US2851103A - Apparatus for cutting staple - Google Patents

Description

p 1958 K. H. ANTHONY ETAL 2,851,103

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING STAPLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 25. 1954 lnven L-ovs. Kenneth flfim t'hony, Edw cl d. M asko,

Their Atl7or e5.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w m W m w WWWWWW m m nwm 5 m H 6 F ffi S a w W w mm Em T: ,WWIIQ i, {I I. mm g m g a wd? F nm a I h D T. E Uu K b Sept. 9, 1958 K. H. ANTHONY ETAL APPARATUS FOR CUTTING STAPLE Filed Dec. 23. 1954 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR CUTTING STAPLE Kenneth H. Anthony, East Cleveland, and Edward]; Marasko, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1954, Serial No. 477,276

3 Claims. (Cl. 164- 61) This invention relates to an'apparatus for cutting moving lengths of textile fibers and like strandular material into-staple lengths. In particular, this invention relates to an improved staple cutter of the type wherein 'draw'wheels having slotted flanges are employed for feeding the strandular material to a cutting means that is synchronized to pass through the rotating slots in the flanges of the draw wheels.

Staple cutters of the type disclosed in U'. S. Patent No. 2,184,452 are advantageously employed for producing staple lengths from continuous filament textile fibers of synthetic linear polymers, regenerated cellulose and the like, as well as for staple from other filaments, fibers, yarns, threads and thread-like structures. Continuous filaments which are bundled in a ribbon-like tow, having a. flat, elongate cross-section, flatly engaged by the bight of the draw wheels are more efiiciently and productively handled with such a cutter.

The present invention advantageously provides for an improved staple cutter of thetype based'on the principles described in the aforementioned U. S. patent. The cutter of this invention will obtain a cleaner, more uniform cut, made substantially perpendicularly without appreciable bias, through. a ribbon-like tow of continuous textile fibers to produce cut staple lengths of more uniform characteristics. The present invention also provides for a staple cutter that substantially eliminates scufling or abrading of the cut ends of the staple lengths or of thecutting edges being employed to sever the tow;

The apparatus for cutting staple comprises anoppositely driven pair of substantially congruent draw wheels having concentric rim-like flanges for flatly engaging and drawing a ribbon-like tow or the like of textile fibers. Each of the flanges encircling the wheels is' provided with the same number of correlative slots, extending radially through the flanges and evenly spaced at a desired circular pitch. The draw wheels are positioned relative to one another so that correlative slots face oneanother or match while they are rotating with the Wheels through an abutting alignment in the bight of the draw wheels to provide successive paths through the flanges. The successive paths provided by successive pairs of abutting correlative slots aligned in a matching relationship in the bight of the draw wheels are substantially perpendicular to a common tangent line through the bight between the draw Wheels. This permits a cooperating knife blade cutting means, which extends radially from a rotating cutterhead member, to pass through the flanges to sever tow into staple lengths while in the bight of the draw wheels. At least one andadvantageously a plurality of knife blades are employed for the cutting means. Rota tion of the cutterhead member on which the cutting means is mounted is synchronized with the movement .of the draw wheels to successively pass one or a plurality of the knife blades comprising thecutting means through spaced correlative matching'slots in the draw wheel flanges as they are successively passed through abutting, aligned positions in thebight of the draw wheels.

The axis about which the cutterhead member rotates, advantageously, is tilted at an angle 'relativei'to the common tangent line between the draw wheels; Cutting means mounted" in the cutterhead member are rotated in an orbit which lies in a plane disposed at an angle to the plane passing substantially parallel to and through the matching slots in the bight of the draw wheels; The plane passing parallel to and through abutting correlative slots" in matching position in the bight of the draw wheel flanges is normal to the tangent line between the-draw wheels. The synchronized speed of rotation of the cutting means and its orbit angle are correlated to the peripheral spacing of the slots in the draw wheel flanges andto the rotational rate of the draw wheels toimpart movement to the cutting means with respect to-the tangent line between thebight of the draw wheels whichis substantially identical in velocity in the bight of the draw Wheels to the'drawof the tow. This allows the cutting means to effect a substantially square cut by completely severing all the filaments in the tow through" the same substantially-perpendicular plane, or at thesame right angle, tothe tow across the breadth, or-fi'at dimension of the tow. A clean, uniform cutting-action isthereby elfected.

