APPARATUS FOR CUTTING FIBROUS MATERIAL

Abstract: Apparatus for cutting elongate fibrous material into shorter lengths in which a guide hook (23) is carried on the periphery of a winder dome (19). The guide hook passes the strand from the dome to a cutter reel (10), which is rotatable about an axis (15) inclined to the axis (20) of the dome, with minimum separation from both the reel (10) and a single pressure roller (17). This eliminates the need for a pressure roller mounted internally of the winder dome, thereby simplifying the manufacture, operation and maintenance of the apparatus and appreciably improving the strand distribution characteristics of the cutter as the relative speed of the cutter reel and winder dome are varied.

Description: The present invention relates to apparatus for cutting strands of elongated fibrous material into stable fibre of shorter length. US Patent 4519281 describes a so-called "outside-in cutter" wherein strands wound spirally onto a cutter reel are cut into staple fibre. WO 87/02392 describes a similar cutter in which a guide is provided having a curved interior guide surface which functions to give a smooth supply of strand to the cutter. A cutting head, having a plurality of cutting blades forming a cutting zone, rotates around a first axis and a strand winding device rotates around a second axis intersecting the first axis so that strand is received and stored in the cutting zone in the form of multiple crossing windings prior to cutting. A pair of pressure rollers, each extend over an axial portion of the cutting zone, one being located internally of the strand winding device thus necessitating considerable displacement of the periphery of the winding device from the cutting head. Also, the strand passes over the winding device thence inwardly of the rearmost periphery thereof and at an angle to tangentially wrap onto the previous windings on the cutting head. This displacement increases the "windage" and stress on the unsupported strand and requires a large winding device with attendant problems due to an increase in mass. According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for cutting elongate fibrous material into shorter lengths, said apparatus comprising a rotary cutter reel having axially front and rear members carrying a plurality of radially outwardly facing knives defining a cutting zone within said reel, said reel being mounted for rotation about a first axis; rotary winder means mounted for rotation about a second axis inclined relative to said first axis for wrapping successive spiral layers of said fibrous material onto said knives within said cutting zone, said winder means including a material guide means disposed for rotation near said reel and pressure means mounted radially outwardly of said knives, to urge fibrous material onto the cutting edges of said knives characterised in that said pressure means comprises a single roller located at a position spaced radially from the first axis and in that said guide means is disposed on the periphery of said rotary winder means so as to be axially immediately adjacent said pressure roller each time said guide means rotates past said pressure roller, said guide means also being radially adjacent said reel such that the guide means discharges said material at or rearwardly of the rearmost axial projection of said winder means toward said reel. With such an apparatus it is possible to have minimal windage profile and a minimal stress profile on the strand and the winder. The apparatus of the invention is simpler to manufacture, maintain and repair and improves the precision and uniformity of the strand deposition across the face of the cutting blades. The construction of the present invention eliminates the need for the pressure roller which is positioned inside the periphery of the winder dome in US-A-4519281 and WO 87/02392. This is made possible by the provision of the guide means which may be in the form of a hook carried on the rearmost periphery of the winder dome which allows the fibrous material to have a transition in a direction about the winder means dome which may be at the point of maximum axial extension. In the prior apparatus, the guide was formed in the winder dome such that the winder dome extended axially rearwardly of the strand transition or alternatively the guide itself extended axially rearwardly of the tow transition. In either alternative, the main pressure roller was separated from the strand axially rearwardly in the cutting zone a distance sufficient to permit clearance of the rotating winder dome structure, thereby necessitating a secondary pressure roller to cut all the strands axially across the cutting zone. Through the use of the novel guide means of the present invention a single pressure roller of a width sufficient to cut all the fibrous material can be located in close proximity to the axially rearward edge of the winder dome assembly and in very close proximity to the strand as it passes from the guide onto the cutting zone at its axially most forward point. Elimination of the second pressure roller greatly facilitates manufacture and maintenance of the apparatus by eliminating structures which had to be removed to gain access to the cutter blades for periodic replacement of the blades. Also elimination of the second roller permits the winder dome to have a smaller diameter, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture and more importantly, reducing the linear surface speed of the winder dome at a given angular rotation rate. Although the diameter of the winder dome does not affect the rate of cutting at a given rotational rate, windage against the dome which consumes drive