Field of Technology

The invention is related to a method and apparatus for producing of yarn from staple fibers in a single process that finds application in the textile industry and particularly in spinning.

Pre-existing state of technology

There is a known method and apparatus for the production of yarn from staple fibers in a process where a fibrous sliver is fed by a feeding roller and a feeding table, is then separated in several bundles of fibers by a needle roller and these bundles of fibers are superimposed over a perforated chute as a continuous fibrous sliver, which is then split into individual fibers that are twisted by the rotor spinning chamber.

The disadvantage of this method lies in the fact that it disrupts first the integrity of the so-received fibrous bindle and then the integrity of the fibrous sliver.

Another disadvantage of the method lies in the fact that during the separation into individual fibrous bundles and individual slivers, the parallelism of the fibers is disturbed.

Yet another drawback of the methods is that it cannot achieve combing of the fibers.

And the last drawback is that the method cannot provide sufficient control over the movement of the fibers during the whole process.

Technical Character of the Invention

The purpose of this invention is to create a method for producing of staple fiber yarn in a process where the fibrous papers are drawn into separate fibers followed by a high draw of the fibrous sliver and a subsequent strong twisting of the joining fibers around the cores as this results in a yarn with uniform structure and high speed of spinning with an option of initial spinning of the loose yarn.

The task is solved by a method for production of staple fiber yarn in a single process according to claim 1 where the entering fibers are preliminary split into individual staple by a carding group and are transported to a set of individual spinning stations where the fibers go through a feeding unit , carding apparatus , spinning unit control unit, initial spinning device and winding unit and the already split fibers are transported via air chute and are consolidated in density between the feeding roller and the feeding table and are subsequently split into individual staple fibers by shredding rollers which are then drawn by a carding roller into a continuous fibrous sliver, which is combed by combing segments and is passed onto the perforated surface of the drawing roller pressed above by a pressing roller; and after the drawing pair of rollers, the fibrous sliver enters into an entry chamber and from there into the twisting vortex chamber, where pulling and twisting of the rear ends of joining fibers is done, as the basic fibers are twisted in a high speed unit for fake twisting imitating spinning and after the apparatus for fake twisting as result of the de-twisting process, the joining ends of the fibers are strongly twisted around the basic fibers thus forming an yarn that goes through the control unit for quality check and is pulled over a winding roller that winds the yam on a spool in a continuous process.

Fibers are then transported via air chute to a licker-in group made of several needle, carding rollers that move with increasing speed from first to last roller reaching, for example up to 50 m/sec at the last roller and thus the fibers are split into single, staple fibers.

These single, staple fibers, or sliver in other possible variant, are consolidated between feeding roller and feeding table and are then carded by a carding roller into a fibrous sliver of certain thickness and the process of combing is done between the clothing of the carding roller and the clothing of the combing segment.

The fibrous sliver passes through the needle clothing of the carding roller over to the nearby perforated surface of the drawing roller as result of the increased setting, the centrifugal forces of the carding roller and air, passing through the perforated surface and the effect of the strong vacuum inside the drawing roller, which is moving quickly than the carding roller thus sustaining the fibers in a drawn state; drawing of the fibers is done when their front ends reaching the line of drawing outlined by the drawing pair of rollers and simultaneously with the drawing the fibers are being consolidated.

The so-drawn fibrous sliver enters the entry chamber after which the rear ends of the joining fibers are drawn as result of the separating element, the strong vacuum and centrifugal forces generated in the twisting, vortex chamber, where the basic fibers are strongly twisted by mechanical, fake twisting apparatus and the joining ends of fibers are twisted against the basic ones under the effect of tangential air vortexes as the distribution of twists towards the fibrous sliver in the entry chamber is limited by a blocking element.

Following the fake twisting device, as result of the de-twisting process, the joining ends of fibers are strongly twisted around the basic fibers, thus forming a yam with uniform structure, small hairiness, high spinning speed and low energy consumption. The de-contamination of foreign contaminants depends on the type and condition of fibers after carding of the fibers or between combing segments, where there is pneumatic, narrowing diaphragm for supply of fresh air.

The yarn passes through control unit for checking of defects and is pulled onto a winding roller, which winds the yarn on a spool with a certain length.

