Improvements relating to forming cut strand sections and attenuating and processing strands of continuous filaments

摘要

734,189. Spinning yarns; stapling and separating fibres; forming laps; roller arrangements in textile spinning &c. machines. OWENS-CORNING FIBERGLASS CORPORATION. Aug. 15, 1951 [Aug. 19, 1950; Nov. 22, 1950], No. 19297/51. Classes 120(1), 120(2) and 120(3). [Also in Group VIII] In the production of staple fibre, molten glass streams are attenuated into continuous filaments which, in twisted, untwisted, ribbon, strand, or yarn form, are fed between a resilient surface, of such material as rubber, synthetic rubber, or moulded ground cork, and a sharp edge pressed inwardly beyond the normal line of the surface, both of which are moving with the filaments and at the same speed, and thereby severing the filaments into fibres while maintaining a grasp thereupon between the sharp edge and the resilient surface. Fibres may be formed directly into sliver and then into strands, cords, twine, yarns, or like twisted products, or the fibres may be collected into mats of intermingled fibres, all of which may incorporate a binding or adhesive material e.g., starch, gelatin, gum, or resin such as phenol formaldehyde : if fibres in separated form are required they may be treated with regulated quantities of non- binding materials e.g. water or light oil or water emulsified with vegetable oil such as coconut or peanut oils, or cationic active materials such as amine compounds. As shown in Fig. 2, molten glass streams 57 flowing from outlet openings in a feeder bushing 56 are attenuated into fine filaments which are gathered by a roller 59, by which lubricant may be applied through a tube 62, into strands 511 which, after receiving adhesive material from an applicator 66, are directed via spaced guide pins 37 into frictional engagement with the yieldable surface 17 of a driven roll 16 and hence also with a vertically floating heavy cylinder 25 which may be covered with a sleeve 26 of yieldable material similar to 17, the rolls 16, 25, gripping and tensioning the filaments so providing the attenuating force for the streams 57 : the strands follow the peripheral contour of the roll 16 and are conveyed to a severing zone and there cut into staple lengths by knives 30 secured to a roll 28 which is positively driven from the roll 16 at the same speed thereas and is relatively adjustable in horizontal relation thereto. In the process illustrated in Fig. 3, a single knife 30 is employed on the roller 28 to produce fibres which fall into a collecting trough 101 whence they are drawn by rolls 105 into a condensing funnel 103 to form a sliver which is twisted by mechanism 106, (and with additional twist at 112 if required) formed into a package. In the production of a mat, strands S are stapled by commonly driven severing devices D which are mounted on a reciprocatable element 78 through openings 80 of which fibres pass into a chamber formed by a hood 71 and are uniformly distributed on a foraminous collecting surface or conveyer 73 to the under surface of which, over an area bounded by a hood 75, suction is applied, to form a mat M which passes on a conveyer 94 : binder or adhesive may be applied as by a jet 92 and cured within the mat structure by passage through an oven 95. Another matforming apparatus, Fig. 6 (not shown) combines a filament-attenuating arrangement similar to that of Fig. 1 (not shown) with a suction-aided mat-forming conveyer: the rolls of the severing device may be of disc form, Figs. 7 and 8 (not shown). Fig. 11 represents a.method of producing a bonded mat of short strands, individual fibres, or a mixture of partially opened strands and discrete fibres, in which streams 1411 issuing from orifices in the feeder 1211 are attentuated into filaments by rolls 601, 611, one of which carries a knife 681 and each having resilient coverings and formed with an interior chamber 631 connected to a source of fluid under pressure e.g. compressed air, through a hollow shaft 651 : radial passages 701 communicating with the chamber 631 provide at their outlets fluid jets which assist the separation of stapled fibres, their agitation and subsequent intermingling, and the projection of the fibres as a voluminous mat onto the reticulated surface 721 of a conveyer 731 : a mat as may be produced by the use of a single knife on the roll 601 may be formed directly into a sliver or yarn, Fig. 12 (not shown). Specifications 384,335 and 434,250 are referred to.