power and windage against the strand which results in higher friction at the guide hook, and stress forces on the dome all increase as the diameter of the dome increases. In order that the present invention may more readily be understood the following description is given merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings:- Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the cutter reel and winder dome combination of one embodiment of apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is an axial elevational view of a portion of the axially rearward edge of the winder of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing one embodiment of the guide hook; Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the rearward edge winder dome showing the position of the guide hook; and Figure 4 is a perspective view partially in section and partially broken away showing the winder dome, cutter reel, and guide hook as the strand relates thereto. A cutter reel 10 shown in Figure 1 is mounted for rotation about a first axis 15, which is depicted as being inclined to the horizontal, by a drive tube 11 powered by a drive means, not shown. The cutter reel 10 includes an forward disc 12 and rearward ring 13 axially spaced therefrom which carry a plurality of cutter blades 14 spanning the axial spacing and whose knife-like edges 16 face radially outward. The disc 12 and ring 13 extend radially beyond the blades 14 to form radial flanges between which a pressure means, such as a pressure roller 17, mounted on an appropriate support arm 18 is positioned. The pressure roller 17 is spaced radially from the blades and acts to urge the strand material radially inwardly toward the blades as succeeding layers of material are wrapped on the blades 14. The pressure roller 17 is dimensioned to occupy a large portion of the span between the flanges formed by the disc 12 and ring 13; however sufficient space is left between the pressure roller 17 and the disc 12 to admit the strand as it is delivered from a winder dome 19. The winder dome 19 is mounted for rotation about a second axis 20 intersecting the first axis 15 and is driven in a direction counter to the rotation of the cutter reel 10 by shaft 21 from a drive means, also not shown. The winder dome 19 has a diameter sufficient to allow the cutter reel 10 to rotate therewithin about the first axis, yet the separation between the reel 12 and the radially inner surface 22 of the winder dome 19 is minimal. The winder dome 19 carries a guide hook 23, depicted in Figures 2-4. The guide hook 23 directs the strand 24 through a transition from alignment with the outer surface of the winder dome 19 into alignment tangent to the arc defined by the outer surface of the strands previously wrapped on the cutter blades 14. The guide hook 23 forms a generally radially inwardly projecting portion 25 and a generally radially outwardly extending lip 26 which also extends angularly in the direction of rotation of the dome to form a groove 27. The lip 26 assists in hooking the strand 24 on the fly in a reliable manner. The base of the groove 27 flares axially forwardly at 28 to receive the strand 24 and curves radially inwardly and axially rearwardly, to form a transition surface 29 wherein the groove 27 flattens to form, in portion 25, a discharge surface 31 which coincides with or extends axially rearwardly of the edge 34 of the winder dome 19. It is noteworthy to mention that the groove 27 is continuous from the flared region at 28 to the transition surface at 29 and forms a single arcuate strand path of approximately 90 degrees such that the strand is directed through a single transition curve around the edge 34 of the winder dome 19. Contrary to this, the prior art required the strand 24 to execute two successive turns, one radially inward through the guide and the second rearwardly as the strand exits the guide onto the cutter reel 10. Referring again to Figure 1, the winder dome 19 has a curved peripheral portion 33 which terminates at or near edge 34 and which curves from a conical region 36 which is truncated outwardly of its hub portion 35 where it is connected to the drive shaft 21. The winder dome 19 is axially aligned with an inlet 37 from a spinning cabinet, not shown, or other suitable source from which the strand 24 may be discharged. A plenum chamber 38 surrounds the drive tube 11 and is maintained at a suitable subatmospheric pressure by a remote fan (not shown). One side of the plenum chamber 38 has an aperture which fits loosely about the ring 13 and the other side carries a flexible annular seal 39 engaging the drive tube 11 such that air is drawn into the plenum chamber 38 proximal the cutter ring 10 and cut staple is entrained in the air flow. In operation the strand 24 is fed from the inlet 37 across the conical region 36 of the winder dome 19 to the curved peripheral portion 33 and the guide hook 23. The separation between the inlet 37 and the conical region 36 is minimized in the illustrated design to reduce windage effects on the strand 24 by providing an extended surface, that is the conical region 36, to support the strand 24 as it moves from the inlet 37 to the guide hook 23. The curved peripheral portion 33 serves to reduce friction of the strand 24 against the surface of the winder dome 19 as the strand 24 moves toward axial alignment with the cutting zone. The strand 24 then passes through the guide hook 23 such that the strand is formed into a ribbon of minimum axial thickness at the discharge surface 31 which is the furthermost axially rearmost surface on the winder dome 19 in the direction of strand flow into the cutter. This feature of the guide hook 23 acts to