US2738557A - Apparatus for the air deposition of fibers in the manufacture of fibrous structures - Google Patents

Apparatus for the air deposition of fibers in the manufacture of fibrous structures Download PDF

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US2738557A
US2738557A US316588A US31658852A US2738557A US 2738557 A US2738557 A US 2738557A US 316588 A US316588 A US 316588A US 31658852 A US31658852 A US 31658852A US 2738557 A US2738557 A US 2738557A
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fibers
air
wall
housing
separating wall
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US316588A
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Bror E Anderson
Jack C Leske
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AB Dick Co
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AB Dick Co
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
    • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged

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  • 1'9-156 applicationt comprises a cylindrical housing havingan inletopening-in oneportion and a separating wall defining another portion in which a plurality of spaced open-1 ings' are provided through which separated fibers are able to pass.
  • a paddle mounted within the housing for rotational movement about an axis parallel to that of the cylinder.
  • a scrabbler having a plurality .of blades extending radially from the periphery thereof and in which the axis of rotation s offset 'to position the plates in closer proximity to the inner .faceof the separating wall with increase in the spaced relation between the ends of the blades and the remainder of the walls of the cylindrical housing.
  • the separating wall Spaced a short distance from theforaminous separating wall is a collecting wall having foramens dimensioned to separate out fibers on the surface of the wall while the air stream passes theretlirough;
  • the separating wall may be; of some particular. shape to produce a fibrous preform or: it may Tcom'prise an endless foraminousbelt travelingin one direction to form a continuous web of interfelted fibers on the surface thereof.
  • the fibers deposited on the surfaces thereof are strongly anchored and'when the volume of air withdrawn through thecollecting wall is greaterthan the volume which is able to pass through the separating wall, then the deficiency is made up by a slight inflowp-of air from the surrounding'atmosphere intotthe space betweenthe separating wall" and the col-' lecting wall thereby to permit the space ,to remain open to the atmosphere without interference of fiber flowor i without blowing the fibers out, into the room.
  • substantiallyseparated or loosely asso ciated fibers are introduced at a predetermined rate throughdhetfeedopening into the cylindrical housing and are caused rapidly to circulate about the cylindrical housing responsive to mechanical actuation from the rap:
  • Another object is to produce an improvement in ap 5 pa'r'atus for the air deposition of fibers to form fibrous structures, and it is a related object'to provide means in'apparatus Ofthe type described which reduces to a minimum those factors whichgive rise to the formation a of fiber balls and rice from' the, separated fibers fed into the scrabbler section.
  • Figure 2 is ase' ctional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1. 7
  • the amount of rice formed may be reduced from as much as 30 percent of the fiber introducedto less than 0.5 percent or upto a sixty-fold reduction in the formation of such clotsand bundles;
  • the. end's'of the blades are kept substantially free of fibers by blasting the ends with one or more air streams positioned to engage the blades preferably immediately in advance of "passage into the separating wall section where the ends of the scrabbler blades approachclosest to the walls 7 of i thefcfylindrical' housing.
  • the air deposition of dry fibers comprises an elongate cylindrical housing having an inlet opening 11 extending substantially continuously across the upper portion thereof.
  • a feed duct12 communicates directly with the feed opening substantially throughout its length for introducing separated fibers into the housing and for enabling a relatively large volume of air to be drawn by the scrabbler blades or else introduced in predetermined volumes under positive pressure through suitable duct work in communication With an air blower or the like, as more specifically defined in the aforementioned application.
  • the cylindrical housing 19 is provided witha separating wall section 13 having openings 14 dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers and preferably spaced by a distance.
  • the separating wall ,13 may form an integral part of the cylinder wall but it is preferred to provide one or more separate curvilinear plates for attachment to the wall of the housing and having openings of different dimension and spacing for use with various types of fibers and lengths of fibers calculated to secure best results.
