US2738641A - Apparatus for forming spirally wrapped plastic strip fiber - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1956 F. SLAVEK 2,738,641

APPARATUS FOR FORMING SPIRALLY WRAPPED PLASTIC STRIP FIBER Filed March 17, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l run \llllll 32 lllllllllllllllll II II" l1lllllll| IIIIIII IIII Illll .35 III .IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH. i 3

50 I I I l IIIIIllIlllIlll' LI-i 52 I 55 J WI/l I llllllllllllfi I mum Rmm/c/r SLAVE f I IN V EN TOR.

March 20, 1956 F. SLAVEK 2,738,641

APPARATUS FOR FORMING SPIRALLY WRAPPED PLASTIC STRIP FIBER Filed March 17, 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 2 M INVENTOR.

F. SLAVEK March 20, 1956 APPARATUS FOR FORMING SPIRALLY WRAPPED PLASTIC STRIP FIBER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 17, 1955 fkmar/cx JZAI/[A INVENTOR.

United States Patent Patented Mar. 19 56 .Anotherfeature, of the apparatus, is the fact that the overlap. between adjacent spiral bandsaround {the fibre maybe adjustedto vary the, bond betweenadjacent spiral bands.

Atfurther. feature of the-apparatus isthefact that the speed ofgthematerials fed, thereto andthespiralling speed and feed may be varied to suitthe type of fibre gxnother object is to vproducean .apparatus which canbe .ut ili zed with a wide range of plastic strip materials to produce a widerange. of sizes and typesof spirally wrap- Th c m n n drawin l u tr iv f. e s c b rnent of my invention, together with the dies riptio n ofjts construction and the method of operation and utilization .tha s ta afi ta fi s Pla t a b aadaa ttfiste will serve tosclarifyfurther objects and advantages of my in- ..vention. i

In the drawings: r 1,738,641 'Fjg. Lrepresents a partial front .elevation and a partial 5 a. .verticalse'ction throughithe assembled apparatus, the tubu- APPARATUS slaraverticalfidriveishaftfthe. hub of the upper support bracket therefor andthe central gear being shown in secx-Frederick-SlavekyNew'York,N. Y. .tion, as .shown. by the broken line 11,.shown in Fig. 2, a the balance of Fig. l, representin a front elevation of the "VA lFQ W M h 1 :1 ,?5 3 iN? fflt 10, apparatus, ishowingwthe .means of feeding the plastic 9 Claim (Cl, 57--12) Istrip.andthereinforcing thread to the apparatus, and the .-spiralling elements: of Y the apparatus. The spinner yoke showniin Fig. 1' has beenrotated through an angle of ap- ..proximately 90". from the position shown in Fig. 2, in This invention relate t fibe d f a thi stri of .order to more .clearly present the function thereof. A plastic materials, and is particularly directed to an ap- P p n ry rotated through anfifigl 0f paratus for producing a plastic fibre which is. formed about 180 from the positionshown'in Fig. Lisshown by by spirally wrapping a narrows trip of thinplasticmadot-dash liIieifl F V I terial, such as cellophane, around a fine central thread, aEig; 2 represents a right hand side elevation of the asor around h t i jt d f; sembled apparatus, shown in Fig.1, taken at 22, Fig. l, s The fib is 'f' l b i fl wrapping: a thi strip showing the spool feeding the reinforcing thread and the f i a j 'p l i ti' j t rigl; i h 116ph i f d .roll feeding-the plastic 'strip in their respective positions, a qe1 1t 'ra1 thmad, g fi 'b bi' ji d gfbjj d relative .t'o the feed rollers, also the method of spiralling (the central thread in a p lur alit y of layers, the individual i and pp g theicmpleted fibfes- T spiral layers 65 plastic strip material overlapping; one F 3 @Pl P fi PP i Shown in Figs- 1 f anqtherrtoflform axgrnfpping, bindelv-vbelwqeg aqjgcgnt pi "and 2, with the thread spool and the plastic strip roll reba d ;.T f l l thr ad may bee liminated, th plastic naoved to show the feed rollers wh ch support the matestrip being spirally wrapped around itself, rials during the spiral wrapping operation, taken at 33,

