Abstract: This invention is directed to a fiber blending machine which takes amounts of fiber from a plurality of bales to provide a uniform blend of fibers. The machine is provided with an automatic apparatus to apply pressure to the top of nearly exhausted bales to ensure that fibers are plucked therefrom as they are reciprocated back and forth across the plucking area of the machine.

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: An arrangement for mixing textile fiber in set quantity ratios, with at least two conveyers and at least two weighing feeders with scale tanks. Each conveyer has one weighing feeder with scale tank for delivering fiber flakes. Each conveyer has one conveyer roller and one breakup roller acting jointly for receiving the fiber flakes, and all conveyer rollers and breakup rollers are connected to a common flake suction device. Two horizontal endless conveyer belts may be used as conveyers. The rotary speed of the conveyers is continuously variable. The upper side of the conveyers runs towards the flake suction device. The conveyer rollers are located near belt rollers on the conveyers. Conveyer rollers and belt rollers have opposite directions of rotation, while breakup rollers and belt rollers rotate in the same direction. Air shield elements and the flake suction device may form an injector nozzle.

Abstract: An arrangement for opening textile fiber bales, particularly hard-pressed cotton bales. The fiber material is removed from above and moved by layers in the horizontal plane of the layer, and delivered to an opening element to break up the layer into fiber flakes. The entire fiber material of the uppermost layer may be moved towards the opening element. The arrangement has at least one conveying roller for moving the layer, and an opening roller cooperating with it. The apparatus may have two or more counterrotating conveying rollers above which the opening roller is located. The conveying rollers may rotate in the same direction and the opening roller may be horizontally adjacent. The peripheral speeds of the conveying rollers increase with the proximity to the opening roller. The conveying rollers may have toothed rings on the surface, and the toothed rings of successive rollers engage one another. A holding roller may be located between the opening roller and the conveying roller next to it.

Abstract: Apparatus for removing a layer of predetermined thickness from a bale of fiber material including an array of rigidly secured, juxtaposed, vertically oriented tines and carriers for moving the tines downwardly to a selected depth in the bale and then horizontally to remove a top layer from the bale.

Abstract: An apparatus for breaking textile fiber bales includes at least two spiked breaker members rotated in the working direction for opening the bales at their underside; a stationary support rack for receiving thereon a plurality of bales juxtapositioned in the working direction; and an arrangement for moving the breaker members as a unit back and forth in the working direction underneath the support rack for opening the underside of the bales juxtapositioned on the support rack. The latter has a plurality of parallel-spaced support rods extending in the working direction above the breaker members.

Abstract: An arrangement for opening textile fiber bales in which a row of textile fiber bales are broken up by at least two needle tables or rollers placed small distances apart in a row from their bottom side. The distance between the needle points of successive needle tables or rollers are continuously variable. Furthermore, the distance between needle points is changed automatically depending on properties inherent to the textile fiber bales or fiber tufts during operation of the needle table. The actual characteristic value of the detached fiber is compared with a nominal characteristic value, and a different signal is generated and applied as a control on a correcting element. The correcting element varies the distance between the needle points. Disturbance effects are obtained from the textile fiber bale, and this disturbance produces through a control device, an input or set variables for the distance between the needle points. One disturbance effect of the textile fiber bale may be the hardness.

Abstract: An apparatus for breaking textile fiber bales includes a plurality of spiked breaker members each rotated in a working direction and spaced from one another in the working direction and a support for receiving a series of juxtapositioned bales in the working direction above the breaker members for exposing the underside of the bales to the breaker members. The support comprises a flexible underlay which extends in the working direction for engaging face-to-face the underside of the bales and which is prevented from displacement in the working direction. An arrangement forms an upwardly open chamber of one part of the flexible underlay. The breaker members are accommodated in the chamber for engaging the underside of the bales situated at least in part within the outline of the chamber opening. The chamber and the breaker members are moved as a unit in the working direction along the bales.

Abstract: An arrangement for opening textile fiber bales in which a row of bales are broken up from their underside. The device which performs the breaking-up process has revolving pairs of needle tables or rollers with needles inclined in relation to the working direction, so that with adjacent break up members they are inclined in the opposite direction. The rotary speed of the needle table is variable, and the rotary speed of one needle table of at least one pair of tables or rollers is changed as a function of material-specific property of the textiles fiber bales. The rotary speed may be changed automatically during operation. An input control parameter is obtained from the textile fiber bales to generate an input variable for the rotary speed of the needle table, through a control unit. The hardness of the textile fiber bales may be used as the input control parameter. The weight of the bales may also be used for this purpose of providing the input control parameter.

