US2862248A - Gill box - Google Patents

Description

A. A. SPISAK Dec. 2,1958

GILL BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1955 INVENTOR.

Dec. 2, 1958 A. A, SPISAK GILL BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21, 1955 INVE NTOR. BY flup/esw fl. JP/SAK J OENE A. A. SPISAK Dec. 2, 1958 GILL BOX 5 Sheeis-Sheet :5

Filed March 21, 1955 INVENTOR.

M s. E

2 BY 9/ m GILL BOX Andrew A. Spisak, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 21, 1955, Serial N 0. 495,673

7 Claims. (Cl. 19-129) The present invention relates to gill boxes and the like having pin draft mechanism for the treatment of slivers as a part of the yarn making process.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gill box in which faller bars are guided in their transfer from advancing means for moving the bars from the entrance end of the gill box to the exit end to return means therefor, and from the return means to the advancing means by conductors in the form of rocker members supported by transverse frame members connected between and spacing the side plates of the gill box, and in which the conductors for engaging the same faller bar during any one of its transfer movements are supported from the same transverse frame member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gill box of the type referred to above in which a novel biasing and buffering means, in cluding in the preferred embodiment a rubber-like body preferably comprised of neoprene, is provided to bias the conductors and cushion shocks imparted thereto by the faller bars.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment made with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the entrance end of a gill box embodying the present invention, with portions thereof cut away to show the drive mechanism for the faller bars;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the exit end of the gill box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view of the gill box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detached view of a conductor for the faller bars, with portions in section, showing the biasing and buffering means for the conductor.

While the present invention is susceptible of various modifications and of uses in various types of mechanisms embodying faller bars for treating fibres and the like, it is herein shown and embodied in a gill box having an upper series of faller bars and a lower series of faller bars 11 adapted to treat a sliver being passed through the gill box. The faller bars 10, 11 are supported transversely of spaced side plates 12, 13 for movement longitudinally of the gill box and each have a plurality of vertically extending pins spaced along the length thereof for treating the fibre being processed thereby. The side plates 12, 13 are maintained in spaced relationship by upper transverse frame members 14, 15 extending be tween' the side plates 12, 13 at the entrance and exit ends of the gill box respectively, and by lower transverse frame members 16, 17 extending between side plates 12, 13 at the entrance and exit ends of the gill box respectively. The transverse frame members 14-17 are secured to the side plates 12, 13 in any suitable manner, and in the illustrated embodiment, each-have reduced United States Patent O portions 20 at their outer ends which extend through the side plates to which the transverse frame member is to be connected and which are threaded at their outer ends so as to receive nuts 21 adapted to thread on the end of the reduced portions to clamp the side plates between the nuts and shoulders 22 formed between the reduced portions of the transverse frame members and the portion of the frame member immediately adjacent thereto.

The movement of the. upper series of faller bars 10, 11 longitudinally of the gill box from the entrance end to the exit end of the box is guided by spaced, longitudinally extending upper support and guide members or saddles 24 adapted to engage opposite end portions of the faller bars 10. The movement of the faller bars 11 of the lower series of faller bars from the entrance end of the gill box to the exit end is guided by spaced, longitudinally extending saddles 26, the upper surfaces of which are adapted to engage opposite end portions of the faller bars 11 to guide their advance.

The faller bars 10, 11 are advanced from the entrance end of the gill box through the exit end by advancing means comprising a spaced pair of upper lead screws 30 for the taller bars 10 and a spaced pair of lower lead screws 31 for the faller bars 11. The lead screws 30 are positioned on opposite sides of the gill box and are adapted to receive the ends of the faller bars 10 in the lead screw groove formed therein. The lead screws 31 are similarly positioned with respect to the lower faller bars 11. The construction of the lead screws 30, 31 and of the faller bars is conventional and well known in the art and may be similar to that shown and described in U. S. Patent 2,643,419.

