Patent Grant
10590603
This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/IB2016/052906, filed May 18, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority to Italian Application No. 102015000018356, filed May 27, 2015, in the Italian Patent Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
The present invention relates to the field of machines for producing paper and similar products and in particular relates to a method for producing a dryer cylinder, also known as Yankee cylinder, of improved type, in particular a Yankee cylinder comprising a cylinder made of steel that is not provided with welds.
As well known, the plants for producing paper provide the use of a headbox for distributing a mixture of cellulosic fibres and water on a forming fabric, and sometimes additives of different kinds. In this way, a determined amount of water is drained, thus increasing the dry content of the layer of the mixture that is present on the forming fabric.
The content of water is, then, reduced, through a series of steps among many fabrics and/or felts of the mixture layer, up to obtain a consistency that allows the passage through a drying section. This usually comprises at least a Yankee dryer cylinder, also called “Yankee cylinder” and a drying hood that is fed with hot air. In particular, the web of treated wet paper is laid on the external surface of the Yankee cylinder, whilst the inside of the Yankee dryer cylinder is heated, for example, by introducing steam. The steam produced inside the Yankee dryer cylinder and the hot air, which is blown by the drying hood on the paper, cause the web of wet paper, which is laid on the external surface, to gradually be dried. When the desired value of drying is achieved, the web of paper is removed from the external surface of the Yankee dryer cylinder by means of a blade, or doctor blade, or by means of tensioning according to the desired product and in particular crêpe paper, or smooth paper.
A Yankee dryer cylinder comprises essentially two heads, or end walls, between which a cylindrical shell in positioned. To each head a bearing journal is fixed that is mounted, in operating conditions, on a respective bearing. A hollow shaft is mounted inside the shell. The heads and/or the shell are provided with at least 2 inspection apertures through which at least a worker gets in the cylinder for periodically carrying out normal or extraordinary maintenance interventions.
The constituent elements of the Yankee cylinder, i.e. the heads, the shell, bearing journals etc. can be obtaining by melting of cast iron and can be fixed by bolting.
Alternatively, the Yankee cylinders can be made of steel. In this case the two heads can be fixed to the cylindrical shell by means of screw bolts, or more frequently by means of weld beads.
Both for the Yankee cylinders made of cast iron and made of steel, the cylindrical shell has an internal surface provided with circumferential grooves. These are arranged to collect the condensate that is formed for the transfer toward outside of the latent heat of vaporization from the steam that has been introduced inside the Yankee dryer cylinder.
Normally, the circumferential grooves have the same depth for all the length of the shell. See, for example, the document WO2008/105005 in this respect.
In WO2014/077761 is, instead, disclosed a Yankee dryer cylinder made of steel and comprising a cylindrical shell to which 2 heads are fixed, at opposite sides, by means of respective weld beads. The cylindrical shell has an internal surface provided with circumferential grooves. Normally, the depth of the circumferential grooves gradually increases going from the most external grooves to the most internal grooves, i.e. the thickness of the cylindrical shell decreases. In the document it is explained that this kind of geometry allows to simplify the production of the Yankee cylinder.
This technical solution, already largely used in the state of the art, and for example disclosed in the Italian patents IT276295 and IT277281 in the name of the same Applicant of the present application allows to make the cylinder highly resistant to stresses to which it is subjected in operating conditions, and at the same time to simplify the production with respect to other known solutions. Nevertheless, all the Yankee cylinders of prior art, above disclosed, have many drawbacks.
In operating conditions, the Yankee cylinders are subjected to high stresses, mainly thermoelastic stresses, due to the high temperature of the steam that is introduced, to pressure stresses, compressive forces and to the stresses due to the centrifugal force acting during the rotation of the cylinder about the rotation axis. Normally, the highest values both of the thermoelastic stresses and of the pressure stresses are recorded at the contact zones between the heads and the shell.
In fact, in operating conditions, the pressure deforms the shell and the heads in a different way. Therefore, the contact zones between the shell and the heads are the most stressed zones.
In the Yankee cylinders of prior art, which are obtained welding the shell made of steel to the heads, these too, made of steel, the zones where the welds, which weaken the structure, are executed, are the most stressed zones of all the structure. Analogous drawbacks have been shown also if bolts are used to connect the heads to the shell. In fact, at the end of the Yankee cylinder assembly, not rarely, portions of screws protrude from the side of the shell at the contact zones between the shell and the heads. The protruding portions of screws, in operating conditions, cause the stresses to concentrate at the connection zones.
Therefore, the stresses to which the Yankee cylinder is subjected concentrate at the connection zones between the shell and the heads and therefore, in operating conditions, cracks and slits can happen that can cause, over time, the structure to be broken.
This determines the need to periodically carry out controls for verifying that structural failures are not present and however this causes a short service life of the Yankee cylinder.
