US3454150A - Drier rope cleaner - Google Patents

Description

July 8, 1969 A. JOHNSON DRIER ROPE CLEANER Filed March 27, 1967 FIG.

DRIER SECTION INVENTOR BAYNARD A.JQHNSQN 7 ATTORN United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is a housing of longitudinally tapered configuration and internal structure for catching waste material from ropes passing longitudinally through the housing and a relief flap at the smaller end which may be raised for manual removal of such waste.

This invention relates to paper manufacture and more particularly to a device for removing waste materials from ropes or cables that are used in the manufacture, especially in the drier section.

The manufacture of paper involves the arranging of pulp in a relatively fiat sheet and pressing and drying it in a continuous operation. In the drier section, the pulp is carried along a conveyor felt over a series of drying elements and is then passed to another series or to another section of the machine. In order to assist in moving the pulp, the driers of some machines are provided with a pair of ropes which extend around the drying rolls for the purpose of gripping the lead strip of the pulp and carrying it onto the drier. The ropes are returned by a series of sheaves to the beginning of the section for continuous rerun.

In a machine of the type described, there are generally a pair of nylon ropes. One of the problems arising from the apparatus described has been that fragments of pulp sometimes are conveyed with the rope after it leaves the drier section and carried with it back over the sheaves to the rerun. Such pulp oftentimes causes the rope to jump from the sheaves and thereby requires a shutting down of the operation until the rope can be replaced and any damage or malfunction that has occurred in the system can be corrected. These shutdowns are time consuming, oftentimes running 45 minutes to an hour or more and are therefore a source of great loss economically.

It is an objegt of the present invention to provide a device for removing waste material such as pulp from a rope or ropes and particularly designed for use in a system for machines of the type described.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a section of paper making machinery in which the invention is employed and illustrating its application to the system;

FIGS. 2 and 3, perspectives from opposite sides of the cleaner illustrating its construction;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5, an elevation of the larger end of the device.

Briefly stated, the invention includes a tapered housing having spaced interior support rods with rotatable sleeves thereon over which the ropes move and which catch any loose material, the housing having a small end also adapted to trap loose material, the housing being hinged at one side for ease in mounting over the ropes and having a flap lip at its smaller end which rises to pass a large bulk of material and may be manually raised to permit periodic manual removal of material that has become trapped therein.

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With reference to the drawing, the drier section of a paper manufacturing machine is schematically indicated at 10. This includes an endless felt 11 which is carried by rollers 12 and 13 at the entrance and outlet of the drier section. Sheaves 14 and 15 at the entrance and outlet carry one or more ropes (two being illustrated) side by side, the ropes running around the drier rolls Within the section. Past the outlet of the drier section the ropes are returned by a series of sheaves 17, 18, 19, to the sheave 14 for rerun through the drier section.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of well known paper manufacturing machinery.

The sheaves carry a pair of ropes 16 in spaced relation, and these ropes grip the lead strip of the pulp next to the drier in order to carry it to the drier from the preceding section.

Occasionally a fragment of pulp P adheres to one or more of the ropes and is passed over the sheaves back toward the rerun. The present invention includes a rope cleaning member 20 which may be mounted to receive the rope therethrough at an appropriate position in the return run of the rope, such positions being indicated alternately at A or at B in FIG. 1.

The housing is of generally tapered configuration having a relatively large inlet end 22 and a small outlet end 23. The housing shown in the drawing has a lower half of substantially U-shaped cross section including a bottom wall 24 and side walls 25 and 26 which extend approximately half way up the sides. The top half of the housing includes a top wall 28 and downwardly extending side walls 29 and 30. The two halves that have been described are connected by hinges 31, 32 along the sides 25, 29 and these are held in closed position by ears 34, 35 projecting from the edges of the walls 26, 30, the ears having apertures for receiving a removable pin 36.

The housing has a rear section 38 of relatively gentle taper and a forward section 40 of more extreme taper. The upper U-shaped portion of the section 40 is hinged at 42 in order to provide a flap which may be raised to permit periodic removal of materials. To facilitate raising this section a cable or chain 44 is connected by a ring 45 to the forward portion of the section 40 and is connected to the rear section by a fixture 46. A further purpose of the hinging of section 40 is to permit passage of an unusually large obstruction on the rope without breaking the rope or causing damage to the cleaner. Section 40 may be positioned in normally closed position merely by its weight or by means of a spring 47.

