Carding machine including a device for adjusting the distance between flat bars and carding cylinder

A carding machine comprising

• (a) a main carding cylinder having a cylinder axis and carrying a cylinder clothing on a circumferential surface thereof;
• said cylinder clothing having clothing points;
• (b) traveling flats cooperating with said main carding cylinder along a circumferential length portion thereof;
• said traveling flats including
• (1) a plurality of flat bars each having a flat bar clothing cooperating with said cylinder clothing;
• said flat bar clothing having clothing points;
• and
• (2) first drive means for moving said flat bars in unison in an endless path having a working leg in which said flat bar clothings cooperate with said cylinder clothing and a return leg;
• said working leg extending circumferentially about a portion of said main carding cylinder;
• (c) a flexible bend supported on a machine frame laterally of said main carding cylinder;
• said flexible bend having a convex surface;
• (d) a slide guide supported on said flexible bend;
• said slide guide having a convex surface supporting said flat bars for sliding motion thereon along said working leg;
• a radial position of said convex surface of said slide guide relative to said cylinder axis determining a radial clothing point distance between the clothing points of said flat bar clothings and the clothing points of said cylinder clothing;
• and
• (e) adjusting means for radially displacing said slide guide such that said radial clothing point distance remains uniform at all locations along said working leg;
• said adjusting means including
• (1) a first elongated element positioned in said working leg and having convex outer and inner surfaces extending along said circumferential length portion of said main carding cylinder;
• a first radial distance between said convex outer surface and said concave inner surface of said first elongated element decreasing as viewed in a selected circumferential direction;
• (2) a second elongated element positioned in said working leg and having a convex outer surface extending along said circumferential length portion of said main carding cylinder;
• said convex outer surface of said second elongated element being disposed face-to-face with said concave inner surface of said first elongated element;
• a second radial distance between said convex outer surface of said second elongated element and said cylinder axis increasing as viewed in said selected circumferential direction such that for any selected relative circumferential position between said first and second elongated elements the sum of said first and second distances is constant at any circumferential location along said first and second elongated elements;
• and
• (3) second drive means for circumferentially displacing at least one of said first and second elongated elements relative to the other of said first and second elongated elements.

A carding machine comprising

• (a) a main carding cylinder having a cylinder axis and carrying a cylinder clothing on a circumferential surface thereof;
• said cylinder clothing having clothing points;
• (b) traveling flats cooperating with said main carding cylinder along a circumferential length portion thereof;
• said traveling flats including
• (1) a plurality of flat bars each having a flat bar clothing cooperating with said cylinder clothing;
• said flat bar clothing having clothing points;
• and
• (2) drive means for moving said flat bars in unison in an endless path having a working leg in which said flat bar clothings cooperate with said cylinder clothing and a return leg;
• said working leg extending circumferentially about a portion of said main carding cylinder;
• (c) a flexible bend supported on a machine frame laterally of said main carding cylinder;
• said flexible bend having a convex surface;
• (d) a slide guide supported on said flexible bend;
• said slide guide having a convex surface supporting said flat bars for sliding motion thereon along said working leg;
• a radial position of said convex surface of said slide guide relative to said cylinder axis determining a radial clothing point distance between the clothing points of said flat bar clothings and the clothing points of said cylinder clothing;
• and
• (e) adjusting means for radially displacing said slide guide such that said radial clothing point distance remains uniform at all locations along said working leg;
• said adjusting means including shiftable means displaceable along said circumferential surface of said main carding cylinder for radially displacing said slide guide by camming action.