Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H18/00—Needling machines
  • D04H18/02—Needling machines with needles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a needling machine used to mechanically consolidate a sheet of fibers obtained for example from a lapper spreader.
• Known needling machines include a support called a board on which needles are fixed. By means of rod-crank devices, the board is driven in an alternating movement so that these needles cross the sheet of fibers at a production rate which can be of the order of 1000 to 2000 strokes per minute.
• the reciprocating movement of the needle board is obtained by means of a connecting rod-crank device.
• Complementary devices also make it possible to regulate the flow of fibers entering and leaving the machine with or without drawing and at speeds chosen as a function of the striking rate in number of strokes per minute, equivalent to the number of alternating movements of the needles per minute .
• each connecting rod-crank device extends between an eccentric connected to a motor, and a joint at the end of a sliding rod to which a needle board support is fixed. For its sliding, the sliding rod passes through two sliding bearings located at a certain distance from each other.
• GB-A-1 343 763 certainly offers a provision according to which the articulation between connecting rod and rod is placed inside the rod made tubular.
• the crank side sliding bearing can be placed closer to the crank because the articulation can at least for certain angular positions of the crank engage in the sliding bearing.
• the bearings then have a very large diameter and it turns out in practice that their sealing is then difficult to achieve.
• the rod is heavy and the assembly is expensive.
• US-A-3 798 717 and FR-A-2 224 579 remedy this difficulty by placing the joint so that it is always located between the upper and lower sliding bearings but the assembly then becomes mechanically very complex and expensive.
• the object of the present invention is thus to propose a simple needling machine which can operate at high speed continuously and with favorable vibratory behavior.
• the needling machine for mechanically consolidating a sheet of fibers comprising,
• a mobile assembly comprising a needle board support and at least one rod mounted to slide in a direction transverse to the ply in two sliding bearings spaced axially,
• a connecting rod having a first end articulated to a driving crank and a second end connected to the rod by an articulation, to transmit to the support an alternating movement back and forth, is characterized in that the rod comprises a first region , of relatively large outside diameter, sliding through a first of the sliding bearings, situated on the side of the crank and having a relatively large corresponding diameter, the rod having a smaller diameter in a second region sliding in the other bearing, having a corresponding smaller diameter, and located on the side of the needle board support.
• the rod and the bearing on the crank side have considerable robustness in the area with the greatest load, in the vicinity of the articulation with the connecting rod.
• the other, less loaded, bearing has a reduced diameter.
• the rod is lightened where possible, which reduces its inertia.
• the sliding guide obtained is more rigorous than with two large diameter bearings, because the difference in diameter increases the real distance between the two guides, compared to the distance measured along the axis. It is therefore possible to shorten the rod, and thus increase the rigidity of the mechanism with respect to the lateral forces, exerted in particular by the moving fibers which tend to drive the needle board.
• the guidance produced is also less sensitive to thermal differences because the dimensional variations on the small diameter bearing are less, in absolute value.
• the small diameter bearing is less expensive, and its sealing, when necessary, is easier to achieve.
• the rod is made tubular over at least part of its length from the end facing the connecting rod.
• the articulation between the rod and the connecting rod is produced inside the rod. It is then very preferable that at least during part of the travel of the sliding rod, the axis of said articulation between the connecting rod and the sliding rod is located in the axial extent covered by the two sliding bearings and by the 'interval between them.
• the appended figure is a diagrammatic elevation view, with partial section and cutaway, of a needling machine according to the invention.
• L 1 needling machine shown in the figure comprises a generally horizontal perforated table 1 and a retaining plate 2, also known as "stripper", placed approximately parallel at a distance above the table 1.
• the table 1 and the stripper 2 define between them a path in a substantially horizontal plane for a sheet of fibers 3.
• the stripper 2 comprises perforations aligned with those of the table 1.
• introducer means 4 schematically in the form of 'A pair of drive rollers between which passes the sheet 3.
• extractor means 6 also shown schematically by two drive rollers between which passes the sheet.
• a needle board 7 is positioned opposite the face of the stripper 2 opposite the path for the sheet 3.
• the board 7 carries on the side of the stripper 2 a large number of needles 8 oriented perpendicular to the plane of the path for the sheet 3, with their point directed towards the ply 3.
• Each needle is positioned opposite a perforation of the stripper 2 and a corresponding perforation of the table 1.
• the needle board 7 is fixed, on the side opposite the needles 8, to a support 9 itself fixed at the end of at least one rod 11 slidingly mounted in a direction 12 parallel to the needles 8 and perpendicular to the plane of the path of the ply 3. If several rods 11 are provided, these are for example aligned one behind the other when they are seen in the manner shown in the single figure.
