US1600550A - Method of making plaster board - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 21 1926.

J. F. MAKOWSKI METHOD OF MAKING PLASTER BOARD Filed March 4, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 21 1926.

J. F. MAKOWSKI METHOD OF MAKING PLASTER BOARD 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Filed March 4,,

I N VEN TOR. cf. Ffmowski (3% .&A .&,SL

ATTORNEY Sept. 21 1926.

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR cf. FMaKoLI/KSR i Q 1mm ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21,1926. i 1,000,550

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. KAKOWSKI, OI STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO CALIFORNIA CEDAR 'PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA j un'rnon or MAKING ILASTER 130m.

Application filed 1mm 4, 1924. Serial No. 696,769.

This invention relatesto the plaster board machine is shown and described in my comaking art, the object of the mvention bepending application for patent, Serial No. ing to evolve a method whereby plaster 682,484 filed December 24th, 1923. board may be successfully made with the use The methodcan probably however be car- 6 of paper which is not treated to retard the ried out with other machines so I do not wish permeation of moisture. Due to the fact to be understood as limiting myself in that that it has heretofore been found somewhat re ard.

difficult to make plaster board from unreor a clear understanding of the method tarded paper a number of manufacturers I am showing in this application a brief out- 10 have adhered to the use of the treated paper line of the machine used at present to illusalthough there are numerous objectlonable trate how the several steps of the method features which develop in wall board made may be carried out.-

therefrom. Plaster board made from the A further object of the invention is to unretardedpaper however is free from these produce a simple and inexpensive device and objectionable features and also the use thereyet one which will be exceedin 1y effective 66 of reduces the cost of manufacture and I for the purposes for which it is esigned.

have therefore, after considerable experi- These objects I accomplish by means of ment, overcome the difficulties heretofore exsuch structure and relative arrangement ofperienced in the attempts to use the unreparts as will fully appear by a perusal of- 20 tarded paper and have evolved a method the following specification and claims. 70 whereby the same can be successively used in In the drawings similar characters of refthe manufacture of plaster board. erence indicate corresponding parts in the In order that my invention may be the several views:- more readily understood I Wlll first point Fig. 1 is a side. elevation, foreshortened out the reasons why it'is difficult to handle in places, of the complete'machine, showing the unretarded paper. The paper usually a board as being drawn over and onto a stack used is commonly known as chip board and of the same. it absorbs moisture very rapldly when not Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of treated to retard such absorption. The plasthe vertically movable apron and cutting ter board is made of considerable initial. lem nts, and the tru k carrying th vertilength and width so that as the moist uncally movable jaw or gripping means, showstable plaster is introduced between the paper ing the latter in position to engage the adthe weight is of considerable moment. jaeent end of th board,

The plaster board in its most unstable Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the condition must be pulled out as It is formed, apron structure, showing the movable (gutter to be laid fiat so as to allow the plaster t0 and the movable board-supporting surface h d d et. It. is this pulling operain position to co-act with said movable tion, when taken with the weight involved, tt r,

a which has been hard to accomplish With the Fig, 4 is a similar iew howing the, jaw

4 unretarded paper as the same becomes 1nraising operating mechanism, mounted on stantly moist and tender .from the moisture th t k, in the plastic mass and thus is easily torn, Fi 5 i f o t vi f th ro and buckled or scuffed. which renders the board tti t u tur s, 1 non-commercial. My method therefore 18 Fig. 6 is a similar view of the jaw strucdesigned to allow the board, as-formed f ture, the truck from which said structure deunretarded paper, to be pulled out and laid pends being omitted.

. flat for hardening and setting without any Referring now more particularly to the -of these deleterious efiects. characters of reference on the drawings the I have devised one eflicient machine for numerals 1 and 2 designate the board form- 50 carrying out my improved method, which ing rollers which are positively driven in any suitable manner (not shown) and which are spaced apart the desired distance to make the board of uniform thickness.

The numeral 3 designates one roll of paper positioned at a point below the rollers 1 and 2, and 4 designates the other roll of paper located at a point above the rollers l and 2.

