US2139874A - Cross-current flow fourdrinier paper making machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 13, 1938. E. E. BERRY 2,139,874

CROSS-CURRENT FLOW FOURDRINIER PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 um NN YIIIIIA VIII I vii/71111111114 Dec. 13, 1938. E. E. BERRY 2,139,874

CROSS-CURRENT FLOW FOURDRINIER PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 il.. Q N ...up

Patented Dec. 13', 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CROSS-CURRENT FLOW FOURDB'INIEB PAPER MAKING MACHINE consin Application September 24, 1936, Serial No. 102,350

12 Claims.

It is customary on Fourdrinier paper making l machines to flow the paper stock onto the Fourdrinier wire in the direction of travel of the wire or to maintain quiescent ponds of stock on the Fourdrinier -wire from which ponds the stock is deposited on the Wire. In these types of machines the wire is usually shaken laterally of its direction of travel to rearrange the fiber formation of the stock thereon so that all of the fibers will not be lying in the direction of travel of the Wire. The shaking of the Fourdrinier wire is not desirable, however, since it requires added mechanism and decreases the life of the Wire.

According to this invention stock is now oated onto the Fourdrinier wire at an angle to the d1- rection of travel of the wire so that the fibers' of the paper web being formed on the wire will not largely be in a direction parallel with the travel of the wire. The invention provides for the maintenance of flowing ponds of stock above the Fourdrinier wire and the depositing of the stock directly from the ponds onto the wire. In one form of the invention the stock can be owed transversely of the direction of travel of the Wire across the Wire, have its direction of travel reversed and flowed back over the Wire. In another form of the invention separate types of stock can be flowed transversely across the wire so as to produce paper built up from several diierent types of stock. The invention also provides for the maintenance of the wire passing under the ponds of stock under' the iniiuence of controlled degrees of suction so that the white water from the stock can be drained through the wire at a desired rate.

It is then an object of this invention to manufacture paper having a high tear strength in both directions on a Fourdrinier type machine without the aid of shaking mechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide a Fourdrinier paper making machine with a cross current stock feed so as to supply the stock bers to the Fourdrinier wire lying in a direction at an angle to the direction of travel ofthe wire,

Another object of this invention is to provide a 10 head box for a Fourdrinier type paper making machine containing a plurality of open bottomed compartments for receiving ponds of stock therein together with means for owing said ponds oi' stock across the Fourdrinier wire transversely of 15 its direction of travel.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a Fourdrinier paper making machine with a cross current stock feed disposed over the wire while simultaneously subjecting the under side of the 20 wire to controlled amounts of suction.

Other and further objects of this invention will` become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheets of drawings which disclose preferred em- 25 bodiments of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the illustrated embodiments are only examples of apparatus embodying the principles of the invention and that many other modiiications of the apparatus will be apparent 30 without departing from the teachings and scope of this invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is awfragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view of the stock receiving end of a cross 35 current ow Fourdrinier paper making machine according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a broken, fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus indicated in Figure 1 with parts shown in horizontal cross-section.

Figure 3A is va fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the stock receiving end of a modiiied form of cross current iiow paper making machine according to this invention.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, broken top plan view 45 of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 3 with parts shown in horizontal cross section.

As shown on the drawings:

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral I0 indicates a Fourdrinier forming wire of 50 the usual construction used on Fourdrinier paper making machines. 'Ihe forming wire I0 is `supported on a plurality of small diameter table rolls I I rotatably mounted in bearing shells l2 extending for more than around the periphery of 65 the table rolls II and throughout substantially the entire length of the rollers. The bearing shells I2 are carried by a drain box I3 on end wallsfl4 and partition walls I5 of the box and on bars I 6 extending transversely across the box. The bars I6 are supported in fingers I1 carried by tie rods I8 extending longitudinally through the box I3.

