US2857822A - Synchronized tail cutter and suction roll travelling sealing strip - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1958 R. c. HEYS 2,357,822

SYNCHRONIZED TAIL CUTTER AND SUCTION ROLL TRAVELLING. SEALING STRIP Filed Jan. 12, 1953 2 Sh tsh t 1 Ifiuentor Attorneys Oct. 28, 1958 R. c. HEYS 2,857,822

SYNCHRONIZED TAIL CUTTER AND SUCTION ROLL TRAVELLING SEALING STRIP Filed Jan. 12, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I By I a aw, z jrliomeys SYNCHRONIZED TAIL CUTTER AND SUCTION ROLL TRAVELLING SEALING STRIP .Ralph Chalinor Heys, Sheffield, England, assignor to Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin Application January 12, 1953, Serial No. 330,830

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 12, 1952 11 Claims. (Cl. 92-38) This invention relates to the manufacture of paper and to paper-making machines, and is particularly concerned With a method of and apparatus for the rapid and conof the sheet through the press section, with a jet cutter in advance of the couch roll severing a narrow strip (a tail) at one side of the width (for convenience at the .front side of the machine) to provide at the end of the press section next to the dryer section a strip of coherent and thence to the calendar and reel; and, during this handling of the tail and its passage through and beyond the dryer section, the remaining and major width of sheet passes, through the press-section, or through part of that section, to be doctored ofi a top press roll as broke. With large width machines in particular, and with the higher speeds of modern machines in general, the quantity of broke formed at the press section is very great, and disposal of it interferes with the efficient operation of the machine.

Moreover, when a break occurs, broke continues to be produced at the end of the press section until a fresh tail is produced and passed through the whole machine. In the absence of automatic means for disposal of broke from the machine itself, the sheet may have to be deliberately run to waste at the couch end of the forming wire until the machine has been cleared to permit the fresh passage of a sheet and tail as described above.

' In any case, broke has to be doctored off the top roll of the press section during the period required to pass the tail through the dryer section, and this substantial quantity of broke must be disposed of before the machine is again able to produce finished paper. There is thus considerable wastage of material, time, and labour, and reduced efficiency of the complex and costly assembly that goes to make the modern type of paper-making machine.

Similar difliculties arise in starting up a vacuum-forming machine by automatic pick-up.

According to the present invention, a process for the United States Patent paper capable of being transferred to the dryer section j manufacture of paper as a continuous operation comprises i 1 the steps of first forming a continuous Wide flow, or

ribbon, of paper stock of uniform thickness, draining liquid from that flow, or ribbon, to convert the stock into a continuous web, separating the web longitudinally at a point to 'form'a strip alongside the remainder of the main width of the web, running the remaining width away from the strip to waste, picking up the strip by vacuum applied over the width' of the strip and forwarding it for continuous removal of further liquid by expression and for subsequent drying 'by'h'eat'to form finished paper, and'then progressively moving the separation point increasing the width of the strip until it merges into the full main width and simultaneously increasing the application of the vacuum progressively to the full width of the web to pick-up the full width, the full width then being forwarded for continuous removal of further liquid by exthose essential steps have been performed the progressive picking up of the full Width of the web to enable afull width of paper to emerge from the last of those steps is performed with the production of no more waste than arises in the length of web over which the progressive increase from the strip width to the full width takes place.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises primarily a vacuum pick-up roll, and means movable lengthwise' within the roll over substantially the whole perforated length of the roll to vary the lengthwise extent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum. Used in combination with a paper-web cutting device disposed in advance of the pick-up roll and movable transversely of the machine, the pick-up roll may then have the means within it moved in step with the cutting device to pick up a width of paper corresponding to whatever width is cut by the device. In particular, means maybe provided for simultaneously and progressively moving the cutting device and the means Within the roll from corresponding respective positions in which the cutting device is adapted ,to sever a narrow strip of paper web and the roll is able to apply vacuum only to that narrow strip to corresponding respective positions in which the cutting device is clear of the full width that would be occupied by .the width of paper to be. produced and the roll is able to apply vacuum to the whole of that full width.

Thus, the suction-box within the pick-up roll may be provided with a deckle or sealing-plate guided to travel lengthwise of the box to make a seal with the inside of the roll shell and with the walls of the box, so that vacuum is applied only to the part of the shell between the travelling deckle and a fixed (or adjustably fixed) deckle or sealing-plate near one end of the box (conveniently the end at the front side of the machine). Progressive movement of the travelling deckle away from the fixed deckle towards the other end of the box exposes more and more of the shell to vacuum.

