Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BROADLOOM FABRIC AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No.
601383,787, "MAGW1RE," Maguire, filed May 30, 2002, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The field of the invention relates to broadloom fabrics and more
specifically, to
broadloom fabrics used in manufacturing processes, e.g., washing, forming,
pressing, curing
and drying of various industrial products.
2. Background Information
[0003] Generally, broadloom fabrics are used in the preparation of pulp or
materials in
sheet or non-woven fabric for various industries, such as paper making
industries, for
example. Such broadloom fabrics provide strength and surface requirements
needed by such
industrial processes as washing, forming, pressing, curing and drying of
various products.
Broadloom fabrics can have widths of 120 inches or more and are typically
formed with one-
piece continuous fabrics.
[0004] The term "fabric" is used herein to describe all materials including
fabric, cloth,
metal, plastic and other materials, capable of carrying pulp or industrial
materials or products
used in manufacturing processes, e.g., washing, forming, pressing, curing and
drying of
various industrial products. Fabrics can be wound around a core to form supply
rolls
constructed and arranged to store the fabrics until the fabrics are used in a
manufacturing
process.
[0005] Generally, broadloom fabrics are manufactured in various fixed widths,
e.g.,120,
175, 250, 300 or 350 inches so that different broadloom fabrics can be used in
different
manufacturing processes or applications. For example, devices to perform some
processes
might require a 300 inch broadloom fabric, whereas devices for other processes
might require
a 200 inch broadloom fabric. Because broadloom fabrics have been typically
formed with a
one-piece fabric having a fixed width, high inventories of broadloom fabrics
having various
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2
widths are required to meet expected industrial needs. These high inventories
of broadloom
fabrics can become obsolete should the need or requirement for those specific
widths change.
[0006] Additionally, broadloom fabrics have been difficult to manufacture due
to widths
thereof being 120 inches or more. As such, production of such broadloom
fabrics is
generally slow and costly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a
part of the
specification, of embodiments of the invention, together with the general
description given
above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to
explain the
principles of the invention wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of a broadloom fabric including a
plurality of narrow
fabrics joined together in accordance with principles of the invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an illustrative view of one narrow fabric of the plurality of
narrow fabrics
shown in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an exaggerated view of the plurality of narrow fabrics joined
together
with a first coupling arrangement;
[0011] FIG. 4 is an exaggerated view of another broadloom fabric including
another
plurality of narrow fabrics joined together with the first coupling
arrangement shown in FIG.
3;
[0012] FIG. 5 is an exaggerated view of another broadloom fabric including the
plurality
of narrow fabrics shown in FIG. 3 joined together with a second coupling
arrangement;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an exaggerated view of another broadloom fabric including the
plurality
of narrow fabrics shown in FIG. 3 joined together with a third coupling
arrangement;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an exaggerated view of another broadloom fabric including the
plurality
of narrow fabrics shown in FIG. 3 joined together with a fourth coupling
arrangement;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a broadloom fabric forming apparatus in
accordance
to principles of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus of
FIG. 8 in greater detail;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with the
principles of
the invention;
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[0018] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating portions of the method shown in
FIG. 10 in
greater detail; and
[0019] FIG. 12 illustrating portions of the method shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 in
greater
detail.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIIVVIENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0020] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a broadloom fabric, generally indicated
at 10, for
use in various industrial processes, e.g., washing, forming, pressing, curing
and drying
various products, such as paper, board or other industrial products. The
broadloom fabric 10
is formed from a plurality of narrow fabrics, generally indicated as 12, 14
and 16, arranged in
side by side relation. The term narrow is used herein to describe fabrics
having widths up to
120 inches. Each fabric 12, 14, 16 has first and second ends separated by
adjoining edges 18,
20. Adjacent fabrics 12, 14 and fabrics 14, 16 are joined at the adjoining
edges 18, 20 thereof
by couplings 22, which will be described in greater detail below, to form the
broadloom
fabric 10.
