# US 7,743,470 B2 · Method and device for manufacturing sawtooth card clothing and all-steel card clothing as well as sawtooth wire > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,743,470 B2 - Document ID: US7743470B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/444,985 - Filed: 2006-06-01 - Published: 2007-02-08 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2005-06-03 - Assignees: Graf + Cie AG - Inventors: Ralph A. Graf - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7743470B2 ## CPC - C21D 9/525: {for wire, for rods (C21D9/54 takes precedence)} - C21D 9/24: for saw blades - C21D 9/26: for needles; for teeth for card-clothing - D01G 15/88: formed from metal sheets or strips - C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B) - D01G: PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF FIBRES, e.g. FOR SPINNING (winding or unwinding, conducting or guiding laps, webs, slivers or rovings in general, sliver or roving cans, depositing in sliver or roving cabs B65H; preparation of fibres for paper-making D21) ## Abstract In a method for manufacturing sawtooth card clothings and all-steel card clothings for processing textile fibers in a carding process, a sawtooth wire is produced by generating teeth on a wire blank sequentially behind one another in a longitudinal direction of the wire blank, wherein the teeth extend transversely to the longitudinal direction away from a base area. The sawtooth wire is subjected at least in the area of the teeth to a hardening process under exclusion of oxygen in the area of the sawtooth wire. A device for performing the method has a heating chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber. An arrangement for generating an inert gas atmosphere in the area of the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber is provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for manufacturing sawtooth card clothing and all-steel card clothing for processing textile fibers in a carding process; the method comprising the steps of: producing a sawtooth wire by generating teeth on a wire blank sequentially behind one another in a longitudinal direction of the wire blank, wherein the teeth each extend transversely to the longitudinal direction away from a base area; subjecting the sawtooth wire at least in the area of the teeth to a hardening process under exclusion of oxygen in the area of the sawtooth wire. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in the hardening process the sawtooth wire passes through a heating chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the sawtooth wire during the hardening process is heated to an austenization temperature of approximately 500° C. to 1,200° C. and is subsequently quickly cooled. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the austenization temperature is approximately 800° C. to 1,000° C. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of preheating before subjecting the sawtooth wire to the hardening process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the sawtooth wire, after cooling, is annealed for reducing brittleness or increasing tenacity. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein annealing is carried out under exclusion of oxygen. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein at least the teeth of the sawtooth wire at least during heating in the hardening process are passed through a flame. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the flame is generated in an unreactive inert gas atmosphere. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the inert gas atmosphere is a nitrogen atmosphere. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein for generating the flame a combustion gas and an oxidation medium are introduced in such a way into the heating chamber that the oxidation medium does not contact the teeth to be hardened. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the oxidation medium is completely reacted in a combustion process for generating the flame. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the oxidation medium is oxygen. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein an inert gas flows through the heating chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the heating chamber is filled with inert gas at overpressure for preventing penetration of ambient oxygen. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of annealing the sawtooth wire at least in a base area before performing the hardening process. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A device for performing the method according to claim 1, the device comprising: a heating chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for a sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber; an arrangement for generating an inert gas atmosphere in the area of the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device according to claim 17, wherein the heating chamber has a burner arrangement for generating a flame in the area of the teeth of the sawtooth wire passing through the heating chamber. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The device according to claim 18, wherein the burner arrangement comprises a mixing device in which a combustion gas and an oxidation medium are mixable to a mixture according to a predetermined ratio before the mixture is reacted in the heating chamber for generating the flame. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The device according to claim 17, further comprising a nozzle arrangement for introducing the inert gas into the heating chamber. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) A sawtooth wire produced according to the method of claim 1.