US3172616A - Filament unwinding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 9, 1965 R. R- HANSEN 3,172,616

FILAMENT UNWINDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 1.. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR. RONAL D R. HANSEN ATTORNEY March 9, 1965 R. R. HANSEN FILAMENT uuwmnmc APPARATUS Filed Oct. 1. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

RONALD R. HANSEN ATTORNE Y United States Patent ()fifice 3,172,616 Patented Mar. 9, 1 965 3,172,616 FILAMENT UNWINDING APPARATUS Ronald R. Hansen, Menomonee Falls, Wis, assignor to A. 0. Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 1, 1962, Se No. 227,325 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-128) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuously unwinding filamentary material from a plurality of filament packages.

In the manufacture of glass filament reinforced plastic articles, it has been found that many of these articles may be most easily fabricated from a plastic impregnated glass filament tape or fabric.

The tape or fabric is generally manufactured from a plurality of strands each of which is composed of a number of glass filaments. Previously, it was thought to be necessary to manufacture tape or fabric by drawing the filaments from a glass drawing bushing, gathering the filaments to form a strand, then winding the strand into a package or cake pack, unwinding the cake pack or strand package into a spool of some type in a subsequent operation, and finally unwinding the spool in combination with a plurality of other spools to form a multi-strand tape or fabric. The material so formed could then be impregnated with a plastic material and could be subsequently used in the manufacture of glass reinforced plastic articles such as automobile components, boats, pipes, storage tanks, water heaters, and the like.

It is highly important that the last unwinding phase prior to the manufacture of tape be continuous. Some difiiculty has been encountered in unwinding glass filaments from spools. The spools generally consist of strands wound tightly upon a core with adjacent turns of the strand lying in side-by-side relation. In unwinding these spools, the filaments comprising one turn of the strand tend to become intermeshed with the filaments of the adjacent turn of strand, and as they are unwound begin to tray and tear and become snarled. This fraying and tearing can become so severe that the strand breaks before the spool is unwound, and a substantial portion of the spool is wasted. The tape making operation cannot be maintained as a continuous process under conditions of numerous strand separations from spools. Under such conditions, it becomes necessary to employ a substantial number of persons to tend the strand unwinding apparatus to repair broken strand ends and to replace tangled spools. High manpower requirements of this nature can make the cost of the tape making process prohibitive.

The method and apparatus of this invention are adapted to overcome the shortcomings occurring in the use of spooled strand. In the process of the instant invention, filaments are initially drawn from a standard glass drawing bushing. These filaments are then gathered beneath the bushing to form a strand. The strand is wound upon a drum to form a strand package or cake pack. The strand is wound upon this package in large helices whereby adjacent turns of strand are not laid upon the package in side-by-side relationship. This cake pack or strand package is placed in the unwinding unit of the invention, and tape or fabric is made as the filament is unwound from the pack. The step of winding and unwinding tightly wound strand spools is thereby eliminated.

Little difficulty is experienced with respect to tangling when the strand is unwound directly from helically wound cake packs or strand packages until the pack has been unwound to the final few strand layers. At this point, the loose helical turns become quite lacey and fragile. The layers lose their self-supporting ability, and having been initially wound under tension, have a tendency to preventing further unwinding of the pack and maintenance of a continuous unwinding operation.

In utilizing the apparatus of the invention, a tape or fabric consisting of a plurality of glass strands can be manufactured directly and continuously from the cake pack or strand package. By supporting one of the strand packages upon its vertical axis and wtihdrawing the strand from the inner periphery thereof and downwardly, the tendency of the final layers of strand to tumble over and become tangled can be avoided. In unwinding in a downwardly direction rather than horizontally or upwardly, the final strand layers of a package are maintained in the desired winding position and are prevented from being pulled over or from being lifted by the tension on the strand. The lower portion of the strand package is confined to prevent the outer layers of the package from springing outwardly and ultimately causing a strand tangle. A second package is placed upon its horizontal axis and the end on the outer periphery of the first package is connected to the end on the inner periphery of the second package. When the first package has become exhausted, the strand of the second package commences unwinding from the inner periphery thereof. An operator need only place the horizontally disposed package in the position formerly occupied by the first package. The operator may then attach the outer strand end of the second package to the inner strand end of a third package which is placed in horizontal relation to the newly positioned package.

