US3065505A - Cotton ball machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1962 R. H. PRATT-ETAL 3,065,505

I COTTON BALL MACHINE Filed March 2, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Passer Pear-7- HAFEED J. 5196/ BY A TTORNE'Y Nov. 27, 1962 R. H. PRATT ETAL COTTON BALL MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1959- INVENTOR) Eoaser H. pen T'T HAFEED J. 506x05 M, M M

ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1962 R. H. PRATT ETAL 3,

COTTON BALL MACHINE Filed March 2, 1959 6 Sheets-sheaf 5 Y INVENTORS EaaEzr H P? r 144F250 J BAG/ 05 m m+m ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1962 Filed March 2, 1959 R. H. PRATT ETAL 3,065,505

COTTON BALL MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS Ease-2TH. Pen-r7 /7LF3ED J. 51461605 A TTORNEYJ Nov. 27, 1962 R. H. PRATT ETAL 3,06

COTTON BALL MACHINE Filed March 2, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN OR! IFOGEET/i Arr ALF-2E0 -J- Baa-K05 2 M 4 [PM Nov. 27, 1962 R. H. PRATT ETAL powwow BALL MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 2, 1959 F hI NVFNTORST 08527 9 :250 J. 5140a)! BY W, W? 4.41%,

A T TOENEYJ ited States fire 3,065,595 COTTON BALL MAHINE Robert H. Pratt, Fox Point, and Alfred J. Backus, West Bend, Wis., assignors to Laukhuif-Pratt Mfg. Corp, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 796,495 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-'-144.5)

The invention relates to a cotton ball machine.

The product known as a cotton ball has heretofore been produced in various ways and in various specific forms, but essentially the cotton ball is a Wad, roll or ball of cotton fibers or other fibers, preferably absorbent, useful in many ways and often utilized in surgery or for application of medicaments.

The so called cotton ball may be of any practicable size but the common product is a fiuffy but more or less compact ball approximately an inch in diameter.

The machine of the instant invention is a simple device mechanically but provides in its principal operating throat a succession of operating principles which are conducive to extremely rapid production and to completion of the product through the use of few operating parts not only adapted to receive and feed raw fiber in the simplest form of sliver but to separate lengths of such a sliver into formable unit lengths best adapted for rapid formation into the roll or ball for delivery in a sweeping continuous operation.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the cotton ball machine of this invention and showing diagrammatically at the left a carding machine for delivery of fiber in the form of a sliver; certain parts of the delivery portion of the cotton ball machine being shown at the right in vertical section.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the delivery side of the machine and showing the symmetrical duplicate delivery apparatus of the duplicate operative portions of the machine.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the ball forming heads and is therefore an enlarged fragmentary view of the upper portion of the disclosure in FIG. 1; the position of the operating parts of the machine disclosing their operation immediately upon the rupture of the sliver to provide a unit length thereof for the formation of a ball.

FIG. 4 is a view fragmentarily of some of the parts shown in FIG. 3 but disclosing the sliver as it initially advances into the unit forming portion of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of those operating parts of the machine at the station where the ball formation of the sliver unit has its inception.

FIG. 6 is a view in perspective of a fragment of sliver as it appears just after the inception of the rolling operation for formation of a ball.

FIG. 7 is a perspective of a complete roll or ball which is the product of the instant machine.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical section on line 88 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a section on line 99 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a view in section on line lit-10 of FIG. 3 showing the relative positions of the ball forming wheel and the final feed wheel.

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of a portion of the ball forming wheel and the parts providing the ball forming throat, such parts being shown in section on line 11-11 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 shows an alternative form of cotton ball forming apparatus and the View is in general comparable to FIG. 3.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of the view shown in FIG. 12, this portion showing apparatus for initiating the ball forming operation.

FIG. 14 is a vertical section through that portion of the cotton ball machine-which shows the power train of shafts, sprockets and other driving elements of the apparatus shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a section on line 1'5---15 of FIG. 14, certain parts being eliminated so as to show clearly certain functioning parts of the cotton ball machine.

FIG. 16 is a section on line 16-16 of FIG. 14 and including a diagrammatic showing of the electrical portion of the control apparatus, certain parts mounted in conjunction with the control apparatus on a control shaft being shown in elevation.

FIG. 17 is a section on line 17--17 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a sect-ion on line 18-48 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 19 is a section on line 19-19 of FIG. 12.

