US2731675A

US2731675A - Cotton gin combining pneumatic and mechanical moting

Info

Publication number: US2731675A
Application number: US412288A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeffrey J Wallace
Original assignee: Gullett Gin Co
Current assignee: Gullett Gin Co
Priority date: 1954-02-24
Filing date: 1954-02-24
Publication date: 1956-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 1973-01-24

Description

Jan. 24, 1956 J. J. WALLACE COTTON GIN COMBINING PNEUMATIC AND MECHANICAL MOTING Filed Feb. 24, 1954 7 2 W ATTORNEYS C(BTTGN GEN *lfiMl'BlNENG PNEUMATIC AND h/lE Cl lANlfiAL MQTENG .lelfre Si. Wallace La. assi nor Gull Girl 3 Claims. (Ci. l-58) This invention relates to improvements in cotton gins of the type which embodies the inventive concept covered in my application for Patent Serial Number 322,902, filed November 28, i952.

The gin described in said patent application is characterized by the provision of a moting chamber between the ginning ribs and the lint flue nozzle, in which a considerable arcuate extent of the saw cylinder is exposed to a looping blast of clean air from atmosphere which scours the lint fringe standing out from the saw cylinder under centrifugal force, said blast blowing across the int fringe toward the saw cylinder in the upper part of the exposed are adjacent the ginning ribs, then downward through the lint fringe in the general direction of rotation of the saw cylinder but at less velocity so that the lint locks are not detached from the saw teeth, and finally across the lint in a direction away from the saw cylinder at the lower part of the expose-d are, just above the region where the lint is dofi'ed. The motint air blast exits through a moting duct subject to suction at a point remote from its mouth, which suction induces the how of the air blast through an atmospheric air inlet duct into and through the moting chamber. Said blast is of relatively great volume, so as continuously to clear the moting chamber not only of the mote material swept out of the lint fringe by the triple action of the blast, but also to rid the moting chamber of the larger or more loosely adherent motes thrown off at first instance by centrifugal force as the lint on the saws emerges from between the ginning ribs. The looping nature the mating air blast is determined by the relative directions of air nozzle at the mouth of the atmospheric air duct a moting nozzle at the mouth of the mote duct.

The principal object of the present invention is to add to the efliciency of the above described gin by providing a mote board, which is virtually the lower lip of the moting nozz.e, having its edge in proximity to the saw cylinder to be contacted by the centrifugally extended lint fringe from which the material is beaten and which is discharged directly into the mote duct.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the following specification, and throughout the figures of which the same characters of reference have been used to denote identical parts:

Figure l is a side view partly in elevation and partly in section, showing a portion of a cotton gin of the type de scribed, embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in cross-section, taken along the line of 1.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents the gin as a whole, having the con- Z,?3l,6?5 Patented Jan. 24, R956 ventional saw cylinder 2 provided with spaced saws 3, which rotate through the lower part of the roll box 4, between the ginning ribs 5, through the lower part of a mating chamber 6 and then through a doffing zone 7 where the lint is removed from the saw teeth and delivered to a lint duct 8 by an air blast from a doffing nozzle 9, as shown, or by a brush type doffer which is common in the art but not herein shown.