wind the strand as close as possible against the face of the pressure roller 17 and in fact the strand 24 may actually contact the face of the pressure roller 17 as the hook 23 passes the roller 17. As noted above, the groove 27 guides the strand 24 through a single relatively large radius turn of approximately 90 degrees with minimum strand deflection and friction against the hook. The strand 24 is wound about the cutter reel 10 on the cutter blades 14 in an unusually even and precise distribution by virtue of the proximity of the guide hook 23 to the cutter reel 10. That is to say, distribution variations due to variation in the relative rotational speed of the cutter reel 10 and oppositely rotating winder dome 19 are minimized. It may be seen that with the cutter reel 10 stationary and the winder dome 19 rotating the strand will be laid on the blades 14 of the cutter reel 10 in the plane of rotation of the discharge surface 31. On the other hand, if the winder dome 19 is stationary and the cutter reel 10 is rotating, the strand will wind on the blades 14 in a plane through the surface 31 perpendicular to the axis of the cutter reel. It can be seen that the larger the winder dome 19, the greater the disparity there will be in the distribution of the strand axially on the reel as the ratio of the speeds between the winder dome and reel is varied. This difference in strand distribution along the axis becomes negligible when the discharge point of the hook is very close to the surface of the tow on the reel. However, when the hook must pass over the inside pressure roller of the prior art, the axial distribution variation as the ratio of speeds is varied becomes substantial.

Claims: Apparatus for cutting elongate fibrous material into shorter lengths, said apparatus comprising a rotary cutter reel (10) having axially front and rear members (12, 13) carrying a plurality of radially outwardly facing knives (14) defining a cutting zone within said reel, said reel being mounted for rotation about a first axis (15); rotary winder means (19) mounted for rotation about a second axis (20) inclined relative to said first axis (15) for wrapping successive spiral layers of said fibrous material onto said knives (14) within said cutting zone, said winder means (19) including a material guide means (23) disposed for rotation near said reel and pressure means (17) mounted radially outwardly of said knives, to urge fibrous material onto the cutting edges (16) of said knives (14) characterised in that said pressure means (17) comprises a single roller located at a position spaced radially from the first axis (15) and in that said guide means (23) is disposed on the periphery of said rotary winder means (19) so as to be axially immediately adjacent said pressure roller (17) each time said guide means (23) rotates past said pressure roller, said guide means also being radially adjacent said reel (10) such that the guide means (23) discharges said material at or rearwardly of the rearmost axial projection of said winder means toward said reel. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said guide means (23) is a hook including a generally radially outwardly projecting portion (26) and a generally radially inwardly disposed portion (25) with said hook forming a continuous transition surface (27, 28, 29) for guiding said fibrous material from the outer surface of said winding means (19) to said knives (14). Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said guide means (23) includes a transition surface (27, 28, 29) which extends into a plane perpendicular to said second axis (20) such that said fibrous material assumes a ribbon-like cross-section as it exits the transition surface (at 29). Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said hook (23) is carried on the periphery of said winder means (19) with said transition surface (27,28,29) extending in a substantially axial direction along the outer surface of said winder means and extending inwardly of said winder means along a chord thereof substantially tangent to the arc of rotation of said knives (16), such that said transition surface defines a continuous arc of approximately 90 degrees. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said rotary winder means (19) includes a transfer surface having a minimum windage profile such that windage stress on said fibrous material is reduced. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that said winder means is in the form of a rotary winder dome (19). Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that said winder dome comprises an annular hub (35), a truncated cone (36) outwardly of the hub and a curved peripheral region (33) all concentric with the second axis (20), with said guide means (23) located along the outer edge of said peripheral region. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said pressure means (17) is located proximal the region of minimal separation between said guide means (23) and said front member (12) of said cutter reel (10). Apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that said pressure means (17) is a roller located proximal a region defined by the convergence of the plane of rotation of said guide means (23) and the plane of rotation of said front member (12). Apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said rotary cutter (10) is mounted for rotation in a first angular direction about said first axis (15) and said rotary winder means (19) is mounted for counter rotation about said second axis (20).

Inventors: ETHRIDGE, FREDRICK ALLEN
Applicants: LUMMUS INDUSTRIES, INC.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: D01G1
IPC codes: D01G1, B65H54