US3136006A

US3136006A - Textile sliver drafting machines

Info

Publication number: US3136006A
Application number: US120280A
Authority: US
Inventors: John K P Mackie
Original assignee: James Mackie and Sons Ltd
Current assignee: James Mackie and Sons Ltd
Priority date: 1960-07-05
Filing date: 1961-06-28
Publication date: 1964-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-09
Also published as: GB983862A; CH376037A; DE1166060B; BE605665A

Description

June 9, 1964 J. K. P. MACKIE 3,136,006

TEXTILE SILVER DRAFTING MACHINES Filed June 2B, 1961 2 sheets-sheet 2 n venlor ttorneys United States Patent() 3,136,006 TEXTILE SLIVER DRAFTING MACHINES .lohn K. l?. Mackie, Belfast, Northern Ireland, assigner t .lames Mackie it Sons Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland, a British company Filed .lune 28, 1961, Ser. No. 120,280 Claims priority, application Great Britain July 5, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 19-252) This invention relates to drafting devices of the double apron type in which the sliver is controlled in the drafting zone between a pair of moving aprons each in the form of a continuous driven belt. The invention is concerned particularly with such devices when litted to spinning frames for the direct spinning of textile yarns from sliver and also when fitted, for example, to roving frames or when used for linisher drawing operation.

During its passage between the aprons there is a tendency for the sliver to spread laterally and this elect needs to be counteracted by the provision of a conductor preceding the drafting rollers. A certain amount of difliculty is caused in condensing the sliver to pass through this conductor, particularly in the treatment of crimped fibres such as crimped viscose or other artificial or synthetic libres or wool. These slivers are of a very bulky nature and spread to a considerable extent during the passage between the aprons, thus necessitating quite abrupt condensation before passing to the drafting rollers. To avoid this effect the aprons may be made of approximately the same width as the sliver itself and side members may be fitted outside the edge of the aprons so as to prevent the lateral spread of the sliver and thus avoid the need for condensing it to pass to the driving rollers. One form of apparatus for this purpose is described in the co-pending application Serial No. 103,333 filed o-n April 17, 1961.

The passage of the sliver between the various pairs of rollers tends to produce localised wear. When using a double apron arrangement without any form of side control, the aprons have been several times as wide as the sliver and in order to spread the eifects of wear, the sliver has been caused to traverse in a lateral direction in relation to both the aprons and to the pairs of rollers. When side control is employed, however, the aprons are only the same width as the sliver itself and as a consequence it is impossible to traverse the sliver in relation to the aprons.

According to the present invention mechanism is provided for the lateral traversing of each pair of cooperating aprons together with its associated side members as a unit in relation to the drawing rollers and other fixed rollers of the frame. This evens out the effects of wear and prevents the xed rollers becoming grooved by the passage of the sliver. There is, of course, no traversing of the sliver in relation to the aprons themselves but this is not necessary since the sliver is the same width as the aprons and the wear is thus substantially uniform over the surface of the aprons.

Preferably the driving rollers are narrow faced so as to enter between the side members and are traversed as part of the apron unit. The apron units may be conructed in pairs, each of which has a separate drive transmitted through a pair of gear wheels. In order to permit the necessary traversing motion these gear wheels must be able to slide in relation to one another and for this purpose one of the wheels is made relatively broad to allow this sliding movement.

A construction in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation showing a single apron unit; and,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view corresponding to FIGURE 1 I,1l6,0l1fil Patented June 9, 1964 rice,

but showing a pair of aprons units mounted side by side.

Turning lirst to FIGURE 1 the construction shown is similar to that described in the co-pending application referred to above. The sliver 1 to be drafted passes via a feed conductor 2 to feed rollers 3 and 4 and thence Y by way of an intermediate conductor 5 to an apron unit indicated generally at 6. This comprises a pair of

cooperating aprons

7 and 8 each of which passes around a driving roller 9 and idler rollers 10. The unit also includes side control members, one of which is seen at 11, and the rollers 9 are narrow faced so as to enter between them. Pressure is applied between the two aprons by way of a leaf spring 12. This bears downwardly against a member 13 from which the pressure is transmitted to the upper apron at a point 17 at one end and also by means of a pair of

leaf springs

13 and 19. The components just described together constitute the apron unit which is traversed as will be described in more detail. The sliver emerging from the apron unit passes between the

drafting rollers

20 and 21 in the usual way.