, The conventional type of plastic wrapped .fibre is 5 1 l formedjfby infill-Zing,themqqnventiqnal y :Of f d 3 Fig. '4 is an enlarged schematic front elevation of the thread witli aiithin thread of, cellophane or other plastic al y Wfapped Pl t fib g y by the a at xlnalterial Wrapped around it i ashowmg the relative position, spacing and overlap of the b Thisv mate-rial h s been vfqund lmsuvilted tqmany: 1 sp1ral bands of plastic strip used in forming it. ,.cations, .due totheQrlatisiely; dnllfinishof the ,material, fa 5 an a t qh m vicrflcal q l rgga and due to the tendency, of the twistedthreads to .,unravel M16 fnatenal shown In F Q E central F rwhen woven into, a fabrie .or siinilarimateriall I 9 re and the i i' i Q S and qverlaprqfhhe H The primary. objectgof my invention ,toprovidean lt l t d q multiple y? f P P 9 Strip flPgaIamZ i plzodficingi filbr g aiif e riilerstood that the folloWing description is orme y Splla y wrappmga puraiy o ayers v g g g 22thassures; n ranettantra: n,essentia eature o t e apparatus is. e act tat a formed of thin plastic strip bands spirally wrapped ar ound {we thereof .P. y 1 1 1-1 ng h ri ml al'ipl-l-nialityiioffi spiralllliayexs or In the drawings the same ref rence numerals desi wtapqediar-qund age ultra-1 irFiIifgIEmgVihfigd as a nate the same partsthroughout the various views, e; 511k" cept where otherwise indicated.

h featmreofi thq-appamtu-sigithqlfaqt gala; 3 one embodiment of the apparatus, utilized to form the ma'dilyii to! produce j a1 spirally wral l ed plasticfib're is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. pl fi -51 F 5 f t Q dJa lrb s and The apparatus is supported by a frame, comprisinga pair layers r I of substantially vertical column members 10 and 11,

L -m thiiifapparamsf thatti which are in turn supportedby a base 12, the operating utiliz ed With equ"}1.facility to WW-l mechanism being .driven by a motor, or other suitable Iof wldthssandtthlcknessesi QfJPIQSUFSmP:matgnalsnthus driveYmember (not shown), which drives a pulley 14 producing awiderangeof fibre d ameters and textures. 55v

attached to a main drive shaft 15, rotatably supported by l thevertical frame columns 10 and Ill The plastic. strip material 16, in the form of a nar- .row. strip oflthin cellophane, or similar plastic sheet inaterial,=is\.fed. fromfi'a. substantially cylindrical roll 17, mounted above the. vertical frame members. and an'gularly disposed; thereto, the.roll 17 being located substantially parallel to a pair of angularly mounted feed rollers 19 ,a 11 l; 20,.which are.mounted at the top of the frame in a .manner hereinafter .described in greater detail. The plasic striproll 'll isjtrunn ionedpn a cylindrical shaft1 21 A spool 22,.feedijng a fine silk thread 23, or a similar t" ead,' which forms a reinforcement or centerof the is: rotatably. supported above the frame, the spool v being loc ated in alignment with a tubular vertical drive 3 thread 23 being fed through the center of the tubular vertical shaft in the manner indicated in Fig. 1.

The hollow tubular shaft 25 is driven by a bevel gear 27, attached thereto, the bevel gear 27 meshing with a mating bevel pinion 23, which is mounted on one end of the main drive shaft 15.

A countershaft 30, located substantially parallel to the tubular vertical shaft, has a pair of spur pinions 31 and 32 attached to the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively, as indicated in Fig. l. The upper spur pinion 31 is driven by a spur gear 33, attached to the upper end of the rotating tubular shaft 25, the lower spur pinion 32 meshing with the upper gear 34 of a pair of cluster gears, trunnioned on the tubular vertical shaft 25, the lower spur idler 35, integral with the upper cluster gear 34 meshing with and driving a spinner pulley drive gear 36, which is attached to the upper end of a spinner pulley drive shaft 37, located substantially parallel to the tubular vertical shaft 25, in substantial alignment with the lower end thereof.

The upper and lower support members 39 and 40 of a bearing bracket, the hub of each of which surrounds the tubular vertical shaft, support the parallel countershaft 30, on which the spur pinions 31 and 32 are mounted, a bushing 42, fitted to the hub of each of the bracket support members supporting the outer circumference of the tubular vertical shaft 25. A vertical connecting member 41, integral with the bearing bracket support members 39 and 46, is attached to the left-hand column 10 of the frame.

The countershaft 36 is trunnioned in the outer ends of the arms 44 and 45 of the bearing support members 39 and 40, respectively, the arms 44 and 45 being integral with the hubs of the bearing support members respectively, and substantially perpendicular to the hub axis thereof.

A substantially L-shaped spinner yoke 46, the central hub 47 of which is attached to the lower end of the tubular vertical shaft 25, is mounted at the bottom of the vertical shaft, below the cluster gears 34 and 35.

An auxiliary boss 48, parallel to the central hub 47, integral with the horizontal arm 4-9 of the spinner yoke, is located opposite a substantially vertical arm 50 depending from and substantially perpendicular to the horizontal arm of the spinner support yoke 46.

The spinner pulley drive shaft 37, to the upper end of which the spinner pulley drive gear 36 is attached, is trunnioned in the auxiliary boss 48 of the spinner yoke 46, a spinner pulley 52, the rim 53 of which is of concave arcate contour, being attached to the bottom of the spinncr pulley drive shaft, below the horizontal arm 49 of the spinner yoke, in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The spirally wound fibre 54, shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5, and hereinafter described in greater detail, is fed from the bottom of the tubular shaft to a spool 55, trunnioned on a shaft 56 attached to the base 12 of the frame, in a manner hereinafer described in greater detail.