It will be understood that in the description of the machine, the term ball is intended in its broadest sense to include fibrous material approximately ball shaped but including a roll formed by spirally successive accumulation derived from a band or sliver of fibrous material.

The raw material to be fed into the instant apparatus is fibrous and formed in a carding machine 25 into a band or sliver 26 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The sliver is delivered from the carding machine by the rolls 27 and 28 one of which is power connected by chain 29 to the cotton ball machine. It will be understood that sliver 26 may be provided from any source and may delivered into the instant inventive machine from a carton or other container as will be understood by those skilled in the art of handling slivers. The machine as shown in the drawings is in reality a double machine in that the actual mechanism for producing balls is duplicated on either side as shown in FIG. 2, therefore with the exception of the mechanism for delivery of the completed product, the following description will be directed to the mechanism at the left of the machine shown in FIGS. 2 or 12.

The structural frame of the machine comprises a boxshaped housing 30 the side walls of which are used to support various bearings for shafts which extend into or across the interior of the box-like frame 30 and some of which protrude outside of the frame 30 to support the parts used immediately in the formation of the balls. The principal structural operating member of the ball forming part of the machine is a ball forming wheel 31 mounted upon shaft 32. It is provided with a rim 33, the outer peripheral surface of which is pulley shaped and coated with a thickness of soft rubber-like material 34. As shown in the drawings the wheel 31 is 16" in diameter and the rubber-like coating upon its periphery is made up of a band of this material approximately 2." longer than the circumferential dimensions of the wheel so that as shown in FIG. 3 the band of rubber-like material is overlapped at 35 for reasons to be described below.

At the input portion of the machine relative to the wheel 31, there is a pair of silver feeding rolls 36 and 37 mounted on shafts 38 and 39 respectively. Shaft 38 for roll 36 as shown in FIG. 9 is mounted in fixed bearings 40 and this shaft 38 is positively driven by chain 41 on sprocket 42 as will be described below relative to the driving mechanism of the entire machine. The other roll 37 of this pair of feed rolls is mounted upon the shaft 39 carried by a bearing 45 mounted in a bracket 46 so as to be swingable toward and away from roll 36. Bracket 46 is pivoted upon shaft 49 extending across the machine frame. A spring at 50 tensioned between the bracket 46 and a cross brace 51 biases the swingable feed roll 37 toward the feed roll 36, and it is between these rolls that a sliver 26 is fed toward the ball forming wheel 31 in a direction such that the sliver may be picked 3 up between the periphery of wheel 31 and sliver-severing feed roll 55.

The rim 33 of the ball forming wheel 31 is quite close to the exterior surface of the box-shaped housing 30, and there is a path forming band 60 spaced outwardly peripherally of the coating 34. This path forming band 60 is supported at spaced points by adjustable. mounting screws 61 as most clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 where it will be seen that the heads of the screws 61 are held under clips 62 secured to the outer face of band 60. Then the screws extend radially outwardly through mounting devices 63 secured to the housing 30. The screws are in threaded engagement with the devices 63 and lock nuts 64 may be used to secure the band 60 inthe proper adjusted position.

It will be noted that band 60 is positioned radially closer to the periphery of the wheel 31 adjacent feed roll 55 and that at each point of attachment the adjustment of the band is such that it is held at increasing distances from the wheel 31 until finally at the outlet shown at 65 in FIG. 3 the band is at its greatest degree of separation from the periphery of the Wheel.

Then to complete the definition and enclosure of the path to be followed by the cotton or other fibrous material, there is an outer shield 66 which comprises a large portion of an annular collar preferably formed of transparent plastic and havingan inner skirt of sufiicient radial extent to provide closure for the path of product as will be readily understood from an examination of the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the power means for driving the apparatus thus far disclosed includes a motor (not shown) for the carding machine which drives the rolls 27 and 28 The chain 29 connected to the roll 28 and its shaft extends to a sprocket 70 on a shaft 71 extending across the box frame 30 of the cotton ball machine. On this same shaft 71 is a sprocket 72 connected to a sprocket 73 by means of chain 74. Sprocket 73 is on the same shaft 75 with a larger gear 76 meshed with gear 77 on shaft 32. Then in one to one ratio, there are sprockets 78 and 79 with a chain 80 for drive of -a counter device 81 mounted adjacent the output mechanism of. the machine.