The apparatus for production of staple fiber yarn in a single process consists of a carding group at the beginning followed by a set of individual spinning stations, made of a feeding unit, carding device, spinning apparatus, control unit, initial spinning unit and winding apparatus and after the carding group there is an air chute mounted for transportation of staple fibers and below it are situated the individual spinning stations each equipped with a dedicated bunker ending with a feeding roller and feeding table placed closer to the carding needle roller that has concentrically mounted vacuum chamber and combing segment, one or more than one, around its needle clothing; next to the carding roller are placed a pair of drawing rollers and closely after the drawing line there is a spinning apparatus installed so that its entry chamber might embrace the lower, perforated, drawing roller and the twist blocking element at the end can enter the installed after it twisting, vortex chamber for receiving the joining ends of fibers; in which a separating element is mounted, after that there is a high-speed mechanical device for fake twist and after the spinning apparatus there is a device placed for quality control and after it an initial spinning mechanism and separately driven winding roller pressed onto the yarn spool. The carding roller has a small diameter, for example 50 mm to 110 mm and is covered with a needle clothing and placed concentrically to the carding roller and in close proximity to it, for example a = 0.1 ÷0.5 mm, there are combing, needle segments covered with needle clothing sheltered above with a concentric casing, for example a' = 1÷10 mm, where a section of the perforated surface of the drawing roller is placed.

The entrance of the entry chamber is moved down below/over the drawing axis and at the end of the bushing for securing the entry chamber, there are tangential openings left for formation of the air vortex in the twisting chamber for generating and twisting of joining fibers and at the end of the entry chamber, there is twist blocking element after which a separating element, which can also be perforated, is mounted, followed by a high-speed mechanical device for fake twisting of basic fibers; after the spinning apparatus there is a control sensor installed for monitoring the quality of the ready yarn.

The fake twisting device for twisting of basic fibers consists of a casing with three driving shafts and friction disks mounted in specific way so as to form equilateral triangle where the yam moves along the guiders. In the individual spinning stations, after the quality control unit, an initial spinning unit is placed, either stationary or movable, to tie in the loose yarn threads, that has a suction pipe for the yarn ends from the spool, a suction pipe for the yam ends from the spinning apparatus and between the two is placed a pneumatic spinning device.

The feeding roller, carding roller and drawing roller, the fake twisting device and the winding roller have separate drives.

The advantages of the proposed method for receiving a staple fiber yam in a single process, in accordance with the invention, are due to the fact that this process is continuous and very short, it does not disrupt the entirety of the carded fibrous flow and the produced fibrous sliver and the supplied carded fibers are subjected to combing without interrupting the process simultaneously performing high level drawing and the generated fibrous sliver is twisted as the joining ends are strongly twisted around the basic fibers thus forming an yarn with uniform structure and high speed of spinning that is finally wound around a spool with a desired shape.

Another advantage is that the device is not technically complicated, has only a few components taking part in the whole process and thus is very easy to maintain having a separate carding group for every spinning side of the system representing a set of needle rollers connected with a transportation channel with multiple individual spinning stations for forming and winding of the yarn in any desirable shape.

Another advantage is that the device can be easily adjusted depending on the type of fibers. Yet another advantage is that the device for this single -process- yarn -production is energy efficient, requires minimum installation area and workforce.

Description of the attached figures

The apparatus is described in detail by the attached figures wherein:

Figurel - a general layout of the front side of the spinning system of the method

Figure 2 - a diagram of the carding group of the spinning system

Figure 3 - diagram of dedicated feeding bunker of the spinning system

Figure 4 - a side view of the spinning system

Figure 5 - diagram of transverse cross section of the feeding roller, carding-combing-drawing unit and front side of spinning apparatus

Figure 6 - diagram showing the fibrous sliver passing over the surface of the drawing roller Figure 7 - diagram showing the interaction between the clothing of the carding roller and casing

Figure 8 - diagram showing the interaction between the clothing of the carding roller and combing segment

Figure 9 - diagram of spinning apparatus

Figure 0a - a section of the tangential high pressure air openings of a possible vortex twisting chamber

Figure 10b - a section of the tangential vacuum openings of a possible vortex twisting chamber

Figures a and 11 b - conceptual diagrams of a possible fake twisting device with friction disks having three shafts and locking/unlocking system

