US1791384A - Paper-making machinery - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3, 1931. D. L. SHEAFOR 1,791,384

PAPER MAKING MACHINERY Filed Sept. 14, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 3,1931. SHEAFQR I I 1,791,384

PAPER MAKING MACHINERY Filed Sept. 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o o m E; m 0 ia o o I 0o 0 I 3% L i 3 0) j g u E I i of M E u attouwqa Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEE L. amoa, or pmcaao, ILLmoIs, assreuon TO THE iamcx-omwson cola- PANY, or HAMILTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO rArim-mxmo maximum? Application filed September 14, 1925. Serial No. 56,258.

The present invention relates to paper making machinery, and particularly thepress part of the paper making machlnery which includes a traveling felt upon which the newly-formed sheet of paper is received for treatment.

One of the principal objects ofthe invention is to provide means for treating or washing the traveling felt of such a machine whereby to increase the life thereof as well as to improve the quality of the paper treated thereon. v

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: i

Fig. l is: a side elevation of a paper making machine embodying the present invention, parts thereof being illustrated some-what diagrammatically to more clearly illustrate tion face in any de'slred manner, the purpose the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1', certain parts being broken away or omitted for clearness in illustration; and

Fig. 3 is a section-on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 20 denotes the traveling felt of the paper making machine which felt is formed as acontinuous belt and travels in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The traveling felt may be guided in its movement by a series of guide rolls, two of which are illustrated at 21 and 22, these guide rolls being journaled upon the stands 26 and 27 forming. part of the frame work of the paper making machine. It will be understood that in the normal operation of the machine the newly formed paper is transferred to the surface of the traveling felt which latter carries the paper through a series of pressure rolls which are arranged in pairs, the purpose of this operation being to compact the paper or to compact and dry the same. The upper and lower rolls of a pair of pressure rolls are indicated at 23 and 24, respectively, in Fig. 1, and it will be understood that the pair of pressure rolls illustrated are the last of a series of pairs through which the paper passes before it is removed from the traveling felt 20.

Secured to the stands 26 and 27 by means of brackets 30 and 31 are a pair of supporting or guide rods 32 and 33 which extend in a generally horizontal direction across the end of the frame work carrying the traveling felt.

. Slidably mounted upon the guide rods 32 and 33 is an elongated suction box 34: having its long axis disposed transverse to the direction of travel of the felt and having one face thereof so disposed with reference to the traveling felt 20 that the latter passes over thesurface of the suction box in traveling from the guide roll 21 to the guide roll 22. The suction face of the suction box which is adapted to lie I from the felt by suction the cleaning fluid which is applied to the felt in the manner which will be hereinafter described. The

suction box is connected by means of the suction pipe 37 with a'vacuum pump or suction producing means of any desired or usual coristruction.

Mounted upon the suction box is what may be termed a shower, which consists of a shower pipe 40disposedapproximately parof the suction openings being to withdraw allel with the surface of the traveling'felt,

and having therein a series of apertures 41 through which water or any other suitable cleaning fluid may be discharged upon the traveling felt just before the latter passes over the suction box 34. The pipe 40 is connected through flexible conduit 42 with a source of water or cleaning fluid supply, and as shown is arranged to discharge water against that surface of the felt which subse quently passes over the suction box.

The discharge of the cleaning fluid upon the traveling felt by the shower 40- and the subsequent suction action of the suction box 34: as the felt passes over its suction face serves to wash and-recondition the felt, but as the suction box covers but a fraction of the width of the traveling felt, the washing and of the traveling felt to the other, and then returned to its original position, thisreciprocatingmotion or travel of the-suction' 'box being preferably continuous so long as the V felt is in motion. I

. power.

I lars 66 and 67 secured thereon.

' box 34 and movable therewith.

The means for reciprocating the' suction box 34 includes a screwthreaded shaft 45 journaled for rotation in the brackets 30 and 31 this I shaft being extended beyond the bracket 30 and having its-extended end journaled at 46 upon an outboard standard 48. The screw threaded shaft cooperates with an apertured and screw'threaded block 49 carried by the suctionbox 34, the arrangement being such that when the shaft 45 is ro tate'd in one direction the suction box is caused to move from left to right, as viewed in Fig. 2, across the surface of the traveling felt, and

when rotated in the opposite direction, the,

suction box is caused to move from right ,to

it vThe endwise thrust upon the shaft 45 may be taken up by thrust bearing 50.

Mounted upon the shaft'45 between the stand 26 and the outboard standard 48 is a series of pulleys 52, 53, and 54, the pulley 52 being fixed or non-rotatably keyed upon the shaft 45, and the pulleys 53 and 54 disposed on either side thereof being loosely mounted upon the shaft 45, so as to freely rotate thereon independently of the shaft. The loose pulleys 53 and 54 normally carry upon their surfaces the oppositely moving driving members or belts 55 and 56 which belts pass over the driving pulley 57 formed on the driving shaft of the pressure roll 24, although it will be understood that the belts 55 and 56 may be driven from any other suitable source of The belt 55 is crossed so that it causes rotation of the loose pulley 53v in one direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, whereas the-driving belt 56 causes rotation of the loose pulley '54 in an opposite direction, as also indicated by an arrow in Fig. -2.

