Abstract: A bale opener for removing fiber tufts from top surfaces of fiber bales assembled in a series includes a carriage for travelling back-and-forth along a generally horizontal, first path of travel along the fiber bale series; a tower mounted on the carriage for travel therewith; a fiber tuft detaching device extending from the tower and movable relative to the tower along a generally vertical, second path of travel; and an incremental rotary displacement signalling device including a shaft; a toothed rotary element mounted on the shaft; a counter element meshing with the rotary element which is movable relative to the counter element; and a signal generator coupled to the toothed element for generating signals as a function of rotary displacements of the toothed element.

Abstract: A carding machine includes a main carding cylinder; a lateral support component situated laterally of the main carding cylinder; and a travelling flats assembly situated above the main carding cylinder and having a working path along an upper circumference. The travelling flats assembly has a first and a second end sprocket positioned at a beginning and at an end, respectively, of the working path; an endless drive element supported by the end sprockets; a slideway having a convex portion following the curvature of the main carding cylinder and a concave portion adjacent the convex portion and following the curvature of the first and second end sprockets, respectively; a fastening device for securing the slideway to the lateral component; and a plurality of flat bars carried by the endless drive element; each flat bar has a flat bar end supported on the slideway.

Abstract: A fiber processing machine includes a clothed roll arrangement for entraining fiber along a circular path; a housing surrounding the roll arrangement; at least two waste discharge openings; a separate mote knife bounding each waste discharge opening; a suction hood adjoining each waste discharge opening for receiving waste passing through the respective waste discharge opening; a separate suction conduit coupled to the respective suction hoods for receiving the waste therefrom; and a common suction duct coupled to each suction conduit for receiving the waste therefrom. The suction conduits and the common suction duct is a one-piece construction.

Abstract: An apparatus for pneumatically delivering fiber tufts to a fiber processing machine includes a duct; a blower having a pressure side communicating with the duct for pneumatically driving fiber tufts therein in a stream M.sub.1 ; a branch conduit extending from the duct at a branch-off location situated downstream of the blower as viewed in a direction of flow of the stream M.sub.1 for separating a stream M.sub.3 from the stream M.sub.1, leaving a stream M.sub.2 to proceed in the duct downstream of the branch-off location; and a flow varying arrangement for changing a flow rate of the stream M.sub.3 in the branch conduit. The flow varying arrangement has a throttle mechanism situated in the branch conduit.

Abstract: A fiber tuft feeder includes a reserve chute; a feed roll supported in the reserve chute at an outlet thereof; a countersupport cooperating with the feed roll for defining therewith a nip through which the feed roll draws fiber tufts from the reserve chute; an opening roll supported immediately downstream of the nip for receiving fiber tufts from the nip; and a feed chute having an inlet connected to the outlet of the reserve chute. A relative motion of the feed roll and the countersupport toward and away from one another is permitted for varying the distance between the feed roll and the countersupport by the fiber tufts passing therebetween. Further, a spring is provided which resiliently urges the feed roll and the countersupport towards one another.

Abstract: An apparatus for mixing textile fiber tufts includes a plurality of serially disposed, generally vertically oriented hoppers; a pneumatic conveying system for advancing an air/tuft mixture to the hoppers for charging the hoppers with fiber tufts from the top; an exhaust-air chamber for receiving the conveying air stream from the air/tuft mixture; and a separator positioned between the exhaust-air chamber and the hoppers for allowing air to enter the exhaust-air chamber and for retaining fiber tufts in the hoppers. There are further provided a mixing chamber extending underneath the hoppers; an arrangement situated at the bottom of each hopper for delivering fiber tufts from the hoppers to the mixing chamber; and a transporting device situated in the mixing chamber for mechanically removing blended fiber tufts therefrom.

