WO1991003588A1

WO1991003588A1 - Process and device for steaming yarn

Info

Publication number: WO1991003588A1
Application number: PCT/EP1990/001434
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ludwig Resch
Original assignee: Ludwig Resch
Priority date: 1989-08-30
Filing date: 1990-08-29
Publication date: 1991-03-21
Also published as: EP0489844A1; EP0489844B1; JPH05500244A; DE59003268D1; DE3928763A1; AU6405590A

Abstract

Process and device for fixing textile yarn (1) to be wound onto bobbins, using a vacuum bell (36) which can be evacuated and heated and which can accommodate one or a limited number of bobbins. Water and saturated steam are contained in a steam generator at a temperature equal to or slightly greater than the preselected temperature of the steam and at a pressure equal to the steam pressure at the vaporization temperature. The vacuum bell containing the bobbins is evacuated at a pressure substantially lower than the pressure of the steam. A control valve in a connecting line between the vacuum bell and the steam generator is then opened. As the vacuum bell is likewise preheated to essentially the vaporization temperature, the quantity of water required to fill the entire system with saturated steam at the vaporization temperature is very quickly converted to steam in the steam generator. The yarn is thereby steamed in cycles of approximately two minutes duration.

Description

Method and device for steaming yarn

Description

The present invention relates to a method for

Steaming yarn according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device for steaming yarn according to the preamble of claim 11.

In the production and processing of textile yarns

latent tensions arise in the yarn, which cause the yarn to have a tendency to untwist in the tension-free state and to form loops and loops. This behavior of the yarn is commonly referred to as curling tendency. The tension arises primarily during spinning itself, but can also be caused by further processing, e.g. caused by winding operations and the like. The curling tendency leads to a substantial impairment of the further processing of the textile yarn and must therefore be eliminated.

The yarns are usually steamed to remove the curling tendency, steaming taking place at temperatures between approximately 50 and approximately 150 ° C. The lower temperature range up to approx. 90 ° C e.g. rather for

Woolen yarns and the upper temperature range are more used for synthetic yarns. The quality requirements for the steaming process are very high because of uneven Vapors, for example, create tension threads in the fabric or the absorption of colorants in a dyeing process becomes uneven. The steaming methods known in the prior art usually work with saturated steam. Wet steam can stain the yarn due to its condensate content, while superheated steam has poor heat transfer values. In order to have saturated steam available at temperatures below and above 100 ° C., the devices used for steaming must be designed in such a way that the pressure prevailing in them can deviate upwards or downwards from the ambient pressure. Usually used for steaming

Autoclaves are used, in which the yarn wound on bobbins, together with the appropriate means of transport, e.g. Yarn trolleys, twine boxes or pallets are introduced. An overview of such devices gives e.g. the DE-Z. "Melliand Textile Reports", Issue 9, 1987, page 684.

Steaming in an autoclave is often carried out under vacuum, with the

Steam creates a vacuum, the pressure in the

Extreme case is lowered to 0.1 bar absolute pressure. Vacuum steaming has the advantage that there is less air in the system, which makes steaming more uniform. The DE-Z provides an overview of vacuum steaming.

"Melliand Textilberichte", Issue 5, 1966, pages 530-536. The main disadvantage of steaming in an autoclave is that the largely continuous processing of yarn is interrupted by a time-consuming, discontinuous process. For example,

achieves a high output of spinning bobbins by means of the ring spinning process, these are tubes, each of which contains a certain amount of yarn. Before these spinning bobbins are now fed to a continuously operating winding machine, they have to be collected in appropriate yarn trolleys and inserted into the autoclave. Then they have to be transported to the winding machine. The material flow required thereby not only requires

extensive and complex devices, but also affects the overall operation of the spinning mill. Furthermore, since the autoclaves usually have to accommodate several yarn trolleys because of the processing capacity required, their dimensions are very large and therefore expensive, space-consuming and very unfavorable in terms of energy expenditure.

A while ago, DE-U 19 82 399 proposed a device in which steam is introduced into the interior of a perforated winding tube without the use of vacuum. A further development of this method is described in DE-A 36 01 099. Although this method allows the time and energy required for steaming to be reduced, it has the disadvantage that excessive condensation can occur here, which affects the uniformity of steaming. Yarn cores specially prepared for the process are also required. Such yarn tubes are more complex to produce than simple, cylindrical yarn tubes. In addition, e.g. the spinning mills

Application of this procedure will be forced to their

replace entire, expensive inventory of bobbins.

The method has therefore not been able to establish itself in practice.

The present invention has for its object to provide a method for steaming yarn, by means of which a uniform steaming of the yarn is achieved with little expenditure of time and with little expenditure of energy. Furthermore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a device for steaming yarn, through which a uniform steaming of the yarn can be achieved with a low expenditure of energy and time and which requires only a small amount of space and construction.

In particular, the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention should work in such short cycles that they can be included in a continuous process of yarn processing. This object is achieved by the method according to claim 1. An apparatus for performing the method is the subject of claim 11.

With the inventive method, the

Possibility created to carry out a periodic steaming of yarn with saturated steam in a wide temperature range.

