Yarn texturizer

ABSTRACT

A texturizer is a base which provides a plurality of inlets directed to stations internal to the base. Each of the stations communicate internal to housings which have inserts therein. Receivers in the inserts receive air from the stations and direct the air towards distal ends of the housings through slots. Prior to reaching the distal ends of the inserts, passages through the inserts direct air to an internal bore in the insert and proximally out the insert bore. The insert bore extends all the way through the insert and through the housing so that yarn is pulled through the housing and crimped preferably at an impingement point in the insert.

INFORMATION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In prior art texturizer designs shown in FIG. and FIG. 2, pressurized air is directed into a housing from a manifold connected through a base (not shown). As the air proceeded distally towards top end from internal to the housing it passes through vanes which are machined into an insert to impart rotational forces to the pressurized air illustrated as arrows . The swirling air is then be directed about the distal end of the insert which diverges at its distal end along its external surface and then narrows towards a bore as yarn proceeds from the distal end toward the proximal end to the insert . As the arrows (representing air flow) proceed around the distal end , a donut of air is effectively formed which constricts about the yarn to pull it through the bore as well as impart crimp the yarn and thus texturize the yarn as it proceeds through the texturizer.

In the design of FIG. 1, an adjustment screw having a bore therethrough is utilized to adjust the amount of vacuum experienced by the yarn as it proceeds into the bore of the insert . Operators are prone to haphazardly adjust the adjusting screw (i.e., some would back it all the way out, some would crank it all the way in). Unfortunately, moving the screw affects the crimp of the yarn which can be observed in finished tufted carpet product. Furthermore, the ability to move the screw relative to the insert can result in galling of the housing or screw threads. Finally, the moving of the threads relative to the housing can become loose over time thereby affecting the quality and/or consistency of the texturized yarn product.

FIG. 2 shows a second prior art design which includes a moveable conical needle relative to insert . Air ports , allow the plunger to be moved to the up position shown in phantom in FIG. 2 which moves the conical needle distally from the insert . This has been found to be helpful in order to reduce the vacuum quickly to allow yarn to be threaded into the insert. Internal screw adjustments are normally provided to allow for the adjustment of the spacing of the needle from the insert. This design provides further complicated structure and provides more moving parts which could fail over time. Once again, this product design relies upon a ring or donut for the air to be directed around the distal end of the insert towards the bore to texturize yarn.

In both prior art designs, the inserts , have expanding cross sectional surface area across the exterior surface at the distal ends while having narrowing surface areas across internal surfaces proceeding proximally from the distal ends , toward the insert bores.

FIG. 3 illustrates a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention. Texturizers can vary in the number of ports and in the arrangement of air. The specific configuration of air provided from an air supply to the individual housings illustrated in FIG. 3 is one example. This embodiment of a texturizer is believed to provide sufficient detail to one of ordinary skill in the art to show how other embodiments would also operate.

Treated air is provided through inlets , into texturizer base . Flange is useful in connecting the inlets , to their respective air supplies at a manufacturing facility having the necessary equipment. Bolt holes receive bolts therethrough to connect to the necessary air supply equipment. Air enters the inlets , as shown in FIG. .

As air proceeds into the inlets , it is preferably directed past thermocouple ports , which house thermocouples or other temperature sensors utilized to measure the temperature of the air supply provided into inlets ,. In the texturizing yarn it is normally important to maintain the inlet air supply and desired temperature or temperature range since air temperature and pressure both can drastically affect the crimp of the yarn as it leaves the texturizer .

Although many texturizer embodiments provide a single inlet or for a single station, in this embodiment a single inlet or provides each of two stations respectively. Specifically, first inlet provides air to first and second stations ,, while second inlet provides air into third and fourth stations ,. Plugs , are useful in directing the flow of air to stations internal to the base and simplifying machining processes.

