Burlington Industries, Inc.

Kenneth Y Wang

Vernon T Daniel

Berlie R Hill

Edward J Robbins

William Crawford

Bobby L McConnell

John H Sumner

John B Hodgin

Vaclav Petracek

Feaster H Newton

Marvin J Pinson, Jr

Yarn hairiness is reduced by employing a vortex action of a fluid, such as air or steam. Yarn in a substantially dry condition is passed in a generally linear path through a body having a central through-extending generally linear passageway that is circular in cross-section. A plurality of bores are provided in the body which extend from the periphery of the body to intersect the central passageway, being tangentially disposed with respect to the central passageway. Fluid under pressure is introduced into the bores, and creates a vortex action which acts upon the yarn to twist and lay down protruding hairs that cause yarn hairiness. The bores are preferably disposed at an angle of about 40.degree.-50.degree. with respect to the central passageway, and are spaced along the length of the passageway. Shortly after the yarn exits the body, hot melt sizing is applied to it to maintain the protruding hairs in their laid down position.

Method vortex action yarn hairiness reduction

A ring spun yarn having good core cohesiveness, and complete sheath covering, the sheath comprising first fibers, such as cotton, and the core comprising second fibers having distinctly different properties than the first fibers, such as polyester, is produced. A sliver of first fibers and a roving of second fibers are fed to a drafting apparatus so that the roving is at the exact center line of, and on top of, the sliver. The roving and sliver are passed together through the rear rolls, apron, and front rolls of the drafting apparatus to produce a drafted composite sliver. Twist is imparted mechanically to the drafted composite sliver to produce a roving having a core and sheath. Then the roving is further drafted and twist is mechanically imparted thereto, producing a final core/sheath yarn. The sliver and roving are fed to the drafting apparatus with the roving at the exact center line position by passing them through a trumpet having a sliver guiding element with a generally oval shaped exit opening having about a 3-1 width to height ratio, and the roving guiding element is mounted on top of the sliver guiding element.

Roving blending for making sheath/core spun yarn

A non-woven fabric is produced ultrasonically from a batt of ultrasonically fusible fibers and reinforcing yarns formed of bi-component fibers. The non-woven fabric produced has a layer of strong filament yarns integrated into the body of the non-woven fabric to increase the strength of the non-woven fabric without delamination of the components, and without degradation of the component yarns. The batt is continuously fed in a first direction toward and past a plurality of ultrasonic vibration sources and anvil means, which produce bonding sites in the fabric formed. A plurality of reinforcing yarns are taken-off a warp beam and laid atop the web prior to its passage into operative association with the vibration sources and anvil means. Energy is supplied to the vibration sources so that bonding of the fibrous batt into a non-woven fabric, and melting of the low-melt component of the reinforcing yarn fibers, takes place.

Warp yarn reinforced ultrasonic web bonding

A method and apparatus are provided for obtaining a temperature profile of a moving substrate, particularly a fabric web moving through a linear drying or heat-setting oven. Without arresting fabric movement, a temperature sensing probe, preferably a thermocouple mounted on a support, is placed in engagement with a specific point of the fabric web, sharpened pins on the support, penetrating and engaging the web. The temperature probe is connected by a wire to a reel. The reel has a handle held by the operator about which the reel rotates to let out and take up the wire while providing electrical continuity between the wire and a stationary recorder. Level unwinding of the wire takes place from the reel as the probe moves with the fabric through the oven, the probe continuously monitoring the temperature of the specific fabric point and feeding signals back to the recorder through the wire. Without arresting fabric movement, once the probe is through the oven the support is removed from the web, and the reel is rotated to take up the wire. The wire is disconnected from the probe prior to the wire being reeled up, and the probe is carried back to the oven entrance to repeat the procedure as necessary.

Reeling assembly

An apparatus for contacting a continuously moving textile material with a liquid comprises an enclosure, a plurality of upper and lower rolls located in the enclosure and being generally vertically arranged and horizontally spaced therein to upwardly and downwardly guide the textile material therethrough, a plurality of tank means located in the enclosure for containing a volume of liquid wherein the tanks are positioned in ascending arrangement so that the liquid cascades from one tank to the next to effect counterflow relative to the general path of conveyance of the textile material through the enclosure. A method utilizing the apparatus is also disclosed.

