Abstract: An apparatus for opening and mixing fibrous materials including a conveyor for moving bales of fibrous material along a generally horizontal path toward an inclined surface, means moving along the surface or the inclined path of travel of the conveyor for removing fibrous material from the bales, the removing means being, for example, a teasing roll which is connected by telescopic and/or flexible ducts to an extractor fan which discharges the removed fibrous material into a bin having in a lower portion thereof a conveyor belt which is driven to maintain the fibrous material within the bin at a generally constant uniform level, and a discharge conveyor for removing the fibrous material from the bin for subsequent processing.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for laying fiber fleeces or the like delivered from a carding machine of the like onto a withdrawal belt driven at a predetermined speed. The device comprises a feed belt driven at a predetermined speed, storage, layer and balance cars all arranged for oscillating movements, respectively, a first continuous conveyor belt extending about rollers on the storage and layer cars and a second continuous conveyor belt extending about rollers on the storage and layer cars and extending from the storage car to a roller on the balance car. One run of each of the conveyor belts extending between the storage and layer cars confront each other for receiving the fiber fleece therebetween. Common drive means connects the storage and layer cars and further drive means extends from the feed belt to the layer car.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a novel method of and apparatus for producing an open non-woven fabric from fibrous material by delivering the fiber flocks through a carding zone during which time the fiber flocks are loosened and spread to form a non-woven fabric, subjecting the spread-out non-woven fabric to a jamming effect in a jamming zone downstream of the carding zone to form a non-woven fabric of matted fibers, and releasing the jamming effect to form an open non-woven fabric.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of removing a generally uniform layer portion of fibrous material from the top of a bale of compressed fibrous material and loosening the fibers of the layer portion during the removal thereof by providing a bale of relatively compressed fibrous material having a predetermined upper surface area, providing a suction hood having an overall area corresponding in size generally to the upper surface area of the fibrous bale, creating at least two spaced linear areas of suction across the overall area of the hood while preventing the creation of suction between the two linear suction areas, positioning the suction hood in overlying contiguous relationship to the bale upper surface area whereby the suction draws the fibrous material upwardly across the overall area and loosens the compressed condition thereof to a generally fluffed state through a uniform depth thereof, raising the suction hood to remove a general uniform depth of the loosened fibrous material across generally th

Abstract: A control device is disclosed for controlling the drive means and consequently the oscillation range of a periodically oscillating member particularly when it is necessary to maintain the speed of the periodic oscillation movement such that it corresponds to the average speed of another drive unit. Two movably mounted sensors are located near opposite ends of a predetermined oscillation range of the oscillating member. When either of the sensors senses the presence of the oscillating member beyond the predetermined oscillation range, a signal is generated by the sensor which is transmitted to control means adapted to adjust the speed of the drive means operating the oscillating member.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for separating card strips, such as fiber neps, fiber adhesions, short fibers, foreign particles, waste fibers and the like from fibrous material during a carding operation in which a rotating carding cylinder has means for carrying fibrous material therewith, a strips roller adjacent the carding cylinder defining therewith a gap through which the fibrous material is carried by the carding machine, and the strips roller including means for forming carding strips from the fibrous material which are subsequently removed therefrom.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for quantitatively and qualitatively determining the dust content of fibrous material, in which a representative sample of the fibrous material is opened to obtain individual fibers and release the dust contained therein. The individual fibers and fine dust are separated by a combination of gravity separation and air flow. Coarse dust is separated and collected incidental to the opening process. The dust quantity and quality are determined on a weight basis.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for cleaning natural fibers of their contaminants by passing the same through a pair of rotary drum sieves each having a porous peripheral surface subject to a vacuum whereby natural fibers adhere to the porous peripheral surfaces and contaminants are drawn therethrough, the drum sieves being disposed with portions of their peripheral surfaces defining a throat through which the fibers pass, and means contiguous the throat for cutting off the vacuum effect of the first drum sieve whereby the fibers are transferred from the first drum peripheral surface to that of the second drum.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an opening and cleaning machine for fibrous material, including a plurality of rotatable beaters disposed within a housing, grating means adjacent to and beneath the beater units, guide plate meansgenerally adjacent to and above the beater units, first and second aperture means respectively adjacent first and last of the beater units through which fibrous material is respectively fed into and removed from the machine, and third aperture means in a top wall of the housing through which suction can be drawn to remove dust during the processing of the fibrous material.