Patent GB-1069376-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for manufacturing felt
IPC: D04H17/12
Filed: 1965-06-17
Abstract: 1,069,376. Roller felting apparatus. KRAFFT GOBEL KOMM GES. June 17, 1965 [June 18, 1964], No. 25609/65. Heading D1R. In roller felting apparatus including driving means rotating the rollers, there is provided second driving means to axially reciprocate said rollers and control means associated with said second driving means to vary the reciprocation with regard to frequency and amplitude. The second driving means comprises a housing 15 having sealingly mounted therein, a double acting piston 16 dividing said housing 15 into two chambers 17, 18 each having a port 17a, 18a for the introduction or withdrawal of fluid. The piston 16 is mounted on a shaft 11b coupled to the eccentrically mounted shaft 11a of the roller 10. The roller 10 is rotated by means of a motor 13c and belt 13d engaging a pulley 13a fixedly mounted on the shaft 11a. The eccentric mounting of the shaft 11a imparts vertical oscillations to the roller. According to Fig. 1, the control means comprises a housing 25 having a cylindrical bore in which is sealingly but rotatably mounted a cylinder 24. The cylinder 24 is provided with annular peripheral grooves 26, 27 aligned with ports 31", 31', respectively, extending radially from the interior to the exterior of the housing. The housing 25 is also provided with radial passages 31, 31"' aligned with arcuate grooves 27a, 26a, respectively, in the cylinder 24. The passages 31, 31"' communicate with a reservoir 23 for fluid 23a by means of conduits 30, 32. The ports 31', 31" communicate with ports 17a, 18a by means of conduits 19. 20. The arcuate grooves 26a, 27a are so spaced round the cylinder 24 that the groove 26a communicates with passage 31"' only when groove 27a communicates with passage 31, and vice versa; the groove 26a being connected to groove 26 by way of a channel 29, and groove 27a to groove 27 by way of a channel 28. The cylinder 24 engages a wheel 36 which is rotated by means of a motor 35 and belt 36a. When the cylinder 24 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, fluid is drawn from the reservoir 23 by a pump 22 and passes through conduit 30, passage 31, channel 28, groove 27, port 31', and conduit 19 to port 17a and hence to chamber 17 pushing the piston 16 in the direction of the arrow Y. Simultaneously fluid in chamber 18 is pushed through port 18a, conduit 20, port 31", groove 26, channel 29, passage 31"' and conduit 32 to reservoir 23. O.n rotation of the cylinder 24 the passage 31 communicates with port 31", by way of channel 29 and groove 26, and hence with chamber 18. The piston then moves in the direction of arrow Z. The frequency of reciprocation is varied by varying the speed of rotation of the cylinder 24 and the amplitude of reciprocation is varied by controlling the volume of fluid passing through the conduits. In an alternative embodiment, Fig. 2 (not shown), two control units 40, 41 are used. Each control unit comprises a housing 42, with a cylindrical bore in which a plunger 44 is mounted. Each plunger is provided with upper and lower groups of annular grooves 46, 46', 46", 46"', connecting inlet and outlet ports. Each plunger is spring urged into an inactive upper position, and is depressed by a crank shaft or similar arrangement, such that one plunger is in an active lower position while the other is in an inactive upper position. The control units 40, 41 are connected to the chambers 17, 18 of housing 15 such that alternate use of the units reciprocates the rollers. The frequency of reciprocation is varied by varying the speed of rotation of the crank shaft 54, and the amplitude by varying the volume of fluid. Each shaft of each roller is provided with its own driving means comprising housing 15 and piston 16, but all the rollers may be coupled to a common control unit 21 or 40, 41. The rollers are preferably arranged in superposed rows, the control unit for the upper rollers being separate from that for the lower rollers.