Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
INDUSTRIAL FABRIC INCLUDING SPIRALLY WOUND MATERIAL STRIPS
WITH REINFORCEMENT
[BLANK]
15
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the papermaking arts. More specifically, the
present invention relates to papermaker's fabrics, namely the forming, press,
dryer
fabrics, and through air dryer (TAD) fabrics, also known as paper machine
clothing, on
which paper is manufactured on a paper machine. Also, the invention may be
used as a
substrate for a shoe press or transfer or calencler belt, any of which can
also be used on
a paper machine. In addition, the present invention may be applied in other
industrial
settings where industrial belts are used to &water a material. Furthermore,
the present
invention may be used as a belt and/or sleeve used in the production of
nonwovens by
processes such as airlaid, melt blowing, spunhonding, and hydroentangling.
2. DESCRIPTION OF TIIE PRIOR ART
During the papermaking process, a cellulosic fibrous web is formed by
depositing a fibrous slurry, that is, an aqueous dispersion of cellulose
fibers, on a
moving forming fabric in the forming section of a paper machine. A large
amount of
water is drained from the slurry through the forming fabric, leaving the
cellulosic
fibrous web on the surface of the forming fabric.
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The newly formed cellulosic fibrous web proceeds from the forming section to a
press section, which includes a series of press nips. The cellulosic fibrous
web passes
through the press nips supported by a press fabric, or, as is often the case,
between two
such press fabrics. In the press nips, the cellulosic fibrous web is subjected
to
compressive forces which squeeze water therefrom, and which adhere the
cellulose
fibers in the web to one another to turn the cellulosic fibrous web into a
paper sheet.
The water is accepted by the press fabric or fabrics and, ideally, does not
return to the
paper sheet.
The paper sheet finally proceeds to a dryer section, which includes at least
one
series of rotatable dryer drums or cylinders, which are internally heated by
steam. The
newly formed paper sheet is directed in a serpentine path sequentially around
each in
the series of drums by a dryer fabric, which holds the paper sheet closely
against the
surfaces of the drums. The heated drums reduce the water content of the paper
sheet to
a desirable level through evaporation.
It should be appreciated that the forming, press and dryer fabrics all take
the
form of endless loops on the paper machine and function in the manner of
conveyors.
It should further be appreciated that paper manufacture is a continuous
process which
proceeds at considerable speed. That is to say, the fibrous slurry is
continuously
deposited onto the forming fabric in the forming section, while a newly
manufactured
paper sheet is continuously wound onto rolls after it exits from the dryer
section.
It should also be appreciated that the vast majority of forming, press and
dryer
fabrics are, or at least include as a component, a woven fabric in the form of
an endless
loop having a specific length, measured longitudinally therearound, and a
specific
width, measured transversely thereacross. Because paper machine configurations
vary
widely, paper machine clothing manufacturers are required to produce forming,
press
and dryer fabrics to the dimensions required to fit particular positions in
the forming,
press and dryer sections of the paper machines of their customers. Needless to
say, this
requirement makes it difficult to streamline the manufacturing process, as
each fabric
must typically be made to order.
Moreover, because the surface of a woven fabric is necessarily uneven to some
degree, as knuckles formed where yarns lying in one direction of the fabric
wrap
around those lying in another direction lie on the surface, it is difficult to
produce a
paper product entirely free of sheet marking.
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The prior art includes several attempts to solve these problems. For example,
U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,226 to Beaumont et al. relates to a synthetic dryer belt
comprising
one or more plies of polyester film. Perforations through the belt are formed
by
mechanical punching. U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,680 to Beek shows a method and
apparatus
for forming a base fabric composed solely of warp yarns to be used in making a
papermaker's belt. Essentially, the warp yarns are helically wound about two
parallel
rolls. Subsequently, fibrous batting or other nonwoven material is applied and
adhered
to the helical array of warp yarns to provide a fillingless papermaker's belt,
which is to
say that it has no cross-machine direction yarns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,658 to Albert shows a papermaker's fabric made from a
plurality of elongated, linked, slotted elements. The elongated elements are
linked one
to the next either by an integral tongue or through the use of a pintle
connecting means
which extends from one elongated element to the adjacent element. The
elongated
elements extend in the cross-machine direction of the disclosed papermaker's
fabric,
and have fiat, parallel top and bottom surfaces,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,895 to Albert describes a papermaker's fabric made up of a
plurality of nonwoven sheets laminated together to define a fabric or belt.
The
nonwoven sheets are perforated by laser drilling. Such sheets are composed of
unoriented polymer material, and if produced in the fineness needed for
papermaking
applications, would lack sufficient dimensional stability to operate as
endless belts on
paper machines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,905 to Stech shows a tessellated papermaker's fabric and
elements for making the fabric. The elements are formed so as to have male or
projection members which interlock with female or recess members. The
papermaker's
fabric comprises a plurality of the tessellated elements which have been
interconnected
to produce a tessellation of a desired length and width.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,818 to Romanski shows a shoe press belt wherein the base
fabric is made from an endless tube of expanded film which can be perforated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,223 to Hansen shows an industrial belt made from a
plurality of spirally wound shaped (non-circular cross-section) monofilaments
which
are abutted to each other, side to side of adjacent turns and secured to one
another by a
suitable means.
3
U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,080 to Hansen shows a nonwoven papermaker's fabric
made from a spirally wound MD base layer of raw stock, overlaid with a CD
layer of
similar or dissimilar raw stock and mated by suitable means.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0134467 Al to Sayers provides a
method comprising the steps of laminating a series of layers of film material
and
cutting perforations in the laminate to provide a foraminous fabric.
