Patent GB-699851-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to combing textile fibers
IPC: D01G19/14
Filed: 1947-07-28
Abstract: 699,851. Combing textile fibres; weighting drawing rollers, HINSON, O. C. July 28, 1947 [Jan. 4, 1945], No. 20313/47. Classes 120(i) and 120(ii) Textile fibres are combed by drafting and detaching combed tufts from a single supply lap and piecing up the detached tufts by overlapping each successive tuft for more than half its length upon the preceding tuft. A machine for combing, by this method has means for feeding and combing the fibres and is characterized by detaching and piecing-up means including a detaching roll for overlapping detached tufts on to each other thereon into a web which is at least three plies of such tufts thick at all points in its length. Feed and nipper mechanism. In the embodiment shown, the nippers are carried on a swing frame 11 fixed to a rock shaft 13. The lower nipper jaw 31 is adjustably fixed to frame 11, while upper nipper arms 45 are fixed to a rotatable shaft 43 which also carries an arm 51 connected by a spring-pressed link 57 to a fixed part 61 of the machine frame; the nippers are thus caused to open as frame 11 swings forward and to close yieldingly as the frame swings back. The nipper jaws are shaped so that the fibres are gripped close to the path of needles 3 between the vertical rearward face of lip 69 of the top jaw and the opposing edge of the bottom jaw. The jaws close as the needles 3 enter the fibre fringe gripped thereby just before the jaws finish their rearward movement. The feed roll 73 is pressed on to jaw 31 by a releasable tension spring 85 and is advanced during the forward swing of frame 11 by a pawl 105 and ratchet 103, Fig. 4, to feed the fibres about 1/5 inch. Top comb. The top comb 15 is caused to pivot about a shaft 17 by a link 127 hooked on to a pin 133 adjustably fixed in frame 11, and is set to enter the combed fringe more than half the length of the fibres back from the top of the fringe. The top comb may be unhooked and swung up for threading up, cleaning &c. Detaching and piecing-up. A fluted metal bottom detaching roll 7 co-operates with leather-covered upper rolls 8, 10 which are weighted together through quick-release spring-pressed levers. The detaching rolls make a rapid forward movement of 5 inches or more surface travel, producing an extension of the combed tuft fed thereby of about 20 times. This. high draft enables a feed lap of up to 1500 grains per yard to be used as described in Specincation 699,860. For piecing-up, the detaching rolls are reversed sufficiently to overlap each combed tuft for more than half its length on to the preceding tuft; 5¥ inch tufts may be overlapped rather more than 4 inches to produce a multi-ply combed web which is 4 plies thick at all points; tapered head and tail portions of tufts overlap to make up together a thickness equal to that of the intermediate portion of any tuft, so producing a web of uniform density. During the long feed-back the recoiling combed tuft is caused to pass between the wall of housing 9 and a baffle 139, and is thereby shielded from the combing cylinder 1, by an induced wasteremoving air-draught passing through hole 261 in a channel member 255, Fig. 3, as described in Specification 699,861. Driving arrangements. Rockshaft 13 is oscillated by means of a face cam rotating on the main shaft 2 carrying the combing cylinder 1. The cam is shaped to hold the upper frame in its rearward position, while cylinder 2 combs the tuft of fibres, for 90 degrees of a revolution of shaft 2; the forward swing of the frame occupies 120 degrees and the rearward swing 150 degrees of a revolution. By means of epicyclic gearing, detaching roll 7 is driven from shaft 2 with the required forward and lesser backward motion compounded of a uniform forward rotation superimposed on an oscillatory motion produced by the action of a second face cam. Creel rollers 101 are driven by an adjustable ratchet gear actuated from rockshaft 13. Stripper brush 5 is driven by spur gearing and chain from shaft 2. All the drive members are housed in an enclosed gear box at one end of the machine; the bottom of the gear box acts as an oil sump, and an oil pump operated from rock shaft 13 sprays oil over all the moving parts. The Specification' as open to inspection under Sect. 91, also describes a drawbox, Fig. 15 (Cancelled), through which the combed slivers are passed, the resulting slivers being collected in a coiler can. The drawing rolls are weighted through levers 297, 293, and 289; the weighting of the back rolls is stated to be twice that of the middle rolls, which is twice that of the front rolls. Weighting is effected by a spring-pressed rod 303 acting on lever 297 via a lever 301. An eccentric pin 311 transmitting pressure between levers 301 and 297 can be rotated for quick release of pressure by movement of a handle 315; this handle is automatically moved over when the drawbox cover 319 is swung back about its pivots 320. This subjectmatter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.