Spinning unit of an air spinning machine along with a top frame for the fixing of a spinning nozzle of an air spinning machine

Abstract

A spinning unit of an air jet spinning machine with a spinning nozzle, which serves the purpose of producing a yarn from a fiber composite fed to the spinning nozzle. The spinning nozzle features an inlet for the fiber composite, an internal vortex chamber, a yarn formation element protruding into the vortex chamber along with an outlet for the yarn produced inside the vortex chamber. The spinning unit is allocated with an additive supply, which is designed to supply the spinning nozzle with an additive. The additive supply includes at least one top frame fixed on the spinning nozzle, through which the additive is able to be fed to the spinning nozzle. In addition, a top frame for fixing on a spinning nozzle of an air jet spinning machine is proposed.

Claims

1. A spinning unit of an air jet spinning machine, comprising: a spinning nozzle, the spinning nozzle further comprising an inlet for a fiber composite; an internal vortex chamber; one or more air nozzles disposed to direct compressed air into the vortex chamber; a yarn formation element protruding into the vortex chamber; an outlet for a yarn produced in the vortex chamber; an additive supply system that supplies an additive to the spinning nozzle, the additive supply system comprising a top frame fixed on the spinning nozzle; and an additive supply line in communication with a source of additive, the additive supply line connected to the top frame, wherein additive is delivered by the additive supply line to the top frame, and the top frame further comprising an internal channel that is separate from a compressed air supply to the air nozzles, wherein the additive flows through the internal channel to the inlet of the spinning nozzle and is separated from the compressed air flowing through the air nozzles.

2. The spinning unit as in claim 1, wherein the top frame is detachably fixed to the spinning nozzle with a clip.

3. The spinning unit as in claim 1, wherein the top frame is made at least partially of plastic.

4. The spinning unit as in claim 1, wherein the internal channel comprises a channel inlet that is communication with the additive supply line, and a channel outlet that is in communication with an inlet area of the spinning nozzle.

5. The spinning unit as in claim 4, further comprising a fiber guide element in the inlet area of the spinning nozzle, the channel outlet disposed in an area of the fiber guide element such that the additive flowing from the channel is brought into contact with the fiber composite in the fiber guide element.

6. The spinning unit as in claim 5, wherein the top frame comprises an end section that encloses the channel outlet, the end section fixed on the fiber guide element.

7. The spinning unit as in claim 6, wherein the end section is formed as a ring-shaped member and is fixed in a positive-locking manner to a ring-shaped retaining section at the fiber guide element.

8. The spinning unit as in claim 7, wherein the retaining section at least partially surrounds the fiber guide element.

9. The spinning unit as in claim 8, wherein the retaining section is detachably connected to a base body of the top frame and is formed of a different material from the base body.

10. The spinning unit as in claim 8, wherein the retaining section comprises a channel section in communication with the inlet to the spinning nozzle, the channel section oriented in a direction transverse to a transport direction of the fiber composite introduced through the fiber guide element into the spinning nozzle.

11. The spinning unit as in claim 1, wherein the top frame is fixed to a spinning air entry element of the spinning nozzle.

12. The spinning unit as in claim 1, wherein the internal channel comprises a channel inlet that is communication with the additive supply line, and a channel outlet that is in communication with an inlet area of the spinning nozzle, the internal channel comprising a curved or bent run portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Additional advantages of the invention are described in the following embodiments. The following is shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a cut-out of a spinning unit of an air jet spinning machine,

(3) FIG. 2 a spinning nozzle with a top frame in accordance with the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 a spinning nozzle with an additional top frame in accordance with the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 a sectional view of a cut-out of a spinning nozzle with a top frame in accordance with the invention, and

(6) FIG. 5 a sectional view of a cut-out of an additional spinning nozzle with a further embodiment of a top frame in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. Each embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be combined with another embodiment to yield still another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations to the embodiments described herein.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a cut-out of a spinning unit in accordance with the invention of an air jet spinning machine (whereas the air jet spinning machine may, of course, feature a multitude of spinning units, preferably arranged in a manner adjacent to each other). When required, the air jet spinning machine may include a drafting system that includes several drafting system rollers 29, which is supplied with a fiber composite 3 in the form of, for example, a doubled sliver. Furthermore, the spinning unit that is shown comprises a spinning nozzle 1 with an internal vortex chamber 5, in which the fiber composite 3 or at least a part of the fibers of the fiber composite 3 is, after passing an inlet 4 of the spinning nozzle 1, provided with a twist (the exact mode of action of the spinning unit is described in more detail below).

(9) Moreover, the air jet spinning machine may include a pair of draw-off rollers (not shown) that is placed downstream of the spinning nozzle 1 along with a winding-up device (also not shown) downstream of the pair of draw-off rollers with a sleeve for winding up the yarn 2 leaving the spinning unit. The spinning unit in accordance with the invention need not necessarily feature a drafting system. The pair of draw-off rollers is also not absolutely necessary.

(10) Generally, the spinning unit that is shown works according to an air spinning process. For the formation of the yarn 2, the fiber composite 3 is led into the vortex chamber 5 of the spinning nozzle 1, in a transport direction T via a fiber guide element 18, which is provided with an inlet opening forming the specified inlet 4. At that point, it receives a twist; that is, at least a part of the free fiber ends of the fiber composite 3 is captured by a vortex air flow that is generated by air nozzles 22 correspondingly arranged in a vortex chamber wall surrounding the vortex chamber 5 (whereas the air nozzles 22 are supplied with compressed air, for example through an air distributor 23, which flows through an air supply line 25 into the air distributor 23). Thereby, a part of the fibers is pulled out of the fiber composite 3 at least to some extent, and wound around the top of a yarn formation element 6 protruding into the vortex chamber 5.

