DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to metallic rod products intended to be drawn into wire, and in particular to a metallic wire product having an intentionally grooved surface and to the preparation of such product. Still particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing the steel wires for ring travellers with imprinted surface and ring traveller for the ring spinning and twisting machines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Ring spinning frame employs a plurality of spindles arranged in a row beneath a vertically reciprocated horizontal rail. Supported by the rail is a plurality of ring holders each carrying a twister ring, one for each spindle, with the rings arranged to be reciprocated by the rail along the length of their associated spindles. A ring traveller is arranged to be movable around the ring so that a yarn engaged by said traveller will be twisted and wound about a bobbin supported on each spindle.

Normally "C"-shaped and vertical travellers are used for the spinning and twisting operations and these travellers were basically of circular, flat rectangular or semi-circular cross-section. Mostly, the ring travellers are manufactured using steel wires. The traveller manufacturing process includes sintering, rolling, bending, heat treatment, scoring, polishing and coating processes. The raw material is received in the form of round wires and said wires are drawn and flattened with desired width, thickness and cross-section. Then the wires are cut into desired length and bent into desired shape in bending machines. The bent material is subjected to heat treatment, then scored and polished to achieve the specific physical properties like hardness, elongation etc. Then the material is coated with desired surface finishing materials and packed as finished product.

In the spinning and twisting of yarns, there is great frictional resistance between the yarn and traveller. The friction existing between the yarn and traveller generates heat which causes fusion of fibers, especially so in the case of man-made fibers having a low softening point, resulting in production of yarns having a low strength. Also, there are chances for traveller burn out when the temperature exceeds over 250° C. To control the heat generation, the traveller velocity is reduced by means of reducing the spindle speed which results in loss of production.

To dissipate the heat generated due to the frictional resistance between ring and traveller during the traveller running at high velocity, various efforts have been taken by the manufacturers. One of the methods is, increasing the ring – Traveller contact area. Increased contact area will result in higher heat dissipation, but it is not possible than certain extent in the ‘C’ shaped traveller arrangements. Oblique flanged rings and travellers are introduced to increase the surface contact area, but the inclined position of the rings and travellers cannot be used for wide range of yarn production. Some manufacturers tried with different metallic surface coating and surface treatment methods either on rings or travellers to reduce the friction or to improve the heat dissipation.

For example, European patent number 2682508 describes a non-liquid lubrication type ring traveller system for ring spinning machines. A plurality of recesses and a plurality of flat ridges are arranged alternately on a surface portion of one of the ring and the traveller for friction reduction. These micro recesses and grooves are formed by emitting an extremely-short pulse laser such as a femtosecond pulsed laser or through micro-etching technique. But, this chemical process and laser treatments are very expensive and time consuming which results in higher cost of the end product. Also, accumulation of dirt and wax will result in reduction of the frictional resistance effect.

Although the drawbacks of various heat dissipation systems long been recognized by various ring-traveller manufacturers, no traveller has so far been introduced, which would satisfy all the requirements by the mills. To overcome the drawbacks present in the existing art, the present invention describes a method and apparatus to manufacture a ring traveller with imprints to improve the heat dissipation and to reduce the air resistance thereby to improve the working performance and traveller life.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of the existing traveller.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved traveller with better cooling effect, which provides more life, better wear-out and less traveller weight loss.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ring traveller with imprints to enhance better heat dissipation and thereby enhancing the product life.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus to manufacture the ring travellers with imprints.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
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STATEMENT OF INVENTION
According to invention there is provided a method of manufacturing steel wires for preparing ring travellers with imprinted surface comprises the steps of drawing a rounded steel wires from spool and converting cross section from circular to rectangular shape by a pair of press roller wherein providing a plurality of grooves in bottom roller and also an apparatus for manufacturing steel wires for preparing ring travellers with imprinted surface comprises spool of package is mounted in the driven spool (4) of the unwinding unit (3) followed by tensioning means wherein pressing unit (51) comprises a pair of rollers and load is applied on the top roller to compress the steel wires passed through wherein bottom roller (52) is provided with a plurality of grooves (53).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 depicts a steel wire rolling process in accordance with the existing art.

Figure 1a depicts a pressing unit mounted in the rolling machine in accordance with the existing art.

Figure 2 depicts a spinning ring-traveller known in the existing art.

Figures 3 and 4 depict a spinning ring-traveller in accordance with the present invention

Figure 5 depicts a pressing roller arrangement in rolling machines to emboss imprints on the surface of the steel wires in accordance with the present invention.

