EP0123072B1

EP0123072B1 - Thread texturising nozzle

Info

Publication number: EP0123072B1
Application number: EP84102260A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Werner Nabulon; Armin Wirz
Original assignee: Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
Current assignee: Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG
Priority date: 1980-03-31
Filing date: 1981-03-12
Publication date: 1987-09-09
Also published as: EP0123829B1; JPH0244927B2; DE3172185D1; ATE15507T1; CA1160808A; EP0039763A3; EP0123072A1; EP0039763A2; ES8206681A1; ES501395A0; JPS56148928A; BR8101933A; EP0039763B1; JPS63288241A; EP0123829A1; IN152884B; JPS63288240A; JPS6410612B2; JPS6410611B2

Abstract

A texturising nozzle for synthetic filaments is openable and closable to facilitate lacing up. The nozzle comprises a two-part carrier structure with the parts (10, 12) movable towards and away from each other to open and close the nozzle. The thread path through the nozzle is defined by means of insert elements (18, 20) releasably mounted on the carrier structure at least in that region of the path in which the main texturising step is performed. A thread infeed passage (24) and a (preferably single) fluid infeed passage bring thread and treatment fluid together at a junction location, and a guide passage (26) (which preferably widens in the downstream direction) leads the thread and fluid from the junction location to the texturising region (28).

Description

The present invention relates to a thread texturising apparatus comprising a texturising nozzle through which the thread moves along a substantially predetermined path. The thread is subjected to a treating fluid, generally a gas or vapor, while passing through the nozzle. The term "thread" when used herein refers to any continuous textile element, particularly but not exclusively synthetic filamentary material, whether mono-filamentary or multi-filamentary.
The invention relates to a generally known type of thread texturising nozzle for a generally known process adapted to texturise a thread by action of a treatment fluid thereon. The nozzle has a texturising chamber in which the main texturising action occurs. This chamber is elongated and defines one section of a thread path extending through the nozzle. The chamber has a perforated wall through which treatment fluid can leave the chamber generally transversely of the path. The nozzle also has means to bring together the fluid and the thread and lead them into the chamber. Prior to the texturising chamber, the fluid preferably exerts a forwarding action on the thread, urging it into the chamber, but this forwarding action is at least substantially reduced and may cease after the fluid enters the chamber due to the exit of fluid through the perforations. The chamber is designed to produce severe turbulence in the fluid therein and/or vibrations, possibly even at a resonance frequency. The fluid is preferably hot, in the form of a vapor or gas; air is preferred although steam may also be used. The temperature of the fluid and the residence time of the fluid and thread in the nozzle prior to entering the texturising chamber, but after being brought together, are preferably such as to heat the thread to an approximately predetermined temperature dependent on the material of the thread and preferably close to the plasticising temperature of the thread. The perforations in the chamber wall are preferably in the form of slits extending along and generally evenly distributed about the thread path.
Thread texturising nozzles of the above general type, are shown in US Patents 3,714,686, 3,908,248, 3,950,831, 4,014,084 and 4,100,659 in the name of B.A.S.F., US Patents 3,983,610 and 4,095,317 to Akzona, German Published Specifications DE-A-2,632,083 to Barmag and US Patents 3,802,038 and 3,849,844 to Neumün- stersche Maschinen- und Apparatebau GmbH.
There is a problem which is of special significance in relation to nozzles required for processes, such as texturising, which are relatively complex and which can have a significant influence on the properties and characteristics, e.g. the dyeability, of the thread material itself. In such nozzles, small variations in performance from nozzle to nozzle, or in a given nozzle over time, can produce noticeable variation in the characteristics of the thread. This leads at least to difficulties for the end user of the thread if not to production of poor quality goods from such thread e.g. woven material which exhibits "streaks" because of dyeing variations in the threads used. The achievement of controllable uniformity of operating characteristics of a series of manufactured texturising nozzles raises very serious problems of accurate manufacture at acceptable cost levels.
It has already been proposed that texturising nozzles can be made openable and closable to aid "lacing-up". Such a nozzle is shown in DE-A-2,722,257, which shows an infeed section quite different to that now proposed.
It is an object of this invention to enable design of a texturising nozzle of a particular, defined type to facilitate accurate manufacture to give controlled, reproducable characteristics of the textured thread.
The invention provides a thread texturising nozzle in which thread can be texturised while moving along a generally straight path through the nozzle, the nozzle comprising,

