FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a textile carding machine for example flat card or roller card in general. Particularly the invention related to an improved driving arrangement of a textile carding machines. More particularly the present invention is concerned to a doffer roller driving arrangement of a textile carding machines.

BACK GROUND OF THE INVENTION

The textile carding machine comprises a feeding arrangement for feeding the fibre batt through at least one licker-in roller for preliminary opening. The licker-in roller converts the fibre batt into smaller tufts after extracting considerable amount of foreign matter, the fibre tufts carried on the iicker-in passes to the carding cylinder with wire-teeth clothing surface, where the carding action takes place evenly across the entire working width. The card also comprises a flat arrangement mounted over the cylinder in order to perform the actual carding action over its entire working width.

Fibres that are coming out of the carding zone form a very thin web. The web is transferred from the main cylinder to another roller called doffer roller. The fibre web is stripped from the doffer roller using a redirecting roller. It is then passed through a pair of crush rollers before it is finally accumulated width wise into a fibre strand form. The calender rollers compresses the fibre strand to provide better integrity and stable flow of fibre material known as card sliver. The fibre strand proceeds downstream over guide pulleys to enter the coiler system. This consists of a trumpet guide and a second pair of calender rollers that delivers the carded sliver through a revolving tube into the card sliver can.

In existing carding machines, doffer roller, redirecting roller and crush rollers are driven by a single motor and are drivingly interconnected by means of non slipping drive elements such as belt drive gears, toothed belts and tension pulleys. The toothed belts are used for slip less positive drive transmission. The surface speed of the doffer roller, redirecting roller and crush rollers are increased in order to retain the present day production. The surface speed of these rollers have to be maintained precisely to achieve accurate tension draft. The tension draft is very much critical for proper web gathering, condensing and sliver formation. During processing of carding machines at higher production rates, a variation in feeding of fibres or web transfer would end up with lapping of web around the periphery of the crush rollers and redirecting roller. Thereby the lapping of web around these rollers restrict the rotation of rollers. This leads to jamming of the drive elements. Whereas the driving motor continuous to exert a driving force to the drive elements, causing excess torque to the drive elements. This would damage / break the toothed belt causing interruption to the carding process. There is also a risk of damage to the drive elements.

To overcome the above said problem, The driving motor is controlled through an frequency inverter. A safety limit frequency value is set up to the inverter with respect to the torque overload value of driving motor. During process whenever the lapping occurs over the rotatable rollers tend to jam the drive elements. Thereby the driving motor torque necessary to rotate the rollers exceeds the predetermined value. At a predetermined driving motor torque overload condition, the safety limit frequency value would enable the said inverter to execute a stop signal for the driving motor. Whereas the toothed belt that is engaged to drive the doffer roller in the driving arrangement breaks even before the signal gets executed. This damage is caused due to expose of heavy loading with sudden impact to the toothed belt. The prior art solution do not operate well for preventing damage of driving parts during lapping conditions of redirecting roller and crush roller.

This invention is accordingly based on the problems of providing an improved driving arrangement which avoids the mentioned disadvantages.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The principle object of the invention is to provide an improved driving arrangement for the doffer roller of a textile carding machine.

The object of the invention is to provide an torque limiter which disengages drive between the doffer roller and driving motor when torque to the drive elements exceeds a predetermined value.

Still another object of the invention is to avoid damage for the drive elements in the driving arrangement of a textile carding machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine, comprises a doffer roller, said doffer roller doffs the fibre web from the carding cylinder. A redirecting roller cooperating with the doffer roller for stripping the fibre web and for directing the same through a pair of crush rolls before it is finally accumulated into a fibre strand form. Said doffer roller, redirecting roller and the crush rollers are being drivingly interconnected to each other by means of drive elements, preferably without slip in the drive. A driving motor provided to drive the rollers through drive elements, means arranged to disengage the drive between said driving motor and said drive elements. The means used to disengage the drive between said driving motor and said drive elements is a torque limiter. The torque limiter is coupled between driving motor and the doffer roller which can give way typically when the lapping occurs or drive elements jam such that any damage to the drive elements is excluded. Said torque limiter is capable of disengaging the drive between the doffer roller and driving motor when torque to the drive elements exceeds a predetermined value. Advantageously amount of torque required to disengage the drive can be set to the torque limiter by means of adjusting lock nuts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective cross sectional view of a torque limiter in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the driving arrangement of figure 1 shows a driving motor(1) of textile carding machine and the drive elements for driving the doffer roller(2), redirecting roller(3) and the crush rollers(4,5). A belt drive gear(6) mounted on to the shaft of the driving motor(1) is drivingly coupled through a toothed belt(8) with another belt drive gear(9) affixed to a shaft(7) contained in a housing(10). The toothed belt(8) is tensioned by means of tension pulley(11) as shown in the figure 1. According to the invention, a torque limiter(12) is coupled to the other end of the shaft(7). Said torque limiter(12) is connected through a toothed belt(13) to drive the further belt drive gears(14,15) which are coupled with doffer roller shaft(16) and the redirecting roller shaft(17). Said belt drive gears(14,15) serve for driving the doffer roller(2) and redirecting roller(3) respectively. The redirecting roller shaft(17) further carries a belt drive gear(18). The belt drive gear(18) drives the another pair of belt drive gears(19,20) by means of the toothed belt(21), the said belt drive gears(19,20) are in turn connected with the crush rollers(4,5). The brush roller(22) is driven by a separate motor(23).

Referring now to the figure 2 shows a perspective cross sectional view of a torque limiter(12) coupled to the shaft(7). The Torque limiter (12) is provided between the driving motor (1) and the doffer roller (2). Desired torque value can be set by adjusting a lock nut (24) provided in the Torque !imiter(12). Whenever the torque limit exceeds the preset value, the drive to the toothed belt (13) is disengaged due to the slip arrangement in the Torque limiter(12). Hence damage to the toothed belt (13) and drive elements are avoided. There by this invention leads to increased machine reliability, reduced parts replacement and break down time.

In view of the present disclosure which describes the present invention, all changes, modifications and variations within the meaning and range of equivalency are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention.

We Claim

1. An improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine, comprises a doffer roller(2), a redirecting roller (3) cooperating with the doffer roller(2), a pair of crush rollers(4,5), Said doffer roller(2), redirecting roller(3) and the crush rollers(4,5) are drivingly interconnected to each other by means of drive elements, a driving motor(1) to drive the said rollers through drive elements, characterized in that means arranged to disengage the drive between said driving motor(1) and said drive elements.

2. An improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means is Torque limiter.

3. An improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the torque limiter(12) disengages the drive between the driving motor(1) and doffer roller(2) when torque to the drive elements exceeds a predetermined value.

4. An improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein desired torque value to Torque limiter (12) can be set by means of adjusting lock nut(24).

5. An improved drive arrangement for textile carding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said doffer roller(2), redirecting roller(3) and the crush rollers(4,5) are being drivingly interconnected to each other by means of toothed belt (13).