US2804140A

US2804140A - Method and apparatus for reducing rolls to sheets

Info

Publication number: US2804140A
Application number: US548585A
Authority: US
Inventors: Courtney J Van Riper
Original assignee: Union Bag and Paper Corp
Current assignee: Union Bag and Paper Corp
Priority date: 1955-11-23
Filing date: 1955-11-23
Publication date: 1957-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1974-08-27

Description

7, 1957 c. J. VAN RIPER 2,804,140

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS TO SHEETS Filed Nov. 23. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 26 i so 10 2a -12 INVENTOR.

Aug. 27, 1957 c. J. VAN RIPER 2,804,140

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS To SHEETS Filed Nov. 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pig. 2

IN VEN TOR.

UnitedStates PatentQ METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS T SHEETS Courtney J. Van Riper, Franklin, Va., assignor to Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation, near Franklin, Va., a corporation of Virginia It is an object of this invention to provide a method and machine whereby large diameter rolls of paper, the paper within the rolls being substantially continuous, may be reduced to a plurality of sheets or strips of limited length.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus as aforesaid in which not only personnel requirements are minimized, but also hazard to personnel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus as aforesaid in which a large variety of roll widths and diameters may be accommodated without adjustment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus as aforesaid which are readily adaptable to automatic handling of incoming rolls and outgoing sheets and strips.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection With the annexed drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the improved machine; and

Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1.

Paper mills are of two basic types: the integrated mill and the converting mill. The former operates on pulp generated by an adjacent or captive pulp mill. The latter operates by pulping either pulp sheets or laps, or by pulping waste paper, or a mixture of fresh pulp and waste paper. The term waste paper" is rather elastic, but for the purpose of the present disclosure it means paper in regular commercial rolls which, for whatever reason, either has not or would not satisfy the buyers specifications. As used herein, the word paper includes boards such as liner, chip, patent coated etc. The roll of waste paper will vary from 24" to 56" in diameter and from 18 to 84" in width. The rolls are wound on cores which vary from 3" to 9" in outside diameter. These cores may be made of wood, in which case they are returnable, or of wound up paper tubing, in which case they are non-returnable. It is not at all unusual for a single roll to weigh as much as two or even three tons.

Heretofore, in reducing such rolls to sheets for repulping purposes two different methods have been used. The first involves making cuts with a broad axe along a line roughly parallel to the axis of the roll. The second involves making similar cuts with a knife of the type used to cut linoleum. In either case the work is hard and dangerous. More injuries to personnel occur in this department than in the rest of the mill combined. Such work is an anachronism in the present day. Obviously the only labor available for Work of this sort is strictly of the strong back and weak mind category, accident prone, and not at all fitting the modern requirement of versatility.

The present invention contemplates a fluid pressure operated tool which attacks a roll radially and which acts not only to sever consecutive layers of the roll but also to separate these along the line of severance so as automatically to provide clearance for the further advance of the tool. These large rolls, when not supported at the sides are quire elastic and subject to considerable deformation before cutting takes place. For this reason, a slow, gradual approach of the tool is preferred to a rapid, impact action.

Referring now to Figs. 1' and 2 there is shown a frame designated generally as 10 made up of vertical I-beams 12 welded at their top ends to horizontal I-beams 14 and at their bottom ends to a base plate 16. A pair of horizontal I-beams 24 are welded to the underside of the pair of beams 14. Adjacent each of ,the vertical beams 12 are mounted guide rods 18 having one end secured in a fixture 20 which in turn is secured to a beam 14, and having the opposite end secured in a fixture 22 which in turn is secured to the base plate 16.

A series of plates 26 are secured to the beams 24 and from these depend a series of cylinders 28. Each cylinder 28 has a combination inlet and outlet 30 at its upper end and a similar connection 32 at its lower end. These connections all run to a single conventional four way valve which will supply fluid pressure, preferably compressed air, alternately to opposite ends of the cylinders. Within each cylinder is a conventional piston, not shown, and from each piston depends a rod 34.

The rods 34 are secured by fixtures 36 to the central cross member 40 of an H-shaped platen 38. Bearings 42 are formed in each corner of the platen 38 and each bearing 42 surrounds a rod 18. A blade holder 44 is welded to the cross member 40. As best shown in Fig. 1, the sides of the holder 44 are curved to produce a taper toward the free end of the holder. A blade 46 has on its upper surface a tongue 47 which enters a mating groove in the holder 44 and is secured therein.

Mounted on the base plate 16 is a roll supporting frame 48 having a central, flat sided groove 50 which receives and supports a roll of paper 52 not only vertically but also laterally. Rolls of paper, even of great weight roll quite easily. The groove 50 immobilizes each roll to await the approach of the knife.

With a roll 52 in position, air is supplied under pressure to the upper inlets 30. The rods 34 impel the platen 38, the holder 44 and the knife 46 toward the roll. As the knife makes contact with the roll, the initial action is one of compression. The roll is flattened at top and bottom and is distended laterally. When the limit of compression is reached, the knife begins to cut through the consecutive layers of paper, reducing each convolution to an independent sheet. The combined profiles of the knife and its holder are such as to separate the severed edges of each convolution, which, due to the lateral distension of the roll are under tension. The result is that the severed convolutions promptly flop into the general plane of the frame 48. The knife, therefore is self-clearing. This is an important feature since the knife may be called on to cut through as much as 26" of superimposed plies.

As a safety measure, it is recommended that a foot valve be placed in each of the lines 32. These valves should be biased to resist any rapid downward movement of the platen 38 such as might result from a failure of air pressure. Such valves are conventional and it is not considered necessary to disclose their mechanical details.

It will be clear that the frame 48 may be mounted on a wheeled dolly or placed on a conveyor. Also that the frame 48 could be surfaced with conveyor rolls with or without a conveyor belt passing over such rolls. The choice will depend entirely on the arrangement of the particular mill in which this method and apparatus are installed.

While certain mechanical details are disclosed herein,

in practice these are susceptible of considerable variation within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but only as set forth in the subjoined claims. I

1. A method of reducing large rolls of paper-to strips of limited length comprising: supporting a roll against lateral displacement and also supporting said roll at least partially against rolling displacement; contacting the roll with a knife blade arranged parallel to the roll axis and at least co-extensive in length with the roll; guiding the knife to move in the plane of the axisrgradually advancing said blade radially inwardly of the roll, thereby compressing the roll to an oblate, transverse cross-section and thereafter continuing such advance to sever consecutive layers of said roll.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the roll is supported with its axis horizontal.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the radially inward advance is exerted vertically downward whereby the margin of consecutively severed sheets may fall by gravity to a horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8,029X Ames Feb. 28, 1834 1,727,406 Nelson Sept. 10, 1929 1,730,821 Kempter Oct. 8, 1929 1,732,880 Eisenhauer Oct. 22, 1929 1,753,561 Emmert Apr. 8, 1930 1,866,095 Foley July 5, 1932