so that said flight will be stationary when said yarns are deposited in said recesses in the next subsequent pass.
11. The method of claim 10, and wherein the helical flight is rotated a number of revolution corresponding a number of yarns.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US06/534,183 US4594756A (en) | 1983-09-20 | 1983-09-20 | Method and apparatus for producing a substrate composed solely of longitudinal yarns |
| US534,183 | 1983-09-20 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1244634A true CA1244634A (en) | 1988-11-15 |
Family
ID=24129021
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000462366A Expired CA1244634A (en) | 1983-09-20 | 1984-09-04 | Method and apparatus for producing a substrate composed solely of longitudinal yarns |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4594756A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1244634A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3433670A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5268076A (en) * | 1990-06-13 | 1993-12-07 | Thomas Josef Heimbach Gmbh & Co. | Spiral wound papermaking-machine felt |
| US5864931A (en) * | 1991-05-23 | 1999-02-02 | Thomas Josef Heimbach Gmbh & Co. | Felt, in particular a papermaking-machine felt, and method for its manufacture |
| US6240608B1 (en) * | 1999-04-12 | 2001-06-05 | Albany International Corp. | Method for joining nonwoven mesh products |
| US6630223B2 (en) | 2001-01-26 | 2003-10-07 | Albany International Corp. | Spirally wound shaped yarns for paper machine clothing and industrial belts |
| US8840683B2 (en) * | 2003-11-19 | 2014-09-23 | Albany International Corp. | Industrial textile fabric |
| US7720461B2 (en) * | 2004-02-26 | 2010-05-18 | Research In Motion Limited | Mobile communications device with security features |
| US20090047496A1 (en) * | 2007-08-16 | 2009-02-19 | Hansen Robert A | Multilayer fabric and manufacturing method thereof |
| DE102007000579A1 (en) | 2007-10-26 | 2009-04-30 | Voith Patent Gmbh | Press felt useful in a wet part of a paper machine, comprises two spirally winded layers, each of which comprises layer strips, where the spirally winded layers lie one upon the other or lie on each other |
| CN103625996B (en) * | 2012-08-24 | 2016-02-10 | 上海金熊造纸网毯有限公司 | Substrate fabric preparation facilities |
Family Cites Families (18)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB594384A (en) * | 1945-07-02 | 1947-11-10 | Evan Islwyn Jones | Improvements in or relating to advancement and spacing of artificial filaments or thread during application of treatment to them |
| DE382490C (en) * | 1923-10-03 | Hermann Zenker | Process for the production of endless warps | |
| US2232500A (en) * | 1940-04-10 | 1941-02-18 | Western Electric Co | Strand handling device |
| BE477433A (en) * | 1946-12-06 | |||
| GB733651A (en) * | 1952-10-20 | 1955-07-13 | Ici Ltd | Improvements in methods and means for threading sets of grooved thread-advancing thread-treating rollers |
| US2794542A (en) * | 1953-07-21 | 1957-06-04 | American Viscose Corp | Method and apparatus for lacing thread-advancing rotors |
| US2943379A (en) * | 1958-05-23 | 1960-07-05 | Lockport Felt Company Inc | Papermaker's felt |
| US3097413A (en) * | 1960-05-26 | 1963-07-16 | Draper Brothers Company | Unwoven papermaker's felt |
| US3392079A (en) * | 1964-05-22 | 1968-07-09 | Huyck Corp | Papermakers' felt |
| US3492706A (en) * | 1966-04-29 | 1970-02-03 | Appleton Wire Works Corp | Method and apparatus for disposing a continuous filament on a rack for making endless fabric |
| US3459612A (en) * | 1966-04-29 | 1969-08-05 | Appleton Wire Works Corp | Method and apparatus for making endless sewn fabric |
| US3458911A (en) * | 1967-03-17 | 1969-08-05 | Orr Felt & Blanket Co The | Method of making papermakers' felt |
| US3401467A (en) * | 1967-06-05 | 1968-09-17 | Orr Felt & Blanket Company | Paper makers' felt |
| US3613258A (en) * | 1969-09-15 | 1971-10-19 | Draper Brothers Co | Felt for papermaking machine |
| US3879820A (en) * | 1971-12-06 | 1975-04-29 | Albany Int Corp | Apparatus for producing non-woven papermakers felt |
| US3920511A (en) * | 1971-12-06 | 1975-11-18 | Albany Int Corp | Non-woven papermakers felt |
| DE2847291C2 (en) * | 1978-10-31 | 1986-06-19 | Lucke-Apparate-Bau GmbH, 7947 Mengen | Device for the continuous depositing of a yarn or other threadlike material |
| DE3014596A1 (en) * | 1980-04-16 | 1981-10-22 | Lucke-Apparate-Bau GmbH, 7947 Mengen | DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY STORING A YARN TO BE REMOVED |
-
1983
- 1983-09-20 US US06/534,183 patent/US4594756A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1984
- 1984-09-04 CA CA000462366A patent/CA1244634A/en not_active Expired
- 1984-09-13 DE DE19843433670 patent/DE3433670A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US4594756A (en) | 1986-06-17 |
| DE3433670A1 (en) | 1985-04-11 |
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