Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ti3137
This invention relates to a method for the continuous
manufacture of an undulating longi-tudinal material, and also to
a device enabling this method to be carried out.
More precisely, the invention relates to the manufacture
of such a material by transverse folding of a flexible longi-
tudinal band such as a fibrous sheet, or a cloth composed of
several fibrous sheets, or again a band of paper, fabric, non-
wovens, or a sheet of glass, or again a strip of foam of
plastics material etc.
At the present time use is made, for such a treatment, of
an installation comprising basically a passage or corridor ~: :
bounded by two rigid plane walls parallel to the general plane
of the strip of material to be shaped, between which rollers ~.
situated close to one end of the passage project the strip to
be treated, while retarding rollers situated close to the other
end of the passage cause the bunching up of the strip inside
this passage in the form of transverse folds. ;
Such an installation and such a procedure possess a certain
number of considerable disadvantages.
A first disadvantage lies in the fact that it is not possible
to treat in this manner strips or bands of rough-surfaced material, .
or strips coated with an adhesive or a binding agent, since
such strips do not slide correctly along the walls of the passage,
; which they have a strong tendency to obstruct completely. The ~
; field of application of this known method is therefore limited,
on the one hand by the nature of the materials which can be
; treated and, on the other hand, by the nature of the treatment
between which the folding treatment is interposed. ~ .
In particular, as a result of the impossibility of adding ~ .
a binding agent to the strip before the strip is folded, lt is ~ ~:
only possible to ensure that the folded material maintains :~
its shape upon leavlng the device by gluing it onto
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1063~L~7 :/
at least one support, which considerably limits the range of
possible applications. Other disadvantages of this natural
tendency of the material to re-adopt its original shape are also
found, these disadvantages being due in this case to the fact -~
that there exists, at a number of points in the known folding
devices, possibilities of escape of the material, the consequence
of which is a complete jamming of the aevice; this can occur
notably at each of the ends of the passage, where there is a gap,
even though very small, between the walls of the passage and the
projection rollers or retarding rollers for the strip; it is also ~;
the case between the various trains of retarding rollers.
The objective of the present invention is to overcome the
totality of these disadvantages, by proposing a new folding
method, and also a device enabling this method to be carried out. ,
Since the folding treatment according to this invention is
applied by means of moving walls such as endless belts, situated
opposite to each other and entraining the strip by friction during
folding, it may be applied to strips of any material, and in ~
particular to rough strips, and this regardless of the treatment ~ ;
to which they have previously been subjected: for example, it ~
is possible according to this invention to treat strips to which ~ `
adhesive has been applied, abrasive strips and the like etc.
Moreover whereas, in the case of known devices, it is
necessary when forming tight folds to utilise a large number of
successive trains of retarding rolls, by reason of the fact that
it is not possible to impose upon the strip reductions in speed `~
which are too drastic without risk of tight packing of the
apparatus which could lead to its jamming and bursting, the use
in accordance with this invention of sets of successive endless
belts, preferably constructed in the form of narrow straps dis-
posed in staggered array in order to enable the successive endless
belts to interlace with one another, makes it possible to impose
upon the strip undergoing treatment consideràbly more drastic
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1~63~37
retardations without risk of cramming and jammingr and thus to
produce denser folding by means of a number of endless belts
considerably less than the number of retarding rollers which
would be indispensable if the known device were to be used.
As a result of this absence of any risk of cramming or
jamming due to the continuous control of the movement of the strip,
it is also possible by suitably selecting or varying the distances
between the belts constituting the successive sets or their speeds,
to control the folding action completely and to produce materials
of very different thicknesses, having folds generally perpend- ~:
icular to the general plane of the material or having flat folds. .
The totality of these possibilities offered by the invention
makes it possible to produce by folding, materials which hitherto .
~ere manufactured by means of much more complicated and costly
methods.