A sprocket 82 on shaft 83 of roll 55 and a sprocket 42 on shaft 38 are connected by chain 41 with a sprocket on shaft 71 for drive of rolls 55 and 36, and it will be noted that sprocket 82 is smaller than sprocket 42 whereby. to provide a more rapid rotation of the periphery of roll 55. than is provided for the periphery of roll 36. j

The principal parts of the ball forming apparatus having been described above, it will be observed as shown in the drawings that the sliver 26. is passed to rolls 36-37 by any satisfactory. path oftravel, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and.3, the path is directed from the carding machine upwardly andarcuately over wheel 31 as governed by a curved strapSSmounted on clips 86 secured to the housing 39. When thefeed of sliver 26 is directed between power operated-roll 36v and idler roll 37 which is spring biased toward roll 36, the sliver is directed toward the infeed throat 87 and in a general direction toward the path which is defined by the wheel 31 and path forming band 61 At a time when a single thickness of rubber-like friction material 34 is opposite? roll 55, there is ample space for the sliver to freely move between the roll 55 and friction material 34. The sliver contacts .either the roll or the friction material and some assistance is given to the forward travel into and through the throat and into the path of travel to be followed in a ball forming operation. The length of a ball forming unit is primarily determined by the'peripheral speed of roll 36 which is power operated and a certain lengthv of the sliver indicated clearly in FIG. 3 will have traveled through the throat at the timewhen the overlapped or land portion of friction material 34 at 35 is brought into the bite between wheel 31 and roll 55. This added thickness of the overlapped portion is suificient to squeeze the sliver tightly against roll 55 and since the peripheral speed of roll 55 is faster than the peripheral speed of roll 36, there is an appreciable speeding up of one portion of the sliver while that portion at 88 between rolls 36 and 55 is subjected to an attenuation resulting in a rupture of the sliver at 88. Of course the peripheral speed of the friction material 34 is the same as the peripheral speed of roll 55, but until the sliver has been squeezed by the additional thickness of friction material 34 at 35, only a slight frictional and indirect application of forward power to the sliver at 89 has been partially effective and never sufficiently powerful in forward pull upon the sliver to accomplish a rupture of the sliver.

The severed portion 89 of the sliver now progresses as a unit forwardly in the direction of wheel rotation in the path between the wheel 31 and the-pathforming band 69, and almost immediately the forward end of this sliver unit enters a relatively constricted zone at 90 because of the provisionof friction material 91 on the inside of thepath forming band 60 (see FIG. 3). There is just sufficient room at 95 for the sliver to enter but there is immediately established a resistance to the outside portion of the sliver and a rolling action commences. As the rolling action develops as illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in FIG. 6, a greater space is needed between the friction surface 34 and the friction surface 91. This is-accommodated by the increased dimension of the ball forming. zone as the band 60 is increasingly peripherally spaced from wheel 31 and its surface 34. Of course the ball or roll progresses along the path of ravel. until finally it reaches the outlet at 65 where it pops out tangentially of the Wheel 31 and into a delivery trough or tube 92.

In the meantime, the forward end of the sliver at the point of rupture at 88 has been fed forwardly between surface Stand roll 55 and the operation is repeated to form a ball or roll for each revolution of wheel 31. Assuming a given speed ofsliver feed through rolls 3637, the amount of fiber in the ball may be determined by the time interval betweenpassage of zones of overlap 35 respecting roll 55. The degree of compaction is controlled by adjustment of band 60. and affects the size of the ball.

When a sliver. rolls into ball form in its path of progress between the wheel surface 34 and the pathformingband' 60 with its friction material 91 it assumes a form shown in FIG. 7 except that usually there are fuzzy portions of the fibrous sliver materialwhich give the product a more ball shaped appearance. As the product pops into the outlet tube 92, it falls by gravity into a bag or container into which it is directed by a two-way delivery valve 151 at the dividing point in theY-shaped portion 162 of outlet tube 92 (see FIG. 2).

The valve 101 is fixed on shaft 103 provided with a valve shifter lever armltl iso disposed that a solenoid 105 and its armature 106 may, by means of shift link 1'07, flip the valve from one position toanotheragainst the bias of spring 108.

Electrically, the solenoid 105 is under control of a circuit diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2 at 110 and connected to counter 81. Each time the counter totals a certain number, for instance 500, the circuit 110 is energized or deenergized by means of aswitch not shown, and the valves 1611 change position whereupon an operator removes a filled container 106 and substitutes an empty one in readiness for the next valve movement.

