US1819661A - Connecting conveyer device for handling fibrous material in process of manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 18, 1931. as. SUMMERS ETAL 1,819,661

CONNECTING CONVEYER DEVICE FOR HANDLING FIBROUS MATERIAL IN PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE Filed May 29, 1929 Patented Aug. 18, 1931' IBERTRAND S. SUMMERS, O1? EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, AND HERBERT T. HEATH, OF

GARDENAS, CUBA.

connnc'rrne CONVEYER nnvrcn FOR HANDLING FIBBOUS MATERIAL IN rnocnss or MANUFACTURE Application filed May 29,

Our invention relates specifically to a device for receiving cordage fibers, such as manila and sisal, from a decorticator or cleaning device and placing it on a conveyer mechanism crossways of the conveyer, so that it can be subsequently properly handled and treated as desired.

Decorticating and cleaning mechanism are manufactured on what is known as the cross feed type; that is, the leaves or stems to be cleaned are placed crossways of a chain or conveying mechanism which carries them through the cleaning drums or devices. hen emerging from the said conveying devices,

the butt ends protrude a little a small distance on one side of the chain and are stiff enough to remain in horizontal position. The tip or tapering ends of the fibers, due to the action of the cleaning mechanism, emerge from said machine in substantially a vertical position. For convenience in subsequent handling it is necessary that the said fiber lie in a horizontal plane capable of being delivered onto a conveyer mechanism in this position.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a conveyer device adapted for use between a decorticator and a squeezer, for example, which device will funcac tion to receive fibers from the decorticator in a vertical position and gradually move the fibers to a crosswise horizontal position to be delivered in this fashion to said squeezer.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general side, elevational View of the device arranged between the discharge end of a decorticator and the charging end of a0 a squeezer;

Figure 2 is a general plan View; and,

Figure 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the pulleys.

To accomplish the purposes of this invention, we provide a frame, on one end of which is mounted a shaft 2 holding in horizontal planes numerous superposed, small pulleys or sheaves 3 running idly on the vertical shaft 2. On the other end of the frame is mounted a horizontal shaft 4 on which are 1929. seen No. 366,858.

mounted spaced pulleys 5 running in vertical planes. On the front of the frame is mounted an angle 6, which supports a plurality of spaced, vertical stub shafts 7 on the ends of each of which is mounted an idler pulley 8, the said vertical stub shafts being capable of turning on their axes to take the direction of endless ropes to be described. These endless ropes are shown at 9 and run from the vertical sheaves 3 to the pulleys 5 on the horizontal shaft and then around the idlerpulleys S and back to the sheaves on the vertical shaft. It is to be understood that one idler 8 is provided for each rope or flexible element 9. g The horizontal shaft 4 is suitably actuated and the individual endless ropes 9 run from a vertical plane upward and outward to the pulleys located on the horizontal shaft, the longest rope being the farthest out from the cleaning machine. The diameters of these pulleys 5 are varied so that the ropes have substantially the same rate of travel, said pulleys 5 all being on the horizontal shaft l, which may be actuated by a sprocket 10.

The fiber, hanging vertically and carried alongside the chain 11 of the cleaning ma chine which appears diagrammatically at 15, is carried around and over the vertical idler pulleys by a shield 12 and is then caught by the several ropes 9 and lifted from the vertical plane to thehorizontal plane, and simultaneously the ends are being carried outwardly from the cleaning machine chain and, when finally released by the cleaning machine chain about midway or beyond of the separating device, the fiber is laid evenly and horizontally on the ropes and is then delivered onto an apron 13 on which it slides down and is laid on a conveyer apron 14, which may lead, for example, to a squeezer.

In this way, the fiber is raised from a ver-.-

tical position and spread outwardly and deliveredj in the desired condition for subsequent operation.

Figure 3 is a detail view of one of the pulleys 5 on the horizontal shaft and is given a peculiar shape to receive the ropes at the rather obtuse angle at which it contacts with the drive pulleys. Each of these pulleys includes a flared part 5, a rope groove 5*,

and a relatively wide inclined skirt 5, a hub 5 with a set screw hole 5 for receiving a screw to lock the pulleys to the shaft 4:; and, lastly, an opening 5 in the skirt, to give access to the set screw hole described.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. The combination with a device for mov ing vertically suspended fibers along a horizontal path to a point of discharge, of a conveyer for receiving said fibers, said conveyer comprising a vertical idler shaft at one end of the conveyer carrying a series of spaced idler pulleys, a horizontal driven shaft at the other end of the conveyer carrying a series of spaced driven pulleys, means for driving the latter shaft and pulleys, and a series of endless spaced rope conveyer elements trained around the pulleys, the pulleys on the driven shaft increasing in size from one end of the shaft to the other whereby the fibers are moved from their initial vertical position and gradually turned to horizontal position to cause the fibers to move in parallel transverse lines to a point of discharge.

2. The combination with a device for moving vertically suspended fibers along a horizontal path to a point of discharge, of a conveyer for receiving said fibers, said conveyer comprising a vertical idler shaft at one end of the conveyer carrying a. series of spaced idler pulleys, a horizontal driven shaft at the other end of the conveyer carrying a series of spaced driven pulleys, means for driving the latter shaft and pulleys, a series of endless spaced rope conveyer elements trained around the pulleys, the pulleys on the driven shaft increasing in size from one end of the shaft to the other whereby the fibers are moved from their initial vertical positions and gradually turned to horizontal positions to cause the fibers to move in parallel transverse lines to a point of discharge,

a support adjacent the driven shaft and pulleys, and swiveling idlers on said support for guiding the rope conveyer elements.

In testimony whereof we affiX our signatures.

BERTRAND S. SUMMERS. HERBERT T. HEATH.

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