US3645433A

US3645433A - Spreader roll

Info

Publication number: US3645433A
Application number: US885558A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert G Lucas; Kenneth G Frye
Original assignee: CORP BELOIT
Current assignee: CORP BELOIT
Priority date: 1969-12-16
Filing date: 1967-12-16
Publication date: 1972-02-29
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-28
Also published as: CA919720A

Abstract

A spreader roll which is useful to spread a slit web into a plurality of separated webs includes an adjustably bowable shaft and a cylindrical outer surface mounted for rotation about the bowable shaft. According to the present invention, the spreader roll is improved by providing an outer cylindrical surface which is made up of a plurality of separate segments axially aligned along the shaft and each segment being freely rotatable about the shaft independently of the other segments.

Description

1T? q. H. i 1;. 4. M w 1.. 11 2111111111. [151 3,151, 3 11.111213 e1 1511, 145] 11 12111. 1.1"?

[54-] @EPHIEADTER Fi'lBlLlL 3,463,377 13/1969 Lueae "226/1 5 ['72] lnventoz's: 111mm 13. 111mm; Kenneth G. Fir-ye, both 3500524 3/1970 jagmimfim 63 P of Downinmown m 31,213,513 10/1965 11011421111011. 211/ 03 J 2,712,681 7/1955 Warner ..2215/1 Q11 11 ['73] Assignee: (Impm'mlimm l11e1e11, Beloit, Wis.

- 1 Primary Examiner-11ic1mrd A. 51111111211121 22 1F 1,Cl. HQ 116 19157 E 1 I F a Assistant Examiner-Gene A. Church 1 1 15113111370? qfififil Attorney-LarsomTaylm 1Hinds [521 m. m ..2J?.15/11S @,26/63,29/116 [571 WWW/QT $1 5 9% A spreader tell which is useful to spread a slit web into a plu- J am e1 Meme 1 rality of separated webs includes am a cljus'iably howl/able sham and a cylindrical outer surface mounted fwrotation about the bowahle shaft. According to the presem'i invention, 1114:

w a spreader roll is improved by pmviding an outer cylindrical sur- [56] Rfiqmmms Emma face which is made up of a plurality of separate segments axi" UNKTED STATES PATENTS ally aligned along the shaft and each segment being freely rotatable about the shaft independently of the 0111c: segments. 2,168,572 8/1939 Landis 26/185 3,41 1,686 11/1968 Bender ..226/185 1 11111111115, 31 Emmi 111g Figures PAIENIEBFEB29 I972 SHEET 1 BF 2 mvmmns ROBERT G. LUCAS KENNETH G. FRYE PAIENTEDFEB29 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 om mm [NVEN RQBERT G. LU KENNETH G. FRYE ATTUIRNEY serrations unit This invention relates to a spreader roll. More particularly, the invention relates to a spreader roll which comprises a shaft which is adjustably bowable and a cylindrical outer surface mounted for rotation on the shaft. liven more particularly, the invention relates to such a spreader roll wherein the outer cylindrical surface comprises a plurality of individually rotatable segments.

in the production of sheet material, such as paper, large machines are often used to produce the sheet product. in view of the large size of the machinery, the sheet is frequently quite large and very often too large to be utilized directly. For example, in the manufacture of paper, it is not unusual to produce paper in the form of a roll having a width of 30 feet and a diameter of 9 feet. Paper rolls of this size are not normally directly use-able. For example, in the case of newsprint, the rolls used by the printer are much smaller both in width and in diameter.

While in the foregoing paragraph, and hereinafter, reference will he made to paper, it is to be understood that while the invention has particular suitability to the manufacture of paper, it has general applicability to any sheet material, particularly those sheet materials which are normally produced in large size rolls.

in order to reduce the size of the paper roll, the large roll is usually rewound onto a plurality of axially aligned cores of suitable length on a rewind device. As the paper is wound from the large roll onto the cores, the paper is slit lengthwise to form a plurality of webs of proper width. The width corresponds to the length of the core on which the particular sheet is wound. C verlap of paper between adjacent rolls on the rewinding device obviously cannot be tolerated and, for this reason, the slit paper is spread out, fanlike, by means of a spreader roll. The conventional spreader roll comprises an adjustably bowable shaft and a cylindrical outer surface mounted for rotation about the bowable shaft. The most widely used spreader roll comprises an outer cylindrical surface which is a rubber-canvas composition extending generally along the entire length of the bowable shaft. The spreader roller is adjustable to any uniform radius of curvature. For use in the paper industry, the ordinary useful range of radii is from 5,000 to 40,000 inches. The slit paper is passed over the bowed spreader roller and the paper is thus spread out in a fanlilte manner to a degree which is determined by the amount of the bow which is imparted to the adjustable bowable roller. While devices of this type are widely used, they are generally unsatisfactory in several respects.

