Seamless Feed Trough With Hard Chrome Layer For Wear Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing feed troughs for sliver opening devices in open-end spinning devices face issues with contamination and wear, particularly due to seams and complex designs, which lead to soiling and surface defects, and previous solutions like ceramic coatings have resulted in the 'eggshell effect' and manufacturing challenges.
Innovation Solution
A feed trough with an exchangeable MIM-manufactured element featuring a seamless slideway from the clamping area to the tuft support, equipped with a smooth hard material layer and a hard chrome layer for wear resistance and minimal adhesion, attached to a die-cast holder via a screw connection, ensuring easy replacement and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a ceramic coating is applied to the feed trough surface to prevent contamination, then the resistance to dirt adhesion is improved, but the surface develops severe defects due to the eggshell effect under clamping force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a composite material structure consisting of a metal base body (feed trough) combined with a ceramic coating layer. The metal base provides mechanical strength and clamping force, while the ceramic coating provides contamination resistance. This composite approach allows both the dirt-resistant surface and the structural integrity to coexist without the eggshell effect that plagued previous single-material solutions.
2Strength
If a two-part feed trough design is used with a steel trough part and aluminum holder, then the wear resistance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases and seams are created that are susceptible to soiling
Solution Approach 1:
The feed trough is segmented into two functional parts: a steel base body that provides wear resistance and a continuous surface, and an aluminum holder that provides structural support and is easier to manufacture. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while being manufactured separately and assembled together, reducing overall manufacturing complexity compared to making the entire trough from difficult-to-process stainless steel.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the feed trough is made entirely from stainless steel to prevent soiling, then the resistance to contamination is improved, but the manufacturing cost and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire feed trough from expensive stainless steel, the patent applies contamination-resistant properties locally where needed. The steel base body provides the continuous, easy-to-clean surface in the clamping area and slideway, while the aluminum holder provides structural support where contamination resistance is less critical. This local application of material properties achieves the required contamination resistance while significantly reducing manufacturing costs.
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 provides a wear-resistant and contamination-free feed trough that is inexpensive to produce and maintain, with improved surface durability and resistance to dirt and corrosion, avoiding the 'eggshell effect' and ensuring effective fiber tuft support during processing.
Implementation Method 1
a smooth hard material layer, preferably a hard chrome layer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The trough (8) has a concave clamping area (22) for conveying a feed sliver by a sliver draw-in cylinder. A concave support surface fixes a fiber tuft occurring during combing-out of the silver. A feeding trough element (21) is demountably fixed at a feeding trough holder (24), and includes a slideway seemlessly extending from the clamping area up to a fiber tuft support surface (23) of the trough element. The trough element is manufactured using a metal injection molding method, and includes a smooth resistant material layer in the clamping area and in an area of the tuft support surface. The resistant material layer extends over an entire area of a slide path of the feed sliver.