It is desiI-able for the axis about which the cutting means is "rotated to be adjustably tiltable relative to the tangent l-ine between the draw wheels-at about a pi'vot point located on a line passing through the plane of rotation of the cutting means and intersectingthe tangent line and th'e'center of'rotation of the cutting-means. This allow's for the movement of the cuttingmean-s alon-g the tangent line to be coincided with differing synchronized rotationalrates which maybe necessitated when employ"- ing draw wheels: having differing numbers of slots: which alterssthe circular pitch of the slots on the draw=wheel"s.

Advantageously the knife blades= comprisingthe cuttingtmeansare mounte'ds in the cutterhead'in an adjustably revolvable manner about: their radially extending axis-.:...Being; thus mounted the cutting means can be moved to ac fixed positionwherein they lieflatly'disposed during rotation, at" an angle relative to their'orbital plane; to pass substantially-parallel through the path provided by matching slots aligned in the bight ofxthe draw wheels. All of. the threads orfilaments in tlrewtcwvvazre thus-substantially perpendicularly severed by-thecuttin-g means. without appreciable bias at substantially-a right angle..

Disposition of the cutting: means so as; topass isub'a stant-ially parallel through the slots durin-gzrotationzpermits relatively narrow slots to be employed. More narrow slots provide for a greater tow engaging surface on'the draw wheel flanges. This minimizes the .unengagedfoverhang. of the towacross the slots in the bight of the wheels. It is: ,easier to obtain a cleaner, moretuniform cut across a tow maintained under more. positive tensionwhilewit is being severed.

Further features :and advantages of apparatus for outting staplelin'accordance with the-present invention will be apparent in the following description and! theidrawing, in. which like reference numerals refer. to: like parts wherein: a

- Figure 1 is a-schematic perspective representationgof an improved-staple cutting apparatus in: accordancenwith the present invention; 1

Figures 2, 3 and 4 schematically illustrategthe cutting action obtained with the apparatus depicted in, Figure 1; Figure 5 is a rear elevation of an embodiment, of the present invention showingthe apparatus withits cover plate removed;

Figure 6 is a plan view, in section, taken -along", 6--6 in Figure 5;, p I

Figure 7 is an elevation, cut away andpartly in ec, tion; taken along'7'-'-7 in Figure 6 which showsthe rem 3 tionship in the illustrated embodiment between the cutting means mounted on the cutterhead assembly and the draw wheels;

Figure 8 is a side elevation, partly in section of the cutterhead assembly;

Figure 9 is an elevation of the knife blades which comprise the cutting means mounted in the cutterhead mem- 'ber;

Figure 10 is a plan view of Figure 9 with the cap removed;

Figure 11 is a plan view, partly in section, of a means for mounting the knife blades in the cutterhead member to be rotatably adjustable about their longitudinal extending axis;

Figure 12 is an elevation of the cutterhead member, in section, taken along 1212 in Figure 10; and

Figure 13 is another elevation of the cutterhead member, in section, taken along 13-13 in Figure 11;

With reference to Figure 1, a pair of opposed, cooperating draw wheels 31 and 38 are mounted for rotation on shafts 21 and 29. Each of the draw wheels 31 and 38 which may be of any desired diameter, is provided with rim- like flanges 33 and 40 concentrically positioned about the axes of rotation of the shafts 21 and 29. The wheels 31 and 38 are adapted to draw a tow of textile fibers through their bight between the flanges 33 and 40. The flanges 33 and 40 are provided with the same number of open ended, correlative slots 37, evenly peripherally spaced and extending radially through the flanges from the center of the draw wheels 31 and 38. During rotation of the draw wheels 31 and 38, correlative slots 37 on each of the flanges 33 and 40, meet as successive pairs in abutting alignment at the tangent point or bight of the wheels. In this matching position the slots provide successive open paths through the flanges which are substantially perpendicular to a tangent line in the bight between the draw wheels 31 and 38. A cooperating rotating cutting means, comprising a plurality of knife blades 93, mounted on a cutterhead member 65, is rotated by a shaft 66 about an axis which is adjustably tiltable relative to the common tangent line between the bight of the draw wheels about a pivot point on the tangent line which is fixed at the point of intersection of a line through the plane of rotation, which also intersects the axis of rotation, of the cutting means. The cutting means is synchronized with rotation of the draw wheels to suecessively pass through matching pairs of slots 37 in the draw wheel flanges 33 and 40 as the slots, being rotated with the draw wheels, match in abutting alignment in the bight of the draw wheels.