The method and apparatus of this invention has resulted in a continuous, trouble-free process for unwinding a plurality of strands from a multi-package unit to form a glass fiber tape.

Various objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a group of strand unwinding units comprising a plurality of creels;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a creel wherein one strand package has been exhausted;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a creel; and,

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a creel.

The apparatus of the invention comprises a series of strand unwinding units as shown in FIGURE 1. Each unit, generally designated 1, includes a group of creels 2. FIG. 4 best illustrates a single creel.

A creel, as shown in FIG. 2 and H6. 3, comprises a base member 3 which is made of a compression molded plastic material. The base member is formed with a concave portion 4 which is adapted to receive and support a cake pack or strand package 5 in a generally horizontal position. Adjacent the concave portion 4 of the base member, a second concave portion 6 is provided to support a cake pack 7 vertically upon its axis. The bottom of concave portion 6 is fabricated with a strand receiving opening which is defined by a grorna met 8. Due to the abrasive character of glass filaments, grommet 8 is made of a smooth abrasive-resistant material which will not act to abrade the glass strand passing therethrough. Base member 3 includes a recessed portion 9 which extends below the lowest level of concave portion 6. A second grommet 10 is provided in recessed portion 9 and is disposed at right angles to the opening of grommet 8 to permit passage of a strand from grommet 8 to grommet ltl. As may be best viewed in FIG. 4, recessed portion 9 of the molded plastic base member 3 supports a strand tensioning device 11.

The strand tensioning device 11 acts to maintain the strand 12 being unwound from pack 5 under a predetermined degree of tension as the strand leaves creel 2 and passes to a tape making machine (not shown). Tensioning device 11 includes a generally circular base plate 13 which is rotatably mounted upon the recessed portion 9 of base member 3 by a pin 14. A pair of axially spaced rods 15 and 16 are mounted upon base plate 13. A pair of opposed dished plates 17 are slidably carried by each of the rods 15 and 16 and serve to exert tension on strand 12 and to maintain proper positioning of the strand with respect to rods 15 and 16 as it is being unwound. As strand 12 travels through grommet 10, it is Wound a portion of a turn around rod 15, the extent of the turn being determined by the degree of tension required (the greater tension requiring a greater amount of turn upon the rod). The strand is then wound a portion of a turn upon the second rod 16 and this time on the side opposite that which the strand was passed on rod 15. The tension applied to strand 12 by device 11 can be varied merely by rotating the base plate 13 in a counter clockwise direction to increase the tension being applied or in a clockwise direction to reduce the tension being applied.

Strand 12, as it leaves rod 16, passes through a second grommeted opening 18 in recessed portion 9. As is best viewed in FIGURE 1, strand 12 then passes through one of a plurality of guide eyelets 19 included in guide bar 20 which is secured to the supporting frame 21 of the strand unit 1. Strand 12 is finally carried to a tape or fabric making apparatus (not shown).

It has been found in practice to be desirable to pass a strand 12 from each of a number of creels 2 through a single eyelet 19. In this manner each eyelet 19 receives a number of strands. Should a strand break, a bit of adhesive is applied to the end extending from the cake pack and the treated end is bonded to a segment of a companion strand. The tape making apparatus may thereby be deprived of its full complement of strands only momentarily and the need of threading the broken strand through the entire system of guide bars and finally into the tape or fabric making apparatus is obviated.

FIG. 4 illustrates in a sectional view a creel 2 including a molded plastic base member 3 supported by frame 21 and supporting a pair of cake packs 5 and 7 and a strand tensioning device 11 disposed in operative relation. One of the cake packs 5 is supported on its horizontal axis within concave portion 4 of base memher 3. The pack originally has two free strand ends 22 and 23. End 22 extends from the outer periphery of pack 5. End 23 extends from the inner periphery of pack 5 and is bonded, tied or mechanically attached at 24 to outer strand end 25 of pack 7 which is positioned on its vertical axis within concave portion 6 of base member 3.

