US2109176A - Fiber cutting mechanism for tape condenser or similar machines - Google Patents

Description

Feb 22, 1938. H KMGHT 2,109,176

FIBER CUTTING MECHANISM FOR TAPE CONDENSER OR SIMILAR MACHINES Filed 001;. 26, 1937 Figzl.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Inverflor. Henry H. Kmgh'r I MW Feb. 22, 3938.

FIBER CUTTING NECHANIS H. H. KNIGHT 2,109,176

M FOR TAPE CONDENSER OR SIMILAR MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.8.

Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFMIE FIBER CUTTING MECHANISM FOR TAPE CONDENSER OR SIMILAR MAClHNES Application October 26, 1937, Serial No. 171,076

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine provided with means for progressively dividing a web of fiber into slivers and diverting contiguous slivers into diverging paths. Such a machine or mechanism forms a part, for example, of the machine known in the textile art as a tape condenser. An ordinary type of tape condenser is provided with a pair of grooved dividing rolls with the grooves in one roll opposite to the raised portions of the other roll and with a series of tape runs passing around the rolls and leading therefrom in diverging paths. A web of fiber such as the web doffed from a carding machine is fed to the dividing rolls which with the tapes act to sever the web of fiber into a series of contiguous slivers. These slivers are carried away from the dividing rolls by the tape runs with the tape runs alternately diverging and consequently with contiguous slivers diverging. A series of alternating slivers therefore pass upward to a set of elements such as aprons which act to form the slivers into rovings, while the other series of alternating slivers pass downward to another set of such elements.

When a web of fiber, such, for example, as that dofied from a carding machine, is thus divided into slivers, the separation at the dividing point between contiguous slivers takes place, not by a clean cut but by more of a pulling or tearing apart of the web. When the web of fiber is composed of long staple, as in the case of mohair, high grade wool, and certain other fibers, many of the long fibers remain extended between adjacent slivers as they diverge from the dividing point. As such contiguous slivers continue in their diverging paths, the fibers thus connecting the two slivers either have to be broken apart or pulled by one sliver entirely out from the other sliver. In either case, an undesirable strain is placed upon the mechanism and a varying accumulation or mass of fiber is pulled from one sliver to the other, thus rendering the slivers uneven or of non-uniform cross section, as well as causing ragged edges on the slivers.

It is the object of the present invention to provide for the severance of any fibers thus extended between adjacent diverging slivers before any deleterious eiiect is produced by such fibers on the slivers.

The invention has for its further object to provide more specifically a knife extending parallel with and at the rear of the line of divergence of the slivers and reciprocating this knife so as to cut any fibers which extend between the adjacent diverging slivers.

The invention has for its further object to provide means for properly positioning the knife, both in its operative position and in an inoperative or rearward position where it will not interfere with the machine and the slivers when relatively short fiber stock is being handled and there is no objectionable extension of fibers between contiguous diverging slivers.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Since a tape condenser provided with dividing rolls and sliver-carrying tapes, which is here selected to illustrate a preferred form of the invention, is a machine well known to those skilled in the textile art, there is here illustrated and described only so much thereof, and that more or less diagrammatically, as is necessary to a dis closure of a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of a small portion of such a machine in the vicinity of the dividing rolls looking toward the inside of one side frame.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a small portion of the side of the machine opposite to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view partially in elevation and partially in vertical cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing another form of construction.

In the construction illustrated, the machine comprises a pair of vertical side frames I and 2 in which are journalled the cooperating dividing rolls 3 and 4. Each of these rolls is provided with grooves 5 of the width of the desired slivers alternating with ribs 6 of the same width. The grooves and ribs in one roll are opposite, respectively, to the ribs and grooves in the other roll. As usual, the endmost ribs and grooves are wider than the others to take care of the waste edges of the web. The tapes employed are usually endless and in their runs pass from the groove of one roll onto the rib of the opposing roll with the runs diverging at the rear from the bite of the rolls. For example, a tape 1 passing down in a groove of the dividing roll 3 passes therefrom onto a rib of the lower roll 4, while the next tape" 8 passes up in a groove in the lower roll 4 onto a rib on the roll 3. Thus, as will be well understood, the tape runs alternately diverge at the rear of the rolls. The web 9 of fiber as it is fed moving part of the machine.

to the dividing rolls is divided by the rolls and tapes into a series of slivers extending across the width of the web and these slivers are carried away from the bite of the rolls between the respective tape runs and underlying ribs, all in a well-known manner, so that the tape runs engaging the rolls and alternately diverging therefrom carry away from the rolls contiguous slivers detached from the web of fiber.