The travelling deckle thus permits the roll to pick-up any width of paper web from a narrow strip corresponding in width to the distance between the fixed deckle and the travelling deckle in its nearest approach to the fixed deckle, up to the full width corresponding to the maximum distance possible between the deckles.

The suction-box of the suction press roll of the press of the machine (or of the first press of a multi-pres s machine) may be provided with a similartravelling deckle, progressively movable lengthwise of the roll in step with the travelling deckle of the pick-up roll, so that suction is applied by the press to the width of the strip only during the running of the strip through the machine. Consequently, during this period air is not sucked through the part of the suction press roll not covered by paper web, and the applied suction is effective to bring the width of the strip into the best condition for its progression through the remaining sections of the machine.

3 Figure 2 is a plan corresponding to Figure l, with the wire and felts and the top press rolls of the press section omitted;

Figures 3A and 3B are longitudinal sections of the end portions of the suction pick-up roll shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3B;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the travelling deckle shown in Figures 3B and 4; and

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section of the jet cutter shown in Figures 1 and 2.

In a Fourdrinier machine, the pick-up roll may cooperate directly with the couch roll at which the forming wire begins its idle return run to the breast roll where the paper stock is flowed on to the wire, or it may cooperate with a length of the wire extending between the couch roll and a returning roll forward, or forward and downward, of the couch roll. The arrangements shown in Figures 1 and 2 has the pick-up roll located between the couch roll and the return roll, but it should be understood that that location is not essential to all possible methods of carrying out the invention.

The forming wire 10 is shown passing over a suction couch roll 11 and thence forwardly and downwardly over a run 12 to a forward drive roll 13, from which it passes to a wash roll 14 lying above a couch pit 15. A suction pick-up roll 16 carries a top transfer felt 17 in contact with the paper web on the wire run 12, and is mounted in arms 18 that are vertically slidable in the machine columns 19 to enable contact of the roll 16 to be broken. The transferred paper web is carried by the felt 17 to the press, which in the arrangement shown is of the type having two top press rolls 2%, 21 co-operating with a. single bottom suction roll 22. The felt 17 leaves the paper web on a bottom felt 23 after passing the nip of the rolls 2G, 22, and makes its return run to the pick-up roll 16. The paper web continues on the bottom felt 23 through the nip of the rolls 21, 22, the web then passing either through one or more further presses or direct to the dryer section of the machine, in the usual manner.

Some little distance before the wire 11? meets the couch roll 11, a jet cutter 24 is mounted with the usual water nozzle (not shown) adjacent each edge of the paper web to trim the edges. A further jet cutter 25 is next encountered, this having a single water nozzle 26 (Figure 6) mounted on a guide rod 27 permitting movement of the nozzle across the whole width of the wire, with means (described below) for bringing the nozzle into position some distance (say 12') from the front edge of the wire.

As shown in Figure 3A, the pick-up roll 16 has a fixed deckle or sealing plate 28 disposed at one end of the perforations 29 of the roll shell 30, and this fixed deckle is located near the front edge of the wire. A screw 31, parallel to the guide rod 27, forms a traversing means for the nozzle 26, and is operable in synchronism with a traversing screw 32 (Figure 3B) for a travelling deckle or sealing plate 33 in the pick-up roll 16.

The deckle 33 is shown in Figure 33 at the furthermost position of its travel from the fixed deckle 28, i. e., at the farther end of the perforations 29; but rotation of the screw 32 enables it to be brought to a distance (say 12") from the deckle 28 corresponding to the distance of the nozzle 26 from the front edge of the wire. The screwed rods 31, 32 are driven by separate motors 34, 35 synchronised to give the same traversing speeds, with suitable gearing 36, 37.

The travelling deckle 33 makes a seal with the inside of a suction box 38 extending through the pick-up roll 16 and carried by guides 39 at the ends of the roll, and also with the perforated shell 30 opposite the open mouth of the box 38 between the lengthwise sealing strips 40 (Figure 4), this width of perforated shell being covered by the transfer felt 17. The fixed deckle 28 is mounted 'on a short lengthwise screw 41 to close the effective 4 length of the box 38, but with liberty to have its position with respect to the front edge of the wire 10 adjusted within fairly narrow limits by rotation of the screw 41. The endmost perforations 29 may thus be cut off from the suction, as also may the endmost perforations 29 at the other end of the roll 16 by varying the position in which the travelling deckle 33 is brought to rest. This provides for adjustment of suction to widths of paper web less than the width of the wire 10.