The paper which passes over the spreader roll is, of course, of relatively low mass. On the other hand, the spreader roll, and the outer surface thereof, is of relatively high mass. Accordingly, in order to ensure that the peripheral speed of the spreader roll surface matches that of the paper sheet, it is generally necessary that the spreader roll surface be driven. Furthermore, the relatively heavy mass of the spreader roll surface frequently causes rupture of the paper passing thereover when the paper speed is reduced rapidly such as may happen when a rewinding operation is completed. That is, a paper roll of large diameter is normally utilized to form several rolls of small diameter. As each smaller roll is completed, the machine must be stopped, the wound roll removed, a new set of empty cores positioned on the rewinder, and the rewinding operation then commences. Each time the paper is stopped, the heavy outer cylindrical surface of the spreader roll must also be stopped or there is a chance that the paper will be torn. Furthermore, the entire width of the conventional spreader roller surface is always utilized, thus the mass of the roller surface becomes even larger relative to that of the paper if a paper of less width is subjected to the rewinding operation.

it is an object of the present invention to provide a spreader roller which functions as the conventional spreader roller but which is free from the disadvantages mentioned above. it is a further object of the invention to provide a spreader roller having an outer cylindrical surface of relatively low lt a further object of the invention to provide a nprc r having a cylindrical outer surface which is segment that only these portions thereof which are in contact Ii web or sheet are rotated.

The foregoing and other objects are achieved according to the present invention in a manner which will readily o parent in view of the following detailed description of invention including the drawings in which:

FIG. l is a diagrammatic view of a rcwinding device including a spreader roll according to the present invention;

H6. 2 is a elevation of a spreader roll according to the present invention; and

FIG. 33 is an enlarged view of a portion of the spreader roller of H6. 2.

A spreader roller according to the present invention is util-- ized in a rewinding device shown generally in lFlG. l. A large roll ll of paper is slit by ltnives It, to form a plurality of webs having a width less than the width of the original roll. in the simplified version shown, the original roll is split such that four rolls of equal width are obtained. The roll is wound from the large roll 11 onto a plurality of cores 3 axially aligned in the nip formed between rewind rollers 4 and 5. A. single end of one core is shown in the drawing for simplicity. Each core is thus wound with a roll of paper it having a width corresponding to the length of the core. The width is established by the position of the knives 2 which, in turn, are selected depending upon the size of the rolls desired to be produced. Overlap between layers of paper on adjacent rewound rolls ti cannot be tolerated in a device of this type. Accordingly, the slit paper is passed over a spreader roll 7 in order to spread the slit paper prior to rewinding. The spreader roller comprises an adjustably bowable shaft over which is mounted a cylindrical outer surface which is capable of rotating about the bowable shaft. On passage over the bowed spreader roll, the individual portions of the web it are spread apart in a fanlilre manner Thus, a gap 9 appears between adjacent webs thus forming a suitable gap 10 between adjacent rolls 6 formed on the rewind rollers 4 and 5. The device is also provided with means to drive the various rollers and means to retain the cores Fl and roll a in accurate alignment on the rewind rollers d and 5.

Spreader roller 7 according to the present invention is shown in detail in MG. 2. This roller comprises a shaft ll which is adjustably bowable in the direction of arrow lid. The shaft is adjustably bowable by means of a pin l3 which is moveable in a cavity M located in one end of the shaft. The cavity lid is concentric with the shaft and includes a bottom wall against which the pin l3 bears. The inner section of pin 1123 is partially cut away such that only a portion of the pin l3 contacts the adjacent portion of surface lli-l. The other end of shaft l l is fixed such that when pin l3 is moved against sur face R5, the shaft will not move laterally. Pin lid can be biased against surface l5 by means of a ram in which is operated by a hydraulic system which is not shown for purposes of simplici ty. The hydraulic fluid is introduced between rain to and housing l7 which is in turn secured to shaft ill by means of screws 18. Hydraulic pressure between housing l and the ram causes the ram to move to the left in the sense of Flt}. it which, in turn, causes pin 313 to move to the left and bear against surface 15. Since a portion of the pin it? is cut away, the shaft is caused to bow in the direction of arrow llfll as shown.

The shaft is mounted in any convenient manner and preferably includes spherical mounting surfaces llll which do not impede bowing of the roll and which permit rotation of the shaft to change the location of the bow relative to the unbowed shaft axis. Shaft Ill may also be: provided with a central slot 20 extending through the roll longitudinally thereof and passing through the axis of the shaft. The slot facilitates bowing of the roller in the direction of arrow l2 and may mso be used to convey lubricant to a channel Ill present at the surface of shaft ill and to be described in more detail hereinafter. According to the present invention, the adjustably bowa'nle th at roller is provided with a plurality of segments 22 axially aligned along the shaft. Each segment presents an outer cylindrical surface 23 which is freely rotatable about the shaft independently of all the other outer surfaces of the segments. An individual segment is shown in more detail in FIG. 3 and, in FIG. 2, one of the segments has been rotated 90 and shown in cross section to illustrate the manner in which each segment is secured to the shaft 11.

