Method and apparatus for drawing and blending textile materials

A method of drawing and blending textile fiber and conductive fibers while maintaining contact with each other comprising:

• (a) feeding at least one bundle of a first textile material through draw rollers of a drawing frame;
• (b) supporting at least one roll of a bundle of second fibrous material in the form of conductive fibers substantially immediately adjacent and behind the rearmost rollers of the drawing frame;
• (c) unwinding said at least one roll of said bundle of conductive fibers adjacent the rearmost pair of rollers of the drawing frame;
• (d) feeding said conductive fiber bundle into said rearmost rollers of the drawing frame simultaneously with said textile material fiber bundle;
• and
• (e) guiding said textile material fiber bundle and said conductive fiber bundle relative to each other such that the latter continuously cushions said textile material fiber bundle with respect to said draw rollers when passing therethrough.

An improved method of drawing and blending textile fibers and conductive metal fibers while maintaining contact with each other comprising:

• (a) feeding at least one bundle of textile fibers into a drawing frame so as to be introduced through the draw rollers of the drawing frame;
• (b) supporting at least one roll of a bundle of staple length conductive metal fibers adjacent and behind the rearmost rollers of the drawing frame;
• (c) unwinding said at least one roll of said bundle of staple length conductive metal fibers adjacent the rearmost rollers of the drawing frame;
• (d) feeding said bundle of staple length metal fibers into the rearmost rollers of the drawing frame substantially simultaneously with said textile fiber bundle;
• (e) independently guiding said bundle of textile fibers into the draw rollers of the drawing frame;
• and
• (f) independently guiding said bundle of metal fibers relative to said bundle of textile fibers to cause the latter continuously to cushion said metal fibers with respect to said draw rollers when passing therethrough while controlling the tension force on said metal fibers from the location of unwinding and throughout the drawing process systematically so as to break said metal fibers generally continuously during the period of drawing.

An improved method of drawing and blending textile fibers and staple length conductive metal fibers while maintaining contact with each other comprising:

• (a) feeding at least one bundle of textile fibers into a drawing frame so as to be introduced through the draw rollers of the drawing frame;
• (b) supporting a roll of staple length conductive metal fibers in an arcuately configured supporting container positioned adjacent and behind the rearmost set of rollers of the drawing frame, said staple length being not greater than approximately ten inches;
• (c) unwinding said roll of said bundle of staple length conductive metal fibers adjacent said rearmost rollers of the drawing frame at a distance therefrom at least equal to or less than the average length of the metal fiber staples;
• (d) feeding said bundle of staple length metal fibers into said rearmost rollers of the drawing frame substantially simultaneously with said textile fiber bundle into the draw rollers of the drawing frame;
• (e) independently guiding said bundle of textile fibers relative to said metal fiber support means substantially immediately prior to introduction into the draw rollers of the drawing frame;
• (f) independently guiding said bundle of metal fibers relative to said bundle of textile fibers to cause the latter to continuously cushion said metal fibers with respect to said draw rollers when passing therethrough;
• (g) applying tension forces to said bundle of metal fibers from the location of unwinding thereof from said roll throughout the drawing process;
• and
• (h) controlling said tension forces on said metal fiber bundle in a manner to cause breakage of metal fibers generally continuously during the period of drawing and resulting in substantially uniform dispersement of metal fibers throughout the textile fibers.

An apparatus for simultaneously drawing bundles of textile fibers and metal fibers comprising a frame, at least a first and second pair of drawing rollers mounted on said frame for rotation, means for supporting at least one spool of a bundle of staple length metal fibers rolled thereabout and for permitting unwinding of said bundle of metal fibers for introduction into said drawing rollers for blending therein with the textile fibers, said supporting means comprising a support container having a generally arcuate cross-sectional configuration sufficiently similar to the cross-section of the support ends of the spool for nestled reception therein so as to permit continuous unwinding of the bundle of metal fibers when it is continuously drawn into the first pair of rollers of the drawing frame, said support container having an inner arcuate surface which provides sufficient rotational resistance to said spool of metal fibers to permit the application of a tension force to said bundle of metal fibers when drawn into said first pair of draw rollers to cause breakage of metal fibers, means for guiding the bundle of textile fibers into said drawing rollers, means secured to, and extending from said support container for guiding the bundle of metal fibers in a predetermined direction relative to said bundle of textile fibers and in a manner to cause the metal fibers and textile fibers to be brought initially in contact with each other without twisting of said bundle of textile fibers or envelopment of said bundle of metal fibers by said bundle of textile fibers immediately prior to passing through the first pair of rollers of the drawing frame, switching means to detect the tension forces applied to the textile fiber bundle when the bundle is drawn into the drawing frame, and to deactivate the drawing process in the event the bundle of metal fibers is broken.

A method of drawing and blending at least two bundles of fibrous materials while maintaining contact with each other comprising:

• (a) feeding at least one bundle of a first fibrous material into a drawing frame having a plurality of sequentially arranged pairs of draw rollers for drawing;
• (b) supporting a roll of a bundle of second fibrous material in supporting means having a generally arcuate configuration and positioned adjacent and behind the rearmost rollers of the drawing frame;
• (c) unwinding said roll of said bundle of second fibrous material adjacent said rearmost rollers of the drawing frame;
• (d) feeding said second fibrous material bundle into said rearmost rollers of the drawing frame simultaneously with said first fibrous material bundle;
• and
• (e) guiding said first fibrous material bundle and said second fibrous material bundle relative to each other such that the latter continuously cushions said first material bundle with respect to said draw rollers when passing therethrough.