FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an opening arrangement provided in a textile spinning preparatory machine. More particularly this invention relates to an improved opening roller arrangement provided in a textile blow room machine in order to open the textile fibres effectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In textile cotton harvesting, the cotton seed together with the fibres, is processed in the ginning plant where it is broken up into trash and seed fragments. The ginned cotton is always contaminated with trash and dust particles so that an intensive cleaning is required and fibres are to be opened. Such opening and cleaning operations are performed in the textile spinning preparatory machines. Artificial fibres such as polyester also require opening process in spinning preparatory machines.

In textile spinning preparatory machines, blow room forms the primary set of machines where the fibre material either in the form of compressed bales or in the form of fibre tufts is opened and cleaned from impurities. The blow room machines include bale openers, bale pluckers, fine and coarse cleaners, mixers and fibre tuft feeders or, more generally, all textile processing machines of the blow room which are provided upstream of the carding machines. The bale plucking machine is used to pluck out the fibres from compressed bales and to pass the fibre tufts to mixer by means of suction. To perform the said plucking operation, the plucking rollers, also called as opening rollers are used which is known in the art. Then the fibre tufts are passed to cleaning machines.

In fibre cleaning process, the fibres are passed through coarse cleaning machines where large seeds, leaves, etc mixed with the fibres are cleaned. In fine cleaning machines, thin trash particles like broken seed and other small impurities are cleaned to a higher extent. All the opening and cleaning operations are performed by the opening and cleaning rollers, also called as beaters. The basic purpose of blow room is to disintegrate and open the fibre tufts, clean the fibre tufts and supply the fibres for further processing in carding machine. The said opening and cleaning rollers are hollow in construction and cylindrical or polygonal in shape with opening elements fixed over the entire periphery of the rollers at pre-determined intervals. The polygonal rollers are mounted over a shaft which is provided in the middle of said rollers by suitable stiffening arrangement.

Normally detachable teeth strip plates as patented in Indian Patent no. 200252 are fixed over the opening or plucking rollers by means of fasteners or by means of welding. The opening elements in the form of hooks, plucking teeth, pins, needles, are fixed over the surface of the plates by means of fasteners or welding. The opening elements are made up of hard metal such as steel. The main problem in such type of arrangement lies in the fact that pitch between opening elements and/or the configuration of opening elements has to be changed at considerable intervals for coarse cleaning and fine cleaning based on the trash level in the raw material. For coarse opening and cleaning process, the opening element density has to be less since the flock size would be considerably larger. For such type of opening, plucking teeth and hook type teeth only are to be used and pitch should be higher. On the contrary, for fine cleaning, pitch should be very low in between the opening elements and needle type teeth are mostly preferred. If the textile fibre is contaminated heavily, it is required to process the fibres in all cleaning machines which consumes more time. When the textile fibre is contaminated with lesser trash particles, it is not necessary for further processing in all cleaning machines. It is adequate to process the fibres in lesser opening and cleaning machines, but with different type of opening elements such as hooks, plucking teeth, needles, pins, in each of the opening and cleaning machines, which is disadvantageous and consumes more time. Nowadays, different sets of opening rollers are used for coarse and fine cleaning which is very expensive and disadvantageous.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved fibre opening roller arrangement in textile blow room machines.

It is another object of the invention to provide common roller arrangement for both coarse and fine opening in textile blow room machines.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide various types of opening elements in a single opening roller of textile blow room machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages mentioned in the background by providing the opening elements on both outer and inner sides of the periphery of opening roller arrangement. A single opening roller is used for both coarse and fine opening by providing easy replacement mechanism. The opening elements such as hooks, plucking teeth, pins, needles are fixed on both outer and inner sides of the strip plates. Then the strip plates are fixed over the opening roller which is mounted over a shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 depicts isometric view of an opening roller arrangement of a textile blow room machine without strip plates.

Figure 2a & 2b depicts side view of two different types of opening roller arrangement of a textile blow room machine according to the prior art.

Figure 3 depicts isometric view of an opening roller arrangement of a textile blow room machine with opening elements fixed on strip plates according to Figure 2a.