The tilt of the shaft 66 is predeterminedly set to impart a movement to the rotating knife blades 93 with respect to the tangent line between the draw wheels 31 and 38 which is substantially identical in velocity in the bight of the draw wheels to that of the tow. The cutting means thus move, while the tow is being severed, at about the same rate as the tow along the tangent line between the draw wheels. The proper tilt of the shaft for effecting this is a function of the circular pitch or peripheral spacing of the slots on the draw wheels which governs the synchronized rotational rate of the cutting means at any given rotational rate of the draw wheels. The knife blades 93 are disposed in the cutterhead member 65 to pass substantially parallel through successive pairs of abutting correlative slots 37 on the flanges 33 and 40 while the slots are aligned in matching positions in the bight of the draw wheels 31 and 38 to substantially perpendicularly sever a moving tow or the like.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 schematically illustrative the pro gression of a knife blade 93 through a pair of the correlative slots 37 being rotated with the draw wheels 31 and 38, as indicated by the directional arrows, through a matching position in the bight of the draw wheels to sever a tow 120 into staple lengths 121 as the tow is drawn between the draw wheels. In Figure 2, the knife blade 93 is shown while approaching the slotted draw wheel flange 33 at a synchronized rate along a path, indicated by a broken line, while the pair of correlative slots through which the cutting means will pass, designated in the drawing by the letter P, are being rotated into a matching position wherein they are abuttingly aligned in the bight of the draw wheels. The knife blade 93, as it closely approaches the bight of the draw wheels to sever the tow 120, moves at a substantially identical velocity with the tow along the tangent line between the draw wheels due to its being rotated about its tilted axis through an orbit which lies in a plane which is angularly displaced from the plane which passes substantially parallel to and through aligned slots in matching position in the bight of the draw wheels and is normal to the common tangent line between the draw wheels. The knife blade 93 is adjusted to a fixed position about its longitudinal mounting axis wherein it passes substantially parallel to the center-line of the pair of matched slots P in the flanges when they are aligned in the bight of the draw wheels. The tow is thus substantially perpendicularly severed, as depicted in Figure 3.

In Figure 4, the knife blade 93 is shown after clearing the slotted draw wheel flange 40 with the pair of correlative slots P, through which it has passed, having already been rotated with the draw wheels out of alignment from a matching position in the bight of the draw wheels. A subsequent staple length of the tow 120 is shown being drawn between the draw wheels 31 and 38 for cutting into staple by successive knife blades which pass through successive pairs of slots in the flanges as they are rotated through alignment in matching positions in the bight of the draw wheels.

Referring to the more specific embodiment of the invention illustratedin Figures 5, 6 and 7, a base 14 is provided for the apparatus having thereon a mounting frame 15 and a support wall 17 for housing moving parts. A cover plate 16 encloses the frame 15. A protective cowling 18 is provided about the apparatus. The substantially congruent, flanged, slotted draw wheels 31 and 38 are mounted respectively on drilled and tapped ends of shafts 21 and 29 and are secured thereto by bolts 32 and 39. If desired, other suitable mounting means may be employed. The shaft 21, provided with a retainer ring 22, is driven by suitable means (not shown) which may be coupled to the shaft at its extended end portion. The shaft 21 is housed in the frame 15 and is supported in bearings 23. It extends into and rotates in a flexible spindle 25 which rides in an elongate supporting aperture 19 in the wall 17.