This is accomplished by using only one or a small amount

Number of yarn packages is subjected to the damping and by using a vacuum bell that can be evacuated very quickly in a very short time. The evacuated

Vacuum bell is connected to a steam generator, in which water and saturated steam are enclosed at steam temperature and a pressure which essentially corresponds to the steam pressure of the water at the selected steam temperature, and the thermodynamic state variables in the vacuum bell are practically abruptly adapted to the state variables in Steam generator instead. It is in

Steam generator very quickly converts the amount of water into saturated steam that is required to the

Fill the vacuum bell with saturated steam at the steam temperature and the steam pressure defined for the respective temperature.

Since the steam generator and preferably also the vacuum bell are largely kept exactly at the steam temperature, the amount of energy required for the evaporation does not lead to a significant drop in the temperature level. Keeping the temperature level constant is made considerably easier in that the vacuum bell is kept correspondingly small. Compensation is particularly easy if, according to a preferred embodiment, the vacuum bell only receives a single yarn package. Furthermore, the temperature drops due to the

Temperature control of the steam generator and preferably also of the vacuum bell avoided, by means of which temperature reductions are immediately compensated for.

Evacuating the vacuum bell before steaming takes about 20 seconds in a tested embodiment of the device according to the invention, while steaming itself takes about 90 seconds. As a result, the entire steaming can be carried out within a two-minute cycle of approximately two minutes.

In order to prevent the colder yarn bobbin introduced into the vacuum bell from leading to an undesirable lowering of temperature or to excessive condensation of the introduced saturated steam, the sleeve and the yarn can, according to a preferred development of the invention, preferably be preheated via hot air before the vacuum bell is evacuated .

The vacuum bell is preferably also ventilated after preheating with preheated hot air. This prevents an uneven temperature drop in the yarn.

According to a preferred development of the invention, the yarn is dried immediately after steaming. This can be done in the same bell in which the yarn was steamed. It is also possible to have a second one Provide a vacuum bell that is used only for drying.

Drying is preferably carried out by evacuating the vacuum bell used for drying. Due to the then decreasing pressure in the bell, the pressure exceeds

Vapor pressure of the hater steam on the yarn is the ambient pressure, so that most of the steam as superheated steam directly through the vacuum pump

is subtracted.

An evacuable condensation container is preferably provided, which is connected upstream of the vacuum pump. Cooling in the condensation container can ensure that the temperature prevailing there is lower than that in the

Vacuum bell prevailing temperature. Due to the thermodynamic laws, the steam from the vacuum bell then flows very quickly into the condensation container. The colder container thus acts like a powerful pump, through which the water vapor is drawn out of the vacuum bell.

The temperature of the condensation container can be adapted to the desired final vacuum pressure. A vacuum end pressure of 20 mbar roughly corresponds to a saturated steam temperature of 17ºC.

The device according to the invention is characterized by a structure whose external dimensions are only a fraction of the dimensions of a conventional autoclave. According to the invention, the device has a steam generator and at least one vacuum bell, which can be evacuated via a vacuum pump. The inside dimensions of the

Vacuum bells are adapted to the space required by one or more yarn packages. To control the temperature of the steam generator and / or the vacuum bell is an ent speaking control device is provided, which can preferably be combined with a control device which controls the entire sequence of the device. This control device is connected to a large number of temperature and pressure sensors, which detect the state variables in the individual system parts. The control device, which preferably has a computing processor, operates according to a predetermined program and outputs control signals in order to control a number of control valves which are required to connect the vacuum bell, the vacuum pump and the steam generator to one another in the predetermined cycle sequence.

Another very significant advantage of the device according to the invention is the extremely low energy consumption. Due to the small dimensions and the short cycle times, the energy consumption, based on one yarn unit, is e.g. on a spinning cop, only a fraction of the effort required for autoclave damping.

For a constant quality of the damping it is important that the steam temperature is kept essentially constant during the operation of the system. For this reason, it is desirable that at least the vacuum bell used for steaming is heated in such a way that the temperature of its inner wall essentially corresponds to the desired steaming temperature. According to a first, preferred variant, this is brought about by electrical heating wires which are integrated in the vacuum bell and to which so much electrical energy is supplied that the desired temperature is reached. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the heating of the vacuum bells is brought about by integrating heating tubes through which a liquid, preferably water, flows, integrated in the vacuum bells. According to a preferred embodiment, the heating pipes are in a flow connection with the water in the

Steam generators, e.g. with the help of a small circulation pump. It is thereby achieved that the water of the steam generator, the temperature of which is regulated very precisely in relation to the steam generation, flows through the vacuum bell and keeps it at the same temperature.

This version has the advantage that a control device for temperature control of the vacuum bell can be omitted.

As already explained in relation to the method, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention the same vacuum bell that is used for steaming is also used for drying. Drying takes place by connecting the vacuum bell to an evacuated vacuum container via a corresponding valve device, as a result of which the pressure in the vacuum bell drops rapidly.

This removes moisture from the yarn package located in the vacuum bell.

