US 5,957,402 AGranted

Method and apparatus for reducing catenary during winding of a fiber bundle

AssigneePPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

InventorsEugene D. McEathron, Harry Makitka, Robert W. Singer

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing catenary during winding of a fiber bundle which includes a plurality of fiber strands into a wound package. The method includes: applying substantially equal tension to each of a plurality of fiber strands; gathering the strands to form a bundle; advancing the bundle at a predetermined speed and tension toward a winding device; measuring the tension of the bundle; adjusting the tension of the bundle by adjusting the speed at which the bundle is advanced, such that (1) the speed of advancement of the bundle is increased when the measured tension of the bundle exceeds a predetermined value and (2) the speed of advancement of the bundle is decreased when the measured tension of the bundle is less than a second predetermined value; and winding the bundle to form a wound package. The apparatus includes a frame; a plurality of fiber strand supply packages; a plurality of tensioning devices for applying substantially equal tension to each of the fiber strands; a gathering device for gathering the fiber strands into a fiber bundle; a feed device for advancing the fiber bundle at a predetermined speed to a winding device; a tension sensing device for determining the tension in the bundle and providing a signal to a feed device controller which adjusts the speed of the feed device in response to the signal from the tension sensing device; and a winding device.

Claims41

Dependent claims

An apparatus (110) for reducing catenary during winding of a fiber bundle (112) to form a package (116), the fiber bundle (112) comprising a plurality of fiber strands (122), characterized by:

(a) a frame (126) adapted to support a plurality of fiber strand supply packages (120) and a plurality of tensioning devices (130);
(b) the plurality of fiber strand supply packages (120), each supply package (120) permitting withdrawal of a fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (122) wound thereon;
(c) the plurality of tensioning devices (130), each tensioning device receiving the fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (122) withdrawn from a supply package of the plurality of fiber strand supply packages (120) and applying a tension to the fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (122), wherein the tension applied to each of the fiber strands of the plurality of fiber strands (122) is substantially equal;
(d) a gathering device (134) spaced apart from each of the plurality of tensioning devices (130) for gathering the plurality of substantially equally tensioned fiber strands (122) into the fiber bundle (112);
(e) a feed device (136) spaced apart from the frame (126) for receiving the fiber bundle (112) from the gathering device and advancing the fiber bundle (112) at a predetermined speed to a winding device (138);
(f) the winding device (138) spaced apart from the feed device (136), the winding device (138) comprising a rotatable packaging collector (172) about which the fiber bundle (112) is wound to form the package (116), the winding device (138) receiving the bundle (112) from the feed device (136) and applying a tension to the bundle (112);
(g) a tension sensing device positioned between the feed device (136) and the winding device (138) for determining the tension in the bundle (112) after the bundle (112) is advanced by the feed device (136) to the winding device (138), the tension sensing device (136) providing a signal to a feed device controller (154);
and
(h) the feed device controller (154) electrically connected to the tension sensing device for receiving the signal from the tension sensing device and adjusting the tension of the bundle (112) by (1) decreasing the speed at which the feed device (136) advances the fiber bundle (112) when the tension is less than a first predetermined value and (2) increasing the speed at which the feed device (136) advances the fiber bundle (112) when the tension exceeds a second predetermined value in response to the signal from the tension sensing device, such that catenary of the fiber bundle (112) is minimized during winding.

6 more elements

An apparatus (10) for reducing catenary during winding of a fiber bundle (12) to form a package (16), the fiber bundle (12) comprising a plurality of fiber strands (22), characterized by:

