Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WO g7~36472 lP~T/~ q~/ O~S~~~ PCT/~P97/0~510
- 1 ~ FlLF ~..'S AM~N~r
R~ ndi n~ mea~s ~o~ cylin~rical hales 'IL~ 'q~S~La~ N
This i~ventio~ ~elates ~o ~indin~ me~ns for cy~i~drical
bales as re~uire~ for example for ro~nd ~ales of
a~ricultural stalk materi al or for bales o~ refuse.
~lindrical bales used to be traditionally bound using
bi~di~g thre~d5 wrapped repeatedly around the
cylind~ical bale an~ in some in~tanees additionally
k~otted ~o~ether. Sinc~ ~ne binding proceSs Look a ve~y
lon~ ti~e, a~ternati~es to the know~ thread bindin~
were sought. Films and nets were then introduced as
newer bindi~g mea~s Exa~ples of this binding
techno~ogy are found in Lhe patents ~E ~7 OS 10~, DE
2S lZ 3~ E 32 27 160 ~nd EP 0 126 ~7~ Films, on the
one hand, ~ear easi~y and are not sufficiently vapor-
permea~le to stop moist m~teri~l ro~ting in the
cylindri~al bale, a~d R~g~hel-knitte~ nets, on the
other, have ~he disadvantage o~ being very costly to
manu_ac-ure. A latticelike net described in EP
o 30~ 977 faile~ eo ~e~ome establi~hed on ~he market,
since it had to be wrapped around a cylindrical bale
re~eatedly be~ore i~ held ~ir~ without further securing
me~ns, and i~ ao~or~ngly oo~ely in te~ms of ehe volume
~5 o~ materials needed.
It i~ an ob~ec~ of the present invention to provide a
bindlng means whi~hr on the one hand, shall pro~ide
quick ~nd reliable bindin~ of ~ ~ylindrical bale, bu~
o~ the other is inexpensi~e to man~f~ct~re ~nd
~reatha~le. In ~dition, the novél bi~ding means shall
ideally be processible on existing bind~n~ facilities
of bale presses in order that the expense of
retrofitting bale presses may be ~voided.
This object ~s ach~ e~ed ~he~ the ~inding mear.s used is
a nonwoven.
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-- 2
No~ovens toda~ are used as geot~xtiles, crop ad~an~ers
and as covering on diapers, as ~ilters, as cushioning
or padding material or as lining and ~o~ering in
vehicle construction. Nonwovens have a sheetlik~
fibrous structure consis~in~ of lony o~ con~Ln~ou~
filament fibers randomly laid down ~n superposition a~d
juxtaposition! whi~h ~re bonded ~ogether b~ needling,
~us~o~ or an adhesive material and ~re thus resist~nt
to ~nintentio~al disintegration. An almos~ in~inite
variety of nonwo~en fabrics can be p~oduced ~y means of
different ~ted manufacturing processes a~d r~w
materials, different ~iber thicknesses and lengths,
consolida~ion techniques and basis weight~. They can be
porous or impe~meable, absorbent or w~er-repellent,
rigid or flexible. Unlike ~onven~ional, woven o~
knitted fabri~s, nonwov~ f~brics are notable fo- theix
scope of v~riation. Defined properties can be ~ou~ht
about through appropriate configurat~on of the
nonwoven. Suit~ble fi~erS include al7 conceivable
n~ ral and manufactured f~bers, fiber blends or
reclaime~ fibers from textile re~ycling. Si~ce nonwoven
~abric production does no~ ~equi~e spinriny, we~ing or
knitting, nonwo~en l~krics are simple ~nd inexpensi~e
to p~o~ce.
For use ~g binding means for cylindrical bales, the
~on~oven prefera~ly consists of ~ sp~nbon~ed web
stretch-oriented in ~he ~ir~umferential direc~ion of
the cylindrical bale and co~sistin~ of ~ polyolefinic
m~terial, prefer~bly polyprvpylene. Stre~h-o~ien~a~ion
in t~e ~ircu~L.ferenti21 direction of the ~ylindrieal
bale confer~ on the web an appropriately directed
increased breaking strength, which is ne~e5~ry to
witnstand the forces of expansion of a pressed
cylindrical Dale. The basis weight o~ the spunbon~ed
web should preferably be between 7 and 2~ g~m~. The
spunbonded we~ c~n ~di~ion~llv be spin rinishe~
(oiled~, dyed or s~abilized against ultrz~iolet light.