Abstract: An apparatus for making a fiber lap comprises the following combination: a plurality of serially arranged, vertically oriented hoppers charged with fiber tufts from above; removing device for removing the fiber tufts from the hoppers from below; a conveyor arranged to successively run past the hoppers and simultaneously receive fiber tufts therefrom whereby a multilayer fiber tuft mass is formed on the conveyor; a reinforcing device for stabilizing the multilayer fiber tuft mass and forming a fiber lap therefrom; and a wet treatment device.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating foreign bodies from a stream of fiber material includes a vertical chute having an upper inlet and a lower outlet; a mechanism for introducing the fiber material into the chute inlet; and a detector positioned in the chute for emitting a sensor signal upon passage of a foreign body. The fiber material is propelled from the detector towards the chute outlet substantially solely by gravity. The apparatus further has a waste discharge opening provided in the chute between the detector and the chute outlet; a deflecting mechanism arranged in the chute and having first and second positions. In the first position the deflecting mechanism causes the stream of fiber material to proceed in the chute to and through the chute outlet and in the second position the deflecting mechanism causes the stream of fiber material to proceed through the waste discharge opening.

Abstract: A seal unit for sealing a clearance between relatively movable first and second machine components includes a low-friction, wear-resistant sealing element having a sealing face for sealingly engaging a surface of the first machine component; a spring having a soft spring characteristic and being at least indirectly in engagement with the second machine component and a reverse face of the sealing element for resiliently urging the sealing face of the sealing element against the surface of the first machine component.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating a fiber bale having a soiled surface. The apparatus includes a cleaning device arranged for engaging a bale surface to remove soiled material therefrom and a displacing arrangement for effecting a relative motion between the fiber bale and the cleaning device.

Abstract: A sliver drafting apparatus has a pre-drafting mechanism which simultaneously receives a plurality of running slivers, and includes first and second pairs of drafting rolls between which the slivers pass. The apparatus further has a gathering element disposed downstream of the pre-drafting mechanism for gathering the slivers into a combined sliver and a first delivery roll pair situated downstream of the gathering element for pulling the combined sliver from the gathering element. The apparatus further includes a main drafting mechanism arranged downstream of the first delivery roll pair for receiving the combined sliver therefrom. The main drafting mechanism includes first and second pairs of drafting rolls between which the combined sliver passes. A sliver trumpet is situated downstream of the main drafting mechanism for receiving the combined sliver therefrom; and a second delivery roll pair is situated downstream of the sliver trumpet for pulling the combined sliver from the sliver trumpet.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the quantity of fiber tufts during flight thereof, having an impact element provided with an impact face arranged in the flow path of the fiber tuft stream and being exposed for collision with the fiber tufts. The impact face is situated at an oblique angle to the flow direction of the fiber tufts. There is further provided a measuring element operatively connected to the impact element for generating signals representing stresses or excursions of the impact element derived from the collision of fiber tufts with the impact face. An electronic evaluating device is connected to the measuring element for receiving signals therefrom.

Abstract: An automatic startup device in a carding machine includes a roll assembly for discharging the fiber web; and a web transporting arrangement situated under the roll assembly for gathering and advancing the web. The web transporting arrangement is formed of two adjoining, driven endless belts which together define a gap through which the web is discharged downwardly. The two endless belts or portions thereof are simultaneously shiftable horizontally to cause the web discharge gap to assume first and second locations spaced horizontaly from one another. There is further provided a trumpet situated under the web gathering belts. The trumpet has separable parts between which the web is introduced from the web discharge gap.

Abstract: A weighing scale for continuously weighing a fiber layer running therethrough. The weighing scale includes an endless conveyor belt having a transporting face for supporting and advancing the fiber layer and a drive for circulating the conveyor belt. There is further provided a carrier frame on which the conveyor belt and the drive are mounted and a weighing cell for emitting a signal representing the magnitude of a weight applied thereto. The weighing cell supports the carrier frame, the conveyor belt and the drive. An elastic holding element is affixed to the carrier frame. The elastic holding element is elastically readily deformable in a vertical plane, while it is substantially unyielding in a horizontal plane, whereby the carrier frame is prevented by the elastic holding element from motions in horizontal directions.

