US2305639A - Machine for opening fibrous stock - Google Patents

Description

22, 1 42., s. F. ROCKWELL. JR

MACHINE FOR OPENING FIBROUS STOCK Filed Sept. 1, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenTor. I Samuel Forbes RocKweHdr.

Dec. 22,, 1 942.

s. F. ROCKWELL, JR MACHINE FOR OPENING FIBROUS STOCK Filed Sept. 1, 1939 3 Shegts-Sheet 3 lnvenTor.

Samuel ForbesRocKwelldr:

Patented Dec. 22, 1942 MACHINE FOR OPENING FIBROUS STOCK Samuel Forbes Rockwell, Jr., North Andovcr, Mass, assignor to Davis & FurberMachine Company, North Andover, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 1, 1939, Serial No. 293,089

8- Claims.

This invention presents a machine for opening unspun fibrous stock and is particularly designed for opening stock composed of cut or staple rayon or artificial silk fibres but may be employed in the opening of other fibrous stock suohas cotton linters or any stock in which the fibres have not been subjected to spinning, weaving, knitting or other operations requiring, by reason of their entanglement, a. combing or drawing treatment for opening.

The invention has for its further object to provide a machine for opening unspun fibrous stock by a beating, battering or buffeting operation as distinguished from a combing or draw ing operation.

The invention has for its further object to provide such a machine which may provide for opening stock of a wide range of staple length.

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.

In the drawings which illustrate machines embodying the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one preferred form of such a machine.

Fig. 2 is a view chiefly in central, vertical, transverse cross section of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View on a larger scale of the main portion of the same machine chiefly in central, vertical, longitudinal cross section.

Fig. 4 is a detail in plan view illustrating one of the supporting features in the same machine.

Fig. 5 is a detail in cross section illustrating the means for securing the battles of the said machine in place.

Fig. 6 is a detail in cross section illustrating the mounting of one of the pin elements of the cylinder.

Fig. 7 is a detail of another form of baffle construction.

Fig. 8 is a detail of a similar machine partially in vertical longitudinal cross section and partially broken away in which the baiiles are adjustable.

Fig. 9 is a detail in transverse cross section of the construction shown in Fig. 8.

The machine comprises a suitable base presenting vertical side walls I and 2 supported on 1 This cylinder is shown as comprising side walls 1 secured to the shaft 5 and a peripheral element 8 secured to the side walls, all of which may be of metal. The periphery of this cylinder is studded with smooth, radially projecting pins. For this purpose a continuous series of transverse wooden bars 2 is secured to the peripheral element 8 and the pins H] are set in these bars. I

The cylinder is rotated from any suitable source of power, as by driving a pulley H secured to the shaft 5. I

This cylinder is enclosed in a casing, the lower section of which is formed by the side Walls 2 of the base and by a pan-like bottom l2 extending between the side walls 2 and close to the pinstudded periphery of the cylinder. The upper section of the casing is formed of two substantially semi-circular side walls l3 resting upon the flanges 4 of the base and having a, hinge connection therewith at I4 and of a top portion closing the side walls i3. It will thus be seen that the cylinder is journalled within a closed casing formed by the elements described.

In the preferred form of the invention illustrated, the top portion of the casing thus enclosing the cylinder comprises a flexible sheet 15 preferably of metal fitting closely against the inner surfaces of theparallel side walls l3 and conforming to and thus concentric with an extensive segment, substantially half, of the cylinder periphery.

The top portion or sheet iii of the casing is provided with a plurality of baffles extending therefrom inward and generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends by a distance equal to a small fraction of the fibre length of the stock to be opened. These bafiles may take various forms and need not present continuous edges. They be mounted, bent or adjusted to project from the casing at any suitable angle, preferably from 90 to somewhat less in the direction of rotation. They are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5 as the depending flanges IB of angle irons, the upper flanges I! of which are secured to the top portion of the casing.

