US2538086A - Machine for pressing sheet material - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 16, 1951 R. c. DENNISON MACHINE FOR PRESSING SHEET MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 5, 1947 Woke/"r (use Henri/San EYS ATTORN 1951 R. c. DENNISON 2,538,086

MACHINE FOR PRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 5, 1947 s Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Case Den/71300 ATTOR Fig.2. 5

1951 R. c. DENNISON 2,538,085

MACHINE FOR PRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 5, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. fioberf Case Den/71500 BYMM ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,538,086 MACHINE FOR PRESSING SHEET MATERIAL Robert Case Dennison, Manchester, Conn.

Application February 5, 1947, Serial No. 726,569

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a machine for compressing and surface finishing sheet material such a as paper, paper board, leather and the like. The

machine disclosed by way of example has been primarily contrived for compacting and glazing paper board, and such use will be referred to in discussing and describing the machine. It is to be understood, however, that such discussion and description is intended to be illustrative and that the calendering of paper and paper board, and the rolling of leather and other sheet material is contemplated.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a machine for producing a desired surface finish and density efficiently and dependably and at a high rate of output.

In accordance with a salient feature of the present invention, paper board or other sheet material is fed through successive roller couples, each consisting of an upper roller and lower roller having enlargements or collars provided at intervals, the widths of the collars, in the case of a two couple set, being substantially equal to the widths of the spaces between collars, and the upper and lower collars of a couple beingmatched and registered for bearing relation with one another.

The upp r rollers of each couple are desirably fixed against upward movement, and a hydraulic piston is provided at each end of each lower roller for forcing the lower roller bearings upward. Adjustable stops for limiting upward movement of the bearings of the lower rollers determine the board gauge, causing an even and uniform product to emerge.

The first and second roller couples constitute a glazing or calendering set or unit, the first couple serving to compress and glaze the paper board along zones or stripes but leaving unglazed intervening zones or stripes of substantially equal width. The second couple acts similarly but serves to compress and glaze the areas which were missed by the first couple. Roller couples of a second pair bear a similar complementary relation to one another but have their collars offset somewhat with relation to the collars of the first The fact that each roller consists of a shaft with a series of spaced collars upon it, serves not only to enable the pressure per square inch to be increased by applying the same total pressure over a lesser area, but it also serves a further very important function. Bearings can be provided for each roller in the spaces between collars so that each roller is supported, backed up and re- 2 inforced at frequent intervals by a rigid bearing block. Sagging or yielding of the rollers is thus avoided, so that a very high pressure can be applied evenly over the work engaging areas of the rollers.

It is a feature of the invention that hydraulic pressure mechanism is provided below rather than above the rollers so that if any liquid escapes from a hydraulic cylinder it will not fall upon and soil the web nor be deposited upon a roller from which it might be transferred to the web.

As a further means for protecting the web or work sheets, brushes are provided at the introductory end of the machine and throats are provided for covering, protecting and guiding the web or work sheets to each of the successive roller couples. In addition to the protective function of the throats, the throats enable individual work sheets to be passed through the machine from view being taken upon the line l-l of Fig. 2

looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken upon the line 33 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic view showing the passage of a work web from a supply reel, past the brushes and the roller couples and onto a take-up reel.

Referring first to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the paper board or other sheet material I is drawn from a supply reel 2, is passed over an idler roller 3, thence between upper and lower rotary brushes 4 and 5 which travel counter to the travel of the web, and finally through successive roller couples 6, I, 8 and 9 and onto a take-up reel 1.,

The machine comprises a base II which pro- The base iurther includes flanges l4 and I! at the left and right sides oi. the machine. respectively. Through each of the flanges l4 and II a series 01' posts I! extends. there being two or the posts mounted on each flange for each oi the roller couples of the machine. Each post 18 comprises a reduced lower end portion l8, the lower extremity ofwhich is threaded. The reduced portion is inserted through the flange with the shoulder at the upper extremity of the reduced portion bearing against the flange. The post is clamped flrmly to the flange in an upright attitude by means of a clamping nut 28 which is threaded onto the protruding lower extremity of the post.

