US2486121A

US2486121A - Web spreading device

Info

Publication number: US2486121A
Application number: US724068A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Corn
Original assignee: Ecusta Paper Corp
Current assignee: Ecusta Paper Corp
Priority date: 1947-01-24
Filing date: 1947-01-24
Publication date: 1949-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1966-10-25

Description

Oct. 25, 1949.

Filed Jan. 24, 1947 W. H. CORN WEB SPREADING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Znventor (Ittorueg l 1949- w. H. CQRN WEB SPREADING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1947 Zmvemor dttorneg Patented Oct. 25, 1949 WEB SPREADING DEVICE William H. Corn, Pisgah Forest, N. 0. assignor to Ecusta Paper Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application January24, 1947, Serial No. 724,068

Claims. (Cl. 271-21) This invention relates to machines for winding or rewinding continuous web material, and more particularly to an improved spreading device for avoiding wrinkles in a traveling web trained through such machines.

A common difficulty in handling a traveling web in machines of this type is that wrinkles are easily developed in the extended web as it is trained through the machine, which wrinkles if not removed will be pressed into folds as the web is rewound and thus produces defective material. In view of this difllculty, various types of spreading devices are employed to spread the traveling web transversely to smooth out the wrinkles. One usual type of spreading device comprises a roll formed with spiral grooves arranged'from the center toward each end. Another type of spreading device consists of a bar over which the traveling web may be trained, and which is bowed so as to tension the web to a greater extent at its center and thus force any wrinkles toward the edges of the web.

These prior types of spreading devices, however, have not been adapted for adjustment to varying characteristics of the traveling web being handled. This is an important factor in many instances, such as when a high quality paper like cigarette paper is being handled. In such a case the wrinkling tendency of the traveling web may vary from roll to roll due to differences in moisture content of the paper, for example; and this difference may even be pronounced as between outer and inner windings of the same roll. And as it is correspondingly more important to avoid the defects resulting from wrinkles in high quality material, the lack of any means for adjusting the prior spreading devices to varying characteristics of the web material being handled has been a troublesome deflciency.

The improved spreading device of the present invention incorporates means for adjustment which avoids the above described diiiiculty entirely. Generally described, this spreading device comprises a spreader member, such as a bar or the like, over which a traveling web may be trained, an extending strut element positioned substantially midway of this spreader member, a tie structure fixed on the spreader member adjacent the ends thereof and tensioned over the strut element to bow the spreader member, and means for adjusting the extending position of the strut element to vary the force exerted through the tie structure and thereby adjust the degree of bow in said spreader bar. The adjusting means is arranged with a manipulating member positioned at one end of the spreader member so that it is readily accessible for adjustment during rewinding operations. This arrangement provides a simple and handily adjustable construction which may be easily and quickly adjusted to the characteristics of a particular web material under actual production conditions.

The spreading device of the present invention is described more in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side View in section of a rewinding machine incorporating a spreading device arranged according to the present invention:

Fig. 2 is a transverse section view oriented substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, of the spreading device;

Fig. 4 is a further detail in section of the manipulating screw mechanism for adjusting the spreading device:

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the manner of assembling the screw mechanism with the support member for the strut element; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 in Fig. 5.'

With reference first to Figs 1 and 2 of the drawing, a spreading device In constructed according to the present invention is shown incorporated in a conventional type of rewinding machine. The rewinding machine comprises a suitable supporting base H, a supply roll [2 journalled in bearings l3 disposed on the supporting base H, and a rewind roll l4, arranged in the usual manner to rest on a driving roll (5.

The supply roll I2 is adapted for supporting a roll of paper or the like I6 for rewinding. A web I'I withdrawn from this roll i 6 is extended over the spreading device I by training it under idler rolls l8 and I9, and is then led to the driving roll l5 to be taken up on the rewind roll 14. A slitting device, such as a disc knife as indicated at 20 in Figs. 1 and 2, may be provided if desired to slit the web I! as it is rewound.

The spreading device I is carried on the supporting base ll of the machine in brackets 2|. These brackets 2| are formed with an internal bore adapted to receive stud members 22 extending from assembly collars 23 arranged adjacent each end of the spreading device l0.

Suitable nuts

24 and 25 are associated with the stud members 22 so that they may be positioned in the brackets 2|, and may be adjusted relative to the brackets 2| to obtain a desired extending position for the spreading device Ill.

The spreading device I6 is illustrated more in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawing. As shown in Fig. 3, the spreading device l0 comprises an outer shell 26 which serves as a spreader member. This outer shell 26 has a generally tubular form, and is provided in a length sufficient to accommodate the width of web material it is desired to process on the machine. A strut element 21 is arranged with an extending disposition about midway of this outer shell 26, and a tie structure 28 is fixed on the outer shell 26 adjacent its ends and tensioned over the strut element 21.