It is important that the space between the edges of the battles [6 on the top portion of the casing and the ends of the pins III on the cylinder periphery shall be related to the fibre length of the stock being opened and consequently, in order that the machine may be adapted for different kinds of stock, that the space may be adjusted to conform therewith. But when such an adjustment is made, it is highly desirable for the best results that the concentricity of the top portion of the casing and the cylinder periphery shall be maintained so that throughout the segment of the top portion provided with the baifies this space shall throughout be of substantially the same width. Means are therefore provided in the preferred forms of the invention for adjusting the top portion of the casing toward and from the cylinder periphery and for varying the radius of curvature of this top portion so as to adjust this space, while at the same time maintaining the concentricity of the top portion of the casing and the cylinder periphery. For this purpose in the preferred constructions illustrated and now described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, a plurality of rigid supports l8 extend between the side walls l3 above the top portion I5 and are shown as bolted at their downwardly oil'set ends at [9 to flanges of the side Walls I3. A plurality of metal straps 2|, herein shown'as two in number, are secured in spaced relation to the top portion l5 to give more rigidity thereto, while at the same time permitting suificient flexibility to allow for the required change of curvature.

Screw members 22 are secured to and extend radially outward from the straps 2| and pass through longitudinal slots 23 in the supports I8 and suitable nuts 24 are threaded onto these screws above and below the slotted portion of the supports l8. justing the nuts 24, the top portion l5 carrying the baffles I6 may be adjusted radially with respect to the cylinder and the radius of curvature of the top portion thus varied to cause it to remain concentric to the cylinder periphery, while at the same time the slots 23 enable the top portion to be adjusted slightly circumferentially as required to secure this desired result.

The metal straps 2|, as illustrated in Fig. 5, provide convenient points for securing the baiiies, when of the angle iron type, to the top portion of the casing. These baffles are secured in place by bolts 25 passing through the flange H, the top portion l5 and the straps 2|.

The fibrous stock to be opened is fed to the pins on the cylinder beneath the segment of the top portion provided with the baflles by any suitable means. This stock is conveniently discharged by hand or preferably from a suitable automatic hopper upon an apron 26 extending around rolls 21 and 28 journalled in bracket 29 and 30 mounted on the side plates I and 2 of the base and runs between side plates 3|. From this apron the stock is taken by feed rolls 32 and 33 journalled in the brackets 29. A flexible clearer plate 34 engaging the feed roll 33 extends transversely across the machine and is secured by bolts 35 to the bearings in which the roll 33 is journalled. A flexible metal plate 36 likewise extends across the machine and is secured in place by the same bolts 35 and extends upward in engagement with the inner surface of the top portion l5 of the casing.

The apron 25 and the feed rolls 32 and 33 are driven in any suitable manner to feed the stock atthe required rate to the pin-studded cylinder. As illustrated, the shaft 5 carries a pulley from which a belt 38 drives a pulley 39 on a shaft provided with a pinion4l]. This pinion in turn drives a gear 4| on a shaft 42 and the gear 4| drives a ear 43 on the shaft 44 of the lower feed roll 32. A double sprocket'wheel 45 is journalled on the shaft 42 and sprocket chains lfi'and 4! connecting Thus it will be seen that by adthis double sprocket wheel with sprocket wheels 75 on the shaft of the feed roll 21 and the shaft 44 efiect the driving of the apron 26.

The opened stock is discharged, in the construction illustrated, at the rear of the machine through a discharge conduit 48 opening from the pan I2 at the lower portion of the casing. The outer wall 49 of this discharge conduit extends upward and overlies the lower end of the top portion l5.

Suitable means for producing suction, such as a fan 50, may be located in the discharge conduit to assist in the discharge of the open stock there-.

through.

Access is had to the cylinder and to the baflles for cleaning or repair by swinging the entire upper portion of the casing about the ivot M.

A simple and satisfactory form of the invention for some purposes may be pivoted by forming the baflles as sharply defined corrugations in a sheet of metal. Such a construction is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein a section of a flexible sheet 5| forming the top portion of the casing is illustrated and secured thereto a section of a corrugated metal sheet with the corrugations 52 sharply defined to form the baflles. The corrugated sheet may be welded or otherwise secured to the top portion 5| and this top portion may be positioned, mounted and. adjusted the same as the top portion I5 already described. The corrugated sheet will have sufiicient flexibility to change its curvature along with the top portion 5| and thus maintain the desired concentricity with the surface of the pin-studded cylinder.

