Yarn tension compensating mechanism
AssigneeWest Point Pepperell, Inc.
InventorsClifford Aldene Bryant, Mark Floyd Jarrell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a roll over which a sheet of dyed and dried yarns passes from a drying chamber. During operation of the apparatus, the roll is maintained in a position diverting the yarns out of a straight path, creating a surplus in the path. When the machine stops, the roll is moved slowly under controlled conditions to a position nearer a straight path, during which the surplus is given up to compensate for the shrinkage of the yarn residing in the drying chamber whereby yarn in the dyeing stage remains motionless. The invention is particularly (but not solely) useful in the manufacture of tufted carpeting from yarns dyed individually in segments along their length with different colors for production of predetermined complex designs in the carpet.
Claims40
In apparatus wherein stretchable material is fed from one treating stage to another,
- means for feeding the material through said stages in a predetermined path,
- movable means to divert the material from said path creating a surplus in said path during operation of the apparatus,
- means dependent upon continued operation of the apparatus to maintain said movable means in a certain position of predetermined diversion of said path while the apparatus is running, and
- means dependent upon stoppage of the apparatus exercising control of the rate of withdrawal of material from said surplus in order to compensate for shrinkage and increased tension on the material which occurs on stoppage of the apparatus.
Apparatus for dyeing yarn ends individually at predetermined positions along their lengths and manufacturing tufted carpets therefrom to produce a predetermined multicolored complex pattern therein, the dyeing apparatus comprising
- means to apply different colored dyes to individual yarn ends at spaced predetermined positions along their lengths according to a pattern,
- a draw roll around which a sheet of yarn ends from a supply is trained and fed to said dye applying means,
- pattern control means controlling the application of said different dyes at said predetermined positions,
- a drying chamber through which the sheet of yarns passes subsequent to the last dye bath,
- a tufting machine having needles in which the individual yarn ends are threaded, and by which the yarn ends are needled through a backing sheet to reproduce the desired pattern,
- said tufting machine having at least one pair of cooperating feed rolls,
- means to drive said tufting machine feed rolls and said draw roll in synchronism and moveable means between said drying chamber and said tufting machine to divert said sheet of yarns from its path to said tufting machine creating a surplus in said path during operation of the apparatus,
- means dependent upon continued operation of the apparatus to maintain said movable means in a certain position of predetermined diversion of said path while the apparatus is running, and
- means dependent upon stoppage of the apparatus exercising control of the rate of withdrawal of yarn from said surplus in order to compensate for shrinkage and increased tension on the yarn which occurs on stoppage of the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.