Improvements in Cotton Openers.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
Improvements in Cotton Openers.
I, JOHN O'CONNELL, of No. 13, Cross Street, in the City of Chicopee, County of
Hampden, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to improvements in cotton-openers and has for its
object particularly the improvement in the construction of the feed end of
machines of this class, whereby the impurities in the fiber are more thoroughly
removed therefrom, said improvements being especially adapted to the removal
of the very minute pieces of seed-hulls and similar substances which have but
little weight, and the extraction of which it has always been difficult to accom-
plish and the invention consists in the construction of the machine, as fully
set forth in the following specification and claims, and shown in the drawings
accompanying the same.
In the drawings forming part of this specification,―
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the feed end of a cotton opener showing my
improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of a part of the end of the machine shown in
Figure 1, said section being taken on line 2-2, of that figure.
Referring to the drawings, A is the frame and casing of the machine; B the
beater-cylinder; C, C, the cylinders which receive the cotton from the beater
cylinder; the beater-arms; E the adjustable bars located under the feed-rolls F.
The bars E, are so located that their sharpened edges lie in close proximity
to the feed-rolls F, to the end that by the rotation of said arms, the cotton-fiber,
as it is delivered from between said rolls, is struck by the rapidly rotating
beater-arms D, and finely separated, and carried by the said arms across the edges
of the adjustable bars E.
Said bars are so adjusted that their operative edges are turned up at a suitable
angle to receive thereon the cotton fiber torn from the mass of fiber fed through
the rolls F, into the machine. The impact of the beater-arms against the cotton
coming from the feed-rolls and the whipping out of said fiber against the edges
of the adjustable bars E, beats out of it all of the heavier impurities contained
therein, and drives them out through the said bars.
A screen H, of suitable fineness, forms the bottom part of the enclosing case B of
the beater-arms 1), and through said screen is drawn the greater part of the finer
impurities remaining in the cotton which has been carried by the beater-arms D,
across the edges of the adjustable bars E, as will be hereinafter described. A
passage L is provided between the beater-cylinder B and the two exhaust
cylinders C, C, and, if desired, a part of the bottom of said passage-way may be

page_text: "
formed of a series of slats M, constituting a grating so called. This grating,
however, is not essential to the proper operation of my improvements and forms
no part of this invention.
The exhaust cylinders C, are enclosed in a part of the machine which has no
connection with the part thereof lying under the beater-cylinder B, and the
passage L, a suitable partition N being located across the feed-end of the machine
and constituting in that part under the beater-cylinder an enclosed chamber 0,
into which the air has no access except through an opening P, in the end
thereof and through the screen H, and the grating M.
.
A door P¹, pivotally hung above the opening P, is adapted to close said open-
ings more or less, as may be necessary.
The air is exhausted from the cylinders C, C, by a fan R, located in said cham-
ber O, from the suction pipe of which a suitable pipe connection R', extends to
a vertical conduit S, from which connections are made to the circular stationary
heads of one end of the said cylinders.
The suction pipe of said fan is indicated by T, and its open end is provided
with a sliding-cap T, by means of which the area of said open end may be
reduced as desired by moving said cap T¹ more or less toward the end of said
pipe. Said fan R may be rotated in any suitable manner.
A screen V, extending across the machine in the chamber 0, is hinged to
the end-casing, as shown, by its upper edge and is of suitable shape for enclosing
the door P completely. Said screen is for the purpose of catching any of the im-
purities beaten out of the cotton and, passing through the bars E, are drawn
towards the chamber 0, through the conduit S.
An opening X, closed by a suitable door, is made in the casing forming the
side of the chamber O, whereby the accumulations of impurities which are drawn
into the said chamber may be from time to time removed.
The swinging door P¹ may be operated to open and close the opening P, by
means of a handle a, secured to a rod b, attached to the door on the axial line of
the hinges thereof, and means are provided for holding said door open to any
extent, which means consist of a series of holes bored in the casing of the machine
on an arc of a circle concentric with said rod b, and a pin inserted in any one
of said holes will support the said handle and hold the door open, as desired.
