Shaftless detaching roller

Abstract

The present invention concerns a shaftless detaching roller (100) for a combing machine (4) comprising a hollow cylinder (110), a rubber layer (120) disposed on the outer surface of said hollow cylinder (110), and coupling elements (130) configured to be inserted in said hollow cylinder (110).

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a detaching roller. More particularly, the present invention is dedicated, but not exclusively, to a shaftless detaching roller.Technological background

[0002] The present invention relates to a detaching roller, wherein fibres in a form of a thin matt, also called lap, are selected, drawn, and combed such as to transform an extended fibre tufts to a new lap which constitutes a product of greater value, with a high proportion of parallel fibres and less short fibres, which are separated during the treatment. The laps produced by means of combing procedure are therefore made of cleaner, more regular and more resistant combed fibres. The laps treated by the combing heads of a combing machine are then united to form a web or a belt of combed fibres.

[0003] Nowadays the combing operations may achieve a rhythm of 550-600 strokes per minute. The stress for the moving parts, which are subjected to repeated "stop and go" or "back and forth", constitutes one of the critical aspects of the combing machines, since the acceleration and deceleration may stress the detaching roller and may affect the quality of the combed fibres.

[0004] In particular, detaching rolls are arranged in couples, each couple being composed of a first roll in metallic material, with scored surface, whose motion is driven by control means, and by a second roll in an elastic material, preferably of hard rubber, with smooth surface, led in rotation by said metallic roll, with respect to which it is in contact with pressure. In particular, said two rolls will be identified in the following description as the motorised detaching roll and idle detaching roll, respectively.

[0005] To simplify the combing machine, the idle detaching rolls of the combing heads are firmly pressed against the motorised detaching rolls and are driven by the motion of the motorised detaching rolls. One drawback of this device is the multiplication of the inertial load which this single driving body must counter both in regular operation and in the starting and stopping steps of the detaching rolls.

[0006] The invention therefore involves the reduction of the mass inertia moment of the idle detaching rolls, in order to improve the quality and rhythm.Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to achieve this objective, the present invention may provide, according to an aspect of the invention, a shaftless detaching roller, preferably an idle shaftless detaching roller for a combing machine comprising a: Hollow cylinder: said hollow cylinder comprising a center, an inner radius, a first volume comprised between said center and said inner radius, an outer radius, and second volume comprised between said outer radius and said inner radius and surrounding said first volume; said first volume comprising two female coupling organs at each extremity of said hollow cylinder and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs; Rubber layer: said rubber layer being disposed on said second surface; and, Male coupling elements: said male coupling elements being configured to be inserted in said two female coupling organs such as to drive said shaftless detaching roller.

[0008] Thus, this arrangement allows the moment of inertia of said shaftless detaching roll is greater than the moment of inertia of an usual idle detaching roll.

[0009] According to an embodiment, said hollow cylinder is made of light metal, light metallic alloys and / or composite materials.

[0010] Thus, this arrangement allows said hollow cylinder lightening its mass and, consequently, may diminish its inertia.Brief description of the drawings

[0011] The foregoing and other purposes, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments, given by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference refer to similar elements or to elements having similar functions, and in which: Figure 1 a side view of a shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in a combing machine; and, Figures 2 & 3 shows a section view of said shaftless detaching roll 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] In the figures and in the remainder of the description, the same references represent identical or similar elements. In addition, the various elements are not represented to scale so as to favor the clarity of the figures. Furthermore, the different embodiments and variants are not mutually exclusive and can be combined with one another.Detailed description

[0013] Figure 1 shows schematically a cross section through a combing station 2 on a combing machine 4. In practice, eight such combing stations 2 are arranged side by side. Each combing station 2 consists of a nipper assembly 10, referred to in short as nipper, which executes a back-and-forth movement of the nipper 10 by means of front swings 12 and rear swings 14. The front swings 12 are mounted on a circular comb shaft 16 and on a front nipper axle 18 of the nipper 10 in a rotationally movable manner. The rear swing 14 which is mounted on a rear nipper axle 20 of the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile is connected to a driven nipper shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner. Cotton wadding 26 is fed to a feed cylinder 24 mounted inside the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile. The wadding 26 is unwound from a lap roll (not shown), which sits on winding rollers (not shown) for the unrolling operation.

[0014] In the position illustrated in Figure 1, the nipper 10 is open, i.e., an upper nipper plate 11 is mounted so that it can be pivoted with respect to a lower nipper plate 13 over a nipper journal 25 and is thus lifted up from the lower nipper plate 13, and the nipper 10 is in the forward position, in which the fiber tuft 28 protruding out of the nipper 10 is attached to a fiber end 30 of a fiber nonwoven 32 that has already been formed and is bonded to it. The fiber nonwoven 32 is held here by a pair 34 of detaching rollers, which execute a rotational movement for the bonding and tearing-off operation and thereby moves the fiber nonwoven 32 and / or its fiber end 30 in the transport direction.