Abstract: A bale breaker machine includes a breaker arrangement on which a textile fiber bale is positioned for being opened at its underside, a guiding wall pair formed of two substantially vertically oriented bale guiding wall disposed above the breaker arrangement and spaced from one another to accommodate the textile fiber bale therebetween; and a bale supporting device which includes an insert carried by at least one bale guiding wall at a face thereof oriented to the other bale guiding wall of the guiding wall pair and a displacing arrangement coupled to the insert for moving at least one part of the insert away from the associated bale guiding wall and for urging the insert part into a face-to-face engagement with a side of the textile fiber bale positioned between the bale guiding walls of the guiding wall pair.

Abstract: The apparatus is particularly adapted for disintegrating bale-like masses of waste textile strand material that includes synthetic (e.g., polyester, nylon, etc.) textile strands of large-magnitude tensile strength and frequently of considerable length. The length and strength of such strands, in conjunction with their normally quite-random and entangled array within the bale-like masses received by a reclaimer of waste strand material, has heretofore necessitated the manual disintegration of such masses. The apparatus of the present invention automatically and efficiently disintegrates bale-like masses of waste textile strand material of the above-described type, as well as of other types, and does so in a manner which does not so impair desirable physical properties of the strand material as to restrict its various end-uses.

Abstract: A device for opening and mixing fibers according to a predetermined mixture ratio with a pincer-like gripper device. A carriage transports the pincer-like gripper pass bales of different fibers so that the pincer-like gripper device can remove fibers from said bales according to desired ratios for making up a predetermined mixture ratio. The width that the gripper device is opened is variable so that small amounts of fibers can be picked up from the bales when a small ratio is desired and when a large ratio is desired for making up the mixture ratio, the grippers can be opened wider for making the device more efficient.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for obtaining a blend of fibers from a plurality of fiber bales, such as bales of cotton, in which a fiber removing device repeatedly moves along a row of fiber bales while removing fibers from uppermost portions of the bales and depositing the fibers into a fiber collection hopper moving with the fiber removing device along the row of bales. The fiber bales are preferably positioned with the fiber layers in the bales extending longitudinally of the row of bales and oriented in a vertical plane and the fiber removing device removes fibers from all of the exposed layers of the bale to thereby achieve a highly uniform blend of fibers from all of the bales. The fiber bales are supported in a chute which is oriented at an incline with respect to the path of movement of the fiber removing device and the entire row of bales is advanced along the chute to thereby move the upper surfaces of the bales upwardly closer to the fiber removing device.

Abstract: Apparatus having an elevated trackway and a pick-up head arranged thereon for automatically plucking increments of fibers from one or more bales, delivering such increments of fiber to a position above a hopper feeder, and dropping such increments of fiber therein, all in a predetermined cycle and in response to a fiber demand signal from the hopper feeder. Such apparatus includes a suction conduit disposed above the hopper feeder and adjacent the path of travel of the fiber increments as they are dropped into the hopper feeder, with such suction conduit being connected to a continuous vacuum source. A valve is disposed in the suction conduit, and is opened when the pick-up head commences its cycle and closed when the pick-up head completes its cycle.

Abstract: A large rolled bale of agricultural material is separated and distributed by placement upon a first and a second endless conveyer placed end to end and driven in the same direction to turn the rolled bale while drawing therefrom portions of the agricultural material from which the bale is composed. As the bale is rotated, agricultural material drawn from the bale by tines extending from the second endless conveyer is deposited from the discharge end of the second endless conveyer. The endless conveyers are arranged with an inclined posture relative to the horizontal with the second conveyer having a steeper incline than the first conveyer and with the second conveyer being driven at a higher speed than the first conveyer.

Abstract: A machine for loosening and withdrawing fibers from a fiber bale, wherein bars are provided for engaging the top surface of the bale and, when depressed along a certain preselected distance, act in such a way that the carding cloth is active upon a limited thickness zone of the bale.

Abstract: An installation is disclosed for continuously and automatically performing the admixture of textile fibers of different natures prior to spinning. The fibers are taken from bales of different fibers continually, the metering of fibers of each individual kind being automatically controlled by a scale, the seizing device having a bridge-like configuration and being moved along a closed or open loop path. The component fibers of the admixture are then dumped into a specially provided container, wherefrom they are fed forward to subsequent processing and/or treatment machines.