In the manufacture of the plaster board the paper from the roll 3 is first advanced over a flat platform 5 at which point the moist unstable mass of plaster 6 is fed'thereon from the hopper 7.

The paper 3 with the plastic mass thereon then advances between the rollers l and 2,

and the paper from the roll 4 comes around the roller 2 and between the rollersl and 2. Thus the two sheets of paper are adhered by the rollers 1 and 2 to the plastic mass 6 at a uniform thickness, thus forming the plaster board 8 which will hereinafter, for the sake of brevity, be referred to as the board.

Positioned after the rollers 1 and 2 is a drag draper belt 9 driven by positively driven rollers 10 and 11.. This draper is slightly wider than the board 8 and of desired length to properly carry out its function in performing one step in my .new method. The rollers 10 and-11 are smaller than the rollers 1 and 2 but travel at the same R. P. M. for a purposeas. will presently appear.

The board 8 passing from between the rollers 1 and 2 is laid flat on the draper 9. The surface papers of the board being readily permeable by moisture, a portion of the moisture in the plastic mass between the sheets permeates to the outside of the sheets. Thus the moistened paper plus the weight of the board causes the board to have strong frictional surface contact with the drag draper 9, to pull the same through the rollers land 2.

The roller 4 is weighted by a strap 12 and weight 13 so as to have its movement retarded. The roller 2 is provided with a highly polished surface. Thus, unless the drag of the draper is on the board the roller 2 will slip within the paper similar to a. warping. drum and will not function to press the plastic mass between the papers except when the frictional drag of the draper is had thereagainst. This action prevents the pressure of the rollers 1 and 2 from tending to buckle the board in the area between the rollers and the drag draper as will be obvious.

The roller 2 is slightly larger in diameter than the rollers 10 and 11 but is drivenat the same R. P. M. Thus the tensile stretch or pull on the paper as it leaves the rollers 1 and 2 is eased sufiiciently to prevent tearing, while atthe same time bucklingis prevented by the warping action described above.

. From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the only drag imparted to the board during its formation Wlll be that of the draper 9, while the pushing action of the roller 2 is such as to ease this drag to the proper degree to revent tearing. The pull on the papers 0 the board will therefore be uniform over the entire surface area of the board so that no one oint will be subjected to greater tearing, uckling or breaking strain than any other. Qonsequentl no tearing, breaking, buck- 1mg or scu ng will occur in the formation of the board. Therefore the tender, unre tarded and readily moistened paper can be handled with the greatest ease.

The board having thus been formed without any disastrous effects, the next problem I is to be able to stack it for hardening and setting, prior to drying same, which operation must of course be also accomplished. I

without tearing, board.

The real drag on the board is incurred in the initial formation thereof as already, described. To stack requires only that its own weight must be sustained and carried along over the stack. This however is considerable and the same cannot be successively carried out by hand, since the sheet of board to be stacked is still limber and scuffing or buckling the under the hand method of stacking will sagdown and drag on the top of the top sheet of the stack and get torn and scuffed by such dragging contact. a

It becomes necessary therefore .to carry the sheet of board over the stack in a constantly suspended position with the contact between the sheet to be piled and the top sheet of the pile as light as possible to prevent scufling, and yet just enough to prevent the board from sagging to the breaking point. This I accomplish inthe following manner:

As the board 8 leaves the draper 9 it is passed over an apron 14 which apron is mounted for rocking and sliding action on an upstanding support 15 adjacent. the

The weight of the apron, sleeves, and

other parts connected thereto, is counterbalanced by means of weights 20 to which are connected cables 21 passing over pulleys 22 mounted on the adjacent beams 19 and then extending down to connections with the corresponding sleeves 17.

Vertical movement is imparted ,to the sleeves, and consequently to the members attached thereto, by means of vertical rackbars 23 secured to the platform 16 and engaged by pinions 24 mounted on a shaft 25 journaled in bearing members 26 fixed on the posts 18.

' A handwheel 27 is jointed on the shaft at one end to enable said shaft to be easily turned.