-means to bring together a thread to be texturised and treatment fluid at a junction location on said path,
-a texturising chamber providing a section of said path downstream from said junction location considered in the direction of movement of the thread through the nozzle and having a perforated wall to permit fluid to pass out of the chamber in a direction transverse to the path, and
-a guide passage providing said path between said junction location and said texturising chamber, characterised in that
-said means to bring together thread and fluid comprises a thread infeed passage opening onto said junction location and a single fluid infeed passage extending along an axis inclined at a small angle to the thread infeed passage and debouching onto said junction location,
-said thread infeed passage being offset relative to said guide passage so that the treatment fluid urges the thread towards one side of said guide passage.

By way of example a two-part openable and closable nozzle according to the invention, together with variations thereof, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of the parts,
Figure 2 is a section through the second, complementary part on a line corresponding to the line 11-11 in Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a section through a portion of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2 but illustrating additional elements not shown in those Figures,
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modification of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, and
Figure 5 is a partial section of the embodiment of Fig. 4 taken on the plane VII-VII indicated in Fig. 4, and showing the nozzle in the almost closed condition.

The general arrangement of the nozzle will first be described with reference to Fig. 1 to 3 and features in accordance with the invention will be described with reference to the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5. These features are equally applicable to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3.
The nozzle body shown generally in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a first metal part 10A (Fig. 1) and a second metal part 12A (Fig. 2). Each part has a pair of plane surfaces 16A disposed on either side of a central longitudinal recess made up by a first cavity 15 (Fig. 1), a second cavity 17 (Fig. 2) and groove 60 (Fig. 1) joining those cavities. Each sealing surface 16A has a recess 61 to receive a guide on the other body part.
The parts are complementary. The surfaces 16A on part 10A can engage those on part 12A in a sealing manner to provide a tubular body with a through bore formed by the cavities 15 and 17 and grooves 60. In use, a thread is caused to run along a defined thread path including the axis of the bore. The cavities 15 together form a chamber at the "upstream" end of this path, considered with reference to movement of the thread, and the cavities 17 together form a chamber at the downstream end. Each part 10A and 12A constitutes a carrier member for insert elements which in use lie in the chambers formed by cavities 15 and 17. These inserts define the thread path within the chambers.
In Figs. 1 and 2 only the inserts 22 provided in the downstream chamber are illustrated. The inserts in the upstream chamber will be described later with reference to the other Figures. Insert elements 22 together define a texturising chamber 28 (Fig. 1) at the downstream end of the thread path.
Each insert element 22 comprises a wall portion and flange portions 41. Each flange portion fits neatly into the cavity 17 in its body part 10A or 12A, as best seen in Figure 2, and is secured therein by screws 42. The wall portions together make up a texturising chamber wall of external diameter smaller than the diameter of the downstream chamber and firmly supported at both ends by the end flanges provided at one end by the co-operating flange portions 41 and at the other end by the co-operating other flange portions. The tubular wall made up by wall portions has longitudinally extending slots 44. Each slot 44 extends from end to end of the respective element 22. These slots enable communication in use between the texturising chamber 28 and an exhaust chamber 46. Fluid can be exhausted from chamber 46 via outlet ports 50 (Fig. 1) in each part 10A, 12A.
Each body part is also provided with studs (not shown) enabling it to be mounted on an appropriate support structure (not shown) of a texturising apparatus, the receiving members on the support structure being relatively movable to enable opening and closing of the nozzle. A suitable system for enabling this is described in copending European Patent Application No. 80105347.1 (EP-A-26360). Each body part is also partially enclosed by a casing 54 (Fig. 2) of a material of low heat conductivity so as to protect operators from the hot metal of the body parts 10A and 12A in use.
