Patent ID: 6883213

Claim:
An apparatus for wrapping weft yarns around a cylindrically configured warp sheet of warp yarns comprising in combination: an elongated tube rotatable about its longitudinal axis, said tube circumferentially surrounding said cylindrically configured warp sheet of warp yarns such that said warp yarns can be moved linearly in a downstream direction through said rotatable tube, means for moving said warp sheet of warp yarns linearly through said rotatable tube, a plurality of spools of weft yarn secured to said tube in circumferentially spaced relationship, guide systems for confining and guiding said weft yarns in an upstream direction to an upstream location on said tube, a lay down member at said upstream location for receiving weft yarns from said spools and depositing the weft yarns on said warp sheet as said tube is rotated and said warp sheet is moved linearly past said upstream location, and a weft yarn tensioning system for creating substantially uniform tension in said weft yarns before they are deposited onto said lay down member, said tensioning system including at least one driven roller for engagement with at least some of said weft yarns to advance said weft yarns that are in engagement therewith in an upstream direction at a predetermined speed.