US3279977A

US3279977A - Papermakers' felt conditioner

Info

Publication number: US3279977A
Application number: US330318A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony J Cirrito; Nicolas M Reitzel
Original assignee: Rice Barton Corp
Current assignee: Rice Barton Corp
Priority date: 1963-12-13
Filing date: 1963-12-13
Publication date: 1966-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-18
Also published as: GB1017788A

Description

O 1 19 A J. CIRRITO ETAL 3 279 977 PAPERMAKERS' FELT CONDITIONER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1963 Oct. 18, 1966 A. J. CIRRITO ETAL 3,279,977

PAPERMAKERS' FELT CONDITIONER 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1963 xi Fl.

. sponding with that of the rolls.

United States Patent 3,279,977 PAPERMAKERS FELT CONDITIONER Anthony J. Cirrito, Grafton, and Nicolas M. Reitzel, Boylston, Mass., assignors to Rice Barton Corporation, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Dec. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 330,318 6 Claims. (Cl. 162-276) This invention relates to felt conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus useful in removing liquid from papermakers felts by the combined action of centrifugal force and blown gas.

It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus capable with simplicity and practicality of simultaneously applying to liquid in a felt forces at least in part identical in direction and sense but different in source, certain of said forces being imposed centrifugally, while the remainder thereof are imposed by application of gas (whether air, wet steam, or other) under pressure to a surface of the felt to move the gas therethrough and against said liquid.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such apparatus capable of operating efiiciently even though providing for moving a wide felt about a small radius capable of giving high centrifugal force, conditions notoriously productive of undue bending in papermaking machinery.

Generally speaking, the invention provides for training the felt about at least one roller with a grooved outer surface and mounted for rotation at a speed corresponding to the surface speed of the felt, grooves in the outer surface providing in use communication between a source of gas pressure and a surface of the felt, means being provided to deter gas movement out of the grooves except through the felt.

Other objects, advantages, and features will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment, taken together with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partially in section and partially broken away, of a presently preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken at 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken at 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the felt conditioning roll assembly of FIG. 1, but illustrating the entire width of same.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, there is shown a papermakers felt 10, which moves over

rolls

12 and 14 and stationary supports 16 at a surface speed corre-

Rolls

12 and 14 are rotatably mounted on

ball bearings

18, 19 carried by

shafts

20 and 22. Outboard shaft 20 is carried by outboard support 24 and interior support 16. Inboard shaft 22 is carried by a pair of interior supports, one of them being support 16 and the other being shown at 25 in FIG. 5. Also shown in FIG. 5 are a second inboard shaft 26 and a second outboard shaft 27, this preferred embodiment being provided with a total of four shafts, each with its grooved roll four inches in outside diameter and with each grooved roll 70 inches long. The number of roll elements to be employed in any particular embodiment will of course depend on the width of the felt and its operating speed and tension, in order to provide for sufficiently high operating speeds and sufficiently small deflection. These rolls may suitably be operated at a surface speed of, for example, 2900 feet per minute.

Air under pressure is introduced through pipe 30 into manifold 32 which extends across the machine and communicates through holes 34 with chamber 36, with which grooves 37 around

rolls

12 and 14 also communicate.

3,279,977 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 The chamber 36 is defined by, in addition to manifold 32 and

rolls

12 and 14, a pair of upper and lower sealing strips 38 and by, at the outboard end of each outboard roll, a deckle seal 40. The sealing strips 38 extend across the width of the machine, and may suitably be made adjustable toward or away from the

rolls

12 and 14 and interior supports 16. The sealing strips 38 are secured to manifold 32 by means of screws 42. The deckle seals 40 are also carried by the manifold 32, to which they are secured by screws 44 (only one of which is shown).

Also carried by manifold 32 are the interior supports 16, only one of which is shown, although one is found between each adjacent pair of rolls across the width of the machine. Supports 16 have an outer surface of the same character as do rolls 12 and 14. Their outside surfaces are formed on a radius, of angular size as great as the angle through which the felt is turned, corresponding to the radius of the

rolls

12 and 14. The grooves in the supports 16 are of the same width and depth as in the

rolls

12 and 14; both width and depth may suitably be inch, and the grooves may suitably be evenly spaced, four to the inch. Thus supports 16 look to the felt moving around them just as do the rolls on each side of each support, except of course that the supports 16 unlike the

rolls

12 and 14 are not rotating, although friction may be reduced as desired by means of the air introduced between the supports and the felt through the grooves. Air passes through the felt from all the grooves, in both the rolls and the supports.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, pan 50 extends for the width of the machine, to catch water removed by the combined action on the liquid in the felt of centrifugal force and air pressure and movement against and through the felt. The water leaves by drain 52. More than a single turn may be given the felt successively, using apparatus according to the invention successively spaced, if desired; these may be placed within a single pan or a multiplicity of pans. Each flinger, defined by one set of rolls and correspondingly curved supports, is in contact with a surface of the felt in use; the felt is normally a closed loop, but the flinger may be on either side of the felt. Wash water may be used for cleaning prior to passage over a flinger according to the invention, if desired.

The present invention does not rest in any respect for novelty or invention on the broad concept of simultaneously applying to the liquid in a felt centrifugal force and gas pressure giving at least in part force coincident in direction and sense.

Other embodiments of our invention within the scope of the following claims will occur to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for conditioning papermakers felt which comprises, with a said felt, at least one roll mounted for rotation for training said felt thereover, a multiplicity of channels in said roll and extending from portions of the surface thereof out of position to contact said felt to portions of said surface in position to contact said felt, and a chamber adapted to hold gas under pressure in communication with said channels at said portions of said surface out of position to contact said felt.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said channels are1 grooves extending around the outer surface of said to 3. Apparatus for conditioning papermakers felt which comprises, with a said felt, a multiplicity of rolls mounted for rotation about a common axis, at least one support, and a chamber, said rolls having the same outside diameter and each adjacent pair of said rolls having between them and adjacent each of them a said support, said support including an outer surface defined at least in part by moving a line parallel to said axis about said axis for at least some angular distance about a radius equal to half said diameter, said rolls and said support including channels connecting said chamber with portions of the surfaces of said rolls and support in position to contact said felt, said angular distance corresponding to the angular change in direction given said felt in said apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said chamber is defined in part by a pair of sealing strips extending across the width of the felt between the felt and said rolls and said support respectively as the felt moves onto and 01f of said rolls and support, and in part by a pair of outboard deckle seals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said channels 4 6. The apparatus of claim 5 which includes four said rolls and three said supports, and in which said diameter is not more than four inches.

References Cited by the Examiner v UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,011,544 12/1961 Lippke 162-359 X 3,056,164- 10/1962 Reichcl et a1. 13415 X 3,057,079 10/1962 Schmidt 34-156 FOREIGN PATENTS 377,440 6/1923 Germany.

are grooves extending around the outer surface of said 15 DONALL SYLVESTER Primary Examiner rolls and said support.

HOWARD R. CAINE, Examiner.

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING PARPERMAKERS'' FELT WHICH COMPRISES, WITH A SAID FELT, AT LEAST ONE ROLL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION FOR TRAINING SAID FELT THEREOVER, A MULTIPLICITY OF CHANNELS IN SAID ROLL AND EXTENDING FROM PORTIONS OF THE SURFACE THEREOF OUT OF POSITION TO CONTACT SAID FELT TO PORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE IN POSITION TO CONTACT SAID FELT, AND