Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10905~96
This application is a division of Canadian Application Serial
No. 286,548 filed September 12, 1977.
This invention relates to a process and an apparatus
for producing novelty yarns having pronounced variations in
linear density, especially beaded or slubbed yarns for producing
shantung fabric and the like effect fabrics as well as dental
floss and other effect yarns.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tha manufacture of novelty yarns from combined ends
is old in the art. Examples of novelty yarn production techniques
involve combining untextured ends with no overfeed, one end being
overfed at a rate greater than the other end; combining a false-
twist textured "core" yarn with a "flat" effect yarn; combining
falsetwist textured "core" and "effect" yarns; among others.
U.S. Patent 3,264,816 discloses a synthetic yarn
wrapped with a staple fiber which is then combined with a core
yarn.
U.S. Patent 3,756,005 discloses a process for
producing a novelty effect yarn by passing two yarns through a
falsetwisting device and overfeeding one yarn into the false-
twist device with the use of an aspirator-type jet. The slubs
formed along the core yarn are somewhat random in nature.
U.S. Patent 3,474,613 discloses a novelty product
made using an aspirating jet and a "slubbing" jet in combination
in which~the aspirating jet forces one end of yarn onto a
foraminous surface, afterwards from which the textured yarn is
combined with another yarn in the slubbing jet. The yarns are
thereafter passed respectively through a tangling jet and a
falsetwist jet.
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U.S. Patent 3,691,750 discloses a continuous filament
falsetwist textured core yarn wrapped with another falsetwist
textured yarn of higher crimp amplitude, the wrapper filaments
forming reversing helices at intervals along the length of the
core yarn.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention as disclosed is directed to
a process and apparatus for making distinct and pronounced
variation in the linear density of a yarn. The process can also
be used to produce multiple yarn composites of pronounced linear
variation with one or more of the yarns capable of bearing stress
along the length of the composite.
~ urther, the invention as envisioned herein, can
produce denier variations in multiple strand composites of
different dyeabilities wherein denier variations will produce
different slub effects along the length of the composite.
The method and apparatus disclosed herein may also
be used to great effect to produce a dental floss yarn comprised
of core yarn and effect yarn formed into beads and supported by
a waxed or unwaxed yarn twisted with the core and effect yarns
along the length of the composite.
The apparatus includes means for mechanically varying
the tension of at least one strand of yarn while passing the
yarn through a tangling jet. The intermittent fluctuation in
tension of the yarn while passing through the jet produces
alternating sections of compacted yarn and fluffed, nubby,
loopy yarn.
The tangling apparatus used may be of the aspirating
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type so that yarn filaments are sucked into the jet apparatus
when tensions are relaxed in the filaments. This sucking
action permits one strand to be maintained in a tensioned state
while passing through the jet simultaneously with a briefly
nontensioned yarn strand whereby the action of the jet opens
the filaments of the tensioned strand and intermingles therewith
looped filaments of the tensionless strand. When the tensioned
strand filaments close after passing through the jet device, the
looped filaments are trapped, producing a fluffed effect so
long as the effect strand remains untensioned. When both strands
are tensioned, the filaments of each strand are intermingled, but
the composite remains compact. Obviously, when three or more
strands are fed through the jet device, the individual strands
may be alternately relaxed to create numerous effects.
There may be provided some means of controlling the
rate of passage of the various yarns through the tangling jet,
such as positive drive nip rollers or tension devices. The
maintenance of a positive feed with mechanical tension varying
devices as disclosed herein permit accurate control of denier
variations such as ratio of fluffed to compacted denier and
distances and length of fluffed sections.
The invention is also concerned with a novelty yarn
product having pronounced variations in linear density which
comprises at least one multifilament yarn or strand having a
plurality of alternating fluffed and compacted filaments arranged
sequentially along its length. This yarn product may be further
characterized by a significant bulk variance, i.e., the fluffed
portions of the yarn have much greater bulk than the compacted
or non-fluffed portions.
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According to the parent application, the invention
defined therein may be broadly considered to be a novelty yarn
comprising at least one beaded yarn and at least one support
yarn combined along their lengths, the combined yarns being waxed.
It will be understood that the feeder yarns used to
produce the novelty yarns of this invention include synthetic
and natural fibrillary materials such as nylons, polyesters,
acrylic rayons, cellulose, and the like; espec;ally suitable are
textured polymeric yarns of nylon, polyester, and rayon.
