Tension measuring device and method for flexible linear material

An apparatus for measuring tension in two directions on filamenatry material, comprising:

• a. a displacement means having a top and bottom surface and having:
• (1) an outer portion comprised of a displacing beam and a second beam attached together by a connecting beam at each end, where each connecting beam has spaced apart flexural pivots between the connections to the displacing beam and second beam and where all of the beams extend from the top to the bottom surface of the displacement means,
• (2) an inner portion extending from the top to the bottom and within but laterally spaced apart from the outer portion by being connected to the outer portion at a connecting site between a displacing beam of the outer portion and a beam of the inner portion which is nearly perpendicular to the displacing beam of the outer portion, where said nearly perpendicular beam is substantially fixed by the connecting site, where the inner portion has a displacing beam mounted for displacement to the substantially fixed beam by a connecting beam at each end of the displacing beam, wherein each connecting beam has spaced apart flexural pivots between the connection of the displacing beam to the substantially fixed beam and wherein the displacing beam has an extension extending toward the substantially fixed beam and substantially parallel to the connecting beams to form a U-shaped slot within the inner portion,
• b. an attachment means mounted on the extension of the inner portion,
• c. a strand engaging means mounted on the distal end of the attachment means from the inner portion,
• d. a support means attached to the second beam to fix the second beam to inhibit its displacement, where the support means maintains the tension measuring device in contact with the filamentary material to allow the engaging means to contact the filamentary material at a fixed angle of bending to cause the inner and outer portions of the displacement means to be displaced,
• e. at least two sensing means positioned so that one senses the outer portion displacement and the other senses the inner portion displacement and occur at an angular relation to each other of around 90.degree. and where the sensing means initiate a signal in response to the displacement of the inner and outer portions,
• f. a conducting means connected to all of the sensing means to allow the sensing means to initiate a signal and to conduct an indicatable signal produced by the sensing means,
• g. an indicating means to indicate the output from the signal of the sensing means conveyed by the conducting means as a measurement of tension of the filamentary material reduced by any coefficient of friction arising from performing the tension measurement.

A method of measuring tension in filamentary material produced in a fiber forming process, comprising:

• a. forming a plurality of fibers,
• b. treating the plurality of fibers with a chemical composition,
• c. contacting the treated fibers to gather them into one or more strands at a gathering means,
• d. measuring the tension of the one or more strands by a series of more than one displacing beam mounted for displacement along two coplanar axes in a plane that is parallel to that in which the fibers contact the gathering means, where the series of displacing beams are arranged so that at least one displacing beam is in an outer portion and at least one is in an inner portion which is within but laterally spaced apart from the outer portion and which is connected to the outer portion by a beam of the inner portion perpendicularly connecting to the displacing beam of the outer portion, wherein the outer portion has at least one displacing beam attached to a fixed beam by two connecting beams, one at each end of the displacing and fixed beams, wherein each connecting beam has at least one flexural pivot means between the connections to the displacing and fixed beams, and wherein the inner portion has a displacing beam that is substantially parallel to the perpendicular connecting beam of the inner portion and attached to the perpendicular attachment beam by two connecting beams at each end of the displacing beam, where each connecting beam has at least one flexural pivot means between attachments to the displacing beam and perpendicular attachment beam, and wherein the displacing beam of the inner portion has a shaft attached to the gathering means,
• e. winding the strand off-center from directly under where the strand is gathered to cause a fixed angle of bending in the strand about the gathering means,
• f. sensing the deflection of the displacing beams of the inner and outer portions caused by the tension in the moving strand that is in engagement with the gathering means,
• g. indicating the tension as an output response to the sensing of the deflection, where the tension has been compensated for any friction in taking the tension measurement.

A method of measuring tension in at least two directions for flexible linear material under tension, comprising:

• a. engaging the flexible linear material to cause a fixed angle of bending of the flexible linear material about at least one main engaging surface, where any engaging surfaces that are used in generating the fixed bend which are before the main engaging surface only tangentially contact the flexible linear material,
• b. displacing one or more beams fixed at one more ends in a support in response to the fixed bend of the filamentary material about the main engaging surface,
• c. sensing the displacement of the one or more beams along two axes that are parallel to the plane in which the flexible linear material is engaged to produce the fixed angle of bend,
• d. initiating a signal for each sensed displacement,
• e. conditioning each signal to permit electrical conveyance of the signals,
• f. scaling the signals to values for the calculation of the magnitude of tension and coefficient of friction,
• g. calculating the magnitude of tension and coefficient of friction to obtain tension free of any friction caused in taking the measurement.