The machine having been set in motion, its operation is as follows:
As the cotton begins to pass through the feed-rolls F, and is caught by the
rotation of the beater-arms D, between the latter and the edges of the bars E,
the coarser impurities held in the fiber are beaten out of it and forced out through
the bars E.
The air having been more or less exhausted from the chamber O, by the rota-
tion of the fan R, and the door P¹ having been opened more or less by the
operator.
Now the proper operation of the machine, whereby the maximum quantity of
the impurities contained in the cotton is removed, with the loss of the minimum
amount of fiber, depends upon the proper regulation of the air currents entering
the machine, and upon means for regulating the relative degree of vacuum to
be maintained in the cylinders C, C, and the chamber 0, and the beater-
cylinder B.
When the machine is well under way, the operator, by examining the product
and the waste of the machine, can determine at a glance whether or not the action
of the air upon the fiber is such as to insure the best results. If too much loose
fiber is found with the waste behind the screen V, it indicates that not enough
air is passing through the bars E, and by closing the door P₁ more or less, the
air will pass through said bars in proportion as it is excluded from the vertical
conduit S. If it is found that the finer impurities do not pass down through
the screen H, in proper quantities, by manipulating the sliding-cap T¹, on the
end of the suction pipe T, of the fan R, to increase the area of the opening of

page_text: the latter, an. additional part of the air current entering through the bars E,
will be diverted downward through the screen carrying with it the light particles
of seed, hulls, etc., which form the larger part of the impurities at this point.
Furthermore, it frequently happens, owing to atmospheric conditions or peculiar
conditions of the fiber, that a lesser degree of exhaust is required on the
cylinders C, C, than at other times. When this occurs, the defect is remedied
by reducing the exhaust action of the fan on said cylinders by a further opening
of the end of the suction-pipe T, as above described, and if this operation causes
too strong a current downward through the screen, this can be offset by slightly
increasing the opening P.
From the above description, it is seen that by means of my improvements a
cotton opener can be adapted to any condition of atmosphere or quality of fiber,
and while the machine is in operation the impurities are more perfectly
removed, and with less waste of fiber than has been possible with machines of
this class as heretofore constructed..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A cotton opener having suitable feed-rolls, revolving beater-arms, adjustable
bars for receiving the impact of the cotton carried by the said beater-arms, means
for revolving said arms, a screen near said bars, a compartment under said screen,
suitable means for maintaining a partial vacuum in said compartment whereby
a current of air is established through said bars into the machine and down
through said screen into the said compartment, combined with means for in-
creasing or diminishing said air current, for the purpose described.
2. In a cotton opener, suitable feed-rolls, beater-arms revolving in proximity
to said rolls within a suitable case, exhaust cylinders for receiving fiber from
said beater-arm case, adjustable bars located in proximity to said feed-rolls,
a compartment under said beater-arm case, a conduit or chute having one of its
ends connected to the said compartment, and its opposite end lying near said ad-
justable bars, means for regulating the size of the opening between said conduit
and said compartment, a screen between the said beater-case and said compart-
ment, and means for creating a partial vacuum in the latter, substantially as
set forth.
3. In a cotton opener, suitable feed-rolls, adjustable bars located in proximity
to said feed-rolls, beater-arms revolving in proximity to said rolls and bars,
exhaust cylinders for receiving cotton from said beater-arms, a suitable casing
for said beater-arms and cylinders, a fan, a compartment under said beater-casing,
a conduit extended between said compartment and said cylinders and connected
to said fan whereby air may be exhausted from both said cylinders and com-
partment, means for regulating the amount of air to be so exhausted, and a
conduit connected by one of its ends with said compartment and having its
opposite end lying near said bars, and means for opening and closing said
conduit, substantially as described.
Dated this Sixteenth day of March 1000
JOHN O'CONNELL,
Haseltine, Lake Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.