  • a collecting wall 15 Positioned a short distance from the separating wall but in spaced relation therewith is a collecting wall 15 having openings dimensioned to permit passage of air or to separate out fibers from the air stream onto the surfaces thereof whereby the fibers collect in interfelted relation and conform to the contour of the collecting wall in the formation of a fibrous preform.
  • the collecting wall is a relatively flat member adapted to form panels or webs
  • the wall may comprise an endless foraminous member adapted to move in one direction at a rate balanced with the amount of fibers to produce a felted layer-of fibers of desired thickness.
  • the underside of the collecting wall may be in communication with ductwork 16 through which air is withdrawn, as by the blower, or by other means to generate a suction which anchors the separated fibers onto the surface of the collecting wall.
  • the deficiency is adapted to be made up by a slight inflow of air from the atmosphere into the space between the separating Wall and the collecting wall. This condition prevents fibers from being blown out into the atmosphere and provides for the smooth flow of air and fibers from the separating wall and collecting wall.
  • this critical area in an air deposition system can be allowed to remain open to the atmosphere withoutcausing nonuniform distribution of fibers, agglomeration of fibers into bundles or blowing fibers out into the atmosphoto.
  • various substances such as dry binders, or the like, onto the fibers prior to or justasthey are being deposited.
  • a mechanical scrabbler in the form of a plurality of resilient blades 20 formed of rubber, metal or the like extending radially from their mounting in the periphery-of spaccdrims 21 secured by spokes 22 to a hub 23 mounted on a shaft 24 axially positioned for rotational movement in the ends of the housing 10.
  • the rotatable scrabbler is positioned to be offset in the direction of the separating .Wallso that the tips of the blades are just short of the separating wall.
  • the fibers and air entering the housing are caused to revolve rapidly about the periphery of the housing, causing a layer of air and entrained fibers to move constantly across the face of the separating wall under positive pressure whereby conditions exist similar to that of a shower-head and equal volumes of air and fiberspass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall.
  • the air blast means comprises an elongate header 25 in the form of a rectangular tubing extending through a corresponding opening 26 in the outer wall of the housing.
  • the header is connected by a tubular passage 27 to a source of air under pressure and a narrow slot 28 is provided through the end portion of the header extending laterally into the housing through which the air issues under high pressure as a continuous blade directed radially from the housing for removing fibers caught on the ends of the scrabbler blade.
  • the desired effect may be secured by a plurality of separate air inlets spaced across the housing and that all or part of such air nozzles may be adapted to reciprocate so as to secure a more complete coverage of the scrabbler blades. It will also be understood that the air blast may be directed at an angular relation with the blades to sweep the fibers off the ends thereof.
  • the wall portion 30 beyond the separating wall and in advance of the fiber feed opening is formed substantially to elliptical shape having a lesser radius than that of the housing so that the end of the wall terminates below the fiber feed opening and preferably projects beyond a portion thereof.
  • the rapid circulation of air and fibers athighspeed about the housing forms in effect a venturi which causes a slight vacuum to be generated within the fiber feed opening smoothly and uniformly to draw the fibers and air into the cylindrical housing for joining with the air and fibers circulating therein.
  • the air blast for cleaning the blades adds to the turbulence for fiber entrainment and separation and also adds to the volume of air as will permit the existence of more desirable conditions for effecting the shower-head principle by which uniform volumes of air and fibers are caused to pass through the separating wall.
  • Using the air blast no auxiliary air beyond that drawn in bythe vacuum created by the swirling mass in the housing need be added. Under such circumstances an airlock feeder for the fibers, such as describedin the aforementioned copending Clark application, is unnecessary.
  • the feed opening may be left substantially open to the atmosphere and the fibers fed freely in through the opening.
  • vicinity of the fiber inlet opening may be embodied an integral part of the cylindrical housing by forming fiber inlet and the wall portion of the housing immediately beyond the inlet.
  • the desired movement of fibers may be achieved by the use of air scrabbler means employing streams of air introduced at high velocity into the housing in a radial direction toachieve the desired movement.