The present application, on the other hand, broadly
defines a method of making a novelty yarn comprising a core
strand and an effect strand comprising the steps of feeding the
core strand at a first predetermined rate into a tangli~g zone
and withdrawing the core strand from the tangling zone at a
second predetermined rate that is less than the first predetermined
rate; simultaneously feeding an effect strand at a third pre-
determined rate to the tangling zone and alternately positively
and abruptly tensioning and relaxing the effect strand at the
tangling zone and withdrawing the effect strand with the core
strand at the second predetermined rate to form a composite yarn
wherein the effect yarn is alternately compacted and fluffed
relative to the core yarn; the third predetermined rate being
higher than the second predetermined rate and at least equal to
the first predetermined rate, the abrupt tensioning and relaxing
of the yarn being effected by intermittently and abruptly changing
the path of the yarn, the yarn being stretched during the
tensioning step and abruptly made slack during the relaxing step.
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1090996
The above method may be carried out by an apparatus
for producing a novelty yarn having pronounced variations in
linear density which comprises a fluid tangling means, means
for introducing at least one multifilament yarn into the tangling
means at a first predetermined rate, a reciprocating means for
alternatingly positively and abruptly tensioning and relaxing
the yarn being introduced into the tangling means by intermit-
tently and abruptly changing the path of the yarn whereby the
yarn is stretched during tensioning and abruptly made slack
during relaxing to form sequential alternative segments of compact
and fluffed filaments, and means for withdrawing the yarn from
the tangling means at a second predetermined rate.
This invention will be further understood from the
following detailed description and the accompanying drawings
wherein:
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus and
process for producing a two-composite beaded or slubbed novelty
yarn;
Fig. 2 shows a schematically elevated view of a
fluid tangling jet for forming a beaded or slubbed yarn;
Pig. 3 is a schematic view of a reciprocating device
or means for sequentially and alternatingly applying tension to
a moving strand or yarn;
Fig. 4 shows a schematic arrangement and two-stage
process for combining a waxed support yarn with a beaded yarn to
form a dental floss;
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1090996
Fig. 5 illustrates a continuous one-stage process
and apparatus for producing a dental floss from a support yarn,
two effect yarns, and a core yarn;
Fig. 6 shows a perspective schematic view of an
apparatus for producing a beaded yarn in accordance with the
arrangement shown in Fig. 5; and
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~ig. 7 ls a schematlc representatlon Or a dental
floss produced by the process and apparatus ln Flg. 5. .
i In Flg. 1, there ls shown one embodlment Or an
I apparatus for produclng novelty yarn that comprlses a core yarn
5 I and an effect yarn. A pac~age 1 contains the effect yarn 9 and
; package 2 contains the core yarns 3. These yarns may be a
¦ polyester stretch textured yarn. Core yarn 3 is fed by the
jl core roll 5 through the alr tangllng ~et 6 and to the feed roll
¦¦ 7 and then the take-up package ~. The effect yarn 9 is fed
10 by the effect roll 10 through a reclprocating devlce 11 and then I .
1l into the alr tangllng ~et 6 wherein the effect yarn 9 ls
¦! comblned wlth the core 3 yarn and follows the same path to the
yarn take-up package 8. It will be understood that the comblned
1l yarn product 12 exltlng from ~et 6 ls a beaded or slubbed yarn.
1 15 j The speed of the roll 5 and of roll 10 are the same and the yarn I i
jj product 12 ls overfed to the feed roll 7 by approximately ' !
1 2 - 8%, and usually about 3.5%. t
It will be appreciated that ln the reciprocatlng devlce !
1, the path Or the efrect yarn 9 ls lntermlttently and abruptly
20 1i changed by mechanlcal means so that the yarn ls subjected to
variatlons in tenslon durlng lts travel to the tangllng ~et.
Generally, the effect yarn ls posltlvely dlsplaced,
l.e., shlfted, from one travel path to another path wlthln the
I reclprocatlng devlce. Thls dlsplacement may be effected by a
25 ! cam-operatlng arm, by a rotating pin or other like means,
¦ embodlments Or which wlll be hereinafter descrlbed ln greater
L detall. ~
! Flg. 2 schematlcally lllustrates an embodiment of a
I' pneumatlcally operated ~et assembly that may be used as the gas
30 i tangllng Jet employed ln the apparatus Or Flg. 1. The Jet
~ assembly 6 lncludes a hou~ln~ 14 having a gas lnlet passage
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15 and a gas outlet passage i6 arranged perpendicular thereto. ,
The gas inlet passage ls rormed by a large dlameter bore 17 that .
tapers down to a small dlameter bore 18. ¦
m e gas outlet passage ls formed by a bore 19 that
extends rrom one side Or the houslng to beyond the end Or bore
18 and by a bore 20 Or reduced dlameter that extends through to
the other slde Or the houslng.