The residual moisture required by the yarn package for further processing in some applications can be determined beforehand within narrow limits by choosing the negative pressure in the vacuum bell used for drying.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the

According to the invention, a different vacuum bell is used for drying the yarn package than for steaming. In this case, the device has at least two vacuum bells that are operated in cycles, the The bobbin is first steamed in the first vacuum bell and then dried in the second vacuum bell.

The system further preferably has a hot air generator in which air is preheated to a predetermined temperature, which is preferably equal to the steaming temperature, in order to use it for preheating and venting the vacuum bell. As stated in the introduction, the device described above should preferably be set up for the cyclical processing of yarn packages. According to one too

preferred embodiment of the invention

The individual yarn packages are therefore placed on the transport plate. This attachment can be carried out using handling devices known in the prior art, which are therefore not described in detail. The transport plates slide in a slide rail which has a holding profile which corresponds to an inverted T, into which correspondingly designed parts of the plates engage. The plates have pins provided with one or more through holes, onto which the yarn packages can be placed directly, and are arranged in the slide rail during continuous processing so that they are immediately adjacent. When the rearmost plate is pushed further, all other plates are therefore automatically moved forward by the corresponding displacement path. A damping bell and a drying bell are then located above the slide rail and can be raised and lowered by a pneumatic device. Also newly developed sealing measures ensure that the

Vacuum bells automatically when pressed onto the plate are sealed against this. Furthermore, holes are provided in the slide rail at this point, which are also automatically sealed when the vacuum bells are pressed on. The vacuum bell or vacuum bells are connected to the steam generator etc. through the holes in the slide rail.

The plates with the yarn packages located thereon slowly move through the steaming and drying system, the cycle time in one exemplary embodiment for steaming or drying being approximately 2 minutes. The

Processing capacity is thus 30 yarn packages per hour. If a larger processing capacity is required, several steaming and drying bells can be arranged in parallel. The slide rail then has a corresponding branching, and the incoming stream of plates with yarn packages is divided, for example, into four individual slide rails. With ten bells arranged parallel to one another, a processing capacity of 300 yarn packages per hour can then be achieved, which should be sufficient for most applications, but can be increased without problems by further parallel arrangements. According to a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the bells arranged in parallel are raised and lowered by a common device. By means of an appropriate arrangement of the slideways of the plates, which is described in detail in the subclaims and with reference to the figures, the pulsed steaming can then be carried out with very little space.

The device according to the invention can be designed so that it is suitable for any type of yarn package. Here are generally under textile packages container to understand. These textile containers are usually produced by winding a textile yarn on sleeves, which consist, for example, of metal or plastic or the like. However, other container shapes are also conceivable. Experiments have shown that the method according to the invention also works without any problems if yarn packages are used which have a high

Have weight and / or large dimensions. As is probably the case in most cases, it becomes a rotationally symmetrical, essentially cylindrical one

The package is used and only one package is processed per vacuum bell, the inside of the

Vacuum bell preferably also cylindrical.

Through the invention, the previous discontinuous

Steaming in an autoclave with all its material flow problems converted into a continuous process. Since the device is much smaller in size than an autoclave, the device can e.g. be arranged directly between a ring spinning machine and a subsequent winding machine.

Further advantages and possible uses of the present invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment in connection with the drawing. It shows in a schematic way:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a damping or drying bell according to the present

Invention;

2 shows a functional diagram of a damping device according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a highly schematic side view of a

Embodiment of the device according to the invention (partially cut), in which a total of 20 vacuum bells are provided for intermittent steaming and drying;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of the device according to FIG. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view showing the lifting and

Lowering mechanism of the vacuum bells shows;

Fig. 6 is a schematic side view showing the

Transport mechanism of the plates in the device according to Fig. 3 shows;

7 is a top view of the transport mechanism;

Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of a

Vacuum bell.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below, in which two damping and drying bells are used for the pulsed damping of yarn.

The embodiment is designed for steaming yarn that comes from ring spinning machines and is wound on cylindrical metal sleeves or plastic sleeves. However, it should be noted that the

Device of course in the same way for all other types of yarns and packages

can be used. The yarn 1 schematically indicated in the drawing is on a cylindrical sleeve 2 made of plastic wound up, whereby a spinning cop 3 is formed. The spinning cop 3 is transported with a plate 5 through the device, wherein it remains on this plate 5 even during the damping and drying process. The

Plate 5 is essentially rotationally symmetrical about an axis 6 and has a conical section 7 which is delimited at the top (i.e. towards the spinning cop) and at the bottom by a flat circular ring surface 8 or 9. Below this conical section there is a first cylindrical section 10 with a smaller diameter and then a second cylindrical section 11 with a larger diameter. A cylindrical pin 12 is arranged on the upper circular ring surface 8 and has a bevel 12a at its upper end (facing the spinning cop).

The outer diameter of the cylindrical pin 12 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sleeve 2, so that the sleeve 2 can be pushed onto the pin 12 and is held by the latter. A cylindrical bore 13 arranged coaxially to the axis 6 runs through the plate 5, the purpose of which will be explained in detail below. The lower annular surface 9 also has a cylindrical extension 14.