As already pointed out, the baflles may take various forms and may also be made adjustable to project from the casing at any suitable angle. One simple and good form of construction for securing such angular adjustment of the bafiles is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In these figures the machine is assumed to be of the same general type as already described. The casing is closed at the top as before by the flexible sheet top portion 53 engaging the side walls 54 of the casing. The top portion 53 is shown adjustable as before to maintain its concentricity with the cylinder periphery by means of the screw members 55 secured to the straps 56 bearing the flexible sheet portion 53 and extending through the slots 51 in the supports 58 and adjustable by means of the nuts 59.

The baifles in this case are shown as plates 63 pivotally mounted upon or hinged to the flexible sheet 53. As illustrated, each plate Bl] is pivoted at El to a narrow plate 62 welded or otherwise secured to the sheet 53.

At one side, or both sides if desired, means are provided for swinging the blades to any desired and proper angle and for holding them in the adjusted position. For that purpose each blade is shown as formed or provided with a projecting flange 63 having a slot 64. An arcuate bar 65 is mounted to rotate on an arcuate guide 66 secured to the side wall 54 and in this case the periphery of the cylinder 6'! will abut closely against the bar 65. The arcuate bar 55 is concentric with the axis of the cylinder. It is provided with a series of arms 58, one for each blade, having inturned ends 69 riding in the slots 64 of the respective blades. At a suitable place the arcu-ate bar is provided with a section of teeth forming a rack Ill and a pinion H is journalled in the side wall 54 engaging this rack and provided exteriorly of the casing with means for rotating it illustrated here as a polygonal shank 12 to be engaged by a key.

dotted lines in Fig. 8.

Thus it will be seen that by turning the pinion il the blades '60 may simultaneously be shifted to the required angle. The angular adjustment thus required would usually be slight, on the order of twenty degrees or less forward or backward, both such adjustments being illustrated in At the same time the slotted flange and cooperating inturned end arm construction enables the adjustment of the entire top portion 53 of the casing to be made so as to maintain the concentricity of the edges of the blades with the surface of the pin-studded cylinder.

' Having thus described simple and preferred forms of construction embodying the invention,

the novel principle of operation upon the fibrous stock will be clear. The machine may be-of any suitable size. A cylinder diameter on the order of forty-two inches has been found highly satisfactory. But, in any event, the surface or circumferential speed of the cylinder must be high and sufficient to give the required centrifugal action. A circumferential speed on the order of five thousand feet per minute has been found efficient. The stock which is fed by the feed rolls I to the cylinder is merely delivered by these rolls and no material drawing action takes place between the feed rolls and the cylinder. The opening of the stock is effected by the stock taken by the pins on the cylinder being repeatedly and successively discharged by the pins against the baffles. The stock is thus buffeted, beaten or battered against the bailies, thrown back therefrom onto the pins, again discharged by the pins against the bafiies, and so on throughout the entire bafiie segment, all due to the centrifugal force and the rapid rotation of the cylinder. This effects a thorough opening of the stock without injury to the fibres.

It is important that the pins shall present smooth surfaces, enabling the stock readily to be taken thereon and discharged therefrom. The pins may be made of any suitable cross section and the length of the pins and the depth of the baffles may be varied. With the machine disclosed, pins having a projecting portion on the order of one inch and baffles of similar depth have been found to give the desired result. The space between the edges of the baffles and the ends of the pins is adjusted in accordance with the length of the fibre to a fractional part thereof. This space should be very slight, or just sufficient to enable the pins to clear the baffies, for stock of short fibre length, and should vary in accordance with the fibre length up to about one and one-half inches for stock in which the fibre length is six inches, although it will seldom be necessary to open stock of such long fibre length.