Fabrics in modern papermaking machines may have a width of from 5 feet to
over 33 feet, a length of from 40 feet to over 400 feet and weigh from
approximately
100 pounds to over 3,000 pounds. These fabrics wear out and require
replacement.
Replacement of fabrics often involves taking the machine out of service,
removing the
worn fabric, setting up to install a fabric and installing the new fabric.
While many
fabrics are endless, many of those used today are on-machine-seamable.
Installation of
the fabric includes pulling the fabric body onto a machine and joining the
fabric ends to
form an endless belt.
In response to this need to produce fabrics in a variety of lengths and widths
more quickly and efficiently, fabrics have been produced in recent years using
a spiral
winding technique disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,656 to
Rexfelt
et al. (hereinafter "the '656 patent").
The '656 patent shows a fabric comprising a base fabric having one or more
layers of staple fiber material needled thereinto. The base fabric comprises
at least one
layer composed of a spirally wound strip of woven fabric having a width which
is
smaller than the width of the base fabric. The base fabric is endless in the
longitudinal,
or machine, direction. Lengthwise threads of the spirally wound strip make an
angle
with the longitudinal direction o Fthe fabric. The strip of woven fabric may
be flat-
woven on a loom which is narrower than those typically used in the production
of paper
machine clothing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an alternative solution to the problems
addressed
by these prior-art patents/patent applications.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is an industrial fabric
or
belt for the forming, press and dryer sections, including a through air dryer
(TAD), of a
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paper machine. The fabric or belt of the present invention may also be used as
a sheet-
transfer, long nip press (LNP) or calender belt, or as other industrial
process belts, such
as corrugator belts. The fabric may also be used as part of a textile
finishing belt, such
as a sanforizing belt or tannery belt, for example. Moreover, the fabric of
the invention
may be used in other industrial settings where industrial belts are used to
dewater a
material. For example, the fabric may be used in a pulp-forming or pulp-
pressing belt,
in a belt used to dewater recycled paper during the deinking process, such as
a
dewatering belt on a double-nip-thickener (DNT) deinkine machine; or in a
sludge
dewatering belt. The inventive fabric may also be used in a belt and/or sleeve
used in
the production of nonwovens by processes such as airlaid, spunbonding, melt
blowing
or hydroentangling. The belt and/or sleeve is in the form of an endless loop,
and has an
inner surface and an outer surface.
In an exemplary embodiment, the endless belt is formed from strips of material
that are spiral wound around two rolls in a side to side abutting manner. The
strips are
firmly attached to each other by a suitable method to form an endless loop at
the
required length and width for the particular use. In the case of a sleeve, the
strips may
be wound around the surface of a single roll or mandrel which is approximately
the size
of the diameter and CD length of the drum on which the sleeve will be used.
The strips
of material used are commonly produced as industrial strapping material
Strapping,
especially plastic strapping material, is usually defined as a relatively thin
plastic band
used for fastening or clamping objects together. Surprisingly, it was
discovered that
this type of plastic material has the appropriate characteristics to he the
material strips
to form the inventive belt.
The difference in definition between (plastic) strapping and monofilament is
related to size, shape and application. Both strapping and monofilament are
made by
extrusion processes that have the same basic steps of extrusion, uniaxial
orientation and
winding. Monofilament is generally smaller in size than strapping and usually
round in
shape. Monofilament is used in a wide variety of applications such as fishing
lines and
industrial fabrics, including papermachine clothing. Strapping is generally
much larger
in size than monofilament and always basically wider along a major axis, and
as such,
being rectangular in shape for its intended purpose.
It is well known in the art of extrusion that plastic strapping is made by an
extrusion process. It is also well known that this process includes uniaxial
orientation
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of the extruded material. It is also well known that there are two basic
extrusion
processes using uniaxial orientation. One process is the extrusion and
orientation of a
wide sheet that is slit into individual straps. The other process is the
extrusion of
individual strapping that is oriented. This second process is very much like
the process
of making monofilament as evidenced by the similarity in equipment for both
processes.
An advantage of using strapping material versus monotilament is the number of
spiral windings needed to produce a fabric. Monofilatnents are usually
considered to
be yarns that are no larger than 5 mm in their largest axis. Llniaxial
monofilament sizes
used for paper machine clothing and the other uses aforementioned seldom
exceed 1.0
mm in their largest axis. The strapping material used is usually at least 10
mm in width
and sometimes exceeds 100 mm in width. It is envisioned that strapping up to
1000
mm in width could be also used. Suppliers of strapping material which may be
used
include companies such as Signode.
The instant invention provides an improved fabric, belt or sleeve that
functions
in place of a traditional belt or sleeve, and imparts desired physical
characteristics, such
as bulk, appearance, texture, absorbency, strength, and hand to the paper or
nonwoven
product produced thereon.
Other advantages such as, but not limited to, improved fiber support and
release
(no picking) over prior art woven fabrics, and easier cleanability as a result
of no yarn
crossovers to trap elementary fibers are provided. If the belt/sleeve has a
surface
texture, then more effective patterning/texture is transferred to the
paper/nonwoven,
and it also results in better physical properties such as bulk/absorbency.
Yet another advantage is thickness versus tensile modulus. Polyester (PET)
films in the prior art, for example, have a tensile modulus in the long axis
(or machine
direction ¨ MD) of about 3.5 GPa. PET strapping (or ribbon) material has a
tensile
modulus ranging from 10 GPa to 12.5 GPa. To achieve the same modulus with a
film,
a structure would have to be 3 to 3.6 times thicker.
