Claims
- 1. A fiber sliver producing apparatus comprising
(a) means for making a running fiber web; (b) a web gathering device having
(1) a plurality of walls defining an inner space through which said fiber web runs in an advancing direction; said plurality of walls being stationary during operation of the apparatus; (2) a web gathering portion causing the running fiber web to converge; said web gathering portion having an inlet opening; (3) a web densifying portion being situated downstream of said web gathering portion as viewed in said advancing direction for forming a running sliver from the web; said web densifying portion having an outlet opening for discharging the running sliver; said outlet opening having a cross-sectionally rectangular outline; said outlet opening having a width and a height; said width being at least five times greater than said height; and (c) a calender roll pair formed of two calender rolls through which said sliver passes after being discharged by said outlet opening; said calender roll pair defining a bight in which said outlet opening is disposed.
- 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said web gathering portion and said web densifying portion form a single, one-piece construction.
- 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein two of said plurality of walls oppose one another and at least one of said two walls is movable relative to the other of said two walls for adjusting the volume of said inner space.
- 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of walls are composed of a first pair of facing walls mutually converging toward said calender rolls and a second pair of facing walls mutually converging toward said calender rolls; wherein said first and second pairs of facing walls define said inner space having a rectangular cross section.
- 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said web gathering device is a two-part structure formed of
(a) a guide element constituting said web gathering portion; and (b) a sliver trumpet constituting said web densifying portion.
- 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said sliver trumpet has an outlet opening constituting said outlet opening of said web gathering device; further comprising a wall portion bounding said outlet opening; means for adjusting said outlet opening for varying said width of said outlet opening.
- 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said web gathering device and said advancing direction are downward-oriented.
- 8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising a stripping roll forming a last component in a series of components constituting said means for making the running web; said stripping roll discharging the running web in a downward direction; said inlet opening of said web gathering device being positioned below said stripping roll for receiving the running web therefrom.
- 9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, said means for making said fiber web further comprises a main carding cylinder, a doffer, a first shoving roll and a second shoving roll arranged consecutively in a series as viewed in a fiber processing direction of the apparatus; said second shoving roll immediately preceding said stripping roll; said shoving rolls and said stripping roll being at an increasingly greater height level than said doffer.
- 10. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising adjusting means for setting the area size of said outlet opening.
- 11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said adjusting means comprises
(a) first and second adjoining, movable components; (b) first and second surface portions carried by said first and second movable components, respectively; said first and second surface portions together defining a clearance; said clearance constituting said outlet opening; and (c) moving means for displacing said first and second components relative to one another for varying said area size.
- 12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said first and second components are rotatably supported and further wherein said first and second wall portions are each arcuate and each have a terminal edge; the terminal edge of said first arcuate wall portion and the terminal edge of said second arcuate wall portion together partially define said outlet opening.
- 13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said first and second components carry meshing teeth for effecting a synchronous motion of said first and second components.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
100 03 994.4 |
Jan 2000 |
DE |
|
100 51 917.2 |
Oct 2000 |
DE |
|
100 51 998.9 |
Oct 2000 |
DE |
|
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/770,687 filed Jan. 29, 2001 and Ser. No. 09/982,000 filed Oct. 19, 2001.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09770687 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Child |
10052444 |
Jan 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09982000 |
Oct 2001 |
US |
Child |
10052444 |
Jan 2002 |
US |