US3587858A

US3587858A - Fiber handling and cleaning device

Info

Publication number: US3587858A
Application number: US871659A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lynn M Christianson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-11-04
Filing date: 1969-11-04
Publication date: 1971-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-28

Abstract

A MIXTURE OF TEXTILE FIBERS, DIRT, ETC. IS DROPPED INTO A CLEANING CONVEYOR WHICH COMPRISES A HELICAL FLIGHT MOUNTED ON A SHAFT AND POSITIONED OVER A PERFORATE BOTTOM. BRUSHES ON THE FLIGHT CONTACT THE PERFORATE BOTTOM. AT THE END OF THE CLEANING CONVEYOR THE CLEANED FIBERS ARE PICKED UP BY VACUUM. BELOW THE PERFORATE BOTTOM IS A SECOND SCREW CONVEYOR MOVING THE MATERIAL THAT GOES THROUGH THE SCREEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THIS MATERIAL IS PICKED UP AT THE FAR END OF THE SECOND CONVEYOR BY A VACUUM WHICH ALSO SERVES THE PURPOSE OF APPLYING A SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BELOW THE PERFORATE BOTTOM.

Description

United States Patent Lynn M. Christianson 44 Hawthorne Road, Barrington, lll. 60010 871,659

Nov. 4, I969 June 28, I971 Continuation'ol application Ser. No. 743,818, July I0, 1968. now abandoned.

FIBER HANDLING AND CLEANING DEVICE I3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

1m. 01 B07b 1/42 Field of Search 209/22, 23. 2629, 241, 247,257, 283. 3l8, 321. 390, 262; 198/213. 216; 55/273 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented 1 CONTAIN/R Fun.

i wwuun --1 9 738,l66 9/1903 Davidson. H 209/283 1,690,529 li/l928 Carter 209/283 l.778,088 l0/l930 Pate 209/283X 1,989.75! 2/1935 Hagler.. l98/2l3X 3,373,545 3/1968 Christianson 55/273 Primary Examiner- Frank W. Lutter Assistant Examiner-Ralph J. Hill Allorney-Darbo, Robertson and Vanderburgh ABSTRACT: A mixture of textile fibers, dirt, dust, etc. is dropped into a cleaning conveyor which comprises a helical flight mounted on a shaft and positioned over a perforate bottom. Brushes on the flight contact the perforate bottom. At the end ofthe cleaning conveyor the cleaned fibers are picked up by vacuum. Below the perforate bottom is a second screw conveyor moving the material that goes through the screen in the opposite direction. This material is picked up at the far end of the second conveyor by a vacuum which also serves the purpose of applying a subatmospheric pressure below the perforate bottom.

FIBER HANDLING AND CLEANING DEVICE This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 743,318, filed July 10, I968, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Textile mills and the like use vacuum lines to pick up textile fibers that are disengaged during the processing operations and, in effect, are a refuse to be disposed of. Under the circumstances these vacuum lines also pick up a substantial amount of dust, dirt and other similar small debris which is mixed with the textile fibers. In the conventional practices this mixture has been regarded merely as a waste to be disposed of. The present invention is directed to providing an apparatus which will separate the'textile fibers from the dust, dirt, etc. with a high degree of efficiency and at relatively low cost. After such an efficient separation the textile fibers have a very substantial value since they can be then reused to substantially the same extent as though they were original fibers. This will provide a very significant monetary saving, or income, to a textile plant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a highly efficient and comparatively inexpensive apparatus for salvaging textile fibers from a mixture of the textile fibers with dust, dirt and other contaminates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an-elevational view, with portions broken away, of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section as viewed at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section as viewed at line 3-3 of FIG. 2',

FIG. 4 is a section as viewed at line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the right end of the apparatus of FIG. I. 1'

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The present invention receives a mixture of textile fibers and contaminates from a series of bag filters 10. Actually there are eight of these bag cleaners, four of them being behind the four that are illustrated. Communicating with the bottom of each cleaner is a chute 11. At the bottom ofeach chute is a gate 12 operated by an air cylinder 13. Periodically each of the cleaners in sequence are taken off stream and the gate opened, as illustrated at 12, so as to discharge the debris from the interior of the bag cleaner into the cleaning apparatus of the present invention. The apparatus thus far described is illustrated and described in greater detail in US. Pat. No. 3,373,545, issued Mar. 19, 1968, entitled Dust Collecting System, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The embodiment of the cleaning apparatus herein disclosed comprises a frame generally 15 which includes a sheet metal housing 16. Portions, such as that illustrated at 17, are removable to provide access to the interior of the housing for maintenance purposes. At opposite ends of the housing are mounting

plates

18 and 19, suitably mounted in guides (not shown) for vertical movement. Adjusting screws 20 are provided to fix the vertical position of the mounting plates on the frame. These mounting plates carry bearings 21.

