US1982414A - Extension drive for breaker-lapper - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27', 1934.

A. J. BLACKWOOD ET AL EXTENSION DRIVE FOR BREAKERLAPPER I 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Filed Nov. 24, 1930 ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1934. BLACKWOOD ET AL 1,982,414

EXTENSION DRIVE FOR BREAKER-LAPPER Filed Nov. 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS w BY ATTORNEY Nmw Patented Nov. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES EXTENSION DRIVE FOR BREAKER-LAPPER Arthur J. Blackwood, Cooleemee, and Carl R. Harris, Durham, N. 0.

Application November 24, 1930, Serial No. 497,914

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in cotton picking machinery and it consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for producing laps of approximately uniform weight so that the finished laps will weigh .so nearly the same that there will be no perceptible difference.

'Another object of the invention is to avoid a tandem connection of eveners, but to make the connection in series so that a succession of breaker-lappers may be put under such progressive and cumulative control that a lap of substantial uniform weight will always be produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lapper system which is flexible in the sense that a progressive control of succeeding breakers occurs from front to back of the system but not from back to front, this producing a very even or uniform finished lap and practically preventing the breaking of the lap as would be the case if an increase of speed were communicated to all of the eveners at once.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a lapper for one-process picking comprising a plurality of serially connected eveners and as many breakers with but one hopper for the purpose of establishing the mutual control of the eveners and the production of laps which are uniform as to weight per unit length;

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a, side elevation'of the improved one-process lapper, particularly illustrating the cone extension drives by means of which progressive control of the breakers is effected from front to back (left to right) of the machine.

Figures 2 and 3 are similar views of the lapper drawn on a somewhat larger scale and intended to be connected on the lines 1-2, l2.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal section of the evener of one of the breakers.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 4 illustrating a known evener construction. g

As already indicated in the foregoing brief statements of the invention, the object is to pro- 50 vide a lapper for producing cotton laps so nearly equal in weight per unit length that there will be no perceptible difference in weight in a run of such laps. A breaker-lapper, as the machine is familiarly known, is a contrivance for reduc- 55 ing large masses of cotton to tufts and so assembling or combining these as to produce a bat or lap of substantially uniform thickness and width.

There is a number of known arrangements for producing laps but the prevailing difliculty is the uncertainty of producing laps of even weight per unit length. The practice is to cut off the lap in fifty yard or any other desired lengths. Sometimes these laps will weigh fifty pounds, that is to say one pound per yard, and sometimes they will weigh perhaps fifty-three, fifty-six, etc. pounds.

The use of what is known as an evener has been contemplated in connection with lappers, but even these have not effected a relief from the production of non-uniform laps. This nonuniformity in a run of laps is highly undesirable because of certain trade and manufacturing requirements.

The remedy herein contemplated is to provide a one-process lapper 1 consisting of a hopper 2, primary breaker-lapper 3, intermediate breakerlapper 4 and finishing breaker-lapper 5 in which the respective eveners 6, '7 and 8 are serially connected so that there may be a progressive controlling effect from front to back (left to right) of the lapper 1. The hopper 2 is regarded as the back of the lapper, while the finishing breaker 5 is regarded as the front because it is here where the finished lap appears.

It is the serial connection of the eveners 6, 7 and 8 that constitutes the invention. A main drive shaft 9 has a beltor other connection 10 on the far side of the lapper with a spiral gear train 11 on the near side that terminates at and drives a lay shaft which consists of sections 12, 13 and 14. The respective shaft sections carry cone pulleys 15, 16 and 17 which function both as drive and driven pulleys for the successive eveners.

To the latter end, the pulleys 15, 16 and 17 are beltedat 18, 19 and20 to corresponding cone pulleys 21, 22 and 23. The function of the respective eveners 8, '7 and 6 is to shift the belts either to the left or right thus to increase or diminishthe speed of the respective feed apron 24 (Fig. 4) and feed rolls 32 and 33 with which each breaker is equipped. If the speed increases, there will be a quickening of the feeding of cotton so as to increase the thickness of the lap, or if there be a decrease in speed, there will be a slowing of the feeding of cotton with a consequent reduction in the thickness of the lap;

Although each evener comprises a known construction a brief description thereof is necessarily given:--The apron 24 (confining the present description to the breaker 3) is trained over rollers 25, 26 (Fig. 4), the first of which is driven by gearing 27 from the shaft 28 of the cone pulley 23. A shaft similar to 28 is extended from the ends of each of the pulleys 21 and 22.