A Yankee cylinder having analogous drawbacks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,582.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a Yankee cylinder that, in operating conditions, with respect to the Yankee cylinders of prior art, allows to provide a more uniform distribution of the stresses, in particular of the thermo-elastic stresses, of the pressure stresses and of the stresses produced by the centrifugal force, allowing to increase the performances and the service life of the cylinder.
This and other objects are achieved by a method for producing a Yankee dryer cylinder comprising the steps of:
Preferably, the above said stud is a conical stud.
Advantageously, each of stud is clamped to a respective head by means of a clamping nut. Preferably, an interposition step is provided for interposing a washer made of copper, in particular made of annealed copper, between the head and the clamping nut, in such a way to compensate, in operating conditions, for clearances, if any.
According to the invention, the above mentioned forging step is a rolling carried out by means of at least a first bending roll and a second bending roll arranged, in use, to rotate about a respective rotation axis for exert their action, respectively, on said opposite surfaces of said wall of said cylindrical tubular semifinished product. More precisely, the first and the second bending roll are configured in such a way to provide the first thickness s1 at the central portion of the wall and the above disclosed second thickness s2 at the terminal portions.
In particular, the step of executing the plurality of grooves at the internal surface of the cylindrical tubular semifinished product is carried out by machining.
Preferably, the step of executing a plurality of grooves at the internal surface provides to execute a first and a second group of end grooves at the first and the second terminal portion of the shell. Each of the first and of the second group of end grooves comprises at least a first and at least a second circumferential groove having a width I that increases and a depth d that decreases going towards the enlarged terminal portion of the shell. In this way it is possible to uniformly distribute the loads in operating conditions.
Advantageously, the step of executing the plurality of grooves provides a step of executing a group of central grooves between the first and the second group of end grooves. More precisely, the central grooves have all the same width I that is lower than the width of the end grooves and the same depth d that is greater than the depth of the end grooves.
In particular, at the end of the forging step the enlarged terminal portion is provided with an internal tapered surface which delimits a groove having a width that is greater than the width of the adjacent end groove and a depth that is lower than the depth of the adjacent groove.
In an embodiment of the invention, the step of executing each group of end grooves provides to execute a first, a second and at least a third circumferential groove, at the internal surface of the tubular semifinished product. In particular, the first, the second and the third circumferential groove have a width I that increases and a depth d that decreases going towards the enlarged terminal portion of the shell.
Advantageously, the following steps are furthermore provided:
The invention will be now shown with the following description of its exemplary embodiments, exemplifying but not limitative, with reference to the attached drawings in which:
As diagrammatically shown in the block-scheme of
According to the invention a step is furthermore provided of executing a plurality of longitudinal blind holes 17 at the external surface 14, 16 of the enlarged terminal portions 111b,111c of the cylindrical shell 10, block 403.
Then, the positioning follows of the heads 20 and 30 at the opposite enlarged terminal portions of the cylindrical shell 10 and the fixing of the same to the shell 10 by means of studs 50, block 404. More precisely, each head 20, 30 is provided with a plurality of through holes 27 each of which, in use, is aligned with a respective dead hole 17. Therefore, the connection of the heads 20 and 30 to the shell 10 is carried out screwing the studs 50 in the holes 17 and 27 positioned aligned, block 405.
The dryer cylinder 1 is, then, completed positioning a hollow shaft 40 within the cylindrical shell 10, coaxially to the same, a first bearing journal 70 at the first head 20, and a second bearing journal 80 at the second head 30. In particular, a first end of each bearing journal 70, 80 is housed, in use, in a hole of a respective head 20, or 30, whereas the opposite end is mounted within a bearing 75, or 85. The hollow shaft 40 is, then, fixed to the heads 20 and 30 and to the bearing journals 70 and 80 by means of bolts.
As shown in detailed in the
The technical solution provided by the present invention allows to obtain a more homogeneous distribution of the stresses, in particular the thermoelastic stresses, the pressure stresses and the stresses due to the centrifugal force, allowing to increase the performances and the service life of the cylinder.
In fact, in operating conditions, the pressure tends to differently deform both the shell and the heads. Therefore, the contact zones between the shell and the heads are the most stressed zones.
For the above discussed reasons, at the connection zones between the shell and the heads concentrate the stresses to which the Yankee cylinder is subjected and therefore, in operating conditions, cracks and slits can happen that can cause, over time, the structure to be broken.
The solution provided by the present invention, instead, allows to increase the thickness of the shell at the terminal portions and at the same time to avoid to introduce elements that weaken the structure as for example welds, or protruding portions of screws. Therefore, in operating conditions, a more uniform distribution of the loads is achieved. A further advantage of using the studs, with respect to the using of the traditional through screws, is to avoid trapping the air in the hole within which the screw is screwed. In fact, the presence of air within the holes, or the hollows, of the structure can cause cracks and slits, because of the high temperatures at which the Yankee cylinders work, the air increases the pressure and therefore produces concentrated stresses.
