Abstract:
A device for use with a fiber processing machine is provided. The device has a rotating cylinder, a fiber material feeding device that feeds fibers to the cylinder, an air duct that extends essentially tangential to the cylinder in a fiber-removal zone, an airflow creating device coupled to the air duct and creating an airflow in the air duct, and at least two adjustable airflow adjustment elements arranged inside the air duct in the fiber-removal zone.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
         [0001]    This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102 0 969.8, filed Feb. 28, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates to a device on a cleaning machine, an opening machine, a carding machine or the like for fiber material such as cotton, synthetic fibers or the like. The machine has a fiber-material removal device, a fiber-material feeding device, a cylinder rotating at a high speed, an air duct extending essentially tangential in the fiber-material removal zone and a suctioning device that is connected to the air duct, wherein the wall region opposite the air duct can guide the air flow and the air-flow guidance can be changed.  
           [0003]    With a known device of this type shown in German Patent document 39 01 313 A1, the air duct wall positioned opposite a main carding cylinder is an air-guide plate. The air-guide plate is continuously curved and the surface facing the main carding cylinder is closed continuously. The air-guide plate can be adjusted as a whole, such that the gap width, a throttling point between the inside wall of the air-guide plate and the circumference of the cylinder, can be varied. One disadvantage is that the direction and/or strength of the airflow can only be changed as a whole.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is an object of the invention to create a device of the aforementioned type, which avoids the previously mentioned disadvantages and, in particular, easily permits a differentiated change in the airflow.  
           [0005]    This object is solved with a device for use with a fiber processing machine, the device including: a rotating cylinder; a fiber material feeding device that feeds fibers to the cylinder; an air duct that extends essentially tangential to the cylinder in a fiber-removal zone; an airflow creating device coupled to the air duct and creating an airflow in the air duct; and at least two adjustable airflow adjustment elements provided inside the air duct in the fiber-removal zone.  
           [0006]    A differentiated change in the airflow can be achieved with the aid of several airflow adjustment elements in the air duct. In particular, the direction and/or the strength of the airflow can be purposely varied. The air flowing uniformly into the fiber removal zone is thus influenced so as to result in a plurality of individual airflow sections. The air adjustment elements are thus arranged such that they can be changed and permit an optimized fiber removal from the cylinder. One particular advantage is that the number of neps in the fiber floccules removed from the cylinder is reduced considerably. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The invention is explained below in further detail with the aid of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation view of a four-cylinder cleaner with a device according to the invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation view of a support with airflow adjustment elements, the support being rotatable around a fulcrum;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation view of the support with airflow adjustment elements, the support being displaceable linearly in the direction of the cylinder;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 a  shows the airflow adjustment elements in a closed position;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 b  shows the airflow adjustment elements in an opened position;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 c  shows an airflow adjustment element attached to a pivoting bearing such that it can rotate;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 d  shows flows of air in the region of two airflow adjustment elements;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevation view of a carding machine having an upstream-connected floccule-feeding device and a device according to the invention; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 shows a plurality of airflow adjustment elements in the region of a floccule breakup unit. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device arranged inside a closed housing  7 , for example a model CVT 4 manufactured by the company Trützschler in Mönchengladbach, Germany, supplied with a fiber material to be cleaned, in particular cotton in the floccule form. The material is supplied, for example, via a filling chute (not shown herein), with the aid of a conveyor belt, or a similar device. The batting is supplied by two feed cylinders  1   a ,  1   b  and a pin-type cylinder  2 , which is positioned inside the housing  7  and rotates in counter-clockwise (arrow I) direction. The pin cylinder  2  is followed by sequentially arranged additional saw-tooth cylinders  3 ,  4  and  5 , rotating in the directions II, III, IV. A clothed cylinder  3  that is covered with saw-tooth clothing follows the pin cylinder  2 . The pin cylinder  2  has, for example, a circumferential speed of approximately 10 to 21 m/s while the clothed cylinder  3  has a circumferential speed of approximately 15 to 25 m/s. The cylinder  4  has a higher circumferential speed than the clothed cylinder  3 . The cylinders  2  to  5  have a diameter of approximately 150 to 300 mm, and the housing encloses cylinders  2  to  5 .  
         [0018]    A fixed carding element  8 , an air flow-through opening  10 , and a separating knife  11  are assigned to the saw-tooth cylinder  5 . A suctioning hood  13  is assigned to the separating knife  11 . The operating direction of the cleaner is indicated by arrow A.  
         [0019]    The cylinder  5  is enclosed by a cover which is composed of a plurality of curved cover elements  14   a  to  14   d . Foreign particles and the like are discharged through the first opening  10 , existing between the cover elements  14   d  and  14   c . A second opening  15  exists between the cover elements  14   c  and  14   b , through which the fiber material is removed with a flow of air from the cylinder  5 . The fiber material is fed from the cylinder  4  to the cylinder  5  through a third opening between the cover elements  14   a  and  14   d . A pneumatic fiber removal device is assigned to the cylinder  5 , which consists of a duct  16  with the opening  15  in its wall region (so-called air doffers). The duct  16  has an air intake line  16   a  for suctioning in an airflow B 1 , as well as an air extraction line  16   b,  through which a fiber-air mixture B 2  is suctioned off. In FIG. 1, the total airflow essentially flows from the top to the bottom. The air extraction line  16   b  is connected to a suction source (not shown herein).  
