US3392894A - Removable threading guide - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1968 D. M. STANDEFER 3,392,894

REMOVABLE THREADING GUIDE Filed Nov. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 16, 1968 D. M. STANDEFER 3,392,894

REMOVABLE THREAD ING GUI DE F'iled Nov. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,392,894 REMOVABLE THREADING GUIDE Derrell Madison Standefer, Hixson, Tenn., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 593,820 3 Claims. (Cl. 226-89) This invention relates generally to the winding of yarn from a continuous source of supply and, more particularly, to an auxiliary device for handling the yarn when a production unit is started.

The production of yarn composed of synthetic filaments from molten polymers such as polyamides, polyesters and the like usually involves extrusion of the filaments from a spinneret vertically downward to a windup. The filaments may be stretched to orient them and/or advanced through other processing steps prior to winding. To facilitate maintenance of optimum conditions, both in the extrusion assembly and at the winding position, the two are usually spaced a considerable distance apart. In actual practice, the extrusion assemblies are often located on one floor of the building in which the process is carried out and the winding positions are located on the floor next below, each more or less directly underneath an extrusion assembly.

When an extrusion assembly is started initially or is reactivated after stoppage for replacement of the spinneret or for other reasons, the efforts of two operators are required to start the extrusion and winding process. To accomplish the startup of the unit, one operator catches the freshly extruded filaments below the spinneret and throws them down through the quenching chimney and through an interfloor tube to the lower level. With a yarn-catching device of the type disclosed by Barnes et al. in U.S.P. 3,051,364, the yarn is diverted to a vacuum line which routes it to a waste container until the lower floor operator is ready to start the winding operation. This eliminates the need for both operators to be in attendance at the same time.

Although the apparatus of Barnes et al. is both operable and reliable with textile yarns, it has been found unsatisfactory for high denier industrial yarns which stick together in a hard mass when the incompletely hardened filaments are grasped by the operator and thrown down. This relatively large rod-like mass of material is not drawn into the vacuum line readily and tends to clog its entrance. While the vacuum line entrance might be enlarged to accommodate the larger mass of material, this would be expensive from the standpoint of maintaining adequate air flow for satisfactory operability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for the temporary disposal of yarn advancing away from a continuous source. Another object is to provide an apparatus which is particularly adapted for the temporary disposal of high denier yarn.

The above objects have been achieved with a portable conduit which is adapted for attachment at the lower end of a tube through which yarn normally advances from an upper extrusion zone to a lower winding zone. The conduit has open upper and lower ends, the upper end being shaped to conform generally to the lower end of the interfloor tube and the lower end being adjacent the opening to a vacuum line. When in position beneath the tube, an angularly disposed inner surface of the conduit deflects a starting end of yarn and causes it to pass directly in front of the vacuum line. In addition, the conduit is provided with a longitudinal slot which facilitates its removal without disturbing the advance of yarn picked up by the vacuum line.

Other objectives and advantages will be apparent from "ice the following specification wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration of a yarn-handling installation which has been adapted to receive the portable yarn-deflecting device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the installation shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the yarn-deflecting device; and

FIGS. 4, 5 are fragmentary elevational views of the device shown perspectively in FIG. 3.

The process installation shown in FIG. 1 includes a spinneret from which synthetic filaments 12 are extruded into a quenching chimney 14. After convergence, the filament bundle enters an interfloor tube 16 and normally advances over feed roll 18, draw pin 20 and draw roll 22, through a fixed guide 24 and a traversing guide 26 to a rotatably driven package 28. This installation also'includes a plate 30 having a circular flange 32 surrounding the open end or mouth of a vacuum line 34 which leads to a waste container 36. As shown in FIG. 2, the mouth of vacuum line 34 is normally closed by a cap 38.

Before startup, cap 38 is removed and replaced by a yarn-deflecting device or conduit of the type shown at 4-0 in FIGS. 35. As illustrated, conduit 40 has a pair of flange members 41, 42. The latter are adapted for a relatively tight fit on flange 32 and thereby to support conduit 40 beneath tube 16. The upper end of conduit 40 is adapted to fit against and partially around the lower end of interfioor tube 16.