The rapidly repeated and successive discharge of the fibrous stock from the pins against the baflies and back to the pins through the extended segment of baffles acts to open the fibrous stock thoroughly and without injury thereto and the open stock, after leaving the bafiie segment, is discharged by centrifugal action into the discharge conduit. When, as is frequently the case, it is desirable to increase the draft through the discharge opening and thus insure against clogging and working of the fibre in between the cylinder and the casing, a suitable suction apparatus such as the suction fan previously referred to may be employed to increase the draft through the discharge conduit.

The machine thus enables unspun fibrous stock to be thoroughly opened with a minimum breakage of fibre and with a highly efficient rate of production. I

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

'1. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth radially projecting pins a top portion of the casing conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of baflles extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed suflicient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baflies by centrifugal force, and means for producing suction in the discharge conduit acting to assist in the discharge of the opened stock therethrbugh.

2. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth radially projecting pins, a 'top portion of the casing conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of bafiles pivotally mounted at their upper edges to and extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a minor fraction of the fibre length being treated, means for feeding the stock into the casing'to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed sufficient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baliles by centrifugal force, and means for angularly adjusting the ballles.

3. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth radially projecting pins, a top portion of the casing conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of bafiles pivotally mounted at their upper edges to and extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the-opened stock leading from the casing, means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed sufiicient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baffles by centrifugal force, and means for simultaneously adjusting the angular position of the baflles.

4. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth radially projecting pins, a top portion of the casing conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of baflles extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, means for adjusting the said top portion of the casing toward and from the said segment of the cylinder periphery and for varying the radius of curvature of the said top portion thereby to adjust the space between the baflle edges and the pin ends while maintaining the concentricity of the said top portion and cylinder periphery means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, and means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed sufficient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baflies by centrifugal force.

5. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth radially projecting pins, a top portion of the casing conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment' of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of bafiles pivotally mounted on and extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, means for adjusting the said top portion of the casing toward and from the said segment of the cylinder periphery and for varying the radius of curvature of the said top portion, means for angularly adjusting the bafiles on their pivots thereby to adjust the angular relation of the baffles with respect to the cylinder and the space between the baflle edges and the pin ends while at the same time maintaining the concentricity of the said top portion and cylinder periphery, means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, and means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed suificient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baflles by centrifugal force.

6. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing having parallel side walls, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth, radially projecting pins, a flexible metal sheet casing top portion fitting between the side walls and conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of baffles extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, a plurality of rigid supports extending between the casing side walls above the said top portion, means for supporting the said top portion from said supports, means for adjusting the said top portion circumferentially and radially with respect to the cylinder and for varying the radius of curvature thus to adjust the space between the edges of the baflles carried by the top portion and the pin ends while maintaining the concentricity of the top portion and cylinder periphery means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, and means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed suificient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baflles by centrifugal force.

7. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing having parallel side walls, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth, radially projecting pins, a flexible metal sheet casing top portion fitting between the side walls and conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of bafiles extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, a plurality of rigid Supports extending between the casing side walls above the said top portion, means for adjustably supporting the said top portion radially and transversely of said supports thus to adjust the space between the edges of the baflies carried by the top portion and the pin ends while maintaining the concentricity of the top portion and cylinder periphery means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, and means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed sufficient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the baffies by centrifugal force.

8. A machine for opening unspun fibrous stock comprising a closed casing having parallel side walls, a cylinder journalled within the casing having its periphery studded with smooth, radially projecting pins, a flexible metal sheet casing top portion fitting between the side walls and conforming to and concentric with an extensive segment of the cylinder periphery, a plurality of baffles extending from the said top portion of the casing inward, generally parallel to the cylinder axis and with their edges spaced from the pin ends a fraction of the fibre length, a plurality of rigid supports extending between the casing side walls above the said top portion, means for adjustably supporting the said top portion radially and transversely of said supports, means for simultaneously adjusting the angular position of the bailles means for feeding the stock into the casing to the cylinder, a discharge conduit for the opened stock leading from the casing, and means acting to rotate the cylinder at a speed suflicient repeatedly and successively to discharge the stock from the pins and hurl it against the bailles by centrifugal force.

SAMUEL FORBES ROCKWELL, JR.

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