A hollow needle 21 is inserted into the housing in
rlow Or gas by the
M uid-tight engagement within bore 20. The/needle creates a
vacuum which sucks yarn through the orlfice 22 at one end and
out through the gas outlet passage when the dlscharge end
Or the needle is pushed beyond the gas orifice Or the gas
lnlet passage.
Arter the yarn has been fed through the ~et, the
needle is released and is retracted by the action of spring 23.
A bracket 24 is secured to housing 14 and provides an ad~ustable
guide support for another bracket 25 secured to the orifice
end of the hollow needle. These brackets serve to retain the
hollow needle in proper posltion for normal operatlon as shown
20 in Fig. 2. .
It will be appreclated that the position Or the
discharge end Or the hollow needle determlnes, ln part, the ~;
character Or the yarn product, l.e., the degree Or variation
Or the denier Or the novelty yarn product.
Flg. 3 shows an embodlment Or the reciprocating device
¦ that may be employed in the apparatus Or Flg. 1. Thls device
¦ ha~ a cam element 26 rotating ln a counter-clockwlse dlrectlon
¦1 a~ lndlcated by the arrow. Cam ~ollower 27 wlth a nylon roller ¦
28 ls blased against the cam element and is mounted on a pivoted
3o member 29. A yarn contractlng arm 30 ls operatlvely assoclated
wlth rollower 28. When the arm 30 ls ln the vertlcal positlon
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¦ ~hown ln solld lines, the yarn 9 through guldes ~1 and 32
¦ without any efrect and the cam element holds arm 30 ln this
¦ posltion for several seconds, e.g., about 5 seconds, as the
¦ cam rollower contacts the ralsed portion o~ the cam element,
5 1 the arm 30 lowers the effect yarn from the normal position to the
posltlon shown ln dashed lines thereby creatlng tenslon on the-
errect yarn. At the same time, the core yarn 3 ls ln a relaxed
or tenslonless state and is perl~tted to sllghtly overreed into !
the Jet lncreasing ln slze as lt comblnes wlth the stretched
portlon of the efrect yarn. m e arm requires a short period of
tlme, e.g., 1.5 to 2 seconds, to move from the vertical positlon ¦
to the horlzontal position and remains in the horlzontal position
ror several seconds, e.g., 5 seconds. During this period,
no flurfing erfect is given to the effect yarn. When the cam
follower drops from the high point to the low point on the cam
element, the efrect yarn will rise quickly to a tensionless
horlzontal position. This abrupt rise or change ln position
wlll cause a sudden slack ln the effect yarn so that a slub or
flufr sectlon will form ln the yarn as the yarn enters the
tangllng ~et to combine wlth the core yarn. The composite
yarn product will also lncrease ln dlameter untll the tensions
¦ ln both yarns, i.e., the core yarn and the effect yarn,
equallze again. Thls cycle Or operation is repeated for each
revolution of the cam element.
It wlll be appreciated that in the apparatus shown in
Fig. 1 that the design or the cam element can be changed for
dlfferent erfects. Also, a pattern disturber, i.e., a device
whlch holds the cam element ln a posltlon wherein no erfect ls
l created ln the effect yarn, can be used to interrupt the ¦ -
3o rotation o~ the cam element, thereby changlng the periodlc
~ eharaot r Or the beads or sl;bs rormed In the yarn.
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One aspect Or the present lnventlon ls dlrected tc the
productlon of a composlte yarn product whlch 15 especially ~seful
as a dental floss. The embodlment o~ the lnventlon schematlcally
shown ln Flg. 4 ls a two-stage process whereln a beaded nylon
yarn whlch may be produced in the manner shown ln Fig. l is
comblned wlth a waxed support yarn. Beaded composlte yarn 33
ls taken from a package and passed between the nlp o~ a palr
of comblnlng rolls 34 whcrein lt ls comblned wlth a nylon
support yarn 35 that has been passed through a wax appllcator
means 35. me composlte nylon yarn 38 ls taken up from the rolls !
and placed ln a package 39. Thls package may b~ subsequently l ,-
placed ln a steam chest for a perlod of tlme surficlent to
lnsure m~gration of the wax from the support yarn throughout
¦ yarn package, e.g., for about 2 hours ln steam at 160 F. or
15 j lower.
¦ Production Or dental floss wlll be further understood
rrom the following example whereln dental floss is produced ln
; a one-stage continuous process as lllustrated ln Flg. 5.