As shown in FIG. 11 provision for adjustment of the band 60, particularly at the restricted zone'90, permits of careful determination that the rolling of the sliver is initiated. Also, it will be noted that the shape of the parts at 65 facilitates the centrifugal throwing of the. product into a delivery tube.

Experience has shown that a more versatile ball forming machine according to the above described basic ball forming principle is attainable through the provision of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 12 to 19 inclusive. Here the sliver 26 is guided around a snub roller 115 and then passed through infeed rolls 116 and 117. Roll 116 is power operated and roll 117 is an idler roll biased to squeeze the sliver between the rolls. The sliver is thus fed to the bite of two or more infeed rolls which will be denominated as severance rolls 118 and 119. Roll 118 is a power operated continuously rotating roll and I011 119 is an idler roll spring biased toward roll 118.

A felt wiper 123 on blade 124 prevents accidental maldirection of the sliver to the right as seen in FIG. 12.

In this construction, Wheel 1211 is provided with rubber-like friction material 121 on the periphery of its pulley-like surface in much the same way that wheel 31 is equipped in the FIG. 3 type of machine except that the friction material 121 is of single thickness throughout the entire periphery of the wheel 120, and the wheel 120 may revolve at a greater peripheral speed without specific reference to the number of cotton balls which are produced in one revolution of the wheel 1211.

Through the use of the feed rolls 116, 117 and 118,'

119 a severance or rupture of the sliver into ball forming unit lengths is accomplished as will be described below- .7

The leading end of a unit length of sliver is projected upwardly by the feed rolls 118, 119 so as to impinge against the friction material 121 of wheel 121). Therefore, naturally the unit length of sliver will be fed to the left as shown in FIG. 12 into a throat 125 defined by the material 121 on the wheel 120, by the side wall of the housing 30 and by an almost complete collar 126- comparable in function to that shown in 66 in FIG. 1. Here, too, a peripheral path forming band 127 is supported upon adjusting screws 128 mounted and performing the same function as screws 61; however, the first contact of the leading end of the sliver unit with band 127 and its friction material 129 is not required to initiate the rolling action for the formation of a ball. This initial rolling action is assured by reason of a pneumatic deflector 130 shown most clearly in FIG. 13 Where it will be seen that a screened opening along the lower portion of the path of travel of a sliver unit 131 is connected to vacuum pipe line 132 and when the advancing unit 131 reaches 130, there is a downward deflection of the leading end of the unit sufficient to assure the initiation of a rolling action which is almost immediately picked up by the friction material 129 at 133 which is the forward nose of the band 127 and its friction surface 129, specially adjustably positioned by set screw 134. When the rolling action has been developed along the path of travel of the sliver unit, the ball is soon completely formed as the band 127 is radially increasingly spaced from the periphery of the wheel 120. Usually, the ball is substantially complete and the sliver unit has been completely wound into ball form before the ball reaches the oclock position as seen in FIG. 12. From there on to the outlet 135, the ball merely rolls for the purpose of advancing it along the path for delivery and to shape and frictionally treat the ball surface,

A delivery blade 136 is positioned to positively assure the delivery of the completed ball away from wheel 120, but because of the rapid rotation of wheel 120 and the centrifugal forces involved, the ball usually travels along the Path designated by the trailing end of band 127 so that the ball is delivered into outlet tube 137.

The timing and power operation of this alternative ball forming apparatus is shown in FIGS. 14 to 18 inclusive, and, as indicated above in reference to the FIG. 8 disclosure, the power for operation of the ball forming apparatus is derived from the carding machine 25 which supplies the slivers to the respective sides of the apparatus. In FIG. 14 the shaft connected to the carding machine is shaft 140. It will be note-d that shaft 141 for the wheel is connected directly to shaft by sprocket 142, chain 143 and sprocket 144. Also the shaft 140 is provided with a sprocket 145, provided with a chain 146, connected to sprocket 147 on shaft 150. Thus the rotative power from shaft 140 is carried to a gear 151 on shaft 151] meshed with gear 152 on shaft 153. This shaft 153 carries infeed rolls 118.

Gear 152 is meshed with a larger gear 154 which is an idler gear on shaft 155. This shaft 155 is an important carrier of a clutch and brake forming part of the control devices determining the unit length of sliver to be formed into a ball.

