GB2057522A

GB2057522A - Carding machine

Info

Publication number: GB2057522A
Application number: GB8027264A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: FLLI MARZOLI AND C SpA
Current assignee: FLLI MARZOLI AND C SpA
Priority date: 1979-08-31
Filing date: 1980-08-21
Publication date: 1981-04-01
Also published as: FR2464316A1; DE3032477A1; IT7925419A0; IT1122933B; DE8022984U1; BR8005514A

Abstract

The invention relates to a carding machine comprising a first rotating roller (23) provided with saw tooth clothing and mounted between the taker-in (14), the flats (24) and the carding swift (19), with its axis parallel to these members, and a second rotating roller (18) provided with saw tooth clothing and mounted in the lower part between the taker-in and carding swift, with its axis parallel to the carding members. The two rollers are adjustable independently in a horizontal plane and in a vertical plane, and they rotate at a speed much less than the speed of the taker- in and carding swift, in the same or opposite direction to this latter. Profiled elements (35, 36) are provided inserted in the spaces (33, 34) between the two rotating rollers (18, 23), the taker-in (14) and the carding swift (19). Before being conveyed from the carding swift to the flats, the fibres are taken up by the two rotating rollers and taker-in respectively, and are thus given a perfect opening, mixing and parallelisation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A carding machine This invention relates to a carding machine.

The card occupies a well known essential and dominating position in the spinning process.

Its main functions are as follows: - to break down the material supplied by the machine bank into individual fibres; - to separate the impurities which still exist in the fibrous material; - to convert said material into a sliver suitable for subsequent processing.

To do this, the card is composed of a roller, for example a grooved roller known as the feeder, which suppiies the material in the form of a web to a first roller known as the taker-in, which is fitted with saw tooth clothing and has the purpose of opening the material and separating it into fibres, so eliminating part of the impurities. The fibres are taken-up by a second roller known as the carding swift, which is also fitted with saw tooth clothing but of different characteristics from that of the taker-in, the fibres then being conveyed under the mobile clothed flats, tangential to the carding swift, said fibres becoming straightened by virtue of the difference between the peripheral speed of the swift and the speed of movement of the flats.

A third roller, known as the doffer and fitted with saw tooth clothing, discharges the fibres from the carding swift to a device known as the web remover, which can for example comprise a grooved roller and a blade tangential to said roller, and separates the fibres from the doffer to transform them into a web which when passed into a funnel and under a pair of calenders is converted into a sliver and is collected in a container.

At the present time, because of high raw material cost, the spinner tends to lower the raw material quality (reduced cost) but without prejudicing the yarn quality. A conventional carding machine, formed as heretofore described, has drawbacks which can be summarised as follows: - insufficient fibre opening, with the formation of neps which prejudice the uniformity and consequently the quality of the yarn; - inadequate sliver cleaning with consequent increase in yarn breakage in the spinning machines, especially in open end spinning machines, thus leading to a lower yield; - imperfect parallelisation of the fibres, with the consequence of increasing the number of passages in the next machine, and thus the yarn cost.

In eliminating part of the aforesaid drawbacks, it has been sought to increase the taker-in speed or to apply a second taker-in with a peripheral speed slightly less than the first taker-in, and disposed either in series therewith or between this latter and the flats, or in the lower part between this latter taker-in and the carding swift. It has also been sought to couple together two -cards to form a tandem card.

All these methods have led to further drawbacks such as an increase in the amount of good fibres in the waste, and to partial fibre breakage with consequent reduction in the yarn strength, plus increased operating costs.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a carding machine which not only obviates the aforesaid drawbacks but also offers mixing of materials either of the same type but of different length and fineness or degree of maturity, or of different colour or different type, with a high degree of fibre parallelisation.

This object is attained according to the invention by a carding machine provided with a feeder roller, taker-in, carding swift, mobile flats, doffer, web removal device and collector, comprising a first rotating roller fitted with saw tooth clothing mounted between the taker-in, the flats and the carding swift with its axis parallel to the carding members; and a second rotating roller fitted with saw tooth clothing and mounted in the lower part between the taker-in and the carding swift with its axis parallel to the carding members.

These two rotating rollers can rotate independently of each other either in the same direction or in the opposite direction to the carding swift, and in addition their position can be suitably adjusted both in the vertical and horizontal directions in order to vary the respective distances between themselves, the taker-in and the carding swift.

The peripheral speed of the two rotating rollers is very low, and lies between 0.1 and 3 m/s, while the peripheral speed of the taker-in lies between 10 and 20 m/s and that of the carding swift between 1 6 and 32 m/s. The flats have a movement speed of between 0.001 and 0.004 m/s.

