APPARATUS WITH PARTICLE- OR FIBER-MAKING DEVICE AND AN ENDLESS BELT

Abstract

An apparatus has a particle and/or fiber-making device and a foraminous endless belt extending in a longitudinal travel direction. A pair of horizontally spaced end rollers between which the belt is stretched horizontally receive fibers or particles from the device. A rotatable support roller between the end rollers directly engages and supports the belt, extends a full width of the belt, and has a diameter of less than 200 mm.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: a particle and/or fiber-making device; a foraminous endless belt extending in a longitudinal travel direction; a pair of horizontally spaced end rollers between which the belt is stretched horizontally so as to receive fibers or particles from the device; a rotatable support roller between the end rollers, supporting the belt, extending a full width of the belt, and having a diameter of less than 200 mm.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: a treatment device for treating the particles or fibers by cooling same, and depositing same on the belt.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2, wherein the treatment device includes a stretcher for the fibers.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the device is a fiber-making device having a spinneret for spinning continuous filaments and the treatment device has a cooler for cooling the continuous filaments, a stretcher for stretching the continuous filaments and depositing the stretched continuous filaments as a nonwoven on the belt.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the device is a fiber-making device having a melt-blown nozzle for producing continuous filaments so that continuous filaments can be deposited as a nonwoven deposit on the belt.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: drive means for advancing the belt in a horizontal travel direction at a speed of 100 to 1500 m/min.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein there three of the support rollers spaced horizontally along the belt between the end rollers.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the support roller is a cylindrical tube having a wall thickness between 3 mm and 30 mm.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein the tube forming the support roller is at least substantially made of plastic.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: respective fixed supports at ends of the support roller; and a respective roller bearings between each end of the support roller and the respective support.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the ends of the support rollers are tubular and the respective supports have journal pins projecting into the respective tubular ends, the roller bearings each having an outer race fitted to the respective tubular end and an inner race fitted to the respective journal pin.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11, further comprising: a respective outer O-ring engaged and radially compressed between each of the outer races and the respective tubular end; and a respective inner O-ring engaged and radially compressed between each of the inner races and the respective journal pin.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12, wherein the inner and outer races, the journal pins, and the tubular ends are each formed with a radially open circumferential groove receiving the respective O-ring.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 1, the support roller extends as a single endless support roller over the entire width of the belt.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the support roller is formed by two rollers having inner ends interconnected by a bearing.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: transversely spaced end supports for ends of the support roller; and respective bearings supporting each end of the support roller on the respective end support, each bearing being spaced by a distance equal to at least 1/25 of a transverse axial length of the support roller from an end face of the respective end of the roller.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the support roller has a diameter/length ratio equal greater than 1:17.5.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein there two of the support rollers between the end rollers and spaced longitudinally from each other by a distance of at least 1000 mm.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: respective flat plates extending horizontally between the support roller and each of the end rollers at a spacing below a plane defined by uppermost parts of outer surfaces of the support and end rollers

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19, further comprising: a stationary housing in which the support roller is received, extending generally a full length of the support roller and comprising a bottom wall below the support roller and at least one side wall to at least one longitudinal side of the support roller and extending upward from a transversely extending edge thereof, the plate resting on the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0032] The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a small-scale sectional side view of an apparatus according to the invention;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus according to the invention;

[0035] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus according to FIG. 1;

[0036] FIG. 3A is a large-scale view of a detail from FIG. 3;

[0037] FIG. 4 is a section through a first embodiment of the support roller according to the invention;

[0038] FIG. 5 is a second embodiment of the support roller according to the invention; and

[0039] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the structure indicated at VI from FIG. 4.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] As seen in the drawing, an apparatus according to the invention has two fiber-making devices in the form of a melt-blown device M and a downstream spun-bond apparatus S. With these two preferred fiber-making devices, continuous filaments 6 are produced that are deposited on an endless foraminous belt 1 made of mesh and serving as a fiber deposit or nonwoven deposit. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, continuous filaments 6 are initially deposited with the melt-blown device M to form a melt-blown nonwoven that is transported with the endless mesh belt 1 in a travel direction F from left to right to the spun-bond apparatus S. Here, a spun-bonded nonwoven is deposited on top of the melt-blown nonwoven.

[0041] The melt-blown device M shown on the left side of FIG. 1 has a nozzle 9 for producing the continuous filaments 6. The spun-bond apparatus S shown on the right side of FIG. 1 is equipped with a spinneret 5 for spinning the continuous filaments 6. Furthermore, as a treatment device, this spun-bond apparatus S has a cooler 7 for cooling the continuous filaments 6 and a stretcher 8 for stretching them.

[0042] Advantageously and here, the cooler 7 has two cooling chambers 7.1 and 7.2 in which cooling air of different temperatures can be applied to the continuous filaments 1. Preferably and here, the stretcher 8 is equipped with a downwardly tapering intermediate passage 27 extending downward from the cooler 7 and a draw-down passage 30 extending downward from the intermediate passage 27. It is recommended that the intermediate passage 27 converge downward toward the endless mesh belt 1. Preferably and here, a diffuser 26 with a downwardly flaring passage is provided downstream of the stretcher 8 through which the continuous filaments 6 are guided before being deposited on the endless mesh belt 1. According to a recommended embodiment and here, the subassembly of the cooler 7 and the stretcher 8 is designed as a closed unit, with no additional air being supplied other than the cooling air that is supplied in the cooler 7.