The plate is made of metal, preferably aluminum.

The plate 5 is displaceably arranged in a slide rail 20, which is only shown in part in FIG. 1. The slide rail 20 has a guide groove 21 which extends essentially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 1. The guide groove 21 consists of an upper, narrower region 22 and a lower, further region 23. The guide groove 21 thus has the shape of an upside-down T in cross section. In the area of the guide groove shown in Fig. 1 is a cylindrical Bore 24 arranged, the function of which will be explained later. In the upper area of the slide rail 20 is one

Indentation 25 is provided, the width of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical extension 14 of the plate 5. Four spring bodies 26 are embedded in the slide rail, essentially rotationally symmetrically to the axis of the cylindrical bore 24. The spring body 26 consist of a cylindrical hollow body 27, in the interior of which a spiral compression spring is arranged. The hollow body 27 is at its upper end with a flange

29 completed, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the hollow body 27. The spring body 26 is pressed into a cylindrical bore 28 of the slide rail 20 and is axially fixed with respect to the slide rail by the flange 29. In the interior of the hollow body 27, a ball 30 is also provided, which is pressed upwards by the spring. If the spring body 26 is loaded with a predetermined load, the ball 30 is inserted into the hollow body 27. Concentric to

cylindrical bore 24 of the slide rail, an annular sealing groove 32 is also provided. A commercially available O-ring 33 is embedded in this sealing groove 32. The bell 35 has a substantially cylindrical

Metal body 36, which is closed at the bottom by a flange 37. On the flange 37, an upward-pointing cylindrical web 38 is arranged concentrically to the longitudinal axis 39 of the bell.

The cylindrical metal body 36 of the bell is formed in one piece with the bell

domed lid 41 completed. There are two in the cover 41, offset with respect to the longitudinal axis 39 of the bell

Threaded socket 42 and 43 arranged. A pressure sensor 44 is in the first, shorter threaded connector 42 screwed and a temperature sensor 45 in the second, longer threaded connector 43.

The cylindrical metal body 36 of the bell is surrounded by a heating wire 55. The bell also has a

Insulation 56, which is to largely prevent heat transfer from the cylindrical metal body 36 to the ambient air. On the underside of the flange 37, on the surface facing the plate 5, concentrically to the longitudinal axis 39 of the bell, there is an annular recess 57 in which a second O-ring 58 is arranged. The function of this bell is now as follows: the bell can be raised and lowered along its longitudinal axis 39 by a pneumatic cylinder. The bell is located

initially in the raised state, and the spinning cop 3 located on the plate 5 is brought into a position in which the bore 13 of the plate 5 lies above the bore 24 in the slide rail 20. Then the bell

lowered and pressed onto the plate 5. The contact pressure of the bell 5 is transmitted to the spring body 26, whereby the balls 30 are pressed into the hollow body 27 thereof. As a result, the second cylindrical section 11 of the cylinder 5 lies firmly on the first O-ring 33. The second O-ring 58 simultaneously seals the flange 36 of the bell from the plate 5, so that the bell

is airtight or vapor-tight connected to the bore 24.

The spring body 26 causes the plate 5 to be pushed onto the O-ring 33 at a vertical distance from the latter. This prevents damage to the O-ring 33 when the plate 5 is pushed. If the plate 5 is not in the position shown in FIG. 1, the cylindrical extension 14 of the plate lies directly on the Slide on. As a result, any wear when the plate 5 slides is limited exclusively to the area between the cylindrical extension and the slide rail. The lower circular ring surface 9 itself and the upper circular ring surface 8, which should keep their original state as far as possible with regard to the sealing or the contact with the spring bodies, are not changed by wear. 2 shows a functional diagram of the device for steaming yarn according to the invention. In this device, a bell 36 is used as the first bell 71 for damping

used, and a bell 36 as a second bell 72 for drying. The construction of both bells is identical and corresponds to that described with reference to FIG. 1

Bell 36

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the plates 5 shown schematically slide on the slide rail 20, also shown schematically.

The device has a steam generator 73, one

Condenser 74 and a hot air generator 75. The first bell 71, the second bell 72, the steam generator 73, the condenser 74 and the hot air generator 75 are each designed to be both high

Withstand negative pressure (up to 20 mbar absolute pressure) as well as a higher excess pressure (up to approx. 5 bar absolute pressure). The upper design value of the system is essentially determined by the maximum treatment temperature of the yarn. If, for example, only a temperature of 120 ° C is to be achieved, a maximum pressure of 2 bar absolute (corresponding to the steam pressure of the water at 120 ° C) is sufficient, only temperatures below 100 ° C used, the system only has to be dimensioned in relation to the necessary negative pressure.

The steam generator 73 is essentially designed as a cylindrical container which is sealed in a pressure-tight manner and which is insulated against heat loss via its outer surfaces. The steam generator 73 stands over a feed pump 76 and a valve 77 with a schematically shown at 78

Water supply network in connection. The volume flow of the pump, which operates on demand, is controlled by a

Line 79 fed to the steam generator 73.

The steam generator also has a heating element or

Heating coil 80 through which the water in the steam generator can be heated.