These possibilities are still further increased, according to
the forms of embodiment of the device corresponding to its
particular applications, by the addition downstream of the endless
belts of means for opening the folds of the material towards one
of its sides for the purpose, for instance, of introducing a ~`
binding agent or, upstream thereof, by the addition of means for
subjecting the strip to an alternating transverse deformation in .
its own plane. As a result of the latter possibility it is ~
possible, when treating in the form of flat or inclined folds a ..cloth of oriented fibres, to produce a material having crossed .~: -
. , .
fibres, which has numerous applications notably in the field ..
of filter manufacture. ;`
Thus, the scope of application of the inven.tion is especially .
wide since, depending upon the particular modes of carrying the
invention out and upon the different materials treated, it is
possible to deal with materials for filtration, wit,h felts in
general, with materials for upholstery, mattress-making,
furniture making, clothing, thermal or acoustic insulation
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1063~37 ~ ~
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products in general, reinforcing products for panels known as
"sandwich" panels, carpets in general of the knop or furry type
(respectively by fixing a support to one of the faces of the
material or by fixing such a support to each of its faces and
then slicing or splitting the material along :its thickness),
crinkled or corrugated papers or cardboards. etc.
Specifically, the present invention relates to a method
for the continuous manufacture of a transversely corrugated
sheet of material comprising projécting the sheet between two -~
.. . .
elongate walls which define a continuous passage having a
height greater than the thickness of the sheet, longitudinally
displacing upstream portions of the walls in the direction of
projection of the sheet at a speed less than the speed of ~; ;
projection~of the sheet into the passage to form transverse
corrugations in the sheet, longitutlinally displacing downstream j
portions of the walls at speeds less than the upstream portlons -
to progressively and without discontinuity compress -the trans~
verse corrugations together in the direction of projection. ;
In addition, the invention specifically relates to
apparatus for the continuous production of a corrugated sheet
of material, by transverse folding of a flexible elongate sheet
of material, the apparatus comprising at least two successive
sets of two elongate endless belts possessing mutually facing
portions defining between them an elongate passage having a
height exceeding -the thickness of the sheet, means for imparting
to said belts a translatory movement relat~ive to themselves,
such that their mutually facing portions move in the same
directions and means, disposed in the vicinity of the upstream
end of the passage, for longitudinally projecting the sheet
into said passage, in the direction of movement of the belts
and at a linear speed exceeding the speed of movement of the
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1063~L37
belts, in such a w~y as to form transverse corrugations inside - ~
said passage, the speed of the belts of a downstream set being -
less than that of the belts of the set immediately upstream,
whereby packing or bunching up of the corrugations is caused ~
inside the passage along the length of the sheet. . :;:
The invention will be better understood if reference is ~ .
made to the description below, relating to non-limiting forms
of embodiment of the method according to the invention, :.~:
illustrated by non-limiting examples of the device according to ` .
this invention, and also to the attached drawings which form
an integral part of this description. . -
Figure 1 shows diagrammatically the manufacture according
to this invention of a folded material without a support, having
folds substantially perpendicular to its general plane.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view illustrating diagrammati-
cally construction of the folding station proper,
Figure 3 illustrates diagrammatically the production of a
folded material having folds substantially perpendicular to its
general plane and reinforced by a support fixed to each of its .. :~
, ~, . ~;
two faces,
Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically the production of . ~.
a folded material having flat and crossed folds, without a
support and appears on the same sheet with Figure 1. ~ .
Figure 1 illustrates, for example, the case of the production
of an acoustically and thermally.insulating material starting -
from a longitudinal strip constitu.ted, for example, of a .
sheet or cloth 1 of oriented fibres issuing from a card 2 and
moving continuously longitudinally, this movement being in-
dicated diagrammatically by an arrow 4.