The strut element 21 is formed with a sleeve 29 arranged on the outer shell 26 to position a rod member 30 which is grooved at its extending end to receive the tie structure 26, and which is supported inside the outer shell 26 against the tension of tie structure 28 as described more in'detail below. The tie structure 26 conveniently comprises a tie rod as shown attached to the other shell 26 by boltsor the like, as indicated at 3| in Fig. 3, and fitted with turn buckles 32 for assembling it with a. suitable degree of tension over the strut element 21.

The rod member 30 is supported inside the outer shell 26 by a supporting member 33 comprising a cylindrical block or the like fitted slidingly to the internal diameter of the outer shell 26, and slotted to provide an inclined face, as best shown at 34 in Fig. 5, forming a bearing surface for rod member 36. And it will be evident that the point of support on this inclined face 34 will determine the extending position of rod member 30 in sleeve 29; and that lateral translation of supporting member 33 in outer shell 26 will effect adjustment of this extending position, which will in turn adjust the force exerted through the tie structure 26 and the resulting bow imposed on the outer shell 26.

As previously mentioned, a-manipulating mechanism is provided according to the present invention for effecting this adjustment. As shown in the drawing, this mechanism comprises a manipulating handle 35 positioned at one end of the outer shell 26, and fixed-on a shaft 36 extending to the above described supporting member 33 associated with the strut element 21. The shaft 36 is formed with a threaded portion 31 of reduced diameter adapted to engage a correspondingly threaded bore in the supporting member 33 (see Fig. so that rotation of the shaft 36 by manipulating handle 35 will cause the supporting member 33 to shift on the threaded portion 31.

In order to anchor the shaft 66 so that this shifting of supporting member 36 on threaded portion 31 will amount to lateral translation in the outer shell 26 and thus effect the above noted adjustment of strut element 21, the shaft 36 is fitted with a positioning collar 38, and a spacer block 39 and thrust plate 40, assembled as a housing for the collar 36, are secured in the end of the outer shell 26 adjacent the ma- 4. movement of the supporting member 33 in outer shell 26 so that it will not be translated at any time beyond the rod member 36, the shaft 36 is adapted at its extending end to receive a nut 4| or other suitable fastening means for securing a retaining washer 42 in place as a limiting stop in one direction, and is formed with a shoulder 43 by the reduction in diameter for the threaded tiiortion 31 providing a stop in the other direc- By this arrangement, the strut element 21 is easily adjusted to vary the tension in tie structure 28 and consequently the bow in the outer shell or spreader member 26. Also, this adjustment may be regulated solely from the manipulating handle 35 which is arranged for convenient disposition at one side of the machine so that it is readily accessible by the machine operator for adjustment of the spreading action as necessary or desired during the rewinding operation.

Iclaim:

1. A spreading device for avoiding wrinkles in a traveling web comprising a spreader member over which the traveling web may be trained, an extending strut element positioned substantially midway of said spreader member, a tie structure. fixed on said spreader member adjacent the ends thereof and tensioned over said strut element to bow said spreader member, and means operable at one end of said spreader member for adjusting the extending position of said strut element to vary the force exerted through said tie structure and thereby adjust the degree of bow in said spreader member.

2. A spreading device for avoiding wrinkles in a traveling web comprising a spreader member over which the traveling web may be trained, a strut element slidingly associated with said spreader member and positioned in extending relation substantially midway of the length thereof, a tie structure fixed on said spreader member adjacent the ends thereof and tensioned over said strut element to bow said spreader member, and means operable at one end of said spreader member for adjusting the extending position of said strut element to vary the force exerted through said tie structure and thereby adjust the degree of bow in said spreader member.

3. A spreading device as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that the means for adjusting the extending position of said strut element includes a supporting member having an inclined face forming a bearing surface for said strut element whereby lateral translation of said support member efiects adjustment of the extending position of said strut element.

4. A spreading device as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that the means for adjusting the extending position of said strut element comprises a support member associated with said spreader member for lateral translation with respect to said strut element and having an inclined face forming a bearing surface for said strut element, and an adjusting screw mechanism extending from an end of said spreader member and engaging said support member for lateral adjustment thereof.

5. In a rewinding machine for continuous web material comprising a supply roll and a rewind roll, the combination therewith of a spreading device for avoiding wrinkles in a traveling web trained through said machine from said supnipulating handle 35. To restrict longitudinal ply roll to said rewind roll comprising a spreader 5 member over which the traveling web may be trained, an extending strut element positioned substantially midway of said spreader member, a tie structure fixed on said spreader member adjacent the ends thereof and tensioned over said strut element to bow said spreader memher, and means operable at one end of said spreader member for adjusting the extending position of said strut element to vary the force exerted through said tie structure and thereby adjust the degree of bow in said spreader member.

WILLIAM H. cons.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS