US3152435A - Intermittently edge crimped yarns and fabrics formed therefrom - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 13, 1964 E. H. PITTMAN ETAL INTERMITTENTLY EDGE CRIMPED YARNS AND FABRICS FORMED THEREFROM Original Filed Aug. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. E. HENRY PITTMAN E. IDARI'E sou NG'ER 06h 1964 H. PlTTMAN ETAL 3,152,435

INTERMITTENTLY EDGE CRIMPED YARNS AND FABRICS FORMED THEREFROM Original Filed Aug. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. E. HENRY PITTMAN E. DARE BOLINGER United States Patent M 3,152,435 INTETTENTLY EDGE CED YARNS AND FABRICS FURMED THEREEROM Edgar Henry Pittman and Edgar Dare Bolinger, Spartanburg, S.C., assignors to Bearing Millilren Research Corporation, Spartanhnrg, S. C., a corporation of Delaware Original application Aug. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 834,517, new Patent No. 3,647,932, dated Aug. 7, 1962. Divided and this application Nov. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 153,568

Claims. (@l. 57-14%) This application is a division of copending application Serial Number 834,517, filed August 18, 1959, now US. Patent No. 3,047,932.

This invention relates to novel intermittently elasticized yarn products and more particularly to novel intermittently elasticized and bulked edge crimped thermoplastic yarns and fabric made from such yarns.

In order to produce various styling effects in fabrics, it is highly desirable to employ a yarn having alternate elasticized or bulked incremental lengths or segments and substantially unelasticized incremental lengths or segments. We have found that such a yarn may be produced from originally unelasticized continuous filament thermoplastic yarn in a continuous process by intermittently elasticizing the yarn during linear advance of the yarn past an elasticizing medium.

In practicing the invention, one may employ an apparatus for producing the novel intermittently elasticized and bulked yarn according to the invention by employing a yarn edge-crimping device preferably in the form of a sharp-edged blade over which the yarn is advanced through a relatively sharp angle, and a yarn removal member which is intermittently moved to remove the yarn from contact with the treating edge of the yarn-crimping device. The yarn removal member may preferably take the form of an oscillating or reciprocating arm having a yarn contact surface of substantially larger radius of curvature than the radius of curvature of the sharp edge of the edge-crimping device, so as to effect substantially little or no elasticization of the yarn as it passes thereby while the yarn removal member has the yarn removed from the edge-crimping device. While the invention may in some instances be employed without the heating of the thermoplastic yarn, it is most desirable in order to provide permanent crimp in the yarn in the elasticized segments that the yarn be in a heated state while passing over the edge-crimping surface, which may be effected by a preheater in the form of a yarn contact heater element over which the yarn passes prior to passing over the sharp edge of the edge-crimping blade in order to heat the yarn up to a temperature between the second order and first order transition points for the particular yarn. The blade of the edge-crimping device is preferably considerably colder than the heated yarn passing thereover.

Various features and attendant advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention wherein FIGURE 1 is a schematic view in perspective of an apparatus for making a yarn according to the present invention, the apparatus being shown in elasticizing position.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic illustration of a portion of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 showing the apparatus in nonelasticizing position.

FIGURES 3 and 4 are schematic illustrations in side and front elevation respectively of a modified embodiment according to the invention, the device being shown in full line in the elasticizing position and in broken lines in the nonelasticizing position.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic illustration of a length of fully developed yarn according to the invention.

3,l52,435 Patented 0st. 13, 1964 FIGURE 6 is a schematic plan or face view illustration of a section of a fabric constructed of yarn according to the invention.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in FIGURE 1 a yarn Y of continuous filament thermoplastic material or a blend including thermoplastic filaments, having any desired number of filaments, is fed from a suitable supply indicated at 11 through suitable guide means illustrated schematically at 13 and a tension regulating device generally indicated at 14 to an intermittent elasticizing arrangement, generally indicated at 15. In the presently illustrated embodiment the elasticizing arrangement takes the form of a sharp-edged razor blade 17, the sharp yarn treating edge 17a of which has a radius of curvature of approximately .0O02.003" (dependent upon the denier of the yarn), and preferably has any surface roughness removed therefrom. The yarn is preheated through the medium of a suitable heater device which in the presently illustrated embodiment takes the form of an electrically heated strip 19 of metal over which the yarn runs substantially immediately prior to engagement with the sharp edge 17a of the edge-crimping blade. The blade 17, heater strip 19, and the guides 13 and 21 for guiding the yarn to and from the heater strip and blade are arranged with respect to each other so as to form a sharp angular bend in the yarn as it proceeds over the edge of the blade, the yarn thus having both a small patent crimp and a relatively large permanent latent crimp formed therein by this passage over and from the blade or such other sharp-edged equivalent element. After passage through the edge-crimping device the thus texturized yarn is fed along a desired path to a suitable take-up arrangement generally indicated at 23.

