A method of forming a random fiber web using pneumatic fiber feeding system is disclosed. The method includes providing a plurality of moveable apparatuses including a lickerin and a feeder, the lickerin configured to remove a plurality of fibers from a fibrous mat delivered to adjacent the lickerin by the feeder. The method also includes doffing the plurality of fibers from the lickerin at a doffing location within the system. The method also includes communicating an air supply to entrain the plurality of fibers with the air supply after the doffing. The method also includes controlling the air supply within a flow path between the lickerin and a collector. The method also includes collecting the plurality of fibers from the air supply on a collector to form the random fiber web.

A reinforcing fiber mat manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is a reinforcing fiber mat manufacturing apparatus that includes a hitting mechanism (40) that comes into contact with a reinforcing fiber bundle to split the reinforcing fiber bundle into a plurality of pieces, and, disperses the plurality of pieces. The hitting mechanism (40) includes a rotation shaft (41), a pair of rotation plates (42) attached to portions of the rotation shaft (41) apart from each other, and a plurality of hitting pieces (43) arranged to extend in parallel to the rotation shaft (41) between the pair of rotation plates (42). The reinforcing fiber mat manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is a simple apparatus that reliably hits a reinforcing fiber bundle to split the fiber bundle into thin bundles, and disperses the thin bundles to a wide range without causing air turbulence to manufacture a reinforcing fiber mat having a uniform fiber basis weight.

An apparatus (20) for the continuous production of a mattress (14) of agglomerated mineral fibres is described, comprising a mineral fibre receiving or forming chamber (2), an accumulator conveyer (3) arranged below the receiving or forming chamber (2) and comprising adjacent drums (4) provided with perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces (5) for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress (14) comprising mineral fibres between the drums (4), a gas extraction device (6) in fluid communication with the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces (5) of the drums (4) and a lower space between the drums (4) for unloading the mattress (14) of mineral fibres formed between the drums (4), the apparatus (20) being characterized in that said drums (4) comprise each a first half-drum (4a) and a second half-drum (4b) telescopically connected with each other and which are movable along the axis of rotation (X) between a first stroke-end position in which the first half-drum (4a) and the second half-drum (4b) are juxtaposed or in contact with each other, and a second stroke-end position in which the first half-drum (4a) and the second half-drum (4b) are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined maximum distance along the direction of the axis (X) of rotation of the drums (4), a gas-permeable or perforated circumferential band (22) being furthermore provided, which overlaps at least one of said first half-drum (4a) and said second half-drum (4b) at opposite end portions of said half-drums (4a,4b).

An apparatus (20) for the continuous production of a mattress (14) of agglomerated mineral fibres is described, comprising a mineral fibre receiving or forming chamber (2), an accumulator conveyer (3) arranged below the receiving or forming chamber (2) and comprising adjacent drums (4) provided with perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces (5) for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress (14) comprising mineral fibres between the drums (4), a gas extraction device (6) in fluid communication with the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces (5) of the drums (4) and a lower space between the drums (4) for unloading the mattress (14) of mineral fibres formed between the drums (4), the apparatus (20) being characterized in that said drums (4) comprise each a first half-drum (4a) and a second half-drum (4b) telescopically connected with each other and which are movable along the axis of rotation (X) between a first stroke-end position in which the first half-drum (4a) and the second half-drum (4b) are juxtaposed or in contact with each other, and a second stroke-end position in which the first half-drum (4a) and the second half-drum (4b) are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined maximum distance along the direction of the axis (X) of rotation of the drums (4), a gas-permeable or perforated circumferential band (22) being furthermore provided, which overlaps at least one of said first half-drum (4a) and said second half-drum (4b) at opposite end portions of said half-drums (4a,4b).

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A spinneret includes: a plate including a plurality of nozzle holes formed therein. In the plates, the plurality of nozzle holes are formed in a substantially rectangular area on a principal surface, the rectangular area includes a non-forming zone that intersects with nozzle hole rows, the non-forming zone continuously extending from one long side of the rectangle to the other long side, and the non-forming zone including no nozzle holes, in nozzle hole rows with which the non-forming zone intersects out of the nozzle hole rows, in each of the nozzle hole rows, the nozzle hole is not formed on a part where the non-forming zone intersects with a position of the regular interval at which the nozzle holes are aligned, and the nozzle hole corresponding to number of the unformed nozzle holes is additionally formed in a short side direction of the nozzle hole row.

The present invention relates to the manufacturing equipment for web materials comprising fibers and particulate material, to a process of operating such an equipment and to particular materials resulting therefrom. Coaxially meltblown fibres are combined with a stream of particulate or short fiber material and the resulting commingled mixture is deposited onto a collector. The meltblown fibers are formed by nozzles which are divided into two or more sub-arrays configured to produce two or more different types of fiber, having e.g. different diameters and/or polymer composition.

The present invention relates to the manufacturing equipment for web materials comprising fibers and particulate material, to a process of operating such an equipment and to particular materials resulting therefrom. Coaxially meltblown fibres are combined with a stream of particulate or short fiber material and the resulting commingled mixture is deposited onto a collector. The meltblown fibers are formed by nozzles which are divided into two or more sub-arrays configured to produce two or more different types of fiber, having e.g. different diameters and/or polymer composition.

Methods and apparatuses for producing a zoned and/or layered substrate are described. A substrate can include a first layer including a first zone, a second zone, and an interface between zones. The first zone can include a plurality of fibers. The second zone can include a plurality of fibers and can be offset from the first zone in a cross-direction. The interface can include at least some of the plurality of fibers of the first zone and at least some of the plurality of fibers of the second zone to provide a purity gradient with a transition width less than 3.8 cm as defined by the Purity Gradient Test Method as described herein.