Hinged or pivoted along the transverse edge of the platform 16 opposite to the apron 14 is a short apron or board supporting surface 28, the upper faces of the apron 14, platform 16 and member 28 being arranged to form a continuous supporting surface without steps or offsets.

The member 28 is normally held in a substantially horizontal position by means of a handle 29 rigidly attached thereto, and which normally extends horizontally beyond the hinged edge of the member 28, thereby acting as a counterweight and holding the said member up so that its edge abuts against the adjacent edge of the platform 16, preventing further upward movement ofthe former.

A movable cutting member is provided to co-act with the free or outer edge of the member 28 when the latter is in its uppermost position, which comprises avertical cutting disc 30, whose lower edge is below the plane of said outer edge of the member 28 when the latter is in the above named position.

The cutter 30 is turnably mounted on a frame structure 31 which is slidably mounted on a guide-bar 32 extending transversely of the racks 23 and secured thereto by means of brackets 33.

A transversely disposed and horizontal pull-rod 34 is attached to the frame 31, and is of such a length that it may be easily reached by an operator on one side of the machine when the cutter is on the other side. The guide bar 32 is preferably of such a length that the cutter may be moved clear of the member 28 at both ends thereof.

The beams 19 extend for a considerable distance beyond the apron structure, and

' parallel to the ground, and have rails 35 mounted thereon on which ride the wheels of a carriage or truck 36. from whiclrdepends inside or between the beams, a rigid frame structure 37 of suitable design, forming a guide for transversely spaced rack bars 38, to the lower ends of which, and extending therebetween, is secured a transverse and horizontal jaw member 39.

slidably mounted on the racks above said lower jaw member is a cooperating and relatively movable jaw member 40 which is raised and lowered at will by means of pinions 41 meshing with certain teeth 42 of j the racks.

The pinions are fixed on a shaft 43 j0ur-' naled in boxes 44 mounted on the jaw 40, said shaft having on one end a handle 45 whereby the shaft may be rotated, thus causing the jaw 40 to move toward or away from, the jaw .39.

The racks 38 are also engaged with pin ions 46 mounted on a transverse shaft 47, journaled in brackets 48 or the like fixed on the frame structure 37.

Also mounted on said shaft are ratchet wheels 49 engaged by pawls 50, these parts being arranged to prevent rotation of the shaft in a manner which would permit lowering of the racks.

The pawls however are mounted on a. shaft 51 turnable at will by means of a handle 52, so that said pawls, by turning the shaft, may be moved clear of the ratchet wheels at will. The handle 52 is arranged to normally act as a gravity of weight means for holding the pawls engaged, obviating the use of SPIIIIgS.

Likewise mounted on the shaft 47 is an additional ratchet wheel 53 engaged by apawl 54 mounted on a lever 55 which is turnable on the shaft 47, said lever being adapted to be engaged and moved about the shaft when the jaws approach the member 28 by a rigid arm 56 projecting from one of the posts 18, or from one of the bearing members 26.

The truck is limited in its movement toward the apron and cutter structure by any suitable means, such as a stop 57 on the track 35, the jaws then projecting beyond the cutter a distance sufficientto cause them to receive the cut end of the board 8 therebetween, as shown in Fig. 2. At the same time, the lever 55 will have been rotated by contact with the arm 56 a distance sufficient to cause the racks 38, and consequently the jaws, to be raised a distance equal to the thickness of a sheet of the boar-d. \Vhen the lever disengages from the arm 56, the former is returned to its normal position by a spring 58 or other suitable means, the racks 38 being held from downward movement by reason of the pawls 5O whibh engage the ratchet wheels 49.

The arm 56 and lever 55 may however be omitted if desired, and the shaft 47 turned directly by hand.

When the truck 36 approaches its limit of desired movement away from the apron structure, it engages and throws an arm 59 connected to the clutch 63 by suitable connecting means indicated diagrammatically at 60, whereby the clutch is automatically disengaged by the truck as the latter reaches its limit of movement away from the apron.