Journaled in bearings 21 is a shaft 23 forming a part of a screw conveyor having a helical flight 24. Through a series of belts and pulleys, generally 25, forming a speed reducer, shaft 23 is operatively connected to an electric motor 26 to be driven thereby. The direction of rotation of this screw conveyor is such that it tends to drive material from the left to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. Affixed to shaft 23 are a plurality of paddles 27. These paddles are positioned radially of the shaft and have opposed faces which are parallel to the axis of the shaft. At the periphery of flight 24 a plurality of tabs 28 are bent so that they extend approximately parallel to the axis of shaft 23. Brushes 29 are affixed to tabs 28.

Within housing 16 there is a trough formed by a pair of opposed side guides 31 and a bottom screen 32. Screen 32 has the configuration of about half of a cylinder. For most applications a screen having openings of a maximum dimension (normally the diameter) of five thirty-seconds of an inch is employed. In any event the opening should be no smaller than one-eighth of an inch an no larger than one-fourth of an inch to salvage textile fibers in accordance with the present invention. At the discharge end of the conveyor (the right end in FIG. 1) approximately half of the screen 32 is omitted to define a discharge opening 33. Here there is a fiber receiving platform 34 which, on the end, is bounded by the housing 16 and on the other side by a wall 35. There is a back wall 36 which joins the remaining portion of screen 32. This space above platform 34 is open at the exterior as seen at 41. Communicating with the space just above platform 34 is the intake 37, FIG. 5, of a blower 38 serving as a pneumatic conveyor. The blower has a discharge 39 which leads to a point at which the clean fibers are collected. A large double paddle 40 insures that the fibers are pushed from the conveyor onto platform 34.

In the lower part of the housing is a second screw conveyor comprising a shaft 43 and a flight 44. Shaft 43 is suitably journaled in bearings 45. This conveyor is in a trough 46 which is closed, except for the presence of the openings in screen 32. The pulley and belt connection, generally 47, is provided between

shafts

23 and 43 so as to drive shaft 43. The rotation of shaft 43 is such, in relation to the configuration of the flight 44, that the debris in trough 46 is moved from right to left as viewed fig. 1.

Communicating with the interior of trough 46 at the discharge end of the conveyor is an intake line 48 ofa vacuum pickup apparatus 49, which in turn discharges into a rubbish container 50.

OPERATION When one of the doors is open, as illustrated at 12, the mixture of textile fibers, dirt, etc., fall into the trough, the bottom of which is defined by screen 32. The height of flight 24 is adjusted so that the flight is adjacent but spaced from the screen. This allows the flight to move the material toward the discharge end, as defined by opening 33. At the same time the textile fibers are not damaged by any shearing action between the flight and the screen. The paddles 27 slow the movement of the material toward the discharge end, since FIG. paddles serve to pick up portions of the material and throw it behind the succeeding portion of the flight. Thus, the movement of the material towards the discharge end is erratic. Shaft 23 is rotated at a speed of about r.p.m.

The brushes 29 contact the screen to keep it clean and to work the material on the screen so that it is being constantly turned. This, plus the negative atmospheric pressure provided below the screen by vacuum apparatus 49, provides a continuous operation to draw the dirt, dust and other foreign material through the screen, with the fibers remaining on top of the screen. In this respect is should be noted that the space above screen 32 is at substantially atmospheric pressure, or at least well above the pressure below the screen, because of the

openings

33 and 41.