The water level of the steam generator is determined by a

Level sensor 81, the pressure is monitored by a pressure sensor 82 and the temperature by a temperature sensor 83.

The steam generator 73 is connected to the others via a line 87 which is arranged at its uppermost end

Plant parts connected.

The condenser 74 also has an essentially cylindrical body which is sealed pressure-tight and which has an outer insulation to reduce the heat transfer to the environment. The condenser 73 is connected to a vacuum pump 92 via a line 91.

Furthermore, a cooling device 93 is provided which cools a cooling medium which flows through supply lines 94, 95 into a schematically indicated cooling spiral 96 within the

Capacitor 74 flows. A drain line 97 with a valve 98 is provided on the underside of the condenser 74.

The condenser is connected via a line 100 both to the steam supply device for the damping bell 71 and to the steam generator 73, one of which

A variety of valves is provided through which

Connections are to be controlled and regulated in detail. The hot air generator 75 is also designed for pressure testing and is insulated from the environment

insulated. A heating coil 106 is provided to heat the air in the hot air generator. The pipe system to connect the different

Devices of the damping system essentially have three main lines, namely a first main line 111, a second main line 112 and a third main line 113. The main lines 111 and 113 are connected to the line 87 of the steam generator 74. The main line 111 is also connected to the hot air generator 75 via corresponding valves, as explained below. The second main line 112 is open at one end to the environment and is connected at its other end to the main line 111 in front of the hot air generator 75. The third main line 113 is also connected to line 87, which comes from the steam generator 73, and on the other hand is connected to line 100, which leads to the condenser 74. The first main line 111 and the second main line 112 are connected to one another via a connecting piece 115, which continues to lead to the bore 24 of the slide rail in the region of the damping bell 71. The main line 111 is also connected via a line 117 to the bore 24 'of the slide rail in the area of the drying bell 72, this line on the the other side is open to the environment via a valve 118.

The operation of the device is controlled and regulated by a control unit 130. The control unit 130, a

Process computer which e.g. can be constructed on the basis of one of the known microprocessors, receives the signals from all sensors and gives the control signals with which the heating of the bells 71, 72, the steam generator 73 and the hot air generator 75 and the cooling of the condenser 74 is controlled - or control signals for all valves and the control signals for the movement control of the plate 5. The entire control and regulation takes place via a program stored in the control unit 130. An operator can make the desired

Control variables, i.e. above all, the temperature at which steaming is to be carried out using a suitable data medium, e.g. insert a floppy disk, a tape, a punched tape or a keyboard into the control unit.

The function of the embodiment described with reference to the figures is detailed below

explained, with an example of steaming at 80 is assumed.

As described above, the entire function of the system is controlled by the control device 130. The data required for steaming, i.e. essentially the steam temperature and the steaming times are either predefined in the control unit or, as described, are entered into the control unit before starting

read. Operation of the system begins with a

Preheat cycle in which the temperature of the bells and the temperature of the steam generator etc. are brought to the predetermined steaming temperature. This heating process also causes the water in the steam generator 73 to reach the desired level Temperature heated. At the same time, the condenser is evacuated to an absolute pressure of approximately 20 mbar via the vacuum pump 92. The absolute pressure of 20 mbar corresponds to the steam pressure of water at around 17 ° C. Since the usual steam temperatures are significantly higher, this ensures that the saturated steam pressure of the water used for steaming is always above this value. If, for example, a temperature of 80 ° C is used to steam wool yarn, this is

Vapor pressure of the water 473 mbar.

To set this pressure in the steam generator, a valve 141 in the main line 113 is opened briefly so that the steam generator (still under normal pressure) and the condenser (with 20 mbar absolute pressure) are connected to one another. As a result, the absolute pressure of the system drops to a value that is initially far below 473 mbar. Since the steam pressure of the water at 80 ° C is above this pressure value now prevailing in the steam generator, practically suddenly enough water is converted into steam that the saturated steam pressure of 473 mbar is established. The prerequisite for this is that the temperature level in the entire system is kept at 80 ° C. As already stated above, this is achieved in that all essential parts of the system are constantly kept at this temperature.

The steam generator 73 now contains water at 80 ° C. and steam at 80 ° C. at a pressure of 473 mbar. After this preparatory measure, the first spinning cop 3 can on the plate 5 on the slide 20 under the

Steaming bell 71 are conveyed. The pneumatic actuation devices of the steaming bell lower the steaming bell and press it onto the plate 5

Balls 30 into the hollow body 27 of the spring body 26 pressed, and a firm seal between the bell and plate and plate and slide rail is achieved via the O-ring seals 33 and 58. A valve 142 in the first main line 111 is then opened, as a result of which the interior of the steam bell is connected to the condenser 74 via the bore 24. In the meantime, the initial vacuum of 20 mbar absolute pressure has been restored in the condenser 74 by the vacuum pump 92. It is thereby achieved that in the steaming bell and in the yarn package in a very short time, which is generally less than 20 seconds, a corresponding vacuum of likewise approx.

