GB1268983A - Wool sorting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,268,983. Sorting machine. F. E. PANNETT and E. G. L. McLEAN. 6 May, 1970, No. 21944/70. Heading B2H. [Also in Division Dl] A wool sorting machine for grading the oddments removed from fleece wool after shearing and skirting operations comprises a base 28, a movable table 10 including a grating 13 and driving means 24-32 connected to the table so that when wool oddments are placed on the table movement of the latter causes the small pieces of wool to fall through the grating and the large pieces to travel over it, means being incorporated to the whole machine so that it can be tilted to control the length of time the large pieces of wool is held on the table. The grating 13 consists of steel strips 14 each end of which is pivotably mounted at the top to a movable rod 16 and at the bottom to a fixed rod connected to the table. The rods 16 are connected at one end of the table to a shaft 19 operable by a lever 22 to adjust the spacing between the grating strips. The table is vibrated through links 25 by eccentric shafts 26 driven through chains and sprockets 32, 33, countershaft 30 and pulleys and belts 31 by an electric motor 29. Movement of the table is controlled by a pair of stabilizers each consisting of an arm 35 mounted on the base 28 and connected to another arm 36 fixed to the table. Excessive vibration of the table is controlled by four dampers each comprising of a pair of springs 40 adjustably mounted on adjustable rods 37 one on each side of a bracket 38 secured to the table. The whole machine may be tilted by adjusting lock nuts 44 on floor bolts 42 connected to the base 28 by brackets 43, the base being hinged at 45. In operation the small pieces of wool fall into a tray 41 beneath the grating 13 and are discharged from one end thereof into a receptacle after travelling in the same direction as the large pieces of wool which remain on the grating and are discharged at one end thereof into another receptacle.