US1819300A - Device for and method of making fibrous cones and the like - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 18, 1931. A. NEWCOM BE 1,819,300 DEVICE FOR AND METHOD OF MAKING FIBROUS CONES AND THE LIKE Filed March 26, 1928 2 Shuts-Sheet 1 g 1931- v A. NEWCOMBE 1,819,300

DEVICEQFOR AND METHOD OF MAKING FIBROUS CONES AND THE LIKE Filed March 26. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 15 pended fibers, the part first enter'in Patented A... is, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT NEWCOHBE, ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS, ABSIGNOB, BY IE8! assremms,

'IO H58! 3. HAWLEY, O! GENEVA, ILLINOIS DEVICE FOR AND ML'IEOD OI MAKING FIBBOUS- (JONES AND THE LIKE Application fled larch 86, 1988. Serial No. 864,788.

, The present invention relates to devices for and methods of making fibrous articles,

diiferent parts or points, as for example, in Y 10 the case of the cone, the thickness may vary progressively. from apex to border or vice versa. This may be effected by use of a porous former, which may be progressively moved into and out of a fluid bath of 8315- e ath being longest in immersion and ence receiving the greatest deposit of fibers the part last entermgI the bath having the least immersion, and once the smallest deposit 0 of fibers. In the case of reciprocating the movement of the former, the part first to enter the bath is the last to leave it on the return stroke, and similarly the part last to enter the bath is first to leave it on such return stroke.v In this way difierentarts of the former are in immersion for ifi'erent periods of time. Suction is effected during all of the time of movement whereby the fibers may be sucked upon the former on so such portions as are immersed, and hence such parts that are immersed the longer or longest intime relation will receive the greater or greatest deposits of fibers and likewise such parts as are immersed the shorter or shortest in time relations will receive the lesser or least deposits of fiber. The variations in thickness are, therefore, gauged by the rate of movement of the former into and out of the bath and the amount of suction or artial vacuum in the former or former head.

- he movement may be regular or uniform to produce regular gradations in thickness variation, or the movement may be irregular. In

the latter case, the variations or successions of de osits of successive parts of the former may e such as to form ribs, corrugations, or thelike, the deposits being thicker at the slow regions to effect hills and thinner at the fast regions to efi'ect valleys.

'50 It is also an object of the invention to provide a novelarticle by' the method mentioned, also,to provide a novel device or means for carr ing out the processmentioned and to pro uce the article mentioned. In a specific embodiment illustrative of the invention the device comprises a container for the fluid bath of suspended fibers, fibrous material, or pulp, or the like, and means ma be used for agitating the bath for maintaining the fibers in substantiall homogeneous suspension. The former 1s preferably ofporous form and placed upon or in contact with a perforated part or ortion of a head, which is preferably hol 0w so that a artial vacuum may produced'or effected t erein to cause a suct1on of the fluid from the bath through the ores and erforations of the former and ead, and t us effect a deposit of fibers on the former. Means is referably connected to the head and adapte to move the same into and out of the bath at given rate so that the parts of the head may be made to progressivey or successively enter and leave the bath, as above explained.

Other objects, capabilities, advanta s features and process steps are comprehengz by the invention as will later appear and are inherentl possessed thereby.

Referrin to the drawin s, Fi 1- is a view partly in si e elevation an part y in vertical section of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

2 is a top plan view of the same;

F1g. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the head part and parts of the con tainer and operating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a former and a blank thereon;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of a fibrous blank;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the device altered to use a former in reverse position, for increasing the thickness gradually in an ogposite direction from that in the former s own in the other figures.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the embodiment selected to illustrate the invention is shown as comprising a container or vat 1 in which is included a given amount of liquid and sus ended fibers 2. This fluid bath with suspen ed fibers may be maintained in agitation by the blowing of air through a perforated coil 3 located in the lower part of the container or bath, and connected to an air inlet pipe 4 controlled by a valve 5 as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Associated with the container or vat 1 1s a frame having uprights 6 and 7 connected to the vat by angle pieces 8 and 9 at the lower end thereof, and by guide pieces 10 and 11 connected to the upper end 0 the vat and acting as guide elements as will be later explained. To the upper parts of the members 6 and 7 are connected cross members or beams 12 and 13, the beam 13 being connected to the uprights 6 and 7 by plates 14 and 15, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. To the beam 13 are secured angle brackets 16 and 17 and guide strips 18 and 19, the strips being spaced from the brackets to provide guiding channels or tracks for the sliding of vertically reciprocated angle bars 20 and 21 These angle bars may also carry or have secured thereto, side strips 22 and 23 adapted to slide over the outer edges of the angle brackets 16 and 17, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. To each angle member 20 and 21 are attached toothed racks 24 and 25 in any suitable manner. With the racks are meshed gears 26 and 27 driven by shaft 28 rotatably supported in bearings 29 and 30 carried by brackets 31 and 32 secured to the sides of the members 6 and 7 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Collars 33 and 34 may be secured to the shaft adjacent to bearings to prevent axial movement of the shaft.

To the upright member 6 and at a suitably elevated point, is secured a platform or shelf 35, upon which is mounted a motor 36 in driving connection with a gearing device 37 of any suitable type. The motor is coupled to the gearing through a coupling 38, and the gearing is coupled to the shaft 28 by a couplin 39. The gearing 37 is such that it is capaile of rotating the shaft in one direction for a given time and then reversing the direction of rotation, so that the racks 24 and 25 and connected parts may be vertically reciprocated.

