RU2633267C2 - Mechanical fabric containing spirally wound stripes of material with reinforcement - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: textile, paper.

SUBSTANCE: mechanical fabric, tape, or sleeve is created by spirally winding stripes of polymeric material, such as a technical belt or tape material, and joining adjacent stripes of material using laser or ultrasonic welding. The fabric, tape or sleeve can then be perforated using a suitable method.

EFFECT: opportunity to make the fabric and tape permeable to air and/or water.

34 cl, 39 dwg

Description

Link to related applications

This application is a partial continuation of US patent application No. 12/635458, filed December 10, 2009, which claims priority based on provisional patent application US No. 61/246812, filed September 29, 2009, provisional patent application US No. 61 / 246801, filed September 29, 2009, provisional patent application US No. 61/147637, filed January 27, 2009, and provisional patent application US No. 61/121998, filed December 12, 2008.

Link inclusion

All patents, patent applications, documents, references, manufacturer's instructions, descriptions, product specifications and process cards for any products mentioned in the present description, are incorporated into it by reference and can be used in the implementation of the present invention.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of paper production. More specifically, the present invention relates to fabrics for papermaking, namely, forming, pressing, drying fabrics and fabrics for through drying (TAD), also known as clothes for the paper machine, which make paper in a paper machine. In addition, the present invention can be used as a substrate for a shoe press belt, conveyor or calender, any of which can also be used on a paper machine. In addition, the present invention can be used in other industrial installations in which technical tapes are used to remove water from the material. In addition, the present invention can be used as a tape and / or sleeve used in the manufacture of nonwoven materials by methods such as air dry web forming, melt blowing, spunbonding, or hydroentangling.

State of the art

In the paper manufacturing process, the cellulosic fibrous web is formed by applying fibrous pulp, i.e., an aqueous dispersion of cellulosic fibers, onto a moving forming fabric in the forming section of a paper machine. Most of the water is discharged from the pulp through the forming fabric, and a paper web is formed on the surface of the forming fabric.

The newly formed paper web extends from the forming section to the press section, which contains a number of pressing zones. The cellulosic fibrous web passes through the press zones supported by the press fabric, or, as is often the case, between two such press fabrics. In the pressing zones, the cellulosic fibrous web is compressed, thereby dehydrating it, which causes the cellulosic fibers in the web to adhere to each other to turn the cellulosic fibrous web into a paper sheet. Water is received by the press fabric or fabrics and, ideally, does not return to the paper sheet.

At the end, the paper sheet enters the drying section, which contains at least one row of rotatable drying drums or cylinders, which are internally heated by steam. The newly formed paper sheet moves sequentially along a wave-like path around each drum in a row of drums by means of a drying cloth that presses the paper sheet to the surface of the drums. Heated drums reduce the water content in the paper sheet to the required level through evaporation.

It should be understood that the forming, pressing and drying fabrics are in the form of endless loops on a paper machine and function like conveyors. In addition, it should be understood that papermaking is a continuous process that proceeds at a significant speed. In other words, while the fibrous pulp is continuously applied to the forming fabric in the forming section, at the exit from the drying part, the newly made paper web is continuously wound onto the rolls.

It should also be understood that the vast majority of forming, press and drying fabrics are or at least contain as a component a textile fabric in the form of an endless loop having a specific length, measured in the longitudinal direction along its circumference, and a specific width, measured in the transverse direction . Since paper machine configurations can vary widely, papermaker clothing manufacturers are required to produce forming, press and drying fabrics of sizes that are suitable for specific locations in the forming, press and drying sections of customers' paper machines. It goes without saying that this requirement complicates the production process, since each fabric, as a rule, must be made to order.

In addition, since the surface of the textile fabric is obviously uneven, since the weave points formed where the threads lying in one direction of the fabric wrap the threads that lie in the other direction lie on the surface, it is difficult to create a paper product that is completely absent trace of the canvas.

The prior art covers several attempts to solve these problems. For example, US Pat. No. 3,332,326 to Beaumont et al. Relates to a synthetic drying fabric containing at least one layer of a polyester film. The holes in the fabric are formed by mechanical piercing. US Pat. No. 4,495,680, owned by Beck, discloses a method and apparatus for forming a warp fabric containing exclusively warp threads used in the manufacture of a paper machine belt. Essentially, warp yarns are twisted around two parallel shafts. Then, a fibrous padding or other nonwoven material is applied and glued to the spiral warp system of the warp to create a paper machine belt in which there are no yarns in a direction transverse to the machine direction.

US Pat. No. 4,537,658, owned by Albert, describes a paper machine fabric formed from a plurality of elongated, interlocked, slotted elements. The elongated elements are adhered to each other by means of a pin connection, which extends from one elongated element to an adjacent one. The elongated elements extend in a direction transverse to the machine direction of the open tissue for the paper machine and have flat parallel upper and lower surfaces.

US Pat. No. 4,541,895 to Albert describes a paper machine fabric formed from a plurality of nonwoven fabrics laminated together to form a fabric or tape. Nonwoven webs are perforated by laser drilling. Such webs consist of a non-oriented polymer material, and if it is necessary to produce a high-quality fabric or tape, then it will have insufficient dimensional stability to function as endless tapes on paper machines.

US Patent No. 4,842,905, to Stech, discloses a mosaic fabric for a paper machine and fabric manufacturing elements. Elements have protruding elements that engage with receiving or recessed elements. The fabric for a paper machine contains many mosaic elements that are interconnected to create a mosaic fabric of the required length and width.

US Patent No. 6290818, owned by Romanski, provides a shoe press tape in which the backing fabric is made of an endless tube of unfolded film that can be perforated.

U.S. Patent No. 6,630,223 to Hansen discloses a technical tape made of a plurality of spiral-wound molded (non-circular cross-section) monofilaments that are adjacent to each other on the sides of adjacent coils and bonded to each other by suitable means.