Upon reaching the end of their advance movement, the faller bars 10, 11 are respectively moved upwardly and downwardly to engage return means comprising, in the illustrated embodiment, upper spaced lead screws 32 and lower spaced lead screws 33 extending parallel to the lead screws 31 and 30. The faller bars 10 in the upper series are guided in their return movement to the entrance end of the gill box by the upper surfaces of a pair of spaced saddles 34, positioned at and adapted to engage the opposite end portions of the fallerbars 10, while the return movement of the lower faller bars 11 is guided by a pair of lower support and guide members or saddles 36 positioned at opposite ends of the faller bars 11. The lead screws for returning the faller bars 10, 11 are similar in construction to the lead screws for advancing the faller bars but are 'of different pitch so that the drafting pins of the faller bars will be canted on the return movement. The lead screws 30, 31, 32 and 33 are interconnected and driven through gearing G at the entrance end of the gill box in a conventional manner. The gearing is best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The gearing shown in Fig. l is duplicated on each side of the gill box as shown in Fig. 3, where the gearing on the right hand side of the gill box is shown in end elevation while that on the left hand side is viewed along a section line XX of Fig. 1.

The faller bars 10, 11 are transferred between the advance lead screw and the return lead screw by means preferably comprising S-shaped cams 37 mounted on the exit ends of the advance lead screws. The S-shaped cams are of conventional construction and their manner of operation is well understood by those skilled in the; art. Similarly, S-shaped cams, not shown, are provided at the entrance end of the gill box to transfer the faller bars from the return lead screw to the advance lead screw. Preferably, the ends of the saddles 26 and 34 are formed so as to guide the movement of the faller bars in such a manner as to produce a quick, downward withdrawal in the manner described in the aforesaid patent.

-The movements ofthe faller bars in' both directions between their advance and return lead screws is guided by a plurality of fingers or conductors. Two conductors 38 are provided for guiding the movement of the upper faller bars from the advance lead screw to the return lead screw, The conductors 38 are adapted to engage opposite end portions of an upper faller bar as it is being moved past the ends of the saddles 34 in its transfer from the advance lead screw to the return lead screw and to continuously bias the faller bar into engagement with the ends of the saddles. are supported by individualrocker members 40 mounted on the upper transverse frame member located at the exit end of the gill box. Each rocker member comprises a sleeve portion 41 coaxial with and about a reduced portion of the transverse frame member 15 and has a radially extending arm 42 to which the conductor 38 is fixed. The sleeve portion 41 of each rocker member 40 is prevented from movement along the frame member 15 by engagement at one end with the side plate adjacent thereto and by engagement at the other end with a shoulder 43 between the reduced portion supporting the rocker member 40 and the portion of the frame member 15 immediately adjacent thereto, and inwardly thereof.

The movement of the lower faller bars 11 from the advance lead screw to the return lead screw is guided by two conductors 44, similar in construction to the conductors 38 and supported in a manner similar to the support for the conductors 38 from the lower transverse frame member 17 at the exit end of the gill box. Similarly, conductors 45 supported from the transverse frame member 14 are provided for guiding the movement of the upper faller bars 10 from the return lead screws 32 to the advance lead screws 30, and conductors 46 supported from the transverse frame member 16 for guiding the transfer of the lower faller bars 11 from the return lead screws 33 to the advance lead screws 31. The conductors 44, 45, and 46 are all supported by rocker members similar in construction to the rocker member for supporting the conductors 38, and the parts thereof corresponding to the parts of the rocker member 40 have been given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof, for the sake of clarity and brevity, will not be repeated.

According to one feature of the present invention, the conductors for guiding the transverse movement of the faller bars are biased toward the ends of the saddles for guiding the movements of the faller bars by means adapted to also cushion the shocks imparted by the faller bars to the conductors. In the illustrated and preferred embodiment, the upper conductors 38 at the exit end of the gill box are each opposed to a different one of the conductors 45 located at the entrance end of the gill box. Each of the opposed conductors 38, 45 are connected together by a tie rod 47 extending between the rocker members 40 for supporting the opposed conductors. Each tie rod 47 extends through and outwardly of a web portion 48 of each of the rocker members 40 to which it is connected, the web portions 48 being provided with an aperture 49 for passing the particular tie rod. The web portion 48 of each rocker member 40 extends between the radial arm 42 for supporting the conductor mounted on the rocker member and the sleeve portion 41 thereof.

