Patent Publication Number: US-6908304-B2

Title: Heat treating device for synthetic fiber yarn

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a heat treatment device for heating synthetic fiber filament yarns at a uniform saturation temperature by a heat discharging part of each hot pin which is arranged to protrude from any of peripheral surfaces of a laterally extended closed container including its bottom surface by utilizing characteristics of saturated steam of heat medium liquid. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     For the reasons that in a heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns of this kind which utilizes characteristics of saturated steam of heat medium liquid, the heat medium liquid condensed during heat treatment is returned to a boiler for heating the heat medium liquid without accumulating it inside hot pins, the heat treatment device cannot be mounted to a bottom surface of a laterally extended closed container in such a fashion as to protrude downwardly. Therefore, the heat treatment device is mounted to a side surface so as to protrude sidewardly. So, when the heat treatment device is installed above a separate vertically extended hot plate which is longer in vertical direction, the overall height of a setup comprising the heat treatment device and the hot plate increases, as a result it becomes difficult to secure a building in which the setup can be installed. 
     Such a tendency is remarkable particularly when the length of the vertically extended hot plate is lengthened with the increase of a feeding speed of the filament yarns. 
     In the heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns which utilizes characteristics of saturated steam of the heat medium liquid via the heating surface of the hot pins as described above, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the overall height of the setup comprising the heat treatment device and the hot pins by making it possible to arrange the heat treatment device on the same plane with the laterally extended hot plate instead of arranging the heat treatment device above the vertically extended hot plate so that a building for installing the setup therein can be easily secured. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     A heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the present invention employs a construction in which cylindrical hot pins each having a heat absorbing part and a heat discharging part are integrally formed with a bottom surface of a laterally extended closed container for closing saturated steam of heat medium liquid in such a fashion as to penetrate through the bottom surface from the inside to the outside of the closed container with axes of the hot pins extending in a vertical direction, a boiler for the heat medium liquid is provided to the bottom surface and a level of a heat medium liquid surface inside the boiler is arranged at a position lower than the bottom surface inside the laterally extended closed container. 
     In the heat treatment device described above, a heat transfer surface having a concavo-convex groove is formed on at least an outer peripheral surface of the heat absorbing part of the cylindrical hot pin positioned inside the closed container, a heat transfer surface having a concavo-convex groove is formed on at least an end face of the heat absorbing part of the cylindrical hot pin positioned inside the closed container, and communication holes are formed in such a fashion as to extend from one side surface to the other of the outer peripheral surface of the heat absorbing part of the cylindrical hot pin positioned inside the closed container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along the line II—II of FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged plan view of a part of  FIG. 1  showing another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of FIG.  4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of a portion shown in  FIG. 4  showing another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of FIG.  6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a setup when a heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the present invention is arranged. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of a heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the prior art. 
         FIG. 10  is a right-hand side view of FIG.  9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of a setup when the heat treatment device for synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the prior art is arranged. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The most preferred embodiment for carrying out the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1  to  3 . A plurality of cylindrical hot pins  5  each having a heat absorbing part  5   a  and a heat discharging part  5   b  are integrally fixed to a bottom surface  4  of a laterally extended closed container  3  for closing saturated steam  2  of a heat medium liquid  1  in such a fashion as to penetrate through the bottom surface  4  from the inside  3   a  of the closed container  3  to its outside  3   b  with an axis  6  of each hot pin  5  extending in a vertical direction, and a boiler  7  for the heat medium liquid  1  is provided to the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3  in such a fashion that the level of a heat medium liquid surface  8  inside the boiler  7  is arranged at a position lower than the bottom surface  4  inside the closed container  3 . 
     When the heat treatment device of the present invention is used, the heat medium liquid  1  inside the boiler  7  is heated by a heater  9  such as an electric heating wire embedded in the heat medium liquid  1  so that the inside of the closed container  3  and the upper space of the heat medium liquid surface  8  inside the boiler  7  can be filled with the saturated steam  2  of the heat medium liquid. 
     Saturation temperature of the saturated steam  2  inside the closed container  3  heats an outer peripheral surface  5   d  and an end surface  5   c  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of each hot pin  5  positioned inside the closed container  3 . Heat is conducted through the hot pins  5  to a heating surface  5   e  of the heat discharging part  5   b  of each hot pin  5  positioned outside the closed container  3  and the temperature of the heating surface  5   e  is raised to the saturation temperature of the saturated steam  2  of the heat medium liquid  1 . 
     Under this condition, the filament yarns  16  of the synthetic fiber to be heat-treated are wound round the heating surface  5   e  of the hot pins  5  having the axes  6  thereof extending in a vertical direction as shown in  FIGS. 1  to  3 , and allowed to travel in a direction indicated by an arrow A 16 , and then heated by latent heat of the saturated steam  2  inside the laterally extending closed container  3 . A part of the saturated steam losing its latent heat is condensed and changes to the state of a heat medium solution. The solution flows down along the bottom surface  4  inside the closed container  3  onto the heat medium liquid surface  8  inside the boiler  7  which is arranged at the position lower than the bottom surface  4 . The solution is thereby heated by the heater  9  and changes again to the state of the saturated steam  2 . 
