US2979782A - Machine and process for cleaning wool and other textile fibres - Google Patents

Description

A. BOER 2,979,782 MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER TEXTILE FIBRES April 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1954 INVENTOR. A IPPA D 305 B April 18, 1961 A. BOER 2,979,782

MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER TEXTILE FIBRES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1954 INVENTOR. A RPAJ) '3 7 United States Patent MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER TEXTILE FIBRES Arpad Boer, BuenosAires, Argentina, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Bancroft-Brillotex. International S.A.,- Montevideo, Uruguay, a corporation of Uruguay Filed Dec. 22, 1954, Ser. No. 476,967

4 Claims. (Cl. 1 9 67);-

This invention. relatestto a :machine and processqiqr cleaning, drafting and, parallelizing wool, and other-fibres in order to preparethem. for subsequent use or further processing.

According to the present invention, a machine is provided for the above purposes which generally comprises-a series of pairsof spaced, {endless -belts,arolls:.on which the belts are mounted and by which they are driven, and the lineal arrangement of such series of spaced, endless belts, so as to form a continuous passage therebetween for the fibres to be processed. Each successive pair of belts is rotated at a greater speed than the preceeding pair of belts, thereby providing an increasing speed gradient along the machine from one end to the other. The space between succeeding pairs of endless belts becomes progressively less. Means is also provided for introducing an absorbent powder detergent in admixture with the fibres fed to the machine, and after the powder detergent has asserted its cleaning action on the fibres, the detergent particles with their absorbate, are discharged and processed, parallelized fibres are independently discharged.

In carrying out the process of the invention, the wool or other fibres are cleaned, drafted and parallelized by adding to the fibres as they enter the machine, the absorbent powder detergent and then subjecting the fibres and the detergent to repeated alternate compressions and draftings, while causing frictional rubbing contact between the fibres and the detergent and at the same time, causing the fibres to move in a lineal path of travel under substantially continuous lateral confinement, along said path toward point of discharge under successive increments of speed and, finally, eliminating the detergent at the end of the path of travel of the fibres.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational schematic side view of the machine, constituting the invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the upper portion of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the letters a, b, c, d, e and f designate a plurality of pairs of spaced, endless belts, belts a being the most widely spaced apart and succeeding pairs of belts being successively spaced closer together and the last pair of belts 1 being the closest together, it being understood that the number of pairs of belts may vary and need not necessarily be the exact number shown in Fig. 1, since this depends upon the quality and nature of the fibres and the number of compressions and draftings requiredto clean and parallelize the fibres.

It will be observed that the entire series of pairs of spaced, endless belts is lineally arranged so that to form there-between a continuous passage g for the treatment of the wool or other fibres.

The fibres 1 are relatively dirty and unoriented and are fed to the machine by means of a conveyor 2, at the discharge end'of which are the inclined planes 3, which guide the fibres between the first pair of spaced, endless belts a. A suitable hopper 5 containing detergent powder 4, is suitably mounted above the entrance end of the into receptacle 8 haying a small channel 8" in its bottom ancl in which-small channel there is a helicoid conveyor'9,-v-which discharges the detergent powder to waste orior any. otherdesired purpose, such as reclaiming or I regenerating thedetergent. Beyond conveyor7 there isja conveyor 10 which delivers the treated fibres to further j equipmengstorage or whatever may be desired.

