Patent GB-640902-A (GB)
Title: An improved method of, and apparatus for, combing textile fibres
IPC: D01G19/02
Filed: 1946-05-08
Abstract: 640,902. Preparation for spinning. RAUBITSCHEK, F. May 8, 1946, Nos. 13899 and 33253. [Class 120(i)] Textile fibres are combed by engaging and gripping tufts of fibre between cooperating nippers moving along an endless path, one end of the tuft being moved past rows of moving combing needles which are caused to rotate about stationary axes, the tuft being then transferred from the nippers to a tuft inverting device which inverts the tuft and presents it for engagement by the same or similar nippers, which then bring the uncombed end of the tuft into contact with the rotating combing means. A stationary combing cylinder 3 is formed of end-plates 4 fixed on a fixed hollow shaft 2. Bars 6 carrying rotary combs 7 are journalled in the plates 4, and are driven through gears 8 carried on their projecting ends. Gears 8 mesh with a stepped gear 9 which is in turn driven by a gear 10 carried on a stub axle 10a journalled in the plate 11, which, together with the plate 12 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 2. The stub shaft 10a also carries a planet gear 10b which meshes with a stationary sun gear 10c fixed to the frame 1. The carrier plates 11, 12 are driven from a pulley 14. They are spaced by bars 13. and the nipper bars 15, 16 carried on trunnions 15a, 16a, extend between them. The opening and closing movements of the nippers are derived from a cam track 23 through follower pins or rollers 20a on arms 20 secured to quadrant gears 19, which mesh with the gears 18. The latter mesh with gears 17, which may be mutilated, so that the nipper bar 15 is not positively held in the gripping position, but is urged there by a spring 15b (Fig. 21). An auxiliary tuft-engaging member 22 is mounted on a crank arm 22a, pivoted on a crank arm 24, itself pivoted on the carrier-plates, and urged clockwise by a spring 26. A spring 22b urges the arm 22a in an anticlockwise direction, the movements of the arms 22a, 24 being limited by a stop 74, fixed to the trunnnion 16a, and stops 75, 76 (Fig. 3) on the carrier plates, the stop 76 being withdrawable. Elongated, non-rotary brushes 28 are mounted on the, spacer bars 13, for stripping the noil from the combs, and are themselves stripped by rotary doffer members 29, which pass in front of apertures 30 in the hollow member 2, to which suction means are connected. A rotary brush 31 is provided for cleaning the edges of the nipper bars. Tufts of fibre are presented to the nippers by the means FC, which comprise a belt 59, passing around a drum 54 and rollers 36, 36a, and a belt 60 passing around rollers 56, 36, 36a. A ratchet 63 attached 'to the drum 54 is driven intermittently by a pawl on an arm 61 which is oscillated by means of a cam. The arm 61 also carries a roller 55 which engages the leading end of the sheet FS presented by the roller pairs 50, 51 and 52, 53, loosens it and feeds it to the bight between the belts 59 and 60. At the delivery mouth DM the tufts are gripped by the nippers, combed, and carried round to the receiving mouth RM of the tuft-inverting conveyer IC, which consists of two bands passing around the rollers 36, 36a, and drum 34 and the rollers 36, 36a and drum 33 respectively. Here the tuft is released from the nippers, taken up by the conveyer belts, carried between them and presented in an inverted position to the nippers at DM, where it is again gripped. It is then carried round, the previously uncombed end is presented to the combs, and the tuft is finally released in the receiving mouth RM of a conveyer means TC consisting of belts 59a, 60a passing round rollers 36, 36a, which deliver it to tuft lapping means TL, consisting of a drum 54a driven similarly to the drum 54. The roller 55a carried by the oscillating arm 61 rolls the tufts into a lap L. The auxiliary tuft-engaging member 22 is caused to enter the bights between the various rollers 36 when the tuft is accepted or released by the nippers to act as a feed-guiding means. The rollers 36 are mounted on a pivoted frame 38, rollers on which are engaged by a roller carried on the end of the member 22, so that the bight remains stationary relative to the latter while transfer is taking place. Specification 564,093 is referred to.