Process and apparatus for eliminating dust from fiber material

A process for eliminating dust from fiber material, comprising the steps of:

• guiding the fiber material over a sieve-like surface;
• exposing the fiber material to a suction airstream while it is guided over the sieve-like surface;
• and
• guiding the suction airstream, to which the fiber material is exposed in the region of the sieve-like surface, away from the fiber material at an acute angle opposite to the transport direction of the fiber material over the sieve-like surface, whereby the suction airstream removes dust from said fiber material without disturbing the transport direction thereof;
• further including the step of controllably directing an airjet onto a side of the sieve-like surface, which side faces away from the fiber transport path as defined by the direction of fiber material transport, to dislodge any matter which might be present on the sieve-like surface and clogging same.

A fiber material handling apparatus, comprising:

• rotatable opening cylinder means, having an input orifice for receiving into said cylinder means sliver-type fiber material which has at one point in time dust associated therewith and an output orifice for outputting from said cylinder means individual fibers of said fiber material, for separating said fiber material into individual fibers by its rotation;
• a sieve-like surface, mounted within a portion of said cylinder means, and having orifices inclined at an acute angle so as to be generally tangent to the outside diameter of said cylinder means;
• means for producing a first airstream having a pathway between said input orifice and said output orifice to draw said fiber material therealong, said pathway passing over said sieve-like surface;
• and
• means for producing a second airstream, said second airstream comprising a suction airstream which draws away from said sieve-like surface through said orifices thereof such that said second airstream is directed at an acute angle opposite to said pathway wherein said suction airstream draws dust from said fiber material without disturbing movement of said fiber material along said pathway thereof, and whereby said fiber material is separated from said dust for subsequent processing.

A fiber material handling apparatus, comprising:

• rotatable opening cylinder means, having an input orifice for receiving into said cylinder means sliver-type fiber material which has at one point in time dust associated therewith and an output orifice for outputting from said cylinder means individual fibers of said fiber material, for separating said fiber material into individual fibers by its rotation;
• a sieve-like surface, mounted within a portion of said cylinder means;
• means for producing a first airstream having a pathway between said input orifice and said output orifice to draw said fiber material therealong, said pathway passing over said sieve-like surface;
• and
• means for producing a second airstream, said second airstream comprising a suction airstream which draws away from said sieve-like surface at an acute angle opposite to said pathway wherein said suction airstream draws dust from said fiber material without disturbing movement of said fiber material along said pathway, and whereby said fiber material is separated from said dust for subsequent processing;
• further comprising airjet means for controllably directing an airjet onto a side of said sieve-like surface which faces away from said pathway, controlled airjets from said airjet means dislodging any matter which might be present on and tending to clog said sieve-like surface.

A fiber material handling apparatus, comprising:

• rotatable opening cylinder means, having an input orifice for receiving into said cylinder means sliver-type type fiber material which has at one point in time dust associated therewith and an output orifice for outputting from said cylinder means individual fibers of said fiber material, for separating said fiber material into individual fibers by its rotation;
• a sieve-like surface, mounted within a portion of said cylinder means;
• means for producing a first airstream having a pathway between said input orifice and said output orifice to draw said fiber material therealong, said pathway passing over said sieve-like surface;
• and
• means for producing a second airstream, said second airstream comprising a suction airstream which draws away from said sieve-like surface at an acute angle opposite to said pathway wherein said suction airstream draws dust from said fiber material without disturbing movement of said fiber material along said pathway, and whereby said fiber material is separated from said dust for subsequent processing;
• further including a source for said suction-airstream, and including between said sieve-like surface and said source of said suction-airstream a widening dust-collecting chamber, which chamber is associated with said dust-eliminating orifice and includes several filters arranged in succession of increasing fineness.

A fiber material handling apparatus, comprising:

• transport means for transporting fiber material in a predetermined transport direction;
• a sieve-like surface disposed relatively adjacent and generally along at least a portion of said transport direction so that fiber material transported therealong passes over said sieve-like surface, said sieve-like surface including orifices inclined at an acute angle so as to be positioned generally tangential to said predetermined transport direction;
• means for producing a first airstream having a pathway generally corresponding to said fiber material transport direction and passing over said sieve-like surface;
• and
• means for producing a second airstream comprising a suction airstream for drawing away from said sieve-like surface through said orifices thereof so that said second airstream is directed at an acute angle opposite to said first airstream pathway so as to draw dust from said fiber material without disturbing movement thereof along said pathway, whereby dust is separated from said fiber material for subsequent processing of such material.

A process for separating and collecting dust and impurities from fiber material, comprising the steps of:

• providing a housing having a circumferential inner surface and an input orifice and an output orifice;
• providing a rotating opening cylinder within said housing for opening fiber material supplied thereto through said input orifice of said housing;
• associating a fiber collecting chamber with said output orifice adapted for collecting opened fibers therein;
• providing a dust separation orifice in said housing adjacent a fiber retention surface thereof and along said circumferential inner surface between said input and output orifices thereof;
• associating a dust filter unit with said dust orifice adapted for collecting dust;
• providing a dirt eliminating orifice along said circumferential inner surface of said housing downstream from said dust orifice;
• associating a dirt collecting chamber with said dirt eliminating orifice adapted for collecting dirt constituents therein;
• and
• exposing said dust orifice to a suction air stream, while rotating said cylinder, so as to draw dust from said fiber material within said housing, through said dust orifice, and into said ddst filter unit without disturbing movement of said fiber material within said housing, such cylinder rotation causing centrifugal force which separates dirt constituents from fiber material within said housing and passes same through said dirt eliminating orifice and into said dirt collecting chamber, with inertia of said fiber materials continuing same to said housing output orifice;
• whereby dust, dirt, and opened fibers are separated and respectively collected in said dust filter unit, said dirt collecting chamber, and said fiber collecting chamber.

An apparatus for handling fiber material and separating respectively dust and dirt therefrom, comprising:

• a housing having a circumferential inner surface and a fiber feed point and a fiber outlet point;
• a rotatable opening cylinder generally enclosed in said housing, for opening fiber material supplied thereto;
• a sieve-like surface mounted within said housing;
• a dust eliminating orifice, defined in the periphery of said housing downstream from said fiber feed point thereof, add covered by said sieve-like surface;
• a dust filter chamber operatively associated with said dust orifice;
• a suction air source;
• means for directing suction from said housing through said dust orifice and said dust chamber to said suction air source, whereby dust is separated from fiber material within said housing and drawn through such suction directing means to be retained in said dust filter chamber;
• a fiber collecting chamber connected via said fiber outlet point with said housing for collecting fibers leaving said housing;
• and
• a dirt eliminating orifice, defined in the periphery of said housing sufficiently downstream from said dust orifice such that centrifugal force generated by rotation of said cylinder causes dirt constituents to be separated from:
• fiber material in said housing, and exit therefrom through said dirt eliminating orifice and into a dirt collecting chamber associated with such dirt orifice;
• whereby
• dust and dirt are separated from:
• said fiber material within said housing, and collected in respective chambers therefore.