Before passing through the folding station proper 5, this
sheet is first subjected, at 3, to a treatment intended for
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~3137
stiffening the fibres and in itself kno~n; this may for example ~;
consist of the pulverising of a solid binding agent, preceded `
by the passage of the sheet in front of steam atomising jets 6,
or again the atomisation of a liquid binding agent, the folding
device according to this invention permitting the treating of
wetted materials. In either case, the sheet may pass one or
more sets of two transverse rotatiny rolls 7 and ~ disposed
opposite to each other, respectively in contact with the upper -:
face 9 and the lower face 10 of the sheet 1; these rolls may
serve only for the driving and flattening of the sheet, but
they may also be heated to a temperature such that it causes -. .
a complete fixing of the fibres, or again a simple temporary ~:~
pre-fixing adapted to be completed or destr~oyed by appropriate
treatments applied after the folding operation. In the case
of the treatment oE a sheet possessing a low tearing strength, ;
these rolls must be rotationally driven by appropriate means . ~ ::
so as to ensure the simultaneous driving of the sheet in the
desired direction of movement 4.
It is of course possible for these preliminary treatments
to vary depending upon the material constituting the strip or
bands to be treated; in particular, there is no need for them
to be used in the case of the treatment of a strip of plastic
foam or paper!, in which cases they may be left out or, where
the material to be treated is excessively flexible, they may
be replaced by the application of a dressing.
Following this, the strip constituted here of the card
sheet or cloth 1, either dry or/ wet, is subjected to the folding : .
treatment proper by passing through the folding station
according to this invention 5, which is described more partic~
ularly with reference to Figure 2. ~ .;
According to the invention, the corrugated material is
.: ,. . . . . ., . , ~ :
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1C)63137 ::~
produced by the longltudinal projection of the strip in tile ~
form of transverse folds between two longitudinal walls de-
fining a corridor or passage having a depth exceeding the
thickness of the strip, a longitudinal movement in the direction . :~
of projection of the s-trip at a speed less than the linear :
speed of projection and decreasing in the direction of movement
being imparted to said walls, in such a manner as to cause the
packing or bunching of the folds inside the passage along the
length of the material. :;
In practice, this passage or corridor 82 is defined by
at least two successive sets 11 and 12 of endless belts facing :
one another, respectively 14-15 and 16-17, followed in the
present case by a third set 13 of two facing endless belts 18
and 19, the successive endless belts 14, 16, 18 defining one
wall opposite to the upper face 9 of the sheet 1, the other three ; :~
,;.
belts 15, 17, 19 defining a wall opposite to its lower face 10.
According to one preferred Eorm of embodiment of the
device according to this invention aimed at the preventing of
any interruption in the guidance of the strip during folding, -^~ -;
since such interruptions are a source of possible jamming of
the material, each belt is constituted by the juxtaposition : :
of a plurality of longitudinal straps spaced transversely, .~s .. ;~
the straps which correspond to the successive belts being
disposed in staggered array and meshing into one another in ~ .
such a manner as to ensure the continuity of the passage. : :
Thus, the upper belt 14 of the first set 11 has been shown
in the form of two juxtaposed endless straps 20 and 21, spaced .
apart transversely b~ a distance at least equal to their own .
width in such a manner as to permit the insertion between them
of a similar strap 22 constituting, together with a second strap
23, the upper endless belt 15 of the second set 12. :
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Thus, each endless belt 14 to 19 is here constituted of
two endless straps, respectively 20 and 21, 26-27, 22-23, 28-29,
24-25, 31-30, the breaklng down of a belt into two parts in
the form of two straps being the minimum to arxive at the re-
sult desired, this bre,aking down being effected preferably
into a larger number of straps.
