Cheekplate holder assembly for stuffer box crimper

In an apparatus for crimping continuous filament tow, said apparatus having

• a stuffer box crimping chamber having means for restricting the passage of crimped filament tow from said crimping chamber;
• a pair of coacting feedrolls spaced closely together so as to form therebetween a nip through which moving continuous filament tow is fed into the stuffer box crimping chamber;
• a pair of scraper blades extending longitudinally generally parallel to and at right angles to the axes of the coacting feedrolls and forming two opposed sides of the crimping chamber, each scraper blade having a blade edge positioned so that it nearly touches one of the feedroll surfaces;
• and
• sidewall means extending along the length of each side of the stuffer box crimping chamber and also along and adjacent the endfaces of the coacting feedrolls and the side edges of the pair of scraper blades;
• the improvement comprising:
• said sidewall means including a cheekplate adapted to bridge the nip of the endfaces of the coacting feedrolls when in abutment against said endfaces to form a scaling relation therewith and a cheekplate holder assembly for supporting said cheekplate:
• said cheekplate holder assembly including
• (a) a retainer member having along one side a pair of parallel rail members and therebetween a flat surface along which said cheekplate is slidably positioned, said parallel rail members also being parallel to said sidewall means and to the endfaces of the coacting feedrolls, and
• (b) means for retaining said cheekplate in a predetermined adjusted position along said flat surface and relative to said endfaces of the coacting feedrolls;
• said sidewall means also including adjustment means for applying pressure against the side of said retainer member opposite from the cheekplate for moving said cheekplate holder assembly and the supported cheekplate towards said feedroll endfaces so as to urge said cheekplate into said abutment against the feedroll endfaces, and further including along one side thereof a pair of parallel guide rails parallel to said sidewall means and to the endfaces of the coacting feedrolls and having therebetween a planar surface along which said cheekplate holder assembly is moved into and out of said sidewall means by sliding engagement of said retainer member with said parallel guide rails of said sidewall means.