Abstract: A needle loom including a support and a stripper defining a path for a fiber lap. A needle board supported by sliding shanks moves back and forth between a maximum penetration position and a retracted position, by means of a connecting rod/crank assembly including a connecting rod hingedly connected to the sliding shank. A slide bearing remote from the needle board has a greater diameter than the other slide bearing, and engages a tubular portion of the shank. The hinge connection between the connecting rod and the sliding stank is located within the axial section covered by the slide bearing and the interval therebetween. For this purpose, the hinge is arranged in the tubular portion. Bearing wear, extraneous stress and vibration may thus be reduced.

Abstract: A brush conveyor, such as a velvet needling machine, has an assembly of contiguous brushes disposed in transverse rows, and a drive source for this assembly of brushes which forms a conveying plane having a predetermined direction of displacement to constitute an upper face of the conveyor. Each brush includes a body including, on its upper face, holes which are provided for receiving a tuft of hair and, on its lower face, connecting apparatus to fasten this brush to a drive source. The drive source has several parallel drive belts or chains placed between at least two drive cylinders running in the same direction. The conveyor also has a support structure for supporting the brush bodies forming the conveying plane. This support structure includes a support table having several flat support parts separated by spaces provided for the drive belts or chains.

Abstract: A brush conveyor, in particular for a velvet needle loom, includes an assembly of adjacent brushes forming a conveying plane and moving in a predetermined conveying direction. Each brush includes a body that is substantially elongated along a main axis, and each lower brush surface includes means for connecting the brush to a mechanical drive device while the upper brush surface has holes for receiving tufts of bristles. The brushes are arranged within the conveyor in such a way that their main axes are parallel to each other and lie at a predetermined angle to a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the conveying direction. The conveyor may be used in needle looms for making nonwoven articles.

Abstract: Two needling assemblies have needle boards and alternating motion mechanisms. A motor is provided for each needling assembly. The needling assemblies are mechanically independent of each other. The motors are connected by an angular position servo-mechanism. The needling machine is used to eliminate the mechanical resonance between needling assemblies and to diversify and facilitate the adjusting possibilities.

Abstract: A lap is produced in a spreading lapping machine (2) by successively folding a fiber web from a card (1), whereafter the lap is drawn in a drawing machine (4). The drawing machine (4) is provided with rotatable devices having peripheral fittings with spikes that are driven into the core of the lap. The degree of drawing is adjusted in such a way that most fibers in the drawn product are arranged in two directions which are substantially symmetrical relative to the lengthwise direction of said drawn product, and lie at an angle of 30.degree.-60.degree. C. relative thereto. The method is particularly useful for improving the mechanical properties of lapped products.

Abstract: A high-quality nonwoven product is manufactured by making use of an intermediate product in which the majority of fibers are distributed in two orientations which form an angle with each other. The intermediate product is fed to a spreading and lap-forming machine (13A, 13B) which deposits the intermediate product in alternate pleats on its delivery belt so as to form a lap of superposed layers such that the majority orientations of the fibers within each layer form an angle with the majority orientations of the fibers of the contiguous layers, and the lap is subjected to a fixing treatment, for example by means of a needle-punching machine (14A, 14B).

Abstract: An unwinding carriage (14) is fed with a fiber web (4). This unwinding carriage (14) is displaced in a to-and-fro movement, causing it to deposit the web (4) on an exit conveyor (8) driven transversely to the movement of the unwinding carriage (14), so as to produce a lap (6) consisting of successive breadths of web inclined alternately in relation to the longitudinal direction of the exit conveyor (8), these breadths being joined by means of folds defining the edges of the lap produced (6). The advance of the exit conveyor (8) at the moments of the changes in direction of the unwinding carriage (14) is maintained. During these changes in direction, the unwound quantity of web (4) is restricted so as to exert on the fibers, between the exit conveyor (8) and the unwinding carriage (14), a pull tending to orient the fibers which form the folds of the web in the lap (6) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the exit conveyor (8). The invention is used particularly for making needled products.

Abstract: A web of fibers (4) is conveyed by conveyor belts (2, 5) which pass around rollers (32 to 43, 60 to 69). Some of these rollers are carried by main carriages (10, 14) which are capable of displacement in reciprocating motion above an apron (8) which moves in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers and collects the web (4) in the form of a lap. Auxiliary carriages (16, 18) are provided for maintaining the length of the paths of the conveyor-belts (2, 5) at a constant value in spite of the reciprocating movements of the main carriages (10, 14). Each main carriage (10, 14) is connected to an auxiliary carriage by coupling means (92, 96) which are less extensible than the conveyor-belts (2, 5) and are so arranged as to be put under tension under the action of the means (84, 88) for driving the carriages.The invention is applicable to the manufacture of nonwoven fabrics.

Abstract: A web of fibers (4) is conveyed by conveyor-belts (2, 5) which pass around rollers. A number of rollers are carried by an input carriage (10) and an output carriage (14), said carriages being capable of displacement in reciprocating motion above an apron (8) which moves in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers and collects the web (4) in the form of a lap (6). A guide roller (34) defines for the web (4) on a first conveyor-belt (2) a section (22) which is inclined towards the pinching line and is located upstream of said line, said pinching line being defined by two adjacent rollers (35, 61). The pinching roller (35) associated with the first conveyor-belt (2) causes it to make a turn through an angle (B) within the range of 90 degrees to 180 degrees. The pinching line is located in an intermediate angular position between the beginning and the end of said turn.The invention is applicable to the manufacture of nonwoven fabrics.

Abstract: A web of fibers (4) is conveyed by conveyor-belts (2, 5) which pass around rollers (32 to 43, 60 to 69). Some of these rollers are carried by main carriages (10, 14) which are capable of displacement in reciprocating motion above an apron (8) which moves in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers and collects the web (4) in the form of a lap. Auxiliary carriages (16, 18) are provided for maintaining the length of the paths of the conveyor-belts (2, 5) at a constant value in spite of the reciprocating movements of the main carriages (10, 14). Each auxiliary carriage (16, 18) is located within a bottom passageway (70) which extends beneath the apron (8) and is separated from the apron by at least one partition-wall (72).The invention is applicable to the manufacture of nonwoven fabrics.

Abstract: The device carries a bundle of fibers between an upper and lower table of a tufting machine. The bundle of fibers is transferred to a tufting machine by a transfer device having a pair of roller driven conveyors. The conveyors are individual drive belts having individual adjustability over the width of the transfer device. Individual tension is provided in each longitudinal region of the width permitting suitable guiding of each belt despite the very short developed length. The transfer device provides for positively driving the fiber bundle toward the interior of the tufting passage.

Abstract: A felting machine for non-woven fabrics comprising a frame provided with a guide path for the fabric and two needle boards. Two crank-rod mechanisms are fixed to a beam of I-shaped cross-section. Each mechanism comprises two crank-rod units fixed on both sides of the web of the beam. These units are easily accessible through the front or through the rear of the machine in any operating position of the system.