Strand carrier

An improved strand carrier that may be employed in an elastic yarn covering operation at rotational speeds in excess of 18,000 revolutions per minute. The carrier includes a barrel with a head or flange secured to at least one end of the barrel. An insert is secured within an end of the barrel and defines a spindle receiving opening therealong, at least the surfaces of which that are contactable by the spindle when received therein being of a thermoplastic polymeric material that is resistant to high temperatures and to creep. The insert may include a body portion and a polymeric bushing molded thereto. Mineral filled phenylene sulfide resins are preferred for manufacture of the spindle contactable surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is related to a carrier for receiving a yarn or 
strand therearound, particularly in a high speed covering operation, for 
example generally in excess of 18,000 and as high as 26,000 revolutions 
per minute. 
In the textile and related industries, various machines and processes are 
utilized in which a continuous length of yarn or strand is processed and 
thereafter wound around a yarn carrier for storage or preparation for 
further processing. Historically in such processes in which a package of 
yarn is produced around a yarn carrier, much emphasis has been placed on 
the speed at which the machines operate and proper handling of the yarn in 
such fashion that the yarn package produced around the carrier is created 
with precision. 
In carrying out the yarn handling process, the carrier is placed over a 
driven spindle with the yarn being wound therearound by rotation of the 
spindle. The speed of operation of the process is thus primarily 
controlled by the rate of rotation of the spindle. Proper placement of the 
carrier on the spindle is important to achieve a precision wind. 
Misalignment of the carrier about the spindle will create not only an 
improperly wound yarn package, but oftentimes due to the high rotational 
speed of the spindle, excessive heat is generated between the spindle and 
the prior art carriers such that bushings within the carrier experience 
dimensional charge, particularly when the bushings are manufactured of 
synthetic polymeric materials. Shrinkage of the bushing for example, can 
cause the carrier to become jammed on the spindle requiring forceable 
removal of same which could lead to damage to the carrier and/or the 
spindle. Additionally, production time is lost and in general an adverse 
condition exists. 
In certain of the processing operations, extremely high speeds are 
encountered, for example upwards of 18,000 and as high as 26,000 spindle 
revolutions per minute. For such high speeds, proper placement of the 
carrier around the spindle becomes particularly important. An improperly 
manufactured carrier, or a carrier manufactured from materials that will 
not withstand the rigors of high rotational speed, and/or misalignment may 
create very extreme adverse conditions. A misaligned carrier rotating at 
high speed can create noise levels that greatly exceed the standards 
established by OSHA as can the use of certain materials in the manufacture 
of a carrier. Furthermore, carriers which are not concentric within close 
tolerances and thus out of dynamic balance can create excessive vibration 
which of course abets the noise problem, as well as leading to potential 
vibration damage to the carrier and/or the processing equipment. Still 
further, high speed spindles often employ O-rings spaced along the length 
of same which better maintain a driven relationship between the spindle 
and an inside wall of the yarn carrier to prevent relative movement 
therebetween. Relative movement between the spindle assembly and the 
carrier could lead to an improper production of a yarn package or create 
excessive heat which could cause the carrier to become tightly secured 
around the spindle or if certain materials are employed, welded to the "O" 
rings. A high speed yarn covering operation where cover yarns are wrapped 
around an elastic core is such a processing operation. 
In such processes as described above, it is also important that the yarn 
carrier be free of superficial defects that could snag or otherwise damage 
the yarn being wound therearound. Accordingly, certain of the prior art 
carriers have been manufactured from aluminum or other lightweight metals 
which may be anodized to present a smooth surface on the carrier which 
enables the carrier to receive yarn therearound without damaging the yarn. 
Bushings are received within some of these yarn carriers for direct 
contact with the spindle and such bushings in the prior art have been 
manufactured of metal or certain synthetic polymeric materials. The 
bushings are generally separate inserts that, following formation of same, 
are press fit or adhesively secured within the barrel of the yarn carrier. 
Metal bushings have the inherent fault of creating excessive noise levels 
as well as leading to greater expense for the part. Synthetic polymeric 
bushings utilized prior to the present invention have also been fraught 
with problems in several areas. For example, these prior art synthetic 
polymeric materials have not possessed adequate thermal or dimensional 
stability, such that, if the carrier is anodized for example, the 
polymeric material shrinks during the anodizing process due to excessive 
heat. Subsequent to anodizing, the shrunk bushing must then be reamed to 
reachieve a proper inside diameter for fit about the spindle. This reaming 
operation generally alters the concentricity of the carrier. Misalignment 
of carriers along the spindle can also create problems where due to the 
high temperatures produced by frictional engagement between the O-rings 
and the misaligned bushing, whereby the bushing can become welded to the 
O-ring which rigidly secures the carrier to the spindle and requires a 
forceful removal of same. 