The end walls I4 of the drain box I3; the partition walls I5 and the transverse bars I6 have passageways I9 extending across the tops thereof below the bearing shells I2. These bearing shells I2 have openings 20 joining the interiors of the passageways I9 with the interiors of the shells. Water or other lubricating iluid is supplied to the passageways I9 and forced between the bearing shells I 2 and the table rolls I I to lubricate the rollers or, if desired, to hydraulically overbalance the rollers for floating the same in their bearing shells.

'I'he bottom ends of the partition walls I5 do not extend to the bottom of the box I3 but are slotted as at 2| The slots 2I in the partition walls I5 receive slides 22 therein adapted to be moved up and down relative to the partition walls I5 by means of set screws 23 threaded through a sloping bottom pan 24 on the bottom of the'4 drain .box I3. In this manner, individual compartments such as 25, 26 and 21, are formed in the drain box I3 and drainage from each compartment is controlled by the position of the slides 22. The drain box I3 can be evacuated and the degree of vacuum in each compartment regulated by drainage of white water from the compartment. In this manner, the forming wire III is maintained under controlled degrees of suction over each of the compartments in the drain box. It should be understood, of course, that the fingers I1 supporting the bars I6 are quite thin and therefore drainage of white water into the compartments is unobstructed. At the same time, however, the forming wire I0 is fully supported by the table rolls which can be disposed as close together as desirable.

According to this invention a head box 3U having a back wall 3 I side walls 32 and bottom walls 33 extending only up to the edges of the wire l0 is disposed over the wire.

Vertical slicevplates 34 and 35 are mounted between the side walls 32 of the head box 30 in spaced relation from each other and from the end wall 3| of the head box to deiine compartments 36 and 31 in the head box.

The slice plate 35 is provided with flanges 33 along the ends thereof. These flanges 33 are slidable vertically in tracks 39 (Figure 2) formed on saddle members 40 suspended over the top edges of the side walls 32 of the head box. The saddle members 40 are slidable along the side Walls 32 of the head box to move the plate 35 in horizontal directions.

The plate 35 has a top flange il adapted to have threaded therethrough adjusting screws I2 for raising and lowering the plate 35 relative to the saddle members 40 and to the head box. The adjusting screws 42 abut the tops of the saddle members Il and a rotation of the said screws 42 will thus raise the plate relative to the saddle members or permit the plate to be lowered relative to the saddle members. The set screws can be locked in adjusted position by means of lock nuts 43 threaded around the screws 42 and abutting the top of the iiange 4I.

'I'he bottom of the slice plate 34 can bc maintained at any desired distance from the top of the wire I0 by raising and lowering the plate.

The plate 34 is vertically slidable in a saddle member 44 in a manner identical'with the manner in which the slide plate 35 is vertically slidable. However, the other end of the plate 34 terminates short of the side wall 32 of the head box and is slidable in a bracket member 45 (Figure 2) mounted in the head box. The slice plate 34 has a forwardly projecting sloping flange 46 defining a tapering passageway 41 (Figure 1) beneath the bottom of the plate 34 and the top of the forming wire I0.

A stock feed pipe 41 communicates through a side wall 32 of the head box 3i)` with the compartment 36 therein formed behind the plate 34. A valve 48 in the pipe line 41 controls the feed of stock into the compartment .36. The stock entering into the compartment 36 flows transversely across the head box 30 and over the wire III where part of the stock is deposited on the wire transversely of the direction of travel of the wire. The amount of stock deposited on the wire from the compartment 36 can be regulated by controlling the size of the passageway 41 under the plate 34, the head of stock maintained in the compartment and the rate of white water drainage through the wire. The size of the passageway 41 is controlled by raising or lowering the plate 34 relative to the wire I0. Stock which is not deposited on the wire in the compartment 36 flows around the end of the plate 34 as indicated in Figure 2 and into the compart-` ment 31 behind the slice plate 35. The stock thus again travels over the wire I0 transversely to the direction of travel of the wire but in a direction opposite tol the direction in which it iiows in the compartment 36. Additional stock is thus deposited on the wire in an amount con- -trolled by the spacing of the slice plate 35 from the wire l0, the head of stock maintained in the compartment 31 and the drainage of white water through the wire. Excess stock is removed from the compartment 31 through a stock discharge pipe or conduit 49 and the amount of discharge is controlled by a valve 50 in the conduit 439.