[0015] As mentioned, the pair of motorized detaching rolls 34 alternate clockwise - counterclockwise motion, rotating in one direction or in the other permit to drive said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in one direction then in the other.

[0016] Figure 2 shows in section the shaftless detaching roll 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 comprises a plurality of pieces mounted together, respectively showing the shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in its entirety and in cross-section view. In particular, figure 2 shows in detail said shaftless detaching roller 100. Said shaftless detaching roller 100 is an idle detaching roll and comprises a hollow cylinder 110, a rubber layer 120 and male coupling elements 130. Said hollow cylinder 110 comprises a center 111, an inner radius 112, a first volume 113 comprised between said center 111 and said inner radius 112, an outer radius 117, and second volume 118 comprised between said outer radius 117 and said inner radius 112 and surrounding said first volume 113, and on which said rubber layer 120 is disposed.

[0017] Said first volume 113 comprises two female coupling organs 115 at each extremity of said hollow cylinder 110 and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs 115. Complementary to said female coupling organs 115, there is said male coupling elements 130, which are configured to be inserted into said two female coupling organs 115 such as to permit a rotation of said shaftless idle detaching roller 100 around said male coupling elements 130.

[0018] Compared to a usual idle detaching roll, which has its mass near of the center, said shaftless detaching roll 100, subject matter of the invention, may have its mass remoted from the center 111. For the same angular momentum, the same volume and / or the same weight, the moment of inertia of said shaftless detaching roll 100 should be greater than the moment of inertia of the usual detaching roll, since the mass of said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 is remoted from the center 111: surprisingly, this is not the case in the present invention.

[0019] Indeed, the overall hollow conformation of the detaching roll 100 may allow considerably lightening its mass and, consequently, may diminish its inertia. According to an embodiment, said hollow cylinder 110 may be made of light metal, light metallic alloys and / or composite materials, such as to reduce further its inertia. As it may be construed from the present description, it may be easier to displace the mass of the pair of motorized detaching rolls 34 since the pair of detaching rolls 34 are motorized and this is the motor, which controls the movement of the pair of detaching rolls 34 than said shaftless idle detaching roll 100, since the pair of detaching rolls 34 may be not motorized and may be not controlled as the pair of detaching rolls 34.

[0020] With reference to figures 2 & 3, a shaftless detaching roller 100 is shown in detail. Said shaftless detaching roller 100 is an idle detaching roll 100 comprising a hollow cylinder 110, a rubber layer 120 and male coupling elements 130. Said hollow cylinder 110 comprises a center 111, an inner radius 112, a first volume 113 comprised between said center 111 and said inner radius 112, an outer radius 117, and second volume 118 comprised between said outer radius 117 and said inner radius 112 and surrounding said first volume 113, and on which said rubber layer 120 is disposed.

[0021] Said first volume 113 comprises two female coupling organs 115 at each extremity of said hollow cylinder 110 and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs 115. Complementary to said female coupling organs 115, there is said male coupling elements 130, which are configured to be inserted into said two female coupling organs 115 such as to permit a rotation of said shaftless detaching roller 100 around said male coupling elements 130.

[0022] The present invention was described as illustrative and not limiting according to its preferred embodiments, but it should be understood that variations and / or modifications which may be produced by men skilled in the art without, for this, departing from the related protective scope, as defined by the attached claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0013]Figure 1 shows schematically a cross section through a combing station 2 on a combing machine 4. In practice, eight such combing stations 2 are arranged side by side. Each combing station 2 consists of a nipper assembly 10, referred to in short as nipper, which executes a back-and-forth movement of the nipper 10 by means of front swings 12 and rear swings 14. The front swings 12 are mounted on a circular comb shaft 16 and on a front nipper axle 18 of the nipper 10 in a rotationally movable manner. The rear swing 14 which is mounted on a rear nipper axle 20 of the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile is connected to a driven nipper shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner. Cotton wadding 26 is fed to a feed cylinder 24 mounted inside the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile. The wadding 26 is unwound from a lap roll (not shown), which sits on winding rollers (not shown) for the unrolling operation.

[0014]In the position illustrated in Figure 1, the ni...

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a detaching roller. More particularly, the present invention is dedicated, but not exclusively, to a shaftless detaching roller.Technological background

[0002] The present invention relates to a detaching roller, wherein fibres in a form of a thin matt, also called lap, are selected, drawn, and combed such as to transform an extended fibre tufts to a new lap which constitutes a product of greater value, with a high proportion of parallel fibres and less short fibres, which are separated during the treatment. The laps produced by means of combing procedure are therefore made of cleaner, more regular and more resistant combed fibres. The laps treated by the combing heads of a combing machine are then united to form a web or a belt of combed fibres.