[0021] Depending on the number and widths of fabrics 12, 14, 16, the broadloom
fabric 10
can have widths of 120 inches or more. In some applications, the broadloom
fabric 10 can
have widths of at least 300 inches, which can include five 60 inch wide
fabrics similar to any
one of fabrics 12, 14 or 16, for example.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows narrow fabric 12 in greater detail, but is representative
of each fabric
12, 14 and 16 because each fabric 12, 14 and 16 includes elongated filaments
24, 26
described below with respect to fabric 12. Fabric 12 can include a first
plurality of elongated
resilient filaments 24 oriented in a first direction. The first direction can
be referred to as a
machine direction and each elongated resilient filament 24 can be referred to
as a warp
filament, for example. Fabric 12 can also include a second plurality of
elongated resilient
filaments 26 oriented in a second direction transverse to the first direction.
The second
direction can be referred to as a cross machine direction which defines the
width of the fabric
12 and each elongated resilient filament 26 can be referred to as a shute or
weft filament, for
example. Narrow fabrics 12, 14 and 16 can each have a width of 10 to 120
inches, for
example, but generally have a width ranging from 48-90 inches.
[0023] The individual filaments 24, 26 can be woven together, for example,
using a
weaving apparatus, or may be woven manually, to form the fabrics 12, 14 and
16.
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Alternatively, a single beam loom or a double beam loom can be used depending
on the
weave pattern of the narrow fabrics 12, 14 and 16. Typically, high speed looms
about 50-100
inches wide can be used to manufacture the fabrics 12, 14 and 16.
[0024] Each filament 24, 26 can be coated, for example, to reduce corrosion
and/or
abrasion, through a coating process. The coating may be a low friction and
contaminant
resistant protective coating, for example, and may include brass or some other
hardening
(corrosion and abrasion resistant) material. The low friction and contaminant
resistant
protective coating can be applied by conventional coating techniques, such as
dipping or
continuously running the filaments through a bath, such as electrode plating,
for example.
Alternatively, a batch dipping can be used.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the shuts or weft filaments 26 at edge 20 of fabric
12 can be
joined, e.g., through couplings 22 to the shuts or weft filaments 26 at edge
18 of fabric 14.
Similarly, the shuts or weft filaments 26 at edge 20 of fabric 14 can be
joined through
couplings 22 to the shuts or weft filaments 26 at edge 18 of fabric 16.
Couplings 22 can
include weaving, welding or brazing the shuts or weft filaments 26 of adjacent
fabrics 12, 14,
16 together, for example. In FIG. 3, the couplings 22 generally extend in the
machine
direction or length of the broadloom fabric 10.
[0026] The couplings 22 of the broadloom fabric 10 can be formed and arranged,
in
different patterns, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4-7. The couplings 22 can
be manually
formed through use of a welder or fuser, such as a plasma arc welder, for
example. One
suitable welder or fuser is manufactured by Linde under model number PWM-6
Plasma
Needle Arc Welding Outfit (P/N 600103). Alternatively, the couplings 22 can be
mechanically formed and arranged through use of a broadloom fabric forming
apparatus 500
as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, which will be described in greater detail below.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows a broadloom fabric 110 in accordance with principles of
the
invention. The broadloom fabric 110 includes a plurality of narrow fabrics
112, 114 and 116
joined together by couplings 22 arranged in the first coupling arrangement as
described above
with respect to FIG. 3. The broadloom fabric 110 has a permeability gradation
across its
width due to the fabrics 112, 114 and 116 having a different density of warp
filaments 24.
For example, fabric 112 includes less warp filaments 24 than fabric 114, which
in turn,
includes less warp filaments 24 than fabric 116. Thus, fabric 114 is more
permeable than
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fabric 116, but less permeable than fabric 112. In this manner, the broadloom
fabric 110 can
have different permeability at different portions thereof.
[0028] Fabrics 112, 114 and 116 can have more or less warp filaments 24 than
above-
described fabrics 12, 14 and 16. Any combination of fabrics 12, 14, 16, 112,
114, 116 or any
other type of processing fabric could be used to form either broadloom fabric
10 or
broadloom fabric 110.