The apron 24 feeds its charge of cotton 29 (Fig. 4) received from the hopper 2 by way of an elevator 36 and knock-off roller 31, to a pair of feed rolls 32, 33 which in turn deliver the cotton as at 34 (Fig. 4) to the space between an evener pedal 35 and evener roll 36. Gearing 26 drives the feed rolls 33 from one end of the respective shaft 28. A gear train T (Fig. 4) drives the respective roller 26 and roll 32. The left fringe of the cotton 34 is presented to the beater 37 which knocks off tufts and ultimately delivers them to a pair of cylindrical screens 38 where they collect in layers and whence they are removed for conveyance through the next breaker 4.

A plurality of similar grid sections 39 (Fig. 5) constitutes the evener pedal 35. These sections are independently pivoted on a common shaft 46 so that any one or set of the sections may yield to a thick place passing under the evener roll 36 and cause a shifting of the belt 26 to the right (Fig. 1) for a diminution of the speed of the apron 24 for a reduction in the feed of cotton.

Each of these sections 39 has an arm41 (Fig. 4) All of the arms are joined at the free ends by a mesh work of links 42 which finally tapers down to a point of connection 43 (Fig. 5) with a weighted lever 44 which has a link connection 45 with one arm of a bell crank 46. The other arm of this bell crank has connection with a shifter rod 47 which carries forks 48 in such connection with the belt 20'that shifting of the rod 47 will shift the belt in the manner already explained. Any other known type of evener may be similarly used.

It is repeated that the principal evener structure is that of a known type, and it is mainly the combination of this structure with the extension shafts of the top cone pulleys as well as the coupling or connection of these pulleys serially with the bottom cone pulleys that comprises the invention. There is necessarily a slight difference in the extension shaft 28 of the evener 6 from the extension shafts 49, 50 of the eveners 7, 8-.- The latter respectively carry pulleys 51, 52 that are belted or chained at 53, 54 to pulleys 55, 56 on the lay shaft sections 14, 13. These sections res ectively carry the bottom cone pulleys 17, 16 as already stated. The extension shaft 28 is minus the equivalent of a pulley or sprocket 51 or 52 because the evener 6 is the terminal or back evener, having nothing behind it but the hopper 2.

The respective extension shafts 49, 50 also have gearing 57, 58 by which the drive rollers 59, 60 of the aprons 24 of the respectiveeveners 7, 8 are driven. Each of these eveners has duplicate evener pedals 35 and associated structure terminating in shifter rods 61, 62.

The operation is readily understood. The loose cotton is loaded into the hopper 2 from which it is discharged by the elevator 36 onto the first feed apron 24 as indicated at 29 in Figure 4. The knock-01f roller 31 causes the cotton to drop down onto the feed'apron. v

The purpose of the feedrolls 32, 33 is to deliver the cotton 29 (Fig. 4) to. the beater 37, and as already pointed out this beater converts the cotton'fringe appearing between the pedal 35 and roll 36 to tufts which are drawn by suction against the first cylindrical screens 38 (Fig. 3) where they build up in a layer and whence they are removed for passage through the breaker, 4. The process is repeated in the breaker 4, and when the layers are finally removed from the cylindrical screens of the finisher breaker 5 it is henceforth known as the lap which comes out a certain thickness and width. The fundamental purpose of the invention is to insure a uniformity of weight of cotton lap per unit length.

Say for example, that there should be a thick place in the cotton 34 (Fig. 4) going between the evener pedal 35 and roll 36 of the first breaker 3. The resulting rocking of the pedal 35 and arms 41 in the direction of arrows 63, 64 (Fig. 4) will lift the lever 44 (Fig. 5) swing the bell crank 46 and shift the rod 47 to the right so that the belt is shifted to the right and the speed of the feed apron 24 and feed rolls diminished. The evener 6 thus slows down and reduces the feed of cotton to allow the thick place to pass on.