The invention therefore, according to one exemplary embodiment, is a fabric,
belt or sleeve formed as a single or multi layer structure from these spiral
wound
ribbons. The fabric, belt or sleeve may have planar, smooth top and bottom
surfaces.
The fabric, belt or sleeve may also be textured in some manner using any of
the means
known in the art, such as for example, sanding, graving, embossing or etching.
The
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belt can be impermeable to air and/or water. The belt can also be perforated
by some
mechanical or thermal (laser) means so it may be permeable to air and/or
water.
In another exemplary embodiment, the ribbon is formed such that is has an
interlocking profile. The belt is formed by spirally winding these
interlocking strips
and would have greater integrity than just abutting parallel and/or
perpendicular sides
of adjacent ribbon strips. This belt can also be impermeable to air and/or
water or
perforated to be made permeable.
The fabric, belt or sleeve of the present invention may optionally include a
functional coating on one or both of its surfaces. The functional coating may
have a
top surface that is planar or smooth, or may alternatively be textured in some
manner
using any of the means known in the art, such as for example, sanding,
graving,
embossing or etching. The functional coating can be any of the materials known
to one
of ordinary skill in the art, such as for example, polyurethane, polyester,
polyamide, or
any other polymeric resin material or even rubber, and the functional coating
may
optionally include particles such as nano fillers, which can improve
resistance to flex
fatigue, crack propagation or wear characteristics of the inventive fabric,
belt or sleeve.
The fabric, belt or sleeve of the present invention may also be used as a
reinforcing base or substrate in a forming fabric, press fabric, dryer fabric,
through air
dryer (TAD) fabric, shoe press or transfer or calender belt, a process belt
used in
airlaid, melt blowing, spunbonding, or hydroentangling processes, sheet-
transfer belt,
long nip press (LNP) or calender belt, corrugator belt, sanforizing belt,
tannery belt,
pulp-forming or pulp-pressing belt, dewatering belt on a double-nip-thickener
(DNT)
deinking machine, or sludge dewatering belt.
While the embodiments above are for a single layer of strips of spirally wound
ribbon, there may be advantages to use strips with various geometries that
form a belt
of two or more layers. Therefore, according to one exemplary embodiment the
belt
may have two or more layers where the strips may be formed such that the two
or more
layers mechanically interlock or are attached together by other means known to
those
skilled in the art. Again the structure can be either impermeable or
perforated to be
permeable to either air and/or water.
Another exemplary embodiment is a multilayer structure formed using the
concept of a "welding strip" used to further improve the belt integrity. The
structure
can be impermeable or perforated to be permeable to either air and/or water.
7
In a further embodiment, the invention teaches an industrial fabric comprising
one or more spirally wound strips of polymeric material. The one or more
strips
of polymeric material is an industrial strapping or ribbon material. The
strapping
or ribbon material has at least twice the tensile modulus of a biaxially
oriented
material and up to ten times the modulus of an extruded material. The
industrial
strapping or ribbon material includes a reinforcing material oriented in the
MD of
the fabric selected from the group consisting of fibers, yarns, monofilaments
and
multifilament yarns.
In a further embodiment, the invention teaches a method for forming an
industrial
fabric, the method comprising the steps of spirally winding one or more strips
of
polymeric material around a plurality of rolls. The one or more strips of
polymeric
material is an industrial strapping or ribbon material. Joining edges of
adjacent
strips of material are joined using a predetermined technique. The strapping
or
ribbon material has at least twice the tensile modulus of a biaxially oriented
material and up to ten times the modulus of an extruded material. The
industrial
strapping or ribbon material in the MD of the fabric is reinforced with
fibers,
yarns, monofilaments or multifilament yarns.
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While the term fabric and fabric structure is used, fabric, belt, conveyor,
sleeve,
support member, and fabric structure are used interchangeably to describe the
structures
of the present invention. Similarly, the terms strapping, ribbon, strip of
material, and
material strips are used interchangeably throughout the description.
For a
better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific
objects
attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying descriptive matter
in which
preferred, but non-limiting, embodiments of the invention are illustrated in
the
accompanying drawings in which corresponding components are identified by the
same
reference numerals.
Terms "comprising" and "comprises" in this disclosure can mean "including"
and "includes" or can have the meaning commonly given to the term "comprising"
or
"comprises" in U.S. Patent Law. Terms "consisting essentially of' or "consists
essentially of' if used in the claims have the meaning ascribed to them in
U.S. Patent
Law. Other aspects of the invention are described in or are obvious (and
within the
ambit of the invention) from the following disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of
this
specification. The drawings presented herein illustrate different embodiments
of the
invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of
the
invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fabric, belt or sleeve according to one
aspect of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a method by which the fabric, belt or sleeve of the present
invention may be constructed;
FIGS. 3(a) through 3(i) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
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FIGS. 4(a) through 4(d) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
FIGS, 5(a) through 5(c) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
FIGS. 6(a) through 6(d) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
FIGS. 7(a) through 7(d) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
FIGS. 8(a) through 8(c) are cross-sectional views taken in a widthwise
direction
of several embodiments of the strip of the material used to manufacture the
inventive
fabric, belt or sleeve;
FIG. 9 is a bar graph depicting the advantages of using a uniaxially oriented
material (strap/ribbon) over a biaxially oriented material (film) and an
extruded
material (molded part);
FIGS. 10(a) through 10(d) illustrate steps involved in a method by which the
fabric, belt or sleeve of the present invention may be constructed;
FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are schematics of an apparatus that may be used in
forming the fabric, belt or sleeve according to one aspect of the present
invention;
FIG, 12 is a schematic of an apparatus that may be used in forming the fabric,
belt or sleeve according to one aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric, belt or sleeve according to one
aspect of the present invention; and
FIG. 14 is an apparatus used in the manufacture of a fabric, belt or sleeve
according to one aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENTS
Now turning to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the industrial
fabric,
belt or sleeve 10 of the present invention. The fabric, belt or sleeve 10 has
an inner
surface 12 and an outer surface 14, and is fashioned by spirally winding a
strip of
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polymeric material 16, for example an industrial strapping material, in a
plurality of
abutting and mutually adjoined turns. The strip of material 16 spirals in a
substantially
longitudinal direction around the length of the fabric 10 by virtue of the
helical fashion
in which the fabric, belt or sleeve 10 is constructed.
