GB2289693A - Carding machine with lickers-in and fixed flats for cylinder - Google Patents

Description

2289693 Improvements in and relating to carding machines The invention

relates to carding machines and, in particular, to carding machines of the type in which the carding cylinder co-operates with a plurality of stationary card flats.

Attempts at using carding machines with fixed card flats for the processing of cotton and other fibres also requiring cleaning have never been totally successful. The reason for that, inter alia, is that fixed card flats react unpredictably to mass fluctuations during the passage of the fibrous material, and in particular to over-feeding. Even when these fluctuations are merely localised or occur briefly in the form of larger individual flocks or clumps, they create problems which are manifested as blockages or as inadmissible heating of the machine and the material and also as over-stressing of the material. Attempts have been made to alleviate these problems, in particular by the use of special carding bars at the start of the carding zone on the cylinder or by the use of rollers which are intended to reverse too great a thickness on the cylinder by backcarding and feeding surplus fibre back to the licker-in again. In a known apparatus, a second roller is provided on the cylinder before the licker-in. This device has merely a short-term function and does not allow reliable operation because in adverse circumstances the backcarded material, if it is additionally applied on top of a clump, can even magnify the problem. This then leads to damage to the clothing and to burning at the constricted points in question. The apparatus was introduced in series production machines, but withdrawn again 5 subsequently on account of the problems described.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which avoids or mitigates the said disadvantages, which allows in particular improved processing of cotton or a cotton/synthetic fibre mixture on a carding machine with stationary card flats, and which is simple as regards its configuration.

The present invention provides a carding machine having a feed device, a carding cylinder and a plurality of card flats with which the carding cylinder co- operates, the card flats being arranged to be stationary in use of the machine, wherein at least two lickers-in are provided between the feed device and the cylinder, the or each downstream licker-in co-operating with the adjacent upstream licker-in as take-off and opener roller.

In the context of the present invention the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are to be understood to be in relation to the general direction of flow of fibre material. The lickers-in are arranged one after the other. The or each succeeding licker-in is in take-off (doffing) relationship to the licker-in immediately preceding it. In use, fibre material can pass from the feed device to the first licker-in and thence to the, or consecutively to each, licker-in downstream of the first, the fibre being removed from the last licker-in by the carding cylinder.

The change-over between the lickers-in (rollers), in which the material is repeatedly carded whilst undergoing drawing, ensures that the fleece delivered to the cylinder is relatively uniform. on account of the draft between rollers, the fleeces which are fed onto the cylinder in use of the apparatus of the invention are markedly thinner and move more quickly than when operating with only one licker-in in the same production process. The result is thus a combined effect of the fleece becoming thinner and the fluctuation in thickness being reduced. Fibres and fleeces that have been prepared and opened up well in this manner present no problems to the fixed carding plates on the cylinder which, compared with the pliable and resilient flexible clothings of revolving flats, are considerably more sensitive to clumps. For that reason, it is advantageous that the clumps of fibre are substantially eliminated before the mass of fibre reaches the cylinder.

In addition to dirt extraction points in the form of trash blades, the lickers-in may also have stationary carding elements, as a result of which the clumps that can originate in the feeding process are subjected to a repeated drawing- out.

Fixed card flats are simple in structure, simple to manufacture and simple to assemble.

A separating blade with a suction device for trash and so on is advantageously arranged between the fixed card flats. There are preferably three lickers-in. The feed device advantageously comprises a slow-speed feed roller and a counter-element. The counter-element may be a feed table. Advantageously, the counter-element is a segmented feed tray. The combination with a feed table, which grips (the fleece) in segments across its width, is especially advantageous. This results in a locally better disentanglement and a more uniform mass flow over the length and across the width. At least one needle roller, pin roller or the like is preferably arranged between the feed device and the clothed licker-in or lickers-in. At least one separating edge for contaminants and an accompanying separation opening is advantageously associated with each licker-in. The direction of rotation of each downstream licker-in is preferably opposite to the direction of rotation of the respective upstream licker-in. The circumferential speed of each downstream licker-in is advantageously greater than the circumferential speed of the respective upstream licker-in. At least one clothed fixed carding element is associated with each licker-in. A clothed fixed carding element is advantageously arranged downstream of the separating blade. A suction device for trash and so on is preferably associated with the separating blade. A separation opening for contaminants is advantageously provided between the separating edge and each upstream 01- r i covering or each upstream guide element. A knife blade is preferably provided, the blade edge of which is arranged opposing the running direction of the cylinder a short distance away from the clothing of the same and adjacent to a fixed card flat. A plurality of separation openings with separating blades and suction devices are preferably associated with the cylinder. The fixed card flat assembly advantageously comprises a plurality of clothed card flat bars.