Each segment comprises an inner ring 24 and an outer ring 25 mounted for rotation thereon by means of a suitable bearing 26. The inner ring is restrained from rotation about shaft U by means of a pin 27 which fits in the slot 21 provided in the surface of shaft 11 longitudinally thereof. Each segment 22 is restrained from substantial movement longitudinally of shaft 11 by means of retaining

flanges

28 and 29 provided on shaft 11. The inner rings 4 are selected and spaced such that they do not unduly impede the bowing of the roll. Adjacent inner rings may be spaced slightly or the rings may be composed of a pliable material or a combination of these two features may be utilized to achieve this result. Each outer ring 25 includes a cylindrical outer surface 23 which may be provided with one or more circumferential slots 30 which serve to minimize entrapment of air between the roller and the paper or other sheet passing thereover. Each outer cylindrical surface 23 is freely rotatable about shaft 11 independently of all other cylindrical surfaces by means of bearing 26. The bearing may comprise any conventional bearing and is preferably a roller bearing such as a ball bearing. Accordingly, the spreader roll comprises a plurality of rings having a cylindrical outer surface of equal diameter. The outer surfaces are in axial alignment and are spaced apart along the length of the shaft a distance sufficient to permit bowing of the shaft and sufficient to form a generally continuous cylindrical spreader roll surface.

The size of each segment can vary widely. The diameter thereof will depend to a large extent on the size of the operation, and will generally correspond to the diameter of conventional spreader rolls. The width of each segment can also vary widely depending upon the size of the operation. In most instances, the segments will be between 1 and inches in width. In general, the width of the segments is most logically related to the width of the rewound roll. In order to provide an effective rotatable spreader roll surface, at least three or four segments will be present beneath an individual slit sheet of paper. Therefore, segment width will be not more than onethird or one-fourth of the width of the paper sheet passing thereover. The segments can be as small as desired, a practical lower limit being about 1 inch or one-half inch.

The spacing between segments should be sufficiently close to provide an effective spreader roll surface which is effective ly continuous. However, the segments must not be piaced so close together as to hinder bowing within a given useful range. The spacing is clearly dependent upon the diameter and width of the segment, and no precise figures can be given. However, it is a simple mater to calculate the gap that will be necessary to permit unhindered bowing. The outer rings, of course, will generally be spaced apart further than the inner rings. The inner rings, in fact, can be quite close, particularly if fabricated from a resilient material.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the cylindrical spreader roll surface according to the invention is capable of being adjustably bowed in accordance with adjustments made in the bowing of shaft ill and the spreader roll surface comprises the segment which include the individually rotatable cylindrical surfaces. Since each of the individually rotatable outer surfaces is of low mass, and since each is independently rotatable, the present spreader roll is capable of operation at high speeds without the disadvantages mentioned above. in the first place, it is possible to operate the spreader roll using the moving sheet as the driving force. A spreader roll according to the invention is capable of operating in this manner at high speeds without tearing the paper during the rewinding operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In a spreader roll including an adjustable bowable shaft, means for adjustably bowing said shaft, and a cylindrical outer surface mounted for rotation about said bowable shaft, the improvement wherein said outer surface comprises a plurality of segments axially aligned along said shaft, each segment having an outer surface which is freely rotatable about said shaft independently of the outer surfaces of all other segments.

2. A spreader roll comprising a bowable shaft, means to adjustably bow said shaft, and a plurality of rings individually mounted along said shaft for individual rotation thereon, said rings each having a cylindrical outer surface of equal diameter, said outer surfaces being in axial alignment and spaced along the length of said shaft a distance sufficient to permit bowing of said shaft and sufficient to form a generally continuous cylindrical spreader roll surface capable of being adjustably bowed, said spreader roll surface comprising said plurality of individually rotatable cylindrical surfaces.

3. A spreader roll according to claim l wherein said cylindrical surfaces are each provided with at least one circumferential groove.

4. A spreader roll according to claim 1 wherein said outer cylindrical surfaces comprise aluminum.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 645, 433 Dated February 29, 1972 Inventor(s) Robert G. Lucas and Kenneth G. Frye It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading, the name of the assignee should read: Beloit Corporation-- In the heading, the filing date should read: -December 16, 196 9-- Signed and sealed this L .th day of July 1972.

(SEAL) Attest EDWARD I I.FLFILCHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC GO375-P59 Q U,S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 O3G6-334

Claims

3. A spreader roll according to claim 1 wherein said cylindrical surfaces are each provided with at least one circumferential groove.