An exemplary method by which the fabric, belt or sleeve 10 may be
manufactured is illustrated in FIG, 2, Apparatus 20 includes a first process
roll 22 and
a second process roll 24, each of which is rotatable around its longitudinal
axis. The
first process roll 22 and the second process roll 24 are parallel to one
another, and are
separated by a distance which determines the overall length of the fabric,
belt or sleeve
10 to be manufactured thereon, as measured longitudinally therearound. At the
side of
the first process roll 22, there is provided a supply reel (not shown in the
figures)
rotatably mounted about an axis and displaceable parallel to process rolls 22
and 24.
The supply reel accommodates a reeled supply of the strip of material 16
having a
width of 10 mm or more, for example. The supply reel is initially positioned
at the left-
hand end of the first process roll 12, for example, before being continuously
displaced
to the right or other side at a predetermined speed.
To begin the manufacture of the fabric, belt or sleeve 10, the beginning of
the
strip of polymeric strapping material 16 is extended in taut condition from
the first
process roll 22 toward the second process roll 24, around the second process
roll 24,
and back to the first process roll 22 forming a first coil of a closed helix
26. To close
the first coil of the closed helix 26, the beginning of the strip of material
16 is joined to
the end of the first coil thereof at point 28. As will be discussed below,
adjacent turns
of the spirally wound strip of material 16 are joined to one another by
mechanical
and/or adhesive means.
Therefore, subsequent coils of closed helix 26 are produced by rotating first
process roll 22 and second process roll 24 in a common direction as indicated
by the
arrows in FIG. 2, while feeding the strip of material 16 onto the first
process roll 22. At
the same time, the strip of material 16 being freshly wound onto the first
process roll 22
is continuously joined to that already on the first process roll 22 and the
second process
roll 24 by, for example, mechanical and/or adhesive or any other suitable
means to
produce additional coils of closed helix 26.
This process continues until the closed helix 26 has a desired width, as
measured axially along the first process roll 22 or the second process roll
24. At that
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point, the strip of material 16 not yet wound onto the first process roll 22
and the
second process roll 24 is cut, and the closed helix 26 produced therefrom is
removed
from the first process roll 22 and the second process roll 24 to provide the
fabric, belt or
sleeve 10 of the present invention.
Although a two roll set up is described herein, it may be apparent to one of
ordinary skill in the art that the strips may be wound around the surface of a
single roll
or mandrel to form the instant fabric, belt or sleeve. A roll or mandrel of
appropriate
size may be selected based on the desired dimension of the fabric, belt or
sleeve to be
produced.
The present method for producing fabric, belt or sleeve 10 is quite versatile
and
adaptable to the production of papermaker's and/or industrial fabrics or belts
of a
variety of longitudinal and transverse dimensions. That is to say, the
manufacturer, by
practicing the present invention, need no longer produce a woven fabric of
appropriate
length and width for a given paper machine. Rather, the manufacturer need only
separate the first process roll 22 and the second process roll 24 by the
appropriate
distance, Co determine the approximate length of the fabric, belt or sleeve
10, and wind
the strip of material 16 onto the first process roll 22 and the second process
roll 24 until
the closed helix 26 has reached the approximate desired width.
Further, because the fabric, belt or sleeve 10 is produced by spirally winding
a
strip of polymeric strapping material 16, and is not a woven fabric, the outer
surface 12
of the fabric, belt or sleeve 10 is smooth and continuous, and lacks the
knuckles which
prevent the surfaces of a woven fabric from being perfectly smooth. The
fabrics, belts,
or sleeves of the present invention may, however, have geometrical
characteristics that
provide enhanced topography and bulk to the paper or nonwoven product produced
thereon. Other advantages of the instant support members include easier sheet
or web
release, improved contamination resistance, and reduced fiber picking. Yet
another
advantage is that it avoids the constraints of and need for a conventional
weaving loom
since the through voids can be placed in any desired location or pattern. The
fabric,
belt or sleeve may also have a texture on one or both surfaces, produced using
any of
the means known in the art, such as for example, sanding, graving, embossing
or
etching. Alternatively, the fabric, belt or sleeve may be smooth on one or
both
surfaces. FIGS. 3(a) through 3(i) are cross-sectional views, taken in a
widthwise
direction, of several embodiments of the strip of material used to produce the
present
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fabric, belt or sleeve. Each embodiment includes upper and lower surfaces
which may
be flat (planar) and parallel to one another, or may have a certain profile
intended to
suit a particular application. Turning to FIG. 3(a), material strip 16 has an
upper
surface 15, a lower surface 17, a first planar side 18 and a second planar
side 19,
according to one embodiment of the invention. The upper surface 15 and the
lower
surface 17 may be flat (planar) and parallel to one another, and the first
planar side 18
and the second planar side 19 may be slanted in parallel directions, so that
the first
planar side 18 of each spirally wound strip of material 16 abuts closely
against the
second planar side 19 of the immediately preceding turn thereof. Each turn of
the strip
of material 16 is joined to its adjacent turns by joining their respective
first and second
planar sides 18, 19 to one another by an adhesive, for example, which may be a
heat-
activated, room-temperature-cured (RTC) or hot-melt adhesive, for example, or
any
other suitable means.
