CLOTHING

Abstract

A clothing or seamed felt for a pressing section of a machine producing a fibrous web includes at least one base structure and at least one staple fiber layer is disposed on the base structure. The staple fiber layer is disposed on a side facing the fibrous web and/or the machine. At least one seam zone has seam loops connected to one another by at least one pintle or seam wire making the clothing endless. The staple fiber layer is divided in the region of the seam zone by at least one cut forming a seam flap and a seam wedge or gusset. At least one connecting element is inserted between the seam flap and the seam wedge. The connecting element is materially connected, in particular welded, to staple fibers of the seam flap and/or of the seam wedge. A method for using the clothing is also provided.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A clothing or seamed felt for use in a pressing part of a machine for producing a fibrous web, the clothing comprising: at least one base structure; at least one staple fiber layer disposed on said at least one base structure, said at least one staple fiber layer disposed on at least one of a side facing toward the fibrous web or a side facing toward the machine; at least one seam zone having seam loops; at least one pintle interconnecting said seam loops make the clothing endless; said at least one staple fiber layer having at least one cut in a region of said seam zone, said at least one cut dividing said at least one staple fiber layer and forming a seam flap and a seam wedge; at least one connecting element inserted between said seam flap and said seam wedge, said at least one connecting element being welded to staple fibers of at least one of said seam flap or said seam wedge; and said at least one connecting element including a polymer material at least mostly absorbing light with a wavelength in a NIR range of from 780 nm to 3 μm.

11. The clothing according to claim 10, wherein said polymer material at least mostly absorbs light with a wavelength in a NIR range of from 780 nm to 1300 nm.

12. The clothing according to claim 10, wherein said at least one connecting element is thread-shaped or band-shaped.

13. The clothing according to claim 12, wherein said at least one thread-shaped or band-shaped connecting element has a length of 10 mm or more in a longitudinal direction.

14. The clothing according to claim 12, wherein said at least one thread-shaped or band-shaped connecting element has a length of more than 20 mm in a longitudinal direction.

15. The clothing according to claim 12, wherein said at least one thread-shaped or band-shaped connecting element has a length of more than 2 m in a longitudinal direction.

16. The clothing according to claim 10, wherein said at least one connecting element includes a multiplicity of connecting elements being welded to said staple fibers of at least one of said seam flap or said seam wedge and inserted between said seam flap and said seam wedge.

17. The clothing according to claim 10, wherein said at least one connecting element has a shape of a thread, a monofilament, a multifilament bundle or a twine, and said at least one connecting element extends over between half of a width and all of the width of the clothing in a transverse direction of the machine.

18. The clothing according to claim 10, wherein said at least one connecting element has a shape of a band, a textile band, a nonwoven, a sheet or a foam, and said at least one connecting element extends over between half of a width and all of the width of the clothing in a transverse direction of the machine.

19. A method for using a clothing or a seamed felt in a pressing part of a machine for producing a fibrous web, the method comprising: providing the clothing or seamed felt according to claim 10; initially drawing the clothing into the pressing part of the machine for producing the fibrous web, before making the clothing endless by closing a pintle seam; and subsequently welding said at least one connecting element to said staple fibers of at least one of said seam flap or said seam wedge.

20. The method according to claim 19, which further comprises connecting the at least one connecting element by using NIR transmission welding.

Description

[0057] Further advantageous characteristics of the invention will be explained on the basis of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned may advantageously be implemented not only in the combination presented, but also individually combined with one another.

[0058] FIG. 1 shows a detail of a clothing according to one aspect of the invention

[0059] FIG. 2 shows a detail of a clothing according to a further aspect of the invention

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a detail of a clothing according to a further aspect of the invention

[0061] FIG. 4 shows a detail of a clothing according to a further aspect of the invention

[0062] The figures will be described in more detail below.

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a detail of a clothing 1 according to one aspect of the invention. Here, in particular, a seam zone 2 is also depicted. The clothing in this case comprises a base structure 3, which is configured as a base woven fabric 3. The respective ends of the base structure respectively comprise a seam loop 4. Such seam loops 4 may, for example, be formed by folding and superimposing the base structure 3. In this case, the seam loops 4 are formed by the longitudinal yarns 6 (MD yarns) of the base woven fabric 3. In order to form the seam loops 4, individual transverse yarns (CD yarns) of the base woven fabric may also be removed. The clothing 1 is made endless by the two seam loops 4 interleaving one another and by feeding in a pintle 5. The pintle 5 may in this case be a single filament. The clothing 1 in FIG. 1 shows, as an alternative, a pintle 5 which is formed by a multiplicity of filaments. When selecting the suitable pintle 5, the person skilled in the art is in other regards entirely free. The advantages of the present invention may be achieved independently of the selection of the pintle 5.

[0064] The clothing 1 furthermore comprises two staple fiber layers 8, 8b. The staple fiber layer 8b on the backing side may in this case optionally also be omitted. The staple fiber layer 8 on the paper side is applied, in particular stitched, continuously on the base structure 3. In order to be able to open the clothing 1 for drawing into the machine, the staple fiber layer 8 has been opened over the seam by a cut 9. This cut 9 may in principle be made perpendicularly. Conventionally, however, as shown in FIG. 1, the cut 9 is made obliquely, that is to say with a certain angle with respect to the perpendicular. This angle is advantageously between 5° and 30°. A seam flap 10 and a seam wedge 11 are thereby formed. The seam flap 10 in this case overlaps the seam wedge 11 in the closed clothing.