Figure 12a - a diagram showing the finding the loose ends of yarn

Figure 12b - a diagram for initial spinning of loose yarn

Examples for Implementation of the Invention

The method for production of staple fiber yarn in a single process according to this invention, where the entering fibers 1 are split into individual staple fibers 3 by a licker-in group 2 and are transported to a set of individual spinning stations 4, where the staple fibers 3 go through a feeding unit 5 , carding-device 6 , spinning unit 7 , control unit 8, initial spinning device 9 and winding unit 10, whereas the already split fibers 1 are transported via air chute and are consolidated in density between the feeding roller 16 and the feeding table 17 and are subsequently split into individual staple fibers 3 by shredding rollers 18, which are then drawn by a carding roller 19 into a continuous fibrous sliver 13, which is combed by combing segments 20 and is passed onto the perforated surface of the drawing roller 21 , pressed above by a pressing roller 21' and after the drawing pair of rollers 21 and 21', the fibrous sliver 13 enters into an entry chamber 22 and from there into the twisting vortex chamber 23, where pulling and twisting of the rear ends of joining fibers m is done as the basic fibers n are twisted by a high speed unit for fake twisting 24 of the spinning apparatus 7, after the fake twisting unit 24, and as result of the de-twisting process, the joining ends of the fibers m are strongly twisted around the basic fibers n thus forming an yarn 14, that goes through control unit for quality check 8 and is pulled over a winding roller 25 that winds the yarn 14 on a spool 26 in a continuous process. Depending on the various different approaches to the method according to the invention, one or more of the following steps, individually and/or in combination have been secured:

- Fibers 1 are transported via air chute to a licker-in group 2, made of a set of needle, carding rollers 18 that move with increasing speed from first to last roller and thus the fibers 1 are split into single, staple fibers 3.

- Single, staple fibers 3, ore sliver in other possible variant, are consolidated between feeding roller 27 and feeding table 28 and are then carded by a carding roller 19 into a fibrous sliver 13 of certain thickness and the process of combing is done between clothing 29 of the carding roller 19 and clothing 30 of the combing segment 20.

- The fibrous sliver 13 passes through the needle clothing 29 of the carding roller 19 over to the nearby perforated surface 31 of the drawing roller 21 as result of the increased setting a with a\ the centrifugal forces of the carding roller 19 and air 32 passing through the perforated surface 33 and the effect of the strong vacuum inside the drawing roller 21 , which is moving quickly than the carding roller 19 thus sustaining the fibers 13 in drawn state; drawing of the fibers 13 is done when their front ends reaching the line of drawing 0-0 lined by the drawing pair of rollers 21 -21' and simultaneously with the drawing the fibers 13 are being consolidated.

- The so-drawn fibrous sliver 3 enters the entry chamber 22 after which the rear ends of the joining fibers m are drawn as result of the separating element 39\ the strong vacuum and centrifugal forces generated in the twisting, vortex chamber 23, where the basic fibers n are strongly twisted by mechanical, fake twisting apparatus 24 and the joining ends of fibers m are twisted against the basic n ones under the effect of tangential air vortexes 34 as the distribution of twists towards the fibrous sliver 13 in the entry chamber 22 is limited by a blocking element 35.

- Following the fake twisting device 24, as result of the de-twisting process, the joining ends of fibers m are strongly twisted around the basic fibers n, which forms yarn 14 of uniform structure, small hairiness, high spinning speed and low energy consumption.

- The de-contamination of foreign contaminants 36 depends on the type and condition of fibers 13 after carding of fibers 13 or between combing segments 20, where there is pneumatic, narrowing diaphragm 15 for supply of fresh air.

- The yarn 14 passes through control unit 8 for checking of defects and is pulled onto a winding roller 25 which winds the yarn 14 on a spool 26 with a certain length. The apparatus for production of staple fiber yarn in a single process according to this invention consists of a licker-in group 2 at the beginning, followed by a set of individual spinning stations 4, made of a feeding unit 5, carding device 6, spinning apparatus 7, control unit 8, initial spinning unit 9 and winding apparatus 10 and after the carding group 2 there is an air chute 11 mounted for transportation of staple fibers 3 and below it are situated the individual spinning stations 4 each equipped with a dedicated bunker 12 ending with a feeding roller 27 and feeding table 28 placed closer to carding needle roller 19 that has concentrically mounted vacuum chamber 37 and combing segment 20, one or more than one, around its needle clothing 29; after the carding roller 19 is placed a pair of drawing rollers 21 and 21' and closely after the drawing line 0-0 there is a spinning apparatus 7 installed so that its entry chamber 22 might embrace part of the lower, perforated, drawing roller 21 and the twist blocking element 35 at the end can enter the installed after it twisting, vortex chamber 23 for receiving the joining ends of fibers m, in which a separating element 39 ^' is mounted, after that there is a high-speed mechanical device for fake twist 24 and after the spinning apparatus 7 there is a device placed for quality control 8 and after it an initial spinning mechanism 9 and separately driven winding roller 25 pressed onto yarn spool 26.