In FIG. 3(b), material strip 16 may have a cross-sectional structure that
enables
a mechanical interlock for joining adjacent strips of material 16 in the
spirally formed
fabric, belt or sleeve. Adjacent strips of material 16 can be the same or
different in
size and/or profile, but each has a locking position, as shown in FIG. 3(6).
Other
examples of mechanical interlock structures are shown in FIGS. 3(c) through
3(g)
where the cross section of individual strips of material 16 is illustrated. in
each case,
one side of the strip of material 16 may be designed to mechanically interlock
or
connect with the other side of the adjacent strip of material 16. For example,
referring
to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3(g), the strip of material 16 may have an
upper
surface 42, a lower surface 44, a tongue 46 on one side and a corresponding
groove 48
on the other side. The tongue 46 may have dimensions corresponding to those of
the
groove 48, so that the tongue 46 on each spirally wound turn of strip 16 fits
into the
groove 48 of the immediately preceding turn thereof. Each turn of the strip of
material
16 is joined to its adjacent turns by securing tongues 46 in the grooves 48.
The upper
surface 42 and the lower surface 44 may be flat (planar) and parallel to one
another, or
non-planar and non-parallel depending on the application, or even may be
convexly or
concavely rounded in the widthwise direction thereof, as shown in FIG. 3(f).
Similarly,
either side of the strip may be cylindrically convex or concave shaped with
the same
radius of curvature. FIG. 3(h) shows another embodiment of the present
invention.
12
In addition to having an extruded strip of material with opposing hemispheres
or
profiles as described above, various other shapes could be extruded or
machined from
rectangular extrusions to have mating edges with raised rails, which may
facilitate
bonding by mechanical and/or adhesive means. One such structure, according to
one
exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3(i). Alternatively,
the
material strip may not require a right and left side that mate or join
together. For
example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the cross section of strip of material 16 may
have
interlocking grooves on its upper surface or top side, or material strip 16
may have
interlocking grooves on its lower surface or bottom side, as shown in FIG.
4(b).
FIG. 4(c), for example, shows the material strips of FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)
positioned for interlocking. The arrows in FIG. 4(c) indicate, for example,
the direction
that each of the material strips 16 would have to be moved in order to engage
the
grooves and interlock the two strips. FIG. 4(d) shows the two material strips
16 after
they have been interlocked or joined together. Although only two of the mating
material strips are shown in the exemplary embodiments, it should be noted
that the
final fabric, belt or sleeve is formed of several of the material strips
interlocked
together. Clearly, if one interlocks the material strips in a spiral winding
process, one
can form a sheet of material in the form of an endless loop. It should also be
noted that
while mechanical interlocks are shown, the strength of the interlocks can be
improved
by, for example, thermal bonding, especially by a technique known as selective
bonding as exemplified by a commercial process known as 'Clearweld.' (See
Improvising Productivity
and Quality with Laser Seaming of fabrics, Ian Jones, May 2005, Technical
Textiles International).
FIG. 5(4) shows a cross-sectional view of a material strip 16 that has grooves
both
on the top side and bottom side thereof. FIG. 5(b) shows how two material
strips 16
having the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 5(a) can be interlocked. The
interlocked structure results in grooves on the top and bottom surface of the
end
product.
Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(c), FIG. 5(c) shows the
interlocking
of the two material strips 16 shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 4(b). This results
in a sheet
product that has grooves on the bottom surface with a flat top surface.
Likewise, one
may also form a structure having grooves on the top surface with a flat bottom
surface.
Another exemplary embodiment is a fabric, belt or sleeve formed from material
strips 16 that have knob-like interlocks or "positive" locks that form
stronger interlocks
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due to their mechanical design. The designs have "positive" interlocks in the
sense that
the pins and the receptors for the pins have mechanical interference that
require
considerable force either to join the ribbons together or to separate them.
FIG. 6(a), for
example, illustrates the features of knoblike interlocks in individual ribbon-
like
material strips 16. FIG. 6(b) illustrates the features of knoblike interlocks
in individual
ribbon-like material strips 16 of opposite configuration that are designed to
interlock
with the structure shown in FIG. 6(a). FIG. 6(c) shows the individual ribbon-
like
material strips of FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) positioned for interlocking. It is to
be noted here
that the staggered position of the top and bottom ribbons is in order to
accommodate
another material strip 16 of opposite configuration. Finally, FIG. 6(d)
illustrates these
same strips after they have been pressed together to form an interlocked
structure.
Several ribbon-like material strips like these may be interlocked together to
form the
final fabric, belt or sleeve.
Another exemplary embodiment is a fabric, belt or sleeve formed from material
strips 16 that have grooves on both the top and bottom sides thereof, for
example, as
shown in FIG. 7(a). These two ribbon-like material strips 16 are designed to
be joined
together to form a positive interlock, as shown in FIG. 7(b). It is to be
noted that the
top and bottom surfaces both retain grooves in their respective surfaces.
Also, looking
at FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) it may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art
to combine
three or more strips to make a multi-layered structure, or if just two strips
are used, the
groove profile of the grooves in the top strip may be the same or different on
top versus
bottom sides. Similarly, the groove profile of the grooves in the bottom strip
may be
the same or different on either sides. As noted earlier, while the embodiments
described herein are for a single layer of spirally wound ribbons or strips,
there may be
advantages to use strips with various geometries that form a belt of two or
more layers.
