US3605198A - Textile machines - Google Patents

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR SERVING A LENGTH OF SILVER EXTENDING BETWEEN A FULL CAN WHICH HAS JUST BEEN DOFFED AND AN EMPTY CAN RECEIVING SILVER FROM THE OUTPUT OF A SILVER PREPARING MACHINE INCLUDES MEANS FOR CLAMPING THE SILVER AT TWO SPACED POINTS AND A SEVERING BLADE FOR SEVERING THE SILVER HELD BETWEEN THESE TWO POINTS. THE CLAMPING MEANS COMPRISES COOPERATING MEMBERS ONE OF WHICH IS CONSTITUTED BY A HORIZONTAL PLATE FORMED WITH A PAIR OF ELONGATED SLOTS AND THE OTHER OF WHICH COMPRISES A PAIR OF PIVOTED ARMS MOVABLE UPWARDLY INTO THE RESPECTIVE SLOTS SO AS TO CLAMP THE SILVER. THE SEVERING BLADE OPERATES THROUGH A THIRD SLOT IN THE PLATE SO AS TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY TO SEVER THE SILVER.

Description

Sept. 20, 1971 J. K. P. MACKIE TEXTILE MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20, 1969 p 20, 1971 J. K. P, MACKIE 3,605,198

TEXTILE MACHINES Filed March 20, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 28 2.9 24 36 auazsauzy ua 3'9 Sept. 20, 1971 J, KQP r 3,605,198

' TEXTILE uacnmns Filed March 20, 1969 Y :s Sheets-Sheet 3,605,198 TEXTILE MACHINES John K. P. Mackie, Belfast, Northern Ireland, assignor to James Mackie & Sons Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland Filed Mar. 20, 1969, Ser. No. 808,793 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 27, 1968, 14,7 96/ 68 Int. Cl. B65h 54/76 U.S. Cl. 19159 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for serving a length of sliver extending between a full can which has just been doffed and an empty can receiving sliver from the output of a sliver preparing machine includes means for clamping the sliver at two spaced points and a severing blade for severing the sliver held between these two points. The clamping means comprises cooperating members one of which is constituted by a horizontal plate formed with a pair of elongated slots and the other of which comprises a pair of pivoted arms movable upwardly into the respective slots so as to clamp the sliver. The severing blade operates through a third slot in the plate so as to move downwardly to sever the sliver.

This invention relates to the filling of cans with textile sliver at the output of a preparing machine. In order to lay the sliver in coils in the can it is a common arrangement for the cans to be mounted on a rotary turntable so that the can itself turns slowly as the sliver is fed to it. When the can is full of sliver it is necessary for it to be dotted and replaced by an empty can and various forms of mechanism for this purpose have been proposed. When a full can has been dotted the sliver will extend back from it to the output of the machine from whence it will be delivered into the empty can which has been moved into position. It is necessary that this connecting sliver should be broken before the full can is removed from the machine.

Various arrangements have been proposed for this purpose, all of which have suffered from one or more disadvantages. Some of these arrangements include a member for severing the sliver and the commonest disadvantage is that the action of such severing members on the connecting sliver tends to pull the top coil of sliver from the full can. As a result a long end of sliver has been left trailing from the full can which pulls out more from the can during transit and is eventually either broken off or is so severely damaged or soiled as to make it unuseable.

In an attempt to leave only a short end some previous forms of mechanism have removed part of the length of sliver extending between the two cans and this in its turn has led to further disadvantages.

In particular the residual length of sliver may either tend to clog the severing mechanism or may gradually accumulate until the eflficient operation of the machine as a whole is impaired.

According to the present invention apparatus for severing a length of sliver extending between a full can which has just been dotted and an empty can receiving sliver from the output of a sliver preparing machine includes mechanism for clamping the length of sliver at two spaced points by means of cooperating members capable of relative movement towards one another across the path of the sliver to a position in which, at each clamping point, part of one member enters a gap between parts of the cooperating member and thus wedges and traps the sliver and severing blade means mounted so as to United States Patent ce 3,605,198 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 move across and sever the sliver held between the two clamping points.

Such an arrangement very largely overcomes the disadvantages previously discussed, and this is primarily due to the efficient clamping of the sliver at the two places in the manner just described. Unless the sliver is firmly clamped any attempt to sever it pulls out further lengths of sliver from either or both of the two cans in the manner already described. The wedging action between the two cooperating members prevents this happening and enables a firm grip to be obtained on the sliver without the need for pinning of the cooperating members which has sometimes been used in the past and which apart from its inefiiciency has provided a considerable hazard to the operator.

