Filament winding apparatus

#This invention relates generally to filament or strand winding apparatus and more particularly to apparatus suitable for collecting and winding glass fibers or filaments being formed continuously in a bushing in the floor of a forehearth of a furance for melting glass or glass forming material. The apparatus includes a rotatably driven strand oscillator and a pair of winding collets rotatably mounted on a turret and movable thereby interchangeably between a winding or package forming position adjacent the strand oscillator and a strand package unloading position on the opposite side of the winding position from the strand oscillator upon indexing of the turret through half a revolution. The winding collets are driven respectively by a pair of stationarily mounted variable-speed electric motors. The speed of the collet at the winding station is progressively reduced as the diameter of the strand package being would increases, in order to maintain the diameter of the filaments being formed substantially constant. For a proper winding pattern repeatable in package after package of wound strand, the collet in the winding position must be as nearly as possible in the same spatial relationship to the strand oscillator after each indexing thereof to the winding position, and the rotational speed of the strand oscillator shaft must be in a constant ratio to the speed of the collet in the winding position and thus vary directly therewith as the collet speed is reduced with increasing strand package diameter. These requirements have not been met satisfactorily in the automatic winders of the prior art.

#An object of the invention is to provide filament winding apparatus having a rotatably driven strand oscillator and a pair of winding collets rotatably mounted on a turret indexible to move the collets interchangeably between a winding or package forming position and a package unloading position, wherein improved means are provided to insure substantially the same spatial relationship between the collet in the winding position at a particular time and the strand oscillator after each indexing operation of the turret and to insure a constant speed ratio between the rotational speed of the strand oscillator shaft and the rotational speed of the collet in the winding position, both before and after indexing of the collets and throughout progressive speed changes of the collet in the winding position.

#Other objects and advantages will become apparent when the following specification is considered along with the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a respresentative front view of one embodiment of a filament winding apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, along with a representation of a glass melting furance bushing for forming continuous glass filaments and a sizing applicator and guide means for the filaments;

#FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

#With respect to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 show a filament winding apparatus 20 constructed in accordance with the invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 also fragmentarily show a bushing 22 in the floor (not shown) of the forehearth of a furnace for melting glass or glass forming materials. The bushing 22 is provided with a plurality of tips 23 each having a small passageway through which molten glass flows to form a glass filament 24. In the embodiment shown, two groups of filaments 24 are passed respectively over a pair of sizing applicator belts 26 and are gathered respectively into a pair of strands 27 and 28 by a pair of guide pulleys 30. The strands 27 and 28 are wound into packages on the winding apparatus 20.

#The apparatus 20 includes a turret 32 periodically indexible through half a turn and having a pair of winding collets 33 and 34 rotatably mounted thereon and separated by a shield 35. In FIG. 1, the collet 33 is in a package unloading position and the collet 34 is in a winding or package forming position. The collets are interchangeably moved upon the indexing of the turret clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1 through half a revolution. A strand oscillator 36 is provided adjacent the collet in the winding position, and strand hold-off means 38 is provided adjacent the strand oscillator.

#The strands 27 and 28 are wound respectively on a pair of paper sleeves 39 and 40 shown on the collet 34. When the turret 32 is indexed to move the collet 34 into the package unloading position, the sleeves 39 and 40 with strand packages would thereon are removed from the collet and replaced by a pair of empty paper sleeves.