GB1580426A - Spinning machines - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SPINNING MACHINES (71) We, JAMES MACKIE & SONS LlM- ITED, a British Company, of Albert Found ry, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT12 7ED, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pay that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- In the process of open-end spinning, the starting material, which may be either in the form of a sliver or rove needs to be separated into individual fibres before passing to the spining rotor. For this purpose it is first fed to a so-called opening roller which has a toothed or pinned surface and rotates at a surface speed greater than that of the sliver or rove.A complete spinning frame may include a considerable number of spinning heads assembled side by side, but for subassembly, erection and shipping purposes, it is convenient for the frame to be subdivided into units and a unit comprising a pair of spinning heads is found to be most suitable for such purposes and for convenient re-erection in the mill.

Each spinning head thus comprises a spinning rotor supplied with fibres from an opening roller and according to the present invention, the opening rollers of the two spinning heads constituting a unit are driven by a common electric motor forming part of the unit. Most simply, the electric motor is arranged between the two opening rollers with its shaft extending from both ends and connected directly to the two rollers.

This leads to considerable advantages over conventional belt drives since it avoids the need for associated belt dis-engaging and braking mechanisms and very high speed shafts for the opening rollers extending along the machine, all of which require accurate alignment along the length of the frame.

Since the electric motor is a self-contained part of the unit, no such problems arise and the fact that each motor drives two separate opening rollers leads to economy in this respect. Moreover, the use of an electric motor for the drive makes it a relatively simple matter to incorporate a braking system for each motor or groups of motors controlled from the machine control panel.

Electrical supplies to spinning frames are normally D.C. and the motors may be either of the D.C. type or of the A.C. type, being driven through an inverter in the latter case.

Since the driving motor can be quite small, the opening rollers of a unit can be mounted quite close together, the spinning rotors and hence the spinning heads as a whole, then being mounted at an equivalent spacing. The spacing between adjacent units however may be substantially greater than that between the spinning heads of each unit, thus allowing more space between the winding units, which is, in general, desirable. In particular, the spacing of the winding heads may be substantially uniform along the length of the frame. In a particular example, the spinning heads of each unit may be pitched ten inches apart with a space between adjacent units of eighteen inches.This leads to a pitch of fourteen inches between winding units, which is substantially uniform along the length of the frame; i.e. the pitch is the same between winding units of adjacent spinning units as between winding units of the same spinning unit. This lends itself readily to neat, compact sub-assemblies of the spinning heads.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of part of a spinning head, showing an opening roller with its cover removed and also the feed section to the opening roller; Figure 2 is a front view of part of a unit comprising a pair of adjacent spinning heads and showing an electric motor driving a pair of opening rollers; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a pair of adjacent spinning units and associated winding units forming part of a complete spinning frame.

Each of the opening rollers is shown as 11, turning in a housing 12 fixed by bolts 13 to an upright supporting bracket 14. Each of the rollers 11 is fixed directly to the shaft 16 of an electric motor 17 (seen in Figure 2) which is also fixed to the bracket 14. As can be seen from Figure 2, the shaft 16 extends at both ends of the casing of the motor 17 and carries the opening rollers 11.

A sliver or rove is fed to each of the opening rollers 11 by a feed section indicated generally at 20 in Figure 1. This is supported by a stand 21 attached to the bracket 14 and comprises a feed roller 24 together with its pressing roller 25, an apron 26 which passes round a roller 27 provided with a pressing roller 28 and also around a fixed nose portion 29.

The apron tensioned by a spring 31 has a support plate 30 and co-operates with a grooved guide plate 32 which acts as a conductor for the sliver or rove and in conjunction with the apron 26 leads it to an opening 33 in the casing 12 of the opening roller 11 and hence to the opening roller itself, as described and claimed in the copending application No. 52586/76 (Serial No. 1580427).

The spinning head also includes a stop motion comprising a pneumatic cylinder 58 which is fitted to a bracket 60 also mounted to the main support bracket 14. When an end breaks the piston which is connected to a bracket 62, pivoted at 28, and having a pin 63 extending across the face of the roller 25, is operated to pivot the bracket 62 so that the pin 63 traps the sliver against the roller 25 and forces it out of engagement with the roller 24. This is made possible by the fact that the bracket 38 carrying the pressing roller can be pivoted about the pins 38 and 40.

The stand 21 also carries a pivot bar 35 for a main pivoted arm 36 which applies loading pressure to the pressing rollers 25 and 28 which are carried by arms 38 and 39 pivoted together at 40. The arm 36 is held in the loaded position by a handle 42 and also applies loading pressure via a plunger 44 to the guide plate 32. It will thus be seen that virtually the complete feed section is mounted on the bracket 14 so that the components can be bench assembled away from the machine and each unit is easily replaceable.

