Patent Application
20120039559
A. Field of the Invention
An embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus for correcting deflection in an open width stabilizer, and more particularly, an embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus for correcting deflection in small diameter rolls of an open width stabilizer so as to create a straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Circulatory knit fabric produced in the U.S. has mostly been finished in tubular form. Machinery has been developed around an internal spreader to propel the fabric through various finishing operations, such as steaming and compacting, to reduce length shrinkage.
In contrast, Europeans slit the fabric tube, open it, and finish the fabric in open width using mostly woven good finishing equipment, such as tenter frames and belt compactors, some modified to accommodate the elastic nature of the knit construction. To control length shrinkage, the Europeans use various versions of a belt compactor or sanforizing machines, none of which can reduce shrinkage to less than the 5% that is required by most world wide garment manufacturers.
Americans developed a two-roll compactor for tubular fabric, with one roll feeding the fabric at a given speed, and with a second retarding roll slowing the fabric travel to compact the fabric in its length, thus reducing length shrinkage, as required, to a zero length shrinkage on some fabrics.
When the two-roll principal was tried on wide open width circular knits, it became apparent that the rolls would have to be made larger in diameter to reduce deflection, however, this created a wider nip area where the fabric has to change its length dimension, causing objectionable friction on the fabric, resulting in poor quality.
Catallo used a small diameter roll and overcame the deflection problem by bending the rolls to produce a straight nip. A way to do this at the time was by using a wedge between the ends of the rolls, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,365 to Catallo. When this system was used in production, however, quality of the fabric was not always acceptable in the full width of the fabric, and it was determined that the nip was not uniform as a result of the wedge's reaction forces to bend the rolls. The rolls were not bent on the nip line, but deflected downward, changing the nip line in the center of the rolls.
The apparatus taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,365 to Catallo can best be seen in
As shown in
The apparatus 18 comprises bearings 26. The bearings 26 of the apparatus 18 are mounted to the pair of ends 22 of the feed roll 14, respectively, with only one being shown. The apparatus 18 further comprises lever bearings 28. The lever bearings 28 of the apparatus 18 are mounted to the pair of ends 24 of the retard roll 16, respectively, with only one being shown. The bearings 26 of the apparatus 18 are in a form of pillow block bearings 29.
The apparatus 18 further comprises a pneumatic cylinder 30, and a shaft 32 having an upper end 34 and a lower end 36. The upper end 34 of the shaft 32 of the apparatus 18 is connected to the lever bearings 28 of the apparatus 18, and the lower end 36 of the shaft 32 of the apparatus 18 is connected to the pneumatic cylinder 30 of the apparatus 18.
By providing for the pivoting of the lever bearings 28 of the apparatus 18 by moving the shaft 32 of the apparatus 18, the feed roll 14 and the retard roll 16 are allowed to move towards or away from one another, thereby changing the desired size of the passageway 20,
The apparatus 18 further comprises the feed roll 14 having an axial shaft 38, the retard roll 16 having an axial shaft 40, a feed roller bearing 42, a retard roller bearing 44, and a symmetrical wedge-like member 46.
The feed roller bearing 42 of the apparatus 18 is connected to the axial shaft 38 of the feed roll 14 of the apparatus 18, and the retard roller bearing 44 is connected to the axial shaft 40 of the retard roll 16 of the apparatus 18. The symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18 is disposed between, and in moving relationship to, the feed roller bearing 42 of the apparatus 18 and the retard roller bearing 44 of the apparatus 18.
As shown in
The symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18 exerts reaction forces 48 against the feed roller bearing 42 of the apparatus 18 and the retard roller bearing 44 of the apparatus 18 in response to forces 50 exerted thereon by the feed roller bearing 42 of the apparatus 18 and the retard roller bearing 44 of the apparatus 18, with the reaction forces 48 acting on identical elevations 51 on the feed side 56 of the symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18 and the retard side 58 of the symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18 due to the symmetry of the symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18, and as shown in
Adjustment of the pneumatic cylinder 36 of the apparatus 18 causes movement of the lever bearings 28 of the apparatus 18 to move the feed roll 14 and the retard roll 16.
Thus, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide apparatus for correcting deflection in small diameter rolls of an open width stabilizer so as to create a straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip, which avoids disadvantages of the prior art.
Briefly stated, another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for correcting deflection in a small-diameter feed roll and a small-diameter retard roll of an open width stabilizer so as to create a straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip. The improved device is of the type having a feed roll, a retard roll, and an apparatus for adjusting deflection of the feed roll and the retard roll to thereby maintain a desired size to a passageway between the feed roll and the retard roll to optimize compaction of a fabric web material. The apparatus includes a feed roller bearing connected to the feed roll, a retard roller bearing connected to the retard roll, and a wedge-like member disposed between, and in moving relationship to, the feed roller bearing and the retard roller bearing. The wedge-like member is asymmetrical, has a feed side that engages the feed roller bearing, a retard side that engages the retard roller bearing, and exerts reaction forces against the feed roller bearing and the retard roller bearing in response to forces exerted thereon by the feed roller bearing and the retard roller bearing. The improvement includes the reaction forces acting on different elevations on the feed side of the wedge-like member and the retard side of the wedge-like member due to the asymmetry of the wedge-like member, with the reaction forces causing the feed roll and the retard roll to not deflect downwardly, thereby not changing the nip in the center of the feed roll and the retard roll so as to create the straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip.
The novel features considered characteristic of an embodiment of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. An embodiment of the present invention itself, however, both as to its construction and to its method of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read and understood in connection with the accompanying figures of the drawing.
Figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows:
Referring now to the
The asymmetrical wedge-like member 70 is similar to the symmetrical wedge-like member 46 of the apparatus 18, except that:
Alternatively, other ways may be employed to create a straight nip with uniform pressure across the nip by using a linear actuator to open and close the retard roll and also to apply pressure against the ends of the feed roll and the retard roll.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
While an embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an apparatus for correcting deflection in small diameter rolls of an open width stabilizer so as to create a straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip, however, it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of an embodiment of the present invention illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of an embodiment of the present invention.
Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of an embodiment of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of an embodiment of the present invention.
The instant non-provisional patent application claims priority from provisional patent application No. 61/401,380, filed on Aug. 12, 2010, entitled WEB NIP WEDGE FACE HAVING ASYMMETRICAL ALIGNMENT TO CONTROL NIP WIDTH FOR COMPRESSIVE PRESHRINKING OF FABRIC, and incorporated herein by reference thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61401380 | Aug 2010 | US |
