US 6,543,106 B1 · Apparatus, method and system for air opening of textile tow and opened textile tow web produced thereby

Abstract

The invention provides an air opening jet for use in a process for making a rectangular structure made from a tow of fibers, such air opening jet including a housing, an air jet for moving the tow through the housing and opening the tow, and an accumulating chamber that includes at least one, and preferably two, perforated plates located in the path of the moving tow, and an air control arrangement for controlling the flow of air so that the moving tow is urged into engagement with the perforated plates to retard movement of the tow and cause it to properly accumulate in the accumulation chamber. The invention also includes methods for using the air opening jet apparatus to produce multi-tow band products, and products produced by such methods.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A system for opening a multi-tow band and forming it into a predetermined shape suitable for use as an absorbent structure for personal care products, said system comprising:

(a) a first arrangement for receiving a first tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament, spreading the filaments in said first tow into a first tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said first tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(b) a second arrangement for receiving a second tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament which is different from the predetermined denier of said first tow, spreading the filaments in said second tow into a second tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said second tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(c) an air jet opening apparatus that includes:
(i) a housing;
(ii) an inlet for simultaneously receiving said first and second tow bands as a multi-tow band with said first and second tow bands having been selectively combined and with one of said bands being disposed on top of the other band;
(iii) an air jet for opening and controllably intermixing said multi-tow band;
and
(iv) an exit end for discharging said opened multi-tow band.

5 more elements

A system for opening a multi-tow band and forming it into a predetermined shape suitable for use as an absorbent structure for personal care products, said system comprising:

(a) a first arrangement for receiving a first tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament, spreading the filaments in said first tow into a first tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said first tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(b) a second arrangement for receiving a second tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament which is different from the predetermined denier of said first tow, spreading the filaments in said second tow into a second tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said second tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
and
(c) an air jet apparatus which includes
(i) a housing having an inlet opening for simultaneously receiving said first and second tows and having a configuration corresponding generally to the shape of said first and second tows, and having an outlet opening through which said first and second tows exit said housing as a multi-layered tow having a configuration corresponding generally to said predetermined shape;
(ii) an air jet formed within the housing adjacent said inlet opening thereof to create a venturi which moves the first and second tows through the air opening jet apparatus and which also further opens the first and second tows;
(iii) a source of compressed air communicating with said air jet to provide carrier air for moving said first and second tows through said jet apparatus;
(iv) a forming chamber within the housing and downstream of the air jet that includes a gradually increasing cross-sectional area in the direction of flow of the first and second tows that corresponds to said predetermined shape, said air jet being disposed within said housing to cause said first and second tows to be fully opened and to substantially fill said forming chamber as they move therethrough;
(v) an accumulating chamber located within said housing downstream of said forming chamber that is constructed and arranged to permit said opened first and second tows to accumulate within the accumulating chamber and be withdrawn from said housing at different flow rates through said housing outlet opening in said predetermined shape, said accumulating chamber including at least one perforated plate disposed in the path of said first and second tows and said carrier air moving therethrough to cause said first and second tows to engage said perforated plate and to cause at least some of said carrier air to pass through said perforated plate;
and
(vi) a control valve for maintaining the flow of said carrier air at a level that will cause at least said portion of said carrier air to pass through said perforated plate and urge said first and second tows into frictional engagement with said perforated plate with sufficient force to retard the movement of the first and second tows through said accumulating chamber and cause said first and second tows to accumulate in said accumulating chamber.

8 more elements

A system for opening a multi-tow band and forming it into a predetermined shape suitable for use as an absorbent structure for personal care products, said system comprising:

(a) a first arrangement for receiving a first tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament, spreading the filaments in said first tow into a first tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said first tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(b) a second arrangement for receiving a second tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament which is different from the predetermined denier of said first tow, spreading the filaments in said second tow into a second tow band, and having an exit end for discharging said second tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(c) a first air jet opening apparatus that includes:
(i) a housing;
(ii) an inlet for receiving said first tow band delivered from the exit end of a first banding jet;
(iii) an air jet for opening said first tow band;
and
(iv) an exit end for discharging said opened first band;
(d) a second air jet opening apparatus that includes:
(i) a housing;
(ii) an inlet for receiving said second tow band delivered from the exit end of a second banding jet;
(iii) an air jet for opening said second tow band;
and
(iv) an exit end for discharging said opened second tow band;
and
(e) an arrangement downstream of said first and second air jet opening apparatus disposed to receive said tow bands discharged therefrom and to selectively combine and controllably intermix said tow bands into a multi-tow band.

13 more elements

A method of opening a multi-tow band and forming it into a predetermined shape suitable for use as an absorbent structure for personal care products, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) moving a first tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament through a first arrangement to spread the filaments in said first tow into a first tow band, and discharging said first tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(b) moving a second tow from a tow bale having a predetermined denier units per filament which is different from the predetermined denier of said first tow through a second arrangement and spreading the filaments in said second tow into a second tow band, and discharging said second tow band therefrom with a predetermined width;
(c) moving said first tow band discharged from said first arrangement to a first air opening jet for opening and blooming said first tow band, and discharging said first tow band therefrom;
(d) moving said second tow band discharged from said second arrangement to a second air opening jet for opening and blooming said second tow band, and discharging said second tow band therefrom;
(e) selectively combining and controllably intermixing said first and second tow bands discharged from said first and second air opening jets to form a composite multi-tow band.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus, method and system for air opening of textile tow and opened textile tow web produced thereby

Life of this patent

Apparatus, method and system for air opening of textile tow and opened textile tow web produced thereby

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32