A pair of feed rollers 19 and 2t], individually trunnioned on a pair of parallel shafts 60 and 61, and mounted at the outer end of the side arms 62 and 62a of a substantially U-shaped yoke, adjustably supported at the top of the upper frame cross-member 63, is provided to guide and feed the plastic strip 16 and the silk thread 23 from the roll 17 and the spool 22, respectively, to the hollow center of the tubular vertical shaft 25.

The angular position of the feed rollers 19 and 20 and that of the tape roll parallel thereto, are adjusted so that angle of approach of the plastic strip 16, relative to the vertical shaft axis, is determined by the spiral angle of the strip, wrapped around the central reinforcing thread.

The U-shaped yoke is supported by a tubular member 64, which is attached to the upper frame cross-member by a pair of pillow blocks 65 and 65a, the tubular member 64 rotatably supporting a roller drive shaft 66, fitted to the center thereof.

A stepped cone pulley 67, attached to one end of the roller drive shaft 66, is driven by an oppositely tapered stepped cone pulley 68, attached to the outer end of the main drive shaft 15, by a belt 69, of circular cross-section, V-form, or other suitable cross-section, conforming to the convolutions in the cone pulleys 67 and 68, the speed of the roller drive pulley being varied by the position of the belt relative to the pulleys, thus obtaining a wide range of pulley ratios.

A bevel pinion 70, attached to the inner end of the roller drive shaft 66, meshes with a mating bevel gear 71, attached to a rotating intermediate roller drive shaft 72, trunnioned in the side arms 62 and 62a of the yoke, the bevel gear intermediate shaft being substantially parallel to the roller support shafts 60 and 61, and located a predetermined distance from the fixed roller support shaft 61, the ends of which are attached to the outer ends of the side arms 62 and 62a of the yoke, the ends of the shaft being held in place by set screws, or other suitable locking means.

A spur pinion 73 attached to the intermediate roller drive shaft 72, adjacent the left hand side arm 62 of the yoke, drives a spur gear 74, attached to the adjacent end of the lower feed roller 20, which is trunnioned on the lower feed roller shaft 61, the fixed feed roller shaft 61 being attached to the outer ends of the side arms 62 and 62a of the yoke, a set screw or other locking means being inserted in the yoke arms in the manner indicated in Fig. 3.

A pair of angularly adjustable roller support arms 76 and 76a is attached to the outer ends of the fixed feed roller shaft 61, the roller support arms being located outside and substantially parallel to the yoke side arms 62 and 62a. The end of each roller support arm 76 and 76a, attached to the fixed feed roller shaft 61 has a slot 77 therethrough, a lock screw 78 inserted through the upper segment of the arm and threadably fitted to the lower segment thereof, clamping the arm segments, adjacent the slot 77, to the roller support shaft 61.

A pair of sliding blocks 80, each of which is slidably fitted within a channel 81 cut through the center of the outer portion of each roller support arm, adjustably supports the ends of the adjustable roller support shaft 60, each end of the shaft being inserted through an opening in the adjacent block, each sliding block being attached to the shaft by a set screw or other suitable attaching means.

An adjusting screw 82, threadably inserted in the outer end of each roller support arm, beyond the channel 81, is provided in each arm, the lower end of the screw being attached to the adjacent sliding block to adjust the position of the block, relative to the roller support arm, thereby adjusting the position of the adjustable roller support shaft 60, relative to the fixed roller support shaft 61, and in that manner adjusting the spacing between the feed rollers 19 and 2t), and adjusting the pressure of the feed rollers against the plastic strip 16, fed therebetween. A lock nut 83 is threadably fitted to each adjusting screw 32, to lock the adjusting screw in the adjusted position, thereby retaining the block 80 in its adjusted position and maintaining the required spacing between the feed rollers.

The spur gear 74 meshes with a similar spur gear 85, attached to the adjacent end of the upper feed roller 19, which is trunnioned on the adjustable feed roller shaft 60, to drive the upper feed roller 19.

In this manner, the two feed rollers are tiltable relative to the frame, by adjusting the angular position of the Ushaped yoke. The angular axial relation of the upper or adjustable feed roller, relative to the lower feed roller in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal roller axis, is adjustable by angularly tilting the roller support arms 76 and 76a about the fixed roller support shaft 61, the spacing between the rollers being adjusted by moving the sliding blocks 80 in the manner hereinbefore described.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the plastic strip roll 17 is located i Iof. the spinner yoke.

a above the feed rollers 19 and in a position substantially r; parallelntort-he fecdtrollenilShamh20amtenable the plastic strip 16 tolbezfed lbetweenatli r feedrrollersyin a, direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxisthereof.

