Fiber length and strength measurement system

A method of extracting a sample from a quantity of contained staple fibers comprising the steps of

• providing a containment for the staple fibers wherein the containment includes an opening defined through one wall thereof and the fibers contained therein are presented to said opening in bulk,
• rotating a needle roll bearing at least one needle sampler exposed on the outer peripheral surface of said needle roll past said opening,
• capturing a bundle of fibers from said containment with said needle sampler,
• transporting said bundle of fibers captured on said needle sampler through at least one physical conditioning station wherein said bundle of fibers is converted to a fiber beard having first and second opposite ends and comprising a plurality of staple fibers which are substantially aligned in a common direction,
• transporting said physically conditioned fiber beard to a testing station,
• while disposed within said testing station, subjecting said beard to conditioned air flowing at ultra-high velocity in a direction from said first end of and along the length of said beard for a time sufficient to condition said beard for testing,
• determining at least one property of said fibers of said beard,
• withdrawing said beard from said testing station, and
• separating said beard from said needle sampler.

In a method of sampling a batch of staple fibers the improvement comprising

• containing the batch of staple fibers within a container having a wall thereof within which there is defined an opening through said wall,
• urging the fibers of the contained batch of staple fibers toward said opening to the extent that the a portion of the fiber protrude from said opening,
• moving a collector past said opening, said collector capturing a bundle of said fibers and withdrawing the same from the batch of staple fibers through said opening, and
• anchoring said bundle of fibers to said collector,
• converting said bundle of fibers into a tapered beard of fibers, and
• conditioning said fibers of said beard preparatory to testing of at least one property of said fibers.

Apparatus for the collection of a sample quantity of staple fibers from a batch of the staple fibers comprising

• a container housing a batch of staple fibers,
• said container including a wall member having at least one opening extending therethrough,
• said container including means urging said batch of fibers in the direction of said opening in said wall member,
• a carrier having an outer peripheral wall and being mounted for rotation about a central longitudinal axis thereof,
• a collector mounted in said outer peripheral wall and projecting therefrom by an amount sufficient to cause said collector to engage and withdraw a sample quantity of the staple fibers upon rotation of said collector past said opening upon rotation of said carrier, and
• means anchoring said withdrawn quantity of staple fibers on said collector,
• a resilient member carried by said carrier in a position proximate to said collector, and
• means selectively biasing said resilient member into engagement with said quantity of staple fibers on said collector.

Apparatus for testing the length of the fibers of a tapered beard of the fibers comprising

• a carrier having an outer peripheral surface and mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis of said carrier,
• a tapered beard of staple fibers having a first end anchored to said outer peripheral surface of said carrier and a second end comprising unsupported ends of those fibers anchored to said carrier,
• an elongated air flow channel having an entrance and an exit,
• a source of conditioned air located remote from said elongated flow channel,
• first conduit means interposed between said source of conditioned air and said entrance to said flow channel and providing for the supply of conditioned air to said entrance to said flow channel,
• second conduit means interposed between said exit of said flow channel and said source of conditioned air and providing for the return of conditioned air from said flow channel to said source of conditioned air,
• whereby rotational movement of said carrier delivers said second end of said beard to the entrance to said flow channel whereupon said unsupported ends of the staple fibers of said second end of said beard are carried by the flow of conditioned air into said flow channel and retained in said flow channel for a time sufficient to condition said fibers of said beard.

A method of measuring tenacity of tapered beards of staple fibers comprising the steps of:

• forming at least one tapered beard of staple fibers disposed on a respective sampling needle with ends of respective ones of said fibers extending unsupported from said sampling needle, by intercepting protrusions of bulk samples of staple fibers from a perforated plate employing said respective sampling needle,
• locking said tapered beard onto said needle,
• combing said beard while said beard is locked on said needle,
• brushing said beard while said beard is locked on said needle,
• conditioning said fibers of said beard during at least one of beard formation, beard preparation, or fiber measurement operation,
• measuring tex versus length of said fibers of said beard,
• clamping said unsupported ends of said fibers of said beard in a jaw system,
• while maintaining said jaw system rigid, moving said sampling needle away from said jaw system,
• measuring the peak force and displacement of said fibers within the space between said needle sampler and said jaw system, and
• combining the fiber tex and peak force to provide tenacity in grams peak force per tex.