The flexible spindle 25 cooperates with a flexible coupling 24, provided in the shaft 21 to render the draw wheel 31 laterally yieldable to slubs or other unevenness in the tow 120 or the like so that they may pass between the draw wheels 31 and 38 without jamming or clogging. The flexible spindle 25 may be hinged to, or slideably mounted upon, the base 14 or other support by any suitable means (not shown) for support during laterally yielding movements of the draw wheel 31.

A damping device 27, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder and the like, or other suitable damping means, is connected to the flexible spindle 25 through a shaft 26. The damping device 27 minimizes vibrations and/ or chatter in the draw wheels 31 and 38 during rotation while maintaining a suitable draw wheel pressure for nipping the tow 120 in the bight of the draw wheels 31 and 38.

A spur gear 20 on the shaft 21 engages a mating ring gear 28 on the shaft 29 to rotate the opposed, cooperating draw wheel 38 at the same rate in an opposite direction from the draw Wheel 31. The tow 120, engaged in the bight of the draw wheels 31 and 38, is thus drawn between the slotted flanges 33 and 40 at a desired linear rate dependent upon the rotational rate employed for the draw Wheels. The shaft 29 rotates in a fixed spindle 30, mounted between the frame 15 and the wa1l 17, and in bearings 23 housed in the frame 15 and wall 17.

Eachof the rim-like slotted flanges 33 and 40 about the draw wheels 31 and 38 respectively is comprised of the same desired plurality of flange teeth 34 to efiect a desired clrcular slot pitch along the circumferences or peripheries of the wheels. The flange teeth 34 form the tow engaging periphery of the flanges. They are suitably spaced to provide the slots 37 in the flanges. The number of slots to be employed on draw wheels of a given diameter depends on the unit or basic length of stapledesired to be cut. A longer unit length staple is produced withdraw wheels having fewer teeth of relatively wider proportions which result in a greater circular pitch or peripheral spacing for adjacent slots on the flanges.

Advantageously, each of the flange teeth 34 is removably mounted on the draw wheels by screws 35 or other means. This permits the ready replacement of all or portions of the flange. There is no requirement in the event of damage to replace or repair an entire draw wheel. Further, the same flange teeth may thus be employed for different slot arrangements which may be effected by utilizing a different pair of draw wheels. Each of the flange teeth 34 is also advantageously provided with a resilient covering 36 of rubber or like material to facilitate better tow gripping during drawing and to prevent serious damage to the cutting means in the event that their synchronized passage through the slots becomes imperfect for one reason or another.

Synchronized cutting means, in a cooperating, adjustably tiltable cutterhead assembly, indicated generally by reference numeral 63, are provided to pass through the slotted flanges 33 and 40 when the pairs of correlative slots 37 are rotated with the draw wheels 31 and 38 through alignment in an abutting matching position in the bight of the draw wheels. The cutterhead assembly 63 is surrounded by a protective sheet metal well 64. The cutting means, mounted in a turret-like cutterhead member 65, preferably are comprised of a plurality of equispaced, radially extending knife blades 93. If desired, however, only a single knife blade may 'be' employed as the cutting means.

The cutterhead assembly 63, which is also shown in greater detail in Figure 8, is adjustably tiltable at an angle relative to the tangent line between the draw wheels about a trunnion 81 journaled in the frame 15. The trunnion 81 is centered on, or about on, a line passing through the plane of rotation of the cutting means which intersects the common tangent line between the draw Wheels and the center of rotation of the cutting means. Tilting of the cutterhead assembly 63 changes the angulation of the plane of the orbit through which the cutting means rotates to impart to the cutting means, during a synchronized rate of rotation, a substantially identical rate of movement as a tow being drawn in the bight of the draw wheels along the common tangent line. A pivot gear 44 held on the trunnion 81 by bolts 82 tilts the cutterhead assembly 63 to the desired angulation. The pivot gear 44 is actuated by a worm 43 on a shaft 42 turned by a hand wheel 41. An indicator 45 registers the degree of tilt of the cutterhead assembly 63 relative to the tangent line between the draw wheels. The indicator 45 is comprised of a suitably calibrated dial face 49 upon which the desired tilt angle is indicated by a pointer 48 on a gear 47 moved by the worm 46 on the shaft 42. I