     During this operation, because the saturated steam  2  changes to the state of the heat medium liquid and then changes to the state of the saturated steam  2  due to its properties while keeping the saturation pressure and the saturation temperature constant inside the closed container  3 , the heating temperature of the heating surface  5   e  of the heat discharging part  5   b  always heats the filament yarns  16  described above at a predetermined temperature throughout their full length. 
     The heat treatment device for the synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the present invention comprises a plurality of cylindrical hot pins  5  each having the heat absorbing part  5   a  and the heat discharging part  5   b  and each being integrally fixed to the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3  for closing the saturated steam  2  of the heat medium liquid  1  in such a fashion as to penetrate through the bottom surface  4  from the inside  3   a  of the closed container  3  to its outside  3   b  with the axes  6  of the hot pins  5  extending in a vertical direction. Therefore, when the heat treatment device is juxtaposed with a laterally extended hot plate  3   c  on the same plane and above a space  19  between a filament yarn feeder  17  and a cooling plate  18  of a drawing and texturing (false-twisting) device  20  as shown in  FIG. 8 , the saturated steam  2  does not flow into the hot pin  5  but heats only through the outer peripheral surface  5   d  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of each hot pin  5  although the heat discharging part  5   b  is in the state of protruding outwardly from the bottom surface  4 . In consequence, the heat medium liquid does not build up inside the hot pin  5  and the heat discharging part  5   b  of the hot pin  5  is heated to the predetermined temperature by the saturation temperature of the saturated steam  2 . Incidentally, reference numeral  20   a  in the drawing denotes a drawing and texturing (false-twisting) part. 
     According to the present invention, because the boiler  7  for the heat medium liquid  1  is provided to the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3  and the level of the heat medium liquid surface  8  inside the boiler  7  is arranged at a position lower than the bottom surface  4  inside the closed container  3 , the entire outer peripheral surface  5   d  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of the hot pin  5  keeps always in contact with the saturated steam  2  but does not come into contact with the heat medium liquid  1  even partially. Therefore, heat exchange can be made by means of heat conduction of the metal material constituting the hot pin  5  while the latent heat of the saturated steam  2  keeps a predetermined temperature when the filament yarns  16  are heated. 
     In contrast, in the device according to the prior art as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , cylindrical hot pins  25  are provided to one of the side surfaces  23   a  of a laterally extended closed container  23  in such a fashion as to protrude outward from the closed container  23 . A boiler  27  is disposed on the internal bottom surface of the closed container  23 , and a heater  29  heats heat medium liquid  1  inside the boiler  27  so that its saturated steam can heat the hot pins  25 . Therefore, when the prior art device is arranged above a vertically extended hot plate  3   d  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the overall height becomes great and it becomes difficult to secure a building for installing the setup therein. 
     The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above but it can be partially changed or partial addition may also be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a heat transfer surface  10   a  having a spiral concavo-convex groove may be formed on at least the end face  10  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of each cylindrical hot pin  5  positioned inside  3   a  of the closed container  3  and shaped by casting or machining. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a heat transfer surface  11   a  having a spiral concavo-convex groove may be formed on at least the outer peripheral surface  11  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of each cylindrical hot pin  5  positioned inside the closed container  3 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , it is possible to integrally form communication holes  14  and  15  in such a fashion as to penetrate through the outer peripheral surface  5   d  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of the cylindrical hot pin  5  positioned inside  3   a  of the closed container  3  and to extend from one side surface to the other of the outer peripheral surface  5   d.    
     When these communication holes  14  and  15  are formed, the contact area between the heat absorbing part  5   a  of the hot pin  5  and the saturated steam  2  becomes by far greater than when they are not formed, and heat of the saturated steam  2  can be efficiently transferred to the heat absorbing part  5   b  of the hot pin  5 . 
     In the heat treatment device for the synthetic fiber filament yarns according to the present invention, a plurality of cylindrical hot pins  5  each having the heat absorbing part  5   a  and the heat discharging part  5   b  are integrally fixed with the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3  for closing the saturated steam  2  of the heat medium liquid  1  in such a fashion as to penetrate through the bottom surface  4  from the inside  3   a  of the closed container  3  to its outside  3   b  with the axes  6  of the hot pins  5  extending in a vertical direction. Therefore, when this heat treatment device is installed under the laterally extended state as a part of the drawing and texturing (false-twisting) device  20  of the synthetic fiber, the overall height of the setup can be reduced, and a building in which the setup is installed can be easily secured. 
     According to the present invention, the boiler  7  for the heat medium liquid  1  is provided to the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3  and the level of the heat medium liquid surface  8  inside the boiler  7  is arranged at the position lower than the bottom surface  4  of the laterally extended closed container  3 . Therefore, the outer peripheral surface  5   d  of the heat absorbing part  5   a  of the hot pin  5  does not some into contact with the heat medium liquid  1  but its entire surface always keeps contact with the saturated steam  2  and executes heat conduction. Consequently, the hot pin  5  can be heated to the predetermined temperature by the latent heat of the saturated steam  2 .