In this manner two flowing ponds of stock are maintained over the forming wire I0 ilowing in opposite directions transversely to the direction of travel of the wire. The stock bers in these flowing ponds are largely disposed parallel to each other in the direction of iiow and thus have their lengths transverse of the direction of travel of the wire. As these bers are deposited on the wire, some of them will, of course, be pulled around in the direction of travel of the wire while others will remain with their lengths transverse of the direction of travel. in this manner a web is formed on the wire having the fibers thereof criss-crossed in desired relation to each other, thereby producing a paper sheet having a high tear strength in both directions. The tear strengths of the paper can be controlled by the speed of flow of the stock through the compartments 36 and 31. Thus the maintenance of rapidly iiowing ponds of stock transversely to the direction of travel of the wire will produce a paper sheet having more bers arranged with their lengths transversely of the travel of the wire and thus produce a paper having a high tear strength in the direction of travel of the wire. As is known, Fourdrinier formed paper generally has a higher tear strength inthe direction transversely of the machine direction,

and even vigorous shaking of the wire cannot materially oiset this result on high speed machines. The cross current ilow machine of this invention, on the other hand, can be run at very high speeds to produce paper having higher tear strength in the machine direction than transversely of the machine ii' desired.

'I'he size of the compartments 36 and 31 can be regulated by sliding the movable plates dening walls of these compartments relative to the head box. Thus the compartment 31 can be made materially smaller or larger than the conipartment 36 by merely moving the saddles v4|! along the tops of the side walls32 of the head box toward or away from-the plate 34.

In Figures 3 and 4, parts identical with parts described in Figures 1 and 2 have been marked with the same lreference numerals and it is evident from Figures 3 and 4 that the same drain box |3 as described in Figures 1 and 2 is used below the forming wire |0.

In Figures 3 and 4, however, a head box 60 having an end wall 6|, side Walls 62 and bottom walls 63 extending only up to the edges of the forming wire I0 is disposed over the forming wire as indicated.

Vertical slice plates 64 and 65 are disposed in the head box 6|! and extend transversely thereacross to dene compartments 66 and 61 in the head box. The plates 64 and 65 are slidably mounted at their ends in tracks 68 formed in saddle members 69 which are suspended over the top edges of the side walls 62 of the head box. The plate 64, however, unlike the plate 34 in Figures 1 and 2, extends the full width of the head box.

The plates 64 and 65 are raised or lowered relative to the forming wire 0 by adjusting screws 16 threaded through anges 1| and 12 formed respectively on the tops of the plates 64 and 65. The said screws 16 abut the tops of the saddles 69 so that a rotation of the screws 16 in one direction will raise the plates relative to the saddles and to the forming wire while a rotation in the other direction will permit the plates to be lowered. The said screws can be locked in adjusted position by lock nuts 13 abutting the tops of the flanges 1| and 12 of the plates.

The saddles 69 are slidable horizontally along the side walls of the head box.

The horizontal movement of the saddle members 69 relative to the head box can be nicely effected by providing threaded bosses 14 and 15 on the outside portions of the saddles as indicated. An elongated bolt or threaded rod 16 can be threaded through the bosses 14 and 15. The rod 16 can be provided with a head 11 for engagement with a wrench to permit rotation of the rod.