In general, prior art carriers known to applicant have utilized metallic 
bushings such as brass and synthetic polymeric bushings, such as molded, 
macerated phenolics and mineral filled nylon, all of which possess the 
disadvantageous characteristics noted above. The present invention 
overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and is not believed to be 
taught or suggested by same. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved yarn 
carrier which may be employed at high rotational speeds without 
significant dimensional change. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved yarn 
carrier that employs a bushing for receipt around a spindle that is both 
thermally and dimensionally stable. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved yarn 
carrier that utilizes an internal bushing that is unaffected by the 
temperatures and chemicals attendant to an anodizing process. 
Still further another object of the present invention is to provide an 
improved aluminum yarn carrier that includes a synthetic polymeric bushing 
of a material that is dimensionally and thermally stable under use 
conditions incident to a high speed, precision winding process. 
Generally speaking the improved carrier of the present invention comprises 
an elongate barrel, said barrel having an outside wall defining a strand 
receiving surface and an inside wall defining an axial opening 
therethrough; an enlarged head secured to at least one end of said barrel 
and defining an opening therein in communication with said barrel opening; 
an insert received in said axial opening of said barrel, said insert 
defining a spindle receiving opening therealong, at least the portion of 
said insert being contactable by said spindle when said carrier is 
received thereover being manufactured from a thermoplastic polymeric 
material that is resistant to temperatures at least as high as experienced 
at spindle rotational speeds of 18,000 revolutions per minute, and that is 
resistant to creep; and means to secure said insert within said barrel, 
whereby said strand carrier may be employed in an operation where a strand 
is wound therearound at speeds of at least 18,000 revolutions per minute 
without experiencing physical changes to said bushing. 
More specifically, the improved yarn carrier of the present invention 
preferably includes an aluminum barrel with an aluminum flange or head 
secured to opposite ends of same. An insert is provided that is received 
through an opening in the flange and passes into the barrel, extending a 
portion of the length of same. The insert may be provided by a metallic 
sleeve having an outward flare adjacent an outer end of same to which is 
molded a synthetic polymeric material that is thermoplastic in nature, and 
which possesses adequate thermal and dimensional stability to withstand 
temperatures in the neighborhood of about 210.degree. to about 220.degree. 
F. Alternatively, the insert may include a body molded of a first 
polymeric material that is molded around a polymeric bushing, the 
polymeric bushing being resistant to high temperatures and to creep. In 
preferred embodiments, two components of the insert are interrelated 
during the molding operation to further composite strength of the insert. 
The metallic sleeve, for example, that forms a part of an insert may be 
provided with a plurality of openings extending through the side wall of 
same, whereby the polymeric material when molded to the sleeve 
encapsulates same along a portion of the length of same. In similar 
fashion in the embodiment where the body of the insert is molded around 
the bushing, the bushing may be provided with protuberances or detents for 
improved interrelation between the bushing and the body. 
The insert, depending upon its manufacture, may be secured within the 
carrier barrel by various means. Exemplary of such securement means are an 
adhesive-friction fit arrangement and self-threading screws. When adhesive 
securement is employed, a concavity is preferably provided around the 
girth of the insert to serve as a reservoir for the adhesive. Likewise 
when screws or other fastening members are employed, the insert preferably 
has a plurality of axially extending slots to receive the fastening 
members in threaded engagement with both the insert and the inside wall of 
the barrel. 
In a most preferred embodiment, the bushing material whether utilized as an 
insert or whether molded directly to the barrel and flange of the carrier, 
is molded from a polyphenylene sulfide thermoplastic resin that is filled 
with a mineral fiber, such as glass, preferably in an amount of around 40 
weight percent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the Figures, preferred embodiments of the present invention 
will now be described in detail. In FIG. 1, there is shown a yarn carrier 
generally indicated as 10 that includes a barrel 12 with flanges 14 and 16 
located at opposite ends of barrel 12. Barrel 12 provides an outer wall 
surface 12' around which yarn is wrapped and an inner wall surface 12" 
through which a spindle of the yarn handling machine passes and around 
which the carrier 10 is to be properly positioned for receipt of the yarn 
package to be produced therearound. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the carrier 
may be of a unitary structure insofar as the flanges 14 and 16 in the 
barrel 12 are concerned. Alternatively, however, barrel 12 may be separate 
from flanges 14 and 16. 