U.S. Patent No. 6,989,080, to Hansen, discloses a non-woven fabric for a paper machine made from a machine-made spiral (MD) layer of a base of a workpiece, coated in the transverse direction (CD) with a layer of the like or other workpiece and bonded with suitable means.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0134467 A1, owned by Sayers, provides a method according to which a group of films is laminated and holes are cut out in a layered structure to produce a perforated fabric.

Fabrics in modern paper machines can have a width of 152.4 cm to more than 1005.84 cm (5 feet to more than 33 feet), length 1219.2 cm to more than 12192 cm (40 feet to more, than 400 feet) and can weigh from about 45.36 kg to more than 1360.8 kg (100 pounds to more than 3000 pounds). These fabrics wear out and require replacement. Replacing fabrics often entails taking the machine out of service, removing worn-out fabric, setting up for fabric installation, and installing new fabric. Although many fabrics are endless, however, many of the fabrics used today are machine-sewn. The fabric installation comprises tensioning the fabric base onto the machine and connecting the ends of the fabric to form an endless ribbon.

In response to the need to produce fabrics of different lengths and widths faster and more efficiently, in recent years fabrics have been created using the spiral winding technology disclosed in US Patent No. 5,360,656, owned by Rexfelt et al. (Hereinafter referred to as' 656 patent), content which is incorporated into this description by reference.

The '656 patent discloses a fabric comprising a warp cloth having at least one layer of staple fiber material sewn to the warp cloth. The base fabric contains at least one layer consisting of a spiral wound strip of textile fabric, the width of which is less than the width of the base fabric. The base fabric is infinite in the longitudinal or machine direction. The longitudinal threads of the spiral-wound strip form an angle with the longitudinal direction of the fabric. A strip of textile fabric can be woven on a weaving machine smooth and can be narrower than the fabric commonly used in the manufacture of clothing for a paper machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an alternative solution to the problems that have been addressed by the above patents and patent applications.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a technical fabric or tape for forming, press and drying parts of a paper machine, including a drying fabric for air through drying (TAD). The fabric or tape according to the present invention can also be used as a transport tape, press fabric with an extended pressing zone (LNP), calender tape, or as other processing tapes, such as corrugated machine tapes. The fabric can also be used as part of a tape for finishing a textile fabric, such as, for example, shrink tape or tanning tape. In addition, the fabric according to the present invention can be used in other industrial installations in which technical tapes are used to dewater the material. For example, the fabric may be used in a pulp forming tape or a pulp compression tape, in a tape used to dehydrate recycled paper during a paint removal process, such as a double roll press drying belt (DNT) in a paint washing machine; or in a dewatering belt for dewatering sludge. The fabric according to the present invention can also be used as a tape used in the manufacture of nonwoven products by methods such as dry air web formation, melt blowing, spunbonding or hydroentangling. The tape and / or sleeve are formed in the form of an endless loop and have an inner surface and an outer surface.

In one embodiment, an endless tape is formed from strips of material that are spirally wound around two shafts with the stripes positioned edge to edge. The strips are firmly attached to each other in a suitable way to form an endless loop of the required length and width for a particular use. In the case of a sleeve, strips can be wound around the surface of one shaft or core, which has a size approximately equal to the diameter and length in a direction transverse to the machine direction (CD) of the drum on which the sleeve will be used. The material strips used are usually created as technical belt material. A belt, in particular a plastic material of a belt, is generally defined as a relatively thin plastic tape used to bond or fix objects together. Surprisingly, it was found that this type of plastic material has corresponding properties that allow it to be used as strips of material for forming the tape according to the present invention.

The difference between a (plastic) belt and monofilament is in size, shape and application. The belt and monofilament are made by extrusion processes, which have the same main stages of extrusion, uniaxial orientation and winding. Monofilament as a whole is smaller than the belt and usually round in shape. Monofilament is widely used in various fields of application, such as fishing lines and technical fabrics, including clothing for the paper machine. The belt as a whole is much larger than the monofilament and is always wider in its essence along the main axis and, in fact, has a rectangular shape in accordance with the field of application.

In the field of technology related to extrusion, it is known that a plastic belt is manufactured by an extrusion process. It is also known that this process contains a uniaxial orientation of the extruded material. It is also known that there are two main extrusion processes using uniaxial orientation. One process is the extrusion and orientation of a wide web, which is cut into separate strips. Another process is the extrusion of a single belt that is oriented. This second process is very similar to the monofilament manufacturing process, as evidenced by the similarity of equipment for both processes.

The advantage of using a belt compared to monofilament is the number of spiral turns required to produce the fabric. Monofilaments, as a rule, are considered to be threads that have a length of not more than 5 mm along their long axis. The dimensions of a uniaxially oriented monofilament used for clothes of a paper machine and other applications indicated in the above description rarely exceed 1.0 mm along the long axis. The belt used typically has a width of at least 10 mm and sometimes exceeds 100 mm. It is contemplated that a belt with a width of up to 1000 mm could also be used. Suppliers of belts that can be used include companies such as Signode.

The present invention provides an improved fabric, tape or sleeve that functions in place of a traditional tape or sleeve and imparts the desired physical characteristics, such as volume, appearance, texture, absorbency, strength and tactile properties, to paper or non-woven products made thereon.

The present invention has achieved other advantages such as, without limitation, improved fiber support and release (without tearing) compared to woven products known in the art, and the possibility of easier cleaning due to the lack of intersection of threads capable of holding single fibers. If the tape / sleeve has a surface texture, then the pattern / texture is more efficiently transferred to the non-woven material, and in addition it gives better physical properties, such as bulk weight / absorbency.

Another advantage is the thickness in comparison with the coefficient of stretching. For example, known polyester (PET) films have a longitudinal axis stretch (or machine direction — MD) of approximately 3.5 GPa. A belt (or tape) made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a tensile coefficient ranging from 10 GPa to 12.5 GPa. To obtain the same coefficient of stretching of the film, the structure had to be 3-3.6 times thicker.