[0003] Nowadays the combing operations may achieve a rhythm of 550-600 strokes per minute. The stress for the moving parts, which are subjected to repeated "stop and go" or "back and forth", constitutes one of the critical aspects of the combing machines, since the acceleration and deceleration may stress the detaching roller and may affect the quality of the combed fibres.

[0004] In particular, detaching rolls are arranged in couples, each couple being composed of a first roll in metallic material, with scored surface, whose motion is driven by control means, and by a second roll in an elastic material, preferably of hard rubber, with smooth surface, led in rotation by said metallic roll, with respect to which it is in contact with pressure. In particular, said two rolls will be identified in the following description as the motorised detaching roll and idle detaching roll, respectively.

[0005] To simplify the combing machine, the idle detaching rolls of the combing heads are firmly pressed against the motorised detaching rolls and are driven by the motion of the motorised detaching rolls. One drawback of this device is the multiplication of the inertial load which this single driving body must counter both in regular operation and in the starting and stopping steps of the detaching rolls.

[0006] The invention therefore involves the reduction of the mass inertia moment of the idle detaching rolls, in order to improve the quality and rhythm.Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to achieve this objective, the present invention may provide, according to an aspect of the invention, a shaftless detaching roller, preferably an idle shaftless detaching roller for a combing machine comprising a: Hollow cylinder: said hollow cylinder comprising a center, an inner radius, a first volume comprised between said center and said inner radius, an outer radius, and second volume comprised between said outer radius and said inner radius and surrounding said first volume; said first volume comprising two female coupling organs at each extremity of said hollow cylinder and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs; Rubber layer: said rubber layer being disposed on said second surface; and, Male coupling elements: said male coupling elements being configured to be inserted in said two female coupling organs such as to drive said shaftless detaching roller.

[0008] Thus, this arrangement allows the moment of inertia of said shaftless detaching roll is greater than the moment of inertia of an usual idle detaching roll.

[0009] According to an embodiment, said hollow cylinder is made of light metal, light metallic alloys and / or composite materials.

[0010] Thus, this arrangement allows said hollow cylinder lightening its mass and, consequently, may diminish its inertia.Brief description of the drawings

[0011] The foregoing and other purposes, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments, given by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference refer to similar elements or to elements having similar functions, and in which: Figure 1 a side view of a shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in a combing machine; and, Figures 2 & 3 shows a section view of said shaftless detaching roll 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] In the figures and in the remainder of the description, the same references represent identical or similar elements. In addition, the various elements are not represented to scale so as to favor the clarity of the figures. Furthermore, the different embodiments and variants are not mutually exclusive and can be combined with one another.Detailed description

[0013] Figure 1 shows schematically a cross section through a combing station 2 on a combing machine 4. In practice, eight such combing stations 2 are arranged side by side. Each combing station 2 consists of a nipper assembly 10, referred to in short as nipper, which executes a back-and-forth movement of the nipper 10 by means of front swings 12 and rear swings 14. The front swings 12 are mounted on a circular comb shaft 16 and on a front nipper axle 18 of the nipper 10 in a rotationally movable manner. The rear swing 14 which is mounted on a rear nipper axle 20 of the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile is connected to a driven nipper shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner. Cotton wadding 26 is fed to a feed cylinder 24 mounted inside the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile. The wadding 26 is unwound from a lap roll (not shown), which sits on winding rollers (not shown) for the unrolling operation.

[0014] In the position illustrated in Figure 1, the nipper 10 is open, i.e., an upper nipper plate 11 is mounted so that it can be pivoted with respect to a lower nipper plate 13 over a nipper journal 25 and is thus lifted up from the lower nipper plate 13, and the nipper 10 is in the forward position, in which the fiber tuft 28 protruding out of the nipper 10 is attached to a fiber end 30 of a fiber nonwoven 32 that has already been formed and is bonded to it. The fiber nonwoven 32 is held here by a pair 34 of detaching rollers, which execute a rotational movement for the bonding and tearing-off operation and thereby moves the fiber nonwoven 32 and / or its fiber end 30 in the transport direction.

[0015] As mentioned, the pair of motorized detaching rolls 34 alternate clockwise - counterclockwise motion, rotating in one direction or in the other permit to drive said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in one direction then in the other.

