Patent Application
20140159281
The present relates to formation presses, and more particularly to a formation press useful to manufacture three-dimensional preforms.
The formation of fiberboard, mats and molded articles from wood by-products is now commonplace. Generally speaking, the formation of such products involves the use of presses with rollers or plates, which limit the dimensions of the end products to flat articles such as papers, boards of a limited thickness of 1 inch maximum and the like. A number of examples of such presses are described below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,804 discloses a process for producing expansion joint material containing asphalt-impregnated fiberboard. A de-watered slurry is pressed in an apparatus to form a wet mat of material. The pressing step uses a series of rollers to press the wet mat as it is fed between the rollers. The apparatus appears to be limited to the creation of mats and does not disclose the use of compression pistons along multiple axes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,529 discloses an apparatus for producing briquettes of fibrous crop in which two compression members with opposing compression faces cooperate with each other to produce briquettes with shapes that are defined by the shape of a plunger. The material to be pressed, i.e., the crop, is dry; however the apparatus used to generate the briquettes is unlikely to be useful with an aqueous slurry of fibrous material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,884 discloses a method whereby lignocellulosic board is manufactured. As with the US patent number 6,068,804 described above, the board is produced by compressing a heated mat to a desired thickness using a steam roller, a compression roller and a calibration roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,511 describes a method of manufacturing molded articles from lignocellulose and/or cellulose fibers using a series of press tools, which operate along a single axis, to create the molded articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,849 discloses an apparatus for steam pressing mat material such as lignocellulose. This apparatus includes an upper press platen and a lower press platen, which are used to steam press the mat. The platens are moveable between open and closed position to permit mats of predetermined dimension to be produced. The apparatus appears to be limited to the production of mats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,121 describes an elaborate machine used to form lignocellulosic fiber mats. The main mat forming part includes a pair of suction fans, which compact fibrous material then the material is sucked through the throat of an air bridge, whereupon the material is deposited on screen condensers. The machine is able to produce mats of a certain number of square feet per hour and has the capacity to produce large quantities of such fiber mats. As with the designs described above, this machine does not appear to be capable of producing three dimensional forms.
Disadvantageously, the compression aspects of the above designs appear to be limited to rollers or compression plates. There does not appear to be a suggestion, or contemplation, that a slurry, such as an aqueous lignocellulose slurry can be compressed during de-watering and air removal, using compression pistons operating along multiple axes.
Thus, there is a need for an improved formation press that is able to easily manufacture three-dimensional forms of any dimension, quickly and efficiently.
We have designed a formation press useful in the manufacture of a three-dimensional fibrous perform which may thereafter be impregnated with a thermoset resin to produce a dry, formed final product, such as a rectangular brick, which is minimally flawed. Advantageously, the result of this triaxial compression is the production of a three dimensional form and not flat mats or boards, which previous designs appear to be limited to.
Accordingly, there is provided a formation press for manufacturing a three-dimensional fibrous preform, the press comprising:
In one example, the press includes first, second and third orthogonally disposed compression members moveably mounted in the compression zone for movement relative thereto, the first, second and third compression members being moveable with sufficient inwardly directed force to compress the fibrous material. The first, second and third compression members are disposed for axial movement along respective first, second and third orthogonally disposed compression axes.
In one example, the first, second and third compression members are disposed for axial movement along respective x-, y- and z-axes.
In one example, the first, second and third compression members are compression pistons having first, second and third compression plates connected thereto. The press, according to claim 5, in which the compression pistons are hydraulic pistons.
In one example, the compression zone is a chamber, which includes first, second and third compression sidewalls and a compression base, the first and second compression plates being moveable relative to first, second and third compression sidewalls, the third compression plate being moveable relative to the compression base.
In another example, the second compression sidewall includes a door to remove the compressed perform from the chamber.
In one example, the chamber includes water evacuation valves.
In another example the chamber includes air evacuation valves located at an upper end of the chamber.
In another example, the chamber includes wash water valves located at an upper end of the chamber.
In another example, the chamber includes a slurry inlet.
In another example, the chamber is an elongate cuboid
In yet another example, the chamber is connected to a drying oven.
In one example, the fibrous material is lignocellulose.
In order that the discovery may be readily understood, embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.
Further details of the device and its advantages will be apparent from the detailed description included below.
Referring now to
Broadly speaking, the press 10 includes a chamber 12 and first, second and third compression members 14, 16, 18. However, technically, the press 10 could have two compression members in each dimension, totaling six compression members. Typically, the compression members are compression pistons. In one example, the compression pistons are hydraulic pistons. As best illustrated in
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In the case of a biaxial compression along two axes, the compression member 14 begins to move downwardly along its x-axis 44 into the chamber 12 and the water drain valves 34, 36 open so as to release water from the chamber 12. Once the compression member 14 is fully extended, the compression member 16 begins to move along its y-axis 46 to begin y-axial compression. This continues until the desired compressed preform is achieved.
If a triaxial compression is desired, the compression member 18 operating along the z-axis 48 is employed. The compression member 18 is employed, so that the compression member 18 begins compression along the z-axis 48. Once completed, the compression member 18 retracts, the door 64 opens and the compression member 16 pushes the preform out of the press 10.
If z-axial-compression along the z axis 48 is not employed, the y-axial compression along the y-axis 46 goes to desired extension, the door 64 then opens, and the compression member 16 pushes the preform out of press 10.
Although the above description relates to a specific embodiment as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that the device in its broad aspect includes mechanical and functional equivalents of the elements described herein.