         [0020]    In the fiber removal zone  15 , several air adjustment elements  17 , designed as guide vanes, are installed inside the air duct  16 . These air adjustment elements  17  can be used to adjust the airflow strength of flows B 1 , B 2  for removing the fiber material from the cylinder  5  at the second opening  15 . The strength of the flows of air B 1 , B 2  depends on the air volume, the air speed and/or the air pressure.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 shows a plurality of guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  (five guide vanes are shown in FIG. 2), which are attached to a joint holder  18 . The holder is attached via a holding element  19  to a pivoting bearing  20 , such that it can pivot in the direction of arrows C, D. The location (position) of the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  inside the duct  16  is changed through a rotation in the direction C, D. The position of the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  relative to the cylinder  5  can also be changed in this way.  
         [0022]    According to FIG. 3, the holder  18  is attached via a holding element  21  to a locally fixed bearing element  22 . The holding element  21  can be moved linearly in the direction of arrows E, F. Thus, the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  can also be moved in the direction E, F. The position of the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  inside the duct  16  and the distance to the cylinder  5  are changed in this way.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 a  shows the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  in the closed position. The curved outer surfaces of each guide vane  17   a  to  17   n , which face the cylinder  5  and are disposed one behind the other, form a closed, curved wall surface along which the airflow B 1  flows. Aided by the centrifugal force generated by cylinder  5 , the airflow B 1  flowing out of the duct section  16   a  removes the fiber floccules from the cylinder  5  in the fiber removal zone  15 . The airflow B 2 , loaded with fiber floccules, flows into the duct section  16   b  and is then suctioned off from there. As shown in FIG. 4 c , the individual guide vanes  17 , which are designed aerodynamically to resemble an airplane wing, are attached in the inflow region with a pivoting bearing  23  such that they can pivot in the direction of arrows G, H. The pivoting occurs with the aid of a driving device (not shown herein), for example a drive motor.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 b  shows the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  in an opened position. A continuously open gap exists between adjacent guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n , through which an airflow can flow. FIG. 4 d  shows the flows of air in the region between two adjacent opened guide vanes  17   a ,  17   b.  The airflow B 1  is divided at the curved inflow end  17   1  of guide vane  17   a  into two flows of air B 3  and B 4 . The airflow B 3  in this case flows along flank  17   2  that faces away from the cylinder  5  and the airflow B 4  flows along the flank  17   3  of guide vane  17   a  that faces the cylinder  5 . At the curved inflow end  17   5  of the guide vane  17   b,  the airflow B 3  is divided into two flows of air B 5  and B 6 . The airflow B 5  flows through the gap between the guide vanes  17   a  and  17   b  and the airflow B 6  flows along the flank  17   6  of guide vane  17   b  that faces away from the cylinder. The airflow B 5  combines with the airflow B 4  and continues to flow as airflow B 7  along the flank  17   7  of guide element  17   b  that is facing the cylinder. As a result of the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  pivoting in the direction G, H (FIG. 4 c ), the width a (FIG. 4 d ) of the flow-through opening between adjacent guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  is changed and adjusted. This results in a differentiated change in the flows of air, particularly with respect to the flow direction, flow speed and flow pressure and thus an adjustable change in the removal of the fiber floccules from the saw-tooth clothing or the pin clothing of cylinder  5  (air doffing). The airflow B can be a flow of blast air, a suction airflow or a combination flow of blast air and suction air. Blast and/or suction airflow sources are connected to the duct  16  (not shown herein).  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 5 and 6 show that a floccule feeder, such as a TRÜTZSCHLER Directfeed DFK, is installed upstream of a carding machine  24 , for example a TRÜTZSCHLER high-performance carding machine model DK 903. The floccule feeder  25  is provided with an upper reserve chute  26  and a lower feeding chute  27 , between which a floccule loosening device is disposed. The floccule loosening device has a slow-moving intake cylinder  28  and a fast-moving opening cylinder  29 . A curved air feed duct  30  is provided along the intake cylinder  28 , through which the airflow B 1  flows in the direction of the opening cylinder  29 . A plurality of guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  (FIG. 6 shows six guide vanes  17 ) are disposed inside the air feed duct  30 , essentially arranged opposite the opening cylinder  29 . With respect to design and function, the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  correspond to the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n  shown in FIGS. 4 a  to  4   d . By changing the position of the guide vanes  17   a  to  17   n , shown in the closed position in FIG. 6, to the position shown in FIG. 4 b , for example, the airflow B 1  is changed in the manner as explained in FIG. 4 d . Thus, a desired type of pneumatic removal of the fiber floccules from the opening cylinder  29  is realized. An airflow B 2  that is saturated with removed fiber floccules thus enters the feed chute  27 .  
         [0026]    According to FIG. 4 a , an air pressure measuring element  31  that is connected to an electronic control and regulating device (not shown herein) can be connected to the air duct  16 . The control and regulating device is connected to the drive motor (not shown herein) for pivoting the guide vanes  17  in the direction G, H, as shown in FIG. 4 c.    
         [0027]    The invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The invention, therefore, is intended to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention.