Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01G—PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF FIBRES, e.g. FOR SPINNING
  • D01G23/00—Feeding fibres to machines; Conveying fibres between machines
  • D01G23/08—Air draught or like pneumatic arrangements
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01G—PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF FIBRES, e.g. FOR SPINNING
  • D01G25/00—Lap-forming devices not integral with machines specified above
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
  • D04H1/425—Cellulose series
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
  • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged
  • D04H1/732—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged by fluid current, e.g. air-lay
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
  • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged
  • D04H1/736—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged characterised by the apparatus for arranging fibres
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
  • D04H1/74—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being orientated, e.g. in parallel (anisotropic fleeces)

Definitions

• This invention relates to an apparatus which will uniformly distribute individually deliberated cellulose or textile staple fibers so that they can be formed into a substrate or web or incorporated into another non-woven web of fibers.
• non-woven webs emanate from the textile industry as a result of taking a very old process such as carding, and combing the textile fibers into a wide web of loose fibers after which they are bonded either chemically or thermally into a consolidated substrate or web.
• the distribution of these fibers is done mechanically through a series of combing steps in which saw toothed clothed rolls work the fibers into individual strands from clumps and spreads them in the process to form a web.
• These types of processes lend themselves primarily to textile staple fibers that have fiber lengths of 1 to 2 inches.
• Kimberly Clark also developed another forming process that is described in then- US Patent 4,100,324 in which defibrated cellulose pulp is air formed into a molten microfiber meltblown polypropylene stream to form an air laid web without the use of chemical binders.
• the process described uses the defibrator as the method of conveying the fibers in an air stream into the polypropylene matrix. It is handicapped by the fact that it is a combination defibrator and air former which does neither function well. It is a highly mechanical device which limits the width of the machine based on the width of the defibrator which must span the entire width of the former. The critical speed of the defibrating rotor is the limiter on this property limiting the width typically to below two meters.
• This invention is for a device to air lay cellulose, textile staple fibers and blends thereof by taking these fibers from an air transported duct and spreading them uniformly so that they can be air laid into a forming zone and consolidated into a fibrous web.
• This device is aerodynamically designed and has no moving parts making it an elegantly simple and effective forming device compared to prior art.
• FIG #1 illustrates the tapered cross sectional profile of the forming funnel with its decreasing width to maintain and/or accelerate the fibers and air flows through the unit.
• FIG #2 illustrates a view of the forming funnel with its three primary components, the insertion of fiber, the spreading of the air and fiber flow and the angled piece for control of the cross machine basis weight profile prior to conveyance into the forming zone.
• FIG #3 illustrates a tandem construction of two fiber forming modules with the unitary angled piece.
• FIG #4 illustrates the cross section of the angle unit discharge piece with the adjustment plate and screws which are used to control the cross machine basis weight profile of the fiber prior to conveyance to the forming zone.
• FIG #5 illustrates the air flow profiles at the outlet of the angled discharge section.
• FIG #6 illustrates the layout of the fiber forming in relation to the forming zone.
• This invention simplifies what has been attempted before in a very elegant aerodynamic execution of a device which not only distributes the fibers uniformly in the cross machine direction, but also allows them to be formed into a web.
• a forming zone on most air laid machines is a foraminous screen supported over a vacuum table to consolidate the individual fibers into a web.
• Other forming zones are rotary vacuum drums or condensers into which the air is blown into and the fibers are matted into a web on its surface later to be transferred to another process operation.
• Other forming zones are composed by air conveying the individual cellulose fibers into a curtain of molten polymeric fibers as they are extruded from the die and later consolidated in a blended form onto a forming screen.
• Figure # 6 shows a typical installation of this device, items 60 and 70, with in association with a forming zone comprised of a forming vacuum box with a foraminous forming screen item 90, as well as a meltblown extrusion die identified by item 80.
• Fibers or particles because they are denser and consequently heavier than air, tend to follow their own trajectories due to the iso-kinetic forces exhibited in the air stream. Therefore, it is imperative that air forming devices be designed to accommodate not only for the air characteristics required, but also accommodate the ability to uniformly convey and distribute particles or fibers in the cross direction, especially when a substrate or web is to be formed from the device.
• Fibers, especially cellulose fluff fibers need to be well defibrated into individual fibers. This process is well understood in the industry, with several successful designs currently in the market place. Companies like Kamas, M&J, and Famecannica have developed devices to defibrate pulp into individual fibers for many years now. The biggest use of these fibers is in absorbent cores for disposable products such as baby diapers and feminine care sanitary products. Fibers from such devices can then be conveyed by air to their final fluff forming devices.
• the present invention uses sound engineering principles in achieving this goal.
• the critical parameter of this invention is to take fibers from a circular duct and spread them to widths of approximately 1.5 to 3.2 meters or greater uniformly.
• Figure # 1 shows the device which accomplishes this goal. It is a funnel like device which is fed by a round duct conveying fibers in an air stream.
• Figure # 4 shows the air profiles that are achieved applying these techniques to the forming device. This data was obtained from an unmodified discharge nozzle profile. It can be basically made flat when the profile control system shown in Figure # 5 is implemented.
• the second key parameter is to have the fiber velocities which are equivalent to the air velocities of the conveying air stream be dissipated so that the iso-kinetic energy of the fiber is greatly reduced as it enters the spreading device.
• This is accomplished by the geometry of item 50 of Figure # 2, which shows the round duct entering the funnel at an angle, thus having the fibers hit the far wall of the spreading device. In this manner the velocity of the fibers and the momentum of the fibers are dissipated. This allows the fibers then to be re-aligned with the airflow profiles that will be developed by the geometries used in the design of the spreading device.
• the fibers would have the tendency to stay in the center of the device creating a heavier center on the substrate formed.
• the angle of the circular duct can vary, as long as the fiber velocity is dissipated as they strike the back wall of the spreading and forming device.
• Other means of conveying the fibers to the entrance of the forming device can be contemplated so that the velocities of the individual fibers align themselves with the velocities of the air stream.
• the third key element of this invention is the ability to control the discharge of the fibers onto a foraminous forming screen or onto another fiber stream in order for the fibers to blend with these fibers forming a web.
• Item 60 in Figure # 2 shows a device which is used at the discharge end of the spreading device to turn the fibers in the proper direction.
• the figure shows a nozzle with 90° turn.
• This angle is adjustable and can be adjusted to be whatever the application requires it to be.
• Another method that can be used to adjust for the angle is to tilt the spreading and forming device to that angle which is also required for proper web forming.
• FIG. 3 shows the advantage of this design by showing two side to side formers.
• the number of formers that can be combined in the cross machine direction making it possible to achieve widths of five meters or more.
• the ideal width of the formers are in the range of 1 to 1.5 meters.
• the discharge portion, item 60 in the figures shown is a continuous piece. In this manner, the fibers are air conveyed in a uniform cross direction manner to the forming zone without any separation as a result of the separate conveying runnels.
• the discharge section as is shown in Figure # 5, item 60, has an adjustable bottom plate, item 61, which can be constricted in opening by adjustable screws to influence the trajectory of both the fiber and air stream. This added control system will guarantee a uniform profile of fibers into the forming zone.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (2)

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Citations (3)

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• 2007
  • 2007-08-17 EP EP07811414A patent/EP2191047A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-08-17 WO PCT/US2007/018334 patent/WO2009025636A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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