the apparatus according to the invention essentially consists of a sausage tube constrictor generally denoted by reference numeral 1 having an inlet opening 11 ; a pair of opposed , parallelly extending , spaced belt conveyors 2 , means 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 for controlled driving of the pair of belt conveyors 2 , and means 5 , 12 for relative , lateral displacement of the conveyors 2 . the constrictor 1 comprises a pair of opposed plates 15 , 16 each having an oblong aperture 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ; tapering in opposite directions . the plates are relatively laterally slidable in opposite directions between an offset position in which their apertures 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ; form a substantially circular tube inlet opening of maximum area therethrough as shown in fig3 ( a ) and an aligned position in which their apertures form a tube constriction of minimum area as shown in fig3 ( b ). the means for driving the conveyors 2 include a power cylinder 7 , preferably a pneumatic cylinder , the piston rod of which through an intermediary member 18 is connected to an endless chain 8 running between two sprockets 9 , 19 one , 9 , of which is intermittently connected to a further sprocket 20 via a one way clutch ( not shown ) which is engaged during the inward stroke of the cylinder 7 piston rod and disengaged during the outward stroke thereof . the sprocket 20 carries a second endless chain 10 operatively connected to a sprocket 22 of each of the conveyors 2 as shown in fig2 to move the latter synchronously via splined drive shafts 6 and correspondingly internally splined drive rolls 14 with the facing belt parts of the conveyors moving in the same direction as indicated with arrows in fig2 . each conveyor 2 has a rack 5 secured to a side thereof and extending perpendicularly thereto in the same direction as appearing from fig4 ( a )- 4 ( d ). a pinion 12 meshing with the two racks 5 at diametrically opposite positions and driven by a suitable means such as a torque cylinder ( not shown ) provides for relative lateral displacement of the two conveyors 2 in opposite directions , sliding on the splined drive shafts 6 . starting with the piston rod of the power cylinder 7 in an extended end position the continuous tube 3 filled with forcemeat and closed at each end thereof is inserted through the inlet opening 11 of the constrictor 1 , the slide plates 15 . 16 of the latter being in their extended positions as shown in fig3 ( a ) where their apertures 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ; form a maximum through - opening , and in between the spaced , facing belts of the pair of conveyors 2 . the power cylinder 7 is then caused to contract , moving its piston rod to the right as seen in fig2 to urge the lower part of the chain 8 in the same direction via intermediary member 18 , thereby rotating the sprocket 9 and consequently , via the engaged one way clutch , the sprocket 20 in an counter - clockwise direction as indicated in fig2 . such movement of the sprocket 20 causes the chain 10 to drive the pair of conveyors 2 as explained above , pulling sausage tube 3 along between them . at a preselected position of its inward stroke the piston rod of the cylinder 7 activates an end switch 13 which causes the cylinder 7 to reverse the direction of movement of its piston rod and thus of the chain 8 and sprocket 9 . sprocket 20 , however , owing to the one way clutch as mentioned above being disengaged , is not moving during this outward stroke of the piston rod and therefore the pair of conveyors 2 is inactive during the expanding mode of the cylinder 7 . in addition to reversing the direction of the cylinder 7 piston rod the end switch 13 also activates means ( not shown ) contracting the two slide plates 15 , 16 relative to one another to constrict and pinch the continuous sausage tube 3 in the reduced opening now formed by the apertures 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ;. then the pinion 12 is rotated in a clockwise direction as indicated in fig4 ( b ), causing a relative lateral displacement of the two conveyors 2 in opposite , reversed directions until they reach the relative positions shown in fig4 ( c ), opposite of those shown in fig4 ( a ). such relative displacement of the two conveyors 2 subjects the length of sausage tube 3 that was pulled in between the conveyors 2 during the expanding mode of the cylinder 7 to a rolling movement about its longitudinal axis resulting in a thorough twisting of the end of that tube length pinched in the constrictor 1 to form a completed individual sausage . by now the piston rod of the cylinder 7 has returned to its extended start position in which the end switch 13 ( or some other end switch ) is again activated to reverse the direction of movement of the piston rod and open the constrictor 1 to allow the pair of conveyors 2 now driven by the cylinder 7 via the engaged one way clutch to pull in a further length of sausage tube 3 while the preceding first sausage emerges from the conveyor pair . end switch 13 is again activated to stop and reverse the piston rod inward stroke and close constrictor 1 . pinion 12 is again caused to rotate , but now in a counter - clockwise direction as indicated in fig4 ( d ) to move the conveyors 2 relative to one another in reversed directions to roll and twist the length of sausage tube 3 between them in a direction opposite to the preceding direction until they reassume their initial positions shown in fig4 ( a ). then the above described cycle of the apparatus repeats itself to produce a continuous string of individual sausages 4 as shown in fig1 interconnected by oppositely twisted intervals . the length of each individual sausage thus produced is determined by the position of the end switch 13 controlling the stroke of the piston rod of the power cylinder 7 . thus such sausage length can be varied during standstill as well as during operation of the apparatus , simply by changing the position of the end switch 13 along the axis of the conveyor drive cylinder 7 .
an apparatus for twisting a continuous , filled tube of membranous tissue into a string of sausages , includes a pair of parallelly opposed , spaced belt conveyors for pulling in a length of the continuous tube longitudinally therebetween , a constrictor for constricting and pinching such length of tube at an end thereof , structure for relative lateral displacement of the belt conveyors to roll the length of tube therebetween about its longitudinal axis , thereby twisting the tube length end adjacent the constrictor , and device for driving the belt conveyors .