TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter describee herein, in general, relates to a combing machine used in yarn spinning and in particular, relates to a combing assembly for a comber half lap.

BACKGROUND
In textile industries, the process of yarn spinning involves a combing operation for production of fine quality yam. The combing operation involves removing shorter fibers from a fiber assembly called lap. Only longer fibers, i.e. fibers above a pre-specified length, are processed ftirther. The efficiency of the combing operation dictates qualities such as evenness, strength, cleanliness, etc. of the yarn. Moreover, quality of the yam depends on the fiber strength, length, fineness, trash content, etc. A combing machine has to deal with fibers with different qualities and ensure fine quality for different types of fibers.

Typically, a combing machine includes several components such as feed roller, nipper, comber, etc. The combing operation begins with a feed roller feeding the lap to a nipper that grips the lap. A circular comber then combs the gripped lap. Thereafter, the combed lap is detached from the roller and moved forward. While detaching the lap from the roller, a top comb comes into action to further clean the lap. Towards the end of this process, the nipper opens and receives a new bit of lap and thus the lap is continuously retained in the combing machine.

The combing operation at different lap thickness is variable. A thick lap adds greater load on the comber and can lead to instability in the combing operation. For combing thick lap and for allowing fast movement of lap, the load on the comb has to be reduced to ensure productivity and quality of the yam.

Moreover, sometimes density of combing elements in the comber needs to be reduced to attain higher combing speeds. Also, the density of the combing elements needs to be varied when the lap has high trash content and the trash is required to be removed at higher speeds. Furthermore, thick laps require more hardened combing elements and therefore, it is preferable that a comber has easily removable or replaceable combing elements.

Conventionally, round needles are used for the combing operation. The round needles form the combing elements in the bomber. The use of round needles in the combing operation limits the combing speed to 100 to 110 combing actions per minute. To increase the combing Speed, the round needles are replaced by a steel saw-tooth arrangement. The steel saw-tooth arrangement enhances the combing speed upto 350 combing actions per minute. However, at such a high speed, the fiber is susceptible to damages. In the subsequent development of combing elements, the spacing between the steel saw-tooth is varied. As the comber advances, the space between adjacent teeth is minimized in comparison to the space between the teeth at a first engagement section. These modifications further enable higher speeds.

Typically, a comber half lap comprises a circular comb and a cylindrical support body. Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary corriber half lap 100 depicting a circular comb 102 and a cylindrical support body 104. Combing elements of the circular comb 102 are in the form of combing strips 106, which embrace a cylindrical base body 108. A multiplicity of the combing strips 106 are juxtaposed on the cylindrical base body 108. The combing strips 106 are placed adjacent to each other along the length of the cylindrical base body 108. The combing strips 106 are attached at the cylindrical base body 108 by means of an adhesive. The circular comb 102 is fixed to the cylindrical support body 104 with the help of screws.

In case of a minor damage to the teeth of the combing strips 106, the whole comber half lap 100 needs to be replaced due to the rigid nature of the comber half lap 100. In addition, utility of the above mentioned comber half lap 100 cannot be varied depending upon the quality of the fiber or the speed of operation since the comber half lap 100 is a fixed arrangement.

Moreover, all the combing strips 106 have only one type of hardness value. Therefore, the I combing strips 106 may not be suitable for combing different varieties of fibers. Such comber half laps are rigid, thus the size and structure of the combing strips, the number of comber strips as well as; the configuration and design of the saw tooth elements are fixed and cannot be adjusted according to the quality and quantity of fiber.

SUMMARY
The subject matter described herein discloses a comber half lap for a combing machine. The comber half lap includes one or more comber strip assemblies mounted on a base segment. Each comber strip assembly includes a longitudinal strip accommodating one or more combing elements. The combing elements, have a dovetail that engages within a guide-way in the longitudinal strip. The edges of the ^longitudinal strip are crimped to restrict lateral movement of the combing elements. Each combing element can have a different hardness value and can be removed and replaced from the comber half lap as per the requirement. Locking plates are fastened at both the ends of the base segment to prevent undue sliding of the combing elements. The locking plates can be loosened for detaching the comber strip assembly from the base
segment.These and other features, 'aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This Siimmary is not intended to identify key features'or essential features of the'claimed subject matter, noritjs intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become better understood vvith regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.where:

Fig. 1 illustrates a sectional view of a.typical comber half lap with a cylindrical support body.