  • a system of the type described is more-fully describedin the. Clark application Ser. No. 313,316. r
  • Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fiber's'in the, preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing havingan inlet in one wallportion through which fibers and air are fed into the housing and a separating wall in another portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers, a paddle wheel having a plurality of scrabbler blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the rotating paddle wheel to turn about the housing and provide a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby some of the fibers and air are caused to pass through the openings in the separating wall to the collecting wall which separates fibers out of the air stream on the surface thereof to form the fibrous structure, and air blast means for removing the fibers from the edges of the scrabbler blades during r0- tational movement.
  • Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing having an inlet in one wall portion for the introduction of air and fibers and a separating wall in another portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers therethrough, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades about the periphery thereof mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing fibers through the inlet whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby some of the fibers and air are caused to pass through the openings in the separating wall to the collecting wall, and air inlet means for directing a blast of air onto the blades of the paddle wheel in advance of the separating wall for removing fibers caught on the edges of the blades.
  • Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical, housing, having an inlet in on e wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers 5 through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity aboutthe housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall' whereby fibers and air pass thr ough the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure; the interior wall of the hous ing beyond the separating wall having an elliptically shapedportion terminating below the inlet opening to cause the stream of air:
  • Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing formed with a curvilinear interior wall having an inlet in one wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby fibers and air pass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, said paddle wheel being positioned to rotate about an axis parallel to that of the housing but about a center offset from that of the housing in the direction of the separating wall, the interior
  • Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing formed with a curvilinear interior wall having an inlet in one wall portion and a separating wall defining another wal portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housingand form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby fibers and air pass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, said having an inlet in One wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced

Description

March 1956 B. E. ANDERSQN ETAL APPARATUS FOR THE AIR DEPOSITION OF FIBERS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS STRUCTURES Filed 001.- 24, 1952 INVENTORS:
ATTORNEXS.
United States P APPARATUS FOR THE AIR DEPOSITION F FIBERSIN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS STRUCTURES Bror E. Anderson, Park Ridge, and Jack C. Leske, Chi
tcago, lll., assignors to A. B. Dick Company, Niles, Ill.,'
a corporation of Illinois Application October 24, 1952, Serial NO.-316,588 I 9 Claims. c1. 1'9-156 applicationtcomprises a cylindrical housing havingan inletopening-in oneportion and a separating wall defining another portion in which a plurality of spaced open-1 ings' are provided through which separated fibers are able to pass. Mounted within the housing for rotational movement about an axis parallel to that of the cylinder is a paddle. wheel, herein referred to as a scrabbler, having a plurality .of blades extending radially from the periphery thereof and in which the axis of rotation s offset 'to position the plates in closer proximity to the inner .faceof the separating wall with increase in the spaced relation between the ends of the blades and the remainder of the walls of the cylindrical housing.
Spaced a short distance from theforaminous separating wall is a collecting wall having foramens dimensioned to separate out fibers on the surface of the wall while the air stream passes theretlirough; The separating wall may be; of some particular. shape to produce a fibrous preform or: it may Tcom'prise an endless foraminousbelt travelingin one direction to form a continuous web of interfelted fibers on the surface thereof.
Whensu'ction means are provided in connection with the underside of the collecting wall, the fibers deposited on the surfaces thereof are strongly anchored and'when the volume of air withdrawn through thecollecting wall is greaterthan the volume which is able to pass through the separating wall, then the deficiency is made up by a slight inflowp-of air from the surrounding'atmosphere intotthe space betweenthe separating wall" and the col-' lecting wall thereby to permit the space ,to remain open to the atmosphere without interference of fiber flowor i without blowing the fibers out, into the room.