(11) Given that the fiber composite 3 is extracted through an inlet mouth of the yarn formation element 6 through a draw-off channel 24 arranged within the yarn formation element 6, out of the vortex chamber 5, and finally through an outlet 7 out of the spinning nozzle 1, the free fiber ends are also ultimately drawn in the direction of the inlet mouth and thereby, as so-called winding fibers, loop around the core fiber running in the centerresulting in a yarn 2 featuring the desired twist. The compressed air introduced through the air nozzles 22 leaves the spinning nozzle 1 ultimately through the draw-off channel 24 along with an air outlet 26 that might be present, which, when required, may be connected to a vacuum power source.

(12) In general, it must be clarified at this point that the produced yarn 2 generally comprises any fiber composite 3, which is characterized by the fact that an external part of the fibers (so-called winding fibers) is looped around an internal part of the fibers that is preferably untwisted or, where required, twisted, in order to impart the desired strength to the yarn 2. The invention also comprises an air jet spinning machine, with the assistance of which so-called roving may be produced. The roving may comprise a yarn 2 with a relatively low proportion of winding fibers, or a yarn 2 for which the winding fibers are looped, relatively loosely, around the inner core, such that the yarn 2 remains capable of drafting. This is crucial if the produced yarn 2 should be or must be drafted on a subsequent textile machine (for example, a ring spinning machine), once again with the assistance of a drafting system, in order to further process it accordingly.

(13) With regard to the air nozzles 22, it must also be mentioned at this point, purely as a matter of precaution, that they typically should be generally aligned in such a manner that the escaping air streams are unidirectional, in order to generate a unidirectional air flow with a rotational direction. Preferably, the individual air nozzles 22 are thereby arranged in a manner that is rotationally symmetric to each other, and tangentially flow into the vortex chamber 5.

(14) In accordance with the invention, the spinning unit is allocated with an additive supply system 8, which includes one or more additive reservoirs 28 along with one or more additive supply lines 14, which are preferably at least partially flexible, through which the respective additive reservoir 28 (for example, a pressure tank filled with additive 9 and compressed air) is in fluid connection with an additive delivery device 30 arranged in the area of the spinning nozzle 1 (with regard to possible additives 9, reference is made to the prior description).

(15) Preferentially, the additive delivery device 30 is located in the area of the inlet 4 of the spinning nozzle 1 (such that the additive 9 may be applied to the fiber composite 3), whereas the additive delivery device 30 in accordance with the invention takes place with a top frame 10 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, which will be described in more detail in the further course.

(16) In order to deliver the additive 9 through the additive delivery device 30 in a manner that is precise and highly reproducible, and also to adjust the delivered volume flow or mass flow of the additive 9 to the respective circumstances, the additive supply 8 also includes at least one adjustable valve 27, which is preferably integrated into the corresponding additive supply line 14, and the additive 9 thus flows through it.

(17) FIG. 2 shows a first possible embodiment of a top frame 10 used in accordance with the invention. The top frame 10 has a channel inlet 13 through which additive 9 may enter through an additive supply line 14 that is not shown (which is connected to the top frame 10) into a channel 12 running inside the top frame 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The additive 9 flows through the channel 12 into the area of the inlet 4 of the spinning nozzle 1 and at that point is applied to the fiber composite 3, which enters the spinning nozzle 1 in the transport direction T that is shown.

(18) The top frame 10 and the channel 12 may feature a curved or bent run, such that the channel inlet 13 may be located at the side surface of the spinning nozzle 1, while the delivery of the additive 9 may take place in the area of a front side featuring the inlet 4. In the case of FIG. 2, the top frame 10 abuts the fiber guide element 18, and is connected to the spinning nozzle 1, for example in a glued or positively locking manner.

(19) In one embodiment of the solution shown in FIG. 2, the top frame 10 may feature a break, through which it is held to a spinning air entry element 15 (see FIG. 3), whereas the spinning air entry element 15 is connected to, for example, a compressed air line (not shown), through which the air nozzles 22 are supplied with compressed air.

(20) FIG. 4 shows a section through a cut-out of a spinning nozzle 1 along with a top frame 10 that is detachably connected to it. The top frame 10 has an end section 19 that, for example, is designed at least partially in a ring-shaped manner, through which it is connected to the fiber guide element 18 through a clip connection 11. It also is shown in FIG. 4 that the channel 12 running inside the top frame 10 features a channel outlet 17, which borders an inlet channel 32 of the fiber guide element 18, such that the additive 9 may ultimately be applied inside the fiber guide element 18 to the fiber composite 3. An adjustment of the dosing area may also take place through various proportions or forms of the internal channel 12, or the channel inlet 13 or channel outlet 17.

(21) Finally, it is also possible that the spinning nozzle 1 or the top frame 10 includes a retaining section 20 shown in FIG. 5, which is fastened (for example, in a positively locking and/or force-fitting manner) to a housing of the spinning nozzle 1 or to the fiber guide element 18, whereas the retaining section 20 is in turn connected to a base body 16 of the top frame 10. In such a case, the connection may also take place in a detachable manner, for example with the assistance of a clip connection 11.

(22) It is also advantageous if the retaining section 20, which may be designed (for example) in a ring-shaped manner, features a channel section 21, which forms an extension of the partial channel running in the base body 16 of the top frame 10. In this case, the channel 12 passed by the additive 9 consists of the partial channel of the base body 16 and the channel section 21 of the retaining section 20, whereas the channel outlet 17 is located in the area of the retaining section 20.

(23) The invention is not limited to the illustrated and described embodiments. Variations within the framework of the claims, such as any combination of the described characteristics, even if they are illustrated and described in different parts of the description or the claims or in different embodiments.