This automatic clutch-throw device however forms no part of thepresent inventlon, since it is fully set forth and claimed in my aforementioned 'copending application.

Also, any suitable means may be employed to move the truck 36 back and forth. Such features however also form no part of the present invention, and the truck may be considered to be moved by handa method of I manipulation which has been successfully apron 14. by

used with the present apparatus, on account of the improved features of construction, whereas it could not be so employed with the previous machine.

On the floor under the tracks and in parallel alinement therewith are tracks 61 to form supports for a wheeled truck 62 of sufiicient size to support a stack of the board 9, as shown in Fig. 1.

This truck is positioned so that one end extends beyond and under the a ron 28 and the other end is beyond the 'mit of travel of the truck 36 away from said apron. v

The operation of the apparatusis as a1 lows: i

The board, formed at the time it asses between the rolls 1 and 2 as previous y descrlbed, and then in a very wet and green condition, is moved toward and onto the the constantly moving belt 10 on which the board rests.'-

As soon as the end of the board reaches the plane of the cutter 30 (assuming that this is the first board made from a fresh supply of stock), the belt is halted, the

I apron 28 is depressed by raising up on the handle 29, and the truck 36 is then moved toward said apron so that the jaws carried thereby may be engaged with the end of the I board which then projects clear of the depressed apron. The latter is preferably not owered until'the jaws are ad acent thereto, in order to avoid a saging down of the wet board, which might happen even though only a very short length of the same is unsupported. The upper jaw is then clamped onto the lower jaw by the raising of the handle 4:5 by an operator.

Previous to this, assuming the truck 62 to be empty, the platform 16 has been lowered, by manipulation of the hand wheel 27, until the apron 28 is within a few inches from the floor of the truck. The jaws 39 and 40 have also been lowered to substantially the same and resting on the fixed support 15 at the other end always provides a continuous supporting surface for the board from the belt 9 to the platform 16.

The jaws beingengaged with the board as above stated, the power isagain applied to the belt 9, and the truck 36 is then moved along and away from the belt by hand or otherwise, an operator holding the handle 45 so as to maintain the grip of the jaws on the board.

Due to the fact that a considerable len th of the board is resting on the belt 9 an is belng constantly moved forward at an even rate thereby, only sufficient driving pressure is applied to the truck 36 to keep it movmg at the same rate as the belt and so that it rests very lightly on the truck 62. In other words, this movement is not fast enough to exert undue tensile strain on the board beyond the belt, nor yet so slow that the positively driven portion of the board has a tendency to fold over onto itself as the outer and slack portion comes to rest on the truck 62. The latter provides a supportm surface for the slack portion of the oard et-ween its raised and definitely supported ends as it is being drawn along by the truck, and as such ends are held but a few inches above the truck surface, there is but little sag or drop of the board between its ends, and hence no tendency for the board to pull apart and break of its own weight. As the truck 36 is moved along, the apron 28 may be left. in its uppermost position, or may be lowered somewhat. Also the apron unit as a whole may be vertically adjusted the operator during this period if des1red, any such movement being left to the judgment of the operator and depending on the distance it may be desired to have the board unsupported between the apron 28 and the truck 62.

When the truck 36 has advanced until the clutch-throw arm 59 is engaged thereby, the travel of the belt 9 and board 8 thereon is discontinued. The truck operator will at the same time release the handle 45, allowing the jaws to open and the adjacent end of the board to drop from therebetween onto the truck 62. No difiiculty is experienced in timing the handle-releasing movement of the operator with the throwing of the clutch 13, since when said truck strikes the throw arm 39 a resistance to the continued movement of the truck is at once had, which is felt by the operator grasping the handle 45, and gives him a warning slgnal to let go.

The length of board just drawn along is now lying flat on the board from its outer end to a point a certain distance from the opposite end which is still attached to the remainder of the continuous stretch of formed board and is depending from the raised apron 28.