According to another possible approach, the carding roller 19 has a small diameter and is covered with needle clothing 29 and concentrically to the carding roller 19 and in close proximity, at distance a, there are combing, needle segments 20, installed covered with needle clothing 30 covered above, at distance a + a ^{^} , with a concentric casing 38 where part of the perforated surface 31 of the drawing roller 21 is placed.

According to another possible approach the entrance of the entry chamber 22 is moved down below/over the drawing axis 0 - 0 and at the end of the bushing 39 for securing the entry chamber 22 , there are tangential openings 34 left for formation of air vortex in the twisting chamber 23 for generating and twisting of joining fibers m and at the end of the entry chamber 22 there is twist blocking element 35 ), after which a separating element 39 ^* , which can also be perforated, is mounted, followed by a high-speed mechanical device for fake twisting 24 of basic fibers n; after the spinning apparatus 7 there is a control sensor 8 installed for monitoring the quality of the ready yarn 14.

According to another possible approach the fake twisting device 24 for twisting of basic fibers n consists of a casing 40 with three driving shafts and friction disks 41 mounted in specific way so as to form equilateral triangle, where the yarn 14 moves along the guiders 42 and 43. According to another possible approach in the individual spinning station 4, after the quality control unit 8, an initial spinning unit 44 is placed, either stationary or movable, to tie in the loose yarn threads 14, that has a suction pipe for the yarn ends from the spool 26, a suction pipe for the yarn ends from the spinning apparatus 7 and between the two is placed a pneumatic spinning device 9.

According to another possible approach the feeding roller 27, carding roller 19 and drawing roller 21 , the fake twisting device 24 and the winding roller 25 have separate drives M1 , M2, M3 and M4.

Application of the Invention

A method and apparatus for receiving staple fiber yarn in a single process acting in conjunction with carding group 2, where the fibers 1 coming out of the bunker with uniform density are consolidated by a feeding roller 16 and feeding table 17 and fed into a set of needle rollers 18, which move with continuously increasing speed, for example up to 50 m/sec of the last roller 18, whilst at the beginning the first roller strips a thin fibrous layer which is later additionally thinned be separating the foreign contaminants and carded into separate fibers. The cleaned and carded fibers 3 are transported by air chute 11 to a set of individual spinning stations 4 and fall into dedicated bunkers 12, where they are consolidated by a feeding roller 27 and a feeding table 28 and with an uniform density are fed onto a needle, perforated carding roller 19 which strips thin, fibrous flow 13 that is being decontaminated from foreign contaminants into vacuum chambers 37 and fibers are being carded by clothing 29 and clothing 30 of the segment 20 into separate, parallel fibers 13. After that the fibrous sliver 13 is pulled by a pair of drawing rollers 21 and 21' and thus their rear ends are being additionally combed and the so-received fibrous sliver 13 is consolidated over the surface of roller 21 until the drawing line 0-0 and fed afterwards to an entry chamber 22 at the bottom of which the rear ends of joining fibers m are being drawn whilst the basic fibers n are twisted by high-speed apparatus for fake twisting 24, and the rear ends of joining fibers m are twisted by a twisting vortex chamber 23 of spinning unit 7 thus achieving yarn formation 14, with uniform structure and high spinning speed.

Afterwards, the yarn 14 passes through a quality sensor 8 and is diverted towards winding device 10, where winding roller 25 winds the yarn 14 on a spool 26 in a continuous process of yarn production from staple fibers. The process of tying the loose yarn is done in the initial spinning unit 9, where one end of the wound on spool yarn 26 is pulled by suction from a pipe and is placed in the initial spinning device 9 and the other end of the yarn is pulled by the operating spinning apparatus 7 by suction from a pipe and is placed in the initial spinning device 9 and after that both ends of yarn 14 are spun in the pneumatic spinning device 9.

Please be advised that this invention may undergo other modifications and changes which could be done in a manner similar to the one described above but still carry the basic concept of the invention as laid out in the claims quoted hereto.

References: US 4028872, cl. D 01 H 1/12