Therefore, according to one exemplary embodiment the belt may have two or more
layers where the strips may be formed such that the two or more layers
mechanically
interlock. Each layer may be spirally wound in an opposite direction or angled
in the
MD to provide additional strength.
FIG. 7(c) shows an interlocked structure that results in a grooved bottom
surface
and a flat top surface, whereas FIG. 7(d) shows an interlocked structure that
results in a
flat bottom surface and a grooved top surface, for example.
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As it may be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, many shapes may be
considered for making positive interlocks as described above. For example, the
previous few embodiments focused on round knob-like protrusions and round
receptacles. However, it is also possible to use other shapes such as a
trapezoid to
accomplish the same effect. An example of a positive interlock haying such a
shape is
shown in FIG. 8(a). Alternatively, one can mix shapes to accomplish a positive
interlock. An example of mixed shapes is shown in FIGS. 8(b) and 8(c).
The mechanical interlock thus formed between adjacent strips of material as
described in the above embodiments increases the ease with which a spiral
wound base
fabric or structure can be made, because without such a lock, it is possible
for adjacent
strips of material to wander and separate during the process of making the
spirally
wound fabric. By mechanically interlocking adjacent spirals, one may prevent
wandering and separation between adjacent spirals. Additionally, one may not
need to
depend solely on the strength of the mechanical lock for joining strength as
one may
also form thermal welds in the mechanically locked zones of the fabric.
According to
one embodiment of the invention, this can be accomplished by placing a near
infrared
or infrared or laser absorbing dye prior to locking the male/female components
together
followed by exposing the mechanical lock to a near infrared or infrared energy
or laser
source that causes thermal welding of the mechanical lock without melting
material
external to the zone of the mechanical lock.
The strip of material described in the above embodiments may be extruded from
any polymeric resin material known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such
as for
example, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polypropylene, pol-yether ether
ketone
resins, etc. While industrial strapping is attractive as a base material,
given that it is
uniaxally oriented, i.e., it has at least twice the tensile modulus of a
biaxially oriented
material (film) and up to ten times the modulus of an extruded material
(molded), any
other suitable material may be used. That is to say, the structure resulting
from a
uniaxially oriented material requires less than half the thickness of
biaxially oriented
material (film) and less than one-tenth the thickness of an extruded material
(molded).
This feature is illustrated in FIG. 9 where results are shown for designing a
part that has
been designed for a specific force and strain for a fixed width. The equation
used in
this design problem is the relationship between stress and strain shown as
follows:
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FORCE = (MODULUS x
STRAIN)
(WIDTH x THICKNESS)
The force (or load) is kept constant along with the width and strain in this
illustration. The equation shows that the required thickness is inversely
proportional to
the modulus of the material. This equation is representative of the problem of
designing paper machine clothing for dimensional stability, i.e., the load is
known, the
maximum strain is known and the width of the machine is fixed. The result is
shown in
terms of the final thickness of the part required depending upon the modulus
of the
material employed. Clearly, uniaxial materials such as strappings or ribbons
have a
significant advantage over films and molded polymers as shown by FIG. 9. The
instant
fabrics, belts or sleeves, however, are not limited to uniaxial or biaxial
orientation of
the strapping, in that either or both orientations may be used in the practice
of the
instant invention.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the strip of material or strapping
material described in the above embodiments may include a reinforcing material
to
improve the mechanical strength of the overall structure. For example, the
reinforcing
material may be fibers, yarns, monofilaments or multifilament yarns that can
be
oriented in the MD of the fabric, sleeve or belt, along the length of the
strapping
material. The reinforcing material may be included through an extrusion or
pultrusion
process where the fibers or yarns may be extruded or pultruded along with the
material
forming the strip of material or strapping material. They may be fully
embedded within
the material of the strapping or they may be partially embedded onto one or
both
surfaces of the strapping material, or both. Reinforcing fibers or yarns may
be formed
of a high-modulus material, such as for example, aramids, including but not
limited to
Kevlant and Nomex , and may provide extra strength, tensile modulus, tear
and/or
crack resistance, resistance to abrasion and/or chemical degradation to the
strip of
material or strapping material. 13r0ad1y, the reinforcing fibers or yarns may
be made
from thermoplastic and/or thermosetting polymers. Non-limiting examples of
suitable
fiber materials include glass, carbon, polyester, polyethylene, and metals
such as steel.
According to a further embodiment the melting temperature of said reinforcing
fibers or
yarns may be higher than the melting temperature of said strip of material or
strapping
material or vice versa.
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Strapping is usually supplied in continuous lengths with the product having a
rectangular cross section. It is a tough, general purpose, usually untreated
polyester
strip with excellent handling characteristics, which makes it suitable for
many industrial
applications. It has excellent mechanical strength and dimensional stability
as noted
earlier, and does not become brittle with age under normal conditions.
Strapping has
good resistance to moisture and most chemicals, and can withstand temperatures
of -70
degrees C to 150 degrees C or more. Typical cross-sectional dimensions of a
strapping
material that may be used in the present invention are, for example, 0.30mm
(or more)
thickness and 10mm (or more) width. While strapping can be spirally wound, the
adjacent wraps of strapping that do not have any means of interlocking to be
held
together may need to welded or joined in some manner. In such cases, laser
welding or
ultrasonic welding may be used in to fix or weld the adjacent ribbons or
material strips
together so as to improve cross-machine direction ("CD") properties, such as
strength,
and reducing the risk of separation of neighboring material strips.