-.A-'.circumferential;groove 187,; -of substantially -1'eclttangular .-cross-sec,tion, f, is, tout; raroundsthe router circum- .-.-ference .of theaoutenfeed roller 19.

.The plastic strip: 16.-.is;fcd :betweennthetfeed rollers, 19 .and: 20 int a position substantially parallel .itol one. edge ,ttof the-circumferential .groovet' 87 ,:-.the:strip being guidedvdirected. from. the rollerstoward lthe center .Of the tubular avertical shaft"25.The fine: reinforcing thread 23, fedv from a spool 122-Jocatedtaboveuthe rollers 19 and:20, is directed toward-athegroovel87. ,inl-the center ofithe upper feed roller 19; through an opening in the-head=of a guide 88,

.1 which is .attachednto the ,toph of. the left-hand vertical -l columnl lll of the frame,.- the -guide. head being located in .substantiallalignment.with the center of the tubular ver- -.tical. shaftQS, in order-to feed the-reinforcing thread toward the. center of thewertical shaft; :the angular directionloft theiplastic strip 16, relative tol the shaft, being such that the plastic:strip joins the reinforcing thread at atpoint iabove thetop ofnthe tubular vertical shaft 25, in substantial. :alignment with lthe center 50f the passage sntherethroughwso .thattthe pla'stic strip' 16 'and the reina forcing thread* 23. l are" --fed 1 simultaneously through i the .ncentral passagelinl the tubulartverticalshaft -,the-strip 2 J16 being spirally 1 Wrapped. around thetcentrah thread in a mannenhereinafter describcddn-greater detail,-to form .:--.t he:completed1fibre; shown in Figs 4 and 5.

The angle formed by-lthe feed rolls 19 and 20,-relative totthe verticalishaft; is so adjusted thatthe plastic strip 16 approaches athel central thread 23- at an angle corresponding- ,to the spiralangle-of thestrip--relativetothe longitudinal fibre axis.

'When the spirally wrapped fibre 54-leaves the bottom;

and; :20 relative. to the yerticall-shaftgwh 111116 angle ;of.approach, of.;t;he plastimjstrip relative tothe .nmateri l. [ar und I thezr tin l-threa s..a 'th WW 2 5 tween adjacent strips is determined feedrollers 19 hde ermin v rt cal zaxismf: th ttubularrsha t; 5. through, which I the t materials ,are' fed.

The number of turns of completed fibre wrappfidaround 1 the spinner pulley rim;53 tensions; the ;fibre so that univshaft QS, which holds the completed fibre.

3 The leadof the spiralbands 10f spirally wrapped plastic strip ar undathe central) reinforcing; thread is determined by the angle of approachizof thelplastic:strip.16 relative to the vertical shaft ,axis,. coupled with therelation between the rotational rate ;;of-the.-spinneryoke 46 and the rate go at. which theplastic strip 116. is fed-from the roll '17, which ;determined -,by.the. rate at'whichs the eompletedlspirally wound fibre is drawn-throughmthe. tubular vertical shaft by the spinner pulley.

Where thefeed rate, of thefinished, spirally. wound fibre is increased, relative-to. the-rate. of rotation of the i horizontal 31111 .49. :of ,thelspinner yoke, the number of ,layerstof spirally ,wrapped strip around the reinforcing h ad23isincreased, thus increasingthe diameter of the completed fibre.

The pressure exerted on the overlapping area 93 of the strip .bands.94,- during. the winding process, caused-i-by tthetension .011] the .plastic strip I the t ial, thus, fibr w i i during the, winding thereof, coupled with the inherent eristics 'of-thezplastic strip material, suchas celloforms a bond..between. theroverlappingarea of ,outer spiral. band and thetadjacent band of the strip providing a relatively. tight spirally wound will not itlnravel. under. normal operating phane,

conditions. and normal .usage.

; r elativclyt lniform rate 1 the spinnerpullem P fibre of; uniformxldi 5 ing; the ,rate of rotation of-the spinner .,;of the,stepped cone- pulleys 67 and 68.

. :of the spinnen yoke, toward-the collecting spool;

eamOHIItECl OH a-vertical =shaft 56,-'attached--to'the -base '12 'of:' the frame,-around which ittis wound -by-the rotation :The operation. :of 1 the. E follows:

iThe plastic strip 16, which is -fedfrom l.- between the feed rollers-19' and it through the center-of the tubular tween the feed rollers19 and-20;