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To increase the adhesion of the nonwove~ to itself ~nd
to the underlying materi~l of the ~ylin~r~cal bale, the
nonwoven can have inhomogeneities i~ ~he position of
the fibers or ~ila~e~ts in the long~u~in~l a~dfor
~ransver~e direction. As a result, ~he material of the
cylinari~al bale is a~le (provided the binding force is
su~ficient) to pass through the h~l es or thin area~ in
the web which result from the inhomoge~eities and th~
effect a~ additional ~ixin~ of ~ne no~woven on the
cylindrical bale. The forces of adhesio~ ~etween the
polyolefin nonwove~s can be incre~e~ mixin~ the
poly~lefin raw ~aterials wi~h TPES ~ t~ermopld~ic
el~sto...els) or clin~ b~tches. Inhom~geneities of the
r~ bers or filam~nts also, ~dv-nt~eou~ly, ~ncre~e the
inceradhesion between ehe nonwove~ sur~aces, so that
they are batter able to w~ thstand any exp~nsion of ~he
bound cylindrical bale through interen~ageme~t of the
fibexs or filaments. Similar~y, variab~e thickness of
the nonwoven across its width at individ~l points
~0 makes it possi~le to obta~n specifi~ s~rengths in ~h~
longitudinal direction, while other poi~s or lower
thic~ness have for example a ~etter vapor p~e~bility.
With a distribution of the th~c~er zones wh~ch meander~
a~ros~ the len~th of the nonwoven, the nonwo~e~ is more
able to absorb torsional forces actiny on the
cylindrical bale. The erfects described can be ~rougnt
about or augmented by means of any desired hole
pattern.
A spunbon~ed web nonwo~rer~ accordin~ to the pr~sent
invention is processible by ~inding de~ices of ~ale
presses which are e~uipped for bind~n~ with net, ne~
lattice or ~ilm material. As a ~es-~lt, it is pos~i~le
to avoid retrofittin~ ~he ~ale presses. Since, at
3~ compar2b~e strength, a nonwoven web i~ thinner tha~
~aschel net or net la~ice ~ateri~l, there is the
~dditional advantage that a roll of material having ~he
same diameter results - n a much longer length of
ing m~terial a~ the user o~ he b21e press
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- 4 -
therefore ~oes not ne~a to renew the ~oll as
~reque~tly.
To produce a polyolefini~ ~onwover usef~l as bi~ding
S means, it is first ne~ess~r~ to form a spunbo~ded we~
~rom continuous filaments. Then the filaments are
~onded to one another by calendering, he~ting and/or by
~dhesi~e and the web of spunbonded m~erial is
subse~uently stretch-orier.ted, preferably in a ra~io o~
a~o~t l : 2, to increase the strength. The stretch-
orie~ing unit is preferably integrated in~o the
m~chine ~or prod~clng the spu~bonded web so that the
we~ of spunbonded materia~ having passed t~ro~gh the
~lenderi~g -o7ls will e~te~ the orienting unit and
only then ~e woun~ up in roll for~. ~ones o~ di~fering
filament density and consolid~tion c~n ~e incorporated
into the web of spunbonded m~terial in the longitudinal
and~or tran~ver~e ~irection ther~of.
As we'l as the polyolefin~ or polypropylene descri~ed
as useLu~ erials of construction for the nonwoven,
it is also possi~le to use o~hex ~a~ufac~ured iiber
materia~s, including for ex~mple ~romatic plastics ~ch
as polyesters.
~rcher details wi~1 become apparent from ~he
description herein~elow which is to be read in
co~ju~ction with the drawings where
Figure 1 shows R magnified ~ros~ sec~ion ~hrough a
spunbonded we~ during prod~ ion,
Figure 2 shows a refuse press for processing nonwovens
~ binding me~ns, and
Figure 3 shows ~ nonwoven-bound cylind~i~al b~l- o~
~g~i~ltural stalk material.
