Tilting Piston Thread Brake for Double-Wire Twisting Spindle

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing two-for-one twisting spindles with thread brakes face issues of limited adjustability in thread pretension, leading to potential thread breakage due to excessive tension from anomalies like knots or dust lumps, and require significant space and complex threading mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A thread brake design where the upper piston is guided with play within the housing, allowing it to tilt and give way laterally when anomalies occur, combined with adjustable spring elements and a pneumatic lower piston for easy threading, using wear-resistant materials to prevent jamming and facilitate smooth operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the upper piston is guided without play in the housing, then the braking force is stable and consistent, but thread anomalies cause strong tension increases and thread breakage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethread breakage preventionVSAvoidthread tension control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The upper piston is designed with play in the housing, allowing it to move dynamically from a central position to a tilted position when thread anomalies occur. This dynamic adjustment prevents thread breakage by accommodating knots, slubs, and dust lumps without causing excessive tension, while maintaining stable braking force during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Force

If multiple brake ball devices are arranged one behind the other to achieve higher prestresses, then the braking force increases, but the installation space and threading complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebraking forceVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple braking functions are merged into a single compact thread brake housing. The design integrates an upper piston with an upper braking surface and a lower piston with a lower braking surface, both acting on a single brake ball, thereby achieving high braking force without requiring multiple separate brake ball devices arranged in series.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the upper piston is designed to tilt and move laterally when anomalies occur, then thread breakage is prevented, but the guiding mechanism becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethread breakage preventionVSAvoidguiding mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guiding mechanism for the upper piston employs a simple play-based design within the housing, allowing lateral movement and tilting without complex guide structures. This minimalistic approach enables the piston to accommodate thread anomalies while avoiding the complexity of elaborate guiding mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design effectively prevents thread breakage by allowing the upper piston to automatically adjust to thread anomalies, ensuring consistent tension and easy threading while minimizing design complexity and space requirements.

Implementation Method 1

an upper piston, which is acted upon by a spring element and which is equipped with a first, upper braking surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

The lower piston, onto which a second braking surface is integrated, can be lifted by a pneumatic actuator into a threading position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPneumatics:

Implementation Method 3

two cylinders that slide telescopically into one another and are pressed apart by a spring element rest with their ball-shaped ends on braking surfaces and clamp the thread running through

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2336408B1Double-strand twisting spindle with a yarn tension device
Publication Date: 2015.06.10 SAURER GERMANY GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2336408B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2336408B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP2336408B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

The invention relates to a thread brake for a double-wire twisting spindle with a brake element mounted in the region of a hollow axis of the spindle between an upper and a lower braking surface, wherein the braking force can be defined and predetermined via the preload of at least one spring element acting on an axially displaceable upper piston in which the upper braking surface is integrated, and the thread brake can be pneumatically released for the insertion of a thread. According to the invention, the upper piston (27) accommodating the upper braking surface (28) is designed and guided with clearance (S) within a housing (16) of the thread brake (14) such that, if necessary, it can move into a position (I) in which its central longitudinal axis (37) forms an angle (α) with the central longitudinal axis (38) of the housing (16).