Referring to FIG. 3, conduit 40 has opposed pairs of side walls 44, 46 and 48, 50. At its upper end, conduit 40 is substantially rectangular in cross section and walls 44, 46 are cut away at 45, 47 to facilitate their location with respect to tube 16. In wall 44, there is a slot 52 between upper edge and an opening 54 in an extension 56. Mounting flanges 41, 42 project from the reverse face of extension 56.

Through a substantial portion of their lengths, walls 44, 46, 48 converge toward the lower end of conduit 40 and give it a generally spoutlike configuration. Since wall 50 is neither convergent nor tapered, conduit 40 is relatively narrow adjacent the lower end of wall 48. In addition, wall 48 is more sharply convergent than walls 44, 46. As a consequence, wall 48 presents an angularly disposed inner surface for deflecting yarn thrown down through tube 16 toward the vacuum line 34.

To start a spinning unit, the spoutlike conduit is put in position below the interfloor tube by the lower floor operator who then proceeds with his other duties. When the upper floor operator starts the extrusion process, he grasps the freshly extruded filament bundle in his gloved hand and throws the resulting hard, rod-like mass of polymer down through the chimney and interfloor tube to conduit 40 which routes the yarn through a path of advance directly in front of opening 54 and vacuum line 34. The yarn usually drops a distance of twelve inches or more below the vacuum opening before being picked up and drawn in by the air stream passing across the yarn at the vacuum line entrance. When the lower floor operator is ready to start the winding operation, he removes conduit 40 and then cuts and transfers the yarn to a portable sucker gun which he uses to thread the yarn around the guides, rollers, etc., employed in the winding process.

The location of mounting flanges 41, 42 on extension 56 is advantageous insofar as it insures alignment of slot 52 with yarn advancing to vacuum line 34, i.e., facilitates removal of conduit 40 without disturbing the continuous advance of yarn to the vacuum line. In situations where space limitations in an existing installation preclude provision of an extension on wall 44, the mounting flanges or other fasteners cooperable with fixed parts of the installation can be aflixed to any one of walls 44, 46, 48, 50. The only requirement in this respect is that the fasteners be so located that the upper end of conduit 40 can be fitted against and around the outlet end of tube 16 before the fasteners are engaged. When extension 56 is omitted, slot 52 extends through the entire length of wall 44. Other variations and modifications of a similar nature will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention which accordingly is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a yarn-handling installation including a tube through which yarn normally advances downwardly to a process point and a vacuum line originating adjacent the tube outlet,

a portable conduit adapted to be positioned beneath said tube and provided with means for holding it in place when so positioned, said conduit being open at its upper and lower ends torthe passage of yarn therethrough,

having an angularly disposed surface for deflecting said yarn toward the vacuum line and being provided with a longitudinal slot to facilitate its removal without disturbing the advance of yarn picked up by and advancing to the vacuum line.

2. The installation of claim 1 wherein said conduit is comprised of opposed pairs of walls and one of said walls includes said angularly disposed surface.

3. The installation of claim 2 wherein an adjoining second wall has an extension beneath said lower end of the conduit member, said extension has an Opening in registry with the vacuum line when the conduit member is positioned beneath the tube and said slot extends from the upper end of said second wall to said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,681,729 6/1954 Griset 226-97 X 2,812,850 11/1957 Pape 226-97 2,860,373 11/1958 Schmidt 226-97 X 2,880,457 4/1959 Schuller 226-97 X 3,294,305 12/1966 Schimpf 226-97 3,333,407 8/1967 Bruin et al. 226-97 X ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A YARN-HANDLING INSTALLATION INCLUDING A TUBE THROUGH WHICH YARN NORMALLY ADVANCES DOWNWARDLY TO A PROCESS POINT AND A VACUUM LINE ORIGINATING ADJACENT THE TUBE OUTLET, A PORTABLE CONDUIT ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED BENEATH SAID TUBE AND PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR HOLDING IT IN PLACE WHEN WO POSITIONED, SAID CONDUIT BEING OPEN AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS FOR THE PASSAGE OF YARN THERETHROUGH, HAVING AN ANGULARLY DISPOSED SURFACE FOR DEFLECTING SAID YARN TOWARD THE VACUUM LINE AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A LONGITUDINAL SLOT TO FACILITATE ITS REMOVAL WITHOUT DISTURBING THE ADVANCE OF YARN PICKED UP BY AND ADVANCING TO THE VACUUM LINE.

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