Thus, the present invention according to one embodiment is a fabric, tape or sleeve, which are formed as a single layer or multilayer structure from these spiral wound ribbons. Fabrics, ribbons or sleeves can have flat, smooth upper and lower surfaces. In addition, the fabric, tape or sleeve may be textured using any of the methods known in the art, such as, for example, grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. The tape may be permeable to air and / or water. The tape can also be perforated by some mechanical or thermal (laser) means, so it can be permeable to air and / or water.

In another embodiment, the tape is formed so that it has a mutual engagement profile. The tape is formed by spiral winding these mutually linked strips and will have greater integrity than simply arranging the parallel and / or perpendicular sides of adjacent tape strips. This tape may also be impervious to air and / or water or may be perforated for permeability.

The fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention may further comprise a functional coating on one or both of its surfaces. The functional coating can have a top surface that is flat or smooth, or alternatively can be textured using any of the methods known in the art, such as, for example, grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. The functional coating may be any of materials known to a person skilled in the art, such as, for example, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide or any other polymer resin or even rubber, and the functional coating may further comprise particles, such as nanofillers, which can enhance resistance to bending, cracking, or wear of a fabric, tape, or sleeve according to the present invention.

In addition, the fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can be used as a reinforcing base in a forming fabric, a press fabric, a drying fabric, a drying fabric for air-through drying (TAD), a shoe press belt, a conveyor or a calender, a process tape used in processes dry air web forming, melt blowing, spunbonding or hydroentangling, transport tape, press belt with an extended pressing zone (LNP) or calender, corrugator tape, shrink tape, ubilnoy tape forming pulp belt, drying the belt two-roll press (DNT) in the car, wash the paint from recycled paper or tape to dewater sludge.

Although the embodiments described in the above description are for a single layer of strips of spiral-wound tape, using strips with different configurations that form the tape from two or more layers may be preferred. Therefore, according to one exemplary embodiment, the tape may comprise at least two layers in which strips can be formed so that these at least two layers are mechanically bonded to each other or bonded to each other by other means known to those skilled in the art technicians. In addition, the structure may be impermeable or perforated in order to be permeable to air and / or water.

Another typical implementation option is a multilayer structure formed using the principle of “weld with patch” used to further enhance the integrity of the sleeve or tape. The structure may be impermeable or perforated to provide permeability to air and / or water.

Although the term “fabric” and “fabric structure” are used, nevertheless, to describe the structure of the present invention, fabric, belt, conveyor, sleeve, support member and fabric structure are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms belt, tape, strip of material are used interchangeably throughout the description.

Various novelty features that characterize the present invention are described in detail in the claims appended and constituting an integral part of the present description. For a better understanding of the present invention, its functional advantages and specific objectives achieved by its use, reference is made to the accompanying descriptive material, in which preferred, but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which similar components are denoted by the same reference numbers.

The term “comprising” and “comprises” in the present invention may mean “including” and “includes” or may have the meaning usually assigned to the term “comprising” or “comprises” in US Patent Law. The terms “essentially consisting of” or “essentially consists of” when used in the claims have the meaning ascribed to them in US Patent Law. Other aspects of the present invention are described or apparent from (and within the scope of the present invention) the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included for a better understanding of the present invention, are contained in and form part of the present description. The drawings presented in the present description depict various embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present invention. In the drawings:

in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fabric, tape, or sleeve in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

in FIG. 2 shows a method by which a fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can be formed;

in FIG. 3A-3i show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to create the fabric, tape or sleeve of the present invention;

in FIG. 4A-4D show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to produce fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention;

in FIG. 5A-5C show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to produce fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention;

in FIG. 6A-6D show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to produce fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention;

in FIG. 7A-7D show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to produce fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention;

in FIG. 8A-8C show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of a strip of material of several embodiments used to produce fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention;

in FIG. 9 is a bar graph depicting the advantages of using a uniaxially oriented material (belt / belt) in comparison with a biaxially oriented material (film) and extruded material (molded part);

in FIG. 10A-10D depict steps of a method by which a fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can be created;

in FIG. 11A and 11B are schematic views of an apparatus that can be used to form a fabric, tape, or sleeve in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

in FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a device that can be used to form a fabric, tape, or sleeve according to one aspect of the present invention;

in FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric, tape, or sleeve in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

in FIG. 14 shows a device used in the manufacture of fabric, tape or sleeve in accordance with one aspect of the present invention.

Detailed description

In FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a technical fabric, tape or sleeve 10 according to the present invention. The fabric, tape or sleeve 10 has an inner surface 12 and an outer surface 14 and is formed by spiral winding a strip of polymer material 16, for example, a technical belt material, with many adjacent and adjacent to each other coils. The strip of material 16 is spirally twisted substantially in the longitudinal direction along the entire length of the fabric 10 in the form of a helix along which the fabric, tape or sleeve 10 is formed.

A typical method by which fabric, tape or sleeve 10 can be constructed is shown in FIG. 2. The device 20 comprises a first process shaft 22 and a second process shaft 24, each of which is rotatable around its longitudinal axis. The first production shaft 22 and the second production shaft 24 are parallel to each other and spaced apart by a distance that determines the total length of the fabric, tape or sleeve 10, which should be made on these shafts, measured in the longitudinal direction around the shafts. On the side of the first process shaft 22, there is a feed coil (not shown in the drawings) mounted for rotation around an axis and movable in parallel to the process shafts 22 and 24. The feed coil feeds a strip of material 16 having a width of, for example, 10 mm or more . The feed coil is initially located on the left end of the first process shaft 12 before it continuously moves to the right or to the other side at a given speed.

To start the manufacturing process of fabric, tape or sleeve 10, the beginning of the strip of polymer material of the belt 16 extends in a tight tension state from the first process shaft 22 to the second process shaft 24, around the second process shaft 24 and back to the first process shaft 22 with the formation of the first turn of the closed spiral 26. To close the first turn of the closed spiral 26, the beginning of the strip of material 16 is attached to the end of its first turn at point 28. According to the description below, adjacent turns of the spiral-wound strip material 16 is connected to each other by mechanical and / or adhesive means.