While the carrier of the present invention may be utilized for any yarn 
handling machine on which a package of yarn is to be produced around a 
yarn carrier, the primary thrust of the carriers of the present invention 
is to be utilized as EYS spools, which are small spools that are utilized 
to receive covering yarns therearound. The EYS spools with covering yarn 
wound therearound are utilized on covering machines at speeds of 
approximately 18,000 to 26,000 revolutions per minute. Under such 
stringent operating conditions, it is of course necessary that the bobbin 
or spool have minimal eccentricity to avoid the introduction of vibration 
to the yarn handling machine. Likewise, at such speeds, heat generated by 
friction can cause a spool or bobbin to distort and thus become out of 
alignment or thus become rigidly secured to the spindle around which the 
carrier 10 resides. It is thus very important that the spool or carrier 10 
according to teachings of the present invention maintain its integrity 
insofar as concentricity is concerned, and likewise that the contact 
surfaces on the inside of the barrel 12 for receipt around the spindle 
(not shown) of the covering machine not create problems during operation. 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, an insert generally indicated as 20 is received 
within an end of barrel 12 with a like insert received in an opposite end, 
though not shown. The purpose of the insert is to enable the manufacturer 
of the carrier 10 to construct same such that it will properly reside 
around a spindle on a yarn handling machine, while avoiding the 
introduction of vibration and while permitting easy placement and removal 
of the carrier 10 around the spindle before and after the yarn package is 
produced. Historically, the inserts of yarn carriers of the type being 
discussed have presented particular problems as discussed above. For 
example, certain metallic inserts have been utilized which not only are 
expensive to manufacture by machining techniques, but also are prone to 
create excessive noise at the high operational speeds involved, with the 
decibel level of the noise created being substantially in excess of the 
standards now set by OSHA. In order to avoid problems attendant to the 
metallic inserts, attempts have been made to manufacture polymeric 
inserts, as exemplified by macerated phenolics which, though representing 
some improvement in the noise problem are still fraught with disadvantage 
insofar as adequate dimensional stability is concerned. The particular 
problems of such polymeric inserts have been discussed hereinbefore. 
Insert 20 of the carrier 10 according to the present invention represents 
an improvement over prior art inserts and is illustrated as a hybrid, one 
that includes a metallic body portion 22 around which is molded a 
synthetic polymeric bushing 24. Making particular reference to FIG. 1, 
insert 20 is shown having metallic body portion 22 extending only 
partially along the length of same and having at least one opening 23 
received in a side wall of same that permits encapsulation of body 22 by 
the polymeric material during molding of bushing 24, whereby body 22 is 
firmly anchored within the polymeric bushing 24. In a most preferred 
situation, a plurality of openings 23 are spaced about the circumference 
of body 22 to enable polymeric material to pass therethrough at various 
circumferential positions. Insert 20, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is also 
provided with a central axially aligned opening 25 within bushing 24 which 
is dimensioned to properly receive a spindle of a yarn handling machine 
therethrough, and preferably with a chamferred opening 26 at an end of 
same to facilitate guiding of the spindle therethrough. An outer opposite 
end of insert 20 is provided with a flange 27 which is constituted by 
flared segments of both body 22 and bushing 24, whereby insert 20 may be 
press fit into the internal dimension of barrel 12 with flange 27 engaging 
a top portion of the flange 14 or 16 of carrier 10. 
Insert 20 may be dimensioned to be press fit into carrier 10. In a 
preferred arrangement, however, securement means other than pure 
frictional engagement are preferred. In FIG. 1, for example, insert 20 is 
shown to have a concave medial segment 28 around its girth in which is 
received a mass of adhesive material 30 which would assist in bonding 
insert 20 to inner wall surface 12" of barrel 12. By providing concave 
segment 28 along the length of insert 20, a reservoir for the adhesive is 
provided to preclude the possibility of wiping the adhesive away during 
pressing of the insert into an end of barrel 12. While any adhesive that 
will provide the required bond strength and will withstand rigors to which 
the carrier may be subjected, cyanoacrylate adhesives are preferred. 
As particularly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, insert 20 may likewise be 
provided with a pair of oppositely located slots 29 located at flange 27 
that extend radially outwardly from a center line through insert 24. Slots 
29 provide recesses at an end of carrier 10 in which drive dogs or the 
like associated with the drive spindle may be received. Similarly, 
referring to FIG. 3, a carrier 110 is illustrated having a flange 114 and 
an insert 120 is made of a metallic body portion 122 and a polymeric 
bushing 124 as described with reference to FIG. 1. Differently from FIG. 