The leading end of strand 12 is unwound from the inner periphery of pack 7 and is drawn downwardly through grommet 8 in the base of concave portion 6. Strand 12 is then led through grommet and around rods and 16 of strand tensioning device 11. The strand is led through grommet 18 of creel 2, threaded through an eyelet 19 on guide bar and finally car ried to the tape or fabric making apparatus.

As the strand 12 is continuously unwound from the inner periphery of the vertically positioned cake pack 7, the thickness of the strand package gradually diminishes. When the package thickness has been reduced to a point where only a few layers of strand remain in the package, the relatively widely spaced strand helices have a lacey fragile appearance and become difiicult to unwind without tangling. It has been found that tangling of the last layers of the strand which interrupt the continuous unwinding process can be avoided. This can be accomplished by supporting the cake pack in a generally vertical position whereby the strand may be unwound from the inner periphery of the pack and downwardly therefrom and by containing the outer periphery of the pack to about one-third to one-half of its height. In unwinding the pack in a downward direction through the base supporting the pack, the tendency of the strand to lift the final layers of strand when unwinding vertically and through the top of the pack is eliminated. The tendency of the final layers to fall over and tangle when unwinding in a horizontal direction is also overcome. Unwinding a pack from its internal periphery and downwardly while the base is securely supported has been found to be a continuously successful unwinding technique.

In the event the outer strand layers are not contained, the coils of the outer strand layers, which are in tension due to the winding process, will spring apart with a resulting hopeless tangle of the strand. By enclosing the lower one-third to one-half of cake pack 5 with the walls of base member 3 defining concave portion 6, the outer layers of strand are prevented from springing outwardly in response to the coiling tension imparted in the strand during the winding process. Therefore, by supporting cake pack 6 upon base member 3 of the creel of the instant invention, the tangling tendencies of the tightly coiled strand of the cake packs can be avoided, and the unwinding and tape or fabric making process can be made continuous.

The outer strand end 25 of cake pack 7 is connected to the inner strand end 23 of pack 5. As may be seen in FIG. 2, pack 5 commences unwinding from its interior periphery immediately upon exhaustion of pack 7. This occurs substantially Without interruption. The unwinding of horizontally disposed pack 5 may continue for some time without affecting the operation. An attendant, servicing the strand unit, upon observing that pack 7 has been exhausted, merely places pack 5 in upright position in concave portion 6 and either bonds, ties or mechanically connects outer strand end 22 of cake pack 5 to the inner strand end of another pack which is placed horizontally in concave portion 4 of base member 3. By initially staggering the amount of strand in the vertically disposed packs 7 of an entire strand unit, a single attendant may be employed to service and keep many hundreds of creels in continuous operation as vertically disposed packs 7 become exhausted at intervals rather than simultaneously and can be replaced by horizontal packs 5 in an orderly manner.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are com templated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of continuously unwinding a package of a helically wound strand having a pair of exposed ex tremities, comprising supporting a first portion of the package on the longitudinal axis thereof, unwinding the strand from the interior of the package commencing with one of the exposed extremities and downwardly from the longitudinal axis thereof, simultaneously supporting a second portion of the package on the radial axis thereof and interconnecting the package portions by a common strand whereby the first package portion may be unwound from the interior thereof, and upon completion of unwinding, the second portion may be unwound substan tially without interruption.

2. The method of continuously unwinding generally cylindrical packages of helically wound strands having exposed inner extremities and exposed outer extremities, comprising generally horizontally supporting a first strand package, supporting a second cylindrical strand package in a generally upright position, connecting the inner exposed strand extremity of the first package to the outer exposed strand extremity of the second package, apply ing downward tension to the inner strand extremity of the second cylindrical package to commence the unwinding thereof from the interior of the cylindrical package,

and supporting the first strand package in a generally upright position upon completion of the unwinding of the second package whereby tension may be continuously applied to the strands and the packages may be unwound substantially without interruption.