Thus, subsequent turns of the closed spiral 26 are created by rotating the first process shaft 22 and the second process shaft 24 in one direction, indicated by arrows in FIG. 2, while a strip of material 16 is supplied to the first process shaft 22. However, a strip of material 16 just wound on the first process shaft 22 is continuously connected to a strip of material already located on the first process shaft 22 and the second process shaft 24, for example , mechanical and / or adhesive or any other suitable means to create additional turns of a closed spiral 26.

This process continues until the closed spiral 26 has the required width, measured along the axis of the first process shaft 22 or the second process shaft 24. At the moment, the strip of material 16, not yet wound on the first process shaft 22 and the second process shaft 24 is trimmed, and the closed spiral 26 created from the specified strip of material is removed from the first technical shaft 22 and the second technical shaft 24 to form a fabric, tape or sleeve 10 according to the present invention.

Although a two-shaft device is provided herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that strips can be wound around the surface of one shaft or core to form such fabric, tape or sleeve. A shaft or core of an appropriate size can be selected based on the desired size of the fabric, tape or sleeve being created.

The present method of creating fabric, tape or sleeve 10 is quite versatile and adaptable for the production of tissue paper machines and / or technical fabrics or tapes with a variety of longitudinal and transverse sizes. In other words, the manufacturer, when implementing the present invention, is no longer required to produce a textile fabric of an appropriate length and width for a particular paper machine. On the contrary, the manufacturer only needs to push the first process shaft 22 and the second process shaft 24 to an appropriate distance, to create an approximate length of fabric, tape or sleeve 10 and wind the strip of material 16 on the first process shaft 22 and the second process shaft 24 until the closed spiral 26 reaches approximately necessary width.

In addition, since the fabric, tape or sleeve 10 is made by spiral winding the strip of polymer strapping material 16, and is not textile fabrics, the outer surface 12 of the fabric, tape or sleeve 10 is smooth and uniform and does not contain weaves that prevent the creation of absolutely smooth surfaces of textile fabric. However, the fabrics, tapes or sleeves of the present invention may have geometric characteristics that provide improved surface relief and volume to paper or non-woven products made on said fabric, tape or sleeve. Other advantages of the supporting elements according to the present invention include the creation of fabric with improved removal of the canvas, improved resistance to pollution and reduced fiber collection. Another advantage is that there are no restrictions and the need for a traditional loom, since the through voids can be placed in any desired position or pattern. The fabric, tape or sleeve may also have a texture on one or both surfaces created using any method known in the art, such as, for example, grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. Alternatively, the fabric, tape or sleeve may be smooth on one or both surfaces.

In FIG. 3A-3i show cross-sectional views taken in the width direction of several embodiments of a strip of material used to create real fabric, tape, or sleeve. Each implementation includes upper and lower surfaces, which may be flat and parallel to each other or may have a profile appropriate for the application. According to FIG. 3A, the strip of material 16 has an upper surface 15, a lower surface 17, a first flat side 18 and a second flat side 19 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The upper surface 15 and the lower surface 17 can be flat and parallel to each other, and the first flat side 18 and the second flat side 19 can be inclined in parallel directions so that the first flat side 18 of each spiral wound strip of material 16 is closely adjacent to the second flat side 19 of the previous turn. Each turn of the strip of material 16 is connected to its adjacent turns by attaching to each other their respective first and second flat sides 18, 19, for example, an adhesive, which can be, for example, activated by heating, glue cooled at room temperature or hot-melt adhesive, or any other suitable means.

In FIG. 3B shows a strip of material 16, which may have a cross-sectional structure that allows mechanical interlocking to connect adjacent material bands 16 in a spiral-shaped fabric, tape or sleeve. Adjacent strips of material 16 may be of the same or different size and / or profile, but each has a locking position according to FIG. 3B. Other examples of mechanical engagement of the structures with each other are shown in FIG. 3C-3G, which show a cross section of the individual strips of material 16. In each case, one side of the strip of material 16 can be formed to mechanically interlock or connect to the other side of an adjacent strip of material 16. For example, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3G, the strip of material 16 may have an upper surface 42, a lower surface 44, a protrusion 46 on one side and a corresponding groove 48 on the other side. The protrusion 46 may have dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the groove 48 so that the protrusion 46 on each spiral-wound turn of the strip 16 fits tightly into the groove 48 of the previous turn. Each turn of the strip of material 16 is connected to adjacent turns by fixing the protrusions 46 in the grooves 48. The upper surface 42 and the lower surface 44 can be flat and parallel to each other, or non-flat and non-parallel depending on the application, or can even be convex or concave rounded the direction of the strip width according to FIG. 3F. Similarly, either side of the strip can be formed cylindrically convex or concave with the same radius of curvature.

In FIG. 3H shows another embodiment of the present invention.

In addition to producing an expedited strip of material with opposing hemispheres or profiles as described above, various other shapes can be extruded or machined from rectangular extruded products to form mating edges with raised rails that can facilitate joining by mechanical and / or gluing agents. One such structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3i. Alternatively, the strip of material does not require a right and left side, which would allow them to mate or connect. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the strip profile of the material 16 may have mutually engaged grooves on its upper surface or upper side, or the strip of material 16 may have mutually engaged grooves on its lower surface or lower side according to FIG. 4B.

In FIG. 4C, for example, shows the strips of material from FIG. 4A and 4B arranged for interlocking. The arrows in FIG. 4C indicate, for example, the direction in which each strip 16 of material is to move to engage the grooves and engage the two strips with each other. In FIG. 4D shows two strips 16 of material after their adhesion or connection to each other. Although in typical embodiments only two conjugated bands of material are shown, it should be noted that the final fabric, tape or sleeve is formed from several bands of material bonded together. Obviously, with the mutual cohesion of the bands of material during the spiral winding process, it is possible to form a sheet of material in the form of an endless loop. It should also be noted that although mechanical interlocks are shown, the strength of the interlocks can be improved by, for example, thermal bonding, in particular by a method known as selective bonding, which is exemplified by a commercial process known as "Clearweld" (see www.clearweld.com).

In FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a strip of material 16 that has grooves on its upper side and on its lower side. In FIG. 5B shows how two material strips 16 having the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 5A. The interlocking structure as a result forms grooves on the upper and lower surfaces of the final product.

The embodiment of FIG. 5C shows the interlocking of the two strips 16 of material shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 4B. The result is a tight, containing grooves on the lower surface and having a flat upper surface. Similarly, it is also possible to form a structure comprising grooves on the upper surface and having a flat lower surface.

Another embodiment is a fabric, tape, or sleeve formed from strips 16 of material that have push-button type mutual couplings or forced mutual couplings that form stronger mutual couplings due to their mechanical construction. The designs have forced mutual couplings in the sense that the studs and stud sockets are mechanically mated, which require considerable effort to connect the tapes together or to separate them. For example, in FIG. 6A depicts push-button reciprocal clutch elements in individual ribbon-like strips 16 of material. In FIG. 6B depicts push-button interlocking elements in individual ribbon-shaped strips 16 of material of the opposite configuration, which are designed to interlock with the structure shown in FIG. 6A. In FIG. 6C shows the individual ribbon-like strips of material shown in FIG. 6A and 6B arranged to engage with each other. It should be noted here that the stepped position of the upper and lower ribbons is designed to fit another strip 16 of material of the opposite configuration. Finally, in FIG. 6D depicts these same stripes after they have been pressed together to form a mutually linked structure. Similarly, several ribbon-like bands of material can be joined together to form the final fabric, tape or sleeve.

Another embodiment is a fabric, tape or sleeve, which are formed from strips 16 of material that have grooves on the upper and lower sides, for example, according to FIG. 7A. These two ribbon-like strips 16 of material are made to be joined together with the formation of forced mutual engagement according to FIG. 7B. It should be noted that the upper and lower surfaces contain grooves on the respective surfaces. Furthermore, according to FIG. 7A and 7B, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that combining at least three strips to create a multilayer structure, or if only two strips are used, the groove profile in the upper stripe may be the same or different on the upper side from the lower side. Similarly, the groove profile of the lower strip may be the same or different on either side. As described above, although the embodiments presented herein are for single layer spiral wound tape or strip, however, it may be preferable to use strips with different configurations that form a tape of two or more layers. Therefore, according to one exemplary embodiment, the tape may have at least two layers in which strips can be formed so that these at least two layers are mechanically interlocked with each other. Each layer can be wound in a spiral in the opposite direction or at an angle to the machine direction (MD) to provide additional strength.

For example, in FIG. 7C shows an interlocking structure which, as a result, forms a lower surface with grooves and a flat upper surface, whereas in FIG. 7D shows an interlocking structure which, as a result, forms a flat lower surface and a grooved upper surface.

As may be apparent to one skilled in the art for the creation of forced mutual couplings according to the above description, many forms can be considered. For example, in several previous embodiments, the focus is on round button-type protrusions and round sockets. However, it is also possible to use other forms, such as trapezoidal, to achieve the same effect. An example of forced mutual coupling having such a shape is shown in FIG. 8A. Alternatively, molds can be mixed to create a forced interlock. An example of mixed forms is shown in FIG. 8B and 8C.

Thus, the mechanical interlocking formed between adjacent strips of material according to the embodiments described above simplifies the fabrication of a fabric or structure containing helically coiled strips of material, since without such cohesion there is a possibility that adjacent strips of material will deflect and separate into manufacturing process of spiral-wound fabric. By mechanically coupling adjacent turns to one another, their deflection and separation can be prevented. In addition, the dependence is only on the strength of mechanical adhesion to ensure strength, since thermal welded joints can also be formed in the areas of mechanical adhesion of the fabric. According to one embodiment of the present invention, this can be achieved by placing a dye that absorbs the near infrared range or infrared radiation or laser radiation, before engaging the male / female components, and then exposing the mechanical adhesion region to near infrared energy or infrared radiation, or a laser source that causes thermal welding of mechanical adhesion without melting material located outside the mechanical adhesion zone.

The strip of material disclosed in the above embodiments may be extruded from any polymer resin known to those skilled in the art, such as, for example, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyester ether, etc. Despite the fact that a technical belt is attractive as a base material, provided that it is uniaxially oriented, i.e. it has at least twice as much tensile coefficient as biaxially oriented material (film), and up to ten times as much tensile coefficient as extruded material (molded), however, any other suitable material can be used. In other words, a structure obtained from a uniaxially oriented material requires less than half the thickness of the biaxially oriented material (film) and less than one tenth of the thickness of the extruded (molded) material. This characteristic is depicted in FIG. 9, which shows the development results of a part that was designed for a given force and tension at a fixed width. The equation used in this design problem is the relationship between compression and tension, expressed as follows:

In this image, the force (or load) is kept constant due to the width and tension. The equation shows that the required thickness is inversely proportional to the coefficient of stretching of the material. This equation reflects the design problem associated with the dimensional stability of clothes for a paper machine, that is, at a given load, maximum tension, the width of the machine is fixed. The result is shown in terms of the final thickness of the required part, depending on the tensile coefficient of the material used. Obviously, uniaxially oriented materials, such as belts or tapes, have a significant advantage over the films and molded polymers of FIG. 9. However, the fabrics, tapes or sleeves of the present invention are not limited to a uniaxial or biaxial binding orientation, in the sense that one or both orientations can be used in the practice of the present invention.