Figure 4a, 4b & 4c depicts side, front & isometric views respectively of the opening elements fixed on strip plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5a & 5b depicts side & front views respectively of the opening elements fixed on strip plate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6a & 6b depicts side & front views respectively of the opening elements fixed on strip plate according to one more embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7a & 7b depicts side & front views respectively of the opening elements fixed on strip plate according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 depicts isometric view of an opening roller arrangement of a textile
blow room machine with opening elements fixed on the strip plates according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig.1 shows a polygonal opening roller (1) without strip plates for use In bale plucking machines. Usually the opening elements such as needles, hooks, plucking teeth, pins are fixed over the strip plates using fasteners or welding. Then the strip plates are fixed over the opening rollers in the plate fixing area (2) by means of fasteners in the holes (3) provided over said plate fixing area (2). Referring to fig.2a, which shows the side view of the opening roller used in existing bale plucking machines, strip plate (5) along with the plucking teeth (4) already fixed over said plate (5) is fixed to the opening roller by means of fasteners (6). The opening roller is mounted on the shaft (7) which is provided in the middle of said roller using suitable stiffening means. Fig.2b represents similar setup for needle type (8) opening element instead of teeth type (4) opening element. The isometric view of fig.2a is represented in fig.3. The opening elements (4) are fixed along the entire periphery of strip plates (5). The said strip plates (5) are fixed with the opening roller (1) at the ends using fastening means (6) as shown in fig.3.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, different types of opening elements are fixed on both sides of the strip plate (5) as shown in fig.8. As shown, plucking teeth type (4) opening elements are fixed on the outer side of strip plate (5) whereas needle type (10) opening elements are fixed over the Inner side of strip plate (5). The strip plate assembly is fixed to the opening roller by fastening means (6). The pitch between the opening elements can be maintained same or different throughout the surface of opening roller. This is advantageous since same opening roller can be used
for both coarse cleaning setting and for fine cleaning setting. It is just enough to dismantle the strip plates and reverse them upside down based on the required setting. Various combinations out of plucking teeth, hooks, pins or needles can be fixed to the strip plates on both sides. Then the strip plates are fastened to the opening roller which is hollow. The opening roller is provided with machined ends such that it mates with the surface of strip plates properly.

Fig.4a, 4b & 4c illustrate one such embodiment of the present invention suitable for coarse opening and cleaning rollers in textile blow room machines. The opening element used in this arrangement is plucking teeth type (4). The teeth elements (4) are fixed over the strip plate (5) throughout the surface on both top and bottom sides i.e. outer and inner sides. For example, the pitch is maintained as X in top surface and X1 in bottom surface as shown in fig.4b. The pitch value X on top surface is smaller than that of bottom surface x1 so that top surface will open the fibres to a larger extent compared to bottom surface.

Fig.5a & 5b illustrate another embodiment suitable for coarse opening and cleaning rollers. In this embodiment, the plucking teeth (4) type opening elements are used in top surface whereas hook type (9) opening elements are used in bottom surface. This arrangement can be interchanged upside down. In this arrangement, for example, pitch value Y on top surface is larger than that of bottom surface Y1 as shown in fig.5b. The opening elements used for top & bottom surfaces in this case are different from one another. Likewise, all possible combinations of opening elements for top and bottom surfaces of strip plates can be used, i.e. teeth-teeth, hook-hook, teeth-hook, hook-teeth.

Fig.6a & 6b illustrate an embodiment of the present invention suitable for fine opening and cleaning rollers in textile blow room machines. In this arrangement, plucking teeth type (4) opening element is used on top surface of strip plate (5) and Needle type (10) opening element is used in bottom surface. This arrangement can be interchanged upside down. The opening elements are fixed over the strip plate (5) throughout the surface on both top and bottom sides at predetermined pitch intervals. For example, the pitch is maintained as Z in top surface and Z1 in bottom surface as shown in fig.6b. The pitch value is very small in this type since fine cleaning has to be done. The density of opening elements is maintained at a higher level.

Fig.7a & 7b illustrate another embodiment suitable for fine opening & cleaning rollers in textile blow room machines. In this embodiment, Needle type (10) opening elements are fixed on both the sides of the strip plate (5). For example, the pitch is maintained as T on one surface and T1 on another surface. Various possible pitch values can be used based on the fine cleaning requirement of fibres.

In still further advantageous embodiment as shown in fig.8, coarse opening elements, i.e. plucking teeth (4) are fixed on one surface of strip plate and fine opening elements, i.e. needles (10) are fixed on another surface of strip plate. This type of opening roller can be used for both coarse and fine opening machines. The strip plates can be reversed upside down for switching from coarse to fine cleaning. All possible combinations of opening elements can be used for top and bottom surfaces of strip plates which are within the scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus for use in a textile spinning preparatory machine comprising an opening roller (1) for opening and cleaning of fibres wherein opening elements are provided on both outer and inner periphery of said opening roller (1).

2. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening elements are plucking teeth type (4).

3. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening elements are hook type (9).

4. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening elements are pin type (10).

5. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening elements are fixed over the outer and inner sides of strip plates (5).

6. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein coarse opening elements are fixed on one surface of strip plate (5) and fine opening elements are fixed on another surface of strip plate (5).

7. An improved fibre opening and cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said strip plates (5) are fixed over the opening roller (1) by fastening means (6).