2, however, insert 120 has a plurality of openings 129 received in an 
outer free end of same which extend partially along the length of insert 
120, and in which driving means associated with the spindle may likewise 
be received. 
FIG. 4 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein 
a carrier generally indicated as 210 is provided having a barrel 212 of 
unitary construction with the flanges 214. While the full length of the 
carrier 210 is not illustrated in FIG. 4, the general structure of same at 
an opposite end would be like that as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a 
plurality of openings 217 are located around the circumference of barrel 
212 and an insert 220 is provided, wholly of synthetic polymeric material. 
Insert 220 is molded with the carrier located within the mold such that 
the polymeric material will flow into openings 217 along barrel 212 
terminating at an outer surface 212' of same. Insert 220 is thus firmly 
and permanently secured to the carrier 210. In like fashion as shown in 
FIGS. 2 and 3, if desired, drive dog receiving elements may be provided at 
an outer end of molded insert 220. 
In a preferred arrangement for the carrier of the present invention, the 
carrier body, that is, the barrel and flanges at the opposite ends, are 
manufactured of aluminum as well as is the metallic body portion 22 of the 
insert 20. Once the product is manufactured, it is properly machined to 
achieve close concentricity and carrier 10 may be thereafter subjected to 
an anodizing process to prepare the surface of the aluminum for receipt of 
a precision wound yarn package therearound. As mentioned above, synthetic 
polymeric thermoplastic materials have heretofore not been found suitable 
for use in a molded insert partially because the product will not undergo 
the temperatures sustained during anodizing, e.g., approximately 
210.degree. to 220.degree. F. Furthermore it would not be practical 
subsequent to anodizing, to machine the carrier to close tolerances 
without the probability of damaging the anodized surface. 
It has been determined that the aforementioned problems can be overcome by 
utilizing a synthetic polymeric material for at least the bushing of the 
insert that is thermoplastic in nature and which will resist dimensional 
change at temperatures associated with anodizing where the temperatures 
can reach 210.degree. F. or higher. Such materials will likewise 
thereafter withstand the frictional heat generated during operation of the 
yarn carrier around a spindle of yarn handling machine, without 
dimensional change, or "welding" of the insert to an O-ring if one is 
utilized to position same about the spindle. While the present invention 
should not be so limited, a particularly good synthetic resinous material 
that is thermoplastic in nature and capable of being molded are the 
polyphenylene sulfide resins as exemplified by the Ryton resins 
manufactured by Phillips Chemical Company, Houston, Texas, which are 
mineral filled polyphenylene sulfide resins where the mineral ingredient 
is glass fiber preferably in an amount approximately 40% by weight. 
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a further embodiment of the present invention 
will be described in detail. An insert 320 is received within barrel 312 
of a strand carrier generally 310. Insert 320 includes a molded bushing 
324 around which is molded a polymeric body 322. Bushing 324 is made of a 
polymeric material that is resistant to high temperatures and to creep, 
and defines a spindle receiving opening 325 axially through same which 
serves as the contact surface with a spindle (not shown) of a yarn 
handling machine. As illustrated, bushing 324 is cylindrical in shape and 
has a plurality of axial ribs 326 located therearound and protruding 
outwardly therefrom. Polymeric body 322, which is preferably a different 
polymer from that for bushing 324, is molded about bushing 324 where 
greater composite strength is fostered by polymer of body 322 forming 
around ribs 326 of bushing 324. Molded body 322, as illustrated in FIG. 5, 
extends to an end of barrel 312 and is contacted by a flange or head 314 
thereat. A plurality of axially extending slots 323 are provided about 
body 322 which, when received within barrel 312 are aligned with a like 
number of openings 314' in flange 314. Self threading fastening members 
330 may then be screwed into the assembly with the fastening members self 
threading into insert body 322, within slots 323, and inside wall 312" of 
barrel 312. In such fashion, barrel 312, insert 320, and head 314 are 
unitized. Preferably body 322 of insert 320 is manufactured from a mineral 
filled nylon while bushing 324 is manufactured from a mineral filled 
phenylene sulfide. 
Having described the present invention in detail, it is obvious that one 
skilled in the art will be able to make variations and modifications 
thereto witout departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the 
scope of the present invention should be determined only by the claims 
appended hereto.