The board is then cut across by pulling theport for the board thereabove, and also a fixed cutting edge with which the movable cutter co-acts. I

The cutter being drawn across the board and clear of the same, may be left where it is halted, or returned to its starting point, depending on the desire and convenience of the operator.

The cut end of the board will now drop onto the truck 62. The truck 36 is now returned toward the apron 28, with the jaws open to engage the end of the board resting on said apron. As the jaws move close to the apron 28, the latter is lowered, leaving the unsupported end of the board in the clear, so that the lower jaw 39 may pass under the same, and the upper jaw 40 thereover.

Just before the jaws move into engagement with the board, the lever 55 is engaged by the fixed arm 56, and the racks 38, and the jaws supported by the racks, aremoved upwardly a distance equal to the thickness of the board deposited on the truck 62. 7

About the same time the platform 16 is moved vertically by manipulation of the handwheel 27 so as to cause the projecting end of the board to about rest on the lower jaw 39 when the latter moved under the board, since it is the upper jaw only which moves to clamp the jaws together.

The parts now being back in the same positions as stated at the outset of the above description of operations, another and duplicate cycle of movement as that above outlined is about to start, and hence further -description is unnecessary.

From the foregoing description of how the board is handled for stacking it will readily appear that here too I have provided a method by which the tea-ring, scuffing and buckling of the wet, tender paper is avoided.

Having succeeded in both forming the board and stacking it to harden and set, all problems are solved, since, after hardening and setting, the board made of the unretarded paper is more easily handled and produces a more uniformly commercial board than that made of the retarded paper. By reason of the fact that the moisture quickly permeates the unretarded paper this causes the same to quickly stretch to the limit so that when the board hardens and sets and is dried ready for marketing the paper adheres smoothly and permanently to the plastie core and will have no tendency to curl up or peel therefrom.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a method as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

Having thus described my inventionwhat I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of making wall board consisting sisting in advancing plastic material between surface sheets to form the board, applying a uniform frictional dragging pressure to the surface of the advancingboard continuously easing the surface sheets against the dragging pressure, advancing the board to a desired length beyondthe point of such dragging pressure and then severing the same.

2. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing plastic material between surface sheets to form the board, advancing the formed board a certain distance by applying a frictional draggin pressure to one surface of the advancin oard, clam ing the free end of the boarclat the end 0 dragging pressure and advancing the board from that point in semisuspended-position' over a plane surface, then severing the board ind allowing it to drop on such plane surace.

3. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing a sheet of paper and adhering plastic material thereto to make a flat board, applying a uniform draggin pressure over the surface area of the boar and continuously easing the paper against the dragging pressure.

4. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing a sheet of paper and adhering plastic material thereto to make av flat board, applying a uniform draggin pressure over the surface area of the boar snubbing the advance of the paper sheet to retard its movement except when the dragging pressure is applied, and slightly easing the paper against the dragging pressure.

5. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing plastic material between surface sheets to form the board, subjectin the board to a zone of uniformly applie dragging pressure, continuously easing the surface sheets against the dragging pressure. advancing the board beyond such zone, and severing the same.

6. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing plastic material between surface sheets to orm the board, subjecting the board to a zone of uniformly applied dragging pressure, continuously easing the surface sheets against the dragging pressure, advancing the board beyond such zone, severing same, and stacking the severed lengths.

7. The method of making wall board consisting in advancing plastic material between surface sheets to form the board, subjectin the board to a zone of uniformly applie dragging pressure, advancing the board beyond such zone in uniformly suspended relation to a desired length, and severing the same.

8. The method of making wall board consurfacesheets to form the board, advancing in advancingplastic material between I the board to a desired length, applying a JOHN F.

the board and severing the same in desired uniform pull to the free edge of the board lengths andstackin the same and maintainand pulling same over a surface in a plane 10 ing the plane of a vancement of the board lower than the board while maintaining the constant with respect to the top of the stack. plane of the pull at a spaced distance from 9. The method of making wall board conthe plane of the surface, and then severing sisting in advancing plastic material between the board and dropping it upon the surface. surface sheets to form the board, advancing In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

MAK OWSKI.

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