Zellweger Uster, Inc.

David B Patelke

Joseph C Baldwin

Christopher K Shofner

Mark G Townes

Youe-T Chu

Frederick M Shofner

Hossein M Ghorashi

Michael E Galyon

Gordon F Williams

Fred M Shofner

A nep separator and detector for presenting a fiber sample having fibers, neps, and trash. A toothed rotating cylinder receives the fiber sample at a fiber sample receiving point, and impacts and propels at least a portion of the trash and neps along an ejection path. An air curtain is directed toward and passes across a portion of the toothed surface of the rotating cylinder, at a location rotationally after the fiber sample is received by the toothed rotating cylinder. The air curtain crosses and is oriented transverse to the ejection path, and draws at least a portion of the neps out of the ejection path and onto the surface of the toothed cylinder as it rotates. The trash propelled by impact with the toothed rotating cylinder has sufficient momentum to pass through the air curtain along the ejection path. A dead air space is positioned in the ejection path and disposed adjacent the air curtain and across the air curtain from the fiber sample receiving point. The trash propelled by the toothed rotating cylinder passes through the dead air space. A nep air stream draws the neps on the surface of the toothed cylinder off the surface of the toothed cylinder at a nep release point, and the neps are entrained in the nep air stream. A sensor detects the neps entrained in the nep air stream, and produces a nep detection signal upon the occurrence of each detection of a nep. An output receives the nep detection signals produced by the sensor and produces output signals corresponding to the nep detection signals.

Air curtain nep separation and detection

An apparatus for testing fibers includes a single fiber preparation and separation device for separating fibers from a sample of multiple fibers and producing an output of single fibers. A fiber transport means, preferably an air conduit, receives the single fibers and transports them to a removed location where at least one fiber is sampled from the transport means. In the preferred embodiment, the sampler is a hook that is inserted into, and removed from, an air conduit to hook and remove single fibers carried in a stream of air inside the air conduit. A testing apparatus associated with the sampler then determines at least one characteristic of the sampled fiber, such as strength, tension as a function of elongation, or cross sectional characteristics.

Apparatus and methods for testing tension-elongation or cross-sectional

A fiber testing apparatus includes two support members for holding a fiber and a positioning mechanism to facilitate placement of the fiber into engagement with the support members. A translation apparatus moves the two support members apart while a monitor records at least one characteristic of the fiber as it is tensioned. In one embodiment, the two support members are first and second clamps and the positioning apparatus includes first and second suctions oriented to draw the fiber in opposite directions and place the fiber in a substantially linear configuration adjacent to both clamps. In another embodiment, a hook and clamp configuration is utilized, and in yet another embodiment a vacuum groove is employed to facilitate positioning of the fiber.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

David B Patelke