If, as already pointed out, the web is composed of or comprises long staple fiber, many of these fibers, as indicated at If) in Fig. l, are extended between adjacent diverging slivers with the bjectionable consequences already pointed out.

In this invention, cutting means are located and operate at the rear of the line of divergence of the slivers and act to cut any such fibers extended between the adjacent diverging slivers.

In the preferred construction illustrated, in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, a suitable'casing or bracket, herein shown as a hollow, generally rectangular casting ii is secured to the inside of the side frame l as by bolts it and a similar casting I3 is secured to the inside of the side frame 2 directly opposite. In each of these castings there is mounted for forward. and rearward sliding movement substantially in alignment with the bite of the dividing rolls a guide i4. As shown, each guide slides in a slot and is held in place by a plate i5 inside the casting. A knife support, illustrated as a square metal rod It, extends parallel with the dividing rolls and is mounted for endwise reciprocation in the guides 14, for that purpose being shown as passing through square holes in the guides. A knife blade I l of thin steel is secured to the knife support I6 as by being clamped thereon between the support and a clamping plate l8. This knife blade projects forward from the support and the parts are so located that when the knife is in operative position, the edge of the knife is close to the bite of the dividing rolls in position to engage and sever any fibers extending between the diverging tape runs.

In order to effect an efficient cutting operation, the knife blade is reciprocated endwise with sufficient rapidity to insure cutting of the fibers before they can travel any appreciable distance with the tapes and to insure against objectionable collection of grease and lint on the knife blade.

Within the broader scope of the invention, any suitable means may be employed for thus reciprocating the knife, but preferably this reciprocation is effected by driving connections with a In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to l, inclusive, 8. vertical shaft is is mounted in a bracket 28 secured to the outside of the side frame 2. This shaft has secured thereto a pulley 2| driven by a belt 22 from a pulley 23 upon a driven shaft 24 which may be, for xample, one of the shafts used for operating the condensing aprons in a tape condenser. This shaft !9 has secured thereto at its lower end a disk 25 carrying an eccentric pin 26. This pin enters an aperture in the end of a link 21 pivoted at 28 at its inner end between bifurcations 29 formed upon or secured to the end of the knife support 56. This link connection passes through a suitable aperture 30 in the side frame. It will thus be seen that when the machine is in operation with the, parts thus connected, the knife will be given the required reciprocating motion.

The same machine or tape condenser is frequently employed for handling webs of fiber of different staple length and may frequently be changed from handling a web of long staple fiber to handling a web of short staple fiber. In the latter case, the cutting, mechanism is unnecessary and its continued operation would be undesirable. Furthermore, in any case, when the web of fiber is first fed into the machine, as from the carding machine, it is apt to be of uneven thickness or more or less bunched up at the leading end and if the knife were in operative position, the result might be to push some of the tapes back against the knife and thus injure or cut the tapes. It is therefore highly desirable that means shall be provided for removing the knife from its operative position whenever required. It is for this reason that the knife support is shown mounted in the backward and forward movable guides M.

