Friction false twist unit

An apparatus for friction false twisting an advancing yarn and comprising

• a mounting bedplate, said bedplate including a pressure plate and a counter pressure plate which are axially spaced apart and parallel to each other,
• a yarn twisting assembly comprising at least three spindles, and means mounting said spindles to said bedplate for rotation about fixed, parallel axes which are positioned at the corner points of an equilateral polygon having a number of sides corresponding to the number of spindles, and a plurality of circular disks mounted on each spindle for rotation therewith, and with the disks of the spindles overlapping at a point centrally between said spindles and defining an operative yarn path of travel extending axially therebetween, and means for concurrently rotating each of said spindles,
• said mounting means including for each of said spindles a bore in said bedplate, at least two bearings mounted in said bore in an axially spaced apart arrangement between said bore and the associated spindle, with the one of said bearings located nearest the circular disks of the associated spindle including a non-rotating outer ring which includes a contact surface which is perpendicular to the axis of the associated spindle and faces the circular disks of the associated spindle, and an outer peripheral surface which is coaxial with the axis of the associated spindle, and the other of said at least two bearings including a non-rotating outer ring which is clamped between said pressure plate and said counter pressure plate of said bedplate,
• a resilient radial damping ring disposed circumferentially between said outer peripheral surface of said outer ring of said one bearing and the outer ring of said other bearing, and
• friction damping means mounted to said bedplate so as to frictionally engage said contact surface of said outer ring of said one bearing and bias the same toward said other bearing and to thereby dampen radial movement of the spindle during operation of said apparatus.