[0065] In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, by way of example three connecting elements 20 are now inserted into the cut. These connecting elements 20 are respectively configured as threads which extend over the entire transverse direction of the clothing 1, or of the cut 9. For example, monofilaments, multifilament bundles or twines may be used as threads 20. More or fewer than the three threads 20 shown may also be used.

[0066] The connecting elements 20 may be distributed uniformly over the height of the cut 9. As an alternative, a nonuniform distribution may also be advantageous, for example in such a way that more connecting elements 20 are arranged in the vicinity of the base structure 3 than in the direction of the paper side, or vice versa.

[0067] When using a plurality of connecting elements 20, all these connecting elements 20 may be identical. As an alternative, it is also conceivable for different types of connecting elements 20 to be inserted into the cut 9.

[0068] These threads 20 are materially connected both to the seam flap 10 and to the seam wedge 11. This materially bonded connection may, for example, be a welded connection. It is thus highly advantageous for the connecting elements 20—i.e. in this case the threads 20—to consist of a polymer which at least mostly absorbs light in a suitable NIR wavelength range of from 780 [nm] to 1300 [nm]. The material from which, for example, press felts are made in the seam region (generally PA6 or PA66) is substantially transparent in this wavelength. The welded connection may therefore be produced very easily by means of NIR transmission welding. It is more particularly advantageous to use the same polymer (for example PA6 or PA66), which has the advantageous absorption property only due to the added absorber additives, for the connecting elements 20 as for the staple fibers 8. By such material uniformity of the connecting element 20 and the staple fibers 8, particularly durable welded connections may be achieved. As an alternative, however, suitable thermoplastics, for example copolyamides, PEBA or thermoplastic polyurethanes, which have a good compatibility with the material of the staple fiber layer 8, 8b, may also be used for the connecting elements 20.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1, the backing-side staple fiber layer 8b has a sizeable break in the seam region 2. For example, this makes it easier to feed in the pintle 5 and impairs the quality of the paper produced minimally, if at all. It is, however, also conceivable within the scope of this invention for the staple fiber layer 8b on this side to be treated in the same way as on the paper side. This means that the staple fiber layer 8b on the backing side may be connected over the seam by inserting connecting elements 20.

[0070] The clothing 1 represented in FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 only by the selection of the connecting element 20. In FIG. 2, a single band-shaped connecting element 20 is in this case provided. The band-shaped connecting element 20 may for example be a nonwoven, a foam, a sheet or a woven fabric band, which may in particular again extend over the entire width of the felt 1, or of the cut 9. In the case of band-shaped connecting elements 20, particularly in the case of sheets 20, it is recommendable to select very thin sheets which do not, or only very slightly, influence the permeability of the seam zone 20. A sheet may, for example, be tailored in such a way that its length coincides with the felt width and its width coincides with the height of the cut 9. The dewatering in the depth direction of the felt 1 is therefore scarcely affected by the small sheet thickness, although the nonwoven anchoring is improved by the sheet. Sheets or films with a thickness of up to 50 μm are preferably selected. In particular, permeable or perforated sheets are advantageous. The sheets or films may be non-orientated, or may be monoaxially or biaxially orientated.

[0071] It is also possible for an entirely or substantially sheet or film to be inserted into the cut 9, and for the permeability of this sheet to be formed only by the continuous sheet structure being interrupted by the welding process (for example by melting).

[0072] FIG. 3 represents a clothing 1 in which the connecting element 20 is produced by flocking of the seam wedge 11. As an alternative or in addition, flocking of the seam flap 10 may also be carried out. The flock fibers 20 are in this case advantageously configured to be absorbent in the NIR wavelength range. The flocking leads to a connection between the connecting element and the seam wedge 11. This connection, however, is usually provisional. When the cut 9, which is still represented as being open in FIG. 3, is closed—optionally with the application of a joining pressure, then the materially bonded connection to the seam wedge 11 and/or to the seam flap 10 may be produced by a welding process—preferably by transmission welding.

[0073] FIG. 4 lastly shows an embodiment in which staple fibers that are absorbent in the NIR wavelength range have deliberately been introduced as a connecting element 20 into the staple fiber layer 8 in the region of the cut 9. The materially bonded connecting may again be carried out by welding. As one option, the absorbent staple fibers may already be introduced during the production of the nonwoven layer 8. As an alternative, they may also be added to the seam wedge 11 and/or the seam flap 10 subsequently, that is to say after producing the cut 9. Advantageously, these absorbent staple fibers in the seam flap 10 and/or in the seam wedge 11 may be distributed over the entire width of the clothing 1 and over a region of from 1 mm to 20 mm, in particular from 2 mm to 10 mm, thereof in the longitudinal direction. Absorbent fibers may also be provided in a larger region of the staple fiber layer 8, 8b. In particular, it is also possible for absorbent fibers to be distributed over the entire staple fiber layer 8, especially the entire staple fiber layer on the paper side.

[0074] The figures shown are intended to indicate the versatile possibilities of the present invention. The invention is not, however, restricted to these embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0075] 1 clothing [0076] 2 seam zone [0077] 3 base structure [0078] 4 seam loops [0079] 5 pintle [0080] 6 yarn in longitudinal direction (MD) [0081] 7 yarn in transverse direction (CD) [0082] 8, 8b staple fiber layer [0083] 9 cut [0084] 10 seam flap [0085] 11 seam wedge [0086] 20 connecting element