Opening Roller Elliptical Toothed Washers Continuous Fiber Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing removal rollers for fiber bales have complex constructions and fail to ensure continuous removal over the surface of fiber bales, leading to inefficiencies and potential detachment of fibers during operation.

Innovation Solution

A removal roller design featuring elliptically recessed toothed washers with a shaft, where the washers are inclined and radially rotated, providing a positive connection through projections and depressions for secure attachment, allowing for continuous and balanced fiber removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If toothed disks are attached to semicircular shells with press fit, then the removal roller can be disassembled, but the construction becomes complex and the press fit can come loose during operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisassembly capabilityVSAvoidconstruction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the toothed disk and shaft into a single integrated component where the teeth are directly formed on the shaft surface. This eliminates the need for separate toothed disks, semicircular shells, and press fit connections, thereby simplifying the construction while maintaining the ability to remove and reassemble the shaft.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the essential function of fiber removal from the complex assembly of toothed disks and shells, concentrating it into the teeth directly formed on the shaft. This extraction simplifies the overall structure by removing unnecessary intermediate components while preserving the core functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If helical toothed washers are used, then fiber flakes can be removed evenly over a certain width, but the removal site jumps back over the entire width between two grate elements after one cycle

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevenness of fiber removalVSAvoidcontinuous removal capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention transitions from a helical arrangement (one-dimensional spiral) to a multi-planar arrangement where teeth are distributed across multiple circular planes perpendicular to the shaft axis. This dimensional change allows teeth to engage fiber bales at multiple positions simultaneously, enabling continuous removal without jumping back, while still achieving even distribution of removal across the width.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the toothed structure into multiple discrete circular planes along the shaft axis, with each plane containing teeth distributed around the circumference. This segmentation allows different planes to work on different sections of the fiber bale simultaneously, ensuring continuous processing without gaps or jumps in the removal process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If the shaft diameter corresponds to the smallest length of the elliptical recess, then easy assembly is enabled, but a slight clearance must be provided between the recess and shaft surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly easeVSAvoidconnection stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the recess from a simple circular shape to an elliptical shape, where the smallest dimension of the ellipse corresponds to the shaft diameter. This parameter adjustment allows the recess to accommodate the shaft with minimal clearance in one direction while providing adequate material thickness in other directions, balancing assembly ease with connection stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2836630B1Opening roller
Publication Date: 2018.07.25 MASCHINENFABRIK RIETER AG
  • EP2836630B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2836630B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to an opening roller (1) for mechanically opening fiber bales. The opening roller (1) comprises a shaft (2) that can rotate about a shaft axis (3) and circular cogs (4) mounted on said shaft (2) and having teeth (5) on the outer periphery thereof. The cogs (4) have an elliptic, central cut-out section (6) which annularly extends around the shaft (2), having an inclination of an inclination angle (a) with respect to the shaft axis (3).