The cutterhead assembly 63 is driven through a drive sprocket 51mounted on the shaft 29 by a fastener 52. A predetermined desired rate of rotation is effected for the cutterhead assembly 63 with respect to the rate of rotation of the draw wheels to synchronize the passage of the cutting means through successive pairs of aligned slots 37 in matched positions in the bight of the draw wheels. A chain 53 around the drive sprocket 51 passes to a cutterhead sprocket 54 for driving the cutterhead assembly 63. A displaceable idler sprocket 56 is employed for adjusting the chain 53 whenever the degree of tilt of the cutterhead assembly is altered or if the drive sprocket 51 is replacedwith an alternate change sprocket 55 to effect a dilferent synchronized drive rate for the cutterhead assembly 63 as would be required when employing draw wheels having different slot arrangements for cutting staple of different basic unit lengths. The idler sprocket 56 is displaceably mounted on a vertically movable block 57 which is guided along a pair of rods 58 supported at their lower extremity in a lug 60 onthe base 14. The movablemounting block 57 for the idler sprocket 56 is engaged by a threaded shaft 59. Rotation of the shaft 59 by means of the handwheel 61 moves the sprocket 56 mounted on the block 57 to adjust the chain.

As shown in greater detail in Figure 8, the adjustably tiltable cutterhead assembly 63 consists ofa housing pivotable about the stud 81. The assembly may be locked in any tilted position by a nut tightened on a locking screw 84- which extends through the cutterhead housing 70 and an arcuate slot (not shown) in the frame 15 which is centered from the stud 81. Other means, of course, may also be employed for locking the cutterhead assembly 63 in a desired tilted position.

The lower extremity of the housing 70 is formed into a spindle 75 for the cutterhead drive shaft 74, set in bearings 77, upon which the driven sprocket 54 is mounted. A retainer ring 78 about the shaft 74 abuts the end bearings. A seal 76 encloses the spindle 75. Packing 79 may be employed about both ends of the shaft 74 in the spindle 75.

A bevel gear 73 on the shaft 74 drives a mating bevel gear 71 on the cutterhead shaft 66 to rotate the cutterhead member. 65 mounted thereon. The cutterhead shaft 66 is set in the spindle 69 through bearings 67. A retainer and seal 72- is employed about the shaft 66. The seal 72 also encloses the lower extremity of the spindle 69. Packing 79 is also employedaboutthe shaft 66.

As illustrated in Figures 9 through '13, the plurality of knife blades 93 which comprise the cutting means are mounted in the cutterhead: member 65 to be adjustably revolvable about their radially extending, longitudinal axes. The cutterhead member 65 is secured to the cutterhead shaft 66 by the'bolts 89 through apertures 90. Each of the knife blades 93 is part of aknife blade cartridge, indicated generally by the reference numeral 92. Each knife blade cartridge 92- is comprised of a cylindrical blade holder 94, encircled by a positioning shoulder or boss 95, in which the knife blades 93 are secured by bolts 97 in tapped apertures 96 extending through the cylindrical blade holders 94.

The knife blade cartridges 92 fit in recesses which are bored in the cutterhead member and are held in place by threaded cylindrical retaining rings 100 in tapped seats 101. Spanner wrench holes 102-in the retaining. rings 100 are provided to permit their proper location in. the seats 101 against the cartridge bosses 95 or for their removal when it is desired to extract a cartridge 92 from the cutterhead member 65. A'plurality of-locating pins 103, positioned eccentrically on the inner ends of each of the cylindrical blade holders 94,extend inwardly towards the center of the cutterhead member 65. The eccentrically positioned locating pins 103 engage an adjusting screw 105, threaded centrally in the cutterhead member 65, through the apertures 106 in the adjusting. screw. Movement of the adjusting screw by its hex head 107 revolves the knife blade cartridges 92- by the pins 103 to fix the knife blade cutting means 93 in a desired disposition about their radial, longitudinally extending axes until they are in the substantially parallel to the matched slot center-line position desired for passing throughpairs of correlative slots 37 when they are aligned in matching positions in the bight of the draw'wheels. A suitable locking means (not shown) maybe employed for'the adjusting screw 105.

