Apparatus for opening continuous multifilament crimped tow

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR OPENING CONTINUOUS MULTI-FILAMENT CRIMPED TOW, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST PAIR OF RUBBERCOVERED ROLLS, A SECOND PAIR OF RUBBER-COVERED ROLLS, A THIRD PAIR OF RUBBER-COVERED ROLLS, SAID PAIRS OF ROLLS BEING ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED TO FORM A NIP BETWEEN THE ROLLS OF EACH PAIR AND POSITIONED TO FORM A RATCH BETWEEN EACH OF THE ADJACENT PAIRS OF ROLLS, MEAND FOR CONDUCTING SAID TOW BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF ROLLS, AND THROUGH THE RATCHES BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND AND THE SECOND AND THIRD PAIRS OF ROLLS, DRIVING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SECOND AND THIRD PAIRS OF ROLLS, BRAKING MEANS FOR BRAKING SAID FIRST PAIR OF ROLLS, THE DRIVING MEANS FOR SAID SECOND PAIR OF ROLLS AND SAID BRAKING MEANS COOPERATING TO EXERT A TENSION BY MEANS OF SAID ROLLS ON THE TOW IN THE RATCH BETWEEN SAID ROLLS SUFFICIENT TO STRETCH THE FILAMENTS AND TEMPORARILY STRAIGHTEN OUT THE CRIMPS, MEANS COMPRISING SAID DRIVEN THIRD PAIR OF ROLLS FOR MAINTAINING THE TENSION ON SAID TOW IN THE RATCH BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD PAIRS OF ROLLS, SAID THIRD PAIR OF ROLLS BEING POSITIONED TO EXERT A TENSION ON ADJACENT FILAMENTS OF THE TOW AT DIFFERENT LENGTHS THEREOF WHEREBY THE CRIMP IN ADJACENT FILAMENTS ARE DRAWN OUT OF REGISTRY WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND MEANS FOR ABRUPTLY REALEASING THE TENSION THEREBY PERMITTING THE CRIMPS TO REFORM IN THE TOW IN THE OUR-OF-REGISTRY POSITION.