Before starting up, the pick-up roll 16 is out of contact pith the wire 10, and the paper web remains with the wire until, after passing the return roll 13, it encounters the first guide roll (or wash roll) 14 external to the return run of the wire. The web adheres to the wash roll, and is removed by the doctor 42, the waste falling into the couch pit 15, and the clean wire returning to receive a fresh layer of stock. The nozzle 26 is then positioned to sever a narrow strip or tail (say 12) from one side of the web, and the travelling deckle 33 is positioned to expose only a corresponding 12 length of the pick-up roll shell 30 to vacuum.

The pick-up roll 16 is brought into contact with the wire 10 by lowering the arms 18, and can only pick up this 12 tail, the remaining width continuing round the roll 13 to waste as before. The tail proceeds into the press section 20, 21, 22, where expression of water so much improves coherence that it can be handled for transfer to the dryer section. Until the tail has passed the dryer section and the final calendar, the remaining width runs to waste, and the press section is kept clear of all but the tail.

As soon as the tail completes its passage of the machine, the nozzle 26 is traversed to increase the width of the tail gradually until the nozzle reaches the other side of the web, and the travelling deckle 33 is similarly traversed to expose a greater part of the length of the pick-up roll shell 30 until the full effective width is exposed, so that at all times the pick-up roll 16 applies vacuum to the width of web delivered to it. When the nozzle 26 is clear of the web, full-width paper is being produced, and this width passes smoothly into and through the press section, dryer section, and calendar, to the reel.

If a break occurs in the press or dryer section, (which may be announced by an alarm-sound or light), the operator traverses the nozzle 26 completely across the wire 10, and the pick-up roll 16 is lifted clear by lifting the arms 18. Consequently, all the paper web is directed to the pit 15, except for the paper already in the press section and beyond, which has to be removed as broke. As soon as the machine is clear, the pick-up roll 16 is lowered, with the travelling deckle 33 already brought to tail width from the front end, and the nozzle 26 is moved to tail width from the front edge of the wire 10. The new tail is progressed as before, until the full width is again taken into the press section.

The suction box 43 of the bottom suction roll 22 may be provided with a travelling deckle or sealing plate 44 traversed by a lengthwise screw 45 driven by a motor 46 through gearing 47. Initially positioned at tail width from the front of the machine, the deckle 44 moves progressively along the suction roll 22 as the nozzle 26 and deckle 33 similarly move on increase of the paper web from tail width to full width; in other words, the application of suction increased progressively at the same rate that the strip width is increased to the full width of the web.

The arms 18 carrying the pick-up roll 16 are lifted and lowered by means of a motor 48 that drives screwed rods 49 threaded through the arms 18 inside the colurnns 19. A hand-wheel 48A provides for manual adjustment of the roll 16, and may be used to lower the roll.

The motors 34, 35, 46, and 48 are operated from a control panel 50, with motors 34, 35, and 46 of the synchronous type and interconnected for simultaneous operation for some of their motions. The panel 50-has four push-buttons in circuits incorporating suitable limit switches to govern the extent of motor-driven movement:

Push-button Operation Other push-buttons may provide for independent operation of any of the moving parts. Again, the return of the deckles 33, 44 to tail-width position may be effected independently of (and later than) the return of nozzle 26 across the full width of the Wire 10.

The motors 34, 35 for the nozzle 26 and the travelling deckle 33 may also be so interconnected with thepress drive and the wire drive that when either of these latter, is stopped the nozzle 26 and deckle 33 are automatically brought into position'to form and pick up a tail on restarting.

To facilitate transfer of the paper web from the wire to the pick-up roll 16, a spray 51 may be directed against the felt 17 on the roll 16 just before it reaches the wire.

Constructional details of the pick-up roll 16 and its fixed and travelling deckles 28, 33 are clearly shown in Figures 3A and 3B. The roll shell 16 is freely rotatable (under the pull of the transfer felt 17) on bearings 52 in the supporting brackets 53. The suction box 38 has cylindrical ends 54, 55 pressed by springs 56 against stops 57 adjusted to bring the deckles 28, 33 and the sealing strips 40 into correct contact with the shell 30. The end 54 carries an elbow, 58 for attachment of the usual suction hose 58A (Figure 2), and the end 5'5 is closed by. a cover 59 having a gland 60 to seal the plain portion 61 of the screwed rod 32 where it emerges to carry one of the gears 36.