According to one embodiment, the strip of material or belt disclosed in the embodiments presented in the above description may contain reinforcing material to increase the mechanical strength of the entire structure. For example, the reinforcing material may be fibers, filaments, monofilaments, or multifilaments, which can be machine-oriented (MD) of a fabric, sleeve, or tape along a belt. Reinforcing material may be included in the extrusion or pultrusion process, in which the fibers or filaments are extruded or pultrusion along with the material forming the strip or belt material. They can be fully incorporated into the belt material, or they can be partially included in one or both surfaces of the belt material, or both. Reinforcing fibers or threads can be formed from a material with a high tensile coefficient, such as, for example, aramids, including, without limitation, Kevlar® and Nomex®, and can provide the material of the strip or belt with additional strength, tensile coefficient, tensile strength and / or cracking, resistance to abrasion and / or chemical degradation. Reinforcing fibers or threads can approximately be made of 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 threads may be higher than the melting temperature of said strip or belt material, or vice versa.

Typically, the belt is supplied as a fixed length product having a rectangular cross section. It is a tough, versatile, typically unprocessed polyester strip with excellent handling characteristics, which makes it suitable for many industrial applications. It has excellent mechanical strength and dimensional stability as described above and does not become brittle during its service life under normal conditions. The belt has good resistance to moisture and most chemicals and can withstand temperatures in the range of -70 ° C to 150 ° C or more. Typical cross-sectional dimensions of a belt that can be used in the present invention are, for example, 0.30 mm (or more) in thickness and 10 mm (or more) in width. Despite the fact that the belt can be wound in a spiral, adjacent turns of the belt, which do not have means of mutual engagement, by which they must be held together, can be welded or otherwise connected. In such cases, laser welding or ultrasonic welding can be used to fix or weld adjacent strips or strips of material to improve properties in the direction transverse to the machine direction (CD), such as strength, and reduce the likelihood of separation of adjacent strips of material.

Although a uniaxial-oriented belt has a maximum machine tension ratio (MD), other properties can also be important. For example, if the belt tension coefficient in the machine direction (MD) is too high, then the cracking resistance and bending resistance of the final structure may be unacceptable. Alternatively, the properties of the final structure in the transverse direction (CD) may also be important. For example, referring to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material and strips of material of the same thickness, non-oriented strips may have a conventional machine-tensile coefficient (MD) of approximately 3 GPa and a strength of approximately 50 MPa. Biaxially oriented strips, on the other hand, can have a machine stretch ratio (MD) of approximately 4.7 GPa and a strength of approximately 170 MPa. It was found that when changing the processing of a uniaxially oriented strip so that the tensile coefficient in the machine direction (MD) can be equal to 6 to 10 GPa and the strength can be equal to or greater than 250 MPa, it is possible to obtain a strip with strength in the transverse direction reaching approximately 100 MPa. In addition, the material may be less brittle, i.e. it may not burst during repeated bends and may be better processed by joining the strips together. The connection between the strips can also be resistant to separation when used appropriately on a production machine.

One way of bonding adjacent strips according to one embodiment of the present invention is to ultrasonically weld the edges of adjacent strips while creating lateral pressure to fix the edges in contact with each other. For example, one part of the welding device can fix one strip, preferably a strip that is already twisted in a spiral, in the pressed position against the support roller, while the other part of the device presses another strip, preferably a wound strip, to the held strip. Such edge-to-edge welding is depicted, for example, in FIG. 11A.

When using ultrasonic intermittent welding, a particularly strong connection is obtained. In contrast, in ultrasonic welding in time mode or in energy mode, which is also known as traditional ultrasonic welding, a joint is obtained that can be described as brittle. Thus, it can be concluded that the connection created by intermittent ultrasonic welding is preferable in comparison with traditional ultrasonic welding.

In FIG. 10A-10D, another method for bonding adjacent strips according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown by applying adhesive 30 to the ends 34, 36 of adjacent strips 16, 16 and connecting them. It should be noted that aggregate 32 can be used to fill gaps or areas in which the strips are not in contact with each other.

Another method of bonding adjacent material strips or functional strips according to one embodiment of the present invention is to use a “weld with patch” containing the same base material as the strip of material. For example, such a weld with a patch is shown in FIG. 11B in the form of a thin material deposited on top and bottom of strips of material. In such an arrangement, the weld with the overlay forms the material for the material to be welded so that the assembled structure does not depend on the welding edge to edge shown in FIG. 11A. When using a weld with an overlay, edge-to-edge welding can be obtained, although this is not necessary as well as preferred. Using a welded seam with an overlay, it is possible to form a layered or sandwich type structure with a horizontal strip of material welded onto the horizontal surface of the overlay weld according to FIG. 11B. It should be noted here that a welded seam with a patch should not be located above and below the material strips, in the sense that a welded seam with a patch can only be located above or just below the material strips. According to one aspect, the overlay weld may also be the central part of the layered structure with a strip of material located above and / or below the overlay weld. In addition, a weld with a patch is shown thinner than a strip of material and the same width as a strip of material as an example only. A weld with a patch may be significantly narrower or wider than the strip of material, and may have the same thickness as the strip of material or have a smaller thickness. The weld bead may also be another part of the strip of material and not necessarily a special part of the material made exclusively for the weld with the bead. In addition, the weld with the patch may contain an adhesive applied to one of its surfaces in order to fix the weld with the patch in place during the welding operation. However, when using such an adhesive, it is preferable that the adhesive was partially applied to the weld with a patch not on the entire surface, since partial application can help to create a strong weld between the same materials (for example, polyester with polyester) of the strip of material and the weld with overlay for ultrasonic or laser welding.