In reference to FIG. 5 showing texturizer , differences between the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and the prior art begin to thoroughly distinguish themselves. Since FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the center line only the first and second stations , are illustrated since the third and fourth stations , are obscured from view in this cutaway view. As the air proceeds from the respective stations it enters ducts shown in FIG. . These ducts have been machined into the housing and provided for air communication to flow from the inlets , through the respective stations ,,, and then through the ducts internal to the housings .

As air passes through the ducts it surrounds the receivers of the respective inserts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. While the air may surround the receivers 360 degrees as is done in the prior art, it is channeled through slots disposed in collar so that air can proceed from the receiver through the slots towards the distal end of the respective insert . Instead of reaching the distal end as is done in the prior art while diverging, the air flow is maintained through the respective slots until reaching respective passages .

The passages preferably proceed from a distal exterior portion of the collar of the insert in the slot towards the proximal end . Although the passage is illustrated as being directed about 20 degrees relative to yarn travel axis other relationships between about 10 to about 80 degrees could be utilized. Furthermore, the passages , are preferably symmetrical as illustrated. As yarn is run along the yarn travel axis , it is drawn by the pressure differential caused by the air flow through the passage towards impingement point . The force of the air through the passages contacting the yarn (shown in FIG. 5 in one of the four inserts) causes the yarn to crimp primarily due to the impingement force at the single impingement point .

Instead of providing a 360 degree circle or donut of air about the yarn, the direction of air through slots and passages , to impingement or pinch point , more efficient air-to-yarn concentration is achieved resulting in more consistent running of product. Furthermore, a lack of moving parts between the distal end and the housing provides an impingement point in which no threaded components can gall, seize, or otherwise be subject to undesirable adjustment by operators. Since there is no operator adjustment provided by the texturizer design, better overall runability is achieved (i.e., as long as the same pressure and temperature are provided through the inlets , and provided with the same yarn inserted at the distal ends of the inserts , a more consistent and high quality output will be discharged from the proximal ends of the inserts .) In fact, runability has been found to increase from about 95% in the prior art texturizers to slightly over 98% through the use of the preferred embodiment.

In the prior art, air would be disposed around a receiver and would be similarly spaced apart from the internal surface of the housing. The insert would remain spaced apart from the housing interior surface until encountering the diverging end of the insert and the distal end of the housing.

In the design in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment, the collar substantially corresponds with the internal surface of the housing except for the slots which allow air to be communicated from the receiver through the slots to the passages . The passages are spaced from the distal end of the insert . An O-ring as shown in FIG. 5 is installed about groove shown in FIG. 8 to provide an airtight seal. Caps retain the inserts in the housings . The housings are preferably silver soldered or otherwise attached to the base to the form air tight connections therewith.

Although two slots which oppose the yarn travel axis and extend radially therefrom are illustrated, it is alternatively possible that three or more circumferentially or radially equally spaced passages and slots can be employed. Furthermore these airways may also be symmetrical about the yarn travel axis especially when there are an even number of passages provided. In accordance with this embodiment, the collar separates the slots from one another. In FIG. 5, the yarn is shown inserted into the distal end at the insert as it proceeds to the impingement point and is crimped to the desired state and proceeds on out of the proximal end .

A ceramic insert is helpful in preventing the yarn from inadvertently being cut as it passes through the distal end .

As shown in FIG. 7, a shank base is located below the receiver . The shank base preferably has an exterior surface which substantially corresponds with the interior surface of the housing so that it effectively forms an air tight seal with the shoulder contacting bottom of the housing . The cap is preferably equipped with internal threads which cooperate with external threads on the housing to secure the insert within the housing .

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross section portion of a first prior art texturizer port showing an insert located proximately from a hollow conical needle located at the distal end of a housing;

FIG. 2 is a second prior art texturizer cross section portion having a conical needle connected to a plunger moveable with air pressure to provide for easy threading of the insert with yarn;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of an assembled texturizer according to the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A—A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B—B of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is one of the plurality of housings shown in FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of an insert taken from the texturizer of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 is a side plan view of the insert of FIG. 7 with internal parts shown in phantom.

