Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H18/00—Needling machines
  • D04H18/02—Needling machines with needles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a brush conveyor. It also targets a needling machine equipped with this conveyor.
• Document FR-A-2 217 460 discloses a needling machine comprising an endless band furnished with bristles which rests, under a needling assembly, on a horizontally movable pad ensuring a support function.
• This endless band can be made up of separate links hinged together and acting as supports for the bristles.
• This configuration is not suitable for needling machines equipped with a conveyor comprising a set of contiguous brushes and does not solve the problem actually encountered of a double brush tilting movement during needling and cleaning.
• the object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a brush conveyor for a velvet needling machine which makes it possible to obtain an isotropic product without lineage.
• a brush conveyor comprising a set of contiguous brushes arranged in transverse rows, means for driving this set of brushes so as to constitute on the upper face of the conveyor a conveying plane in a predetermined direction of movement, each brush comprising a body comprising on its upper face holes provided for each receiving a tuft of bristles and on its lower face, means for connecting this brush to the drive means, these drive means comprising several belts or drive chains parallels placed between at least two drive rollers and whose drive direction is common and this conveyor further comprising means for directly supporting the bodies of the brushes constituting the conveying plane.
• the support means comprise a support table comprising several flat support parts separated by spaces intended to receive the belts or drive chains, and to each transverse row of pins, there is associated a connecting rail s extending over the entire depth of the conveyor, arranged perpendicular to the direction of displacement and fixed to belts or drive chains.
• the play of the brushes is considerably reduced during needling.
• the distance between the drive means and the body of the brushes it contributes to reducing the harmful effects of rocking of these brushes.
• the brush bodies are both held transversely with respect to one another thanks to the connecting rails and at the same time supported vertically by a support table.
• the conveyor further comprises means for holding the brushes constituting the conveying plane against the support table so that the lower faces of the bodies of these brushes are kept in constant contact with the parts of support, which is not at all the case on current systems.
• the holding means can comprise magnetic attraction means, and the lower faces of the brush bodies and the support table comprise parts made of ferromagnetic material.
• the support table has perforations and that the holding means comprise means for creating a depression through the perforations of the support table.
• a velvet needling machine comprising a brush conveyor according to one of the preceding claims and means for needling a sheet of fibers supported and driven by the conveyor, these needling means cooperating with the conveyor brushes to drive fibers of the web in the tufts of bristles of these brushes.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a brush conveyor fitted to a needling machine according to the invention
• - Figure 2 shows an example of mounting brushes used in a needling machine according to the invention
• - Figure 3 shows an example of rail used for mounting the brushes
• - Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of a transverse row of brushes illustrating a particular method of fixing a brush to a drive belt in a needling machine according to the invention
• - Figure 5A shows a first method of holding the brushes against a support table, using permanent magnets arranged in the brushes;
• FIG. 5B shows a second holding mode, using permanent magnets arranged in the connecting rail and keys of rectangular section
• - Figure 5C shows a third holding mode using magnets arranged in the connecting rail and keys of circular section; and - Figure 6 shows a fourth method of holding the brushes against a support table, using a vacuum system.
• a brush conveyor 1 comprises a drive device comprising, for example, two drive cylinders 15, 1S around which are placed belts 3-6 or any other equivalent means such as chains.
• the movement of these belts defines a direction of movement D and the upper plane space existing between the two cylinders 15, 16 constitutes a conveying plane D which has the function of supporting and entraining a layer of fibers during the needling operation.
• This conveying plane includes a set 2 of brushes 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180 arranged in transverse rows 200, 201, 202 perpendicular to the direction of movement D.
• the brushes 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180 have their bodies 122, 132, 142, 152, 162, 172, 182 in direct contact with a support table S substantially planar and horizontal, and the tufts of bristles 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, 171, 181, 32 regularly implanted in receiving holes 33 on the upper faces of the brushes produce a homogeneous and isotropic assembly in which the needles will penetrate alternately.
• the support table S is in practice made up of several support parts 7, 8, 9, 10 separated by spaces or interstices extending parallel to the direction of movement D and designed to accommodate the drive belts 3, 4, 5, 6 which in practice come flush with the support parts.