The invention further provides a device on a carding machine, in particular for cotton, synthetic fibres and the like, in which at least two lickers-in are provided between a feed device (fibre feed-in device) and the cylinder, and the cylinder clothing co-operates with a plurality of clothed fixed card flats in which the lickers-in are arranged one behind the other, the or each downstream licker-in co-operating with the upstream licker-in as doffer roller and opener roller respectively.

Certain illustrative embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a carding machine constructed in accordance with the invention; is a detailed side view of three lickersin, a feed device and part of the cylinder; Fig. 3 is a detailed side view of the licker-in zone of a device with two lickers-in; Fig. 4 is a side view of a part of a carding cylinder with a fixed card flat comprising a number of clothed card flat bars; and Fig. 4a is a diagrammatic side view of a carding segment.

Fig. 1 shows a carding machine, for example, of the kind manufactured by TrUtzschler GmbH & Co. KG under the trade name EXACTACARD DK 760, which comprises a feed roller 1, a feed table 2, three lickers-in 3, 4 and 5, a cylinder 6, a doffer 7, an evener roller 8, two squeezing rollers 9, 10, a web-guide element 11, a sliver funnel 12, two delivery rollers 13, 14 and a fixed card flat arrangement 15 having five stationary card flat segments 15a to 15e. The reference number 16 denotes the flock fleece to be processed, and 17 denotes the resulting fibre sliver. The cylinder 6 has a continuous clothing 6a. The direction of rotation of the cylinder 6 is denoted by the letter A (see curved arrow). The card flat elements 15a to 15e cover a part of the upper circumference of the cylinder 6. The clothings 15al to 15el of the card flat elements 15a to 15e and the clothing 6a of the cylinder 6 lie opposite one another to form a carding zone. Between each of the card flat elements 15a to 15e there is a gap, that is, the card flat segments are arranged spaced from one another in 1 the circumferential direction. In front of each card flat segment 15a to 15e, viewed in the direction of rotation A of the cylinder, there is a respective separating edge 18a to 18e (knife blade) for contaminants, trash, and so on, each of which is associated with a respective suction hood 19a to 19e. The edges of the knife blades 18a to 18e are oriented opposing the direction of rotation A of the cylinder 6. The distance of the knife blades 18 from the cylinder 6 determines the intensity of the separation. With a very small distance, apart from bits of husk and short fibres, very fine dust particles (microdust) are also separated out. When the spacing between the knife blade 18 and the cylinder 6 is larger, less microdust is removed. The range of adjustment can be from 0.1 to 2.5 Mm.

In the embodiment of Fig 2, the fibre material to be carded is fed in the form of a lap 16 from an upstream device (not shown) to the fibre feed device, which comprises a feed table 2 and a feed roller 1. The lap 16 is held firmly between slow-speed feed roller 1 and feed table 2 and, by clockwise rotation (arrow B) of the feed roller 1, is conveyed slowly towards the high-speed pin roller 3. A so-called synchronized feed is illustrated. The pins 3a of the pin roller 3 engage in the advancing lap 16 and loosen fibres from the lap 16 which are transported further by the pins or needles 3a. The pin roller 3 rotates at a much higher speed than the feed roller 1. In contrast to the feed roller 1 (arrow B), it rotates anti- clockwise (arrow C). The loosened fibres travel past the separation opening 20, where contaminants are removed at the separating edge 21a of the separating blade 21 and are carried away by means of the suction device 22. Following that, the fibres go past a fixed carding element 23 and a further separation device (comprising separating edge 24a of separating blade 24 and associated suction device 24b) before they reach the following licker-in roller 4 which is equipped with a continuous sawtoothed clothing 4a. The licker-in roller 4 is also provided with a suction device 28 in front of which a separating blade 27 is mounted. The separation opening 26, as is especially clear from Fig. 2, is bounded in the running direction, for example at the licker-in roller 4, which rotates clockwise (arrow D) at a higher speed than the pin roller 3, by the separating blade 27.

From the licker-in roller 4 rotating clockwise, the fibres are transferred to the licker-in roller 5 rotating anti-clockwise (arrow E). The licker-in roller 5 also has a saw-toothed clothing 5a, but in this case the sawteeth are finer than those on the licker-in roller 4. From the licker-in roller 5 the fibres are transferred to the cylinder 6 of the carding machine. All licker-in rollers 3, 4, 5, (the pin roller 3 is also a licker-in roller) are provided as far as possible with a respective covering 40, 41, 42.