If the weld with the patch is made of extruded non-oriented polymer, it is preferable that it be much thinner than the strip of material, since the extruded non-oriented weld with the patch is less suitable to ensure dimensional stability of the final structure as described above. However, if the weld with a patch is made of oriented polymer, it is preferable that such a weld with a patch in combination with a strip of material is as thin as possible. As described above, a weld with a patch may be another part of a strip of material. However, in such a case, it is preferable that the thickness of the individual materials be selected so that the total thickness of the multilayer or layered structure can be minimized. In addition, according to the above description, a weld with a patch can be coated with an adhesive that is used to bond the structure for subsequent processing. According to one aspect, a weld with an adhesive patch can be used, for example, to create a structure that directly proceeds to the step of forming a hole, which could be laser drilling without using ultrasonic bonding so that laser drilling or laser perforation creates spot welded joints that can hold a multilayer structure together.

Another method for bonding adjacent strips of material according to one embodiment of the present invention is to weld adjacent strips using laser welding technology.

In FIG. 14 shows an apparatus 320 that can be used in a laser welding process according to one aspect of the present invention. It should be understood that according to FIG. 14, in this process, the fabric, tape or sleeve 322 is a relatively short part of the total length of the final fabric, tape or sleeve. Despite the fact that the fabric, tape or sleeve 322 can be infinite, however, it is most advisable to hold them around a pair of shafts, which are not shown in the drawings, but are known to specialists in this field of technology. In such an arrangement, device 320 may be located on one of two surfaces, most conveniently on the upper surface of fabric 322 between two shafts. Regardless of whether the fabric 322 is infinite, it can preferably be placed with a suitable degree of tension in the process. In addition, to prevent sagging, the fabric 322 can be supported from below by a horizontal support element as it moves through the device 320.

In FIG. 14, fabric 322 is depicted moving upward through device 320 in the implementation of the method of the present invention. Laser heads that are used in the welding process can move along the fabric in the transverse (CD) direction, or in the direction of width "X", while the fabric can move in the machine direction (MD) or in the "Y" direction. In addition, you can install a system in which the fabric moves in three directions relative to the mechanically fixed laser welding head.

The advantage of laser welding over ultrasonic welding is that laser welding can be performed at speeds in the range of 100 m / min, while ultrasonic welding has an upper speed limit of approximately 10 m / min. Adding a light-absorbing dye or ink absorber to the edges of the bands can also contribute to the concentration of the thermal effect of the laser. Absorbers can be dark inks or near IR dyes that are not visible to the human eye, such as, for example, those used in Clearweld (see www.clearweld.com).

After making the final fabric, tape or sleeve, and welding or otherwise joining adjacent strips in the fabric, tape or sleeve, for example, holes or through voids can be provided by laser drilling to allow the passage of fluids (air and / or water) from one side of the fabric to the other side of the fabric. It should be noted that these through holes or through voids that allow fluid to flow from one side of the fabric to the other side can be made before or after the spiral winding and joining process. Such holes or through holes may be laser drilled or any other suitable process for making holes / perforated holes, for example using mechanical or thermal means, and may have any size, type, orientation, shape and / or pattern, depending on the intended application. Through voids or openings may have a nominal diameter in the range of 0.013 cm to 0.025 cm (0.005 inches to 0.01 inches) or more. In FIG. 13 is a view of an exemplary embodiment, which is a cross section made in the transverse direction, or in the direction transverse to the machine direction, of the fabric 80 according to the present invention, the strips of material 82 have many holes 84 for the passage of air and / or water, located throughout their length.

The fabric of the present invention, as described above, can be used as the basis for use in molding fabric, press fabric, drying fabric, drying fabric for air-through drying (TAD), shoe press belt, conveyor or calender or process tape used in the processes such as dry-air web formation, melt blowing, spunbonding, or hydroentangling. The fabric, tape or sleeve of the present invention may contain at least one additional layer, for example, textile layers, on top or bottom of the base formed using strips of material, only to provide functionality and not reinforcement. For example, a machine-oriented (MD) system of filaments can be applied as a layer on the back of a tape or sleeve to create a porous space. Alternatively, at least one layer may be formed between two layers of the belt. The additional layers used may be any woven or nonwoven fabric, a system of threads extending in the machine direction (MD) or in the transverse direction (CD), spiral wound strips of textile fabric, the width of which is less than the width of the fabric of fibrous fabrics, films, or combinations thereof, and can be attached to the base using any suitable method known to a person skilled in the art. Needle piercing, thermal bonding and chemical bonding are just a few examples.

According to the above description, the technical fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can be used in the forming, press and drying parts of a paper machine, including a unit for through drying by air (TAD). A fabric, tape or sleeve can also be used as a transport tape, an extended press zone (LNP) press tape, a calender tape, or as other processing tapes, such as corrugated machine tapes. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention may have a texture on one or both surfaces formed by any method known in the art, such as, for example, grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. The fabric can also be used as part of a textile tape for finishing, such as, for example, shrink tape or tanning tape. In addition, the fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can be used in other industrial installations in which technical tapes are used to dewater the material. For example, a fabric, tape, or sleeve may be used in a pulp forming tape or a pulp compression tape, in a tape used to dewater secondary paper in a paint removal process, such as a double roll press drying belt (DNT) in a secondary ink cleaning machine paper; or in a tape used to dewater sludge. In addition, the fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can also be used as a tape used in the manufacture of nonwoven materials by methods such as air dry web forming, melt blowing, spunbonding or hydroentangling.

According to one typical embodiment, the fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention may further comprise a functional coating on one or both of its sides. The functional coating can have a top surface that is flat or smooth, or alternatively can be textured using any of the methods known in the art, such as, for example, grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. The functional coating may be any of the materials known to those skilled in the art, such as, for example, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide or any other polymer resin or even rubber, and the functional coating may further comprise particles, such as nanofillers, which can improve fabric, tape or sleeve characteristics of the present invention, such as resistance to bending, crack propagation, or wear.

