Method and apparatus for producing textured yarn

Claim 2

In the method of forming a soft package of yarn by delivering said yarn at a predetermined linear delivery speed and winding the said yarn onto said package at a predetermined linear winding speed less than said delivery speed thereby to wind said yarn at a predetermined overfeed, the improvement of Increasing said overfeed during a portion of said process during which an interior portion of said package is formed whereafter said yarn is wound at said predetermined overfeed.

Claim 3

In the method of producing yarn comprising winding thermoplastic yarn on a package core to produce a soft package by delivering said yarn at a predetermined linear delivery speed and winding the said yarn onto said package at a predetermined linear winding speed less than said delivery speed thereby to wind said yarn at a predetermined overfeed, the improvement comprising winding the initial layers of said package at a first overfeed and the remaining layers at said predetermined overfeed, said predetermined overfeed being less than said first overfeed.

Claim 4

In the method of producing yarn comprising winding thermoplastic yarn on a package core to produce a soft package by delivering said yarn at a predetermined linear delivery speed and winding the said yarn onto said package at a predetermined linear winding speed less than said delivery speed thereby to wind said yarn at a predetermined overfeed, the improvement comprising winding the initial layers of said package at a first overfeed and the remaining layers at said predetermined overfeed, said predetermined overfeed being less than said first overfeed.

Claim 5

Means for winding a package of yarn including yarn take-up means, means for delivering yarn to said take-up means at a linear delivery rate, means to drive said take up means at a linear take-up rate less than said linear delivery rate to effect a preselected overfeed of said yarn, selectively engageable controlling means for controlling said overfeed, said controlling means engaged during the initial stage in the winding of said package to effect an increase in overfeed over said preselected overfeed, said controlling means disengaging during the winding of said package in response to growth of said package.

Claim 6

Means for winding a package of yarn including yarn take-up means, means for delivering yarn to said take-up means at a linear delivery rate, means to drive said take up means at a linear take-up rate less than said linear delivery rate to effect a preselected overfeed of said yarn, selectively engageable controlling means for controlling said overfeed, said controlling means engaged during the initial stage in the winding of said package to effect an increase in overfeed over said preselected overfeed, said controlling means disengaging during the winding of said package in response to growth of said package.

Claim 7

Means as set forth in claim 3 wherein said yarn take-up means includes a rotatable member and said controlling means includes ring means for driving said rotatable member.

Claim 8

Means according to claim 4 wherein said rotatable member includes a mandrel, said ring means being disposed on said mandrel.

Claim 9

Means according to claim 4 wherein said rotatable member includes a winding core, said ring means being disposed on said winding core.

Claim 10

Apparatus for producing a yarn comprising, a yarn supply source, a rotatable core for winding the yarn from said supply source, a mandrel for supporting said core, a false twist spindle for twisting and untwisting said yarn during advancement thereof to said core, heater means for heating the yarn during its twisting, feed roll means operable to overfeed said yarn to said core at a predetermined rate, a driving roll for rotating said core during winding of yarn thereon, traverse means for traversing said yarn to and fro axially of said core to distribute the yarn thereon during winding, and a driven member associated with said core, said driven member acting to space said core apart from said drive roll and being engageable with said drive roll to rotate said core as a first length of yarn is wound thereon to form an initial yarn mass, said driven member being separable from said drive roll upon winding of said initial mass on said core to thereby permit said core to be rotated by engagement of said yarn mass with said drive roll.

Claim 11

Apparatus for producing a yarn comprising, a yarn supply source, a rotatable core for winding the yarn from said supply source, a mandrel for supporting said core, a false twist spindle for twisting and untwisting said yarn during advancement thereof to said core, heater means for heating the yarn during its twisting, feed roll means operable to overfeed said yarn to said core at a predetermined rate, a driving roll for rotating said core during winding of yarn thereon, traverse means for traversing said yarn to and fro axially of said core to distribute the yarn thereon during winding, and a driven member associated with said core, said driven member acting to space said core apart from said drive roll and being engageable with said drive roll to rotate said core as a first length of yarn is wound thereon to form an initial yarn mass, said driven member being separable from said drive roll upon winding of said initial mass on said core to thereby permit said core to be rotated by engagement of said yarn mass with said drive roll.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 8 wherein the yarn in the innermost layers of the package is wound on the take-up tube with a gradually decreasing degree of relaxation and the yarn in the remaining layers iS wound on the take-up tube with a uniform degree of relaxation.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 8 wherein the yarn is initially wound on the take-up tube by rotating the take-up tube at a relatively slow surface speed to form the innermost layers of yarn thereon and then rotating the take-up tube at a higher surface speed to form the remaining layers of yarn thereon.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 10 wherein the take-up tube is rotated at a constant rotative speed during the formation of the innermost layers of yarn so that the surface speed thereof gradually increases due to the increase in diameter of the package as the layers of yarn are wound thereon, and then the take-up tube is rotated at a progressively decreasing rotative speed and constant surface speed to provide a uniform degree of relaxation in the yarn in the remaining layers.

Claim 17

In a yarn texturing machine having means for texturing thermoplastic yarn and means for delivering the yarn from the texturing means at a predetermined linear speed; the combination therewith of means for forming a package of the textured thermoplastic yarn with the yarn being at least partially relaxed comprising a. a yarn take-up tube, and b. means for initially rotating said take-up tube and for winding the yarn thereon at a linear speed substantially less than said predetermined delivery speed to obtain a relatively high degree of relaxation of the yarn upon the take-up tube while forming a number of superposed layers of yarn on the take-up tube which form the innermost layers in the package and, for then increasing the speed of the take-up tube and winding the delivered yarn at a faster linear speed than the initial winding speed but at all times less than the predetermined delivery speed to obtain a lower degree of relaxation of the yarn while forming the remaining layers of the yarn in the package, whereby the yarn in the innermost layers of the package is more relaxed than the yarn in the remaining layers thereof.