"apparatus is-- substantially as the strip roll =20;'-toward;th e passage shaft'QS; gripped bepassagein the qenter of thetllblllaryst iG-fll, Sh ft re n orci gt readheing l rect dtowa dth sha t P sa .T e. rota ion of the spinn r yqkeatfi, att e bo o f,

a, the @tubulan- .shaft,, spirally ,wraps the -plastiei strip. 216

around;,.the ee tranr n owl st hre d 1 3m l1 QYQE Pi b eing formed; between r1dj apgentl :spirahbands .3941 of l the p astic-st ptas it is wam feed rollers, relative .to the top maintain; the,- spirallyltwound'fibre at. the bottom of the vertical shaft in substantialaxial ,Bymaintaining a. relatively uniform tension on the plastic strip 51 6, obtained. by. adjusting the tension between the feed rollers 19 .and-s'20and by maintaining a of rotation of the spinner yoke and mounted: .thereon, a spirally wound ameter l and. relatively uniform 1 spiral lead is ;Obt3l 16d;z,ih6i diameter andv leadbeing varied by varying the tension betweenttheafeed rollers and adjustyoke-46 by means The! guide rollerr89 located atthe center of the bottom ;ofthe tubularvertical shaft 25, and the location of the of the vertical shaft 25,

alignment with the plastic strip l6 ,andthe reinforcing thread'at the top ofthe vertical shaft 25, so thattherrate of spiralling and the lead between adjacent spiral'ba-nds is maintalned relatively uniform.

fed; toward the apparatus.

The reinforcing threadZS -at the center of the. spirally wound fibre may be eliminated the plastic strip being wrapped-around itself in substantially thesame manner.

A somewhat,more uniform errterior s urface of the spirally Wo fibre iS ob ain d y... t zins a c ntr l o thread 23, of the type employed.

I e i me fit sl nish i ra y l u fib y berar e yy a yi at e d m t r. the ei or i thread '23,. and varying thethickness. or ,width of the plastic strip .The lead of=thespirally wrapped bands and theoverlap between adjacenttspiral ands. maybe .varied- .by varying the width of: the plasticstrip 16 in conformity with the finished diameterof.thespirallywound fibre required, and l v the spiral lead required.

The number of. layersa'ofr plasticstrip-forming the spirally wrappedzfibre mayabewaried by adjusting the rotaqTg e spi :ens eztonn dtbyet diriduanthaadslofist in r tional speed of the spinner yoke, and varying the-rate-of feeding the strip and the reinforcing thread to the tubular vertical shaft passage.

The outside diameter of the fibre may therefore be varied by varying the number of layers of spirally wrapped strip bands, forming the fibre, varying the thickness of the plastic strip, varying the width of the plastic strip and otherwise adjusting the lead between adjacent bands of plastic strip.

The method of supporting and driving the tubular vertical shaft may be altered considerably, the essentials of the construction and operation thereof remaining the same.

The method of supporting and adjusting the spacing between the feed rollers may be altered considerably, the primary feature being the adjustment of the spacing and pressure between the feed rollers in feeding the plastic strip to the vertical shaft passage.

The method of supporting the feed rollers above the frame, and the method of adjusting the angular relation between the feed rollers, relative to the tubular vertical shaft may be altered considerably, the essential features of the operation of the feed rollers remaining the same as hereinbefore described.

The method of supporting the spinner yoke and the spinner pulley, and the method of driving the spinner pulley may be altered, or varied considerably, the essential features of the operation of the spinner yoke and spinner pulley, that of spirally wrapping the plastic strip around the central thread to form the finished fibre remaining essentially the same.

The width and thickness of the plastic strip fed to the vertical shaft passage may be varied considerably, depending upon the material of which the plastic strip is made and the diameter and texture of the finished fibre required for a particular application.

The ratio of the speed of rotation of the feed rollers, relative to the spinner yoke and the spinner pulley may be varied considerably by altering the ratios between the various gears in the drive gear trains used, the ratio adopted depending upon the width of the plastic strip used and the number of layers of spirally wrapped plastic strip utilized to form the finished fibre.

The method of transferring the finished fibre from the tubular vertical shaft to the collecting spool may be altered considerably, on condition that suitable gripping means is provided to grip and support the finished fibre during the spiral Wrapping operation.

Instead of a single strip of plastic strip material, fed from a single roll, as shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described, a plurality of plastic strips may be utilized to form a plurality of layers of spirally wrapped plastic strip, forming the spiral wrappings of the cornpleted fibre, the feeding angles of the individual strips, and the angle of approach of each strip to the vertical shaft passage being adjusted to provide the selected spiral angle and spiral lead of the finished fibre.

Where multiple plastic strips are used, a plurality of sets of feed rollers, individually adjustable for tension may be provided, the angular relation between the individual sets of feed rollers and the tubular vertical shaft being adjustable to provide the proper spiral angle and lead for each individual plastic strip in the multiple strip unit to provide a properly co-ordinated homogeneous multiple layer spirally wound fibre.