The plate 64 can be moved horizontally relative to the head box by providing a second threaded boss 18 on a saddle member 66 supporting this plate. A threaded rod 19 can be threaded through the boss 18 and extend through a bearing in a bracket secured on the rear wall 6| of the head box. The end of the rod 19 is provided with a hand wheel 8| permitting a rotation of the rod. Thus when the hand wheel 8| is rotated the plate 64 can be drawn toward or away from the rear wall 6| of the head box. Likewise a rotation of the rod 16 can be eected to move the plate 65 toward and away from the plate 64.

A stock feed conduit communicates with the compartment 66 through a side wall 62 of the housing. Flow of stock into the compartment from the feed conduit is controlled by a valve 86 in the conduit 85. The stock thus flows transversely across the compartment 66 and is partially deposited onto the forming wire I0. Excess stock can be removed through a discharge conduit 81 in communication with the compartment 66 through the other side wall 62 of the head box. The amount of discharge can be regulated by a valve 88 in the conduit 81.

A second stockrinlet conduit 89 communicates through the wall 62 of the head box with the compartment 61 in the box to ow stock into the compartment in a direction opposite to the direction of ow through the compartment 66. The amount of stock introduced in the compartment 61 canbe controlled by a valve 90 in the conduit 89.

Excess stock from the compartment 61 can be discharged through an outlet conduit 9| formed through the other wall 62 of the head box. The amount of discharge can be controlled by a valve 92 in the conduit 9|.

In this manner two separate owing ponds of stock are maintained above the forming wire l0. TheA stock introduced into the compartment 61 can be the same or different than the stock introduced into the compartment 66. However, both ponds of stock ow in directions transverse to the direction of travel of the forming Wire so that the bers of the stock are disposed with their lengths transverse to the direction of travel of the wire. The ponds of stock can be maintained at any desired depth in the compartments 66 and 61 and can further be owed through the compartments at any desired rate.

In this modification, therefore, a paper web can be built up on the forming wire composed of two different types of stock and having the iibers thereof lying in a desired criss-cross condition without effecting a shaking of the forming wire. The cross current ow thus provides for the production of Fourdrinier webs' having high tear strength in the machine direction since any desired proportion of the fibers composing the sheet can be made to lie transversely of the machine direction by controlling the speed of flow of the pond in the head box.

The amount of stock deposited from each compartment onto the forming wire can be controlled by the head of stock maintained in the compartment, the distance of the slices from the forming wire and the degr-ee of Vacuum maintained under the forming wire beneath these compartments.

The apparatus is simple and can be carefully controlled Without difliculty. The apparatus eliminates the necessity for shaking the forming wire thereby greatly simplifying Fourdrinier paper machines and increasing the life of the Fourdrinier wire.

The bers deposited on the forming wire can be set in web form almost immediately by the cornbined hydraulic pressure provided by the heads of stock in the ponds and the vacuum under the wire at the areas of fiber deposit. The tendency of the bers to assume the machine direction of the forming wire like logs oating downstream can be prevented to almost any desired degree. 'Ihus the increasing of the vacuum under the wire at the stock deposit areas, the increasing of the depths of the ponds of stock above the Wire or both will increase the white water drainage through the wire and set the bers into web form before they can be materially pulled around out of transverse alignment with the wire.

The drain box arrangement makes possible a subjecting of the sheet being formed to conf- 'tinuous vacuum from the time the stock rst contacts the wire until it has passed the last slice and the water of flotation has been removed to such an extent that an actual sheet of paper has been formed. This continuous vacuum holds the bers tightly to the wire and prevents them from being floated or swshed around on the wire by the water of the stock either while passing through the forming area or under the last slice. It is thus possible to obtain from 75% to 95% of the sheet formation back of the last slice.

The last slice can therefore be maintained very close to the wire because with the major part of the sheet formation occurring back of this the wire, it is possible to create a certain amount/ of stock ow lengthwise of the wire. Thus, for example, when the second pond of stock, such as the pond formed in compartment 31 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or compartment 61 shown in Figures 3 and 4, is maintained at a lower static head than the stock in the first compartment a regulation of the size of the passageway 41 under the lip of the first slice plate by raising this slice plate off the wire will permit a flow of stock under the slice from the first to the second pond. This ilow will permit the fibers to assume a machine-wise direction like logs floating downstream.