In the preferred construction illustrated, the knife support and knife are held or locked in forward operating position by latching means. For that purpose a latch 3! is pivoted at 32 at each side of the machine and conveniently on the respective castings H and i3. The hooked end of this latch engages behind the guide M and the latch is held in looking position by a spring 33 secured to the opposite end and to the side frame as to a stud 34 projecting therefrom. Each guide 54 is also shown as connected by a spring 35 extending rearward to a fixed point on the side frame, such as a stud 36 secured to the casting for the guide. The mechanism is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the knife in operating position. When now it is desired to move the knife to inoperative or rearward position, the levers 3| at each side are rocked against the tension of the latches $3, releasing the guides 14 which, under the influence of the springs 35, move the knife rearward to inoperative position determined by the engagement of the guides with the rearward ends of the slots within which they move. To replace the knife suppcrt and knife in operative position, the operator simplyv pushes the guides forward against the tension of the springs 35 until the latches 3i snap over the rear ends of the guides.

When the knife is in inoperative position, it is,

of course, desirable to disconnect the mechanism for reciprocating it. As a simple means for effecting that result, the shaft I9 is provided at its upper end with a cap 31 resting on the bracket 29. Hence by lifting this cap and with it the shaft 19 in its bearing, the eccentric pin 26 is withdrawn from the link 27 which may then be swung aside out of the path of the eccentric pm.

In Fig. 5 a slightly different mechanism for reciprocating the knife is shown. In this case the horizontal shaft 38 is mounted in a bracket 3? on the side frame and carries at its end a pulley 40 driven by any suitable means. In this case the link 41 is pivoted on the knife support to swing vertically with respect thereto. A disk 42 on the end of the shaft 38 is provided with the eccentric pin t3 passing through the end of the link M.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. A machine comprising means for progressively dividing a web of fiber into slivers and diverting contiguous slivers into diverging paths, and cutting means located and operating at the diverging slivers,

2. A machine comprising means for progressively dividing a, web of fiber into slivers and diverting contiguous slivers into diverging paths, a knife extending parallel with and at the rear of the line of divergence of. the slivers, and means for reciprocating the knife to cut any fibers extended between adjacent diverging slivers.

3. A tape condenser having a pair of dividing rolls, a series of tape runs engaging said rolls and alternately diverging from and carrying away from said rolls contiguous slivers detached from a web of fiber fed to said rolls, and cutting means located and operating at the rear of the line of divergence of the slivers to out any fibers extended between adjacent diverging slivers.

4. A tape condenser having a pair of. dividing rolls, a series of tape runs engaging said rolls and alternately diverging from and carrying from said rolls contiguous slivers detached from a web of fiber fed to said rolls, a knife extending parallel with and at the rear of the line of divergence of the slivers, and means for reciprocating the knife to cut any fibers extended between adjacent diverging slivers.

5. A machine as defined in claim 2, together with means for adjusting the knife to a further rearward and inoperative position.

6. A machine as defined in claim 2, together with yielding means acting to move the knife rearward to an inoperative position, and latching means acting releasably to hold the knife in operative position.

7. A machine as defined in claim 4, together with means for adjusting the knife to a further rearward and inoperative position.

8. A machine as defined in claim 4, together with yielding means acting to move the knife rearward to an inoperative position, and latching means acting releasabl-y to hold the knife in operative position.

mounted for endwise reciprocation in said guides,

a knife blade secured to and projecting forward from said support with its edge close to the line of divergence when the guides are in forward position, and means for reciprocating the knife support. 7

10. A machine as defined in claim 9 in which the means for reciprocating the knife support comprises an eccentric mounted at one side of the machine, means for rotating the eccentric, and a detachable connection between the eccentric and the knife support.

11. A tape condenser having a pair of dividing rolls, a series of tape runs engaging said rolls and alternately diverging from and carrying away from said rolls contiguous slivers detached from a web of fiber fed to said rolls, a guide at each side of the tape condenser mounted for movement toward and from the rear of the dividing rolls,- a knife support extending parallel with the dividing rolls mounted for endwise reciprocation in said guides, a knife blade secured to and projecting forward from said support with its edge close to the bite of the dividing rolls when the guides are in forward position, and means for reciprocating the knife support.

12. A tape condenser as defined in claim 11 in which the means for reciprocating the knife support comprises an eccentric mounted at one side of the condenser, means for rotating the eccentric, and a detachable connection between the eccentric and the knife support.

HENRY H. KNIGHT.

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