Double twist thread twisting frame

A double twist thread twisting frame having a plurality of double twist spindles thereon each of which is surrounded by a balloon limiter having an upper rim thereon and at their lower parts a storage disc and a whorl driven by a belt spaced below the storage disc. A closure structure is provided around each balloon limiter to define a channel which communicates with the spindles and the interior of the balloon limiters. A suction device is connected in circuit with the channel means to evacuate the air contained therein. The closure structure, particularly an upper wall thereof, is located generally at the level of the upper rim of the balloon limiter and has a circular opening coaxial with the upper rim of the balloon limiter. The circular opening is somewhat smaller in diameter than the upper part of the balloon limiter. A suction opening is provided in the balloon limiter below the upper wall of the closure structure and a blower nozzle is connected to a tube which extends in the longitudinal direction of the frame for supplying conditioned air to the circular opening in the balloon limiter.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a double twist thread twisting frame having a 
plurality of double twist thread twisting spindles each of which is 
surrounded by a balloon limiter and has at its lower part a storage disc 
and beneath this a whorl driven by a belt, there being provided above and 
below the balloon limiter a closure wall extending over the whole width 
and length of the frame and, on both long sides of the frame, side walls 
arranged externally of the balloon limiter and connected to the upper and 
lower closure walls, the channel enclosed by these walls communicating 
with the spindles and the balloon limiters and being connected to a 
suction device. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In such double twist frame which is known (from German Auslegeschrift 2 130 
621) the upper closure wall is arranged above the balloon thread guide and 
the lower closure wall is arranged below the whorl and the driving belt. 
The side walls extend from the lower to the upper closure wall and thus 
completely enclose the spindles. For the performance of servicing work at 
least a part of the side wall associated with each spindle is adjustable. 
The closure walls and side walls consist of sound reflecting and/or sound 
absorbing material. In this manner there is obtained, in the first place, 
protection of the attendant personnel against noise. At the same time 
however the channel enclosed by the closure walls and side walls is 
connected to a suction device. Thereby, fly occurring from the twisting is 
sucked away and soiling of the frame is prevented. 
Owing to the complete encapsuling of the double twist thread twisting 
spindles a plurality of flaps associated with each spindle are necessary 
in order that servicing work such as threading, removing broken threads 
and so on may be performed at the spindle. This plurality of flaps and 
rotatable casing parts however increases the cost of the frame 
considerably and also makes impossible the use of an automatic service 
carriage for performing the work of threading, removal of broken threads 
and the presentation of the thread. Moreover, in the case of this known 
double twist frame conditioning, viz. moistening of the thread is possible 
only by conditioning the whole of the space in which the frame is located. 
Moistening of the thread favours the twisting operation and reduces the 
formation of fly. 
It is known (from German Offenlegungsschrift 2,356,562) to feed conditioned 
air to supply bobbin by means of a blower nozzle directed towards the 
spindle. Beneath the storage disc of the spindle, in this known device, 
there is arranged a suction nozzle for sucking away the fly. However, this 
suction nozzle can only collect fly that reaches its direct vicinity. It 
has been established that the air is heated relatively strongly by the 
heat produced in the region of the spindle drive. This heated air then 
rises in the balloon limiter as in a chimney. There results a strong 
upward current of air, assisted by the rotation of the spindle and the 
balloon of thread in the balloon limiter, by which the fly is conveyed 
upwardly away from the suction nozzle. Moreover, owing to the friction of 
the thread on the inner wall of the balloon limiter, further fly results 
which is not gathered by the suction nozzle. 
The invention is based on the problem of providing a double twist thread 
twisting frame of the type mentioned initially, which whilst avoiding the 
above-mentioned disadvantages is simpler in construction and in which the 
spindles are accessible from above, so that an automatic service carriage 
can be used, and in which the fly is removed to a large extent and which 
also permits direct conditioning of the material being supplied. 