In this manner the fibers rst deposited on the wire from the rst transversely flowing pond will lie transversely of the wire. The next 4mass of bers deposited on the first deposited layer will take place as the'wire advances through the passageway 41 formed under the slice and lip. These fibers will lie mainly in the machine direction and are therefore at right angles to the first deposited layer. As the wire then advances under the second pond where the bers are flowing transversely across the wire the next layer to be deposited will have the iibers laying transversely of the machine direction.

In this manner a sheet is built up composed of outer layers having the bers lying mainly in a cross machine direction and a middle layer composed of bers lying mainly in a machine direction. The sheet will be of unitary formation, however, since all of the bers are deposited in the forming area of the machine.

The resulting sheet will have very high tear, bursting and tensile strength. The continuous suction maintained under the wire in the forming area prevents the longitudinal 'flow of the fibers through the passageway 41 from displacing the transverse fibers deposited from the rst pond. Likewise the transverse ilow in the second pond will not displace the longitudinal fibers deposited in the passageway 41. Obviously the elongation of the lip 46 on the slice 34 will lengthen the passageway for longitudinal flow of fibers and will increase the forming area for the longitudinal ber formation on the sheet to increase the relative size of the middle layer. Normally, however, the desired forming area for the middle layer can be obtained by regulating the heads of stock in the two compartments and the distance of the slice 34 or 64 from the wire.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A Fourdrinier paper making machine comprising a forming wire, a plurality ofsmall diameter table rolls supporting the Wire along its upper runI a drain box carrying said rolls, means for regulating drainage from the wire into said box, a head box having an open bottom disposed over said forming wire, adjustable slice plates in said head box defining with thewalls of the box chambers for ponds of stockand a stock inlet and a stock outlet at the sides of the head box communicating with opposite ends of said chambers whereby stock is flowed through the chambers at an angle to the direction of travel of the wire for deposit onto the wire.

2. A head box for Fourdrinier paper making machines comprising means defining a plurality of open bottomed chambers for ponds of stock, stock feed and stock discharge conduits at opposite sides of the head box communicating with opposite ends of said chambers whereby stock is flowed transversely of the chambers and adjustable slice plates forming the front walls of said chambers.

3. A head box adapted to be disposed over the top of the forming wire of a Fourdrinier paper making machine comprising a box having a rear wall, side walls and an open bottom portion adapted to register with the forming wire, a ilrst slice plate in said box extending from one side wall of said box into spaced relation from the other side wall, a second slice plate in the head box in front of said first slice plate and extending transversely across the head box, means for raising andlowering the slice plates relative to the head box, a stock feed conduit in a side wall of the head box behind the first slice plate and a stock discharge conduit in the same side Wall of the head box ahead of the first slice but behind the second slice whereby stock can be flowed behind the iirst slice around the end of said slice and back behind thev second slice for deposit through the open bottom of the box onto the forming wire.

li. A stock head box adapted to be disposed over the forming wire of Fourdrinier paper machines comprising a box having a rear wall, side walls and an open bottom portion, slice plates extending transversely across the head box between the side Walls thereof deiiningwith the head box a plurality of open bottom compartments adapted to register with the forming wire, and separate stock inlet stock discharge conduits communicating with the compartments at opposite ends thereof on opposite sides of the forming wire to flow paper stock through the compartments transversely of the direction of travel of the forming wire for deposit of some of the stock through the open bottom of the compartments onto the forming Wire.