• the bodies 122, 132, 142, 152, 162, 172, 182 of the brushes are secured by a connecting rail 30 (FIG. 2) common to all the brushes and itself fixed to the drive belts by fastening devices 20.
• the brushes 25, 26, 27 of this conveyor include each a recess made at their lower face and making a slide, extending longitudinally in the main axis of each brush and designed to receive a connecting rail 30 having in practice a structure of the profiled type.
• Each fixing device 20 has a length substantially equal to the width of a belt 3, , with reference to Figures 2 and 4, so that it does not impede the flow of this belt within the separator space. It comprises a part 43 inserted in a free space inside the connecting rail 30 and made integral with the latter by three transverse rods 40, 41, 42. This part 43 is designed to receive two nuts 24, 28 corresponding to two screws 21, 27 tightening the belt 3 between on the one hand, a tooth 29 of the belt pierced with two holes for the passage of the screws and placed under the belt 3, and on the other hand, the underside of the connecting rail 30. This fixing device 20 thus makes it possible to fix the connecting rail 30 to the belt 3.
• the other brushes are also driven by means of the mechanical connection of the brushes on the same transverse row which is provided by the presence of the connecting rail. With this method of attachment, the lower faces of the bodies of the brushes 27, 25, 26 can be in direct contact with the support parts 7, 8, which contributes to significantly improving the stability of these brushes during needling.
• a first embodiment of this support consists in implementing well-known magnetic attraction effects.
• the magnetic attraction effects between the magnets and the ferromagnetic table will generate attraction forces of direction substantially normal to the plane of the support table. Provision can also be made to place permanent magnets on the support table, for example in the form of ribbons or strips or any other form, and to produce brush bodies made of ferromagnetic material.
• permanent magnets 56 are arranged in the interior space 50 of the connecting rail 30, the support table 55 always being made of ferromagnetic material.
• magnets 56 are also arranged inside the connecting rail 59, the latter and the brush bodies being arranged to receive keys 58/1, 58/2 having a circular section. This embodiment offers the advantage of automatic lateral play adjustment.
• a fourth embodiment of an active maintenance of the brushes against the support table consists in implementing a vacuum attraction, as illustrated in FIG. 6.
• a vacuum generating device 67 comprises a suction device is placed under a support table 65 provided with perforations 66.
• a depression is thus created on the surface of the support table 65. This depression must be adjusted to ensure correct maintenance of the brush bodies 61 during the needling operations.
• the holding means 52, 53; 67 cooperate with the connecting means 50; 60 to ensure the greatest stability to the brush bodies when they are subjected both to driving forces transmitted by the belts and by the connecting rails and to alternative needling forces.
• the brush conveyor 1 which has just been described can advantageously be used in a velvet needling machine, but it can also be used in other industrial equipment requiring a conveying surface having a brush-like surface condition.
• the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention.
• the optimal arrangement of permanent magnets can be determined based on electromagnetic calculations.
• multiple variants can be provided for the method of fixing the brush bodies to the belts or drive chains.
• the shape of the brushes, the density of bristles, the organization of the brushes in the conveying plane, as well as their method of assembly do not constitute limitations to the scope of the present invention.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
• Belt Conveyors (AREA)
• Chain Conveyers (AREA)
• Binders And Loading Units For Sheaves (AREA)
• Pens And Brushes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9475066

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Families Citing this family (15)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1995
  • 1995-01-12 FR FR9500292A patent/FR2729403B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1996
  • 1996-01-12 KR KR1019970704761A patent/KR19980701372A/ko not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-01-12 US US08/860,822 patent/US5819383A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-01-12 EP EP96901382A patent/EP0802999B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-12 CA CA002212936A patent/CA2212936A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-01-12 WO PCT/FR1996/000051 patent/WO1996021762A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1996-01-12 ES ES96901382T patent/ES2136385T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-12 AT AT96901382T patent/ATE183258T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-01-12 DE DE69603704T patent/DE69603704T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-01-12 JP JP8521486A patent/JPH10511920A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-01-12 CN CN96192314A patent/CN1077170C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-16 TW TW085100455A patent/TW294642B/zh active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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