Sliver or rove passes between the feed rollers 24 and 25 and thence between the apron 26 and the pressing roller 28. It is then controlled between the apron 26 and the guide plate 32 and passes via the opening 33 to the opening roller 11, leaving the opening roller 11 to pass down a duct 45 to the spinning rotor (not shown in Figure 2). The motor 17 and the two opening rollers 11 comprise a simple three-part assembly which can be removed as a whole or in parts and replaced as required.

All the basic components are shown in the view of Figure 3, the spinning rotors being shown as 50 mounted in housings 51 beneath the opening rollers 11 and delivering yarn 52 to winding units 53. As can be seen, the spacing between the opening rollers and rotor housings of an individual unit is considerably less than that between corresponding parts of adjacent units, thus allowing adequate room for the winding units 53 which are uniformly spaced along the length of the frame.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. Open-end spinning apparatus comprising a pair of spinning heads operating together as a unit and each comprising a spinning rotor supplied with fibres from an opening roller and in which the two opening rollers are driven by a common electric motor forming part of the unit.

2. Open-end spinning apparatus according to claim 1, in which the electric motor is arranged between the two opening rollers with its shaft extending from both ends and connected directly to the two rollers.

3. An open-end spinning frame comprising a number of units according to claim 1 or claim 2 arranged side-by-side with the spacing between adjacent units substantially greater than that between the spining heads of each unit and also including a winding head for each spinning head with the spacing between winding heads substantially uniform along the length of the frame.

4. Open-end spinning apparatus according to claim 1 substantially as described and as illustrated with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. 11, turning in a housing 12 fixed by bolts 13 to an upright supporting bracket 14. Each of the rollers 11 is fixed directly to the shaft 16 of an electric motor 17 (seen in Figure 2) which is also fixed to the bracket 14. As can be seen from Figure 2, the shaft 16 extends at both ends of the casing of the motor 17 and carries the opening rollers 11. A sliver or rove is fed to each of the opening rollers 11 by a feed section indicated generally at 20 in Figure 1. This is supported by a stand 21 attached to the bracket 14 and comprises a feed roller 24 together with its pressing roller 25, an apron 26 which passes round a roller 27 provided with a pressing roller 28 and also around a fixed nose portion 29. The apron tensioned by a spring 31 has a support plate 30 and co-operates with a grooved guide plate 32 which acts as a conductor for the sliver or rove and in conjunction with the apron 26 leads it to an opening 33 in the casing 12 of the opening roller 11 and hence to the opening roller itself, as described and claimed in the copending application No. 52586/76 (Serial No. 1580427). The spinning head also includes a stop motion comprising a pneumatic cylinder 58 which is fitted to a bracket 60 also mounted to the main support bracket 14. When an end breaks the piston which is connected to a bracket 62, pivoted at 28, and having a pin 63 extending across the face of the roller 25, is operated to pivot the bracket 62 so that the pin 63 traps the sliver against the roller 25 and forces it out of engagement with the roller 24. This is made possible by the fact that the bracket 38 carrying the pressing roller can be pivoted about the pins 38 and 40. The stand 21 also carries a pivot bar 35 for a main pivoted arm 36 which applies loading pressure to the pressing rollers 25 and 28 which are carried by arms 38 and 39 pivoted together at 40. The arm 36 is held in the loaded position by a handle 42 and also applies loading pressure via a plunger 44 to the guide plate 32. It will thus be seen that virtually the complete feed section is mounted on the bracket 14 so that the components can be bench assembled away from the machine and each unit is easily replaceable. Sliver or rove passes between the feed rollers 24 and 25 and thence between the apron 26 and the pressing roller 28. It is then controlled between the apron 26 and the guide plate 32 and passes via the opening 33 to the opening roller 11, leaving the opening roller 11 to pass down a duct 45 to the spinning rotor (not shown in Figure 2). The motor 17 and the two opening rollers 11 comprise a simple three-part assembly which can be removed as a whole or in parts and replaced as required. All the basic components are shown in the view of Figure 3, the spinning rotors being shown as 50 mounted in housings 51 beneath the opening rollers 11 and delivering yarn 52 to winding units 53. As can be seen, the spacing between the opening rollers and rotor housings of an individual unit is considerably less than that between corresponding parts of adjacent units, thus allowing adequate room for the winding units 53 which are uniformly spaced along the length of the frame. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. Open-end spinning apparatus comprising a pair of spinning heads operating together as a unit and each comprising a spinning rotor supplied with fibres from an opening roller and in which the two opening rollers are driven by a common electric motor forming part of the unit.

2. Open-end spinning apparatus according to claim 1, in which the electric motor is arranged between the two opening rollers with its shaft extending from both ends and connected directly to the two rollers.

3. An open-end spinning frame comprising a number of units according to claim 1 or claim 2 arranged side-by-side with the spacing between adjacent units substantially greater than that between the spining heads of each unit and also including a winding head for each spinning head with the spacing between winding heads substantially uniform along the length of the frame.

4. Open-end spinning apparatus according to claim 1 substantially as described and as illustrated with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.