Inoperation, substantiallyseparated or loosely asso ciated fibers are introduced at a predetermined rate throughdhetfeedopening into the cylindrical housing and are caused rapidly to circulate about the cylindrical housing responsive to mechanical actuation from the rap:
idly rotating (scrabbler. blades. The air, drawn into the; housing by: the scrabbler blades, and fibers are thust caused-to travel. as a constantly moving layer over the. 1
face of the separating wall under slight positive pressure to establish-conditions similar tothat of a shower-head whereby uniform volumes of air and fiber are causedtopass thr'oughtthe openings of the separating wallto the collecting wall.
It has been found in operation thatua; fairly. high percentage of {the fibers fedinto the cylindrical housing are incapable of passing through the separating wall for deposition re ain -a fibrousstructure on the collecting wall. The cause for'such loss of fiber transmission is separating wall.
ice
traceable to the formation build-up of such fiber balls would interfere with the operation of the fiber depositing system. Obviously it would be impractical periodically to stop the operation of the' fiber depositing unit to rid the cylindrical housing of such As a result, various systems have been devised to effect the continuous removal 'ofsuch' fiber balls or rice.
fibers or. balls but such techniques have been found insufiicient because they are not only expensive and complicated in operation but they permit a waste of fiber.
Instead of providing a more efiicient separator to eliminate the balls of fibers from the scrabbler system, it is an object of this invention to provide means for reducing the amount of fibers formed into such balls or rice thereby markedly to increase the utilization of the fibers introduced and greatly to increase the efiiciency of the fiber depositing system.
Another object is to produce an improvement in ap 5 pa'r'atus for the air deposition of fibers to form fibrous structures, and it is a related object'to provide means in'apparatus Ofthe type described which reduces to a minimum those factors whichgive rise to the formation a of fiber balls and rice from' the, separated fibers fed into the scrabbler section.
These and other objects and advantages of thisinventionwillhe'reinafter appear andfor purposes of illustration, but not of limitatioinan embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing in which-- Figure 1 is asectional elevational view through a fiber depositing head embodying features of this invention,
and
Figure 2 is ase' ctional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1. 7
It has been found that when suitable means" are provided for removing fibers caught on the ends Of the scrabbler blades,the amount of rice formed may be reduced from as much as 30 percent of the fiber introducedto less than 0.5 percent or upto a sixty-fold reduction in the formation of such clotsand bundles;
This represents a 'marked increase in the efficiency and in the op'e'rationo'f 'th'e fib'er depositing machine. While mechanical wipers might be used for the removal of such fibers fromthe ends of the blades, it has been found more expedientto'make use of a blade cleaning system which depends upon the reaction with air and which imparts some function in maintaining the desired turbulence of mean streams thereby to effect better distribut'ion of fibers in the fiber depositing head;
' Inac'cordance with the practice ofthis invention, the. end's'of the blades are kept substantially free of fibers by blasting the ends with one or more air streams positioned to engage the blades preferably immediately in advance of "passage into the separating wall section where the ends of the scrabbler blades approachclosest to the walls 7 of i thefcfylindrical' housing. It is believed that it is pri{ marily within this area that such fiber balls and rice are formed as a rolling or'rubbing action between the fibers on the ends of the blades and the surface of the scrabblerblades as they pass by, as for example from a number of air nozzles arranged across the cylindrical housing in spaced apart relation or from a single air outlet in the form of an elongate noizle for directing a substantially continuous blastof air against the ends of the scrabbler l dof the separated fibers into 3 balls or rice which are unable to pass through the" openings in the separating wall and present acritical problem of elimination, otherwise the scrabbler section would be quickly filled with such agglomerates and the A ush wn i th dr wi .fibe ...depos. t ng. head. f the air deposition of dry fibers comprises an elongate cylindrical housing having an inlet opening 11 extending substantially continuously across the upper portion thereof. A feed duct12communicates directly with the feed opening substantially throughout its length for introducing separated fibers into the housing and for enabling a relatively large volume of air to be drawn by the scrabbler blades or else introduced in predetermined volumes under positive pressure through suitable duct work in communication With an air blower or the like, as more specifically defined in the aforementioned application. Practically diametrically opposite the feed opening, the cylindrical housing 19 is provided witha separating wall section 13 having openings 14 dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers and preferably spaced by a distance. which prevents fibers entering twoopenings at the same time so as to cause a block and a source for fiber agglomeration. The separating wall ,13 may form an integral part of the cylinder wall but it is preferred to provide one or more separate curvilinear plates for attachment to the wall of the housing and having openings of different dimension and spacing for use with various types of fibers and lengths of fibers calculated to secure best results.
