Separating rollers for a slicing mechanism of a roll slicing machine

A roll slicing apparatus, comprising:

• conveyor means for supporting and effecting movement in a first direction of a roll cluster which includes a pair of rolls separably joined at a joint and spaced in a second direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction, each roll having a top and bottom;
• roll slicing means for simultaneously slicing the rolls of the pair between said top and bottom the roll slicing means, including a rotatably supported shaft extending in a third direction substantially perpendicular to said first and second directions and having at an end nearest said conveyor means a disk knife extending approximately parallel to said first and second directions;
• drive means for effecting rotation of said shaft;
• roll breaking means positioned in a fourth direction from said shaft in feeding alignment with said shaft for breaking apart said pair of rolls along a joint therebetween and above a slice made by said knife to provide clearance for passage of said shaft between said rolls, said fourth direction being opposite said first direction;
• and spreading means positioned in said fourth direction from said roll breaking means in feeding alignment with the spreading means for urging the rolls of the pair away from each other in directions parallel to said second direction prior to engagement of said roll breaking means with the rolls, and said spreading means being supported for movement toward and away from said conveyor means in directions approximately parallel to said shaft, and said spreading means includes a means for yieldably urging said spreading means toward said conveyor means.