At each end of shaft 155 are the rolls 116 and since each of the power driven rolls 118 and 116 are respectively mated with their idler rolls 119 and 117, attention is now directed to FIG. 15 where it will be seen that shaft 155 is equipped with a set of brake and clutch members now to be described.

A fixed frame cross shaft 156 extends from one side of the housing 311 to the other and carries a bracket 157. This in turn carries a spreader shaft 158 with which to anchor two oppositely facing mounting plates 159 and 161) forming parts of a unitary member 169. These mounting plates are generally circular and are provided with individual bearing members 161 and 162 respectively between the plates and the shaft 155. Plate 155 carries field coil 163 and pole ring 164 with appropriate electrical connections for the coil as shown in FIG. 16 and described below so that when the coil 163 is energized, flux carrier 165 keyed to shaft 155 pulls brake armature 166 into braking relation to the flux carrier. This is possible because braking armature 166 is splined upon fixed idler hub 167 carried by a bracket 168 mounted in fixed relation to frame cross shaft 156.

Plate 166 carries pole ring 170 which is provided with a coil 171. When this coil is energized a clutch flux ring 172 keyed to shaft 155 pulls clutch armature 173 into friction relationship with the flux ring 172. This provides a drive for shaft 155 because clutch armature 173 is in splined relation to the hub of gear 154.

From the above description, it will be seen that when coil 163 is energized and coil 171 is deenergized, shaft 155 is almost immediately stopped in its rotation by the braking action between flux ring 165 and armature 166. Then when coil 163 is deenergized and coil 171 is energized shaft 155 is brought immediately up to its proper speed of rotation by frictional engagement of flux ring 172 and clutch armature 17 3,

Control of the coils 163 and 171 respectively is provided as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. A timing shaft is provided with a commutator device 181 having a dielectric sleeve 132 fixed on the shaft. Embedded in the dielectric material are two complete slip rings 183 and 184 respectively electrically connected to coils 163 and 171 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 16 where it will be seen that a brush 185 rides on ring 183 and brush 186 rides on ring 184. Centrally of the sleeve 182 is a segmental commutator ring shown more completely in FIG. 17. One segment 187 extends slightly less than 300 degrees and the other, 188, extends slightly less than 60 degrees for respective contact through a brush 189 with one lead 190 of a two wire supply of which the other lead is shown at 191 for common feed to the coils. The longer commutator segment 187 is connected by a bush bar 192 with ring 184 for clutch energization and the shorter segment 188 is connected by bus bar 193 with ring 183 for brake energization. Therefore, in one revolution of shaft 180 and this commutator 181 the shaft 155 and infeed rolls 116 are in operation during 300 degrees of shaft 180 rotation and are stopped during 60 degrees of shaft 180 rotation. This then determines the unit length of sliver to be fed into the ball forming portion of the machine since the rolls 116 will advance 7,. sliver 26 between them and the mated idlers 117 while they are operating but will stop long enough to rupture the slivers as the other infeed rolls 118 are constantly rotatingto feed the sliver units forwardto the wheel 12%.

The length of a sliver unit is adjustable because the speed of rotation of shaft 189 relative to the other operating parts of the machine is adjustable, within limits, as shown in FIG. 14. Here it will be seen that the drive for shaft 180 is through a V belt 195 extending over pulleys on shafts 140 and 180 respectively. One of these pulleys, 196 on shaft 180, is a Reeves drive pulley having one face of the pulley automatically adjustable so as to change the effective diameter of the pulley according to the pressure of the belt thereon. At 197 is an idler pulley for the belt 1% whereby to change the pressure on pulley 196 for a change in speed of shaft 186. The shaft of idler pulley 197 is carried by an adjusting arm 198 pivoted at 199 and adjustably swingable under control of adjusting apparatus at 2% as will be readily understood.

Reference has been made to the fact that the mates for each of the power operated feed rolls 116 and 118 are idler rolls 117 and 119, but they are resiliently pressed toward their mates so as to give substantially positive feed of sliver. As shown, in FIGS. 14, 15 and 18, each of these rolls is mounted on a shaft such as shaft 2M carried for free rotation in a bracket 202 swingable on a shaft 293 extending across the frame of the machine. Each bracket of the type shown at 2132 in FIG. 18 carries one of these idler rolls and a fixed arm 264- with compression spring 294' between the arm and bracket as shown in FIG. 18 presses the idler roll toward its mate.