The latent crimp may be subsequently developed in any suitable manner either prior to or after formation of a fabric therefrom, as by hot moisture, hot air, or contact heater treatment, or by long standing exposure in a more or less relaxed state at normal room temperature or the like.

As the yarn proceeds through the elasticizing device, it is periodically moved into and out of elasticizing position. To this end the yarn is moved away from and into contact with the sharp edge 17a of the blade through the medium of an arm 25 loosely pivotally mounted on a pivot pin or shaft 27 which is suitably supported in any desired manner on a suitable support member 29 at one side of the edge crimping blade 17. While any suitable means may be employed for intermittently oscillating the yarn removal arm from its quiescent position as in FIG- URE 1 to its active position as shown in FIGURE 2, the illustrated embodiment includes a rotatable eccentric 31 in the form of a collar 33 secured on the drive shaft 34 of a motor (not shown) and having a short rod or pin 35 suitably secured thereto as by welding in an eccentric position. Rotation of the motor shaft 34 causes the eccentric pin 35 to move the yarn removal arm 25 against the action of a return spring 37 to thereby remove the yarn from and replace the yarn onto the edge-crimping blade edge 17a once for each rotation of the motor shaft. For a constant speed motor it will thus be apparent that the yarn produced according to this embodiment will have periodic non-random elasticized and unelasticized yarn segments, the relative lengths of the alternate segments being adjustable as by adjustably varying the position of the pivot axis of the shaft 27 and/ or the eccentric 31 to alter the ratio of yarn time on and off the blade edge 17a. In many instances it will be desirable to have randomly spaced and random lengths of elasticized and unelasticized yarn segments. In such case other suitable means may be employed for moving the yarn removal member in a random fashion.

The yarn-engaging edge 25a of the yarn removal arm 25 has a much larger radius of curvature (e.g., .030.l" or more) than that of the sharp edge 17a of the crimping blade 17, in order that this yarn-engaging edge surface a will effect considerably less and preferably substantially little or no edge crimping of the yarn.

In the modified embodiment as illustrated in FIG- URE 3 the yarn is fed from a suitable supply source through an intermittent elasticizing arrangement 115 to a yarn takcup arrangement in a manner generally similar to the embodiment of FIGURE 1. In this embodiment the yarn proceeds over the heater strip 119 and edge-crimping blade 117 and is removed from the blade edge 117a intermittently through the intermittent oscillation of a wire arm 125 having a transversely bent portion 125a of relatively large cross-sectional radius of curvature (e.g., for intermittently removing the yarn Y from the sharp edge-crimping edge 11% of the blade 117. This yarn removal arm 125 may be oscillated back and forth in any suitable manner, the present embodiment illustrating the employment of a solenoid and return spring arrangement. The armature 131a of the solenoid 131 is mechanically interconnected to a lever arm 123 secured on a pivot shaft 127 to whici the yarn removal arm 125 is also secured, thus forming in effect a bell crank lever arrangement. In order to provide for adjustment of the stroke of the yarn removal arm the lever arm 12? and the yarn removal arm 125 are preferably adjustably secured to the pivot shaft 127 through the medium of set screw collars 12.9, 13% to which the respective arms are secured as by welding. A return spring 137 is also connected in opposition to the solenoid, as between the lever arm 12% and a suitable fixed support 139. If desired a suitable stop or stops may be provided for limiting the movement of the lever arm, the active movement of the lever arm in the present embodiment bein limited by the engagement of the armature with the ends of the solenoid casing.

The solenoid 131 may be intermittently actuated by any desired intermittent signal generator 141 yielding signals of a desired frequency and duration. While any desired signal generator may be employed for effecting electrical impulses to actuate the solenoid, we prefer in most cases that the signal generator 14-1 give a more or less random signal output, although in some instances a particular pattern output may be highly desirable in order to give a specific fabric pattern effect.

