Textile fiber web former and electrical means for maintaining constant thickness thereof

Claim 1

FIBER FEEDING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A TUBULAR CHUTE GENERALLY RECTANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION FOR FORMING AND HOLDING A COLUMN OF FIBERS; MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FIBERS FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID CHUTE AT A UNIFORM RATE IN THE FORM OF AN ENDLESS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WEB; MEANS FOR FEEDING FIBERS IN AN OPEN CONDITION INTO SAID CHUTE; MEANS FOR CREATING AND DIRECTING FROM ONE SIDE TO AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID CHUTE, THROUGH AND AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN A COLUMN OF FIBERS THEREIN, A BEAM OF WAVE ENERGY OF CONSTANT INTENSITY AND OF A FREQUENCY SUCH THAT THE ATTENUATION OF SAID BEAM AT SAID CHUTE OPPOSITE SIDE IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE DENSITY, THROUGHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL RANGE, OF THAT PORTION OF THE COLUMN OF FIBERS WHICH INTERCEPTS SAID BEAM; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO VARIATIONS IN THE INTENSITY OF SAID BEAM AT SAID CHUTE OPPOSITE SIDE FOR MODIFYING THE RATE OF FEED OF SAID FIBER FEEDING MEANS TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DENSITY AT SAID LEVEL TO THEREBY MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT WEIGHT PER INCREMENT OF LENGTH OF SAID WEB.