Figures 5a and 5b depict the bottom rollers of the pressing roller arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 depicts an apparatus for bending machines to emboss imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 depicts a pressing unit to emboss various types of imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 depicts a pressing roller assembly to emboss imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 depicts a pressing roller assembly to emboss imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

Figure 1 depicts a steel wire rolling process (1) in accordance with the existing art. The steel wires (2) which are wound as a package is mounted in the spool (4) of the unwinding unit (3). A driving means such as motor (not shown) drives the spool (4) to unwind the wire without tension. A tensioning device (5) is provided to ensure the uniform tension during unwinding. The shape of the steel wires are usually circular in cross section. The round wires are fed into the pressing unit (6) to convert the cross section from circular to rectangular shape. The pressing unit (6) comprises a pair of rollers (7a, 7b) and load is applied on the top roller to compress the steel wires passed through. Surface of both top and bottom rollers (7a, 7b) are plain and smooth. The flattened wire is further fed into wire forming unit / pressing unit (11) to impart desired profile on at least one side of the steel wire (2). The wire delivered from the pressing unit (11) is wound on the take-up spool (9) mounted in the winding unit. The tension of the wire delivered from the pressing unit (11) is controlled by the tension control unit (8). When the predetermined length of the wire is wound on the spool (9), it is replaced by a new one.

Referring more specific into Figure 1a, said pressing roller arrangement (11) consists a top roller (12) and a bottom roller (13) which are made up of hardened steel. The top roller (12) consists a plurality of grooves (14) with different profiles like, half round, flat etc., and with different sizes of width. The surface of the bottom roller (13) is plain and smooth. The top and bottom rollers are rotatably mounted on the side cover (15a, 15b) of the pressing roller assembly. Said roller assembly is provided with handles (16a, 16b) to remove and replace the rollers whenever required. The pressure over the top roller is provided by the roller setting assembly (17). This pressing roller arrangement (11) is used to produce the steel wires with desired thickness, width and inner profile.

FIG – 2 shows the elliptical type ring-traveller (21) known in the existing art. The travellers are mostly made up of flattened steel wires which are bent in a form like “Bow”. The outer portion (22) of the traveller mostly have a flat surface and the inner portion (23) can be modified based on the shape of wire section (24) required. The end portion (25) of the travellers are referred as either Toe or Horn. The bow height, Toe gap, wire width, wire section and the shape of the travellers are major criteria which determines the performance of the travellers and yarn quality.

Figures 3 and 4 depict a spinning ring-traveller in accordance with the present invention. Referring more specific to Figure 3, the ring-traveller (31) consists a plurality of grooves (33) especially on the outer portion (32). Said grooves (33) are provided at the longitudinal direction of the traveller with a predetermined distance. Number of grooves shall be at least two and the maximum number of grooves is variable in accordance with the width of the traveller. The grooves are imprinted to the entire length of the traveller wire.

Figure 4 shows the ring-traveller (41) according to another embodiment of the present invention. Outer side (42) of the traveller consists plurality of grooves (43) especially on the upper part of the bow. Number of grooves (43) on the upper part of the bow is at least two and they can be placed in a predetermined distance (44) between each other. The length of the groove is arranged to the entire width of the traveller wire.

Figure 5 depicts the pressing roller arrangement (51) which describes the method of forming imprints on the surface of the travellers. According to the present invention, the plain bottom roller (13) known in the existing art is replaced by a bottom roller (52) with a plurality of grooves (53). Figure 5a and 5b describes the types of grooves (53a, 53b) provided in the bottom roller (52). The bottom roller shown in Figure 5a consists plurality of grooves (53a) and said grooves are arranged perpendicular to the central axis (54) of the bottom roller. Alternatively, the grooves can be provided in a longitudinal direction to the central axis (54) of the bottom roller as shown in Figure 5b. The grooves (53b) are provided with a predetermined distance. To form imprints on the surface of ring-travellers in longitudinal direction, roller (53a) is used. To form the imprints on the surface of travellers in perpendicular direction across width, roller (53b) is used.

Figure 6 depicts an apparatus (61) for bending machines to emboss imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The steel wire (62) processed in rolling machines is fed into the bending machine to cut and bend the steel wire to form the ring-travellers. The bending machines normally consists a feeding unit (63) to continuously feed the desired length of steel wires to cutting unit (65). The wire is guided into the cutting unit (65) through the guiding means (64). Normally, a catching unit is provided in between the feeding and cutting units to hold the wires while cutting. According to the present invention, the catching unit is replaced by an apparatus (71) for embossing the imprints for example grooves on the surface of steel wires. Said cutting unit (65) comprises a cutting tool (66) and a pressing means (67). A stamp (68) is provided in front of the pressing means (67). Said stamp (68) is used to form the ring-travellers with desired shape for example elliptical, C shape etc. Bending tools (70a, 70b) are provided to bend the steel wire (69) after cutting. The length of the steel wire (69) is selected based on the traveller type and size required. According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a pressing roller arrangement (81) can also be provided to emboss imprints on the steel wire surface.