Fig.2 illustra:tes a sectional view of an exemplary comber half lap with comber strip assemblies.

Fig. 3 illustrates a front view an exemplary longitudinal strip of the comber half lap.

Fig. 4 illustrates a magnified vievv an exemplary combing element of the comber half lap.

Fig. 5 illustrates a front view of an exemplary locking plate of the comber half lap.

Fig. 6 illustrates a top view of the locking plate.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary comber strip assembly.

Fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the comber half lap.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exploded view of the comber half lap.

DESCRIPTION
A comber half lap of a combing machine has been illustrated in the above mentioned figures. The figures depict various exemplary elements and views of the comber half lap for the purpose of description. Actual assembly of the comber half lap can have additional elements or components not shown in the figures.

The present comber half lap includes a base segment mounting one or more comber strip assemblies. Each comber strip asserhbly includes a longitudinal strip accommodating a plurality of combing elements such as saw-tooth wire elements. The comber strip assemblies are attached longitudinally along the circumference of the base segment with the help of fasteners. The longitudinal strip has crimped edges that allow dovetailed combing elements to slide into a guide-way in the longitudinal strip. Both ends of the. base segment are provided with locking plates to restrict undue sliding of the combing elements.

Although the present subject matter has been described with reference to certain embodiments as described hereinafter, the subject matter is not limited to the embodiments. Various other embodiments of the subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art or will follow from routine experimentation.

Exemplary Views

Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view of an exemplary comber half lap 200. In an embodiment, the comber half lap 200 includes one or more comber strip assemblies 202 mounted on a base segment 204 of the comber half lap 200. The comber strip assemblies 202 are arranged along the circumference of the base segment 204 and are fastened to the base segment 204 by means of fasteners 206. In ah implementation, four different comber strip assemblies 202 can be mounted on the base segment 204 to form the comber half lap 200. The embodiment described 1 above can have many variations, each of which would be obvious to a person skilled in the art. The comber half lap 200 can have more or less than four comber strip assemblies 202. The comber strip assemblies 202 can be arranged on the basis of known engineering concepts and/or routine experimentation. The fasteners 206 for instance, and by no Way of limitation, can be screws, bolts, etc.

Each comber strip assembly 202 includes a longitudinal strip 208 and one or more combing elements 210 accommodated in the longitudinal strip 208. In one implementation, the combing elements 210 can be saWrtooth wire elements made of steel or aluminium. The configuration, of the comber strip assembly 202 can be changed by changing the gonfiguration and design of the combing elements 210. The combing elements 210 are slid into the longitudinal strip 208 and are stacked in series one after the other. In one embodiment, the edges of the longitudinal strips 208 are crimped to restrict movement of the combing elements 210.
The thickness and hardness .values of the combing elements 210 can be decided on the basis of known engineering concepts and/or routine experimentation as obvious to a person skilled in the art. The thickness of the longitudinal strips 208 dictates the density of the combing elements and the hardness of combing elements 210 dictate the harshness with which fibres can be processed..

Fig. 3 illustrates a front view of the longitudinal strip 208 of the comber strip assembly 202. In an implementation, the longitudinal strip 208 can be made of aluminium. The longitudinal strip 208 is attached to the base segment 204 with the help of the fasteners 206 as described earlier with reference to fig* 2. In case of any fault in the longitudinal strip 208, the fasteners 206 can be loosened to remove and replace the faulty longitudinal strip. The longitudinal strip 208 includes a guide-way 300 for accommodating the combing elements 210. The combing elements 210 can be stacked in the guide-way 300 of the longitudinal strip 208 on the basis of knovm engineering concepts and/or routine experimentation.

Fig. 4 illustrates a magnified view of an exemplary combing element 210. In an implementation, the combing element 210 can be saw-tooth wire elements made of steel, aluminium, etc. The hardness value of the combing element 210 also depends on the type of material of which the combing elernent 210 is made. For instance, for combing harsh fibres, the combing element 210 can be madelof hard steel. The combing element 210 includes a dovetail 400 which slides into the guide-way 300 of the longitudinal strip 208, as described earlier with reference to fig. 3. The dovetail 400 of the combing element 210 engages within the guide-way 300 of the longitudinal strip 208 without much effort and any expertise.