[0043] Here, the endless mesh belt 1 is stretched horizontally between two end rollers 2 and 3 on a plurality of support rollers 4. Three such support rollers 4 are provided here. As can be seen particularly from FIG. 2, these support rollers 4 extend transversely over the entire width of the endless mesh belt 1. According to the invention and as shown in FIG. 3A, the support rollers 4 have a diameter D of less than 200 mm. The endless mesh belt 1 is advanced in the direction F at a speed of advantageously 100 to 1500 m/min by rotation of one of the rollers 2 and 3 by a drive motor 33.

[0044] According to a very preferred embodiment, the support rollers 4 are cylindrical tubes and the wall 28 of these tubular support rollers 4 is advantageously composed substantially or entirely of plastic, preferably a fiber-reinforced plastic. Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic is preferably used here for the walls 28. A thickness w of the walls 28 is preferably 3 to 30 mm and more preferably 3 to 10 mm.

[0045] FIGS. 4 and 5 show two preferred embodiments of a support roller 4 according to the invention. Here according to FIG. 4, the support roller 4 extends as a single endless support roller 4 over the entire width of the endless mesh belt 1. In contrast, in the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the support roller 4 is formed by two partial support rollers 4.1 and 4.2. The two partial support rollers 4.1 and 4.2 of the support roller 4 are interconnected by a bearing arrangement 17. Preferably and here, the support rollers 4 and the partial support rollers 4.1 and 4.2 are supported at their ends by self-aligning ball bearings 10. According to an especially recommended embodiment and here, the roller bearings 10 of the support rollers 4 are provided and/or received with their inner race 11 and outer race 12 in the support roller 4. A journal pin 16 of a fixed support 35 preferably engages in a bearing recess 24 of an end fitting 25 of the support roller 4. Each roller bearing 10 of a support roller 4 is offset by a spacing a from a respective end 32 of the support roller 4. In the endless support roller according to FIG. 4, this spacing a is at least 1/30, preferably at least 1/25 of a length L of the support roller 4.

[0046] FIG. 6, in particular, shows an especially preferred embodiment of the invention in terms of the arrangement and design of the rolling-element bearing 10. Here, a first O-ring 13 for securing or fixing the outer race 12 of the rolling-element bearing 10 is provided between the outer race 12 and the support roller 4. This first O-ring 13 is advantageously in a radially inwardly open groove 15a of an inner wall of the end fitting 25 of the support roller 4. Recommendably and here, at least one second O-ring 14 for securing or fixing the inner race 11 of the support roller 10 is also provided between the inner race 11 and the stationary journal pin 16 for the support roller 4. Preferably and here, this second O-ring 14 is provided in a radially outwardly open groove 15b of the journal pin 16 of the support 35. The two O-rings 13 and 14 very effectively and precisely fix the position of the outer race 12 and the inner race 11 of the bearing 10, and rotation of the outer race 12 and of the inner race 11 in the bearing seat and/or on the journal pin 16 is reliably prevented. Apart from that, the O-rings 13 and 14 enable problem-free insertion of the rolling-element bearing 10 without the need for special insertion aids such as chamfers and the like. The O-rings 13 and 14 are advantageously composed or substantially formed by an elastomer and, according to one embodiment, the elastomer is acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and/or a fluororubber (FKM).

[0047] It lies within the scope of the invention for two support rollers 4 to be separated by a spacing A of greater than 2000 mm in the travel direction F of the endless mesh belt 1.

[0048] According to an especially recommended embodiment and here, an intermediate space 18 between two successive support rollers 4 is filled by a planar and horizontal plate 19 that extends in the travel direction F of the endless mesh belt 1. It also lies within the scope of the invention for the upper face of such a plate 19 to be offset by a spacing z below the uppermost part of the support rollers 4. This spacing z is recommendably less than one-third of the radius r of the support rollers 4. Advantageously and here, the plates 19 are closed planar plates and recommendably walkable plates 19. These plates 19 are preferably composed entirely or substantially of a metal.

[0049] According to a recommended embodiment and here, each support roller 4 is held in a respective center or end housing 20 or 20 carried on respective fixed supports 34 and each having at least one vertical side wall 21 and a horizontal lower wall 22 extending as a floor from an edge of the side wall 21. It is advantageous for the center housing 20 to have two opposite side walls 21 bridged by the lower wall 22 bridging the side walls 21. Preferably and here, each housing 20 and 20 extends over the length L of the associated support roller 4, and the housings 20 and 20 open upward and/or toward the endless mesh belt 1. According to one variant and here (see FIGS. 1 and 3 in particular), the center housing 20 has two opposing side walls 21 and a lower-side lower wall 22 bridging these side walls 21. In contrast, the two end housings 20 that are provided to the left and right of this center housing 20 are provided only with a single side wall 21 extending upward from an outer edge of the respective lower wall 22.

[0050] The upstream end housing 20 is immediately downstream of an upstream suction device 31 and the downstream end housing 21 is immediately upstream of the downstream suction device 31, with the vertical side walls 21 of the housings 20 each on the side turned away from the respective suction device 31 or 31. Preferably, the housings 20 and 20 are made of sheet steel, and it is recommended that they be torsion-resistant, self-supporting, and heavy-duty sheet steel. Advantageously and here, the plates 19 rest with their transversely extending upstream and downstream ends 23 on the housings 20 and 21 and/or on side walls 21 of the housings 20 and 20. Preferably and here, a support element 29 for the end 23 of a plate 19 is connected to the side wall 21 of each of the housings 20 and 20. It lies within the scope of the invention for the plates 19 to be parallel or substantially parallel to the endless mesh belt 1.