5. A cross current o-w Fourdrinier paper machine comprsing a forming wire, a plurality of vsmall diameter table rolls supporting said wire,

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compartments therein, means for regulating the drainage from each compartment, a head box above the forming wire, a slice plate in said head box dening with the head box an open bottom chamber for paper stock above the forming wire, means for sliding said slice plate horizontally in the head box to bring the chamber in communication with one or more compartments in the drain box, a stock inlet and a stock outlet communicating with the chamber on opposite sides of the forming wire, means for supplying stock to the chamber through the inlet and means for draining stock from the chamber through the outlet whereby stock flows through the chamber at an angle to the direction of travel of the forming wire for deposit of some of the flowing stock through the open bottom of the box, on the wire.

6. The methodgof making paper which comprises directingk streams of stock over successive well dened areas of a traveling forming wire transversely of the direction of travel thereof, flowing stock longitudinally of said wire between said successive areas and applying suction to the under side of said wire to cause a deposition of fibers from said stock with the fibers lying largely in the same direction as the directions of ow of the respective streams of stock from which deposition occurs.

7. A method of making paper which comprises flowing two separate ponds of stock transversely across a traveling forming wire to deposit fibers on the wire lying mainly in a direction transversely of the direction of travel of the wire, flowing some of the stock longitudinally on the wire from the. first pond -to the second pond to deposit an intermediate layer of fibers lying mainly in the direction of travel of the wire and evacuating the under side of the wire to obtain from to 95% of the paper formation under the pond areas.

8. In a paper machine in combination a traveling forming wire, a drain box having a plurality of small diameter table rolls supporting the wire, means for evacuating the drain box, a head box disposed over the wire having a. rear wall and side walls, a pair of adjustable slices forming the front walls of individual compartments in said head box, alip portion on the intermediate slice for defining a passageway thereunder and means for flowing stock transversely through the compartments under static heads for depositing bers on the wire lying mainly in a cross-machine direction while iiowing stock from the first pond into the second pond under the lip of the intermediate slice to deposit an intermediate layer of fibers lying mainly in the machine direction.

9. A Fourdrinier paper making machine comprising an elongated forming wire adapted to travel longitudinally of the machine, a head box having an' open bottom disposed over a portion of the wire defining an open bottomed stock chamber above the wire, a stock inlet and a stock outlet communicating with the stock chamber on opposite sides of the wire, means for supplying stock to the chamber through the inlet and means for draining stock from the chamber through the outlet whereby stock flows through the chamber at an angle to the direction of travel of the wire for deposit of some of the flowing stock through the open bottom of the box onto the wire.

10. A cross current iiow Fourdrinier paper making machine comprising an elongated forming wire adapted to travel longitudinally of the machine, means defining chambers for a plurality of ponds of paper stock above said forming wire with the bottoms of said chambers in communication with the forming wire, stock inlets and stock outlets communicating with opposite ends of the chambers on opposite sides of the forming wire, means for supplying stock to the chambers through the inlets and means for draining stock from the chambers through the outlets for deposit of some of the flowing stock on the wire in a direction transversely to the direction of travel of the wire and suction means below said wire for effecting a forced drainage of white water from the stock deposited on the wire.

11. A head box adaptedto be disposed over the forming wire of a Fourdrinier paper making machine comprising a box having a rear wall, side walls and an open bottom portion, a plurality of slice plates in said box defining with the box a plurality of open bottomed compartments for ponds of stock, stock inlets andstock outlets at the sides of the box communicating with opposite ends of the compartments, means for supplying stock to the compartments through the inlets and means for draining stock from the compartments through the outlets whereby stock flows through the compartments transversely of the direction of travel of the forming wire.

12. The method of making paper which comprises directing streams of stock over successive well-deined areas of a traveling forming wire at an angle tothe direction of travel of the forming Wire, flowing stock longitudinally of said wire between said successive areas, and applying suction to the under side of the wire to cause a deposition of fibers from said stock with the fibers lying largely in the same direction as the directions of flow of the respective streams of stock from which deposition occurs.

EARL E. BERRY.

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