The cylindrical ends 54, 55 continue into rectangular sections 62, 63, the lower walls 64, 65 of which end at 66, 67 to expose the width of the box 38 to the perforated periphery of the shell .30 between the sealing strips 40, over the whole perforated length of the shell. At the front end of the roll 16, the screw 41, carried in brackets 68 from the underside of the wal 64, enables the exposed length of the shell to be adjusted in accordance with the width of the paper web laid on the wire 10.

When brought by rotation of the screwed rod 32 into contact with the end 67 of the wall-65, the travelling deckle 33 occupies a position at the rear end of the roll 16 corresponding to the outermost adjusted position of the deckle 28 at the frontend. By setting of a limit switch in the circuit of the motor 35, the deckle 33 may be stopped short of the wall 65 by an amount corresponding to any inward adjustment of the deckle 28.

As shown in Figure 6, the travelling nozzle 26 and its guide rod 27 and operating screw 31 are carrier inside a tube 69 with a slot 70 for the emergence of the nozzle. The flexible hose 71 supplying the nozzle is drawn inside the tube 69, and is thus kept clear of the wire 10.

Trim produced by the nozzles of the trimming cutter 24 at the sides of the web may be taken from the pickup roll by the usual trimming rollers pressed against the latter, the trim adhering to the trimming rollers and then dropping into the couch pit.

The roll 16 could be the lowest of a press taking the web direct from the wire, e. g. the well-known stacked press with say three superimposed rolls. In that case, it is not convenient to lift and lower the pick-up rolls, but

' the break of contact with the web on the wire may then .be effected by movement of the forward return roll, for

example by means of a motor similar to the motor 48. In a vacuum-forming machine, the pick-up roll co-operates directly with the shorter wire passing round the vacuum-forming roll. For starting up, the pick-up roll bring the web gradually to full width.

With a stacked press used in conjunction with vacuuni-forming, the wire isadjustable towards and from the bottom fixed suction press'roll, which operates as the pick-up roll.

In multiple vacuum-forming installations for multi-ply paper or board, each vacuum-forming unit may be provided with similar tail-forming'mechanisms, operated in synchronism.

The invention includes the use of the travelling deckle in a suction transfer roll for the transfer 'of first the tail and finally the full width of paper from one press to another (to a dryer section) in installations with separate press units operating in sequence in the press section, with synchronism with the jet cutter nozzle and travelling deckle at the wet end of the machine. The pickup roll containing this travelling deckle may either be a separate roll, or one of the suction rolls of the press unit to which transfer is to be made.

The invention improves the efficiency of paper-making machines by extending automatic operation in starting up beyond what has previously been possible, and reduces much of the hand manipulation required before a full width of web and paper extends completely through the machine. Although hand manipulation of the tail into the dryer section may be essential, because the heavier felts of that section (wool or cotton, with or paper before entering the dryer section is with the bare top roll of the press.

What I claim is: i

1. Mechanism adapted for application to a paper-mak ing machine having a forming wire, the mechanism having in combination a vacuum pick-up roll, a sealing plate movable lengthwise within the roll to vary the lengthwise extent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum, a paper-web cutting device disposed in advance of the pickup roll and movable transversely to correspond with the lengthwise movement of the said sealing plate within the roll, and power means for simultaneously and progressively moving the cutting device and the sealing plate axiallywithin the roll from corresponding respective positions in which the cutting device is adapted to sever a narrow strip of paper web and the roll is able to apply vacuum only to that narrow strip to corresponding respective positions in which the cutting device is clear of the full width that would be occupied by the width of paper to be produced and the roll is able to apply vacuum to the whole of that full width.

2. Mechanism adapted for application to a paper-making machine having a forming wire, the mechanism having in combination a vacuum pick-up roll, a deckle movable lengthwise within the roll to vary the lengthwise extent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum, a paper-web cutting device disposed in advance of the pick-up roll and movable transversely to correspond with the lengthwise movement of the said deckle within the roll, and motor-driven traversing mechanism to move the cutting device and the deckle Within the roll simultaneously and progressively transversely of the machine.