The lint which emerges from between the ginning ribs attached to the teeth of the saws stands out in a fringe under the urge of centrifugal force beyond the periphery of the saw cylinder. As the lint passes between the ginning ribs, the larger motes and those which are carried loosely in the lint, are thrown off centrifugally into the mote chamber. In the gin which forms the subject matter of the invention disclosed in my hereinbefore referred to patent application, means is provided for creating a blast of air which not only purges the mote chamber of the motes centrifugally thrown ofi from the lint, but which also subjects the fringe of lint outstanding from the saw cylinder to the triple action of a moting blast of atmospheric air which blows through the lint fringe toward the saw cylinder in the region of the upper arc of the portion of the saw cylinder exposed to the mote chamber, and which then blows downward through the lint fringe in the direction of travel of the saw cylinder, and finally blows outwardly through the lint fringe in the region of the lower portion of the exposed arc of the saw cylinder. This looping blast is produced by the provision of a casing 3;, the specific shape and construction of which may vary somewhat to suit the particular gin with which it is associated. As here shown, it has an open rectangular front end, one of the forward side edges of which is designated by the reference numeral 10. Said open end extends the full width of the saw cylinder. The casing Fill is divided transversely by a partition 11, into an upper atmospheric air inlet duct 12 and a lower mote discharge duct 13. By preference, the inlet end 14 of the air inle duct extends the full width of the casing, so as to provide for a large volume of intake air at low velocity. The large volume of air assures the complete purging of the mote chamber while the velocity of the blast must be less than the peripheral speed of the saw cylinder to avoid detachment of the lint from the saw teeth. The width of the mote discharge duct narrows as it proceeds rearwardly, forming a transition which joins a circular flanged outlet 15 which joins a mote discharge pipe, not shown, connected to the suction end of a blower (not shown). It is the suction of the blower that induces the looping blast of air that scours the lint fringe and purges the mote chamber. Both the air inlet duct 12 and mote discharge duct 13 are provided at their forward ends with respective nozzles l6 and 17', extending the full width of the saw cylinder, and which cooperate to determine the direction change of the air blast which enables it to perform its triple scouring function with respect to the lint fringe. The nozzle lid is formed between the edge of a downwardly extending flange ill at the front of the air inlet duct and an apturned flange 19, upstanding from the base or floor of the air inlet duct. The flange 19 is the forward portion of a hinged section Zll of the partition ll. Said section includes side walls 23.. The section 2% is hinged about an axis 22 parallel to the axis of the saw cylinder, the section 2d being adjustable for varying the width of the nozzle 16 by means of a hole 23 throngs each of its side walls which registers selectively with a series of holes 24 in the sides of said casing, the adjustment being fixed by means of a pin 25 thrust through two registering holes, one pin being employed on each side. The adjustment of the section to not only varies the width of the nozzle 16, but also the direction of the blast emanating therefrom. Ordinarily, the blast should strike the exposed arc of the saw cylinder closely adjacent the ginning ribs. While the looping blast from the air inlet nozzle sweeps transversely through the lint fringe in the upper region of the exposed arc of the saw cylinder, care must be taken that the direction of the blast be so adjusted that it does not forcefully pass for any substantial distance between the saws, otherwise it will penetrate deep in the spaces between the saws and find its way to the periphery of the saw cylinder in the region of the lint flue. The adjustment should be such that the blast substantially reverses its direction in the path of the periphery of the saw cylinder so that all of it blows out from the saw cylinder into the mote discharge duct 13.

The adjustment of the hinged section 20 of the partition 11 necessarily not only adjusts the width of the nozzle 16, but also that of the nozzle 17 constituting the mouth of the mote discharge duct. The nozzle 17 not only receives the mote laden air purged from the moting chamher, but also the motes which are directly delivered to it from the lint fringe by the scouring action of the looping blast, as above described.

Since the larger motes thrown off centrifugally by the lint upon emergence from between the ginning ribs have quite a forceful trajectory, much of them may be projected through the nozzle 16 into the air inlet duct notwithstanding they are moving countercurrent to the atmospheric air blast. Consequently, in time there is an accumulation of mote material on the upper side of the partition 11, including the extension 20. In order to enable the atmospheric air duct to be cleaned from time to time, it is provided with a cover 26 hinged at 27 to a side frame of the gin structure, which may be lifted to give access to the inside of the air inlet duct. The hinged cover 26 terminates forwardly at the point 28.

The improvement which characterizes the present invention comprises means for the further working of the int fringe outstanding from the saw cylinder to remove still more mote material therefrom. This means comprises a mote board which virtually constitutes the lower lip of the nozzle .17 of the lint discharge duct. The forward end 30 of said mote board extends close to the periphery of the saw cylinder just above the doffing zone in a position to be contacted by the outstanding lint in the rotation of the saw cylinder, and to jar from said lint fringe mote material which falls directly upon the mote board and is drawn oif by suction into the moting duct. Said moting board seats in a wide rabbet 31, formed in the lower side of the mote discharge duct at the front,

and is adjustable forward and backward in said rabbet to an optimum position with respect to the saw cylinder. T he mote board is provided with a tailpiece 32, which is long enough to overlie that part of the rabbet which may be left unoccupied in various positions of adjustment of the mote board. The function of the tailpiece is to pro vide a smooth floor or lower surface for the mote discharge duct, so as to avoid any impediment to the continuous rearward progression of the mote material under the influence of the discharging air flow.

Adjustment of the mote board is effected by the following instrumentalities. The ends of the mote board extend through slots in the side walls of the casing 10, and are provided at their extended ends with blocks 33 fixed thereto, and which slide in contact with the outer surfaces of said side walls. Above said blocks, and fixed to the side walls, are the abutments 34 which also add thickness to said side walls so as to provide firm anchorage for the pivot pins 35. Links 36, one on each side, are pivotally mounted at points intermediate their length to swing on said pivot pins at their lower ends. Said links are slotted, the slots embracing pins 37 which extend from the outer sides of the blocks 33. The pin and slot connections provide for arcuate movement of the links 36 and rectilinear movement of the blocks 33 and the mote board 29.