A support yarn 40 (200/16 nylon 6) ls passed through
a wax appllcator 41 whereln a roller applles 25~ wax to the
yarn. Thls yarn ls then cooled by a fan coollng means 42 to
solldify the wax and ls passed to a palr Or yarn combining rolls '
43. Two efrect yarns 44 Or nylon 6, each havlng a denler
200 and conslsting of 64 fllaments (200/64~ were drawn throu~h
a palr of feed rollers 45 whereln the two yarns are comblned.
The resultlng composlte effect yarn is passed through
reclprocatlng devlce 46 to an alr tangllng ~et 47 whereln the
¦¦ erfect yarn i8 comblned wlth a core yarn 48 of nylon 6 (200/64). j
A pair Or feed rollers 49 draws the core yarn rrom a package ' ~ --
3o through a wet-out devlce 50 whereln water ls added to
the yarn. A beaded yarn composlte 51 18 taken from the ~et
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and comblned with the support yarn by rolls 43. ' The multlstrand .
composite 52 exltlng from these rolls ls given a twlst of 5.5
t.p.l. and taken up on the pirn 53.
The characterlstlcs Or the beaded yarn, the support
yarn and the resultlng dental floss may be generalized as
rOllOws:
Beaded yarn:
Average denler - 550-650 .
Distance between bends or flufrs - 1-1/4" - 1-3/4"
Length of fluff or bead - 3/4" - 1-1/4"
Filaments - 128 .
Yarn - Nylon 6 li
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Su~port Yarn:
Denler - 200
15Filament - 16
Flber - nylon 6
¦ Wax - 25% (may be unwaxed if desired) .
¦ Dental Floss: ¦
I Ply twisted - 4 to 8 t.p.l.
~otal denier - 700 to 900 (unwaxed)
750 to llO0 (waxed) ~,
. Filament - 144 .
: Breaklng strength - 3 to 5 pounds .
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¦ Flg. 6 lllustrates one embodlment Or an apparatus or
devlce rOr produclng a beaded yarn which uses a system o~ compoun
pulleys o~eratlvely assoclated wlth an alr tangllng ~et. In thls
l apparatus, the take orr pulley 55 ror the beaded yarn, the core
pulley 56, and the erfect produclng pulley 57 are mounted on a
slngle rotatable shart 58. The core yarn 59 ls gulded via gulde
60 whlch may be located below the support frame 61 from a plrn
(not shown) to the core pulley 56 into the alr tangling ~et 62
(whlch is of the type lllustrate ln Fig. 2) and then ls part
Or the beaded yarn to the take-orf pulley 55 twhich drlves the
shaft 58) and rinally to a takeup package forming devlce. The
erfect yarn 63 comes rrom a spool below the frame 61 and ls
gulded by a guide 64 mounted on a gulde bar and then around the
l effect pulley to a guide 64 and guide 65 to enter into the
151 ~et where lt combines with the core yarn.
¦ m e effect pulley has a pirn 66 located on its outer
periphery. The errect yarn ls wrapped around the center shaft
¦ Or the efrect pulley (not shown) and the plrn 66 to thereby
¦ cause alternatlng perlods Or tenslon and slack in the errect
20 j yarn. It will be recognlzed that this compound pulley arrange- ¦
¦ ment has several advantages, i.e., the composlte novelty yarn
¦ drives all three pulleys, the ratio Or the size Or one pulley
¦ to another, can be varled by replaclng with a pulley o~ dlfferent
¦ dlameter, the pulleys stop together when there is a break in the !
251 composlte yarn product, and the degree Or reciprocatlng movement
provided by the erfect pulley can be varled by changlng the
numb r o~ pirn5.
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It wlll also be understood that the extent Or bulk
varlance, as evidenced by the varlatlon ln llnear density, in I
the beaded yarns wlll be also controlled by the amount Or overreed
¦ Or the feeder yarns and that thls ls governed by the lntended
j¦ appllcation. For example, ln producing a beaded yarn for glving
5jl a shantùng effect, the dlstance between beads or slubs may vary
¦¦ from 8 to 12 reet wlth a bead or fluff sectlon or rrom 1/8 to
¦ 2" long; whereas the beaded yarn for producing dental floss may
Il have beads at a dlstance Or from less than one lnche to a few
¦¦ inches from each other wlth the bead length on the order
lOij one end or more. Thererore, the overfeed for a beaded yarn to
I be used in shantung fabric may be up to about 5%, while the
¦ overfeed for a dental floss may be as much as 150%.
In producing the dental floss by use of the apparatus I
shown in Fig. 6, the overfeed Or the core yarn is about 10% ¦
and that of the effect yarn is 150%. 1
~ ig. 7 represents a dental floss Or this invention;
This floss has compacted zone or sections 70 separated by fluffed~
or beaded sectlons 71. . ¦
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