Fiber fractionating apparatus and process

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SHORT FIBERS FROM LOOSE MASSES OF RELATIVELY UNTANGLED MIXTRURES OF INDIVIDUALIZED LONG AND SHORT TEXTILE FIBERS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) INPUT MEANS FOR ADMITING A LOOSE MASS OF A RELATIVELY UNTANGLED MIXTURE OF INDIVIDUALIZED LONG AND SHORT TEXTILE FIBERS INTO THE APPARATUS; (B) SIX PARALLEL, ROTATABLE CYLINDRICAL ELECTRODE ELEMENTS SYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED IN TWO GROUPS OF THREE ELEMENTS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A CENTER LINE TO FORM A MIRROR IMAGE OF EACH OTHER, (1) SAID SIX ELECTRODE ELEMENTS BEING POSITIONED TO FROM THE BOUNDARIES OF AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD HAVING BOTH UNIFORM AND NONUNIFORM POTENTIAL GRADIENTS, (2) A PAIR OF ELECTRODE ELEMENTS IN EACH OF SAID GROUPS BEING IN RELATIVELY CLOSER PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER THAN TO THE THIRD ELECTRODE ELEMENT OF EACH OF SAID GROUPS, (3) EACH OF SAID PAIR OF ELECTRODE ELEMENTS BEING ADJACENT SAID INPUT MEANS, (4) ONE ELECTRODE IN EACH PAIR BEING CLOSER TO SAID INPUT MEANS THAN THE SECOND ELECTRODE OF EACH PAIR, (5) THE THIRD ELECTRODE OF EACH OF THE AFORESAID GROUPS BEING CLOSER TO SAID SECOND ELECTRODE OF EACH PAIR THAN TO THE FIRST AND SEPARATE FROM SAID SECOND ELECTRODE BY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT ARCING, (6) SAID THIRD ELECTRODE BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN A DIRECTION SIMILAR TO THAT OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE, (7) SAID THIRD ELECTRODE OF EACH GROUP GEING FURTHER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN CLOSE PROXIMITY IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER, (8) THE ELECTRODES IN EACH PAIR BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; (C) MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF ELECTRODE ELEMENTS TO APPLY A LIKE ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE THERETO, THE ELECTRODES OF A PAIR BEING ALSO ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER; (D) MEANS CONNECTED TO THE THIRD ELECTRODE OF EACH GROUP OF APPLY AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE OPPOSITE TO THAT APPLIED TO SAID PAIRS OF ELECTRODES, SAID SECOND AND THIRD ELECTRODES BEING SO DISPOSED THAT, UPON APPLICATION OF THE ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE THERETO, THERE IS PRODUCED AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD OF HIGH INTENSITY; (E) FIRST DOFFING MEANS FOR REMOFING LONG FIBERS FROM BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD ELECTRODE ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST DOFFING MEANS BEING MOUNTED THEREBETWEEN AT A DISTANCE NO CLOSER TO SAID ELECTRODE MEANS THAN THE MIDPOINT OF THE LENGTH OF THE SHORT FIBERS TO BE SEPARATED; (F) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ELECTRODE ELEMENTS; (G) MEANS ADJACENT SAID FIRST DOFFING MEANS FOR COLLECTING SEPARATED LONG FIBERS; (H) SECOND DOFFING MEANS FOR REMOVING SHORT FIBERS; AND (I) A CHAMBER FOR COLLECTING SHORT FIBERS IN PROXIMITY TO SAID THIRD ELECTRODE ELEMENTS, SAID CHAMBER HAVING MEANS CONNECTED THERETO TO PLACE AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE THEREON SIMILAR TO THAT OF SAID THIRD ELECTRODE ELEMENTS.