Cutting apparatus with adjustable blade means

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED HIGH SPEED PRECISION APPARATUS FOR CUTTING A RELATIVELY WIDE, THIN LAYER OF MOVING PARALLEL FIBERS, COMPRISING A FRAME STRUCTURE, AN ELONGATED ROTOR UNIT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE, AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED ROTARY CUTTER BLADE, FIRST MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROTARY CUTTER BLADE ON SAID ROTOR UNIT, A STATIONARY ELONGATED CUTTER BLADE, SECOND MEANS MOUNTING SAID STATIONARY CUTTER BLADE IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE IN PARALLEL ALIGNMENT FOR OPERATIVE CUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ROTARY CUTTER BLADE, THIRD MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID SECOND MEANS FOR PNEUMATICALLY ALIGNING, SUPPORTING AND FEEDING INCOMING UNCUT FIBERS INTO CUTTING POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID ROTOR UNIT AND SAID STATIONARY CUTTER BLADE AND ALSO MOVING CUT FIBERS AWAY FROM CUTTING POSITION, SAID FIRST MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTING THE RADIAL POSITION OF THE ROTARY CUTTER BLADE AND POSITIVELY LOCKING THE BLADE IN POSITION AGAINST RADIAL MOVEMENT DUE TO CENTRIFUGAL FORCES DURING ROTOR UNIT ROTATION AT HIGH SPEEDS, SAID SECOND MEANS COMPRISING A SECOND MECHANISM COOPERATING WITH SAID STATIONARY BLADE, SAID FRAME STRUCTURE AND SAID THIRD MEANS TO PROVIDE BOTH COARSE AND FINE ADJUSTMENT OF THE POSITION OF THE STATIONARY CUTTER ELEMENT AND SAID THIRD MEANS TO VARY THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID CUTTER BLADES, VARY THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID THIRD MEANS AND SAID ROTOR UNIT, AND MAINTAIN PARALLEL ALIGNMENT OF SAID BLADES DURING OPERATION OF THE CUTTER APPARATUS, SAID SECOND MECHANISM OF SAID SECOND MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST CUTTER BLADE MOUNTING ELEMENT MOVABLY SECURED TO SAID FRAME STRUCTURE FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT IN A GIVEN PLANE TO MAINTAIN PARALLEL ALIGNMENT BETWEEN SAID BLADES, A SECOND MOUNTING ELEMENT SPACED FROM SAID FIRST ELEMENT AND SECURED IN POSITION TO SAID FIRST ELEMENT BY A RESILIENT LEAF SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID ELEMENTS AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS, AND A SINGLE SLIDABLE WEDGE MEMBER POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELEMENTS, SAID LEAF SPRING MEANS COMPRISING A RELATIVELY HEAVY METALLIC PLATE ELEMENT URGING SAID SECOND ELEMENT TOWARD SAID WEDGE MEMBER AND SAID FIRST ELEMENT, ACTUATING MEANS FOR SLIDING SAID WEDGE MEMBER TO FLEX SAID PLATE ELEMENT AND CAUSE SAID SECOND ELEMENT TO VARY, IN AN INFINITELY VARIABLE MANNER BETWEEN LIMITS, ITS SPACING FROM SAID ROTOR UNIT AND THE ROTARY CUTTER BLADE, A THIRD ELEMENT RIGIDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND ELEMENT FOR LIMITED TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO TO CAUSE SAID THIRD ELEMENT TO VARY IN A STEP BY STEP MANNER ITS SPACING FROM SAID ROTOR UNIT AND THE ROTARY CUTTER BLADE, THE STATIONARY CUTTER BLADE DETACHABLY SECURED ON SAID THIRD ELEMENT FOR SPACING AND ALIGNMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE ROTARY CUTTER BLADE SO THAT SELF-SHARPENING CUTTING ENGAGEMENT IS MAINTAINED THEREWITH DURING OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS, SAID THIRD MEANS COMPRISING TWO OPPOSED FLUID JET UNITS POSITIONED ABOVE AND BELOW THE INCOMING UNCUT FIBERS AND ARRANGED TO DIRECT CONVERGING HIGH VELOCITY FLUID STREAMS AGAINST TOP AND BOTTOM RESPECTIVELY OF AN INCOMING LAYER OF SEPARATE UNCUT FIBERS TO ALIGN, SUPPORT, AND FEED THE FIBERS INTO CUTTING POSITION BETWEEN THE CUTTER BLADES, THE AIR STREAM FROM SAID JET UNITS ALSO SERVING TO CARRY OUT FIBERS AWAY FROM THE CUTTING POSITION, SAID THIRD MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING TWO ADDITIONAL OPPOSED FLUID JET UNITS POSITIONED AT EACH SIDE OF THE INCOMING UNCUT FIBERS AND ARRANGED TO DIRECT HIGH VELOCITY FLUID STREAMS AGAINST THE SIDES OF THE INCOMING LAYER OF SEPARATE UNCUT FIBERS TO ASSIST IN ALIGNING SUPPORTING, AND FEEDING THE FIBERS INTO CUTTING POSITION BETWEEN THE CUTTER BLADES AND ASSIST IN CARRYING CUT FIBERS AWAY FROM SAID CUTTING POSITION.