Positioned a short distance from the separating wall but in spaced relation therewith is a collecting wall 15 having openings dimensioned to permit passage of air or to separate out fibers from the air stream onto the surfaces thereof whereby the fibers collect in interfelted relation and conform to the contour of the collecting wall in the formation of a fibrous preform. When the collecting wall is a relatively flat member adapted to form panels or webs, the wall may comprise an endless foraminous member adapted to move in one direction at a rate balanced with the amount of fibers to produce a felted layer-of fibers of desired thickness.
The underside of the collecting wall may be in communication with ductwork 16 through which air is withdrawn, as by the blower, or by other means to generate a suction which anchors the separated fibers onto the surface of the collecting wall. When the amount of air withdrawn from the underside of the collecting wall exceeds the amount of air issuing with the fibers through the separating wall, the deficiency is adapted to be made up by a slight inflow of air from the atmosphere into the space between the separating Wall and the collecting wall. This condition prevents fibers from being blown out into the atmosphere and provides for the smooth flow of air and fibers from the separating wall and collecting wall. Thus, this critical area in an air deposition system can be allowed to remain open to the atmosphere withoutcausing nonuniform distribution of fibers, agglomeration of fibers into bundles or blowing fibers out into the atmosphoto. By being able to leave this area between the-separating wall and collecting wall open to the atmosphere, it is possible to introduce various substances, such as dry binders, or the like, onto the fibers prior to or justasthey are being deposited.
The desired movement of fibers and airfor transfer in unifOrmvOIumes and distribution through the openings of the separating wall is effected by a mechanical scrabbler in the form of a plurality of resilient blades 20 formed of rubber, metal or the like extending radially from their mounting in the periphery-of spaccdrims 21 secured by spokes 22 to a hub 23 mounted on a shaft 24 axially positioned for rotational movement in the ends of the housing 10. The rotatable scrabbler is positioned to be offset in the direction of the separating .Wallso that the tips of the blades are just short of the separating wall.
As the scrabbler blades rotate at high speed within the housing, the fibers and air entering the housingare caused to revolve rapidly about the periphery of the housing, causing a layer of air and entrained fibers to move constantly across the face of the separating wall under positive pressure whereby conditions exist similar to that of a shower-head and equal volumes of air and fiberspass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall.
In the illustrated embodiment, the ends of the scrabbler blades 20 are acted upon by a continuous blade of air blasted onto the blades prior to their passage into the area of the separating wall. The air blast means comprises an elongate header 25 in the form of a rectangular tubing extending through a corresponding opening 26 in the outer wall of the housing. The header is connected by a tubular passage 27 to a source of air under pressure and a narrow slot 28 is provided through the end portion of the header extending laterally into the housing through which the air issues under high pressure as a continuous blade directed radially from the housing for removing fibers caught on the ends of the scrabbler blade. It will be understood that the desired effect may be secured by a plurality of separate air inlets spaced across the housing and that all or part of such air nozzles may be adapted to reciprocate so as to secure a more complete coverage of the scrabbler blades. It will also be understood that the air blast may be directed at an angular relation with the blades to sweep the fibers off the ends thereof.
