Spinning with hollow rotatable shaft and air flow

Abstract

A method for spinning yarn produce the yarn having properties generally comparable to those of ring spun yarn. A rotatable hollow shaft having an entrance at one end and an exit at the other is rotatable about an axis extending in a direction A. A number of free fibers are fed in the linear direction A in a fiber mass, certain of the fibers having free trailing ends. The fiber mass is passed into the interior of the hollow rotatable shaft through the entrance. An air flow is established with respect to the shaft to effect separation of the free trailing ends of the fibers, preferably by establishing an air flow path that is initially substantially unidirectionally in direction A and then is deflected to move at an angle with respect to the direction A away from the shaft. The shaft is rotated at high speed about its axis so that the trailing ends of the fibers wrap around other portions of the fiber mass to produce a yarn, and the yarn is withdrawn through the exit of the shaft. The air flow may be provided by a vacuum which acts on the free fibers, and which may comprise the only source of force being applied to the fibers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.