Claim 18

In a yarn texturing machine having means for texturing thermoplastic yarn and means for delivering the yarn from the texturing means at a predetermined linear speed; the combination therewith of means for forming a package of the textured thermoplastic yarn with the yarn being at least partially relaxed comprising a. a yarn take-up tube, and b. means for initially rotating said take-up tube and for winding the yarn thereon at a linear speed substantially less than said predetermined delivery speed to obtain a relatively high degree of relaxation of the yarn upon the take-up tube while forming a number of superposed layers of yarn on the take-up tube which form the innermost layers in the package and, for then increasing the speed of the take-up tube and winding the delivered yarn at a faster linear speed than the initial winding speed but at all times less than the predetermined delivery speed to obtain a lower degree of relaxation of the yarn while forming the remaining layers of the yarn in the package, whereby the yarn in the innermost layers of the package is more relaxed than the yarn in the remaining layers thereof.

Claim 19

A yarn texturing machine according to claim 12 wherein said means for rotating the take-up tube and winding yarn thereon includes a drive roll normally adapted to be in surface contact with the take-up tube and yarn wound thereon for rotating the take-up tube at a constant surface speed, and means interposed between said drive roll and said take-up tube for rotating the take-up tube at a speed less than the surface speed of said drive roll during the formation of said innermost layers of yarn on the take-up tube, the increase in diameter of the yarn package due to the formation of the innermost layers of yarn on the take-up tube bringing the yarn wound on the take-up tube into surface contact with the drive roll and rendering said means interposed between said drive roll and take-up tube inoperative so that said drive roll rotates the take-up tube through surface contact with the yarn wound thereon at the same surface speed as that of the drive roll.

Claim 20

A yarn texturing machine according to claim 13 wherein said means interposed between said drive roll and take-up tube comprises a drive ring drivingly connected to said take-up tube and having a greater diameter than the diameter of said take-up tube, said drive ring being supported to be initially drivingly engaged by the surface of said drive roll and to drive said take-up tube at a substantially constant rotative speed during the formation of the innermost layers of yarn so that the surface speed of the package being formed gradually increases due to the increase in diameter of the package as the innermost layers of yarn are wound thereon, said drive ring being moved out of engagement with the surface of the drive roll when the diameter of the package increases to an amount exceeding the diameter of the drive ring.

Claim 21

A yarn texturing machine according to claim 14 wherein said drive ring surrounds and frictionally engages one end portion of said take-up tube.

Claim 22

A yarn texturing machine according to claim 14 wherein said means for rotating the take-up tube and winding yarn thereon includes a freely rotatable mandrel supporting the take-up tube for rotation therewith and wherein said drive ring is fixed on said mandrel adjacent one end of said take-up tube when the tube is supported on the mandrel.

Claim 23

Apparatus for producing yarn comprising, a yarn supply source, a rotatable core for winding the yarn from said supply source, a mandrel for supporting said core, heater means for heating the yarn, feed roll means operable to advance said yarn to said core at a preselected linear advancing rate, a driving roll for rotating said core at a preselected linear winding rate less than said linear advancing rate to effect an overfeed during winding of yarn thereon, traverse means for traversing said yarn to and fro axially of said core to distribute the yarn thereon during winding, and a driven member associated with said core, said driven member acting to space said core apart from said drive roll and being engageable with said drive roll to rotate said core as a first length of yarn is wound thereon to form an initial yarn mass, said driven member being separable from said drive roll upon winding of said initial mass on said core to thereby permit said core to be rotated by engagement of said yarn mass with said drive roll.

Claim 24

Apparatus for producing yarn comprising, a yarn supply source, a rotatable core for winding the yarn from said supply source, a mandrel for supporting said core, heater means for heating the yarn, feed roll means operable to advance said yarn to said core at a preselected linear advancing rate, a driving roll for rotating said core at a preselected linear winding rate less than said linear advancing rate to effect an overfeed during winding of yarn thereon, traverse means for traversing said yarn to and fro axially of said core to distribute the yarn thereon during winding, and a driven member associated with said core, said driven member acting to space said core apart from said drive roll and being engageable with said drive roll to rotate said core as a first length of yarn is wound thereon to form an initial yarn mass, said driven member being separable from said drive roll upon winding of said initial mass on said core to thereby permit said core to be rotated by engagement of said yarn mass with said drive roll.

Claim 25

In the method of winding a package of yarn by advancing yarn to said package at a linear advancing rate and winding said yarn on said package at a linear winding rate less than said linear advancing rate to produce an overfeed, the improvement comprising controlling the winding rate at the start of the winding of said package to produce a first overfeed and thereafter continuously increasing the winding rate and thereby continuously decreasing the overfeed to a second overfeed, and winding the remainder of said package at said second overfeed.

Claim 26

In the method of winding a package of yarn by advancing yarn to said package at a linear advancing rate and winding said yarn on said package at a linear winding rate less than said linear advancing rate to produce an overfeed, the improvement comprising controlling the winding rate at the start of the winding of said package to produce a first overfeed and thereafter continuously increasing the winding rate and thereby continuously decreasing the overfeed to a second overfeed, and winding the remainder of said package at said second overfeed.