It has been found in actual practice that conditions which have heretofore resulted in the formation of rice or balls from 30 percent of the fibers fed into the cylinder can be reduced to about 0.5 percent merely by modification of the same structure to embody the cleaning or fiber removing blast described herein. Thus by. the modification described, more eificient use can be made of the fiber depositing head and fibrous products can be produced with less interruption or intcrferencewith the operation of a machine and with a more efiicient utilization A further improvement in apparatus for deposition of dry fibers of an air stream circulating rapidly about the cylindrical housing and over the face of a foraminous cylinder wall, as effected by the mechanical scrabbler means just described or by air scrabbler means described in the copending application of James dA. Clark et:al., Ser. No. 313,316, filed on October 6, 1952, entitled Air Scrabbler System for Fiber Deposition in the Manufacture of Fibrous Structures, resides in the modification in the contour of the wall defining the interior of the housing whereby a suction zone is generated in the fiber feed area to prevent interference with the rotational movement of the air and fibers about the housing and'to avoid such turbulence in the fiber feed zone as-would interfere with the smooth operation of the machine.
To achieve this result, the wall portion 30 beyond the separating wall and in advance of the fiber feed opening is formed substantially to elliptical shape having a lesser radius than that of the housing so that the end of the wall terminates below the fiber feed opening and preferably projects beyond a portion thereof. As aresult, the rapid circulation of air and fibers athighspeed about the housing forms in effect a venturi which causes a slight vacuum to be generated within the fiber feed opening smoothly and uniformly to draw the fibers and air into the cylindrical housing for joining with the air and fibers circulating therein.
The air blast for cleaning the blades adds to the turbulence for fiber entrainment and separation and also adds to the volume of air as will permit the existence of more desirable conditions for effecting the shower-head principle by which uniform volumes of air and fibers are caused to pass through the separating wall. Using the air blast, no auxiliary air beyond that drawn in bythe vacuum created by the swirling mass in the housing need be added. Under such circumstances an airlock feeder for the fibers, such as describedin the aforementioned copending Clark application, is unnecessary. In fact, the feed opening may be left substantially open to the atmosphere and the fibers fed freely in through the opening.
amass? It is unnecessary to make use of a separate baffle plate to regulate the air flow within the fiber depositing head.
Instead, the desired relationship betweenwalls in,the
vicinity of the fiber inlet opening may be embodied an integral part of the cylindrical housing by forming fiber inlet and the wall portion of the housing immediately beyond the inlet.
Use may be made of the concepts described without making use of the mechanical scrabblers for achieving the desired air and fiber movement. For example, the desired movement of fibersmay be achieved by the use of air scrabbler means employing streams of air introduced at high velocity into the housing in a radial direction toachieve the desired movement. A system of the type described is more-fully describedin the. Clark application Ser. No. 313,316. r
It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.
We claim: A
1. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fiber's'in the, preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing havingan inlet in one wallportion through which fibers and air are fed into the housing and a separating wall in another portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers, a paddle wheel having a plurality of scrabbler blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the rotating paddle wheel to turn about the housing and provide a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby some of the fibers and air are caused to pass through the openings in the separating wall to the collecting wall which separates fibers out of the air stream on the surface thereof to form the fibrous structure, and air blast means for removing the fibers from the edges of the scrabbler blades during r0- tational movement.
2. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing having an inlet in one wall portion for the introduction of air and fibers and a separating wall in another portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of separated fibers therethrough, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades about the periphery thereof mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing fibers through the inlet whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby some of the fibers and air are caused to pass through the openings in the separating wall to the collecting wall, and air inlet means for directing a blast of air onto the blades of the paddle wheel in advance of the separating wall for removing fibers caught on the edges of the blades.
3. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers as claimed in claim 1 in which the paddle wheel is mounted for rotational movement about an axis parallel to that of the housing but about a center offset from that of the housing in the direction of the separating wall whereby the rotating blades are spaced a lesser distance from ,the
separating wall than from the wall defining the housing portion immediately in advance thereof to the. inlet.