In accordance with the invention this is achieved in that the upper closure 
wall is arranged approximately at the level of the upper rim of the 
balloon limiter and in the region of each balloon limiter has a circular 
opening coaxial therewith, that the upper rim of the balloon limiter 
and/or the circular opening is somewhat smaller in diameter than the part 
of the balloon limiter located beneath it, and there is provided on the 
balloon limiter in the region beneath the upper closure wall a suction 
opening connected to the internal space of the channel, and that above 
each balloon limiter there is provided a blower tube known in itself 
directed towards the spindle and connected to a pipe extending in the 
longitudinal direction of the frame, by which nozzle conditioned air is 
fed to the supply bobbin. 
By arrangement of the upper closure wall at the level of the upper rim of 
the balloow limiter the spindle is freely accessible from above. In this 
way flaps and other cladding parts become unnecessary, so that the frame 
is of simpler construction. Moreover, the free access permits the use of 
an automatic service carriage. At the same time owing to this construction 
blower nozzles may also be used which blow the conditioned air directly in 
the direction of the supply bobbin. In this way conditioning of the whole 
frame shop can be avoided and also the material being supplied does not 
need to be previously conditioned in a special conditioning space. The 
intensive conditioning of the supply material also has the advantage that 
the formation of fly is reduced. At the same time, with the novel double 
twist frame very good removal of fly is achieved. Since the twisting 
spindle is completely surrounded, in the region of the lower rim of the 
balloon limiter and also of the storage disc, by the channel formed by the 
upper and lower closure walls and the side walls, an initial sucking away 
of the fly takes place there. Fly that is carried along by the upwardly 
directed air current in the balloon limiter and which is present in the 
balloon limiter itself is to a considerable extent thrown outwardly to the 
wall of the balloon limiter by the rotating thread. Since the upper rim of 
the balloon limiter or the circular opening is smaller in diameter than 
the parts of the balloon limiter located beneath it, and since moreover 
there is provided in the upper region of the balloon limiter beneath the 
upper closure wall a suction opening in communication with the internal 
space of the channel, the fly is to a large extent sucked away through 
this suction opening. Furthermore, the heat generated continuously at the 
spindle bearing and at the whorl is removed by the sucking away of the air 
surrounding these parts. This avoids the effect that the heated air in the 
balloon limiter rises upwardly, carries fly with it and also dries out the 
previously moistened thread. In this manner only a very small quantity of 
fly occurs in the balloon limiter itself, and can at once be removed owing 
to the above-mentioned design and the suction at the upper rim of the 
balloon limiter. 
Advantageously, the lower closure wall is arranged tightly between the 
storage disc and the whorl. In this manner the air heated at the whorl is 
kept away from the other spindles. 
In order that the spindle may also be serviced in the region of its storage 
disc, or be accessible at that place for the corresponding servicing parts 
of a service carriage, flaps are preferably provided in the side wall 
beneath the balloon limiter in the region of the storage disc. These flaps 
are advantageously pivoted at their lower edges and tiltable inwardly. 
They may extend over a plurality of spindles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
In the drawings, there is indicated at 1 the whole of the double twist 
thread twisting frame, which includes a plurality of double twist spindles 
2 arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction of the frame. Each 
of these spindles has a bobbin box 3 secured against rotation by the force 
of permanent magnets, and a balloon limiter 4 surrounding the bobbin box. 
Adjoining the bobbin box and below it is provided a twist plate 5 and 
below this a storage disc 6. The spindle is rotatably journalled in the 
bearing 7 and has at its lower and a whorl 8 which is driven by a driving 
belt 9. Above each spindle is provided a balloon thread guide 20. 
At the level of the upper rim of the balloon limiter 4 is provided an upper 
closure wall 10, which extends over the whole length and width of the 
frame. The closure wall may of course be composed of several parts. In the 
region of each balloon limiter 4 it has a coaxial circular opening 11. At 
the lower end of the spindles is provided a lower closure wall 12 which is 
located either beneath the spindles or, as is advantageous and as is the 
case in the example illustrated, between the whorl 8 and the storage disc 
6. The two closure walls 11 and 12 are connected together by vertically 
extending side walls 13. They thus enclose a channel 14, which is open 
towards the storage disc 6 and the lower end of the balloon limiter 4. 
This channel 14 is connected to a suction device, so that sub-pressure 
always obtains in this channel. In the side walls 13 are provided, beneath 
the balloon limiter 4 and in the region of the storage disc 6, flaps 15 
which are pivotal at their lower edges by means of hinges 16 and can tilt 
inwardly. 