The saw tooth clothing is mounted on the two rotating rollers, and has a population (number of points per square centimetre) of between 30 and 70, whereas the population of the taker-in lies between 4 and 9. In contrast, the population of the carding swift and flats is chosen in relation to the diameter of the fibres to be carded.

The main functions of the two rollers according to the invention are: - to perfectly preset the quantity of fibres conveyed by the carding swift by varying the distance between said rollers and the carding swift - to card by virtue of the fact that the fibres gripped between the cloth of said rollers and of the carding swift undergo parallelisation because of the considerable difference both in the population of the clothing and in the speed and direction of rotation of the two elements - and to provide perfect mixing by virtue of the fact that the excess fibres from the taker-in are taken up by the two rollers and fed to the carding swift at different times, said swift then conveying them, these fibres coming into contact with those conveyed by the feeder roller to give mixing in two passages.In this respect, if on the first passage the fibres are not perfectly opened, parallelised and mixed by the upper roller, and they are conveyed to the lower roller by means of the taker-in, and this happens repeatedly until the aforesaid functions have been performed. In addition, in the spaces between the two rotating rollers, the taker-in and the carding swift, triangular elements with curved sides are advantageously mounted, their purpose being to facilitate fibre passage by means of the air current created by rotating said members and especially by the high speed of the carding swift, and to prevent any accumulation of fibres in said spaces.

These elements can be adjustable.

The carding machine thus provided possesses all the characteristics for obtaining a sliver of excellent quality.

Futher characteristics and advantages will be apparent from the description of one embodiment illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the carding machine according to the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed view showing the two rotating rollers, the feeder, the taker-in and part of the carding swift; Figure 3 is a partly sectional view of one embodiment of the means for adjusting the two rollers in a vertical and horizontal direction; and Figure 4 is a view of one embodiment of the drive means for the two rollers.

Figure 1 shows the card according to the invention, in which the web 11 is unwound from a reel by direct contact against an unwinding roller 12, and is fed to a feeder roller 13 which gives it up to the taker-in 14 which is rotating more quickly than the roller 13. The web 11 is opened and separated into fibres so that the impurities are removed by means of the two knives 1 5 and 15' and the grid 1 6.

A certain quantity of fibres passes from the taker-in 14 through the aperture 17 formed by the taker-in 14 and roller 18, and is carried by this latter roller to the carding swift 19. The excess of fibres is again taken up by said roller 18, which is fitted with saw tooth clothing and rotates at a much lower speed so that the fibres remain adhering to it.

The fibres re-taken by the roller 1 8 pass into the aperture 20 formed between said roller 18 and the carding swift 19, are re-taken by the carding swift 19 which rotates quickly, and receive a first parallelisation both because of the different population of the clothing and because of the considerable difference in speed between the two members.

The fibres carried by the carding swift 1 9 enter the aperture 21 formed between the carding swift 19 and the taker-in 14, and here comes into contact with those conveyed by the taker-in, with the result that mixing takes place.

The assembly of fibres is conveyed into the aperture 22 formed between the roller 23 and carding swift 19, which allows a certain quantity of open, parallelised and mixed fibres to pass, while the excess unopened, non-parallelised and unmixed part is re-taken by the clothed rotating roller 23, and returned to the taker-in 14 and then.

to the roller 18.

In the aperture 22, the fibres which have previously not been perfectly parallelised are now straightened both because of the different population of the clothing and because of the considerable difference in speed between the roller 23 and carding swift 19. The upper roller 23 which perfectly parallelises those fibres not previously straightened has a further very important purpose, i.e. to retain inside the clothing any impurities or foreign bodies which could damage the subsequent processing stages, and to safeguard the clothing both of the carding swift and of the flats and doffer.

The fibres conveyed by the carding swift 19 and leaving the aperture 22 are positioned with their axis perpendicular to the axis of the carding swift 19, and receive their final carding as they pass under the mobile flats 24.

The fibres then pass on to the doffer 25 which rotates slowly, and from here they are removed by a web removing unit composed for example of a grooved roller 26 and blade 17, and are condensed into a very thin web.

The web then passes into a funnel 28 which transforms it into a sliver. This sliver is then drawn in a drawing unit 29, and from here it reaches a deviation roller 30 and a distributor 31 which deposits it in a collection container 32.

Two elements 35 and 36 in the form of a triangle with curved sides are disposed in the spaces 33 and 34 formed between the taker-in 14, the rollers 18 and 23 and the carding swift 19.

The purpose of said elements 35 and 36 is to facilitate passage of the fibres between the rollers 18 and 23, the taker-in 14 and the carding swift 1 9 by means of the air currents created by the rotation of said members, and to prevent any excessive grouping of fibres in the spaces 33 and 34.

The apertures 17, 20, 22 and 37 are adjusted by varying the position of the rollers 18 and 23 both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction.