3. A vacuum pick-up roll for a paper-making machine, said roll having a perforated shell, an internal suction box exposed to a width of the shell over the whole perforated length, a travelling cutting device, a travelling deckle within the box, and means for traversing the deckle from a position near one end of the perforated length of the shell to the other end of the perforated length of the shell.

4. A vacuum pick-up roll for a paper-making machine, said roll having a perforated shell, an internal suction box exposed to a width of the shell over the whole perforated length of the shell, a normally fixed deckle within the box disposed at one end of the perforations in said shell, means for giving a limited adjustment to that deckle with respect to one end of the perforated length of the shell, a travelling deckle within the box, and means for traversing the traveling deckle from a position near the fixed deckle to the other end of the perforated length of the shell.

5. A suction press for a paper-making machine, said press comprising a suction roll and at least one other press roll, and the suction roll having a perforated shell, an internal suction box exposed to a width of the shell over the whole perforated length of the shell, a travelling cutting device, a travelling deckle within the box, and means for traversing the deckle from a position near one end of the perforated length of the shell to the other end of the perforated length of the shell.

6. A paper-making machine having a forming wire, a vacuum pick-up roll disposed transversely of the wire, a suction press including a suction roll, a transfer felt extending from the pick-up roll to the suction roll, a paper-web cutting device disposed transversely of the wire in advance of the pick-up roll, means movable within the pick-up and suction rolls for varying the lengths of the rolls exposed to vacuum, and means for simultaneously moving in step the cutting device and the means within the rolls transversely of the machine.

7. A paper-making machine comprising a forming wire, a vacuum pick-up roll disposed transversely of the wire, a jet cutter disposed transversely of the wire in advance of the pick-up roll and including a nozzle movable across the machine, means to position the nozzle near one edge of the wire, a suction box within the pick-up roll, a deckle movable within the suction box from a position corresponding to the said position of the nozzle to a position at the other end of the roll, and means for simultaneously moving the nozzle and the deckle from their initial positions to the other side of the wire and the other end of the roll respectively.

8. A paper-making machine as in claim 7, comprising also a suction press including a suction roll, a transfer felt extending from the pick-up roll to the suction roll, a suction box within the suction roll, said sealing plate movable Within the suction box from a position corresponding to the initial positions of the nozzle and the sealing plate of the pick-up roll to a position at the 8 other end of the suction roll, and the means for'moving the nozzle serving to. move both sealing plates in step with itself and with each other.

9. A vacuum pick-up roll for a paper-making machine embodying a movable cutting device, said roll having within it means movable lengthwise over substantially the whole length of the roll to vary the lengthwise ex tent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum, and means for effecting such lengthwise movement simultaneously in accordance with the movement of the cutting device.

10. In a paper-making machine of the forming wire type, the combination of a vacuum pick-up roll disposed transversely of the wire, means within the roll movable lengthwise over substantially the whole length of the roll to vary the lengthwise extent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum, a paper-web cutting device disposed transversely of the wire in advance of the pickup roll, and means for moving the cutting device progressively across the Wire and varying the exposure of the roll to vacuum in step with the movement of the cutting device.

11. Mechanism adapted for application to a paper-making machine having a forming wire, the mechanism having in combination a vacuum pick-up roll, means movable lengthwise within the roll to vary the lengthwise extent of the periphery of the roll exposed to vacuum, a paperweb cutting device disposed in advance of the pick-up roll and movable transversely to correspond with the lengthwise movement of the said means within the roll, motor-driven traversing mechanism to move the cutting device and the means within the roll simultaneously and progressively transversely of the machine, and motordriven mechanism for moving the cutting device across the whole width of the wire and lifting the pick-up roll from the wire to render the pick-up roll ineffective.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 826,859 Kellner July 24, 1906 1,091,941 Marx Mar. 31, 1914 1,375,517 Johnson Apr. 19, 1921 1,745,687 Peschl Feb. 4, 1930 1,814,050 Marx July 14, 1931 1,838,603 Witham Dec. 29, 1931 1,945,118 McVicker et al Jan. 30, 1934 1,949,188 Smith Feb. 27, 1934 2,289,430 Jennings July 14, 1942 2,395,533 Clem Feb. 26, 1946 2,686,463 Hornbostel Aug. 17, 1954 2,694,346 Goodwillie Nov. 16, 1954 2,714,342 Beachler Aug. 2, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,144 Germany Nov. 23, 1931 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Pulp and Paper Making by Witham, 2nd ed., pp. 468-470, pub. by Reinhold Publishing Co., New York 1942).

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