Above the flange the two posts of an adjacent pair extend through ears 2| of a bearing block 22. Each bearing block is engaged and operated by pistons 23 and 23a. which are located at opposite ends or the bearing block and are disposed, respectively, in the cylinders l2 and IS. The bearing blocks 22 are slidable upon the posts l8 being adapted to be urged upward by hydraullc pressure applied to the pistons in the cylinders l2 and I3. All of the cylinders communicate with a common source of liquid under pressure through main conduits Ho and branch conduits Ild, the admission and discharge of liquid being controlled for all cylinders by a single conventional valve mechanism (not shown) The bearing block 22 carries the lower roller 25 of ,a roller couple. The roller 25 is a unitary roller, consisting of a continuous shaft 24 having a series of collars 24a provided upon it. The collars are of substantially the same width as the spaces between collars. The ends of the shaft and the portions of the shaft intervening between collars are all supported unyieldingly in axial alignment with one another by the bearing block. The bearing block provides lower half bearings for each of these bearing portions of the shaft, and a complementary half bearing 26 is provided in each instance, being clamped to the bearing block by bolts 21.

Upward movement of the bearing block 22, and hence of the roller carried by it, is limited by tive posts 18. Lock nuts 28a, also threaded on the posts l8, ilx the stop nuts 28 in desired positions.

The posts l8 have threaded upper end portions thereof screwed through upper bearing blocks 29, the posts being passed through ears 38 of the bearing blocks. Each bearing block 28 carries an upper roller 31 which is a unitary roller consisting of a continuous shaft 32 having a series of spaced collars 33. The shaft and collar construction'is the same as that of the lower roller which has already been described, and the mounting of the upper roller in the bearing'block 29 is the same as that 01' the lower roller in the bearing block 22'. The bearing sections of the shaft at the ends of the shaft and in the spaces between successive collars are rotatably secured in axial alignment with one another, bearing block 29 providing half bearings, and complementary half bearings 34 being provided in each instance and secured to the bearing block through bolts 35.

Each bearing block 29 is normally supported in fixed position on the posts l8. Lock nuts 38 are threaded upon reduced upper end portions of the posts I8 and engage with the upper hearing blocks 29. The nuts are threaded right down into engagement with shoulders formed on the posts I8 so that the nuts form definitely located stops for engagement with the bearing blocks 28.

When the lower bearing block 22 is urged upward by hydraulic pressure and there is no work sheet or web in the machine, the bearing block 22 stands in engagement with the stop nuts 28,

and the bearing block 28 is held in engagement.

with the stop nut 88. The web or work sheet to be introduced is of greater thickness than the space intervening between the rollers 28 and II. The width oi this space is equal to the thickness to which the web or work sheet will be compressed by its passage through the couple. when the web or work sheet is passed through a roller couple with the pressure on, the zones or stripes acted upon are compressed. By readjustment or the nuts 28 the thickness to which the paper board will be compressed can be changed.

The description which has been given or the rollers and associated mechanism is equally applicable to any one of the roller couples and its bearing block. These couples difler from one another, however, in the disposition of the collars adjustable stop nuts 28 threaded on the respecupon the rollers. The collars oi. roller couple I are complementary to the collars of roller couple 8. In other words, the stripes not compressed by roller couple 8 are compressed by roller couple I, the combined ellect oi the two roller couples being to compress and glaze the web throughout the width thereof.

Roller couples 8 and 9 similarly constitute a complementary pair for giving the web or sheet a second pressing. The collars oi couple 8 are not exactly aligned with the collars either of couple 6 or couple I, and hence overlap the areas compressed by both of them. The rollers of couples 8 and 9 if desired may be arranged to compress the paper board thinner than the rollers 5 and I compress it. This result can be brought about by appropriate adjustment-oi the limit nuts 28 associated with the lower bearing blocks of roller couples 8 and 8.

Since the paper board is compressed by the roller couples 8 and I, it is somewhat elongated and should be driven at a slightly higher peripheral speed by roller couples 8 and 8 than it is by the roller couples 6 and I. The drive is to the upper rollers, and each upper roller drives the lower roller associated with it. The upper roller 31' having fast upon it a gear 4| which runs in driving engagement with a gear 42 fast upon the lower roller 23.