With the sliver firmly gripped the action of the severing blade is to part the sliver between the two clamping points and since it is not desirable to have to cut through the individual fibres constituting the sliver the clamping points should be spaced apart by a distance greater than the maximus fibre length which is likely to be encountered. The action of the severing blade is then mainly to tear the sliver apart rather than to cut the individual fibres. Under these conditions the severing blade is preferably arranged so as to be closer to one clamping point than the other. In this way it is possible to avoid the risk of completely removing a short length of sliver with the disadvantages previously discussed. When the clamping points are spaced apart by a distance greater than the maximum fibre length there will always be a proportion of the shorter fibres between the two clamping points which are not held at either of these two points. Accordingly if the severing blade were to be arranged mid-way between the two points there would be a risk that these shorter fibres would be removed completely. By mounting the blade comparatively close to one of the clamping points this danger is avoided since all the fibres acted on will either be held at the adjacent clamping point or will be retained by the body of sliver extending from the further clamping point.

In a particular example the maximum fibre length may be 4" and the two clamping points may be 9" apart. If the severing blade were to be mounted mid-way between the two there would be a danger that a 4" length of sliver would be completely removed. By mounting the blade, for example, 3" from one clamping point and 6" from another this danger is avoided.

Preferably the cooperating members are elongated in a direction transverse to the length of the path of the sliver so that the sliver may be gripped at any point along the length of the members and there is no need to guide the sliver along a pre-determined path to ensure the gripping action. On the other hand the fact that the sliver may be gripped over a range of lateral positions somewhat complicates the severing operation and to overcome this difficulty the severing blade is then duplicated by the provision of two blades pivoted on opposite sides so as to extend towards one another.

To provide the necessary relative movement between the cooperating clamping members one of these is conveniently stationary and the other is mounted to move upwardly towards it across the path of the sliver. The stationary member may be constituted by a horizontal plate fonmed with a pair of elongated slots, the other member comprising a pair of pivoted arms capable of moving upwardly into the respective slots so as to clamp the sliver. As these arms move upwardly they carry the sliver with them into the slots and by ensuring that the arms are a fairly close fit within their slots the sliver may be very firmly gripped to ensure an efficient severing action.

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

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the apparatus mounted adjacent the output of a silver preparing machine across a path of sliver extending between a full can which has just been doifed and an empty can which has replaced it at the output.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus, and,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale of the apparatus as seen from above with part of a breast plate broken away for purposes of illustration.

Turning first to FIGI 1 the sliver preparing machine itself is not shown but its output is illustrated as comprising a spout 1 from which sliver 2 is delivered to a rotary coiler head 3. The sliver is coiled in successive cans 4, the stage of operation illustrated being that at which a full can 4A shown in dotted lines has just been doffed and an empty can 4B has taken its place beneath the coiler head 3. The can 4B is supported on a rotary projecting through slots for separating the full and empty cans to a position as shown in FIG. 1. Immediately after a full can has been doffed and an empty can has taken its place a length of sliver extends between the tops of the two cans as previously described and the apparatus forming the subject matter of the present invention is provided for the purpose of severing this length of sliver.

The apparatus is indicated generally as 12 in FIG. 1 and will now be described in more detail. Basically it comprises a horizontal breastplate 15 supported by a pair of uprights 16 so as to fit closely over the coils of sliver in a full can which are indicated at 17. The plate 15 is formed with thtree transverse slots as best seen in FIG. 3. These comprise two outer slots 20 and an inner slot 21. The two outer slots 20 cooperate with a pair of clamping arms 22 forming part of a rectangular framework having a cross-member 23 and pivoted to the uprights 16 at pivot points 24 seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the position shown in FIG. 3 the arms 22 are in their operated position in which they project upwardly through the respective slots 20 thus wedging the length of sliver shown as 25 which extends between the cans 4A and 4B. This wedging action clamps the sliver 25 very securely so that the portion of the sliver extending between the two arms 22 is held in an ideal condition for severing. Since the can 4B is rotating and since the length of sliver 25 may extend at any point from the can 4A its lateral position is indeterminate. Owing to the length of the slots 20 and arms 22 the sliver will be clamped equally firmly whatever its lateral position. In their inoperative position the arms 22 hang downwardly from their pivots 24 as shown in FIG. 2 and are moved upwardly into the position of FIG. 3 immediately after the can 4A has been dolfed. This action is controlled by a pneumatic cylinder 27 mounted on one of the uprights 16 and having a connecting rod 28 linked to an arm 29 extending rearwardly from the framework including the arms 22. The connections to the cylinder 27 are shown as 30 and 31 and when air is supplied to the top of the cylinder the arms 22 are swung upwardly, passing through an intermediate position shown in dotted lines 22 in FIG. 2. During this action the cylinder 27 swings outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines as 27' and the raising of the arms 22 clamps the sliver as previously described which is then ready for severing.