20 mbar can be generated. The valve 142 is then closed again and the valves 144 and 145 are opened. The valve 145 is designed as a needle valve and can therefore be regulated in a particularly metered manner. The bell 71 is now connected via the main line 111 and the line 87 to the steam generator 73, in which a temperature of 80 ° C. and a saturated steam pressure of 473 mbar prevail. It should be pointed out that the damping bell 71 is constantly kept at this temperature by the heating systems and by the temperature sensors. The saturated steam enters the bell 71 through the bore 24 and the hollow sleeve 2. It should be noted that the sleeve 2 of the spinning cop 3, which is shown in the figure, is not perforated. Rather, the steam enters the bell bell 71 on the upper open side of the sleeve.

Since the steaming bell was previously evacuated and there was very little air between the individual layers of the

Yarn, the steam can reach all layers of the yarn unhindered.

Furthermore, since the inner wall of the damping bell and the other parts of the system have a temperature that corresponds to the saturated steam temperature, steam condensation on these surfaces is avoided. If in some applications the temperature difference between the sleeve of the yarn is still too high after the yarn has been introduced into the damping bell and after the evacuation, the sleeve can be preheated by using a

Valve 146 to the hot air generator shortly before

Evacuating the bell 71 is opened. As a result, hot air flows into the damping bell via the main line 112 and heats the sleeve and the yarn. Since the supplied hot air is kept at the temperature level of the saturated steam temperature, i.e. in the example at 80 ° C, the hot air supply does not cause overheating. This effectively prevents the condensation of the steam in a sleeve that is too cold.

After steaming, which in the present case e.g. 90

Valve 146 can be opened again and the steaming bell is thereby ventilated with hot air. Since the

Hot air has the same temperature as the steaming temperature, there is no re-steaming. Then the bell 71 is raised and the spinning head is conveyed further with the transport plate 5 and comes into a position under the drying bell 72. The drying bell 72 is moved up and down simultaneously with the damping bell and is sealed off from the slide rail in the same way as in the case of the Damping bell 71 is the case. The

Spinnkops is in the closed drying bell after the next lowering process. As soon as the evacuation of the damping bell 71 has ended, a valve 148 is opened while at the same time the valve 142 is closed. As a result, the drying bell 72 is connected to the condenser 74. The steam is now pumped out via the vacuum pump 92. At the same time, the drying bell is heated by its heating system so that the evaporation does not lead to an inadmissible temperature reduction. It should be pointed out that it is also possible in the meantime to supply hot air from the hot air generator 75 into the drying bell in order to keep the temperature at a desired level.

As tests have shown, the drying time is approximately 2 minutes in order to achieve a desired, uniform and reproducible residual moisture in the yarn, which enables immediate further processing of the yarn.

After the drying process is finished both

Bells raised again, and the previously steamed amount of yarn is transferred to the drying bell while the

dried amount of yarn for further processing, e.g. can be fed to a winding machine.

It is pointed out that it is also possible to add chemicals to the water in the steam generator, if it is desired to add the damping process accordingly

influence.

An embodiment of a clockwise working

Damping and drying device, which works with a total of ten vacuum bells for steaming and ten vacuum bells for drying, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a conveyor belt 200, as is known in the prior art, for conveying spinning bobbins or similar yarn packages. The conveyor belt 200, which is deflected via a roller 201, has pins 202 on which the spinning heads 3 are placed.

In the central part of FIG. 3, a total of four rows of vacuum bells are shown in a sectional representation

recognize a first row 207, a second row 208, one third row 210 and fourth row 211. Rows 207, 208 are bells used for steaming, while rows 210, 211 contain bells used for drying. As can be seen in the top view in FIG. 4, a total of five damping bells 209 and a total of five drying bells 212 are arranged in each row. In the left part of FIG. 3, a second conveyor belt 205 is provided, which is designed in the same way as the conveyor belt 200.

As the top view in FIG. 4 shows, a slide rail system 220 is arranged in the central region of the device, which in the exemplary embodiment shown consists of five

transverse slide rails 221, 222, 223, 224 and 225 and four longitudinal slide rails 231, 232, 233 and 234 as well as two curved slide rails 235, 236, the curved slide rails being the longitudinal slide rails 231, 232 with the longitudinal slide rails 233, 234 connect.

The slide rails are all designed in the manner explained with reference to FIG. 1. Plates move on the slide rails, as were also explained with reference number 5 in relation to FIG. 1.

The function of the device is now as follows:

Handling device (not shown), which is known in the prior art, converts the spinning heads conveyed by the conveyor belt 200 onto the plates 5. This

4 in relation to the first four plates, which are located on the slide rails 231 and 232, has already been completed. On the other hand, the steamed and dried are ready

Spinning heads located on the slide rails 233, 234

are placed on the conveyor belt 205 via a corresponding handling device. As soon as two spinning cops are removed from the slide rail 233, 234, the plates 5 are moved on the two slide rails by one plate division (this is the diameter of a plate) in the direction of the slide rails 231, 232. As a result, two empty plates are fed to the handling device for placing the spinning heads, and two full plates come into the area of the handling device for removing the

Spinning heads and for placing on the belt 205. As soon as the slide rails 231, 232 are filled, that is to say there are a total of ten spinning heads on the ten plates, the ten spinning heads can be pushed to the left by the sliding device 240 in the illustration according to FIG. 4.

