GB395731A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for controlling the supply of cotton or like fibrous material during preparation for spinning - Google Patents

Abstract

395,731. Supplying cotton &c. to hopper feeders, openers, &c. RUSHTON, J. L., Kay Street Works, and WHITTLE, W., 23, Egerton Street, both in Bolton. Jan. 21, 1932, No. 1916. Addition to 374,037. [Class 120 (i).] The apparatus described in the parent Specification comprising feeding means (e.g. pneumatic) and an automatic timing motion 18, 19, Fig. 1a, whereby the material is fed intermittently along the main conduit 12 from a preliminary treating-machine 10, Fig. 1, is modified in that the machine comprises a movable feeder (e.g. a feed lattice 50) delivering material to the main conduit and having auxiliary driving gear with an operative connection from the timing motion arranged so that the lattice will be stopped when the feed along the main conduit is stopped, the main drive to the machine 10 being unaffected. The arrangement may be further modified so that the main conduit 12 is fed simultaneously at a number of points, e.g. from two openers 10, 110, Figs. 2 and 2a, each supplying material to one end of the conduit valves being provided therein for determining which of the branch conduits is to be fed from a particular source of supply. The main conduit 12 is in open communication with branch conduits 13, 113, 213 each leading to the feed lattice 14 of a hopper feeder 15, Fig. 3. The common air pipe 16, exhaust fan 17, timing motion 18 and valve 19, perforated plates 26 and valves 27, Fig. 3, are as described in the parent Specification but each valve 27 is operated mechanically, instead of pneumatically, by a weighted arm 51 connected by a link 52 to a cable 53. The cables 53 are joined to form a single cable connected by a link 55 to one arm 56 of a two-armed lever fixed to the spindle of the valve 19, the arms 51, 56 being set so that the valves 27 are closed when the valve 19 is open and vice versa. The feed lattice 50 is stopped and started intermittently from the valve 19 a cable 59 connecting the arm 61 of the lever 56, 61 and one arm of a bell-crank lever 57, Fig. 5, which is loaded by a weight 62, the other arm carrying a clutch fork 63 operating a clutch member 64 splined to a sleeve 65 carrying a gear wheel 68 driven from the auxiliary driving gear and loose on the spindle 66 of the lattice 50. When the valve 19 is open the clutch members 64, 67 are engaged and the lattice 50 delivers cotton. When the valve 19 is closed the members 64, 67 are disengaged and the feed stopped, the main drive to the opener 10 being unaffected. The timing motion comprises a hit-and-miss ventilator 75, Fig. 4, which opens as the valve 19 closes to prevent a vacuum, while it closes to prevent leakage as the valve 19 opens. Feed regulators 28, 128, 228 controlling switches 32, 132, 232 are provided in the branches 13, 113, 213 as described in the parent Specification. A second opener 110, having a feed lattice 150 controlled by the cable 59, may be provided to deliver cotton to a pipe 76 leading to the other end of the main conduit 12. Slide valves 77 .. 80 are provided in the conduit 12 one on each side of each branch to control the supply to one or more branches from either opener as desired. As shown, the valve 78 is closed, the branch conduit 213 being supplied from opener 110 and the branches 13, 113 from opener 10. Dampers 74, Fig. 3, are provided in the air pipe 16 opposite the plates 26 to regulate the air current according to the distance the cotton has to be drawn from the openers 10, 110. Openers 10, 110 are belt driven through fast-and-loose pulleys 35, 36, each belt-shifter 38 being controlled by the feed regulators 28, 128, 228. The switches 32, 132, 232 are arranged in circuit with solenoids 69, 169 respectively associated with the openers 10, 110, and with switches 177 .. 180 operated by the valves 77 .. 80. Each valve, as 78, Fig. 11, is slidable between guides and is formed with a slot 81 into which the operating knob of the switch 178 projects so that the valve and switch are both closed or both opened together. The core 70 of each solenoid is connected by levers 71, 72, 73 to the belt-shifter 38. If the valve 78 is closed the opener 110 feeds the branch 213 and the opener 10 feeds the branches 13, 113. The switch 178 is also closed so that when branch 213 contains an abnormal amount of cotton the switch 232 will be closed and the circuit completed through members 178, 232, 169, Fig. 10, the solenoid 169 being energized and the belt shifted to the loose pulley to stop the opener 110. When the switch 232 opens the solenoid is de-energized and the belt moved back on the fast pulley. When both branches 13, 113 contain an abnormal amount of cotton the switches 32, 132 are closed and the solenoid 69 energized to stop the opener 10. In a modification, the valves 27 and lattices 50, 150 may be controlled electrically from the timing motion. A cam 83, Fig. 7, is fixed on the valve wheel and operates a switch 84 which controls an electric circuit comprising three solenoids 85, one on each branch 13, 113, 213, and two solenoids 86, one for each clutch operating mechanism of the auxiliary driving gears for the lattices 50, 150. The core 87 of each solenoid 85 is connected to an arm of the valve 27 and the core 89 of each solenoid 86 to the bell-crank lever 57. When the switch 84 is closed, the solenoids 85, 86 being energized, the valves 27 are closed and the lattices are feeding cotton, the valve 19 being then open. When the valve 19 closes the cam 83 opens the switch 84 de-energizing the solenoids 85, 86 so that the valves 27 open and the feed lattices 50, 150 stop.