As already described the sliver 25 may lie in a range of positions along the length of the arms 25 and to ensure an effective severing action two blades 35 are provided which are pivoted on opposite sides of the path of the sliver at points 36. In their inoperative positions these arms 35 extend horizontally above the path of the sliver 25 where they are held by pneumatic cylinders 37 mounted horizontally on top of the plate 15. These have connecting rods 38 pivoted at 39 to cranked end portions on the blades 35. The air connections to the cylinders 37 are shown as 42 and 43 and when air pressure is supplied to the outer end of each cylinder through the connection 43 the pivots 39 are drawn inwardly thus swinging the two blades downwardly into the position shown in FIG. 1. If the sliver 25 is situated close to the middle of the slots 20 it will be acted on equally by the two blades whereas if it is towards one end or the other of the slots one blade will strike it with considerably more force than the other. In other words the severing action will be equally effective whatever the position of the sliver.

The blades 35 swing downwardly through the inner slot 21 and as can be seen from FIG. 3 this slot is situated somewhat closerd to the left-hand slot 20 than the right-hand slot for the reasons already described in detail, namely, to avoid the risk of complete removal of any shorter fibres in the sliver 25.

The cycle of operation is controlled by a yardage counter which measures the yardage of sliver fed to a can 48 and when the required amount of sliver has been fed a signal is transmitted to a solenoid valve so as to initiate the dolfing sequence. The pawl 6 then moves an empty can onto the turntable thus pushing off the full can 4A which is then controlled by the pawls 9 and separated from the empty can. At this stage the length of sliver 25 extends between the tops of the two cans as already described. The breastplate 15 compresses the sliver in the can 4A and prevents an unnecessarily long length of sliver being drawn out. The next step in the sequence is for air to be supplied to the cylinder 27 so that the arms 22 are swung upwardly to clamp the sliver. Immediately thereafter air is supplied to the two cylinders 37 to cause the blades 35 to swing downwardly to part the sliver as already described. The clamping arms 22 and severing blades 35 then return to their inoperative position and release the parted sliver, after which the full can 4A can be moved away as requiried with only a very short projecting end of sliver.

If the mechanism is operated immediately after the can has been dofied, the end of sliver next to the new can is pulled by its own weight to the bottom of the can. If there is a delay before the mechanism is operated, a short end will be left projecting from the can, which is sometimes required for tag-ending. In either case, the operation of the severing mechanism is quite independent of the preparing machine, so that the operation of the latter can continue without interruption as will generally be required, or alternatively can stop momentarily if required.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for severing a length of sliver extending between a full can which has just been doffed and an empty can receiving sliver from the output of a sliver preparing machine, said apparatus including means for clamping said length of sliver at two spaced clamping points, said means comprising cooperating members, mounting means for mounting said members for relative movement towards one another across the path of said sliver to a clamping position, one of said members being formed with gaps and the other member having cooperating parts which enter said gaps in said clamping position to wedge and trap said sliver at said clamping points, severing blade means, and means for moving said severing blade means across said sliver between said clamping points so as to sever said sliver, said mounting means being operable to move said members to the said clamping position to wedge and trap said sliver independently of movement of the severing blade means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said severing blade means is closer to one of said clamping points than to said other clamping point.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said cooperating members are elongated in a direction transverse to the length of the path of said sliver and the severing blade means comprising two severing blades having spaced pivots from which said blades extend towards one another.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which one of said cooperating members is stationary and the other of said cooperating members is mounted to move upwardly towards said stationary member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which said stationary member is constituted by a horizontal plate and said gaps comprise a pair of elongated slots and the cooperating parts of said other member comprise a pair of pivoted arms and means for moving said arms upwardly into respective said slots so as to clamp said sliver.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said severing blade means comprise two severing blades having spaced pivots located above said plate and wherein the said means for moving said severing blade means comprises means for moving the two severing blades from a horizontal position extending toward one another above said plate, in a downward direction through a third slot in said plate, whereby to sever. said sliver.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said means for moving said clamping arms and said severing blades comprise fluid operated cylinders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,084,399 4/1963 Juillard 19157 3,354,513 11/1967 Fornes 19-159 3,381,342 5/1968 Selby et al. 19159 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,015,2 0 12/1965 Great Britain 19-159 DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner

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