AN IMPROVED GRID ASSEMBLY FOR FIBER OPENING AND
CLEANING MACHINE

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a textile fiber-cleaning machine, and more particularly to grid assembly for removing short fibers or husk particles present in the textile fiber. Prior Art
In textile blow room line, the fiber tufts after being separated from the bales, are fed through the lattice or ducts to the fiber opening and cleaning machines and fed in between a pair of feed rollers. The pair of feed rollers rotates in opposite directions such that the fiber tufts pass through the space between them. Subsequently, the fiber material is fed over an opener or beater. The beater has pins/spikes fixed over the entire circumference. The beater rotates in the direction such that the fiber tuft is opened by the pins/spikes. A grid assembly is provided underneath the beater. The grid assembly has grid bars arranged In an array at predetermined distance. The grid bars extend over the entire longitudinal section of the beater. There is a predetermined gap between grid bar and beater for the fiber material to pass through. The fibers opened by the beater may contain dust particles, which fall down in between the gaps of grid bars into a waste chamber. The opened fiber material passes through a sheet to a suction duct. Then the fiber passes through the duct means for feeding to the downstream machine for further processing - cleaner, contamination detector, card, etc.

It is known that the grid assembly Is mounted along with the opening and beating arrangement in the fiber cleaning machines for effective removal of waste particles such as husk. In the existing grid arrangement, the grids are positioned underneath the opening roller with their adjoining vertical sides within which the knife portion is formed being arranged at an inclination in the vertical plane with respect to the ground as shown in figure 3. The values of angle B is in between 10 and 70 degrees. The
and arrangement starts very much above from the horizontal level of the center of opening roller as shown In figure 3. During the process of opening of the material by the opening roller, the waste particles such as husk, dust are liberated through the adjoining gaps between the grid bars due to the rotation and beating action of the opening roller. In the known grid assembly part of the waste particles such as husk, dust, etc. get deposited over the adjoining vertical sides of the grids. As a result, waste removal efficiency of the fiber-cleaning machine is affected. Further, frequent cleaning of the grid assembly for the effective operation of the machine reduces the output.

Therefore, there exists a need for an apparatus, which can overcome the above-mentioned problem in a grid assembly of a fiber-cleaning machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a grid assembly which minimizes the accumulation of the waste particles over the grid. Another object of the present invention is to provide a grid assembly which is provided with means for the easy removal of the waste particles without accumulation over the grid bars.

Accordingly, the invention provides an apparatus for cleaning textile fibers including a rotatable opening roller having a plurality of opening elements for example in the form of teeth such as pins/spikes fixed over its cylindrical curved surface; a feed device having a plurality of feed rollers for feeding the fiber to the opening roller; a grid assembly comprising a plurality of frames including a plurality of grid bars enabling removal of undesirable particulates from the fiber, each grid bar having a bottom portion, two vertical portions and an inclined top portion, wherein the vertical portions of each grid bar are substantially perpendicular to the floor. A motor may be coupled to the opening roller to provide power. Therefore, the present invention increases the efficiency and output of the fiber-cleaning machine by reducing the accumulation of waste particles over the grid bars by arranging the grid bars in an advantageous position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present
invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the
invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to various
embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It
is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical
embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered
limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective
embodiments.

Fig 1 illustrates a textile fiber-cleaning machine. In accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 2 illustrates a grid bar in side view, in accordance with an er-bodiment
of the invention.

Fig 3 illustrates a grid assembly known in the art.

Fig 4 illustrates a grid arrangement, in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention.

Fig 5 illustrates an isometric view of the grid arrangement, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 6 illustrates a mechanism to adjust the grid assembly in the textile
fiber-cleaning machine, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.

Fig 7 shows an exemplary grid arrangement, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus, which alters the position and the angle of incidence of grids from the opening roller in a fiber-cleaning machine to improve the waste removal efficiency and minimize good fiber wastage.

Fig 1 illustrates a fiber-cleaning machine 1, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Fiber-cleaning machine 1 includes a feed
device, formed by two feed rollers 3 and 3a, an opening roller 5, and a
plurality of opening elements 6. Feed device (3 and 3a) serves to feed
fiber material to opening roller 5. The opening element 6 is formed of
suitable teeth such as pins/spikes fixed over the cylindrical curved surface
of opening roller 5. Opening roller 5 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis
in the direction indicated by an arrow 12. Figure 1 also shows a waste
chamber 14.