[0029] FIG. 5 shows a broadloom fabric 210 in accordance with principles of
the
invention. The broadloom fabric 210 includes a plurality of the narrow fabrics
12, 14 and 16
joined together by couplings 22 arranged in a second coupling arrangement,
which is
arranged to increase strength of the fabric 210 and to distribute stresses
over a greater area of
the fabric 210. By distributing stresses over a greater area of the fabric
210, the risk of local
failure of those portions of the fabric 210 is reduced.
[0030] As illustrated, the second coupling arrangement includes couplings 22
positioned
on opposite sides of at least one warp filament 24 of fabrics 14, 16. A series
of couplings 22
are disposed between respective edges 18, 20 of fabrics 12, 14 and between
respective edges
18, 20 of fabrics 14, 16. To distribute stress, another series of couplings 22
are disposed
between the edge 20 of fabric 12 and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric
14 and between
the edge 20 of fabric 14 and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric 16. In
this manner, the
second coupling arrangement increases strength of the fabric 210 and
distributes stresses over
a greater area of the fabric 210.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a broadloom fabric 310 in accordance with principles of
the
invention. The broadloom fabric 310 includes a plurality of the narrow fabrics
12, 14 and 16
joined together by couplings 22 arranged in a third coupling arrangement,
which is arranged
to increase strength of the fabric 310 and to distribute stresses over a
greater area of the fabric
310. By distributing stresses over a greater area of the fabric 310, the risk
of local failure of
those portions of the fabric 310 is reduced.
[0032] As illustrated, the third coupling arrangement includes couplings 22
positioned on
opposite sides of at least one warp filament 24 of fabrics 12, 14. A series of
couplings 22 are
disposed between respective edges 18, 20 of fabrics 12, 14 and between
respective edges 18,
20 of fabrics 14, 16. To distribute stress, another series of couplings 22 are
disposed between
the edge 18 of fabric 14 and different warp filaments 24 of fabric 12 and
between the edge 18
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of fabric 16 and different warp filaments 24 of fabric 14. The couplings 22
are disposed
between different warp filaments 24 of fabrics 12,14 so as to increase
strength of the fabric
310 and to distribute stresses over a greater area of the fabric 310.
[0033] FIG. 7 shows a broadloom fabric 410 in accordance with principles of
the
invention. The broadloom fabric 410 includes a plurality of the narrow fabrics
12, 14 and 16
joined together by couplings 22 arranged in a fourth coupling arrangement,
which is arranged
to increase strength of the fabric 410 and to distribute stresses over a
greater area of the fabric
410. By distributing stresses over a greater area of the fabric 410, the risk
of local failure of
those portions of the fabric 410 is reduced.
[0034] As illustrated, the fourth coupling arrangement includes couplings 22
positioned on
opposite sides of at least one warp filament 24 of fabrics 12, 14 and 16. A
series of couplings
22 are disposed between respective 'edges 18, 20 of fabrics 12, 14 and between
respective
edges 18, 20 of fabrics 14, 16. To distribute stress, one series of couplings
22 are disposed
between the edge 20 of fabric 12 and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric
I4, between the
edge 18 of fabric 14 and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric 12, between
the edge 20 of
fabric 14 and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric 16 and between the edge
18 of fabric 16
and at least one warp filament 24 of fabric 14. The couplings 22 are disposed
between warp
filaments 24 of fabrics 12, 14 and 16 so as to increase strength of the fabric
410 and to
distribute stresses over a greater area of the fabric 410.
[0035] FIGS. 5-7 show couplings 22 of fabrics 210, 310 and 410 arranged in
different
coupling arrangements, with each coupling arrangement having a generally
serpentine
pattern.
[0036] FIGS. 8 and 9 show a broadloom fabric forming apparatus 500 in
accordance with
principles of the invention. The broadloom fabric forming apparatus 500
includes frame
structure 502 and fabric support structure 504 (FIG. 9). The broadloom fabric
forming
apparatus 500 also includes a fabric feed mechanism, generally indicated at
510, configured
to feed narrow fabrics 12, 14, 16 in substantially spaced relation to a top
surface 506 of the
fabric support structure 504 from a supply roll 512 to a gathering roll 516,
where the
broadloom fabric is gathered.