As the clean fibers move to the discharge opening 33 they fall, or are pushed. onto platform 34. Here they are picked up by the airflow going to blower 38 and delivered to a collection point. The dust, dirt and other debris passing through the screen is moved by flight 44 in the opposite direction to a discharge point where it is picked up by intake conduit 48 and delivered to rubbish container 50. Any dust, etc., sufficiently light to be airborne, similarly will be carried out by the vacuum apparatus 49.

lclaim:

1. For use in a textile mill or the like, the combination of a pneumatic device for picking up and accumulating waste material including as components textile fibers, dust, dirt and the like which components are intermixed in the course of being accumulated and an apparatus for salvaging said textile fibers by separating them from the other material, said combination comprising:

said apparatus including:

a frame including a housing,

a trough mounted in the housing to receive said material, said trough having a perforate bottom with the general shape ofa longitudinal portion of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and forming a screen,

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helical flight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positioned approximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacent and spaced from said bottom,

power means connected to said shaft to rotate the conveyor in a direction to move material on the screen toward one end of the trough,

a plurality of brushes affixed to said conveyor and having bristles which contact said screen and brush the screen as said conveyor is rotated,

means communicating with said housing to apply a fluid pressure differential across said screen with the pressure below the screen being less than the pressure above the screen,

means mounted on the frame and positioned below said bottom to remove the material that passed through the screen,

means on the frame and positioned at said one end of the trough to receive the fibers moved by the conveyor to said one end, and

means connecting said device and said apparatus to deposit said intermixed material into said trough.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including bars positioned in the spaces between the turns of the flight and affixed to the conveyor, said bars having faces adjacent the periphery of the conveyor which faces are generally parallel to said axis.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said bars are affixed to said shaft and extend radially therefrom.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of the perforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth and one-fourth of an inch.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said flight has portions adjacent the periphery thereofdisplaced from the line of the flight and extending parallel to said axis, said brushes being affixed to said portions.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, and for use with a rubbish container, wherein said means to remove the material comprises second conveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means being connected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sense such that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; said means communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having an intake communicating with said housing at said other end of the second conveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end. and also to create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure to the portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means having a discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and for use with a rubbish container, wherein said means to remove the material comprises second conveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means being connected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sense such that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; said means communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having an intake communicating with said housing at said other end of the second conveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end, and also to create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure to the portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means having a discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein each of the perforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth and one-fourth of an inch.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the perforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth and one-fourth of an inch.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said flight has portions adjacent the periphery thereof displaced from the line of the flight and extending parallel to said axis, said brushes being affixed to said portions.

11. An apparatus for salvaging textile fibers by separation from material such as dirt, dust and the like with which said fibers are mixed, said apparatus comprising:

a frame including a housing;

a trough mounted in the housing, said trough having a perforate bottom with the general shape of a longitudinal portion of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and forming a screen, each of the perforations in said screen having a size of between one-eighth and one-fourth of an inch;

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helical flight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positioned approximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacent and spaced form said bottom, bars positioned in the spaces between the turns of the flight and affixed to the conveyor, said bars having faces adjacent the periphery of the conveyor which faces are generally parallel to said axis, said bars being affixed to said shaft and extending radially therefrom, said flight having portions adjacent the periphery thereof displaced from the line of the flight and extending parallel to said axis;

means to deposit said mixture into said trough;

power means connected to said shaft to rotate the conveyor in a direction to move material on the screen toward one end of the trough;

a plurality of brushes affixed to said portions of said flight and having bristles which contact said screen and brush one as of the trough; conveyor is rotated;

means communicating with said housing to apply a fluid pressure differential across said screen with the pressure below the screen being less than the pressure above the screen;

means mounted on the frame and positioned below said bottom to remove the material that passed through the screen; and

means on the frame and positioned at said one end of the trough to receive the fibers moved by the conveyor to said one end.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, and for use with a rubbish container, wherein said means to remove the material comprises second conveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means being connected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sense such that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; said means communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having an intake communicating with said housing at said other end of the second conveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end, and also to create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure to the portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means having a discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

13. An apparatus for salvaging textile fibers by separation from material such as dirt, dust and the like with which said fibers are mixed, said apparatus comprising:

a frame including a housing;

a trough mounted in the housing, said trough having a perforate bottom' with the general shape of a longitudinal portion of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and forming a screen;

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helical flight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positioned approximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacent and spaced from said bottom. said flight having portions adjacent the periphery thereof displaced from the line ofthe flight and extending parallel to said axis; 7 v I means to deposit said mixture into said trough;

a plurality of brushes affixed to said conveyor and having bristles which contact said screen and brush the screen as said conveyor is rotated, said brushes being affixed to said portions of the flight;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 858 Dated June 28, 1971 Inve t Lynn M. Christianson It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 60, "FIG." should read -thes e. Column 4, line 52, "one as of the trough; should read the screen as said-.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of February 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Attesting Officer ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-1O50 USCOMM-DC 50376-P69 9 U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 19.9 O-355'33l