Figure 3 shows a section through the infeed end of the complete nozzle, the section being taken at right angles to the frontal view shown in Figure 1, so that both body parts 10A and 12A, and the join line 76 between them, are visible. Each groove 60 is of triangular cross section, to form a complete guide passage 26A which is square in section. A thread infeed passage 64A is now provided by a simple, triangular section groove in an insert element 78 in the cavity 15 of the body part 12A. The facing surface on an insert element 80 in the cavity 15 of the body part 10A is planar.
Insert element 80 has a recess 82 containing an O-ring 84 encircling the access port of a bore 86. Recess 82 opens in the complete assembly onto a fluid supply passage 88 suitably provided (in a manner not shown in detail) in the body part 10A. Bore 86 leads fluid from supply passage 88 to cavity 87 the upper portion of which, above the bore 86, opens onto the end-face of element 80 and is screwthreaded to receive a closure screw 89 with a sealing washer 91. This opening, provided by the upper portion of the cavity, is provided simply to enable access to the lower portion now to be described and is blocked off in normal use by the screw 89 or any other convenient closure means.
The lower portion of the cavity, below bore 86, comprises a screw threaded section 90 and a further section 92 which is not screw threaded. A bore 94 of relatively small cross section provides a communication passage leading from section 92 to a recess 98 formed in the bottom surface of the element 80, and facing into a widening 72 formed on the upper end of the guide passage 26A. The angle X between the axis of the bore 94 and the adjacent side surface of the element 80 is made as small as practicable.
The bore 94 contains a tube 100 which is secured therein by any convenient means. The illustrated securing means comprises an elastomeric compressible washer 102 clamped between an annular end surface of the cavity 87 and a bush 104. The latter can be urged towards the end surface of the cavity to squeeze the washer against the outer surface of the tube 100 by means of a tubular nut 106 in the screw threaded cavity section 90. Fluid flow communication between the bore 86 and the tube 100 is provided by the interior of the nut 106. The tube is so held relative to the insert element 80 that it will just project into the widening 72. Clearly, positive means could be provided on a tube of definite length to ensure its location in a desired position relative to insert element 80. The bore 96 of the tube 100 constitutes the only fluid infeed passage and the element 80 acts as a receiver element for the fluid infeed tube 100, the latter being releasably secured in its receiver by the securing means referred to above. The latter comprises sealing means, in this case washer 102, to ensure that all infeed fluid must pass through the tube 100.
In the embodiment of Figure 3 the bore configuration of tube 100, and especially the dimensions of the cross section of passage 96, are chosen to provide a desired infeed rate of treatment fluid at a given pressure. By substituting a tube 100 having a different effective cross section for the passage 96, the user can vary the fluid infeed rate. The tube 100 can be changed via the access opening at the upper end of cavity 87 when the closure screw 89 has been removed. The degree of control obtainable over the infeed rate by means of such tubes is so high that external adjusting controls, such as a throttle in the infeed to the passage 88, can be dispensed with, although this aspect of the invention is not of course limited to use of the flow control tubes 100 without any external control over the infeed rate. Thus each nozzle preferably has an associated set of flow control tubes 100 of different bore configurations i.e. different dimensions of bore cross section and/or different tube length and/or different bore shape.
Figure 4 illustrates a modification of the embodiment shown in Figure 3. In this case, the body part 12B is seen in plan view similar to the view of the body part 10A shown in Fig. 1. The non-thermally-conductive cover 54 (in Fig. 1) has been omitted from Figure 4. The same or similar reference numerals, have been used to indicate similar parts.
In the embodiment of Figure 4, the cross sectional area of the guide passage constituted by grooves 60A increases uniformly in the downstream direction, that is from the upper end of the passage to the lower end as viewed in Figure 4. The junction location, at which the thread and fluid are brought together, is now provided by the uppermost section of the guide passage but there is no enlarged "junction chamber" similar to that shown at 72 in Figure 3. Each groove 60A is triangular in cross section so that the guide passage itself is square in cross section, as in the embodiment of Figure 3.
The widening of the guide passage enables use of a higher velocity of treatment fluid at the infeed end of the guide passage and an increased forwarding effect of the treatment fluid in the guide passage taken as a whole, that is an increased tension in the thread upstream from the nozzle. This improves the running of the thread upstream from the nozzle.
The widening of the guide passage also leads to improved "opening" of a multi filament thread before the latter enters the texturising chamber. This enables more effective action of the treatment fluid on the individual filaments both to transport them (forward them) along the guide passage and to texturise them in the chamber.
Although it is not clearly apparent from Figure 4, the thread infeed passage 648, provided by a groove in the infeed insert element 78A, also varies in cross-section along its length. Widening does not occur along the full length of the thread infeed passage, however, but only upstream from a point indicated by the numeral 108 in Figure 4. From the point 108 to its downstream end, the thread infeed passage is of uniform cross-section, of the minimum value consistent with infeed of the desired thread without interference. Thus, flow of treatment fluid "backwards" along the thread infeed passage is minimized.
Figure 5 illustrates more clearly that the thread infeed passage 64B is "offset" relative to the guide passage 26B made up by the two grooves 60A, that is, the thread infeed passage 64B and the guide passage 26B have no common plane of symmetry. As viewed in Figure 5, the longitudinal center line of groove 64B is displaced to the left of the longitudinal center line of groove 60A in body part 12B; the displacement, which is not clearly apparent in Figure 4, is to the right in that Figure, because the nozzle part is there viewed in under- plan when compared with Figure 5. As a result of this offset of the thread infeed passage relative to the guide passage, the thread is urged to one side of the guide passage by the inflowing airstream, i.e. to the left hand side as viewed in Figure 5. The offset should be so disposed relative to the fluid infeed passage that the incoming fluid assists in moving the thread to one side. When the thread infeed passage is disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center line of the guide passage, it is found that the thread is urged sometimes to one side, sometimes to the other and sometimes towards the apex of the thread infeed passage. This tends to increase the degree of variability of the texturising process both over time in one nozzle and as between nozzles of a complete installation.
The texturising chamber insert element has been omitted from Figure 4, so that the downstream cavity 17 is seen as a Whole in that Figure. Part of the upstream cavity 15 can also be seen in Figure 4, although the infeed insert element 78A is located in its operative position in that cavity. In the Figure 4 embodiment, a rebate is formed at the lower end of the cavity 15, so that the insert element 78A makes sealing contact with the body part 12B on a relatively limited sealing surface 114 surrounding the thread infeed and guide passages. A similar rebate is formed at the upper end of the cavity 17.
It will be appreciated that the infeed grooves 64A (Fig. 3) and 64B (Fig. 4) are relatively easy to form accurately and could be provided directly in the correspondingly modified body part 12A or 12B instead of in a separate insert as illustrated.

Claims

1. A thread texturising nozzle in which thread can be texturised while moving along a generally straight path through the nozzle, the nozzle comprising,

-means to bring together a thread to be texturised and treatment fluid at a junction location on said path,

-a texturising chamber (28) providing a section of said path downstream from said junction location considered in the direction of movement of the thread through the nozzle and having a perforated wall to permit fluid to pass out of the chamber in a direction transverse to the path, and

-a guide passage (26A, 26B) providing said path between said junction location and said texturising chamber, characterised in that

-said means to bring together thread and fluid comprises a thread infeed passage (64A, 64B) opening onto said junction location and a single fluid infeed passage (96) extending along an axis inclined at a small angle to the thread infeed passage and debouching onto said junction location,

-said thread infeed passage (64A, 64B) being offset relative to said guide passage (26A, 26B) so that the treatment fluid urges the thread towards one side of said guide passage.

2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 wherein said guide passage (26A, 26B) widens uniformly in the downstream direction characterised in that the degree of widening, expressed as a percentage of the length of said guide passage (26A, 26B), lies between 0 and 1%.

3. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the nozzle has two parts and is openable and closable characterised in that the fluid infeed passage (96) is provided in one nozzle part and the thread infeed passage (64A, 64B) in the other.