Grid assembly 2 shown in figure 5 comprises a plurality of grid bars 7 and
at least two frames 8. Grid bars T to 7 extend in the direction of the
longitudinal axis of opening roller 5 over the complete length of such opening roller 5. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, grid bars T to 7'""" are connected to the frame and are separated by a predetermined grid space.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, figure 2 illustrates the structure of grid bar 7. Grid bar 7 includes a horizontal bottom portion 7a, two vertical portions 7b, 7c and an inclined top portion 7d on which the knife-edge 7e is formed. The angle A between the inclined top portion 7d and the vertical portion 7c is in between 30 and 65 degrees. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, grid bars 7', 7", 7'", 7"", 7''''''',7'''''''' and 7'''''''''' are fixed on frames 8 such that the said vertical portions 7b, 7c are arranged substantially vertical to the floor of the machine as shown in figure 4 and figure 7. The order of the values for the angle C between the vertical portions 7b, 7c of the grid bars and the vertical axis as shown in figure 7 is in between zero and thirty degrees.

It can be observed from figure 7, the grid bars 7', 7", T'''''7"", 7''''''', 7''''''''and have vertical portions 7b, 7c substantially perpendicular to the floor.

The inclined surface 7d as shown in figure 2 is tangential to the inner circumference of frame 8.

This arrangement facilitates easy removal of the waste particles without getting accumulated on the vertical portions 7b, 7c of the grid bars by advantageously using the gravitational force.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the radial adjustment of the grid assembly 2 can be achieved by using a combination of a linear actuator 15 and an eccentric stud 16 as shown in figure 6. The adjustability of frame 8 allows grid bars 7 to be retained at an optimum angle of incidence with respect to opening roller 5 to extract maximum quantity of waste particles into the waste chamber 14. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, to enable vertical orientation of grid bars 7, the construction of fiber-cleaning machine 1 is modified. It may be appreciated with referring to figure 1 and figure 4, each grid bar 7 is located below horizontal level of the centre of opening roller 5, whereas in figure 3 (prior art), the grid assembly 2 starts substantially above from the horizontal level of the center of the opening roller.

In the operation of fiber-cleaning machine, the fiber material to be cleaned is fed by means of feed rollers 3, 3a to the opening element 6 of the opening roller 5, and thus, is taken up by the teeth thereof during such time as opening roller 5 is rotated. During this process, the fiber material hits the knife edges 7e (refer fig. 2) of grid bars T to 7'""" and the waste particles present in the fiber material, for example, seeds, dust particles and the like, are propelled into the waste chamber 14 through the openings present in between the grid bars 7', 7", 7'", 7"", 7''''''', 7""" and 7"''''due to the centrifugal force generated by the opening rollei 5 and the gravitational force. The cleaned fiber material passes through a separating sheet 9 and is sucked through a suction duct 13 for the further processing. While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

We Claim:

1. An apparatus for cleaning textile fiber comprising:

a. an opening roller 5 rotatable about a longitudinal axis, the
opening roller 5 having a cylindrical curved surface
supporting a plurality of opening elements 6;

b. a feed device for feeding the textile fiber to the opening roller
5, the feed device having a plurality of feed rollers 3, 3a;

a grid assembly 2 comprising a plurality of frames, each frame 8 supporting a plurality of grid bar 7 enabling removal of undesirable particulates from the textile fiber by the opening elements 6 of the opening roller 5, each grid bar 7 having a bottom portion 7a, two vertical portions "'b, 7c and an inclined top portion 7d, wherein the vertical portions 7b, 7c of each grid bar 7 are substantially perpendicular to the floor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each grid bar 7 is located below horizontal level of the centre of the opening roller 5.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each grid bar 7 extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the opening roller 5

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a combination of a linear actuator 15 and an eccentric stud 16 for enabling the radial adjustment of the grid assembly 2.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each pair of grid bar 7 is separated by a predetermined grid space.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a knife-edge portion 7e is formed on the inclined top portion 7d of the grid bar 7.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle C between the vertical portions 7b, 7c of each grid bar 7 and the vertical axis is between zero and thirty degrees.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle A between the inclined top portion 7d and the vertical portion 7c of the grid bar 7 is between 30 and 65 degrees.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a waste chamber 14 is provided underneath the frame 8.