The sliding device 240 consists of a transversely arranged rod 241 which can be moved towards and away from the slide rails by means of a double-acting cylinder 242 (pneumatically or electrically operated). As soon as the cycle time for steaming or drying the previously processed cops is finished, the

Control device a signal, and the steam bells and the drying bells are lifted. The slide device 240 pushes all the plates on the slide rails 221, 222, 223, 224 and 225 by two plate divisions to the left. As a result, these ten plates are pushed under the vacuum bells 207, 208 used for damping. At the same time, those previously located under the steam bells

Plate shifted by two plate divisions to the left (in Fig. 4) so that they are now under the drying bells. The plates previously located under the drying bells are pushed onto the slide rails 233, 234. The steaming and drying bells are then lowered and the steaming and drying process begins. During this process, those on the slide rails 233, 234 are finished prepared spinning heads removed from the plates and unprocessed spinning heads placed on the plates conveyed on the slide rails 231, 232. After two minutes, the steaming process is complete, and the steaming bells and drying bells are raised again and the now steamed heads are pushed under the drying bells. At the same time, the newly filled plates are pushed under the steam bells and the bells are lowered again. After about two minutes, the drying process is complete and the plates are then pushed out on the slide rails 233, 234 in the next cycle, where the spinning heads are removed.

A total of ten spinning bobbins are processed with a cycle time of two minutes, which results in a total capacity of the plant of 300 spinning bobbins per hour. Each spinning cop is located (maximum) eight minutes in the area of the device. FIG. 5 shows a detail of the device according to FIGS. 3 and 4, namely the mechanism for raising and lowering the bells. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the slide rails 231 etc. are arranged at a distance above a floor surface. Below the slide rails are two cylinders 250, 251 which have extendable piston rods 252, 253. Parallel to the arrangement of the slide rails is a support device 254 which is fixedly connected to the piston rods 252, 253 and is arranged essentially horizontally. The twenty vacuum bells are attached to this support device 254, as can be seen in the top view of FIG. 4.

Fig. 6 shows a further detail of the device, namely the mechanism for moving the plates. The plates have, as has been explained with reference to FIG. 1, a bore 13 through which, for example, during the damping of the Steam is supplied. This hole is also used to move the plates. For this purpose, a longitudinal cylinder 260 is provided, which is arranged horizontally and parallel to the slide rail 234. A short stroke cylinder 261 is perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the piston rod 262

Longitudinal cylinder 260 arranged. To move the plates, the short-stroke cylinder 261 is now actuated, so that its piston rod 262 engages in the bore 24 of the spinning cop 3. The plate is then moved further by one plate division, whereby at the same time all the other plates abutting against it are also moved.

Fig. 7 shows a top view of the transport device according to Fig. 6. It can be seen that e.g. the slide rail 234 has a longitudinal slot 270 in the drive area, into which the piston rod 262 of the short-stroke cylinder 261 engages. The longitudinal slot allows the piston rod to move in the slide rail in the desired manner. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the vacuum bell 280 is substantially eight-shaped, i.e. it has two mutually merging inner wall surfaces, each with a circular cylindrical diameter. The axes of two spinning heads 3 are arranged coaxially to each of these circular cylinder cross sections. In this embodiment, two spinning heads can therefore be accommodated per vacuum bell, the total volume of the nonetheless

Vacuum bell in relation to the number of

Spinning heads is very small and there is still an exact alignment of the position of the spinning heads with respect to one another and the spinning heads with respect to the inner wall of the vacuum bell.

As a result, reproducible steaming of the yarn is also possible with this device. The embodiment described above is installed between a ring spinning machine and a winding machine.

Claims

P a t e n t a n s r u c h e

Process for fixing textile yarn wound into yarn packages by means of saturated steam at a preselected steam temperature using a heatable that can be evacuated by a vacuum pump

Vacuum bell to hold the textile yarn, and a steam generator, g e k e n n e i c h n e t by the following

Process steps: - preheating the steam generator and a quantity of water in the steam generator to a temperature that corresponds to or is slightly above the selected steam temperature, - evacuating the steam generator to an absolute pressure that essentially corresponds to the steam pressure of the water at the preselected steam temperature. - Introducing a package or a

small number of yarn packages in a predetermined spatial orientation to the inner wall of the vacuum bell and, in the case of several yarn packages, also to one another, - Evacuation of the vacuum bell to an absolute pressure that is significantly below the steam pressure of the water at the preselected steam temperature, - Open a valve in a connecting line between the steam generator and the vacuum bell, - Steaming of the yarn by the in the vacuum bell

inflowing saturated steam, - venting the vacuum bell, - removing the yarn package (s).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the vacuum bell is also preheated to a temperature which is substantially equal to the preselected steam temperature.

3. The method according to at least one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the ventilation of the vacuum bell is carried out after steaming with preheated hot air.

