Patent GB-1134991-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus and process for the winding up of melt spun filaments
IPC: D01D11/00
Filed: 1967-02-08
Abstract: 1,134,991. Apparatus for winding up meltspun filaments. E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO. 8 Feb., 1967 [8 Feb., 1966], No. 6064/67. Heading B5B. [Also in Division D1] An apparatus for cutting at least one strand continually advancing away from a strand source when a defective condition arises in an artificial fibres spinning machine, or for use when stringing up the strands on the wind up mechanism at the start of spinning process, comprises an enclosure mounted coaxially about a vertical strand path and at or below the vertical cooling duct of a melt spinning apparatus, a swinging door for the enclosure, a door hinge located in such a position that door closes and remains closed due to the weight of the door when it is not held open, a door holder adapted to hold the door in an open position when desired, means for releasing the door holder, a cutter adapted to cut the strand in conjunction with the closing motion of the door and an aspirator means mounted in the enclosure for removing the strand from the enclosure. The term " strand " is defined as including all types of continuous artificially produced filamentary material such as yarn, cord, tow and monofilament. The strand source comprises one or more melt-spinning spinnerets. As shown generally in Fig. 1, an example of the apparatus of the invention is mounted beneath the interfloor tube 1 of a melt spinning machine. As shown in Fig. 2, the door 3 of the enclosure mounted coaxially about the strand path consists of a glass panel with a steel frame pivoted on two hinge arms. A guide plate 4 to guide strands to the cutting area is mounted at the bottom of the door and the strands are cut by a soft metal striker plate 5 hitting against a stationary knife element 6. One hinge arm of the door has a slot 7 into which the upper end of a trigger rod 8 is urged by a compression spring 10 attached to the trigger and pushing against the lower of two trigger rod guides 9. The door 3 is thereby held in the open position. The lower end of the trigger rod is attached to the rectangular steel trigger frame 11 which is adapted to be movable between two guides 12. Fig. 3 shows a slide gate 13 moving in direction b and shutting off the vacuum tube 14. A cam shaft 15 is attached to the slide gate and is shown pivoting the release pin 16 about the shaft 17. When the cam shaft has reached the end of its travel the release pin is caused by a spring 19 to pivot in the other direction until it rests on the back stop-shaft 18. In operation, at the start of the spinning process, the lower floor operator who oversees the wind up mechanisms energizes the solenoid 20 (Fig. 4) which cause the slide gate 13 to travel in the direction a against the pressure of the spring 21 and opens the vacuum tube 14. The cam shaft 15 also moves in the direction a and contacts the pin 16, thereby moving the trigger frame 11 downwards whereby the trigger 8 leaves the slot 7 allowing the door 3 to pivot and close under its own weight. As the cam shaft 15 moves further in direction a, it releases the pin 16 and allows the spring 10 to urge the trigger 8 against the hinge arm of the door having the slot 7. The upper floor operator in charge of the spinneret and cooling duct throws the extruded strands from the spinnerets down the interfloor tube 1 down which they are drawn by the vacuum tube 14 and conveyed by the tube to a waste collector. When the lower floor operator is ready to string up the strands on the wind up mechanism he first raises the door 3 until the trigger 8 engages in the trigger slot 7 and then pushes a handheld aspirator into the aperture 23 of the semiautomatic cutting device 22, mounted on top of the vacuum tube 14 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. This operation activates the cutting mechanism which cuts the strands and permits the continuous strands advancing from the spinning zone to be collected in the hand-held aspirator. The operation also trips the micro-switch 24 (Fig. 2) which de-energizes the solenoid 20 and allows the spring 21 to close the slide gate 13 shutting off the vacuum tube 14 and to move the cam shaft 15 in the direction b. The lower floor operator in his own time may string up the strands on the wind up mechanism, stringing them over the sensing device 2 (Fig. 1) which he manually activates. Should one or more strands break, the sensing device will energize the solenoid 20 and the same sequence of operations will occur as occurs at the start-up of the spinning process. As the door 3 is closing under its own weight, all the strands are cut as the plate 5 strikes the knife 6 and the continuing advancing strands are then collected by the vacuum tube 14 and conveyed away leaving the operator to proceed with the stringing up operation at his convenience.