The reversal of movement of the screw threaded shaft 45 is accomplished by shifting either of the belts 55 and 56 on to the fixed pulley. 52, and such shifting may be accomplished by the shifting means which will now be described; A shifting lever 60 pivoted upon bracket 30, at 61 is connected at one end with rod 62, having the loops 63 and 64 surrounding thebelts, and at its other end with shift rod 65 having adjustable shifting col I These adjustable collars 66 and 67 lie in the path of the stop lugs 68 and 69 carried by the suction In Fig. 2 the driving belt 56 is shown as connected with the fixed pulley 52 and the suction box is being moved to the left. When the suction box is opposite the left hand edge of the traveling felt the lug 68 engages the collar 66 and moves the shift rod 65 to the left, therebyshifting belt 56 to the loose pulley 54 and shifting belt 55 to the fixed pulley 52. The screw threaded shaft 45 now rotates'in' an opposite direction and the suction box is caused to move towards the right until the lug 69 strikes the collar 67 when the shifting means is again actuated to reverse the movement of the suction box. To prevent any accidental shifting of the belts 55 and 56 and to render more positiveshifting action, the lever 60 is provided with an arm 70 which is adapted to engage the spring-pressed slidable plunger 71 mounted upon the bracket 30. The arrangement is such that during the initial movement of the shift lever 60, the. arm 70 rides up on the inclined surface of the spring-pressed plunger -71 to depress the latter, but as soon as the arm 70 moves past the center of the springtion box 34 and shower means 40 are moved back and forth across the surface ofthe traveling felt, from one edge to the other, as already described. During this movement thev cleaning fluid which is supplied through the'pipe 40 is showered upon the traveling felt and as the felt moves over the suction surface of the suction box 34, the suction action of the latter draws the cleaning fluid out of'the felt together with any foreign matter which the cleaning fluid may have taken up in its passage through the felt. Any suitable cleaning fluid may be used, but I prefer to usecold water although it may sometimes be desirable to use warm water or to dissolve cleaning chemicals therein for the purpose of removing oil or similar foreign matter whlch may not be readily removable by the of the jets against the felt, or otherwise,

Obvisuction box 34', and the shape of the suction openings may be also varied widely to secure the desired results, and these may depend somewhat upon the: mode of application of the cleanin fluid :as well as upon the speed of travel '0 the felt and of the suction qbox. Thus, if the cleaning fluid is applied to the felt in a superficial manner,the suction pressure or vacuum neednot be as great as otherwise in order toremove the cleaning fluid from the felt in its passage over the suction box. Through the control" of'the mode of application and the prps'sures of the clean? ing fluid and of the suction pressures, I am enabled to wash. oi'recondition the felt to any extent desired. A-light or superficial application of cleaning fluid may beemployed to clean the surface of the felt, or the cleaning fluid may be projected into or substantially through the body of the felt and then drawn out again by the suction box whereby the entire body of the feltis washed and reconditioned.

The washing of the felt in accordance with the present invention serves to maintain the felt 1n a porous condltlon and at a uniform thiclmess, thereby-avoiding the gradual com- "pacting of the felt, due to the pressure of the pressure rolls, the consequent variations in pressure of the rolls upon the paper and in the quality of the paper which follows from such variations in the pressure of the rolls,

and the necessityfor continually readjusting the pressure of the rollsto compensate for such compacting of the felt. .The high porosity of the felt enables the press to be operated at a uniformly high pressure, thus effecting a more thorough absorption of moisture from the paper. I Another'advantage of the present invention is that, besides improving the quality and uniformity of the pa er, it increases the'life of the felt and t ereby eliminates to-a large extent shutting down the press for the purpose of washing or of the press.

changing the felt, thus' avoiding the well' known losses incid to j the' shutting down It is to be observed that the present invention provides a felt-washing unit which. may be readily applied to a press. As herein illustrated it is positioned between the guide rolls 21 and 22 at the end of the press and operates upon a portion of the felt which is moving in a generally vertical or upright direction,;and being at the end of the press, the Washing apparatus is readily accessible for the purpose of inspection, readjustment, or repair. 7

While the form of apparatus herein de scribed constitutes-a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of v .suction box and in advance of and adjacent to said suction box and on the exterior there- .of, and in spaced relation to said felt to dis charge a fluid spray against said felt in advance of said suction box, and means for moving said suction box and spray pipe transversely across the said traveling felt.

2. In a paper making machine, or the like, having a traveling felt, press rolls, and guide rolls; a felt conditioner comprising a suction box having'a face with a plurality of perforations therein forming a suction zone, means for supporting said suction box with said perforated face in suction relationship with the surface of the traveling felt, a spray pipe carried b the forward end of said suction box on the exterior thereof, said pipe having a plurality of perforations therein' positioned inspaced relation to said felt to discharge a water spray against said felt in advance of the face of said suction box and over a portion of the felt commensurate with the width of said suction zone, and means for moving said suction box and spray pipe carried thereby transversely across the said traveling felt. I

3. In a paper making machine, having a traveling felt, press rolls, and guide rolls; a suction box having a suction opening therein, spaced cross-rods upon which said suction box. is slidably mounted for reciprocating movement thereon, a transversely disposed shaft having" screw-threaded engagement with said suction box, a spray pipe carried by said suction box on the exterior thereofin opposite directions to give a reciprocating movement to said suction box and spray pipe.

4. The methodof reconditioning an endless transporting felt of a paper making machine which comprises impinging'a et of water of substantial velocity upon the felt over a portion of the Width thereof while freely exposing it to atmosphere, to thereby dislodge material and move threads of the felt in one direction by the force of the jet, im-

, mediately thereafter subjecting this portion of the width of the felt to suction on the same side of the felt as the jet, to thereby Withdraw water and dislodge material and pull threads of the felt in the opposite direction by the suction effect, andconcomitantly reciprocating both the water jet and the suction zone back and forth transversely of the movement of the felt to effect reconditioning of'the desired width of the felt.

In testimonywhereof I hereto affix my signature.

DEE L. SHEAFOR.

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