In this respect, to vary the position in a horizontal direction (see Figure 3), the roller 1 8 is mounted on two supports 38, one on each side (for ease of representation it is shown on the left hand side of the machine in Figure 3). Each support is connected to a right angled support 41 by the screws 39 and 40. The support 38 has two longitudinal slots 42 and 43 through which the screws 39 and 40 pass, so that the support can be moved towards the right or left (with reference to the drawing) according to whether it is required to move the roller 18 towards or away from the carding swift 19.

To vary the position in a vertical direction, the support 41 is connected to the machine frame 46 by two screws 44 and 45.

The support 41 has two slots 47 and 48, and its height is adjusted in the same manner by moving the support 41 either upwards or downwards.

The position of the roller 23 is varied in the same manner. The support and adjustment members for this roller are indicated with the same reference numerals.

Figure 3 also shows the support 49 carrying the taker-in 14, which is connected to the machine frame 46 by the screws 50 and 51, and the support 52 carrying the carding swift 1 9, which is connected to the machine frame 46 by the screws 53 and 54.

Figure 4 shows one example of the drive means for the rollers 18 and 23.

A geared motor 55 rotates a star gear 56 at low speed, and this by way of the chain 57 rotates the star gears 58 and 59 mounted on the shafts 60 and 61 of the rollers 23 and 18. A tensioning device 62 mounted on a support 63 is connected to the machine frame 46 by two screws 64 and 65, and is adjustable by means of the two slots 66 and 67. It should be noted that the rollers 1 8 and 23 can be rotated by a drive comprising belts and linkages, deriving either from the feeder roller 1 3 or from the taker-in 14.

The peripheral speed of the rollers 1 8 and 23 is very low, its value being between 0.1 and 3 m/s, whereas that of the taker-in lies between 10 and 20 m/s, and that of the carding swift between 1 6 and 32 m/s. The flats have a movement speed of between 0.001 and 0.004 m/s.

The clothing mounted on the rollers 1 8 and 23 is of the rigid type having a population (number of points per square centimetre) of between 30 and 70, whereas that on the taker-in 14 has a population of between 4 and 9.

In contrast, the population of the carding swift 1 9 and flats 24 is chosen according to requirements based on the nominal diameter of the fibres to be carded.

It should be noted that the taker-in 14 in the card according to the invention has a greater diameter than that of conventional cards, and the rollers 1 8 and 23 have a diameter less than that of the taker-in 14.

The carding machine according to the invention, as heretofore described, has the following advantages: - high fibre parallelisation due to the fact that the carding points have been increased; mixing of fibres, even of different colour, to give a "melangeuse" sliver because of the various passages which the fibres carry out between the upper roller, the taker-in and the lower roller and carding swift; - greater cleaning of the exit sliver and reduction in wastage of good fibres due to the retaking of the fibres by the two rollers 18 and 23; - greater life of the flat, carding swift and doffer clothing, because of the fact that the fibres arriving are already positioned, and any impurities are retained between the clothing of the upper roller 23; ; - greater yield; sliver having a nearly uniform diameter and a very low variation in the count (sliver weight per unit length).

Claims

1. A carding machine composed of a feeder, a taker-in, a carding swift and a plurality of mobile flats, a doffer, a web remover device and a collection device, comprising a first rotating roller fitted with saw tooth carding and mounted between the taker-in, the flats and the carding swift with its axis parallel to these members, and a second rotating roller fitted with saw tooth clothing and mounted in the lower part between the taker-in and the carding swift with its axis parallel to the carding members, in such a manner that before being conveyed by the carding swift to the flats the fibres are repeatedly retaken both by said rotating rollers and by the taker-in, so that they receive perfect opening, mixing and parallelisation.

2. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position of the two rotating rollers is adjustable in a horizontal plane independently of each other.

3. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position of the two rotating rollers is adjustable in a vertical plane independently of each other.

4. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of points on the clothing per square centimetre of the two rotating rollers is greater than that of the taker-in, and preferably lies between 30 and 70.

5. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotational speed of the two rotating rollers is much less than the speed either of the taker-in or of the carding swift, and preferably lies between 0.1 and 3 m/s.

6. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two rollers rotate in the same direction as the carding swift.

7. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two rollers rotate in the opposite direction to the carding swift.

8. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower roller rotates in the same direction as the carding swift, whereas the upper roller rotates in the opposite direction to the carding swift.

9. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower roller rotates in the opposite direction to the carding swift, whereas the upper roller rotates in the same direction as the carding swift.

10. A carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein profiled elements are disposed in the spaces between the two rotating rollers, the takerin and the carding swift.

11. A carding machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the profiled elements are in the form of a triangle with curved sides.

12. A carding machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the position of the profiled elements is adjustable.