Advantageously the cutting edges of the knife blades 93 are swept or tapered back from the cartridge 92, as illustrated, so that they perpendicularly sever the tow at a slight angle across its width or flat dimension when the knife blades are revolved in the cutterhead 65 to pass substantially parallel to the center-line passing through abutting, matched slots 37. In this way the heel of knife blade 93, which first contacts the tow, will lie above the tip in the plane of rotation when the tapered blade is longitudinally revolved to pass substantially parallel to the center-line passing through aligned slots. This serves to improve the quality of the width cut on the tow since the cutting edge of the tapered knife blade progressively drops while cutting across the width of the moving tow.

The knife blade adjustment is indicated on a scribed and numerated face 110 on the cutterhead 65. Preferably, the threads of the adjusting screw 105 are proportioned to revolve the knife blades 93 through an entire desired range of adjustment within a single turn. A pointer 109 attached to the adjusting screw 105 indicates the revolved position of the knife blades 93 on the face 110. A cap 87 is threaded on the cutterhead 65 to cover its face 110.

The extent to which the knife blades 93 must be revolved in the cutterhead to pass substantially parallel to the center-line passing through each pair of abutting, correlative slots aligned in matching positions in the bight of the draw wheels depends upon the tilt angle of the cutterhead assembly 63. This, as mentioned, varies with the peripheral slot spacing of the draw wheels at given synchronized rates of rotation for the draw wheels and the cutting means. On this basis, both the indicator 45 for showing the degree of tilt of the cutterhead assembly 63 and the face 110 on the cutterhead 65 showing the revolved disposition of the knife blades 93 may be similarly calibrated for setting the cutterhead assembly and the knife blades to desired positions correlated to diflering peripheral slot spacings on given diameter draw wheels. Or the calibration may be made directly to the number of slots occuring in various given diameter draw wheels which may be employed.

In operation, the rotation of the cutterhead member 65 is synchronized to successively pass each of the knife blades mounted thereon through successive pairs of correlative slots on the draw wheel flanges during their rotation through aligned and abutting matched positions in the bight of the draw wheels. A tow is thus severed in the bight of the draw wheels to produce staple having a unit length equivalent to the peripheral slot spacing in the draw wheels. The staple length can be varied with any given set of draw wheels in lengths which are multiples of the unit length being cut with Wheels having a given pheripheral slot spacing by synchronizing the knife blades to successively pass through alternate paired slots in the draw wheels or through every third pair, etc. This may be accomplished without changing the synchronized rotational rate of the cutting means relative to the draw wheels by removing alternate knife blades from the cutterhead member. For example, if six knife blades in the cutterhead are synchronized to successively pass through each adjacent pair of maching slots in the draw wheels, the cut length of the staple can readily be doubled without changing the peripheral slot spacing on the draw wheels or the relative rate of rotation of the cutterhead assembly by employing only three equispaced knife blades in the cutterhead. A staple length having three times the basic unit length obtainable with draw wheels having a given peripheral slot spacing can likewise be cut by employing only two equispaced knife blades in the cutterhead member, etc.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various lengths of staple can readily be produced by varying any combination of either the circular pitch of the slots on the draw wheels which determines their peripheral spacing, the synchronized rate of rotation of the cutting means relative to the driven rate of the draw wheels or the num- 8 her of knife blade cutting means employed at given synchronized rates of rotation.