Figure 7 depicts a pressing unit (71) to emboss various types of imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. A solid metal block (72) is movably mounted on the machine and a circular rod (73) is rigidly mounted on the block (72). At the other end of the rod (73), a stamp (74) is replaceably mounted with the aid of connecting means (75). The front portion of the stamp (74) consists a plurality of ridges (76a, 76b). The ridges can be provided in horizontal direction (76a) as shown in the figure 7a. Alternatively, the ridges can be provided in vertical direction (76b) as shown in the figure 7b. The whole pressing assembly (71) can be moved in forward and backward direction as shown by the arrow (77).

Figure 8 depicts a pressing roller assembly (81) to emboss various types of imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. The pressing roller assembly (81) consists a pair of rollers (82a, 82b). The top roller (82a) consists a plurality of ridges (83) and the bottom roller (82b) consists a plain and smooth surface (84). Probably, the plain surface (84) consists a curve to accommodate the inner profile of steel wire (62). The ridges (83) on the top roller (82a) are provided to emboss the imprints such as horizontal grooves on the surface of steel wire.

Figure 9 depicts a pressing roller assembly (91) to emboss various types of imprints on the surface of the travellers in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. The pressing roller assembly (91) consists a pair of rollers (92a, 92b). The top roller (92a) consists a plurality of ridges (93) in a predetermined distance and the bottom roller (92b) consists a plain and smooth surface (94). Probably, the plain surface (94) consists a curve to accommodate the inner profile of steel wire (62). The ridges (93) on the top roller (92a) are provided to emboss the imprints such as vertical grooves on the surface of steel wire.

In view of the present disclosure which describes preferred and best modes for providing Imprints over the traveller surface in textile machines, modifications and variations would present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Any modifications and variations coming within the meaning and range of equivalency are considered within the scope.
,CLAIMS:1. A method of manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface comprising the steps of drawing rounded wires from spool and converting cross section from circular to rectangular shape by a pair of pressing roller wherein the bottom roller of the pressing roller arrangement is provided with a plurality of grooves.

2. A method of manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim 1 wherein grooves are provided either in perpendicular direction to the central axis of the bottom roller or longitudinal direction to the central axis of the bottom roller with predetermined distance.

3. A method of manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim2 wherein embossing the imprints on the surface of wires by said pressing roller arrangement.

4. A method of manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim 1 wherein providing imprints on the outer surface of the travellers by solid metal block with stamp movably mounted on the pressing unit.

5. An apparatus for manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface comprising spool of package mounted in the driven spool (4) of the unwinding unit (3) followed by tensioning means (5);
pressing roller arrangement (51) with top and bottom rollers; and load is applied on the top roller to compress the wires passed through wherein said bottom roller (52) of pressing roller arrangement (51) is provided with a plurality of grooves (53).

6. An apparatus for manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim 5 wherein said grooves are arranged perpendicular to the central axis (54) of the bottom roller or the grooves are arranged in a longitudinal direction to the central axis (54) of the bottom roller with a predetermined distance.

7. An apparatus for manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim 6 wherein a solid metal block (72) is movably mounted on the machine and a circular rod (73) is rigidly mounted on the block (72) wherein at the other end of the rod (73), a stamp (74) is replaceable mounted with the aid of connecting means (75) and the front portion of the stamp (74) having a plurality of ridges (76a, 76b) and the whole pressing assembly (71) is movable in forward and backward direction.

8. An apparatus for manufacturing ring travellers with imprinted surface as claimed in claim 6 wherein a pressing roller assembly (81) to emboss various types of imprints on the surface of the travellers consisting of a pair of rollers (82a, 82b). wherein top roller (82a) is having a plurality of ridges (83) and the bottom roller (82b) having a plain and smooth surface (84).

9. A ring traveller prepared by method as claimed in claim 1 comprising different shapes of traveller as required is having at least two longitudinal grooves (33) on the outer portion of the bow at predermined distance along the entire width of the traveller.

10. A ring traveller prepared by method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said traveller is having at least two perpendicular grooves (43) on the upper part of the bow at predetermined distance along the entire width of the traveller.