Abstract:
The invention relates to a method and a device for obtaining the continuity of the uniformity of the structure and density of a stream of transported loose material, particularly organic plant material, and particularly tobacco material. According to the inventive method, a previously loosened material is compacted during transportation between conveyors, then, the compacted material is comminuted to a form suitable for further processing, and at least one intermediate element, preferably a bracket (5, 6), and thereby also the stream of the compacted material, is vibrated directly before the comminution process. A device according to the invention comprises at least one intermediate vibrating element, preferably this being at least one bracket (5, 6), located transversely to the direction of motion of the material.
Abstract:
A device for transporting and compacting comminuted materials, particularly organic plant materials, comprises belt conveyors, located convergently to each other. Transporting and compacting carriers are made from a material accepted for contact with food products, particularly with tobacco material. According to the invention, both belt conveyors, situated at an angle (α, β), respectively, relative to the horizontal direction, are equipped with uniform, continuous and endless belts. Elements increasing the adhesion and preventing sliding between the driving rollers and the surface of the belt are located on the inner surface of the belts of both conveyors, i.e., on the side, facing the driving rollers, while elements increasing the adhesion, preventing sliding between the belt and the transported material, are located on the external surface of the belt.
Abstract:
Each tobacco compacting chain of a tobacco shredding machine has several rows of block-shaped synthetic plastic links which are articulately connected to each other by transversely extending metallic pins receiving motion directly from the teeth of several coaxial sprocket wheels. The links form several endless rows, one for each sprocket wheel, and the links of neighboring rows are staggered relative to each other. Each pin extends through a pair of coaxial annular bearing elements at the inner side of one link in each of the rows and the end portions of the pins carry caps which are held thereon by screws and serve to hold the links against movement in the longitudinal direction of the respective pins.
Abstract:
A tobacco shredding machine wherein an upright duct delivers particles of tobacco to the rear portion of a channel wherein the particles are converted into a continuous cake whose front end is severed by a set of orbiting knives. The lower rear portion of the duct contains a deflecting conveyor which diverts the oncoming tobacco particles from a vertical path into a horizontal path and drives the oncoming particles at a speed which is a multiple of the speed of tobacco compacting conveyors flanking the channel. The speed of the deflecting conveyor is changed in response to changes in the height of the opening between the stationary and movable sections of a mouthpiece through which the cake passes on its way into the range of the oribiting knives. This ensures that the height of the opening reassumes its normal value without changing the speed of the compacting conveyors. The deflecting conveyor is installed in a support which is removably insertable between the side walls of the duct.
Abstract:
The channel between the convergent tobacco compacting upper and lower chain conveyors of a tobacco shredding machine receives particles of tobacco from one or more vibrating troughs which define paths extending in parallelism with the direction of travel of particles between the chain conveyors toward the cutting station. The troughs can have stepped bottom walls to effect preliminary homogenization and compacting of particles on their way toward the rear portion of the lower conveyor which extends rearwardly beyond the upper conveyor. The quantity of tobacco particles in one or more troughs is monitored by photocells whose signals are utilized to vary the speed of the motor for the chain conveyors, the frequency and/or amplitude of vibratory movements of the trough or troughs and/or the rate of feed of particles to the trough or troughs when the monitored quantity deviates from a desirable range of quantities. The front portion of each trough can be vibrated in such a way that it performs recurrent movements having predominantly vertical components, and the rear portion of each trough can be vibrated to perform recurrent movements having predominantly horizontal components. This is achieved by mounting the front portion on leaf springs which make with the bottom wall of the respective trough a relatively small acute angle, and by mounting the rear portion on leaf springs which make with the bottom wall a relatively large acute angle.
Abstract:
A link chain which transports and compacts tobacco leaves in a tobacco shredding apparatus has a succession of neighboring metallic links each of which has a trailing end provided with a cylindrical male coupling portion extending into and turnable in a complementary socket at the leading end of the next-following link. The socket is formed at the inner side and the coupling portion is at the outer side of the respective link. Each outer side has a convex cylindrical surface at its front end, and such surface slides along a complementary concave cylindrical surface at the rear end of the outer side of the preceding link. Each link is further formed with a scraping edge which cleans the convex cylindrical surface of the next-following link. The convex cylindrical surface of each link bounds a portion of a recess which is formed in the outer side and is adjacent to the coupling portion of the respective link. The outer side is fluted to enhance the transport of tobacco leaves into the range of a comminuting device, and the inner side has a pair of protuberances bounding the respective socket and a tooth space which is disposed between the socket and the coupling portion.
Abstract:
A tobacco shredding machine receives tobacco to be comminuted at such a rate that the weight of quantities delivered during successive identical unit periods of time is always the same. This enables the shredding machine to turn out shredded tobacco at a constant rate. The feeding unit which supplies tobacco to the shredding machine employs a weighing device which can weigh batches of tobacco or embodies a belt conveyor, a metering device which can operate intermittently or continuously and delivers tobacco to the weighing device, and a transporting device which transports tobacco from the weighing device to the shredding machine.
Abstract:
In a process for obtaining from tobacco leaves fragments of substantially constant shape and more particularly the shape of a quadrilateral having parallel opposite sides, wherein the leaves are subjected to a cutting operation along parallel and equidistant cutting lines, the fragments obtained are subjected to an orientation operation so that the cutting lines should assume a first given direction and the fragments which are thus oriented are caused to undergo a recutting operation along equidistant recutting lines which are parallel to a second given direction, the step of separating from all the oriented fragments which are caused to undergo the recutting operation all those fragments whose projection on a line at right angles to said second direction is smaller in length than the distance between said recutting lines.