Since certain changes, altered embodiments and modifications of apparatus in accordance with the present invention may readily be entered into and practiced with out substantially departing from the intended spirit and scope of the invention, it is to be fully understood that the foregoing specification and description be taken as merely illustrative and in no sense or manner should it be construed as limiting or restrictive of the invention as set forth and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for cutting moving lengths of textile fibers and like strandular material into the staple lengths; a pair of opposed cooperating wheels for drawing the standular material; rimlike flanges encircling each of said draw wheels; a like plurality of correlative slots in each of the flanges on said draw wheels; said slots when rotated into alignment in the bight of said draw wheels providing successive paths through said flanges substantially perpendicular to the common tangent line in said bight; a cooperating cutting means synchronized to successively pass substantially perpendicular to said tangent line through successive pairs of said correlative slots in said flanges while in the bight of said draw wheels, said cutting means mounted for rotation about an axis pivotally supported and tilted at an angle with respect to the common tangent line through the bight of the draw wheels and in a plane parallel to said draw wheels; adjustable means for varying the tilt of the axis in the said parallel plane about which said cutting means are rotated in accordance with changes in the spacing of the slots in the flanges, and said adjustable means being a pivotable support centered on a line through the plane of rotation of the cutting means and about intersecting the common tangent line between the draw wheels and the axis of rotation of said cutting means.

2. In an apparatus for cutting moving lengths of textile fibers and like strandular matertial into staple lengths; a pair of opposed cooperating wheels for drawing the strandular material; rim-like flanges encircling each of said draw wheels; a like plurality of open-ended, correlative slots through each of the flanges on said draw wheels; said slots when rotated into alignment in the bight of said draw wheels providing successive paths through said flanges substantially perpendicular to the common tangent line in said bight; a least one cooperating knife blade synchronized to successively pass through successive pairs of said correlative slots in said flanges while in the bight of said draw wheels, each knife blade being mounted for rotation through an orbit about a common axis pivotally supported and tilted at an angle with respect to the common tangent line through the bight of the draw wheels and in a plane parallel to said draw wheels; adjustable means for varying the tilt of the common axis in the said parallel plane about which each knife blade is rotated in accordance with changes in slot spacing in said slotted flanges; said adjustable means being a pivotal support for said cutting means centered on a line through the plane of rotation of said cutting means and about intersecting the common tangent line between the draw wheels and the axis of rotation of said cutting means; and means for revolving each knife blade about its longitudinal axis to a fixed position wherein it passes substantially parallel to and through the paths provided by correlative slots in the draw wheel flanges when said slots are aligned in the bight of the draw wheels.

3. In an apparatus for cutting moving lengths of textile fibers and like strandular material into staple lengths; a pair of opposed cooperating draw wheels; rim-like flanges encircling each of said draw wheels; drive means for rotating said draw wheels in opposite directions at the same rate to draw strandular material between said flanges in the bight of said draw wheels; a like plurality of open-ended, correlative slots through each 'of the flanges on said draw wheels; said slots when rotated into alignment in the bight of said draw wheels providing successive paths through said flanges which are substantially perpendicular to the common tangent line in said bight; at least one cooperating knife blade held in a cutterhead member; said cutterhead member being rotatably mounted on a pivotally supported axis tilted at an angle in the direction of passing strandular material and with respect to the common tangent line between the draw wheels and in a plane parallel to said draw wheels; drive means for rotating said cutterhead member synchronized with said draw wheel drive means and driven thereby to rotate each knife blade held in said cutterhead member in an orbit to pass successively through successive pairs of said correlative slots in said flanges in the bight of said draw wheels; adjustable means for pivotally varying the tilt of said cutterhead axis; said adjustable means being a pivotable support 10 for mounting the cutterhead member centered on a line through the plane of rotation of said cutting means and substantially intersecting the common tangent line between the draw wheels and the center of rotation of said cutting means; and means in said cutterhead member for simultaneously revolving each knife blade held therein to a fixed position about its longitudinal axis wherein it passes substantially parallel to and through the paths provided by correlative slots in the draw wheel flanges when said slots are aligned in the bight of the draw wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 737,430 Lyon Aug. 25, 1903 745,965 Lyon Dec. 1, 1903 1,880,031 Ashman Sept. 27, 1932 2,184,452 Grunnert Dec. 26, 1939 2,205,036 Hamel June 18, 1940 2,587,732 Iaeger Mar. 4, 1952

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