Abstract: An apparatus for opening and cleaning fiber material includes consecutively arranged first, second and third clothed rolls each having a clothing thereon. The second clothed roll cooperates with the first clothed roll as a doffer and opening roll and the third clothed roll cooperates with the second clothed roll as a doffer and opening roll. The centrifugal forces generated at peripheries of the clothed rolls increase from roll to roll from the first clothed roll. There is further provided a fiber feeder for advancing the fiber material towards the first clothed roll. Covers closely surround the respective first, second and third clothed rolls which have at least approximately identical diameters. Waste discharge openings are provided in the cover of each clothed roll, and a mote knife bounds each waste discharge opening.

Abstract: A method of recognizing particle impurities in textile material includes the following steps: forming a thin fiber web; detecting each particle impurity by an electron-optical sensor; applying signals from the sensor to an image processing system; determining a specific characteristic for each particle impurity by an evaluating device forming part of the image processing system; classifying the particle impurities based on the specific characteristic by comparison with reference data; and counting the particle impurities.

Abstract: A fiber tuft processing line for processing fiber tufts preparatory to spinning, includes a plurality of fiber processing machines, fiber tuft conveying ducts serially connecting the machines, a blower generating a fiber tuft conveying air stream flowing in the fiber tuft conveying ducts, and an air conditioning system for supplying conditioned air to the machines of the fiber processing line. The air conditioning system includes an air conditioner; conditioned air conveying ducts extending from an output of the air conditioner to the machines; a humidity sensor and temperature sensor for responding to humidity and temperature conditions in the processing line; and a regulator for operatively connecting the humdiity sensor and the temperature sensor with the air conditioner. The humidity sensor is arranged to respond directly to the humidity of the fiber tufts in the processing line.

Abstract: An automatic startup device includes a roll assembly for discharging the fiber web; a web transporting arrangement situated under the roll assembly for gathering and advancing the web; and a trumpet situated under the web transporting arrangement. The trumpet has separable parts between which the web in introduced. In a first position the two trumpet parts are at a relatively large distance from one another, whereby the web is discharged by the trumpet in a substantially unaltered state and in a second position the two trumpet parts are at a relatively small distance from one another, whereby the web is compressed and discharged by the trumpet as a sliver. There are further provided a web delivery arrangement under the trumpet for receiving and removing the web; and a calender roll pair arranged under the trumpet for receiving and advancing the sliver discharged by the trumpet.

Abstract: A bale opener arranged for travel along a series of fiber bales for removing fiber tufts from top surfaces thereof. The bale opener includes a toothed opening roll supported in an orientation transverse to a direction of travel and a grate formed of grate bars spaced in a direction transverse to the direction of travel and arranged for engaging the top surfaces of the fiber bales. The teeth of the opening roll extend between the grate bars for penetrating into the fiber bales during travel. There are further provided bale pressing elements supported by the bale opener on opposite sides of the opening roll spaced therefrom parallel to the direction of travel. The bale pressing elements are arranged to engage and press down the fiber bales during travel of the bale opener. A setting arrangement simultaneously vertically adjusts the bale pressing elements in opposite directions.

Abstract: A method of operating a fiber bale opener (which has a tower arranged for travel along a series of fiber bales and an opening device carried by the tower and movable vertically relative thereto) includes the steps of moving the opening device back and forth along top surfaces of the fiber bales; removing fiber tufts by the opening device during travel thereof; coordinating travelling motions of the bale opener with vertical motions of the opening device by a control device; determining the presence of a foreign body in the fiber bales; lifting, during each pass of the bale opener, the opening device off the fiber bales just ahead of the location; moving the opening device, in the course of the travel thereof, over the foreign body; and lowering the opening device, in the course of the travel thereof, onto the fiber bales after passing over the foreign body.