The cone pulleys driving the tubular vertical shaft and the feed rollers may be altered considerably, or replaced by other suitable drive means, provided adequate provision is made for adjusting and maintaining the ratio between the rotational speed of the feed rollers and the speed of the tubular vertical shaft, and the spinner yoke.

it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that applicants principles may be applied in many modified forms beyond those illustrated and described herein, and therefore the following claims should not be limited to the forms illustrated but be deemed to apply to all equivalents as well.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a central thread, with a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the central thread, comprising a frame, a tubular, substantially vertical shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a pair of cylindrical rotatable feed rollers supported by said frame, means for supplying a thin narrow plastic strip toward the feed rollers, means for feeding a fine central thread toward the tubular shaft passage, said feed rollers being angularly adjustable relative to the tubular shaft axis, one of said feed rollers being movable relative to the other to adjust the gripping pressure between the feed rollers against the plastic strip fed therebetween, the feed rollers being positioned to angularly direct the plastic strip toward the tubular shaft passage, co-ordinated with the plastic strip spiral angle, means attached to the end of the tubular shaft, opposite the feed rollers, for rotating the plastic strip within the tubular shaft passage to progressively spirally wrap the plastic strip around the central thread, with an overlap between adjacent spiral strip elements, a rotatable fibre retaining member supported by said plastic strip rotating means, said fibre retaining memher being operative to progressively retain sections of the spirally wrapped fibre during the spiral wrapping process, means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the plastic strip feed rollers with the tubular shaft rotation, and means co-ordinating the rotation of the spirally wrapped fibre retaining means at the opposite end of the tubular shaft with the plastic strip feed roller rotation to form a uniformly spaced spirally wrapped fibre.

2. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a central thread, with a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the central thread, comprising a frame, a tubular shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a pair of cylindrical rotatable feed rollers supported by said frame, means for supplying a thin, narrow plastic strip to the feed rollers, means for feeding a fine central thread to the tubular shaft passage, said feed rollers being angularly adjustable relative to the tubular shaft axis, one of said feed rollers being movable relative to the other to adjust the gripping pressure between the feed rollers against the plastic strip fed therebetween, the feed rollers being positioned to angularly direct the plastic strip toward the tubular shaft passage, co-ordinated with the plastic strip spiral angle, a spinner yoke attached to the end of the tubular shaft opposite the feed rollers, a spinner pulley rotatably supported by the spinner yoke, said spinner pulley being substantially parallel to the tubular vertical shaft and located a short distance therefrom, the spirally wrapped plastic strip fibre being progressively wound around the spinner pulley to retain the fibre fed from the vertical shaft passage, the rotation of the spinner yoke being co-ordinated with the feed rollers rotation to form a spirally wrapped fibre with an overlap between adjacent spiral strip elements, and means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the spinner pulley relative to the plastic strip feed rollers rotation to form a uniformly spaced, spirally wrapped fibre.

3. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a central thread, with a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the central thread, comprising a frame, a tubular vertical shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, means driving said tubular shaft, a pair of substantially cylindrical feed rollers mounted in close proximity to the tubular shaft, angularly adjustable means pivotally attached to the frame rotatably supporting said feed rollers, one of said feed rollers being fixed in position relative to the angularly adjustable roller support means, means fitted to said angularly adjustable feed roller support means for adjusting the position of the second feed roller relative to the fixed position feed roller, means for supplying a thin narrow strip of plastic material toward the feed rollers, means for moving the adjustable feed roller relative to the fixed feed roller to adjust the circumferential spacing betweenrthe feed: rollers,

rotatably supported by thezispinner yoke,-.said spinner pulley being substantially parallel to' thetubular vertical shaft and located: a short distance itherefromgtherspirally wrapped fibre being wound around thee'spinner pulley to restrain the fibre fedifromfthe tubular shaftr assage during the :spiraLwrapping: process, a fibrewreceiving spool rotatably supported'bythe frame, '-the fibre receiving spool being in substantial alignment with the f tubular shaft longitudinal axisg means'attach'ed to' the spin--- ner yoke operative towind the spirally wrapped fibre, delivered from the spinner pulley, around the fibre receiving'spool, the rotation of the spinneryoke being coordinated 'with the stripfeed rollers speedandangle to spirally wrap the plastic strip around the central thread, "means co-ordinating the rotational-*speed of the feed rollers relative .to the tubular sh'aft, and means coordinating the rotational speedof the spinner pulleyrelative to the feed rollersrotation to' form a uniformly spaced spirally wrapped-fibre.

'4. An apparatus for forming aplastic fibre consisting of a thin plastic strip spirally wrappedaround the'longitudinal fibre axis,-comprising a-frame; a tubular vertical shaft having a central-passage"therethrough rotatably supported by the-frame, a pair of cylindrical, rotatable" feed rollers supported by the frameymeansfeeding a thin narrowplastic'strip toward the feed rollers,'the' feed rollers being angularly adjustable'relativeto the tubular shaftaxis, one of said feed rollers being movable relative to the other to adjustthe circumferential gripping 1 pressure between the feed rollers against the plastic strip fed therebetween, means attached to-the endof the tubular shaft,- opposite the feed rollers; for rotating the plastic strip within the tubular" shaft passage to progressively spirally wraptheplastic striparound the longitudinal fibre axis; with an overlap between adjacent spiralstrip elements, a spinner pulley rotatably supported by the plastic strip rotating means, said spinner pulley being substantially parallel to the vertical'sh'aft"axis,"and located a short distance therefromgthespirally wrapped fibre being wound around the spinner pulley to restrain the fibreduring the spiral wrapping process, means supported by, the frame for receiving the spiral Wrapped fibre fed from the spinner pulley, and-means supportedby saidrplastic strip rotating means operative to guide the spirally WOllIldfiblB from the spinner pulley and simultaneouslywind the' spirally wrapped fibre around the fibre receiving means, means co-ordinating the rotation of the plastic strip rotating means with the plastic strip feed rollers speed and angle, and means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the spinner pulley relative to the feed rollers rotation to form a uniformly spaced spirally wrapped fibre.

5. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the longitudinal fibre axis, comprising a frame, a tubular shaft having a 60 central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a substantially U-shaped yoke pivotally supported by the frame, a feed roller rotatably supported by said yoke in a relatively fixed position, a cylindrical projecting shaft rotatably supporting the fixed feed roller fitted to said yoke, a pair of angularly adjustable roller support arms attached to the fixed feed roller shaft, a second feed roller rotatably supported by the roller support arms substantially parallel to the fixed feed roller, the second feed roller having a cylindrical projecting shaft extending beyond the ends thereof, means slidably supported by the roller support arms slidably supporting the second feed roller support shaft, an adjusting screw threadably fitted to each of said roller support arms operative to move the cylindrical support shaft of the second feed roller relantiveato :the fixed feedroller support tshaftatoladjustezthe circumferential a spacing between? the l' feed zr'ollers; :means for feedinga narrow plastimstrip towardfthe feed-rollers, saidfeed rollers being operative to grip the iplasticistrip 5 andtfeed wthe plasticrstrip atan angle tottheatubular. shaft 2. axis, meansmounted adjacent theend of :the tubular a shaft," opposite the feed rollers [operative to -rotate: the elplastic zstrip within the tubularrshaft passage to form. a uspirally wrapped fibre, with an overlap between adjacent lo- -plastic strip spiral elements, a 'spinner. pulley rotatably supported by. the plastic strip rotating means, saidrspinner -:pu1ley being substantiallyziparallel to the tubular shaft 'axis,jthe spirally wrapped fibre being wrapped around 'l-the spinner pulley to restrain the spirally wrapped plastic l5rpfibrei=during the spiral Wrapping process, .meansco- =ordinating the rotational speed of the feed rollers' with the tubular shaft rotation, and means co-ordinating the rotation of'the spinner pulley at the opposite end of'the tubular shaftwith thefeed rollers rotation.

' 6. An apparatus for forming a plastic fibre, consisting of a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the longih tudin'al fibre axis,cornprising a frame, a tubular vertical shaft' having axcentral passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a pairof cylindrical, rotatable j -feed rollers mounted near the tubular shaft, means feeding a thin narrow plastic strip toward the feed rollers,

- a pair-of cylindricalishafts rotatably supporting thefeed rollers, a substantially U-shap'ed'yoke pivotally supported by'the frame supporting one of said feed roller shafts in a relatively fixed position, a pair of angularly adjust- -able roller supportarms attached to the fixed feed roller shaft, means slidably supported by the rollersupport arms adjustably-supporting the second feed roller support'shaftgnmeans fitted to said feed roller support arms for moving the movable feed roller support shaft-rela- -t-ive to the fixed feed roller shaft to adjust the circumferential spacing between the feed rollers, means attached to the'end of the tubular shaft, opposite the feed rollers,

for rotatingthe plastic strip within the tubular shaft 40 passage to progressively spirally wrap the plastic 'strip -aroundthe longitudinal fibre axis, with an overlap-between adjacent spiral strip elements, a spinner pulley 1 rotatably supported by the plastic strip rotating means,

:said spinner pulley'being substantially parallel to the vertical shaft axis and. located a short distance therefrom,

the spirally wrapped fibre being wound around the spinner pulley to restrainthe fibre during-the spiral wrap- 1 ping process, means supported by the frame for receiving the spirally wrapped fibre from the spinner pulley, and means'rotatably supported by the plastic strip rotating wmeans operative 'to simultaneously guide the spirally wrapped fibre from the spinner pulley and wind the fibre aroundithefibre receiving means, means co-ordinating the rotation of the plastic strip rotating means with the plastic strip feed rollers speed and angle, means co-ordimating the rotational speed of the feed rollers relative to the tubular shaft, and means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the spinner pulley relative to the feed rollers rotation,

7. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a central thread, with a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the central thread, comprising a frame, a tubular shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a pair of cylindrical, rotatable feed rollers mounted near the tubular vertical shaft, one of.

