Method and apparatus for fluffing, separating, and cleaning fibers
OwnerJames C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with respect to an invention of Fletcher, Dan Padillainventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A perforated tube is housed in a chamber in which vacuum is drawn. An air jet is directed into one end of the tube and fiber bundles are fed into the jet which separates and dispenses individual fibers from the bundle, fluffs them, cleanses them of any particulate material, and carries them into the tube. The tube retains the fibers while fiber fragments, undesirably short fibers and particulate matter are drawn by the vacuum and resultant air flow out of the tube through its perforations to a suitable discharge.
Claims9
Apparatus for fluffing, separating and cleaning fibers from fiber fragments and particulate matter comprising:
- an elongated perforated tube, closed at one end and having means for directing a jet of air axially into the other end;
- means for directing fibrous material into said air jet at said other end whereby said fibrous material is entrained by said jet and carried into said perforated tube;
- said fibrous material being directed into said air jet along a line which is not parallel to said air jet;
- housing means spaced from but enclosing said perforated tube;
- and
- means for withdrawing air from said housing means exteriorly of said tube whereby the fibers of said fibrous material are fluffed and separated from each other and from particulate matter as they enter said air jet, said fibers being retained in said tube and said particulate matter and fiber fragments being drawn outwardly of said perforated tube and housing by said last-named means.
The method of fluffing, separating and cleaning fibers from fiber fragments and particulate matter comprising the steps of:
- providing a perforated tube enclosed by a housing spaced from said perforated tube;
- directing a jet of air into said perforated tube;
- directing said fibrous material into said jet in the region where said jet enters said perforated tube whereby said jet entrains and fluffs and separates the same from said fiber fragments and cleanses the same of particulate matter;
- said fibrous material being directed into said air jet along a line which is not parallel to said air jet;
- and
- confining and accumulating said fluffed and separated and cleansed fibers in said perforated tube while withdrawing air, said particulate matter and said fiber fragments from said perforated tube into the space between said housing and said perforated tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.