For biasing the conductors and cushioning the shocks imparted to the opposed conductors 38, 45, a body 50 of rubber-like material, preferably neoprene, is positioned between each of the outer ends of the tie rod 47 joining the rocker members and the web portion 48 of the rocker member immediately adjacent to that end of the tie rod. The outer ends of the tie rod 47 for the conductors 38, 45 are threaded to receive nuts 51 for compressing the rubber-like bodies 50 against the web portions 48 of the rocker members.

The construction of the rubber-like bodies 50 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 4, and as may be seen therefrom,

The conductors 38 l the body 50 preferably comprises a main body portion 52 of circular cross section and having an axial bore 53 for passing the tie rod 47 and the sides which taper inwardly from a point of maximum diameter to the ends of the body portion 52. The inner end of the body portion 52 includes a pilot 54 which extends axially therefrom and which is adapted to be received in the aperture 49. The portion 55 of the pilot 54 immediately adjacent the end of the main body portion 52 is cylindrical in configuration and has substantially the same outside diameter as the inside diameter of the aperture 49. A washer 56 is provided intermediate the adjacent nut 51 and the body portion 52 so as to provide an even distribution of the forces applied by the nut upon the tightening thereof.

The conductors 44, 46 for the lower series of faller bars are positioned and biased toward the ends of saddles 26 in the same manner as the conductors 38, 45, and the description will therefore not be repeated but the buffering and biasing mechanisms for connecting opposed lower conductors have been given the same reference numeral as the corresponding parts of the biasing and buffering means just described.

For purposes of illustration, the operation of the conductors 38, 45 illustrated in Fig. 3 will be described, it being understood that the other conductors function in the same manner. As will be seen from Fig. 3, when a faller bar 10 is being transferred from the advance lead screw to the return lead screw, and is positioned immediately opposite the end of the saddle 24, the conductor 45 has been just engaged and moved slightly by a faller bar to be transferred from the return lead screw to the advance lead screw. The faller bar being transferred at the exit end of the gill box will be moved upwardly away from the end of the saddle 24 prior to the movement of a faller bar at the entrance end of the gill box to a point immediately opposite to the entrance end of the saddle 24. In this manner, only one faller bar at a time is positioned directly intermediate the ends of the saddles and any one of two conductors which are tied together. The number of faller bars in each series is such that the opposed conductors are continuously in engagement with faller bars and operate in a tandem-like manner.

The rubber-like bodies 50 function to apply a bias to the conductors 38, 45, which maintains the conductor members in engagement with the faller bars and, in turn, maintains the faller bars in engagement with the end of the saddle for guiding the movement thereof. It will be seen that by tightening the nuts 51, the tension applied to the conductors 38, 45 tied together by the particular bar may be increased and may be decreased by loosening the nuts 51. Not only do the rubber'like bodies 50 function to bias the conductors into engagement with the faller bars, but they also serve to buffer or cushion shocks imparted to the conductors by the transfer of the faller bars and permit limited relative movement between opposed, tied-together conductors. The particular configuration of the rubber-like bodies 50 is advantageous in that it tends to reduce distortion of the rubber-like body with operation of the gill box.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that the present invention accomplishes the objects heretofore enumerated and others, and that a new and improved gill box of simplified and lightweight construction has been provided which includes a novel mechanism for biasing and cushioning the operation of the conductors for guiding the transfer of faller bars.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that it is my intention to cover hereby all modifications and constructions which fall within the practice of those skilled in the art and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel side plates, upper and lower series of faller bars supported transversely of said plates for movement parallel to the plates, first and second means for advancing the faller bars of said upper and lower series of faller bars respectively, first and second means for returning the faller bars of the upper and lower series respectively, means for transferring the faller bars to and from the return means, guide members for guiding the advance and return movements of the faller bars, pairs of rocker members for engaging the faller bars at spaced points and guiding their movement to and from the return means, there being a pair of rocker members at each end of each of said return means adjacent to the ends of said guide members a plurality of upper and lower transverse frame members extending between and connected to said side plates, each of said pairs of rocker members being supported for rocking movement on one of said transverse frame members, and buffering and biasing means for each rocker member to cushion movement of the rocker member in a direction away from the guide members and for urging the rocker member into engagement with the faller bars comprising an abutment member and a body of rubber-like material engageable by the rocker member and positioned between the rocker member and said abutment member.

2. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel side plates, a series of faller bars supported transversely of said plates for movement parallel to the plates, advance means for advancing said faller bars from the entrance end to the exit end of the gill box, return means for returning the faller bars, means for transferring the faller bars between the advance means and the return means including first and second opposed rocker members for guiding the transfer of said faller bars, there being a rocker member at each end of said advance means for advancing the faller bars to guide the transfer movement of the faller bars between the advance means and the return means, a tie rod extending between and through said rocker members and having an abutment surface positioned outwardly of each rocker member, and buffering and biasing means comprising a body of rubberlike material on said tie rod intermediate each rocker member and the abutment surface outwardly thereof.

3. A gill box as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said rubber-like bodies has a circular cross-section and a central portion of maximum diameter with external sides tapering from the central portion toward the opposite ends of the body engaging the adjacent abutment and rocker member.

4. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel side plates, a series of faller bars supported transversely of said plates for movement parallel to the plates, means for advancing said faller bars from the entrance end to the exit end of the gill box, means for returning the faller bars, means for transferring the faller bars to and from the return means, guide members for guiding the advance and return movements of the faller bars, pairs of rocker members having means for engaging faller bars being transferred at spaced points and guiding their movement to and from the return means, there being a pair of rocker members at each end of each of said return means adjacent to the ends of said guide members and the individual rocker members of each pair being opposed to a rocker member of the other pair, a plurality of transverse frame members extending between and spacing said side plates, each of said pairs 5 of rocker members being supported for rocking movement on one of said transverse frame members, means for buffering shock imparted to said rocker members and for urging the guiding means of the rocker members into engagement with the faller bars comprising a tie rod extending between opposed rocker members and outwardly thereof, an abutment on each of said tie rods outwardly of each rocker member, a body of rubber-like material intermediate each abutment and the adjacent rocker member, and means for moving said abutments toward and away from the respective ones of said rocker members.

5. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel side plates, upper and lower series of faller bars supported transversely of said plates for movement parallel to the plates, means for advancing the faller bars of said upper and lower series, means for returning the faller bars of the upper and lower series, each of said series of faller bars having first and second opposed rocker members for guiding the transfer of said faller bars, there being a rocker member at each end of said means for advancing the faller bars to guide the movement of the faller bars to and from said advancing means, a tie rod extending between and through said rocker members and having an abutment surface positioned outwardly of each rocker member, buffering and biasing means comprising a body of rubber-like material on said tie rod intermediate each rocker member and the abutment surface outwardly thereof, and means for adjustably moving said abutment surfaces relative to each other along said tie rod, to vary the distance there between.

6. In a gill box having a frame providing exit and entrance ends for the gill box, a series of faller bars to be advanced from the entrance end to the exit end of the box and returned to the entrance end, advance means for advancing the taller bars from the entrance end to the exit end of the gill box, return means for returning the faller bars from the exit end to the entrance end, guide members for guiding the advance and return movements of the faller bars, means for transferring the faller bars between the return means and advance means at the entrance and exit ends of the box and including a pair of rocker members supported adjacent to one end of the gill box for guiding the transfer movement of the individual faller bars at that end of the box, said rocker members being engaged and rocked by the individual faller bars during their transfer movement at that end of the box, an abutment supported adjacent each of said rocker members, and a body of rubber-like material positioned between each abutment and the adjacent rocker member and urging said rocker members in a direction toward said faller bars and buffering said rocker members when engaged by said faller bars.

7. A gill box as defined in claim 6 wherein each of said rubber-like bodies has a circular cross section and a central portion of maximum diameter with external sides tapering from the central portion toward the opposite ends of the body engaging the adjacent abutment and rocker member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,497,306 Schlumberger June 10, 1924 1,763,926 Gegautf June 17, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,979 Great Britain of 1887

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