While uniaxial strapping is found to have the maximum MD modulus,
properties other than modulus may also be important. For example, if the MD
modulus
is too high for the strapping material, then crack and flex fatigue resistance
of the final
structure may be unacceptable. Alternatively, CD properties of the final
structure may
also be important. For instance, when referring to PET material and material
strips of
the same thickness, non-oriented strips may have a typical MD modulus of about
3GPa
and strength of about 50MPa. On the other hand, a biaxially oriented strip may
have a
MD modulus of about 4.7GPa and strength of about 170MPa. it is found that
modifying the processing of a uniaxial strip such that the MD modulus may be
between
6-10GPa and strength may be equal to or greater than 250MPa, may result in a
strip
with CD strength approaching, approximately, 100MPa. Further the material may
be
less brittle, i.e. it may not crack when repeatedly flexed, and may process
better when
joining the strips together. The bond between the strips may also resist
separation
during the intended use on the production machine.
One method to hold together the adjacent strips, according to one embodiment
of the invention, is to ultrasonically weld adjacent strips edge to edge while
simultaneously providing a sideways pressure to keep the edges in contact with
each
other. For example, one part of the welding device can hold one strip,
preferably the
strip that has already been wound into a spiral, down against a supporting
roll while
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another part of the device pushes the other strip, preferably the strip being
unwound, up
against the strip being held down. This edge to edge welding is illustrated in
FIG.
11(a), for example.
'I he application of ultrasonic gap welding results in a particularly strong
bond.
By contrast, ultrasonic welding in either a time mode or energy mode, which is
also
known as conventional ultrasonic welding, results in a bond that can be
described as
brittle. Therefore, it may be concluded that a bond formed via ultrasonic gap
welding
is preferred versus conventional ultrasonic welding.
Another exemplary method to hold together adjacent strips, according to one
embodiment of the invention, is to apply an adhesive 30 to ends 34, 36 of
adjacent
strips 16, 16, and joining them is shown in FIGS. 10(a) -10(d). It is to be
noted that a
filler material 32, may be used to fill gaps or portions where the strips do
not contact
each other.
Another method to hold together adjacent strips of material or functional
strips,
according to one embodiment of the invention, is to use a "welding strip"
comprised of
the same basic material as the strip of material. For example, this welding
strip is
shown in FIG. 11(b) as a thin material appearing above and below the strips of
material. In such an arrangement, the welding strip provides a material for
the strips of
material to be welded such that the assembled structure does not depend upon
the edge
to edge welding depicted in FIG. 11(a). Using the welding strip method, edge
to edge
welding may result; however, it is neither required nor preferred. Using the
welding
strip method, a "sandwich" or laminate type of structure may be formed with
the
horizontal surface of the strip of material being welded to the horizontal
surface of the
welding strip, as shown in FIG. 11(b). It is to be noted here that the welding
strip does
not have to be located both above and below the strips of material, in that
the welding
strip may be located either just above or just below the strips of material.
According to
one aspect, the welding strip may also be the central part of the sandwiched
structure
with the strip of material being above and/or below the welding strip.
Additionally, the
welding strip is shown as being thinner than the strip of material and as
being the same
width as the strip of material merely for exemplary purposes. The welding
strip may
well be narrower or broader than the strip of material, and may be of the same
thickness
or even thicker than the strip of material. The welding strip may also be
another piece
of strip of material rather than being a special material made solely for the
purpose of
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the welding strip. The welding strip may also have adhesive applied to one of
its
surfaces to assist in holding the welding strip in place for the welding
operation.
However, if such an adhesive is used, it is preferred that the adhesive be
partially
applied to the welding strip versus the entire surface, because partial
application may
promote a strong weld between like materials (polyester to polyester, for
example) of
the strip of material and the welding strip upon ultrasonic or laser welding.
If the welding strip is made from an extruded polymer with no orientation,
then
it is preferred that the welding strip be much thinner than the strip of
material, because
a non-oriented extruded welding strip is less capable of maintaining the
dimensional
stability of the final structure as illustrated earlier in this disclosure,
However, if the
welding strip is made from an oriented polymer, it is preferred that the
welding strip in
combination with the strip of material be as thin as possible. As noted
earlier, the
welding strip may be another piece of strip of material. However, if this is
the case, it
is preferred that the thickness of the individual materials be selected such
that the total
thickness of the sandwich or laminate can be minimized. As also noted earlier,
the
welding strip may be coated with an adhesive that is used to hold the
structure together
for further processing. According to one aspect, the welding strip with
adhesive may
be used, for example, to create a structure that goes directly to a
perforation step, which
could be laser drilling without any ultrasonic bonding such that the laser
drilling or
laser perforation produces spot welds that can hold the sandwich structure
together.
Another method to hold together adjacent strips of material, according to one
embodiment of the invention, is to weld the adjacent strips using a laser
welding
technique.
FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary apparatus 320 that may be used in the laser
welding process, according to one aspect of the invention. In this process,
fabric, belt
or sleeve 322 as shown in FIG. 14 should be understood to be a relatively
short portion
of the entire length of the final fabric, belt or sleeve. While the fabric,
belt or sleeve
322 may be endless, it may most practically be mounted about a pair of rolls,
not
illustrated in the figure, but known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In
such an
arrangement, apparatus 320 may he disposed on one of the two surfaces, most
conveniently the top surface, of the fabric 322 between the two rolls. Whether
endless
or not, fabric 322 may preferably be placed under an appropriate degree of
tension
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during the process. Moreover, to prevent sagging, fabric 322 may be supported
from
below by a horizontal support member as it moves through apparatus 320.