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Figu~e 1 shows ~he fibers ~ of a web 4 which, lying in
random di~position, are fed in the feed direc~io~ F to
the heate~ cale~dering rol~s ~. T'ne web feed macerial
can have been laid inhomogeneously i~ order tha~ zo~es
cf difrering thic~ness may be created. The fibers 2 in
the illustrated embodimerlt consist cf a polyvlefln,
preferably polvpropyle~e. The calendering rolls 6 press
the f iber~ ~ on top of one another, and the heat cauSeS
the ~ibers ~ to fuse together ~irmly a~ the r poin~s of
contac~ 8. Depen~i~g o~ ehe amount of heat and
densification which ls applied to the we~ 4 through the
appropriately controllable calendering rolls 6, it is
possible to obtain a more or les~ pronounced
de..sifica~-or. a~d ~orlsolidatio~ o~ the we~ in the
longitudinal and/or tr~nsverse direction. Irstead of
c~lenderin~ rolls 6, it is also possl~le eo consolidate
the web 4 by means of ne~les which cause the fibers to
felt or by pour:ing on an adhesive m~exial ~ownstream
of ~he calen~ering rolls ~ it is possible to dispo~e
one or more godets ~not depicted) which turn at a
~omp~ra~ively higher speed and pull the web forward in
the feed direc~ion and thus e~~ect a~ orientation of
the web. The surf ace of the f inished nonwov~n is le~t
with depressions which ensure ~ood interen~age~en~
~5 betwee~ the web surfa~es and of the web surfaces wi~h
the mate~i~i of the cylindrical bale.
Figure 2 show~ ~ ref~se press 10 which is fed with th~
refuse to be packaged into a cy~indriçal bale vi2 a
feeder 12. The ref~se pre~s 10 ~onnects to a contai~er
charged with a roll o~ nonwoven l~ 0~ completion o~
~le form~c~on ~he nonwove~ web 16 is transported via
drive and defleçti~g rol ers 18 in~o the pressing
cham~er. Furthe~ roea~ion of the re~use bale in ~he
pressing ch&~ber serves to çonvey the non~oven we~ 15
further ~twee~ che re.use b~le an~ ~he press rolls
which bound the pressing ~hamber on ~he circu~fe~enti~l
side, until the nonwoven we~ has ~one ~c le~s~ a~o~t
1.5 t~ns wi~h the refuse bale. This is the minim~m
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n~mber of tur~s necessary to ensure ade~uate adhesion
of the we~ for binding the refuse bale with suf ~icient
strength. T~is :binding te~hnique is in principle
alre~dy known from ~ne ,acilities for net binding.
Ho~e~er, depending on the mois~re content, internal
pressure and weight of the refu~e bale i~ may al~o be
necessary to have a plurali~y of turns in order ~h~t
su~ficient stre~gth may ~e ensured. Ar ~gricultural
round bale press which operates ~y the f ixed ch~mber
principle has a similar constr~ction to ~he refu~e
p~ess and can process a nonwoven ~s bindin~ means in a
similar manner. Agri~ulcural xound bale press~s havin~
a variable chamber ~an likewise Utilt ze the ~nown net
binding ~acilities for processing nonwoven we~s.
Figure 3 shows a ~ylindriçal bale 20 of a~ricult~ral
s~alk materi21, which has ~een bound ~i~h a nonwoven
web 16 of the present invention. The nonwoven web 16
has ~er applied to the o~ter circumference of the
cylindrical bale 20 in such ~ w~y th~t one e~d o~ the
nonwoven web 1~ overlaps at least p~rts of the
un~erlying nonwoven web. Hole~ ~2 enable sta~k materi~l
to ~ass ou~wardly through the nonwoven web 1~ and ~hus
augment the f ixing o~ ~he overlapping nonwov~n web
~5 parts on one ancthe~. Instead of or in addi~ion to a
~ole pattern, ~he nonwoven web 16 can ~lso ha~e zones
of lesser thickn~ss, through w~içh stalk material c~n
~hen pass. Such an embodiment of the nonwoven web 16
can also ha~e a positive e~fect on the evaporatio~ of
~0 mois~re from the cylindrical ~aie. These expla~atio~
apply mutatis mutandis ~o a cylindrical ba_e formed
from refuse.
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