4. The method according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the yarn is dried after steaming.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the drying of the yarn is carried out in an evacuable vacuum bell under vacuum.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the interior of the evacuable vacuum bell serving for drying during the drying process via a closable connecting line to the inside of a coolable, evacuable condensation container

is connected.

7. The method according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that for steaming and

Drying the same vacuum bell is used.

8. The method according to at least one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the damping process is carried out intermittently using at least two vacuum bells, the yarn package being damped first in the first bell and then introduced into the second bell and dried there.

9. The method according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in each damping cycle or in each drying cycle, a yarn package is received within a bell.

10. The method according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the residence time of the yarn package or in the damping bell and / or the residence time of the yarn package in the drying bell is less than 300 seconds, preferably less than 150 seconds.

11. Device for fixing textile yarn wound into yarn packages with saturated steam at a preselected steam temperature, with a heatable vacuum bell that can be evacuated by a vacuum pump to hold the textile yarn and a pressure-resistant,

heated steam generator,

characterized,

that the inner dimension of the vacuum bell (36, 71) is adapted to the space requirement of one (3) or a small number of yarn packages, that a heating device with a temperature control device is provided which keeps a quantity of water in the steam container at a temperature level which corresponds approximately to the steam temperature,

that a pressure control device is provided which regulates the pressure in the steam generator by means of a vacuum pump to a value which essentially corresponds to the steam pressure of the water at the preselected steam temperature,

and that at least three control valves are provided, a first control valve being arranged in a connecting line between the vacuum pump and the vacuum bell, a second control valve in a connecting line between the vacuum bell and the steam generator and a third control valve in a ventilation line for the vacuum bell and furthermore a control device being provided which is the function of the

Control valves controls and which causes that the first control valve is first opened while the second and third control valve are closed, that the second control valve is then opened while the first and third control valve are closed and that the third control valve is then opened, while the first and second control valves are closed.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that in the vacuum bell and in the steam generator

Sensors for measuring pressure and temperature are arranged, and that the control device carries out the opening and closing of the control valves after a predetermined time cycle, taking into account the measured temperature and pressure values.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 and claim 12, characterized in that the control device further Output signals that effect the temperature control and pressure control of the steam container and / or the vacuum bell.

14. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that an evacuable container is provided between the vacuum pump and vacuum bell, which via the first control valve with the

Vacuum bell is connected.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the evacuable container is designed as a condenser and has a cooling device and a water drain valve arranged in its lower region.

16. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to

15, characterized in that a heated container is used for hot air generation, which is connected via a connecting line to the third control valve.

17. The device according to at least one of claims 1 to

16, characterized in that at least one second vacuum bell is provided, in which the damped

Yarn is dried.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 and one of claims 14 or 15, characterized in that the

Drying vacuum bell is connected to the evacuable container via a connecting line and a fourth control valve.

19. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 16 or 18, characterized in that for damping vacuum bell used is also used for drying.

20. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that each vacuum bell is designed so that it receives a single package of yarn.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the steaming bell and / or drying bell are designed as a cylindrical body with a substantially cylindrical interior, and that a holding device is provided by which the yarn package is held substantially coaxially to the cylinder axis of the container.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that the holding device is constructed as a transport plate (5) which has a, in the position of use substantially vertically arranged, provided with one or more through bores, the outer diameter of which is adapted to the inner diameter of a sleeve (2) is on which the textile yarn is wound.

23. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 22, characterized in that each vacuum bell can be raised and lowered.

24. The device according to claim 23 and claim 22, characterized in that the transport plate receiving the bobbin is displaceable on a slide rail (20) and that sealing means are provided which bring about a seal between the vacuum bell and the plate when the vacuum bell on the plate is lowered.

25. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that the slide rail has a bore which is connected to the or the bores of the pin of the plate when the plate in a predetermined

Position under the vacuum bell is.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that in the slide rail or in the transport plate

Spring bodies are arranged which hold the transport plate at a predetermined distance above the slide rail and that a seal between the feed bore of the slide rail and the inside of the pin of the

Plate is provided which closes when the plate is against the spring force by the vacuum bell

Spring body is pressed onto the slide rail.

27. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 26, characterized in that a plurality of

Vacuum bells are provided, which by a

common support device are connected together and lowered and raised together.

28. The device according to at least one of claims 24 to 27, characterized in that at least two slide rails are arranged parallel to each other.

29. The device according to at least one of claims 24 to 28, characterized in that a system of slide rails is provided which has a first area in which the bobbin are placed on the transport plate, a second area in which the bobbin in or Vacuum bell (s) are steamed and optionally dried, a third area in which the bobbins are removed from the transport plates and a fourth Area in which the transport plates are returned from the third area of the slide rail system to its first area.

30. The device according to at least one of claims 11 to 29, characterized in that a device is provided to heat the vacuum bell (s).

31. The device according to claim 30, characterized in that the heating of the vacuum bell (s) by one in the

Bell arranged electric heating device takes place, which is regulated by the control device.

32. Apparatus according to claim 30, characterized in that the heating of the vacuum bell (s) in the

Bell arranged water-flowed heating pipes

takes place, these heating pipes are in a flow connection with the water in the steam generator.