CLAIMS

1. A texturizer comprising: a base having a first inlet ducted to a first station; a first housing having a proximal and a distal end, an internal housing bore and a duct intermediate the proximal and distal ends of the first housing, said duct providing fluid communication from the first station to the housing bore; a first insert having a proximal and distal end and an insert bore extending through the first insert along a yarn travel axis, said first insert having a receiver located at least partially in the housing bore at the duct and a collar disposed toward the distal end of the first insert, said collar having at least two slots disposed along an outer surface of the collar, said slots extending distally from the receiver toward the distal end of the first insert, said collar also having passageways corresponding respectively to the slots, said passageways proceeding proximally from the slots into the insert bore to provide fluid communication from the slots to the insert bore.

2. The texturizer of claim 1 wherein each of the passageways are similarly angled relative to the yarn travel axis wherein air directed through the passageways meets at an impingement point.

3. The texturizer of claim 1 wherein the slots and passageways are circumferentially spaced apart from one another about the collar and separated from one another by the collar.

4. The texturizer of claim 1 wherein the distal end of the insert extends at least substantially to the distal end of the housing.

5. The texturizer of claim 1 further comprising a seal preventing air flow from the receiver past the distal end of the insert.

6. The texturizer of claim 1 wherein the first housing and first insert are respectively, ones of a plurality of similarly constructed housings and inserts connected to the base.

7. The texturizer of claim 6 further comprising a second inlet and a second station, said second inlet in fluid communication with the second station, and a second housing of the plurality of housings connected to the base at the second station with a second insert of the plurality of inserts disposed at least partially inside.

8. A texturizer comprising: a base having a first inlet ducted to at least one station; a first housing having a proximal and a distal end, an internal housing bore having an internal surface, and a duct intermediate the proximal and distal ends of the first housing, said duct providing fluid communication from one of the at least one stations to the housing bore, said first housing connected to the base; a first insert having a proximal and distal end and an insert bore extending through the first insert along a yarn travel axis, said first insert having a receiver and a collar disposed toward the distal end of the first insert, said collar having an exterior surface substantially adjacent a portion of the internal surface of the housing bore; slots located in the collar extending from the receiver toward the distal end of the collar, said slots spaced apart and separated from one another by the collar, each of said slots having a corresponding passage extending from the respective slot proximally into the insert bore.

9. The texturizer of claim 8 wherein the collar has an exterior surface and the slots extend radially inwardly from the exterior surface of the collar.

10. The texturizer of claim 8 further comprising a seal intermediate the insert and the housing bore located distally from the slots.

11. The texturizer of claim 8 wherein the passages are angled similarly relative to the yarn travel axis.

12. The texturizer of claim 8 wherein the housing forms an air tight seal relative to the base, and a shank base is located proximally from the reciever in the housing bore to assist in directing air from the receiver through the slots.

13. The texturizer of claim 8 wherein the collar has an outer surface which is received within an inner surface of the housing bore and the slots are disposed along the outer surface of the collar and terminate prior to reaching the distal end of the insert.

14. The texturizer of claim 8 wherein the first housing and first insert are respectively ones of a plurality of housings and inserts connected to the base.

15. A texturizer comprising: a base having a first inlet ducted to at least one station; a first housing having a proximal and a distal end, an internal housing bore having an internal surface, and a duct intermediate the proximal and distal ends of the first housing, said duct providing fluid communication from one of the at least one stations to the housing bore, said first housing connected to the base; a first insert having a proximal and distal end and an insert bore extending through the first insert along a yarn travel axis, said first insert having a collar with an exterior surface, said first insert located at least partially within the housing bore the insert comprising a receiver located proximate to the duct of the housing; passages extending proximally from the exterior surface of the collar intermediate the proximal and distal end of the insert into the insert bore; and slots communicating the passages with the receiver.

16. The texturizer of claim 15 wherein the slots extend from the receiver toward the distal end of the insert and terminate prior to reaching the distal end of the insert.

17. The texturizer of claim 15 further comprising a seal intermediate the slots and distal end of the insert, said seal providing a barrier intermediate the outer surface of the collar and the internal surface of the housing bore.

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