Full counterflow mini-bath open-width fabric washer

A device for improved cooling of ultrasonic horns preferably includes a pair of manifold units which direct a stream of cooling fluid (e.g. air) so as to impinge upon both sides of ultrasonic bonding horns disposed substantially across the width of a moveable web of textile material, the stream impinging at or above the nodal area of the horns.

Cooling device for ultrasonic horns

The ultrasonically bonded point bonds of non-woven fabric are dyed by applying liquid dye to the contacting crossing points of the fibers before or at the same time that they are bonded by the application of ultrasonic energy, such energy being used not only to effect the point bonds but also to drive and fix the dye in such point bonds.

Ultrasonic dyeing of thermoplastic non-woven fabric

A method and apparatus provide the production of a non-woven fabric from a batt of random, loose, ultrasonically fusible fibers at high speed (e.g. greater than 50 meters/minute). A plurality of ultrasonic welding machines are spaced from each other in a batt feed direction, and produce a fabric having a predetermined number of primary bonding points per unit area. The batt is fed in the feed direction into operative engagement, in turn, with each of the ultrasonic welding machines, while energy is supplied to each of the machines. Each of the machines effects bonding of substantially less than all of the predetermined number of primary bonding points, but so that together the machines provide all of the predetermined number of bonding points. Each machine includes an anvil roller and a purality of horns, which may be disposed in-line with each other and spaced from each other in a dimension transverse to the feed direction. Each machine preferably bonds the same number of the bonding points per unit area, and each anvil roller may have a pattern identical to the patterns of the anvil rollers of the other machines, only offset in the dimension perpendicular to the feed direction.

High speed ultrasonic bonding

An ultrasonically bonded non-woven web is produced having no unacceptable fuzziness. An ultrasonic horn and an anvil roller are mounted for cooperation with each other to effect ultrasonic welding of a single batt of random, loose ultrasonically fusible fibers passed between them in a dry condition. The anvil roller comprises metal projections disposed in a pattern defining the roller circumferential surface, and ultrasonically insulating material--such as rubber--fills the volume between the metal projections.

Ultrasonic production of nonwovens

An apparatus and method are provided for producing a non-woven fabric ultrasonically without unacceptable streaking. A fibrous batt is continuously fed in a first direction toward and past a plurality of vibration sources and anvil. Energy is supplied to the vibration sources so that bonding of the fibrous batt in a non-woven fabric takes place at the vibration sources and anvil. Significant migration of fibers of the batt is positively prevented just prior to passage of the batt into contact with the vibration sources so that a streakless bonded non-woven fabric is produced. Migration may be positively prevented by disposing a heated roller of hard material just upstream of the vibration sources, and providing a second compression roller upstream of the heated roller.

Ultrasonic bonding

A method and apparatus are provided for obtaining a temperature profile of a moving substrate, particularly a fabric web moving through a linear drying or heat-setting oven. Without arresting fabric movement, a temperature sensing probe, preferably a thermocouple mounted on a support, is placed in engagement with a specific point of the fabric web, sharpened pins on the support, penetrating and engaging the web. The temperature probe is connected by a wire to a reel. The reel has a handle held by the operator about which the reel rotates to letout and takeup the wire while providing electrical continuity between the wire and a stationary recorder. Level unwinding of the wire takes place from the reel as the probe moves with the fabric through the oven, the probe continuously monitoring the temperature of the specific fabric point and feeding signals back to the recorder through the wire. Without arresting fabric movement, once the probe is through the oven the support is removed from the web, and the reel is rotated to takeup the wire. The wire is disconnected from the probe prior to the wire being reeled up, and the probe is carried back to the oven entrance to repeat the procedure as necessary.

Portable fabric temperature profiler

A wet/dry bulb hygrometer of the psychrometer type is used for monitoring and/or controlling humidity of a gaseous fluid having contaminants therein. The wet bulb sensor of the hygrometer is provided with a wick which is movable over the wet bulb sensor so that a fresh wicking surface is presented to the gas stream and contaminants will not render the sensor useless for accurate measurements. The hygrometer is used to monitor and/or control humidity and temperature in a textile processing environment wherein lint, fumes, condensable oils, tints and resins would tend to foul a stationary wick of a web bulb sensor and, consequently, a wick material is moved into and through the hygrometer over the wet bulb sensor and then out of the hygrometer, thus, always presenting a fresh wicking surface for the gaseous fluid stream.

Growing community of inventors

Greensboro, NC, United States of America

Kenneth Y Wang