In addition, the fabric, tape or sleeve according to the present invention can also be used as a reinforcing base or substrate in a forming fabric, a press fabric, a drying fabric, a drying fabric for air-through drying (TAD), a shoe press belt, or a conveyor, or a calender , a process tape used in processes such as dry-air web formation, melt blowing, spunbonding or hydroentangling, transport tape, press fabric with an extended pressing zone (LNP), tape machines, shrink tape, tanning tape, pulp forming or pulp compression tape, double-press drying belt (DNT) in a machine that removes printing ink from waste paper, or sludge dewatering tape. The reinforcing base or substrate may have a smooth, flat surface or may be textured. The reinforcing base or substrate may further comprise a functional coating on one or both of its surfaces, which, in turn, may have a smooth flat surface or may be textured.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention and its modifications have been described in detail in the present description, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments and modifications, and that other modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the essence and scope of the present invention, which are determined by the attached claims.

Claims (39)

1. Technical fabric, tape or sleeve containing at least one strip of polymer material wound in a spiral, said at least one strip of polymer material being a technical belt or tape material, the technical belt or tape material having at least twice as much tensile coefficient as the biaxially oriented material, and up to ten times greater tensile coefficient than the extruded material, and the specified material of the technical belt or tape contains a reinforcing material oriented in machine A woven (MD) fabric, tape or sleeve selected from the group consisting of fibers, filaments, monofilaments and multifilaments. 2. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which are the basis suitable for use in forming fabric, press fabric, drying fabric, drying fabric for through drying by air (TAD), belt shoe press, conveyor or calender, technological tape, used in the processes of dry-air molding of the fabric, meltblown, spunbond or hydrospinning of fibers, transport tape, press fabric with an extended pressing zone (LNP), corrugated machine tape, shrink tape, tanning tape, pulp forming tape or compression pulp tape, su a double-roll press (DNT) tape in a machine that removes printing ink from waste paper or a tape for sludge dewatering. 3. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, wherein said material of the technical belt or tape has a thickness of 0.30 mm or more and a width of 10 mm or more. 4. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which are permeable or impermeable to air and / or water. 5. A fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 4, which are permeable to air and / or water and in which through voids or holes are made using mechanical or thermal means. 6. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 5, wherein said through voids or holes are formed with a predetermined size, shape or orientation. 7. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 6, wherein said through voids or holes have a nominal diameter in the range of 0.013 cm to 0.025 cm (0.005 inches to 0.01 inches) or more. 8. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one layer of woven or non-woven materials, systems of threads oriented in the machine direction (MD) or in the transverse direction (CD), spiral wound strips of woven material the width of which is less than the width of the fabric, fibrous webs, films, or a combination thereof. 9. A fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which have a texture on one or both surfaces. 10. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 9, in which the specified texture is made by grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. 11. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which are made smooth on one or both surfaces. 12. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which contain at least two layers of technical belt material, wound in a spiral in opposite directions to each other or in the opposite direction to the machine (MD). 13. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, which further comprise a functional coating on one or both sides of the fabric, tape or sleeve. 14. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 8, wherein said at least one layer is formed on one or both sides of the fabric, tape or sleeve, or between two layers of the belt. 15. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, in which adjacent strips of polymeric material are mechanically interlocked with each other. 16. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 13, in which the functional coating has a texture on its upper surface. 17. The fabric, tape or sleeve according to claim 1, wherein said fibers, filaments, monofilaments and multifilaments are made of a material selected from the group consisting of aramids, thermoplastic polymers, thermoset polymers, glass, carbon and steel. 18. The method of forming a technical fabric, tape or sleeve, according to which: at least one strip of polymeric material is wound in a spiral around a plurality of shafts, said at least one strip of polymeric material being a technical belt or tape material; and connect the edges of adjacent strips of material using a given method, moreover, the material of the technical belt or tape has at least twice as much tensile coefficient as the biaxially oriented material, and up to ten times greater tensile coefficients than the extruded material, while the specified material of the technical belt or tape contains reinforcing material oriented in the machine direction ( MD) fabrics, tapes or sleeves selected from the group consisting of fibers, threads, monofilaments and multifilaments. 19. The method according to p. 18, according to which the specified method is laser, ultrasonic or infrared welding. 20. The method according to p. 18, according to which the specified material of the technical belt or tape has a thickness of 0.30 mm or more and a width of 10 mm or more. 21. The method according to p. 18, according to which the specified fabric, tape or sleeve is made permeable or impermeable to air and / or water. 22. The method according to p. 18, according to which said fabric, tape or sleeve is made permeable to air and / or water by creating through them voids or holes using mechanical or thermal means. 23. The method according to p. 22, according to which form the specified through voids or holes with a given size, shape or orientation. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said through voids or holes have a nominal diameter in the range of 0.013 cm to 0.025 cm (0.005 inches to 0.01 inches) or more. 25. The method according to p. 18, according to which further: apply at least one layer of woven or non-woven materials, systems of threads oriented in the machine direction (MD) or in the transverse direction (CD), wound in a spiral strip of woven material onto the upper and / or lower surface of the specified fabric, tape or sleeve, width which are less than the width of the fabric, tape or sleeve, fibrous webs, films, or a combination thereof. 26. The method according to p. 18, according to which adjacent strips of polymer material are mechanically interlocked with each other. 27. The method of claim 18, wherein said fabric, tape or sleeve has a texture on one or both surfaces. 28. The method according to p. 27, according to which the specified texture is made by grinding, engraving, embossing or etching. 29. The method according to p. 18, according to which the specified fabric, tape or sleeve is made smooth on one or both surfaces. 30. The method according to p. 18, according to which the specified fabric, tape or sleeve contain at least two layers of material of the technical belt, wound in a spiral in opposite to each other directions or in the direction opposite to the machine direction (MD). 31. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of applying a functional coating to one or both sides of the fabric, tape, or sleeve. 32. The method according to p. 25, according to which the specified at least one layer is made on one or both sides of the fabric, tape or sleeve or between two layers of the belt. 33. The method according to p. 31, according to which additionally create a texture on the functional coating. 34. The method of claim 18, wherein said fibers, filaments, monofilaments or multifilaments are made of a material selected from the group consisting of aramids, thermoplastic polymers, thermoset polymers, glass, carbon and steel.

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