The straps constituting a single belt travel of course
:,
around the same rolls, around which they are driven at an
equal speed: the two straps 20 and 21 constituting the belt
14 are, for example, rotationally driven about four rolls 32-35,
the first of these rolls being connected to a motor-variable
speed unit 36 o any known type, while in a similar manner
one roll 37 of the rolls 37-40 which guide the straps 26 and
27 constituting the lower belt 15 of the same set 11, is
connected to a motor-speed variation unit ~41. The same is
true for one of the rolls 42 to 44 for guiding the belt 16, ~
connected to a motor speed variation unit 45, for one of-the -
rolls 46 to 48 for guiding the belt 17, connec~ted to a motor-
speed variation unit 49, and for one of the guiding rolls for
each of the endless belts constituting the succeeding sets. -
According to the invention, close to the upstream end of
the passage 82, the device comprises means for longitudinally
projecting the strip into the inside of said passage in the
direction of movement 4, which is the same as the direction of
movement of the walls of this passage.
These means are constituted here of two transverse rolls ~ -
50 and 51, disposed opposite to each other, on either side of
the sheet 1 and in contact respectively with the upper face 9
and the lower face 10 of this sheet. These two rolls are
rotationally driven by a motor--speed variation unit 52 in such
a manner as to ensure the driving of the sheet.
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~63~37
Figure 2 illustrates a preferred Eorm of embodiment of the
device according to which, in order to prevent any risk of
jamming, the rolls 50 and 51 act upon the sheet between the
constituent belts of the first set 11,. In order that it may
be possible to impart to them a sufficient peripheral speed
without their angular rotation speed being exc:essive, these
rolls have a diameter such that their axis of rotation is
situated outside the passage 82, and are equipped at their
peripherty with annular grooves, respectively 53, 54 and 55, -
56, permitting the passage of the straps, respectively 20, 21 .
. . .
and 26, 27 constituting the two belts 14 and 15 of the first
set 11.
In fact, according to the invention, the speed of pro-
jection of the sheet 1 inside the passage 82 should be higher
than the speed of movement of the walls of this passage, so
that the sheet projected in the form of folds by the rollers ~ :
S0 and 51 retains these folds inside the passage, whereby the : ~
speed of movement of the belts of the second set 12 should ; -
`:
again be less than that of the first set 11, in order to cause
the packing or bunching of these folds along the length of the
material. With regard to the speed of displacement of the belts
of the third set 13 and of any further sets there may be, it
~lso may be less than that of the second set 12 and continue :~
decreasing, in which case it accentuates this packing of the
folds, but it may also be equal, in which case it ensures the
transporting of the folded material while holding it perfectly
in the state to which it is brought by the second set 12.
Packing of the folds in the direction of the thickness of
the material may itself be obtained if the passage 82 is given
a converging form relative to the direction of movement 4.
Such a convergence may be produced either by convergence of the
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~63137
two belts of certain sets, or by step changes, the facing
portions of the successive belts being parallel to each other
but closer and closer together.
It should be noted -that this convergence can be much more
accentuated than in the case of the known devices, where rolls
are used for this purpose, due to the absence of any risk of
escape and of jamming: thus it is possible according to the
invention to obtain particularly intense packing in thickness,
whereby the-packing in the direction of the length may also be
accentuated, for the same reasons that the material is perfectly
held during its folding.
In the case, illustrated in Fig. 1, where it is desired
to obtain a material in which the folds are substantially
perpendicular to its general plane, the speeds aE displacement
of the two endless belts of a single set should be equal, but
as will be described below it is also possible to produce,
according to the invention, materials having flattened folds,
by imparting to the belts constituting one of the walls of the
passage 82 a speed greater or less than that of the belts
constituting the other wall.
At the exit from the folding station 5, the folded material
57 obtained should be subjected to a treatment intended for
fixing the folds together.
In the example illustrated in Fig. 1, according to which
the material is not intended to receive a support on i-ts faces
but is to remain as it is, this treatment should be carried
out by gluing the folds together, over a portion of -their
height or over the entirety of this height.
According to the preferred form of embodiment of the
method according to this invention illustrated in Fig. 1, a
treatment for fixing together the folds in depth is applied by
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~063~3~ ~ ~
causing them to open towards one of the faces of the material,
for example towards its upper face 9. ~ .
