Apparatus for reducing accumulation of waste and disposing of waste in carding machines

Claim 1

Apparatus for reducing the liberation of dust and fly in a carding machine and for disposing of dust and fly such as is liberated, said carding machine including a taker-in, a taker-in feed roll adjacent and rearwardly of the taker-in, a main cylinder forwardly of and forming a lower nip with the taker-in, a series of revolving flats spaced above the taker-in and forming an upper nip with the main cylinder, and a solid cylinder back plate proximal to the main cylinder and extending between said lower and upper nips; said apparatus comprising housing means defining an air expansion chamber of substantial volume above and open to the unobstructed upper portion of the taker-in and extending betweeN said feed roll and said cylinder back plate such that a substantial portion of the upper surface of the taker-in is exposed to the interior of the expansion chamber, said housing means comprising spaced apart side walls straddling a lower portion of said revolving flats and extending downwardly and also straddling opposite ends of said taker-in, the front portions of said side walls being positioned adjacent opposite side edges of said back plate, rear wall means extending between and connected to said side walls, said rear wall means extending downwardly from a point spaced below said revolving flats and to a point rearwardly of said taker-in, means forming a substantial air seal between the lower edge of said rear wall means and said feed roll, a cover carried by said rear wall means, extending between said side walls and spaced a relatively short distance below said flats, the front edge of said cover being spaced from said back plate to define an air flow slot therebetween, and means connecting said housing means to a source of suction including a suction duct communicating with said chamber through at least one of said side walls between said taker-in and said cover whereby air is caused to flow from both of said nips and from the lower portions of the revolving flats into and through said chamber during operation of the carding machine while relieving pressure incident to rotation of the taker-in and thereby reducing liberation of dust and fly from textile material entrained on the taker-in to draw any liberated dust and fly away from the taker-in.