[0037] As the narrow fabrics 12, 14, 16 are fed from the supply roll 512 to a
gathering roll
516 in side by side relation, respective edges 18, 20 pass beneath at least
one welder or fuser
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530 (since edge 18 of fabric 12 and edge 20 of fabric 16 are the outermost
edges in this
embodiment, these edges do not pass underneath a welder or fuser 530). Each
welder or
fuser 530 is movably mounted to the frame structure 502, e.g., by a rack and
pinion gear, a
slidable mounting such as a carriage assembly with wheels and a guide track, a
lead screw
arrangement or other mounting structure, for example. Each welder or fuser 530
can be
movable in the cross machine direction (across the width of narrow belts 12,
14, 16). FIG. 9
shows two welders or fusers 530 movably mounted to the frame structure, but
more or less
welders or fusers 530 could be used.
[0038] The fabric feed mechanism 510 includes the supply roll 512 including
rolls of
fabrics 12, 14 and 16 rotatably mounted to base structure 518, 520.
Alternatively, individual
supply rolls could include respective separate rolls of fabrics 12, 14 and 16
rotatably mounted
to corresponding base structures. An opening 522 is formed in each base
structure 518, 520
(not shown in FIG. 9 for base structure 518), which is configured to receive a
pin 524
extending through a core 526 the supply roll 512 to rotatably mount the supply
roll 512
between the base structure 518, 520. The base structure 518, 520 can also used
to rotatably
mount the gathering roll 516 in a substantially identical manner as the supply
roll 512 is
rotatably mounted.
~, [0039] As shown in FIG. 9, the gathering roll 516 can include fabric
grippers 528
corresponding in number to the number of fabrics on supply roll 512. The
fabric grippers
528 can have clamp structure (not shown) associated therewith to grip ends of
respective
narrow fabrics 12, 14,16 supplied from the supply roll 512. The grippers 528
(or clamp
structure) can be manually attached to the fabrics 12, 14, 16, for example.
The gathering roll
516 can be manually or electrically actuated, e.g. a motor (not shown) could
be electrically
coupled to the gathering roll 516, to wind and unwind the broadloom fabric
from the
gathering roll 516.
[0040] Winding of the gathering roll 516 can cause unwinding of the fabrics
12, 14, 16
from the supply roll 512. As the fabrics 12, 14, 16 are unwound from the
supply roll 512, the
fabrics 12, 14, 16 are fed beneath each welder or fuser 530, at which one or
more couplings
22 are welded or fused in accordance with the principles of the above-
described coupling
arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 5-7.
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[0041] A controller 538 and a user interface 540 (FIG. 8) can be coupled to
the fabric feed
mechanism 510 and to each welder or fuser 530. The controller 538 can be
configured to
control the fabric feed mechanism 510 and each welder or fuser 530 so that
desired coupling
arrangements are effected. It should be appreciated that the controller 430
may be
implemented with the processor 538, for example, in a central processing unit
or in a general
purpose computer, or other similar device.
[0042] A user could use the user interface 540 to select the second coupling
arrangement
shown in FIG. 5. Based on information received from the user interface 540,
the controller
538 could control the fabric feed mechanism 510 and each welder or fuser 530
to effect the
desired coupling arrangement. Such control by the controller 538 can include
adjusting a
feed speed of the supply roll 512 by adjusting speeding up or slowing down the
speed at
which the gathering roll 516 is rotated. Another example of such control by
the controller
538 is individual or collective movement of the welders or fusers 530. Based
on the feed
speed of the supply roll 512 or the widths of the narrow fabrics on the supply
roll 512, it may
be necessary for the controller 538 to control movement of the welders or
fusers 530 in the
cross machine direction to effect the desired coupling arrangement.
[0043] In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the welders or fusers 530
could be
fixedly secured to the frame structure 502 of the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus 500. In
such embodiments, the controller 538 could be configured through software or
hardware to
operate the welders or fusers 530, either individually or collectively, at
different times to
effect the desired coupling arrangement.