At the lower ends of the reciprocating members 20 and 21 are secured brackets 40 and 41, upon which is supported and may be secured a plate 42. This plate may be provided with a threaded opening for connection of anipple 43, carrying an elbow 44 to which may be connected a flexible duct or pipe 45. The pipe is connected to a pipe 46 extending through a side wall of the vat and leading to any suitable means for creating a suction or partial vacuum, the passage being controlled by a hand valve 47 as desired. Upon the plate 42 may be supported or otherwise engaged a perforated cone shaped plate or head member 48. The thickness of this plate and the size of the perforations are exaggerated for the purpose of clarity,

Upon the head member 48 is placed a thin metal member 49 which may be perforated or porous and of cone shape, fitting with the outer surface of the member 48. This porous member 49 has very fine perforations, or may be of the reticulated form. The fibrous material 50 is deposited upon this porous member in the form of a blank as will be later explained.

It will be noted that the reciprocable members 20 and 21 are slidable in grooves or slots formed in the brackets 10 and 11 on the top of the vat so as to guide the vertical movement of the members 20 and 21.

In the alternate form shown in Fig. 6, the plate 42a is secured'to brackets 40a and 41a so as to hold the'head beneath the plate instead of above the same as in Fig. 3. In other respects the head comprises the perforated head member 48, a porous spinner 49 upon which is deposited the fibrous material 50 upon the under side rather than upon the upper side, as in Fig. 3.

In the operation of the device, a given quantity of water and fibrous material is maintained in the vat and the agitation of the same is effected so as to maintain the fibers in suspension and in more or less homogeneous condition. At the start, the reciprocating means is in upper position with the porous head above and outside the vat. The suction device is operated so as to create a partial vacuum within the space between the head member 48 and the plate member or portion 42, so as to cause a suction through the perforations and pores of the members 49 and 50. The motoris then started and as it drives through the gear mechanism, this being of the reduction gear type, the shaft 28 and gears 26 and 27 arerotated in the proper manner to lower the racks 24 and 25, and the porous head. This is done at a given rate so that as the lower part of the porous member enters the bath, the fibrous material will begin to be deposited upon that part being immersed. This will progress upper part of the head, and that a greater amount of fibers will be deposited upon the parts that have been immersed the longer time. The movement of the head is then reversed, caused to rise and leave the bath. It will be noted that the upper part of the head will leave the bath earlier than, the lower part will, and the parts remaining in immersion will be having fibers deposited thereon, so that a greater amount of fibers will be deposited on those parts leaving the bath later than the parts leaving the bath earlier. In this way there is a gauged or graduated thickness of deposited fibers from apex to border, or vice versa, of the cone.

In the form shown in Fi 3 the thicker deposit is at the border of t e cone, while the thinner deposit is at the center. In the form shown in Fig. 6, the thicker deposit is at the apex and the thinner de osit at the border.

It will be understoo that the gearing member 37 may be so designed as to reciprocate the head at an irregular rate, so that the immersion may be for certain distances rather rapid, and for other distances or regions slow, so that the deposit of fiber may be made less or greater according to the rate of immersion and time of immersion of these regions.

While I have herein described and upon the drawings shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention and a process of producing the particular articles disclosed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may comprehend other. constructions, arrangements of parts, details, process steps and features without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus disclosed the invention,

I claim:

1. The process of making fibrous cones for sound reproducers, comprising immersing successive parts of a porous former in a fluid bath of suspended fibers whereby different points of the former will be immersed fpr difierent lengths of time, and causingdepositing of fibers upon the former in thicknesses at difierent points proportional to the time of immersion of said points.

. 2. The process of making fibrous cones for sound reproducers, comprising progressively moving a porous former into and out of a fluid bath of suspended fibers, creating a suction within the former, causing a deposit of fibers upon the immersed parts of the former, the thickness of fibers deposited being proportional to the time of immersion of said parts. 1

3. A fibrous cone varying in thickness from apex to border.

4. A fibrous cone composed of a layer of deposited fibers from a fluid bath of suspended fibers, said layer of fibers being of a thickness over portions of the cone according to the time of immersion of said portion in said bath.

5. A fibrous cone composed of a layer of deposited fibers from a fluid bath of suspended fibers, said layer of fibers varying in thickness from apex to border in proportion having different thicknesses of deposited to the time of immersion of said cone in said bath.

6. A fibrous cone composed of deposited fibers from a fluid bath of suspended fibers, diflerent successive parts of said cone between the apex and the border of said cone fibers froportionate to the time of immersion 0 sad parts in said bath.

7. The process of making fibrous objects comprising immersing a porous former in a bath containing fibers in suspension, causing said fibers to deposit upon said former while the former is immersed in said bath, and varying the thickness of said deposit by varymg theperiod of immersion of predetermined parts of said former.

8. A- device for making fibrous articles comprising'a container for holding a bath carrying fibers in suspension, a hollow porous former, a support for said former, said support being movable, so that the former may be immersed in and removed from said bath, means for producin a difference of pressure outside of and wit in the former, so as to cause fibers to deposit thereon, and means (for so controlling the speed of movement of said support that some portions of the former are immersed in the bath sufiiciently longer than other parts thereof to provide a varied thickness of deposited fibers.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

ALBERT NEWCOMBE.

Images