The housing has spaced horizontal posts 50, 51 and vertical posts 52, 53 at the forward portion of the section 38.

Adjacent to the rearward portion the housing has spaced horizontal posts 54, 55 and spaced vertical posts 56, 57, 58. Each of the posts is connected to the housing by suitable fastening means such as a bolt. A sleeve is mounted over each of the posts and in such fashion that it may revolve thereon.

Normally the rollers 60 are sufiicient to remove any fragments of pulp P which cling to the ropes as the ropes pass through the rope cleaning member 20. However, in some instances it may be desirable to provide additional cleaning elements to increase the efiiciency of the device, particularly when certain types of paper or pulp are being processed. With particular reference to FIG. 4, the additional cleaning elements may include a plurality of threaded spikes or teeth 61 which extend inwardly through the exterior walls of the housing. Such teeth may be adjustably mounted in any desired manner as by lock nuts 62 and 63 on the interior and exterior, respectively, of said housing. The interior nuts 62 may be manually adjusted or may be welded or otherwise secured to the housing so that the teeth may be adjusted from the exterior and locked in adjusted position by nuts 63.

In the operation of the device, the housing is mounted on a suitable support and so positioned that th ropes pass through the housing and pass the sleeves on the posts through the spaces therebetween. This provides sufiicient clearance to pass the ropes, including any splices, with little contact and minimizes wear and drag in the event of such contact. If the ropes carry any loose material such as pulp thereon, this is removed by striking against the sleeves and being dislodged or by striking against the reduced end portion 40 of the housing where it is dislodged. In the event of a large obstruction on the ropes which is not easily dislodged, the flap is raised by the obstruction, thereby avoiding rope breakage or damage to the cleaner. From time to time the cable 44 may be used in order to raise the end of the housing in order that loose material contained therein may be removed.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit andscope thereof, and, therefore, the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An endless rope cleaner comprising a housing having openings at its opposite ends through which the rope may pass, said housing providing an enclosure extending longitudinally of the rope, post means mounted in said housing substantially transversely to the rope, said post means spaced from the rope and on opposite sides thereof whereby clearance is provided for the rope and whereby an obstruction on the rope engages said post means and tends to be dislodged, said housing having restricting means at one end whereby material dislodged will be collected in the housing as the rope passes therethrough in the direction from the post means toward said restricting means.

2. The invention of claim 1 in which the housing is comprised of two main sections, a rear section tapering gently and a forward section tapering more abruptly.

3. The invention of claim 2 in which the smaller end has a flap which is movable to provide an enlarged openmg.

4. The invention of claim 3 in which the flap is hinged, and means for holding the flap normally closed.

5. An endless rope cleaner comprising a housing having openings at its opposite ends through which the rope may pass, said housing providing an enclosure extending longitudinally of the rope and having one end substantially smaller than the other, post means mounted in said housing substantially transversely to the rope, said post means spaced from the rope whereby clearance is provided for said rope and whereby an obstruction on the rope engages said post means and tends to be dislodged and to be collected in the housing as the rope passes therethrough in the direction from the larger to said smaller end.

6. The invention of claim 5 in which said post means comprises at least two substantially oppositely disposed posts mounted beside the rope, said posts spaced apart such that the rope may pass therebetween without substantial interference.

7. The invention of claim 6 in which the posts have sleeves rotatably mounted thereon, said sleeves spaced apart so that the rope may pass therethrough without substantial interference.

8. The invention of claim 5, said housing having additional cleaning means extending therewithin and spaced from the path of travel of the rope.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,070,355 12/1962 Wyatt 254 X 426,420 4/1890 Swaine et al. 11870 X 3,098,639 7/1963 Broinberg 254190 X 1,860,306 5/1932 Biener 15256.6 1,962,404 6/1934 Nichols et al 15-256.6 3,116,811 1/1964 Stevenson 15256.6 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 858,832 1/1961 Great Britain.

WALTER A. S-CHEEL, Primary Examiner.

L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S Cl. X.R. 15256.6; 254190

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