:4. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical, housing, having an inlet in on e wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers 5 through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity aboutthe housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall' whereby fibers and air pass thr ough the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure; the interior wall of the hous ing beyond the separating wall having an elliptically shapedportion terminating below the inlet opening to cause the stream of air: and fibers rotating about the housing to generate a v'acuum in the feed opening to wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, means for directing an air blast onto the edges of the scrabbler blades to remove fibers caught thereon, the housing wall having a curvilinear portion of elliptical shape of decreasing radius between the separating wall and the inlet to create a suction in the feed opening whereby air and fibers are drawn smoothly into the housmg.
6. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing formed with a curvilinear interior wall having an inlet in one wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby fibers and air pass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, said paddle wheel being positioned to rotate about an axis parallel to that of the housing but about a center offset from that of the housing in the direction of the separating wall, the interior wall of the housing beyond the separating wall being formed with decreasing radius and terminating below the inlet opening.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the curvilinear wall is of elliptical shape having decreasing diameter as it approaches the. inlet opening thereby to generate a suction within the inlet opening.
8. Apparatus for the air deposition of dry fibers in the preparation of fibrous structures comprising a cylindrical housing formed with a curvilinear interior wall having an inlet in one wall portion and a separating wall defining another wal portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housingand form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby fibers and air pass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, said having an inlet in One wall portion and a separating wall defining another wall portion having openings dimensioned to permit passage of dry fibers, a collecting wall spaced a short distance from the separating wall and having openings dimensioned to prevent passage of fibers therethrough, a paddle Wheel having a plurality of blades mounted for rotational movement within the housing, means for introducing air and fibers through the inlet into the housing whereby they are caused by the paddle wheel to rotate at high velocity about the housing and form a constantly moving layer of air and fibers across the face of the separating wall whereby fibers and air pass through the openings of the separating wall to the collecting wall where the fibers are separated on the surface of the collecting wall to form the fibrous structure, the housing being formed with curvilinear interior walls arranged to form a greater angle between a line parallel to theaxis of the inlet at the intersection with the interior wall in advance of the inlet opening than between a similar line at the intersection with the interior wall portionrearwardly of the inlet opening.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,506 Horn Nov. 15, 1938 2,152,901 Manning Apr. 4, 1939 2,218,338 Manning Oct. 15, 1940 2,489,079 Clark et a1. Nov. 22, 1949 2,587,814 Borkland Mar. 4, 1952
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Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2949644A (en) * 1954-12-08 1960-08-23 Continental Gin Co Triple moting gin
US3056173A (en) * 1958-07-11 1962-10-02 Weyerhaeuser Co Pneumatic fiber felting head
US3145430A (en) * 1960-12-14 1964-08-25 Weyerhaeuser Co Felter head and agitator
US3680175A (en) * 1970-07-02 1972-08-01 Union Carbide Corp Linear apparatus for the production of non-woven fabrics
US3961397A (en) * 1974-11-21 1976-06-08 Scott Paper Company Clump removal devices
WO1981002031A1 (en) * 1980-01-18 1981-07-23 Scan Web Is A system for dry forming of paper or other sheet material of particles or fibres