As best seen in Fig. 2, the upper roller 01 couple 6 is driven through a chain 43 and a. sprocket 44. The drive is transmitted from the upper roller of couple 6 to the upper roller of couple 'I through sprockets 45 and 46 and a chain 41. The upper roller of couple 8 is driven through a chain 48a and a sprocket 48. The drive is transmitted from the upper roller of couple 8 to the upper roller of couple 9 through sprockets 88 and 58 and a chain 5|. The sprocket 48 is driven at a slightly higher speed than the sprocket 48, ,consistent with the different thicknesses of the paper board as it emerges from the respective pairs of roller couples.

At the introductory end of the machine there is provided a pair of brackets 52 secured to the lower bearing block 22 of the first couple by bolts 58. These brackets carry upper and lower brushes 4 and 5 which are driven in the direction opposite to the travel of the web. The purpose 01' the brushes is to dust off and clean the web. Each upper bearing block 28 carries two angle brackets 58 upon which a guide plate 51 is secured. Each lower bearing block 22 carries two angle brackets ll upon which a guide plate II is secured. The guide plates 51 and I8 converge, forming a throat through which the web is guided to the associated roller couple. The iirst throat covers and protects the web and guides it from the brushes to the first roller couple 6. The next throat similarly covers, protects and guides" the web from the roller couple 8 to the roller couple "I. The ensuing throats act in a similar manner.

The throats serve not only to protect the web but they serve to protect and to guide individual work sheets through the machine from roller couple to roller couple when it is desired to operate upon individual sheets rather than upon a web. The throats serve also to facilitate the introduction of the leadingend of a work web into the machine. For example, the web can be first fed through the roller couples with the pressure on, the pressure can then be relieved, the web straightened, and the pressure reappliedx By virtue of the arrangement described, and particularly by making up complementary roller couples so that each couple compresses and glazes only selected stripes, the pressure per unit area can be .doubled or trebled or even further multiplied for a given total pressure depending upon whether two, threeor more roller couples are provided to make up a single complementary set. Not only is the pressure concentrated, but by supporting the rollers at frequent intervals in the large rigid bearing blocks a very high pressure can be exerted and transmitted uniformly to the aflected areas, there being no variation of pressure, of thickness, nor of surface quality resulting from sagging, bending or other yielding of the rollers. i

The rate of production of the presentmachine is very much greater than the rates of output of the most rapid glazing machines known to the prior art.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pressing machine for a work web or sheet of fibrous material, in combination, a set fof roller couples, each couple composed of opposed, unit'ary rollers, and each unitary roller having a series of collars separated bYbearing portions, the collars of the opposed rollers that form each couple being disposed in registering relation so that the work web or sheet? is compressed along a series of stripes by each roller couple, and a rigid bearing structure for each ,roller, rigidly supporting the roller at its ends and in the bearing portions between its adjacent collars. the roller couples being disposed in complementary relation so that the entire work sheet or web is compressed by their conjoint action.

2. in a pressing machine for a workweb of fibrous material, in combination, a pair of roller couples, each couple composed oi opposed, unitary rollers, and each unitary roller having a series or collars separated by bearing portions, the collars of the opposed rollers that form each couple being disposed in registering relation so that the web is compressed by each couple along a series of stripes representing substantially half the total width of the web, a rigid bearing structure for each roller rigidly supporting the roller at its ends and in the bearing portions between its adjacent collars, the roller couples being disposed in complementary relation so that the entire web is compressed by their conjoint action.

3. A pressing machine for fibrous sheet material comprising, in combination, a roller couple including upper and lower rollers having series of cooperating collars separated from one another by bearings, a rigid upper bearing block in which all the bearings of the upper roller are rotatably secured in axial alignment with one another, a rigid lower bearing block in which all the bearings of the lower roller are rotatably secured in axial alignment with one one .another, power mechanism for urging one of the bearing blocks toward the other, said other bearing block being held firmly in a predetermined position against pressure exerted from the first through the rollers, and stop mechanism for limiting movement of the first bearing block toward the other to determine the uniform thickness to which the web will be compressed by the collars.

ROBERT CASE DENNISON.

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

UNITED sures Pll'rnu'rs

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