said feed rollers having a circumferential groove, therearound, means for supplying a thin, narrow plastic strip toward the feed rollers, a pair of cylindrical shafts rotatably supporting the feed rollers, a substantially U-shaped yoke pivotally supported by the frame supporting one of said feed roller shafts in a relatively fixed position, a pair of angularly adjustable roller support arms attached to the fixed feed roller shaft, each of said roller support arms having a parallel faced slot therethrough, a pair of blocks slidably fitted to the roller support arm slots supporting the movable feed roller shaft, means for moving said blocks relative to the fixed feed roller shaft to adjust the circumferential spacing between the feed rollers, the feed rollers being positioned to angularly direct the plastic strip toward the tubular shaft passage, co-ordinated with the plastic strip spiral angle, means for feeding a fine central thread through the feed roller groove toward the tubular shaft passage, means attached to the end of the tubular shaft opposite the feed rollers, for rotating the plastic strip within the tubular shaft passage to pro gressively spirally wrap the plastic strip around the central thread, with an overlap between adjacent spiral strip elements, a rotatable fibre retaining pulley supported by said plastic strip rotating means, the spirally wrapped fibre being wound around said fibre retaining pulley to progressively retain sections of the fibre during the spiral wrapping process, means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the strip feed rollers with the tubular shaft rotation, and means co-ordinating the fibre retaining means at the opposite end of the tubular shaft with the feed rollers.

8. An apparatus for forming a fibre consisting of a central thread, with a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the central thread, comprising a frame, a tubular vertical shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, means driving said tubular shaft, a pair of substantially cylindrical feed rollers mounted in close proximity to the tubular shaft, angularly adjustable means pivotally attached to the frame rotatably supporting said feed rollers, said angularly adjustable roller support means retaining one of said feed rollers in a relatively fixed position, means for adjusting the angular relation of the second of said feed rollers toward the relatively fixed roller, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal roller axes, means for supplying a thin narrow strip of plastic material toward the feed rollers, means for feeding a fine central thread toward the tubular shaft passage, means for moving the adjustable feed roller relative to the fixed feed roller to adjust the circumferential spacing between the feed rollers, a spinner yoke attached to the end of the tubular shaft opposite the feed rollers, a spinner pulley rotatably supported by the spinner yoke, said spinner pulley being substantially parallel to the tubular vertical shaft and located a short distance therefrom, the spirally wrapped fibre being wound around the spinner pulley to restrain the fibre fed from the tubular shaft passage, during the spiral wrapping process, a fibre receiving spool rotatably supported by the frame, substantially parallel to the tubular shaft axis, said spinner yoke having 21 depending arm substantially parallel to the fibre receiving spool axis, opposite the spinner pullcy, the depending arm having a plurality of guide members rotatably fitted thereto to receive the spirally wrapped 12 fibre from the spinner pulley and wind the fibre around the fibre receiving spool, the rotation of the spinner yoke being co-ordinated with the strip feed rollers speed and angle to form a spirally wrapped fibre with an overlap between adjacent spiral strip elements, and means coordinating the rotational speed of the spinner pulley relative to the feed rollers rotation.

9. An apparatus for forming a plastic fibre consisting of a thin plastic strip spirally wrapped around the longitudinal fibre axis, comprising a frame, a tubular vertical shaft having a central passage therethrough rotatably supported by the frame, a pair of cylindrical, rotatable feed rollers supported by the frame, means feeding a thin narrow plastic strip toward the feed rollers, the feed rollers being angularly adjustable relative to the tubular shaft axis, one of said feed rollers being movable relative to the other to adjust the circumferential gripping pressure between the feed rollers against the plastic strip fed therebetween, a spinner yoke attached to the end of the tubular shaft, opposite the feed rollers, for rotating the plastic strip within the tubular shaft passage to progressively spirally wrap the plastic strip around the longitudinal fibre axis, with an overlap between adjacent spiral strip elements, a spinner pulley rotatably supported by the spinner yoke, said spinner pulley being substantially parallel to the vertical shaft axis and located a short distance therefrom, a guide pulley rotatably supported by the spinner yoke for directing the fibre from the tubular shaft passage to the spinner pulley, the spirally wrapped fibre being wound around the spinner. pulley to restrain the fibre during the spiral wrapping process, means supported by the frame for receiving the spiral wrapped fibre from the spinner pulley, said spinner yoke having a depending arm substantially parallel to the fibre receiving means, opposite the spinner pulley, the depending arm having a plurality of guide members rotatably fitted thereto to receive the spirally wrapped fibre from the spinner pulley and wind the fibre around the fibre receiving means, means co-ordinating the rotation of the spinner yoke with the plastic strip feed rollers speed and angle, and means co-ordinating the rotational speed of the spinner pulley relative to the feed rollers rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 621,735 Arnold Mar. 21, 1899 1,204,342 Cobb Nov. 7, 1916 1,585,615 Heany May 18, 1926 1,736,221 Ruf Nov. 19, 1929 1,764,524 Reber June 17, 1930 2,414,378 Kelman Jan. 14. 1947

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