Card Sliver Guide Funnel with Compressed Air and Adjustable Rollers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for guiding fleece slivers in sliver-forming units of cards face issues such as piling up, fiber splitting, and blockages due to one-stage compression and inadequate air management, leading to inefficient fiber processing and potential disruptions during high-speed production.
Innovation Solution
A device with a double-walled end funnel and adjustable pressure rollers, combined with a pre-funnel and compressed air supply, allows for controlled air flow and pressure adjustments to prevent fiber accumulation and ensure smooth fiber guidance, reducing the need for additional air introduction elements and minimizing fiber splitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If one-stage compression of the non-woven tape is used, then the compression process is simple, but at high belt speeds the fleece belt piles up in front of the end funnel causing fiber splitting
Solution Approach 1:
The compression process is divided into two distinct stages: a pre-compression ring that performs initial compression with larger diameter and lower pressure, followed by a second compression device with smaller diameter that performs final compression with higher pressure. This segmentation allows each stage to perform its specific function optimally without causing fiber splitting or pile-up.
Solution Approach 2:
Different compression characteristics are applied at different locations along the compression path. The pre-compression ring provides gentler initial compression to prepare the fleece belt, while the second compression device applies more intense compression only where needed to achieve the final desired density without damaging the fibers.
2Ease of operation
If compressed air is used to move the fleece belt, then the fleece belt can be conveyed actively, but air causes the fleece belt to expand in places without tight guidance
Solution Approach 1:
A guide funnel is introduced as an intermediary element between the air source and the fleece belt. The funnel channels and directs the air flow in a controlled manner, providing tight guidance to the fleece belt while still allowing active conveyance. This mediator prevents uncontrolled expansion by confining the air-fleece interaction within the funnel's geometry.
3Reliability
If additional air introduction elements are added to the device, then air flow control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide funnel serves multiple functions simultaneously: it guides and directs the air flow, provides tight guidance for the fleece belt, and prevents uncontrolled expansion. By making the funnel multi-functional, additional air introduction elements are not needed, thus maintaining reliability while avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of air guidance, fleece belt guidance, and expansion prevention are merged into a single integrated guide funnel structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate air introduction elements and multiple guidance components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective air flow management.
4Device complexity
If the distance between pressure rollers is fixed, then the device structure is simple, but the threading process becomes difficult and fiber accumulation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between the pressure rollers is made adjustable rather than fixed. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the rollers to be positioned at different distances during the threading process to accommodate the fleece belt, and then adjusted to the optimal compression distance during normal operation. This resolves the conflict between structural simplicity and operational ease.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures trouble-free fiber guidance, prevents fiber piling, and simplifies the threading process by adjusting pressure and air flow, maintaining fiber integrity and efficiency during high-speed production.
Implementation Method 1
an air flow with a twist is generated in the intermediate space between the first insertion device and the second insertion device as a result of which a negative pressure is produced in the first insertion device
Implementation Method 2
a negative pressure is produced in the first insertion device as a result. This negative pressure pulls the non-woven tape through the first insertion device
Implementation Method 3
A device with a double-walled end funnel and adjustable pressure rollers, combined with a pre-funnel and compressed air supply, allows for controlled air flow and pressure adjustments to prevent fiber accumulation
Implementation Method 4
the non-woven sliver then reaches a pair of pressure rollers via various guides and funnels, which bring about the final shaping of the card sliver
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for guiding a nonwoven fabric strip (18) in a strip forming unit (16) of a carding machine (1) with a guide funnel (24), a double-walled end funnel (26), and a pair of pressure rollers consisting of an upper pressure roller (27) and a lower pressure roller (28). The guide funnel (24) is located upstream of the end funnel (26), and the end funnel (26) is located upstream of the pair of pressure rollers (27, 28). The end funnel has a compressed air supply (31). A feed hopper (25) is provided between the guide funnel (24) and the end funnel (26), and the distance between the upper pressure roller (27) and the lower pressure roller (28) is adjustable.