Textiles: fiber preparation – Working – Carding
Patent
1997-05-09
1998-09-08
Crowder, C. D.
Textiles: fiber preparation
Working
Carding
191455, 19300, D01G 1540
Patent
active
058026746
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a fiber metering arrangement, for feeding fibre to a fiber utilizing arrangement such for example as a carding machine preparing a card web such as might be utilized, perhaps after cross-folding, in a non-woven fabric producing operation such as a stitch bonding operation.
It is a problem to supply the carding machine with fiber at a constant rate. Irregular fiber supply results in an uneven web which is manifest as density variation in a non-woven fabric produced from it.
The carding machine feeding arrangement withdraws fiber from a static supply such as a hopper in which a "head" of fiber is maintained within height limits by a controlled bale opening arrangement. A roller or lattice, which may be spiked, picks fiber from the bottom of the "head" in the hopper. Since the "head" is variable at least to some extent and since the fibre density in the hopper is not homogeneous, the roller or lattice will pick up fiber at a variable rate and unless countermeasures are taken this variable rate will be reflected in variations at the carding machine input.
Various measures have been proposed to deal with this problem involving weighbelts and weighplates over which the fiber passes en route to the carding machine and which control the speeds of rollers which take fibers from the weighbelt or plate so that if the weight is low the take off roller speed is increased and vice versa in an effort to level out the rate of feed to the card.
These measures do not, however, solve the problem inasmuch as card web still exhibits unevenness attributable to fiber input rate variation, and it is still difficult precisely to control web weight to a desired degree of accuracy.
The present invention provides improved fiber metering arrangements that address these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a fiber metering arrangement adapted for feeding fiber to a fiber utilizing arrangement comprising at least first and second fiber feeding units spaced apart in the direction of fiber feeding so that the second is downstream with respect to the first and independently driven at relatively variable fiber feeding speeds each having weight transducer means sensitive to the weight of fiber being fed by that unit and the speed of each unit being controlled in accordance with the weight of fiber sensed by its associated transducer means.
The speed of the first unit may be controlled also in accordance with the weight of fiber sensed by the transducer means of the second unit.
The speed of the second unit may be controlled also in accordance with the speed and the weight of fiber sensed by the transducer means of the first unit.
The first and second units may be components of a series of such units. Adjacent units of the series may be interrelated as first and second such units.
The first feeding unit may comprise rollers both ahead of (in the direction of feeding) and following the second feeding unit.
The first feeding unit may comprise two rollers ahead of and at least one roller following the second feeding unit which may itself comprise two rollers.
The arrangement may be adapted to withdraw fiber from a static supply, i.e. the roller or lattice aforementioned that withdraws fiber from the static supply may be a part of the arrangement and within the control philosophy.
Each unit may comprise a driven roller (or rollers).
The unit speeds and weight transducer outputs may be inputs to a neural network adapted or trained to control the unit speeds to give a constant fiber feed rate to the fiber utilizing arrangement.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a fiber metering arrangement adapted for feeding a fiber fleece to a fiber utilizing arrangement comprising a fiber fleece feeding unit having first weight transducer means sensitive to the weight of fiber being fed by that unit and being driven at a variable speed dependent on the weight of fleece sensed by said first transducer means with a fine delay equivalent to the time taken for the fleece to pass
REFERENCES:
patent: 4133455 (1979-01-01), Moser
patent: 4574433 (1986-03-01), Brunnschweiler
patent: 4709451 (1987-12-01), Leifeld
patent: 4812993 (1989-03-01), Konig et al.
Crowder C. D.
Garnett Controls Limited
Worrell Jr. Larry D.
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