Feed chimney for a textile machine supplied with textile fiber tufts

Claim 1

A feed chimney for machines designed to process fiber tufts and especially carding machines, the fiber tufts being supplied from a feed duct connected to an area for storage of tufts at atmospheric pressure, said chimney being constituted by a casing of rectangular section having a large face formed by a perforated wall, the upper end of said casing being connected to the outlet of a fan whose intake is connected to said feed duct whilst the lower end of the casing fitted with delivery rollers for the web of fibers is adapted to be connected to a machine and in particular to a carding machine, the upper portion of one wall of the casing being provided with a regulating valve which opens towards the exterior and is urged by restoring means to the closed position thereof, wherein the fan intake is connected to the feed duct by means of a tube in which is mounted a reversing valve having two positions, namely a first position in which said reversing valve establishes a connection between the fan intake and the feed duct alone and a second position in which said valve establishes a connection between said fan intake and the surrounding atmosphere alone, said reversing valve being controlled by actuating means in response to the displacements of the regulating valve or, in other words, the opening movement of the regulating valve being such as to cause changeover of the reversing valve to its second position whilst the closing movement of said regulating valve causes said reversing valve to return to the first position thereof.