US4335066A (en) * 1979-12-21 1982-06-15 Kimberly-Clark Corporation Method of forming a fibrous web with high fiber throughput screening
US4389175A (en) * 1981-05-15 1983-06-21 James River-Dixie/Northern, Inc. Apparatus for distributing dry fibers onto a forming wire
USRE31775E (en) * 1975-08-27 1984-12-25 Scan-Web I/S Method and an apparatus for distributing a disintegrated material onto a layer forming surface
US5319830A (en) * 1990-03-23 1994-06-14 Maschinenfabrik Rieter Ag Cleaning machine for textile fibers
WO2000073032A1 (en) * 1999-05-27 2000-12-07 Bki Holding Corporation Screen pipe for dry forming web material
US6726461B2 (en) 1999-05-27 2004-04-27 Bki Holding Corporation Screen pipe for dry forming web material
US20040234638A1 (en) * 2001-08-20 2004-11-25 Thordahl Jens Erik High speed former head
EP1645672A1 (en) 2004-10-06 2006-04-12 KVG Technologies Inc. Vibrationally compressed glass fiber and/or other material fiber mats and methods for making the same
US20070292547A1 (en) * 2004-08-05 2007-12-20 Christensen Kenn M Former Head With Rotary Drum
WO2020104289A1 (en) * 2018-11-21 2020-05-28 Campen Machinery A/S A former head and an apparatus comprising such a former head

Citations (5)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2136506A (en) * 1937-10-06 1938-11-15 Horn Albright Cotton-gin condenser
US2152901A (en) * 1936-09-05 1939-04-04 F W Manning Company Ltd Method of making filter fabric
US2218338A (en) * 1936-09-05 1940-10-15 F W Manning Company Ltd Method and apparatus for making filter fabric
US2489079A (en) * 1946-04-18 1949-11-22 Paper Chemistry Inst Apparatus for forming fibrous sheets or paperboard
US2587814A (en) * 1946-11-09 1952-03-04 Owens Corning Fiberglass Corp Method and apparatus for making a fibrous preform

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2152901A (en) * 1936-09-05 1939-04-04 F W Manning Company Ltd Method of making filter fabric
US2218338A (en) * 1936-09-05 1940-10-15 F W Manning Company Ltd Method and apparatus for making filter fabric
US2136506A (en) * 1937-10-06 1938-11-15 Horn Albright Cotton-gin condenser
US2489079A (en) * 1946-04-18 1949-11-22 Paper Chemistry Inst Apparatus for forming fibrous sheets or paperboard
US2587814A (en) * 1946-11-09 1952-03-04 Owens Corning Fiberglass Corp Method and apparatus for making a fibrous preform

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2949644A (en) * 1954-12-08 1960-08-23 Continental Gin Co Triple moting gin
US3056173A (en) * 1958-07-11 1962-10-02 Weyerhaeuser Co Pneumatic fiber felting head
US3145430A (en) * 1960-12-14 1964-08-25 Weyerhaeuser Co Felter head and agitator
US3680175A (en) * 1970-07-02 1972-08-01 Union Carbide Corp Linear apparatus for the production of non-woven fabrics
US3961397A (en) * 1974-11-21 1976-06-08 Scott Paper Company Clump removal devices
USRE31775E (en) * 1975-08-27 1984-12-25 Scan-Web I/S Method and an apparatus for distributing a disintegrated material onto a layer forming surface
US4335066A (en) * 1979-12-21 1982-06-15 Kimberly-Clark Corporation Method of forming a fibrous web with high fiber throughput screening
WO1981002031A1 (en) * 1980-01-18 1981-07-23 Scan Web Is A system for dry forming of paper or other sheet material of particles or fibres
US4389175A (en) * 1981-05-15 1983-06-21 James River-Dixie/Northern, Inc. Apparatus for distributing dry fibers onto a forming wire
US5319830A (en) * 1990-03-23 1994-06-14 Maschinenfabrik Rieter Ag Cleaning machine for textile fibers
WO2000073032A1 (en) * 1999-05-27 2000-12-07 Bki Holding Corporation Screen pipe for dry forming web material
US6726461B2 (en) 1999-05-27 2004-04-27 Bki Holding Corporation Screen pipe for dry forming web material
US20040234638A1 (en) * 2001-08-20 2004-11-25 Thordahl Jens Erik High speed former head
US7107652B2 (en) 2001-08-20 2006-09-19 Dan-Web Holding A/S High speed former head
US20070292547A1 (en) * 2004-08-05 2007-12-20 Christensen Kenn M Former Head With Rotary Drum
EP1645672A1 (en) 2004-10-06 2006-04-12 KVG Technologies Inc. Vibrationally compressed glass fiber and/or other material fiber mats and methods for making the same
WO2020104289A1 (en) * 2018-11-21 2020-05-28 Campen Machinery A/S A former head and an apparatus comprising such a former head
US11946179B2 (en) 2018-11-21 2024-04-02 Campen Machinery A/S Former head and an apparatus comprising such a former head

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