(a) a frame (26) adapted to support a plurality of fiber strand supply packages (20) and a plurality of tensioning devices (30);
(b) the plurality of fiber strand supply packages (20), each supply package (20) permitting withdrawal of a fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (22) wound thereon;
(c) the plurality of tensioning devices (30), each tensioning device (30) receiving the fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (22) withdrawn from a supply package of the plurality of fiber strand supply packages (20) and applying a tension to the fiber strand, wherein the tension applied to each of the fiber strands of the plurality of fiber strands is substantially equal;
(d) a gathering device (33) spaced apart from each of the plurality of tensioning devices (30) for gathering the plurality of substantially equally tensioned fiber strands (22) into the fiber bundle (12);
(e) a feed device (36) spaced apart from the frame (26) for receiving the fiber bundle (12) from the gathering device (33) and advancing the fiber bundle (12) at a predetermined speed to a winding device (38), the feed device (36) comprising (1) a stationary frame (13) having a guide rail member (15) and a biasing member (75) and (2) a feed device support (29) including a feed device support carriage (83) having mounted thereon a driven feed roll (40), a nip roll (42), and a nip roll pressurizing device (56), the driven feed roll (40) having an axis of rotation (46) which is generally parallel and coplanar to an axis of rotation (48) of the nip roll (42), the nip roll pressurizing device (56) engaging the nip roll (42) and applying pressure to bias an outer surface of the nip roll (42) against an outer surface (44) of the feed roll (40) to apply pressure to a portion of the bundle (12) passing therebetween, the feed device support carriage (83) being slidably secured to the guide rail member(15);
(f) the winding device (38) spaced apart from the feed device (36), the winding device (38) comprising a rotatable packaging collector (72) about which the fiber bundle (12) is wound to form the package (16), the winding device (38) receiving the bundle (12) from the feed device (36) and applying a tension to the bundle;
and
(g) a tension sensing device positioned between the feed device (36) and the winding device (38) for determining the tension in the bundle (12) after the bundle is advanced by the feed device to the winding device, the tension sensing device providing a signal (107) to the winding device (38), the winding device (38) receiving the signal (107) from the tension sensing device and adjusting a rotational speed of the packaging collector (72) in response to the signal (107) received from the tension sensing device.

5 more elements

An apparatus (10) for reducing catenary during winding of a fiber bundle (12) to form a package (16), the fiber bundle (12) comprising a plurality of fiber strands (22), characterized by:

(a) a frame (26) adapted to support a plurality of fiber strand supply packages (20) and a plurality of tensioning devices (30);
(b) the plurality of fiber strand supply packages (20), each supply package (20) permitting withdrawal of a fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (22) wound thereon;
(c) the plurality of tensioning devices (30), each tensioning device (30) receiving the fiber strand of the plurality of fiber strands (22) withdrawn from a supply package (20) of the plurality of fiber strand supply packages and applying a tension to the fiber strand (22), wherein the tension applied to each of the fiber strands of the plurality of fiber strands (22) is substantially equal;
(d) a gathering device (33) spaced apart from each of the plurality of tensioning devices (30) for gathering the plurality of substantially equally tensioned fiber strands (22) into a fiber bundle (12);
(e) a feed device (36) spaced apart from the frame (26) for receiving the fiber bundle (12) from the gathering device (33) and advancing the fiber bundle (12) at a predetermined speed to a winding device (38), the feed device (36) comprising a feed device support (29) having mounted thereon a driven feed roll (40), a nip roll (42), and a nip roll pressurizing device, the driven feed roll (40) having an axis of rotation (46) which is generally parallel and coplanar to an axis of rotation (48) of the nip roll (42), the nip roll pressurizing device engaging the nip roll (42) and applying pressure to bias an outer surface of the nip roll (42) against an outer surface (44) of the feed roll (40) to apply pressure to a portion of the bundle (12) passing therebetween, the driven feed roll (40) including a drive device (80) selected from the group consisting of a direct current regenerative drive and an alternating current drive having dynamic braking;
(f) the winding device (38) spaced apart from the feed device (36), the winding device (38) comprising a rotatable packaging collector (72) about which the fiber bundle (12) is wound to form the package (16), the winding device (38) receiving the bundle (12) from the feed device (38) and applying a tension to the bundle (12);
and
(g) a tension sensing device positioned between the feed device (36) and the winding device (38) for determining the tension in the bundle (12) after the bundle is advanced by the feed device (36) to the winding device (38), the tension sensing device providing a signal (107) to the winding device (38), the winding device (38) receiving the signal (107) from the tension sensing device and adjusting by (1) decreasing the rotational speed of the packaging collector (72) when the tension is less than a first predetermined value and (2) increasing the rotational speed of the packaging collector (72) when the tension exceeds a second predetermined value in response to the signal (107) received from the tension sensing device, such that catenary of the fiber bundle is minimized.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/676,284Filed 7 Oct 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 28 Jan 1994
Granted: 28 Sep 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65H 51/015
Forwarding filamentary material: gathering a plurality of forwarding filamentary materials into a bundle
B65H 51/10
Arranged to operate in groups or in co-operation with other elements: with opposed coacting surfaces, e.g. providing nips
B65H 54/026
Winding and traversing material on to reels, bobbins, tubes, or like package cores or formers: doubling winders, i.e. for winding two or more…
B65H 57/28
Guides for filamentary materials; Supports therefor: reciprocating or oscillating guides