Fig. 5 illustrates a front view of an exemplary locking plate 500 for the comber half lap 200. In an embodiment, the comber strip assemblies 202 arranged on the base segment 204 of the comber half lap 200 are locked at both the ends of the base segment 204. The locking plate 500 can be used to lock the ends of the comber strip assemblies 202 restricting undue sliding of the combing elements 210. The locking plates 500 have the same profile as that of the end sections of the base segment 204 and can be made of the same material as that of the base segment 204. Locking holes 502 are provided in each of the locking plate 500 to facilitate locking of the locking plate 500 at the base segment 204. The stack of longitudinal strips 208 can be loosened by loosening the locking plate 500 and an individual longitudinal strip 208 can be removed for inspection and replacement, if necessary. This type of arrangement enables the.replacement of each combing element 210 without the help of a skilled mechanic and at ease.

Fig. 6 illustrates a top view of the locking plate 500. The top view of the locking plate 500 shows the location of the locking holes 502.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the comber strip assembly 202. Fig. 7 depicts the arrangement of the combing elements 210 in the longitudinal strip 208 of the comber strip assembly 202. A plurality of combing elements 210 is stacked in series by sliding the combing elements 210 one after the other within the guide-way 300 of the longitudinal strip 208. Each combing element 210 can be replaced depending upon the requirement. Also, each combing element 210 can have a different hardness value. In one implementation, the front combing elements can have low density and higher hardness value, while the subsequent combing elements can have higher 'density and lower hardness value, so that fiber damage like end breaks can be minimized during the combing operation. In another implementation, for thicker lap, the combing elements 210 on the longitudinal strips 208 can have longer length to have better penetration leading to increase the production. The replacement of the combing elements 210 is possible as per requirements such as fiber type, staple length and diameter, fineness of the fiber, speed of operation, etc, thereby creating optimal combing conditions for the processing of fibers depending upon the requirements.

Fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the comber half lap 200. The assembly of the plurality of comber strip assembles; 202 at the base segment 204 of the comber half lap 200 is depicted in the figure.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exploded view of the comber half lap 200. As shown herein, the comber half lap 200 comprises a base segment 204, onto which the longitudinal strips 208 are fastened by means of fasteners 206.^ The combing elements 210 are stacked into the guide-ways 300 of the longitudinal strips 208 as described earlier with reference to fig. 7. The locking plates 500 at both ends of the comber half lap 200 prevent undue sliding of the combing elements 210. The assembly of combing strips results in a combing facility for combing the laps made up of fibers-of variable strength/length, sfiffness, fineness, etc. Also depending upon the required combing speed, number Of combing elements 210 can be varied and thus damage occurring to the fiber by high speeds can be minimized. The changes in the construction of the combing elements 210 can be made for optimal removal of trash. In case of accidental mechanical damage to the combing elements 210, the damaged combing element(s) can be removed and replaced. Thus, one can have a comber assembly as per specifications and requirements of an end user. The end user has the freedom to try optimal settings for a fiber and get better resuhs. For fibers with higher abrasion resistance, more hardened combing elements 210 can be easily substituted. The combing elements 210 can have different geometries and properties. The mounting arrangement of combing elements 210 enables the replacement of individual combing elements 210 when a new comber assembly is substituted for processing. The replacement can be made down to the level of one longitudinal strip 208 at a time and this reduces machine dovm time. The previously described versions of the subject matter and its equivalent thereof have many advantages, including those that are described below he comber half lap has flexibility to be used for different types of fibers, and thus If produce quality yarns. The combing density of the comber half lap can be varied at different combing speeds. Moreover, the combing elements can have different hardness values to deal with different types of fibers. Furthermore, in case of breakage of any element, the element can be easily removed from the comber:half lap and replaced with a new one.
Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein.

CLAIMS
We claim: '
1. A comber half lap for a combing machine, said comber half lap comprising: a base segment mounting one or more comber strip assemblies, each comber strip assembly having a longitudinal strip including a guide-way for accommodating one or more combing elements; wherein said combing elements are aligned parallel to each other and are slidable in said guide-way.

2. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base segment is cylindrical.

3. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said comber strip assemblies are placed in series along the circumference of said base segment.

4. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal strips are detachable.

5. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal strips are fastened to said base segment using fasteners.

6. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said combing elements are saw-tooth wire elements.

7. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edges of said longitudinal strips are crimped to restrict lateral movement of said combing elements.

8. The comber half Jap as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said combing elements has a
different hardness value.

9. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said combing elements
comprises a dovetail that slides in said guide-way.

10. The comber half lap as claimed in claim 1, wherein locking plates are fastened at both the
ends of said base segment to restrict sliding of said combing elements.