For purposes of traversing both the apron unit and the other components are mounted on a framework seen in more detail in FIGURE 2. As seen in FIGURE l, however, the apron unit as a whole is supported by a rod 25, the intermediate conductor 5 is supported by a rod 26 and the feed conductor 2 is supported by a bar 27. The

rod

25 and 26 and the bar 27 extend along the length of the machine for the traversing of successive apron units and as seen from FIGURE 2 are connected together at one end by a cross-member 28 to which the traversing motion is applied. This traversing motion is derived from the rotation of the feed roller 3 which has mounted at its end a worm 32 driving a worm wheel 33. The worm wheel 33 in its turn is mounted on a shaft 34 carrying a further worm 35 driving a worm wheel 36 turning about a xed spindle 37. The worm wheel 36 carries on its underside an eccentric projection 33 shown in dotted lines which engages a slot 39 in the cross-member 28. Consequently the rotation of the worm wheel 36 produces reciprocation of the cross-member 28 and hence a traversing movement of the framework constituted by the

rods

25 and 26 and the bar 27.

Drive to each apron unit is taken from a shaft 40 which extends along the length of the machine and is not traversed with the units. The units, however, are mounted in pairs, one such pair being shown in FIGURE 2. A common drive is taken to this pair of units from the shaft 40 by way of a gear wheel 41 on the shaft which meshes with a gear wheel 42 on a shaft 43 which carries the driving rollers 9 for the lower aprons of each unit. The gear wheel 42 in its turn meshes with a similar gear wheel 44 on a shaft 45 which carries the upper driving rollers for the aprons of the two units. In order to permit the necessary traversing movement the gear wheel 41 is relatively broad thus enabling the gear wheel 42 to slide in relation to it during the traversing motion. The

gear wheels

42 and 44 are cut with very deep teeth so as to ensure proper meshing between them with varying sliver thicknesses which will, of course, alter the distance between the

shafts

43 and 45.

In addition to the common drive to the two units of the pair there is a common source of pressure in the form of a cross-member 50 which extends between the members 13 of the two units and applies pressure t0 them from the leaf spring 12. This leaf spring extends from the underside of a bowed member 51 shown in dotted lines in the drawings which extends between an anchorage S2 and a second fixing point on the axis o-f the drafting pressing rollers 21. Consequently when it is required to separate the aprons of a unit the pressure is relieved by raising the member 51 which simultaneously frees both units of the pair.

a As already mentioned the traversing movement is applied to all the units of the machine thus producing traversing movement of the sliver in relation to the fixed rollers and thereby avoiding localised wear.

I claim: 1. Textile sliver drafting apparatus of the double apron type comprising:

a plurality of apron units, each unit including a pair of cooperating aprons; spaced side control members positioned adjacent opposite sides of said aprons, the width of said aprons and the spacing between said side control members being equal to a distance substantially equal to the width of sliver being processed so that said side control members engage the sliver being processed on opposite sides thereof throughout its passage between said aprons; means affording connection of a positive drive for said aprons, said means including drive rollers for each unit, the width of said rollers being such that they may be received between said side control members; means for feeding sliver to said units; drafting rolls for receiving sliver from said units; and means for traversing said units and said side control members with respect to said drafting rolls, the

4 planes of said aprons being substantially parallel to the axes of said drafting rolls.

2. The combination defined by claim l in which said means affording connection of a positive drive for said aprons includes a pair of meshcd gears, the width of one gear being greater than the other to permit continued drive during traversing of said units.

3. The combination defined by claim 1, in which said units are mounted in pairs on a common traversing framework and in which a feed conductor is provided for each unit, said conductors also being mounted on said framework.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,078 Allwood Nov. 7, 1939 2,182,695 Honda Dec. 5, 1939 2,202,755 Casablancas May 2S, 1940 2,498,364 Fraser Feb. 2l, 1950 2,689,382 Andrews et al. Sept. 21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 891,474 France Dec. 11, 1943 671,637 Great Britain May 7, 1952

Claims

1. TEXTILE SLIVER DRAFTING APPARATUS OF THE DOUBLE APRON TYPE COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF APRON UNITS, EACH UNIT INCLUDING A PAIR OF COOPERATING APRONS; SPACED SIDE CONTROL MEMBERS POSITIONED ADJACENT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID APRONS, THE WIDTH OF SAID APRONS AND THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID SIDE CONTROL MEMBERS BEING EQUAL TO A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SILVER BEING PROCESSED SO THAT SAID SIDE CONTROL MEMBERS ENGAGE THE SILVER BEING PROCESSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF THROUGHOUT ITS PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID APRONS;