Above each balloon limiter 4 is provided for each spindle a blower nozzle 
17 directed towards the spindle, the nozzle 17 being connected to a pipe 
18 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the frame. Through this 
pipe 18 conditioned, in particular moistened, air is fed to the blower 
nozzles 17. 
In the practical example illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the balloon limiter 
widens upwardly in conical form. In its upper region it has a part 4a of 
reduced diameter which is smaller in diameter than the widening 4b located 
beneath it. In the region of the widening 4b is provided a suction opening 
19, which is in communication with the channel 14. The diameter of the 
circular opening 11 is such that the upper closure wall 10 abuts tightly 
against the narrowed part 4a of the balloon limiter 4. 
The blower nozzles 17 are advantageously arranged above the balloon thread 
guide 20 and inclined downwardly towards the thread balloon, so that as 
far as possible a downwardly directed air current results. 
Through the blower nozzles 17 conditioned air of high moisture content is 
blown into the upper part of the thread balloon 21. Owing to the fanning 
action of the twist plate 5 there obtains in the bobbin box 3 and also 
within the thread balloon 21 a minimum sub-pressure, which however 
suffices to suck the conditioned air. The air passes through the annular 
gap between the bobbin box and the supply bobbin 22 into the region of the 
twist plate 5. It can pass through openings 23 which are provided in the 
base of the bobbin box. The supply bobbin 22 always has moist air flowing 
over it and is therefore kept moist for treatment. The downwardly directed 
current of conditioned air is assisted by the sucking action of the 
channel 14. Since the balloon limiter 4 is in communication with this 
channel at its upper rim and also the storage disc 6 is arranged in the 
channel, fly that occurs in the bobbin box and on the storage disc is 
completely sucked away. Moreover, suction of the air under the spindle 
heated by the drive and the mounting is drawn off. Likewise a part of the 
conditioned air sucked through the twist plate 5 above the supply bobbin 
22 is sucked away. This prevents heated air from passing into the region 
of the thread balloon between the balloon limiters 4 and the bobbin boxes 
3. It cannot therefore dry out the thread in the region of the thread 
balloon. By moistening the supply bobbin and avoiding drying out of the 
thread in the region of the balloon by heated air, the formation of fly 
that results from friction of the thread on the internal wall of the 
balloon limiter is greatly reduced. The fly that nevertheless forms in the 
balloon limiter is conveyed upwardly in a rotating spiral by the rotation 
of the thread. Owing to the conical shape of the balloon limiter 4 and the 
adjoining narrowing in the part 4a the fly accumulates in the widened part 
4b. Here it can very easily be sucked through the suction opening 19, 
seeing that it is thrown outwardly by the centrifugal force created by the 
thread balloon. An elongate suction opening is sufficient here since the 
fly is kept in rotation by the thread. 
The practical example illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is of substantially the 
same construction, hence description of the parts that are the same will 
not be given. The only difference is the construction of the balloon 
limiter 4' and the arrangement of the upper closure wall 10'. In the 
practical example illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the balloon limiter 4' is 
cylindrical. The diameter d of the circular opening 11' is somewhat 
smaller than the diameter D of the balloon limiter. The upper closure wall 
10' is arranged at a short distance a from the upper rim 24 of the balloon 
limiter 4'. In this manner, there is formed between the closure wall 10' 
and the upper rim 24 an annular gap S which is in communication with the 
suction duct 14 and therefore forms a suction opening. Since the circular 
opening 11' is of somewhat smaller diameter than the balloon limiter it 
forms a restriction at which particles of fly can accumulate and hence can 
be more easily sucked through the annular gap S. This likewise ensures 
that fly is to a great extent sucked away before the thread emerges from 
the balloon limiter 4'. 
Since however the formation of fly can never quite be avoided on other 
frame parts that are provided above the balloon limiter, it may happen 
that fly is deposited on the upper closure wall 10', and especially in the 
corner region between the upper closure wall 10' and the adjoining 
conditioning tube 18. In order to remove this fly it is desirable to 
provide in the corner region between the upper closure wall 10' and the 
pipe 18 arranged over it suction openings 25 between the spindles, as is 
illustrated in FIG. 3.