[0044] An inspection system 542, such as an optical inspection system, for
example, can
also be coupled to and controlled by the controller 538 to ensure that
respective edges 18, 20
of fabrics 12, 14, 16 are sufficiently aligned in side by side relation prior
to being welded or
fused together by the welders or fusers 530. Alternatively, or in addition,
the inspection
system 542 (or an additional inspection system) could be configured to inspect
the couplings
22, the coupling arrangement or the quality of the couplings 22, for example,
after welding or
fusing. Based on the inspection data from the inspection system 542, the
broadloom fabric
forming apparatus 500 could be stopped to correct alignment of the fabric
edges or to re-weld
or re-fuse the fabric edges where needed, for example.
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[0045] FIG. 10 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a
broadloom
fabric for use in a manufacturing process, such as washing, forming, pressing,
curing and
drying of various industrial products, for example. The method starts at 600.
At 602, a
plurality of fabrics having first and second ends separated by adjoining edges
are provided.
[0046] At 604, the adjoining edges of the plurality of fabrics are aligned in
side by side
relation and joined to form a broadloom fabric at 606. The aligning and
joining can be
manually performed or can be performed using a broadloom fabric forming
apparatus, such
as apparatus 500 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, for example. FIG. 11 shows a flow
chart
illustrating a portion of block 606 in greater detail. At 608 in FIG. 11, a
determination is
made whether or not the joining will be a manual operation. A similar
determination could
be made about the alignment of block 604 as well. If the joining is to be
performed
manually, a user with a manually engageable welder, e.g., a plasma arc welder,
can manually
weld or fuse the adjoining edges of the aligned fabrics. If the joining is not
to be performed
manually, the plurality of fabrics are aligned when positioned in a broadloom
fabric forming
apparatus and joined together when fed through the welding or fusing section
of the
broadloom fabric forming apparatus.
[0047] FIG. 12 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of operation of a
broadloom fabric
forming apparatus, such as the broadloom fabric forming apparatus 500 shown in
FIGS. 8
and 9, for example. Operation of the broadloom fabric forming apparatus
commences at 614
when a plurality of fabrics are fed into the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus by a fabric
feed mechanism so that adjoining edges of adjacent fabrics are aligned. The
fabric feed
mechanism can include structure to align the edges of adjacent fabrics in side
by side relation,
for example.
[0048] At 616, a determination is made whether the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus is
programmable or controllable to select between different coupling
arrangements. For
example, any one of the coupling arrangements shown in FIGS. 3-7 could be
selected in such
a broadloom fabric forming apparatus. If the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus is not
programmable or controllable to select between different coupling
arrangements, the
adjoining edges of the adjacent fabrics can be joined using any one of the
coupling
arrangements shown in FIGS. 3-7, depending on the positioning of welders or
fusers in the
broadloom fabric forming apparatus, for example. If the broadloom fabric
forming apparatus
is programmable or controllable to select between different coupling
arrangements, the
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adjoining edges of the adjacent fabrics can be joined using any one of the
coupling
arrangements shown in FIGS. 3-7. At 620, a coupling arrangement is selected
based on user
input inputted through a user input coupled to the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus, for
example. At 622 and 624, a fabric feed mechanism and at least one welder or
fuser are
controlled to join the adjoining edges of adjacent fabrics in accordance with
the selected
coupling arrangement, respectively. At 626, the adjoining edges of adjacent
fabrics are
joined in accordance with the selected coupling arrangement, for example, by
the at least one
welder or fuser. The welder or fuser can be movable along with width of the
adjacent fabrics
to effect the selected coupling arrangement. Alternatively, the at least one
welder or fuser
can be fixedly positioned with respect to the adjacent fabrics and can be
controlled to effect
the selected coupling arrangement, for example, by welding or fusing adjoining
edges of
adjacent fabrics as the fabrics are fed through the broadloom fabric forming
apparatus. For
example, the at least one welder or fuser can be controlled between operative
and inoperative
states at different times to effect the selected coupling arrangement.
[0049] While the present invention has been particularly shown and described
with
reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those
skilled in the
art that various changes in form and details can be made therein without
departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
[0050] Thus, the foregoing embodiments have been shown and described for the
purpose
of illustrating the functional and structural principles of this invention and
are subject to
change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention
includes all
modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