A length of fully developed yarn produced according to the invention is schematically illustrated in FIGURE 5, and in FIGURE 6 there is shown a schematic plan or face view of a section of a fabric constructed of yarn according to the invention. As generally schematically illustrated in FIGURE 5 it will be noted that the fully developed yarn Y according to the invention has alternate incremental segments which are respectively elasticized and comparatively bulky or voluminous as indicated at 151 and comparatively much less bulky or voluminous as indicated by the substantially straight filament sections designated by the numeral 153. The voluminous incremental segments are representative of the sections of the yarn which have been subjected to elasticizing and bulking by engagement with the sharp crimping edge surface 17a or 117a of the illustrative embodiments, whereas the comparatively straight less voluminous sections 153 represent the segments of yarn which have been held off the surface of the sharp edgecrimping edge 17a or 117a by the action of the yarn removal member 25 or 125 in the present embodiments. While for illustrative purposes these alternate segments have been shown as substantially equal in length in FIGURE 5, it will be apparent from the teachings herein that one may readily vary the ratio of lengths of the elasticized and bulked incremental segments to the lengths of the substantially unelasticizcd and unbulked incremental segments. nus, in some instances it may be desirable to employ relatively long elasticized and bulked segments with very short unelasticized and unbulkcd segments therebetween, this giving a particular fabric effect with the unelasticized and unbulked segments normally being predominant to the eye, whereas on the other hand it may be desirable to form a yarn with the substantial unelasticized and unbulked segments much longer than the elasticized and bulked segments, in which case the relatively shorter segments will again have the effect of standing out visually in a fabric formed therefrom. Or it may be desirable in some instances to employ an intermittent single generator or other device which will vary the spacing of the respective incremental lengths of elasticized and unelasticized portions of the yarn during the course of processing the yarn in order to give a different novel effect in a finished fabric.

The small section of fabric F generally illustrated in FIGURE 6 is shown merely for the purpose of illustrating schematically the overall effect to the eye of the surface of a fabric formed of a yarn according to the present invention. The fabric section is illustrated as formed, for example, of loosely woven yarn having yarn according to the present invention in the filling thereof, the yarn being developed either before or after formation of the fabric. It will be apparent that various different surface effects will be obtained either before or after formation in the fabric, the development of the yarn after formation of the fabric having a tendency to draw-up or pucker the fabric surface as a result of effective shrinkage of the overall length of the yarn, particularly in the areas of the elasticized and bulked segments as they lie in the fabric. However, if desired this crinkling effect may be minimized or substantially obviated by making a loosely woven or formed fabric, if such is desired. In the schematically illustrated segment of fabric F the wavy intermittent lines 155 are intended to designate the segments f the yarn which are predominant to the eye from a viewing of the fabric surface, and thus may indicate either the substantially elasticized and bulked segments or unelasticized or unbulked segments, depending upon the ratio of length of the elasticized and bulked segments to the substantially unelasticized and unbulked segments. It will be seen that the wavy lines thus designate a raised appearance when these portions are formed by elasticized and bulked segments, whereas when such is formed by substantially unelasticized and unbulked segments they will be seen by the eye as relatively depressed and comparatively thin. Obviously many pattern variations and formations may be made within the scope of the invention as set forth herein, and it will be readily apparent that this schematic illustration of a fabric is for illustrative purposes only.

Many other modifications and improvements will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the foregoing description of these illustrative embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which we claim is:

1. A novelty thermoplastic continuous multifilament yarn having intermittently textured portions spaced in a determinate manner along its length abruptly separated by interconnecting untextured portions therebetween, said textured portions having while the yarn is in a longitudinally tensioned condition non-torsional crimp-effecting stresses therein, the yarn being further characterized by an overall torsionally balanced curling in said textured portions when in a relaxed condition.

2. A novelty yarn according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said non-torsional stresses are latent.

3. A novelty thermoplastic continuous multifilarnent yarn having intermittently textured portions abruptly separated by interconnecting untextured portions, spaced in a determinate manner along its length, the said incremental cross sectional segments of said textured portions being differentially stressed as measured in a cross-section-Wise direction to impart a longitudinal curling of the yarn in said textured portions.

4, A novelty fabric formed of yarn according to claim 1.

5. A novelty fabric according to claim 4 wherein a portion of said non-torsional stresses are latent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Matthews et al. Mar. 3, Bolinger et al. Jan. 3, Burleson Sept. 13, Corner et al. J an. 24, Davenport et al. Sept. 12,

FOREIGN PATENTS Australia May 19, Great Britain Dec. 30,

Claims (1)

1. A NOVELTY THERMOPLASTIC CONTINUOUS MULTIFILAMENT YARN HAVING INTERMITTENTLY TEXTURED PORTIONS SPACED IN A DETERMINATE MANNER ALONG ITS LENGTH ABRUPTLY SEPARATED BY INTERCONNECTING UNTEXTURED PORTIONS THEREBETWEEN, SAID TEXTURED PORTIONS HAVING WHILE THE YARN IS IN A LONGI-

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