• each sliding rod 11 is guided in two coaxial sliding bearings 13 and 14 secured to a frame 16 which is only partially shown.
• the bearings 13 and 14 include anti-friction rings 17 for contact with the rod 11.
• the movable assembly consisting of the sliding rod (s) 11, the support 9 and the board 7 is driven in service by an alternating movement back and forth in the direction 12 between a position 7a in which the needles, including the end is in this case designated by 8a, crosses the stripper 2, the ply 3 and the table 1, and a release position 7b in which the needles 8 are completely released at least from the table 1 and the ply 3, and possibly stripper 2.
• the rod 11 is articulated by a joint 18 at one end of a connecting rod 19, the other end of which is connected by a joint 21 to a crank 22 driven in rotation by motor means not shown.
• the frame 16 defines a closed casing containing the rod-crank assembly 21, 22 and the bearing 13 which is closest to it.
• the bearing 14 forms the lower limit of the closed casing.
• An oil seal device 32 is fixed to the frame 16 around the rod 11 on the side of the support 9 relative to the bearing 14 to prevent the lubricant of the bearings 14, 17 and of the rod-crank assembly, from leaking from the casing closed along rod 11 towards the needling zone.
• the rod 11 has, from its end 27 facing the connecting rod 19, a first region 28 which is made tubular with the interior space of the tube opening through the end 27.
• the first region 28 has a cylindrical outer wall which is slidably engaged in that 13 of the bearings 13 and 14 which is closest to the crank 22
• the rod 11 also comprises a second region 32 which has a smaller diameter than the first region 28.
• the second region 32 is made full, that is to say in particular non-tubular, and its cylindrical outer wall slides in the bearing 14 which is closest to the needle board 7, and in the sealing device 32.
• the geometric axis 23 of the articulation 18 between the rod 11 and the connecting rod 19, which extends parallel to the plane of the path of the ply 3, is located, at least during part of the back and forth stroke, in The axial extent A covered by the two bearings 13 and 14 and by the interval between them, in other words between the planes 24 and 26 which each limit one of the bearings 13 and 14 on the side opposite to the other bearing 14 or 13 respectively.
• the axis 23 is always located in the axial extent A.
• the articulation 18 is produced in the interior space 29 of the tubular region 28 and the connecting rod 19 is engaged in the interior space 29 by the open end 27.
• the connecting rod 19 has a contour having a throttle 31 substantially in the plane of the end 27 of the rod 11 to allow the connecting rod 19 to undergo its angular movement around the axis 23 of the joint 18 without the orifice of the end 27 having to be too large.
• the rod 19 can be made longer than traditionally and the axial extent A can also be particularly large without the space requirement of the needling machine being prohibitive since these two dimensions partially overlap. Thanks to the long rod 19, its maximum angular movement D is particularly low for a predetermined travel back and forth of the needles 8. This minimizes the parasitic lateral forces on the bearings 13 and 14 as well as certain types of vibration. Thanks to the axial extent A, the guide of the sliding rod 11 is of very good quality. As the joint 18 is no longer cantilevered with respect to the bearings 13 and 14, the service forces are less harmful for the bearings 13 and 14. The rod 11 undergoes less bending. It is further reinforced by its tubular structure. The bearing 13 which is the most loaded in service has a considerably increased diameter which makes it particularly resistant to wear.
• the needling machine according to the invention is capable of operating continuously at very high rates.
• the tubular rods 11 could be made over their entire length.
• the joint 18 could be placed so that it barely penetrates the axial extent A when the needles are in the position 8a of maximum penetration.
• the connecting rod does not have to have a constriction, even if it is articulated inside a tubular region of the rod. To do this, the joint 18 can be raised a little or the inner diameter of the end 27 increased.
• the invention is applicable to all types of needling machine, in particular needling machine with a perforated table as described by way of example, but also needling machine for the production of velvet, loops, etc.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
• Auxiliary Weaving Apparatuses, Weavers' Tools, And Shuttles (AREA)
• Looms (AREA)
• Finger-Pressure Massage (AREA)
• Preliminary Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
• Knitting Machines (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9469593

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (10)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1994
  • 1994-12-08 FR FR9414760A patent/FR2727990A1/fr active Granted
• 1995
  • 1995-12-07 AT AT95942219T patent/ATE183255T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1995-12-07 ES ES95942219T patent/ES2136323T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-12-07 WO PCT/FR1995/001618 patent/WO1996017987A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1995-12-07 DE DE69511427T patent/DE69511427T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-12-07 CN CN95197486A patent/CN1063500C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-12-07 CA CA002208426A patent/CA2208426A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-12-07 EP EP95942219A patent/EP0796363B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-12-07 US US08/849,478 patent/US5822834A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-12-07 JP JP8517374A patent/JPH10510328A/ja active Pending
  • 1995-12-13 TW TW084113274A patent/TW284800B/zh active

Patent Citations (3)

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