US1951004A - Apparatus for drying coating paper - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1934. c. c. WILLIS APPARATUS FOR DRYING COATING PAPER Filed Nov. 29, 1930 2 She'ets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Cfiar/es C. 14/17/115 BY ATTQ R N EY EM 2% Mm March 13, 1934. c. c. WILLIS APPARATUS FOR DRYING COATING PAPER Filed Nov. 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q U i; I? ::gg gw 5 5 i 0 E: E 2. 125 1. :35; ,e woxwbh 1M1 m m o INVENTOR C. AY/12s BY ATTORNEY Chum? ZMIZW Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DRYING COATING PAPER Application November 29, 1930, Serial No. 498,981

1 Claim.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for coating paper, and relates more particularly to the drying of paper after being coated.

An object of the invention is to provide drying apparatus for coating paper which prevents counter-curl of the paper.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for drying coated paper which leaves the paper free to contract and expand.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for drying coated paper which allows the paper during the drying operation to assume its free, natural state and to avoid wrinkles.

5 Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description set out below when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a paper coating apparatus utilizing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the drying chamber of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 4 is a projected view of a portion of the conveyer and shows the projection of the drying 0 air against the paper.

Fig. 5 is a projected view illustrating the connection of the cross members to the chain links.

The complete plant shown by Fig. 1 comprises the roll of paper 5 to be coated, the ordinary tensioning rollers, the coating roller 6, which applies color from the bath '7 to the paper, and the smoothing rolls 8, which are used to smooth the coating applied to the paper. The coated paper, after leaving the smoothing rolls, passes 40 onto the upper side of the conveyer 9, just beyond the conveyer roller 10, and is caused to drape loosely between adjacent pairs of the conveyer cross members 11. The paper is subjected to a strong downwardly directed stream of air,

from the air duct 12, to cause the paper to remain partially looped between the adjacent pairs of the cross members of the conveyer. The paper next passes on the conveyer under the air duct 13, which, like the air duct 12, directs a strong stream of air downwardly on the paper to keep it partially looped between the cross members. The conveyer 9 reverses its direction at the roller 14, so that the paper lies on the under side of the conveyer, after passing the roller 14. To prevent the paper from leaving the under side of the conveyer through the force of gravity, and also to keep the paper in its partially looped position between the cross members, a strong stream of air is directed from the air duct 15 against the under side of the paper (which was formerly the upper side), to force the paper against the cross members, and to keep the paper in tension. The conveyer again reverses the direction of the paper at the roller 16, and while being carried around by the conveyer, is forced against the cross members of the conveyer by air streams from the end 17, of the air duct 15. After changing its direction, due to the reversal of the conveyer so that what was formerly the lower surface is now the upper surface of the paper, the air streams from the air duct 18 are directed against the upper surface of the paper to maintain the paper in its partially looped position between the cross members of the conveyer. The conveyer again reverses the direction at the roller 19 and air streams are directed upward against the paper from the air duct.20 to insure that the paper remains in its partially looped position between the cross members on the lower side of the conveyer. The paper then leaves the conveyer at the roller 21 and passes over the auto guide rollers 22, the pulling drums 23, and is rewoundat the double center rewinder 24.

Figs. 2 and 4 show clearly the arrangement of the paper in its partially looped position over the cross members 11 of the conveyer 9.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the central section of the conveyer shown by Fig. l and shows the air from the air ducts 15 and 16 projected against and maintaining the paper on theunder side of the conveyer as it passes from the under side to the upper side of the conveyer 9. The air ducts 15 and 16 are provided with spaced apertures 25 across and along 95 the path of the conveyer 9 through which the air is projected against the surface of the paper.

These spaced apertures are shown more clearly by Fig. 4 which is a projected enlarged view of the upper side of the conveyer 9 shown by Fig. 2. Both Figs. 2 and 4 illustrate clearly how the paper is retained partially looped against the under side of the conveyer 9 as it passes through the drying chamber.

Fig. 2 illustrates how the paper is maintained against the inner surface of the conveyer 9 as the conveyer is carried around by the roller 16. After passing the roller 16, the paper lies on the upper side of the conveyer 9 and is subjected to the pressure of air directed downwardly from the air duct 16 to maintain it in its partially looped position between the cross members 11 of the conveyer.

The air is forced into the air duets 12, 13, 15, 18 and 20 under high pressure from any suitable source (not shown) and serves eiTectively to dry the coated paper as it passes along the conveyer. Due to the fact that the paper is partially looped between the cross members of the conveyer, as shown more clearly by Figs. 2, 3 and 4, more surface of the paper is exposed to the drying action of the air, and furthermore, since the paper is not maintained under rigid tension while being dried but is free to adjust itself to take a natural position under all conditions of drying and temperature changes, it is prevented from counter-curling and wrinkles are avoided.

In order that the paper will not be marked by continual contact with the cross members 11, throughout the drying operation, provision is made for advancing the paper along the conveyer so that new portions of the paper contact with the cross members after a given interval of time. Each cross member is provided with the sprocket wheel 30, which, when rotated, serves to advance the cross member 11 to which it is connected. At spaced intervals along the travel of the conveyer, the pins 31 are supported on the superstructure, or otherwise, so as to contact with the teeth of the sprocket wheels 30, so that as the conveyer moves, the sprocket wheels are rotated by contact with the pins 31. Figs. 2 and 3 show the arrangement of the sprocket wheels 30 and the pins 31, with which they contact. While each cross member 11 is provided with a sprocket wheel 30, the sprocket wheels are not shown on all of the cross members of Figs. 1 and 2, sufficient being shown, however, to illustrate the construction. With this arrangement, the sprocket wheels 30, and the cross members 11, with which they are associated, are rotated at spaced intervals along the travel of the conveyer, and, in rotating, they shift the paper along the conveyer, so that at each shift fresh surfaces of the paper contact with the cross members. The cross members, adapted to be rotated, are provided with suitable bearings so that they may be freely rotated with the conveyer, as it moves through the drying chamber, but since such arrangements are well known to those skilled in the art, they will not be illustrated in detail.

Whereas one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details described as many departures may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

Apparatus for the drying of moistened sheet material comprising a drying chamber, an endless chain conveyer for carrying the material through said chamber, means for feeding the material onto the upper side of said conveyer, a roller for reversing the direction of movement of and for causing the placing of the material onto the under side of said conveyer, rotatable means for again reversing the direction of movement of said conveyer, and means for projecting airagainst said material to hold it against the conveyer during its travel around said rotatable means.

CHARLES C. WILLIS.

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