[0016] Figure 2 shows in section the shaftless detaching roll 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 comprises a plurality of pieces mounted together, respectively showing the shaftless idle detaching roll 100 in its entirety and in cross-section view. In particular, figure 2 shows in detail said shaftless detaching roller 100. Said shaftless detaching roller 100 is an idle detaching roll and comprises a hollow cylinder 110, a rubber layer 120 and male coupling elements 130. Said hollow cylinder 110 comprises a center 111, an inner radius 112, a first volume 113 comprised between said center 111 and said inner radius 112, an outer radius 117, and second volume 118 comprised between said outer radius 117 and said inner radius 112 and surrounding said first volume 113, and on which said rubber layer 120 is disposed.

[0017] Said first volume 113 comprises two female coupling organs 115 at each extremity of said hollow cylinder 110 and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs 115. Complementary to said female coupling organs 115, there is said male coupling elements 130, which are configured to be inserted into said two female coupling organs 115 such as to permit a rotation of said shaftless idle detaching roller 100 around said male coupling elements 130.

[0018] Compared to a usual idle detaching roll, which has its mass near of the center, said shaftless detaching roll 100, subject matter of the invention, may have its mass remoted from the center 111. For the same angular momentum, the same volume and / or the same weight, the moment of inertia of said shaftless detaching roll 100 should be greater than the moment of inertia of the usual detaching roll, since the mass of said shaftless idle detaching roll 100 is remoted from the center 111: surprisingly, this is not the case in the present invention.

[0019] Indeed, the overall hollow conformation of the detaching roll 100 may allow considerably lightening its mass and, consequently, may diminish its inertia. According to an embodiment, said hollow cylinder 110 may be made of light metal, light metallic alloys and / or composite materials, such as to reduce further its inertia. As it may be construed from the present description, it may be easier to displace the mass of the pair of motorized detaching rolls 34 since the pair of detaching rolls 34 are motorized and this is the motor, which controls the movement of the pair of detaching rolls 34 than said shaftless idle detaching roll 100, since the pair of detaching rolls 34 may be not motorized and may be not controlled as the pair of detaching rolls 34.

[0020] With reference to figures 2 & 3, a shaftless detaching roller 100 is shown in detail. Said shaftless detaching roller 100 is an idle detaching roll 100 comprising a hollow cylinder 110, a rubber layer 120 and male coupling elements 130. Said hollow cylinder 110 comprises a center 111, an inner radius 112, a first volume 113 comprised between said center 111 and said inner radius 112, an outer radius 117, and second volume 118 comprised between said outer radius 117 and said inner radius 112 and surrounding said first volume 113, and on which said rubber layer 120 is disposed.

[0021] Said first volume 113 comprises two female coupling organs 115 at each extremity of said hollow cylinder 110 and a hollow volume between said two female coupling organs 115. Complementary to said female coupling organs 115, there is said male coupling elements 130, which are configured to be inserted into said two female coupling organs 115 such as to permit a rotation of said shaftless detaching roller 100 around said male coupling elements 130.

[0022] The present invention was described as illustrative and not limiting according to its preferred embodiments, but it should be understood that variations and / or modifications which may be produced by men skilled in the art without, for this, departing from the related protective scope, as defined by the attached claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0013]Figure 1 shows schematically a cross section through a combing station 2 on a combing machine 4. In practice, eight such combing stations 2 are arranged side by side. Each combing station 2 consists of a nipper assembly 10, referred to in short as nipper, which executes a back-and-forth movement of the nipper 10 by means of front swings 12 and rear swings 14. The front swings 12 are mounted on a circular comb shaft 16 and on a front nipper axle 18 of the nipper 10 in a rotationally movable manner. The rear swing 14 which is mounted on a rear nipper axle 20 of the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile is connected to a driven nipper shaft 22 in a rotationally fixed manner. Cotton wadding 26 is fed to a feed cylinder 24 mounted inside the nipper 10 so that it is rotationally mobile. The wadding 26 is unwound from a lap roll (not shown), which sits on winding rollers (not shown) for the unrolling operation.

[0014]In the position illustrated in Figure 1, the ni...

Claims

1. Shaftless detaching roller (100) for a combing machine (200) comprising a: - Hollow cylinder (110): said hollow cylinder (110) comprising a center (111), an inner radius (112), a first volume (113) comprised between said center (111) and said inner radius (112), an outer radius (117), and second volume (118) comprised between said outer radius (117) and said inner radius (112) and surrounding said first volume (113); said first volume (113) comprising two female coupling organs (115) at each extremity of said hollow cylinder (110); - Rubber layer (120): said rubber layer (120) being disposed on said second volume (118); and - Male coupling elements (130): said male coupling elements (130) being configured to be inserted in said two female coupling organs (115) such as to drive said shaftless detaching roller (100).

2. Shaftless detaching roller (100) according to claim 1, wherein said hollow cylinder (110) is made of light metal, light metallic alloys and / or composite materials.

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