3. The method of continuously unwinding a plurality of generally cylindrical packages of helically wound strands having exposed ends on the outer and inner peripheries thereof, comprising supporting a first strand package in a generally vertical position, confining the lower portion of the outer periphery of the strand package to contain the outermost helices of the strand as the package becomes substantially unwound, applying a generally downwardly directed tension to the strand end on the inner periphery of the first package to unwind the helices of the cylindrical strand package from the interior thereof, supporting a second strand package in a generally horizontal position, interconnecting the strand end of the first package being exposed on the outer periphery thereof with the strand end of the second package being exposed on the inner periphery thereof, adapting the strand end of the second package disposed on the outer periphery thereof for interconnection with the strand end of an additional package, completely unwinding the first package downwardly and from the interior thereof, supporting the second strand interconnected package in the substantially vertical position occupied by the unwound first strand package and continuing the unwinding of the second package dowwardly and from the interior thereof substantially without interruption of the winding process, interconnecting the strand end of the second package disposed on the outer periphery thereof to the inner strand end of an additional package, supporting the additional package on the horizontal axis thereof, and continuing the supply and interconnection of strand ends to additional packages whereby the unwinding process may proceed continuously and substantially without interruption.

4. The method of unwinding preformed helically wound strand packages having exposed strand ends comprising, supporting a first strand package on a base member whereby the strand helices thereof lie in generally parallel relation to the base member, passing the inner exposed strand end of the first package downwardly and through the base member, applying tension to the strand passing through the base member, drawing the strand through strand guide means, and drawing a strand extending from a second package through the strand guide means whereby breakage of one strand may be remedied by attaching the broken strand end to a con tinuous strand passing through the common strand guide means.

5. An apparatus for continuously unwinding a plurality of strand packages, comprising a base for supporting a strand package on the longitudinal axis thereof, the base having a strand receiving opening adapted to receive a strand from the interior of the package supported thereon, confining means associated with the base to confine the lower portion of the strand package and to prevent the outward expansion of the outer layers of the strand during the unwinding process, and a horizontal support member disposed adjacent the base for supporting another strand package in a horizontal position and for maintaining the horizontally supported package in generally immobile condition during the unwinding of the other package.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, including strand tensioning means associated with the base and adapted to evenly apply a generally downwardly directed tension on a strand being unwound from the interior of a strand package.

7. The method of continuously and simultaneously unwinding a plurality of preformed helically wound strand packages having inner and outer exposed strand ends comprising supporting the strand packages upon a base member, passing the inner strand ends of the packages downwardly with respect to the base, applying tension to the inner strand ends a distance from the packages through a common guide means spaced from the packages to permit the attachment of a broken strand of the plurality between the common guide means and the packages and to prevent the disruption of the continuity of the unwinding process because of the breakage of a strand, and connecting the outer exposed strand ends of the plurality of packages to the inner exposed strand ends of second packages to maintain the continuity of the unwinding proccss upon the exhaustion of the initial packages.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. 5. AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY UNWINDING A PLURALITY OF STRAND PACKAGES, COMPRISING A BASE FOR SUPPORTING A STRAND PACKAGE ON THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, THE BASE HAVING A STRAND RECEIVING OPENING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A STRAND FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE PACKAGE SUPPORTED THEREON, CONFINING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BASE TO CONFINE THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STRAND PACKAGE AND TO PREVENT THE OUTWARD EXPANSION OF THE OUTER LAYERS OF THE STRAND DURING THE UNWINDING PROCESS, AND A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEMBER DISPOSED ADJACENT THE BASE FOR SUPPORTING ANOTHER STRAND PACKAGE IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION AND FOR MAINTAINING THE HORIZONTALLY SUPPORTED PACKAGE IN GENERALLY IMMOBILE CONDITION DURING THE UNWINDING OF THE OTHER PACKAGE.

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