The means for opening the folds are constituted here of ~
a transverse rotating roller 58 in contact with the lower face ~ ~ .
10 of the material. They also comprise means for applying the
face 10 of the material against a portion of the periphery
of this roll 58 in such a way as to communicate to this face ;- ~
10 a concavity corresponding to a convexity of the upper face 9. ~ ~ :
To achieve this, the cylindrical periphery of the roll 58
may be furnished with a rough facing, the nature of which should
be determined according to the nature of the material treated. ;` .`~.
It is also possible to construct'the roll 58 in the form of a
hollow cylinder, the internal cavity 59 of which is connected :
to any known suction means 77, and the periphery of which is '! ~ "
permeable so as to permit the application, by suction, of the
lower face 10 of the material onto the roll.
It should be noted that it i5 important that the roll 58 : ;
should take over the material from the moment of its exit from ~.
the passage 20, in order to prevent any escape of material.
20 . The in-depth fixing treatment for the folds applied at
this stage may be of varying types. The treatment may be one .~
intended for ensuring the positive setting of a binding agent ~ :
applied at 3, but it may also involve the depositing o~ a new
binding agent at thé bottom of the folds, that is to say in the
immediate proximity to the lower face of the material, which
is the case illustrated at 60 in Fig. 1. In the case where a .
strip or band of synthetic fibres or plastics foam is treated, ; -
it is also possible to apply at this position heating intended ;
for fixing the folds together at the level of the lower face ; ;
of the material. :
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~63~37
When it leaves the roll 58, there is no longer any risk of
the material becoming unEolded and it may be subjected to the
remainder of -the treatment while simply resting upon an endless
belt 61. This treatment may consist, for example, of passing
through a heated tunnel 62, intended for ensuring the setting
of the binding agent deposited at 60, whereby the upper :Eace ~:
of the material may subsequently receive, at 63, a new appli-
cation of binding agent, followed by a new passage through a
heating tunnel 64.
Figure 3 illustrates a second example of the production of .~-
a folded material, the folds of which are perpendicular to its
general plane, this material being in this case subjected to .
the application of a support onto each of its faces before
being split along its thickness; this may for example be the
case of the manufacture of a synthetic fur or a carpetl for
example starting from a card sheet l and two textile supports
65 and 66.
~ hatever the nature of the strip treated, this strip may
be subjected, until it leaves the folding device proper 5,
to the same treatments as in the preceding case, by means of the
same devices, illustrated in Figure 3 where the same references
are used in Fig. l.
Nevertheless, when it leaves the folding passage 82, the
folded material 57 is no longer caught up directly by the roll ~;
58, since a support 66 is inserted between its lower face and
the perphery of the cylinder.
This support 66 is, for example, unreeled at 67 and guided
by any known means, i-ts face intended for coming into contact
~ith the folded material undergoing, between the unreeling -
station 67 and the roll 58, an application of a coating of an
adhesive or a binding agent at 68.
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1~63~37
With regard to the second support 65, this is unreeled at ~
69/ undergoes coating with an adhesive or a binding agent at 70, ; ;
before being applied to the upper face of the ma-terial 57 bv a
roll 71.
At its exit from the roll 58, the whole assembly is taken ~ ;
over by two endless belts 73 and 74, each applied against one
of the supports, which belts drive the assembly through a ; ~ -
heating tunnel 75 in-tended for causing the setting of the
binding agents applied at 68 and 70. Finally, the completed
product ls split along its thickness by any known device 76.
In view of the effectiveness of the device in regard to ~ -
the packing of the folds both in the direction of the length of
the material and also in the direction of its thickness, ancl
in view of the facility for intensifying at will this packing
by adjusting the distance between the belts of the dif:Eerent
successive sets and by increasing the number of these sets, it
is thus possible to obtain, by starting from a sheet or cloth
of fibres of appropriate type and denier, a folded material of
shallow depth and great density of folding which, when split,
possesses the appearance of a velvet of the "short flocked"
type. This procedure is much less tricky and difficult than ?
the electrostatic flocking procedures hitherto known.