At their upper ends, each of the links 36 is pivotally connected to a sectional operating rod 37'. The inner section 38 of said rod is tubular and freely threaded to the outer section. The outer section 39 is revoluble in bearings in the spaced lugs 49 fixed to the sides of the casing 10. Between said lugs a collar 41 is fixed to the revoluble section 39 and prevents endwise movement of said section. Consequently, it is only the inner section 38 which reciprocates when the outer section 39 is rotated. A hand wheel 42 is fixed to the outer end of each section 39. In operation, both sides of the mote board will be adjusted alike so as to maintain its forward edge parallel to the saw cylinder. A set screw 43 passes through an upward extension 44 of each of the blocks 33 and contacts the abutment 34 when the mote board is in its foremost position. The particular value of this set screw is to prevent the mote board being set so far forward as to come into contact with the saw cylinder.

The engagement of the mote board with the lint fringe on the saw cylinder forms a substantially impervious seal for any portion of the moting blast, which might otherwise pass down with its mote contents into the doffing zone.

The bearings 45 in the lugs 40 are open at the top, as indicated at 46 in Figures 3 and 4, so that the push rod 37 may be lifted from said bearings and rotated so as to detach its outer section from its inner section when desired, to facilitate access to the mote board for cleaning the same, or other purposes.

It will be obvious from the above description that the subject cotton gin is capable of quite a thorough job of demoting, since it not only removes mote material initially thrown off centrifugally into the mote chamber, but in addition to performing the triple scouring action upon the lint, which is stressed in my hereinbefore mentioned .copending patent application, it also jars or beats residual mote material from the lint fringe by forcible contact of the latter with the edge of the mote board, and carries all of this mote material away directly into the mote discharge duct without further contaminating the lint with mote material once removed.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a practical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and arrangement of parts, as shown and described, are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Cotton gin comprising in combination, a saw cylinder, ginning ribs and dofiing means, conventionally correlated, said gin providing a moting chamber in which said saw cylinder is exposed throughout an area extending substantially from said ginning ribs to said doifing means a casing confronting said moting chamber opposite said saw cylinder, having opposite side walls and a transverse partition dividing it into an inlet duct communicating with the upper part of said moting chamber and a mote discharge duct having its mouth at the lower part of said moting chamber and communicating therewith, said mote discharge duct being connectable to an evacuating means for circulating an air blast through said moting chamber, a mote board forming the lower lip of the mouth of said discharge duct, extending the full width of said casing, said mote board being adjustable toward said saw cylinder, means mounted on the side walls of said casing, connected to said mote board for adjusting it in a forward and backward direction and cooperating stop means on the side walls of said casing and on said mote board for limiting the approach of said mote board toward said saw cylinder.

2. Cotton gin comprising a saw cylinder and cooperating ginning ribs and dofiing means, means forming a moting chamber in which said saw cylinder is exposed throughout an area extending substantially from said'ginning ribs to said dotfing means, a casing confronting said noting chamber opposite said saw cylinder having opposite side walls and a transverse partition dividing it into an upper air inlet duct and a lower mote discharge duct, said air inlet duct having a nozzle opening into the upper part of said moting chamber and positioned to direct air toward the upper part of said exposed area, said mote discharge duct having a mouth opening into the lower part of said moting chamber, said nozzle and mouth extending the full width of the saw cylinder, said mote discharge duct being adapted for connection to a source of suction, a mote board forming the lower lip of the mouth of said mote discharge duct having its leading edge in operative proximity to said saw cylinder to be engaged by the outstanding lint fringe on said saw cylinder, said partition having a hinged forward portion forming the lower lip of said air inlet nozzle, adjustable to vary the width of said nozzle and the direction of the air blast issuing therefrom.

3. Cotton gin combining pneumatic and mechanical moting comprising a saw cylinder and cooperating ginning ribs and dofiing means, means forming a moting chamber in which said saw cylinder is exposed throughout an area extending substantially from said ginning ribs to said dotting means, a mote discharge duct with which said moting chamber communicates having its mouth at the lower end of said moting chamber and adapted for connection to a source of suction whereby an air blast is circulated through said moting chamber and out through said mote discharge duct, a mote board forming the lower lip of said mouth having its forward edge in the path of travel of the lint fringe outstanding centrifugally from said saw cylinder, to be contacted by said lint fringe whereby motes thrown off by inertia land directly in the mouth of said discharge duct, the lower wall of said mote discharge duct being formed with a transverse rabbet at its mouth, said mote board being seated in said rabbet, adjustably slidable therein in a direction toward said saw cylinder, and a tail plate extending rearwardly from said mote board, secured thereto, said tail plate being in the plane of the upper face of said mote board and slidably overlapping the lower wall of said duct at the rear of said rabbet for occluding the part of said rabbet unoccupied by said mote board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 897,883 Dickson Sept. 8, 1908 1,008,242 Cooke Nov. 7, 1911 1,010,731 Dickson Dec. 5, 1911 1,010,732 Dickson Dec. 5, 1911 2,204,803 Grifiin June 18, 1940