Reference has also been made to the pneumatic deflector 136", an enlarged view of which is shown in FIG. 13. The reduced air pressure in pipe 132 is not constantly reduced, but is reduced momentarily in timed relation to the feed of sliver units. On the control shaft 189, at 205, is a cam having one lobe 2% to bear against an actuator 297 for a valve 20$. This in an off-on valve in air tube 209. Each time the valve opens in response to cam lobe 2%, compressed air in tube 209 is passed to an injector unit 210, the outlet of which is directed against the clutch and brake assembly so as to cool it. The function of the injector 211) is to induce a reduced air pressure in vacuum line 211 and thus pull the tip of a sliver unit against the screen at 130 as above described.

From the above description, it will be seen that a sliver unit separated from a sliver 26 by a rupturing operating operation is-fed into a path between a path forming member such as 69 or 127 and a peripheral portion of a wheel equipped with friction surfacing so that the sliver is advanced along the path. There are means for initiating a rolling action'with respect to the forward end of the sliver unit. These means are in the form of a constriction of the path as at 9%) in FIG. 3 or a deflecting means such as the air stream at 130 in FIG. 13. Once the rolling action is initiated, it progresses between friction inducing surfaces along the path and the dimensions and spacing of the path forming members are such that there is room for the increasing diameter of the ball product until finally the outlet is reached and the ball is released into an outlet tube.

We claim:

1. A cotton ball forming machine provided with a power operated rotatable wheel having a friction surfaced rim, a portion of which surface extends outwardly of said rim to provide a-land; a path forming member in spaced relation to the friction surfaced rim and shaped to provide an opening for reception of a sliver unit along a path between the rim and said member; a .sliver unit feeder adjacent said opening, said feeder including a set of infeed rolls spaced from one another and'arranged to operate in a sliver feeding and rupturing operation, said set of rolls including a pair for constantly feeding a sliver at a predetermined rate to said path, and another roll spaced from the wheel during most of the timed rotation of the wheel, but sufi'iciently closely to squeeze the sliver between said roll and said land at spaced intervals of wheel rotation to rupture the sliver and advance a sliver unit to said path.

2. A cotton ball forming machine provided with a power operated rotatable wheel having a friction surfaced rim movable at a predetermined peripheral speed, a portion of which surface extends outwardly of said rim to provide a land; a path forming member in spaced relation to the friction surfaced rim and shaped to provide an opening for reception of a sliver unit alonga path be-- tween the rim and said member; a sliver unit feeder adjacent said opening, said feeder including a set of infeed rolls spaced from one another and arranged to operate in a sliver feeding and sliver rupturing operation; said set of rolls including a' pair for constantly feeding a sliver at a predetermined rateto said path, and another roll spaced from the wheel during most of the timed rotation of the wheel, but sufficiently closely to squeeze the sliver between said roll and said land at spaced intervals of wheel rotation whereby to rupture the sliver and advance a sliver unit to said path, the peripheral speed of said pair of rolls being less than said other roll and wheel.

3. The machine of claim 1 in which the friction surface for the rim comprises a. band of rubber-like material having a single thickness applied to the rim and an overlap of a plurality of thicknesses to provide said land.

4. A ball forming machine having a peripherally friction surfaced rotatable wheel with an outwardly extended friction surfaced land enclosed in peripherally spaced relation by a path forming member for reception of a sliver unit along a path formed by said member, means for initiating a rolling action of the leading portion of the sliver unit between the wheel and said path member, said path forming member enclosing a portion of the periphery of a wheel and shaped to provide an inlet for a sliver unit to enter said path, and a sliver unit feeder positioned to feed units into said path, said feeder including an infeed roll spaced from said wheel and cooperating therewith to perform a sliver rupturing operation at timed intervals during rotation of said wheel, said means for initiating a rolling action of the leading portion of the sliver unit comprising a friction band on the path member and providing a constriction of said path.

References Cited in the file of this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,753 Thompson Dec. 4, 1917 1,812,655 Ladd June 30, 1931 1,968,310 Peterson July 31, 1934 2,747,235 Wallace May 29, 1956 2,776,454 Dyson Jan. 8, 1957 2,803,044 Streun Aug. 20, 1957 2,883,709 Deems et al Apr. 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 196,549 Austria Mar. 25, 1958 2,759 Great Britain of 1870 17,256 Great Britain of 1903 551,586 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1943 320,825 Italy Sept. 8, 1934

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