Should there be a thin place in the cotton passing between the evener pedal and roll 35, 36 the action wouldbe reversed. The belt 26 would be shifted toward the left and the speed of the cone 23, consequently of the feed apron 24 and feed rolls (Fig. 4), increased thereby delivering more cotton 29.

In case either the thick or thin place in the cotton has not totally disappeared by the time it reaches the intermediate breaker 4, the effect would be to either reduce or increase the speed of the cone pulleys 22, 23. Should either the thick or thin place still be evident by the time it reaches the finishing breaker 5, then the cone pulleys 21, 22 and 23 would either be reduced in speed or speeded up either to diminish the feed of cotton or increase it as the case may be.

. From this it will be understood that the controlling effect works from left to right of the lapper 1. In other words, the breaker 5 can control breakers4 and 3, or breaker 4 can control breaker 3. But breaker 4 cannot control breaker 15 5 nor can breaker 3 control breaker 4. This comes about because of the serial connection of the lay shaft sections 12, 13, 14 with the bottom and top cone pulleys of the successive eveners 8, 7, 6.

The driving effort is applied by the gear train 11. The speed of the lay shaft section 12 is thus uniform as is also that of the bottom pulley 15. However, a thick or thin place in the cotton still evident when reaching evener 8 will cause the shifting of the belt 18 either to the right or left thus either decreasing or increasing the speed of the sections 13, 14 in comparison with the section 12. Thus the section 12 may be running at normal-speed while the sections 13, 14 may be running either at sub-normal or abnormal speeds. It is thus easy to see that if the need for'more cotton, to compensate for a thin place for example, prevails until the cotton reaches the evener 8 (Fig. 1) that need must be evident throughout the remainder of the system, hence' the evener 6, although the evener 6 is capable of r speeding up to correct a local thin place in the cotton 34 (Fig. 4) without affecting the evener 7 or the evener 8.

The serial connection of the lay shaft sections 12, 13, with the successive bottom and top cone pulleys of the respective eveners is to be distin-' guishedfrom similar arrangements where eveners are connected directly and in tandem with a single lay shaft. The result of the serial connection is the individual as well as cumulative conv fin trol of the eveners 6, 7, 8, in other words, a sympathetic adaptation of the apparatus to the actual conditions of the cotton passing through, whereas the result of a single shaft would be an inflexible and simultaneous controlling effect on all of the eveners without regard as to whether one breaker requires more cotton than another or vice versa.

Another advantage in the flexible and variable drive of the cotton lapper 1 resides in the speeding up of the breakers 4, 3 when the finishing breaker 5 speeds up for more cotton to compensate for a thin place. As already brought out the demand is communicated to each of the breakers 4, 3 so that the lap is prevented from being torn apart or broken in the breaker 5. Should a thin place occur here and the demand for more cotton not answered by the other breakers, the lapwould be thinned out so much that it would break.

Heretofore it has been necessary in all oneprocess picking to confine the control to a single evener, and in those instances where the use of two eveners Was undertaken it became necessary to run each evener separately and to supply an extra hopper between the two eveners. This arrangement has made it diificult to produce an even lap so that wide variations in weight per unit length are quite usual. The instant improvement has operated successfully with three eveners in the same hopper, cutting out the extra hopper and confining the feed of cotton to the single hopper 2. The result has been a perfectly even or uniform lap.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved extension drive is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

We claim:-

That improvement in methods of picking cotton which consists in performing a plurality of picking operations on a stream of loose cotton and finally working it into the form of a finished lap, feeding the cotton in a continuous and approximately uniform stream from each or" said operations to the next, evening the cotton at two points spaced apart longitudinally of said stream, and causing the final evening operation to exercise control over the speed of the earlier of said evening operations while permitting the two evening operations to proceed independently in other respects.

ARTHUR J. BLACKIWOOD. CARL R. HARRIS.

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