It is of course possible, depending upon the types of
manufacture, to equip the folded material 57 with only a lower
support 66, whereby the assembly may in addition be subjected
to a fixing treatment for the folds in depth analagous to that -
which is applied at 60 in the example illustrated in Figure 1.
Depending upon the particular case, the folded material
faced with one or more supports may then be subjected to any
known treatment, notably at the supports.
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:1063137 ~
Finally, Fig. 4 illustrates the particular case of the
manufacture of a material having flat folds and crossed fibres,
intended for example for filtration. Such a material is
preferably manufactured from a sheet or cloth having oriented
fibres.
In the example illustrated in Fig. 4, this sheet 1, issuing
from a cara 2, receives at 3, after optional steaming at 6,
a binding agent, the setting of which is caused by the heathng
rolls 7 and 8 bearing respectively onto the upper face 9 and ^~
onto the lower face 10 of the sheet, (these treatments and the
corresponding devices have been described above.) ;~
Downstream of the rolls 7 and 8 in relation to the direction
of movement 4 of the sheet, this sheet is subjected to the
action of a device which subjects it to an alternating transverse
deformation in its own plane, imparting to the ~ibres a zig-zag
movement while keeping them parallel tolone another.
In the present case, this device is constituted of at
least two transverse revolving rolls 78 and 79, disposed opposite
to each other upstream of the projection means 51, and in contact
respectively with the upper face 9 and the lower face 10 of
the sheet 1. These rolls undergo a reciprocating movement
along their axes, so that they transversely entrain the fibres
alternately in one direction and then the other.
The strip deformed in this way is then subjected to the
action of the folding device according to the invention 5.
In order to produce flattened folds, a speed is imparted to each
upper belt 1~, 16, 18 which exceeds the speed of the corresponding ;
lower belt, respectively 15, 17, 19, whereby the speed of each
belt may, in addition and as in the preceeding cases, be less
than tha~ of the belt preceding it and higher than that of the
belt following it, in order to ensure the packing of the folds
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. . . . . . . - .
~63~l37 ~
in the direction o~ the length of the material~ It is moreover
possible, as in the preceding cases, to impart a convergence to
the passage 82 defined by the belts, in order to ensure the
packing of the folds in the direction of the thickness.
At the exit from the folding device 5, as in the example
illustrated in Fig. 1, the material having flat folds 80 is
picked up by a roll 58, which causes these folds to open to-
wards the upper face to permit the introduction between the
folds of a binding agent intended for fixing them together: this
application may be carried out by means of an atomiser 81,
whereby the belts 73 and 74 subsequently entrain the product
inside a heating tunnel 75 which causes the binding agent to set.
By judiciously selecting the dimensions of the folds and -
o~ the zig-zags imparted before folding, by the rollers 78 and
79, it is thus possible to produce a crossed-ibres material
which is particularly effective in the field of filtration~
This material may, if necessary, be placed between two supports, -
as already described with reference to Figure 3.
The invention has been described with reference to three
~0 particular applications, intended for illustrating its various
possibilities, but it is not limited to these three examples. ;
It does in fact permit strips of very different types to be
treated, either before or after other treatments capable of
leading to the manufacture of very varied products, and it `
may thus be subjected to numberous variants without thereby -~
departing from its concept.
In the case of fusible fïbres in particular, it is possible
to effect the various fixing operations described without the
addition of a binding agent, but instead by carrying out a
localised fusion of the fibres, for example by "singeing" ~ `
using flame nozzles. Depending upon the particular case, it is
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1~63~37 ~ :
thus possible to ensure a fixing of the folds at one face of a
folded material not furnished with a support, or at both its
faces, or again the fixing of a support such as a fabric onto
one or both faces of such a material.
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