Referring now more specifically to FIG. 14, where fabric 322 is indicated as
moving in an upward direction through the apparatus 320 as the method of the
present
invention is being practiced. The laser heads that are used in the welding
process may
traverse across the fabric in a CD or widthwise "X" direction while the fabric
may
move in the MD or "Y" direction. It may also be possible to setup a system
where the
fabric is moved in three-dimensions relative to a mechanically fixed laser
welding
head.
The advantage of laser welding over ultrasonic welding is that laser welding
can
be accomplished at speeds in the range of 100 meters per minute while
ultrasonic
welding has a top end speed of about 10 meters per minute. The addition of a
light
absorptive dye or ink absorber to the edges of the strips may also assist in
concentrating
the thermal effect of the laser. Absorbers could be black ink or near 1R dyes
that are
not visible to the human eye, such as for example those utilized by
"Clearweld." (See
www.elearweld.com)
Once the final fabric, belt or sleeve is made and adjacent strips in the
fabric, belt
or sleeve have been welded or joined in some manner, holes or through voids
allowing
fluids (air and/or water) to pass from one side of the fabric to the other
side of the fabric
can be provided by means such as laser drilling. It should be noted that these
through
holes or through voids that allow fluid to pass from one side of the fabric to
the other
can be made either before or after the spiral winding and joining process.
Such holes or
through voids can be made via laser drilling or any other suitable
hole/perforation
making process, for example, using a mechanical or thermal means, and can be
of any
size, shape, orientation, form and/or pattern, depending on the intended use.
The
through voids or holes can have a nominal diameter in the range of 0.005
inches to 0.01
inches or more. An exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 13, which is a cross
section, taken in a transverse, or cross-machine, direction, of a fabric 80 of
the present
invention, strips of material 82 are provided along their entire lengths with
a plurality
of holes 84 for the passage of air and/or water.
The inventive fabric, as noted earlier, may be used as a substrate for use in
a
forming fabric, press fabric, dryer fabric, through air dryer (TAD) fabric,
shoe press or
transfer or calender belt, or a process belt used in airlaid, melt blowing,
spunbonding,
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or hydroentangling processes. The inventive fabric, belt or sleeve may include
one or
more additional layers, for example textile layers, on top of or under the
substrate
formed using the strips of material, merely to provide functionality, and not
reinforcement. For example, a MD yarn array may be laminated to the backside
of the
belt or sleeve to create void spaces. Alternatively, the one or more layers
may be
provided in between two layers of strapping. The additional layers used may be
any of
woven or nonwoven materials, MD or CD yarn arrays, spirally wound strips of
woven
material that have a width less than the width of the fabric, fibrous webs,
films, or a
combination thereof, and may be attached to the substrate using any suitable
technique
known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Needle punching, thermal bonding
and
chemical bonding are but few examples.
As noted earlier, the industrial fabric, belt or sleeve of the invention may
be
used in the forming, press and dryer sections, including a through air dryer
(TAD), of a
paper machine. The fabric, belt or sleeve may also be used as a sheet-
transfer, long nip
press (LNP) or calender belt, or as other industrial process belts, such as
corrugator
belts. The inventive fabric, belt or sleeve may have a texture on one or both
surfaces,
which can be produced using any of the means known in the art, such as for
example,
sanding, graving, embossing or etching. The fabric may also be used as part of
a textile
finishing belt, such as a sanforizing belt or tannery belt, for example.
Moreover, the
fabric, belt or sleeve of the invention may be used in other industrial
settings where
industrial belts are used to dewater a material. For example, the fabric, belt
or sleeve
may be used in a pulp-forming or pulp-pressing belt, in a belt used to dewater
recycled
paper during the deinking process, such as a dewatering belt on a double-nip-
thickener
(DNT) deinking machine; or in a sludge dewatering belt. The inventive fabric,
belt or
sleeve may also be used as a belt used in the production of nonwovens by
processes
such as airlaid, spunbonding, melt blowing or hydroentangling.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the fabric, belt or sleeve of the
present invention may optionally include a functional coating on one or both
of its
surfaces. The functional coating may have a top surface that is planar or
smooth, or
may alternatively be textured in some manner using any of the means known in
the art,
such as for example, sanding, graving, embossing or etching. The functional
coating
can be any of the materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such as
for
example, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, or any other polymeric resin
material or
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even rubber, and the functional coating may optionally include particles such
as nano
tillers, which can improve resistance to flex fatigue, crack propagation or
wear
characteristics of the inventive fabric, belt or sleeve.
The fabric, belt or sleeve of the present invention may also be used as a
reinforcing base or substrate in a forming fabric, press fabric, dryer fabric,
through air
dryer (TAD) fabric, shoe press or transfer or calender belt, a process belt
used in
airlaid, melt blowing, spunbonding, or hydroentangling processes, sheet-
transfer belt,
long nip press (LNP) or ealender belt, corrugator belt, sanforizing belt,
tannery belt,
pulp-forming or pulp-pressing belt, dewatering belt on a double-nip-thickener
(DNT)
deinking machine, or sludge dewatering belt. The reinforcing base or substrate
can
have a smooth planar surface or it can be textured. The reinforcing base or
substrate
can optionally include a functional coating on one or both of its surfaces,
which in turn
can have a smooth planar surface or may be textured.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention and modifications
thereof have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the
invention is
not limited to these precise embodiments and modifications, and that other
modifications and variations may be effected by one skilled in the art without
departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
22