The reference numbers 26, 30, 33 and 37 denote separation openings, the reference numbers 27, 31, 34 and 38 denote separating blades, the reference numbers 28, 32, 35 and 39 denote suction hoods and the reference numbers 29 and 36 are fixed carding elements next to the lickers-in 4 and 5.

According to Fig. 3, there are two lickers-in 4, 5, which are provided with respective saw-tooth clothings 4a,' 5a. The direction of rotation B of the feed roller 1 and the direction of rotation D of the licker-in 4 are both anti-clockwise. The reference number 2a denotes a trough-shaped segment, further trough-shaped segments 2b to 2n (not illustrated) being provided in a corresponding manner across the width.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first licker-in 3 is immediately downstream of the feed device (feed roller 1 and feed table 2 or segmented feed trough 2a to n).

The carding cylinder is immediately downstream of the licker-in 5.

Fig. 4 shows a fixed card flat comprising a number of card flat bars. The fixed card flat element 15a is assembled from three separate clothed fixed carding segments 15al, 15a2, 15a3 (see Fig. 4a), which are held by a common holding element 43. The fixed card flats 15b to 15e are of corresponding construction. The reference number 18a denotes a separating blade, the reference number 19a denotes a suction hood, 19al denotes a collecting member, the said elements 18a, 19a - 10 and 19al, viewed in the direction of rotation A, being arranged in front of the fixed card flat element 15a. Between the licker-in 5 and the first suction hood 19a, a further clothed fixed carding element 44, comprising a plurality of carding segments, with no preceding separating blade is associated with the cylinder 6.

It will be appreciated that, in the embodiments described, all or substantially all of the carding taking place at the circumference of the carding cylinder is accomplished by means of stationary card flats. There is no revolving card flat assembly associated with the carding cylinder.

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Claims (1)

1. Claims

   1. A carding machine having a feed device, a carding cylinder and a plurality of card flats with which the carding cylinder co-operates, the card flats being arranged to be stationary in use of the machine, wherein at least two lickers-in are provided between the feed device and the cylinder, the or each downstream licker-in co-operating with the upstream licker-in as take-off and opener roller.

   2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein a separating device is arranged in front of each of the fixed card flats 3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein each separating device comprises a separating blade and a suction device for trash and the like. 4. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which three lickers-in are provided. 5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the feed device comprises a feed roller and a counter-element. 6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein the counterelement is a feed table. 7. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the lickers-in comprise at least one clothed licker-in and at least one needle or pin roller arranged between the feed device and said at least one clothed licker-in. 8. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one separating means is associated with each licker-in. 9. A machine according to claim 8, wherein the separating means comprises a separating edge for contaminants 5 and an accompanying separation opening. 10. A machine according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a clothed fixed carding element is arranged downstream of each separating means. 11. A machine according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein there is associated with each licker-in, downstream of said separating means, a further separating means comprising a suction device for trash and the like and a separating edge. 12. A machine according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein a separation opening for contaminants is present between the separating edge and each upstream covering or each upstream guide element. 13. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the direction of rotation of each downstream licker-in is opposite to the direction of rotation of the respective upstream licker-in. 14. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the circumferential speed of each downstream licker-in is greater than the circumferential speed of the respective upstream licker-in. 15. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein at least one clothed fixed carding element is associated with each licker-in.

   7.

   - 13 16. A machine according to any one of claims 8 to 15, wherein a knife blade is provided, as a separating edge, the blade edge of the knife blade being arranged opposing the running direction of the cylinder a short distance away from the clothing of the same and adjacent to a fixed card flat. 17. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the feed device comprises a feed tray, which grips the fibre material in segments across its width.

   18. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein a plurality of separation openings with separating blades and suction devices is associated with the cylinder. 19. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the fixed card flat assembly comprises a plurality of clothed card flat bars. 20. A device on a carding machine, substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by any of Figures 1 to 4 and 4a.

   21. A device on a carding machine, in particular for cotton, synthetic fibres and the like, in which at least two lickers-in are provided between a feed device (fibre feed-in device) and the cylinder, and the cylinder clothing co-operates with a plurality of clothed fixed card flats in which the lickers-in are arranged one behind the other, the or each downstream licker-in cooperating with the upstream licker-in as doffer roller and opener roller respectively.