Since each pair of spaced, endless belts is identical in construction, only one pair will be described in detail, namely ,the, pair a. It will be particularly seen from Fig. 2,*that each belt a is mounted on a set of rollers 11, 12;ofwhich-r0l-ler 11isa pressure roll and 12 is a smaller, secondary roll. These rollers 11, 12 are mounted on axles or shafts=13, 14, which latter are disposed in bearings 15, 16, the numeral 17 designating a truss or resilient means having an extensible, rodlike part 17' and articulated at 18. A helical spring 19 encircles parts 17', and tends to separate shafts 13 and 14 so as to maintain a constant tension in belts a. Bearings 15, 16, are each provided with an apertured lug to which are anchored the ends of spring 20, which tend to draw the bearings and shafts together to assert compression on the fibres passing between the belts. The truss 17 is provided with an apertured lug 21 in which are anchored the ends of spring 22, which tend to pull rollers 12 toward each other. Spring 22 is weaker than spring 20 and, hence, asserts less compressive force. Each belt is provided with a cleaning brush 23 and each of the rollers 6 is likewise provided with such a brush for the usual purpose. Adjacent each pair of spaced, endless belts are deflectors 24 for guiding extraneous matter removed by brushes 23 outside the sphere of influence of the machine. Such extraneous material drops into receptable 25 from all the deflectors which are inclined at a suitable angle to bring about the effect. Each endless belt is also provided with a fibre cleaning roller 26 in contact with its belt adjacent roller 12.

As fibres pass into and through the machine, they are admixed with absorbent powder detergent which may be of any suitable nature, and as the mixture of fibres and detergent are processed between the successive pairs of belts, they are cleaned, drafted and parallelized so that the fibres delivered to conveyor 10 are free from dirt, grease and other contaminants and are in the form of a relatively thin blanket or veil in which the individual fibres are separate and substantially parallelized.

Successively increasing lengths of directional arrows shown on the rollers of Fig. 1, serve to indicate that each successive set of rollers and the endless belt driven thereby is rotated at an increasingly greater speed from one pair of belts to the next.

I claim:

1. A machine for cleaning, drafting and parallelizing wool and other fibers comprising a series of pairs of spaced endless belts, a set of rolls on which each endless belt is mounted and by which it is driven, each such set of rolls including a pressure roll and a smaller secondary roll, bearings in which said rolls are mounted, a spring connecting each pair of pressure roll bearings and urging them toward one another, a second and weaker spring urging each pair of secondary roll bearings toward one another, resilient means extending between each pressure and secondary roll bearing for maintaining each belt under tension. the said pairs of spaced endless belts being arranged linearly to provide a continuous passage there Patented Apr...18 1961 between for fibers to be processed, each successive pair of belts being rotated at successively increasing speeds to provide a speed gradient along the machine from one end-to the other, the space between succeeding pairsofendless beltsbecoming progressively less, means for in troducing an absorbent powdered detergent between the first pair of the series of spaced belts for admixture with the fibers, and means for removing the detergent particles with their absorbate fromthe fibers after the fibers'have" passed through all said pairs of endless belts.

2. A p'rocess for cleaning, drafting and parallelizing wool and other textile fiberswhich comprisesthe steps oi addingan absorbent powder'edidetergent to the fibers, subjecting the fibers to repeated alternate compressions and draftings while causing frictional rubbing contact with the added absorbent powdered detergent and simultaneously causing the fibers to move in a linear path of travel under substantially continuous .lateral confinement along said path toward a point of discharge under successive increments of speed, and then eliminating the added detergent at the'end of the path of travel of the fibers.

3. A process according to claim 2, in which each sue-- 613,267 'Gruene Nov. 1, 1898 805,407 Born -5 Nov. 21, 1905 1,297,794 Casablancas Mar. 18, 1919 1,323,641 McBride Dec. 2, 1919 7 2,304,885 Cobb Dec 15, 1942.

2,345,988 Ockrant Apr. 4, 1944 2,591,866 Pope Apr. 8,1952 2,621,372 Wilkie Dec. 16, 1952 2,686,939 Keyser Aug. 24, 1954 2,689,382 Andrews et al. Sept. 21, 1954 2,825,937 Guimbretiere et al Mar. 11, 1958 2,858,573 Boer Nov. 4, 1958 2,896,269 Gardella etal. July 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS cessive compression is at a greater pressure than the.

preceding compression.

4. A process according to claim 3, in which each comprcssion is followed by a slight expansion with a corresponding temporary slight loss of speed of travel.

References Cited the of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Feb. 26, 1953 I

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