As diagrammatically shown in the figures the forging step provides a rolling carried out by means of at least a first bending roll 210 and a second bending roll 220 arranged, in use, to rotate about a respective rotation axis 215 and 225 in order to exert their action at the respective opposite surfaces 112 and 113 of the wall 111 of the cylindrical tubular semifinished product 110. More precisely, the bending rolls 210 and 220 are configured in such a way that, during the rolling, the thickness s of the cylindrical tubular semifinished product 110 is reduced to a first value s1 at a central portion and to a second thickness s2, with s2>s1, at the terminal portions.
As shown in detailed, for example in
This particular geometry of the circumferential grooves 15, together with the absence of welds, or of protruding portions of screws, or bolts, at the side of the shell 10, allow to optimize the performances of the Yankee cylinder 1 with respect to the Yankee cylinders of prior art.
Between the first and the second group of end grooves a group of central grooves is provided having all the same width I, that is lower than the width of the end grooves, and the same depth d, that is greater than the depth of the end grooves.
At the end of the forging step, the enlarged terminal portion 111b, 111c is provided with an internal tapered surface 14′, 16′ arranged to delimit a groove 18 having a width I greater than the width of the groove of the adjacent end and a depth d lower than the depth of the adjacent end.
In a different embodiment, furthermore, the step of executing the plurality of grooves 15 at the internal surface 112 provides to make a first groove 15a, 15′a, of a second 15b, 15′b, and of at least a third circumferential groove 15c, 15′c having a width I that increases and a depth d that decreases going towards the enlarged terminal portion 111b, or 111c, of the shell 10.
In an advantageous embodiment, each head 20, 30 comprises a lowered central portion 21, 31 that is lowered towards the inside of the Yankee cylinder 1 and a terminal portion 22, 32 connected to the lowered central portion 21, 31 by means of a connection portion 23, 33. This can be substantially flat, or curvilinear, i.e. substantially concave. At the connection portion 23, 33 of a head 20, 30 at least an inspection aperture 25 can be provided, for example 2 inspection apertures. These assure that, during the assembly, or maintenance operations, the staff can work in safety. In a possible embodiment each connection portion of each head is provided with 2 inspection apertures arranged at 180°.
In particular, each inspection aperture 25 has a tubular shape. The tubular shape of inspection apertures 25 allows to simplify and improve dynamic balancing of the whole structure and to help the staff to enter inside the Yankee dryer cylinder 1. The tubular entrance of the inspection apertures, furthermore, increases the structural stiffness of the head and therefore of the whole Yankee cylinder.
As shown in detailed in
According to the invention, at least these circumferential grooves 15 have a radius of curvature r that is greater than the radius of curvature r″ of the circumferential grooves 15 positioned at the central portion 11 of the cylindrical shell 10, i.e. r>r″.
More in detail, the radius of curvature r of the first and of the second circumferential groove 15a, 15b and 15′a, 15′b of the first and of the second group is set between 9.5 and 10.5 mm, for example r=10 mm.
As shown, for example, in
Concerning the depth of the first circumferential end grooves 15a and 15′a has been demonstrated that ideal conditions are obtained with a depth d1 between 25 and 27 mm, preferably d1=26 mm. Analogously, the second circumferential grooves 15b, 15′b of the first and of the second group preferably have a depth d2 set between 30 and 32 mm, preferably d2=31 mm.
In an embodiment provided by the invention, the circumferential grooves 15′″ of the group of intermediate grooves have a depth d′″ between 31 and 33 mm, preferably a depth d′″=32 mm.
As for example shown in
The foregoing description exemplary embodiments of the invention will so fully reveal the invention according to the conceptual point of view, so that others, by applying current knowledge, will be able to modify and/or adapt for various applications such embodiment without further research and without parting from the invention, and, accordingly, it is therefore to be understood that such adaptations and modifications will have to be considered as equivalent to the specific embodiments. The means and the materials to realise the different functions described herein could have a different nature without, for this reason, departing from the field of the invention. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology that is employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102015000018356 | May 2015 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2016/052906 | 5/18/2016 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/189430 | 12/1/2016 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4320582 | Klippstein et al. | Mar 1982 | A |
| 8438752 | Mennucci | May 2013 | B2 |
| 9206540 | Lim | Dec 2015 | B2 |
| 20140033789 | Krasser | Feb 2014 | A1 |
| 20160130758 | Schmid | May 2016 | A1 |
| 20180179705 | Sorrentino | Jun 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 276295 | Mar 2013 | IT |
| 277281 | Aug 2013 | IT |
| WO 2008105005 | Sep 2008 | WO |
| WO 2014077761 | May 2014 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report dated Aug. 17, 2016, issued to International Application No. PCT/IB2016/052906. |
| Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Aug. 17, 2016, issued to International Application No. PCT/IB2016/052906. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180171556 A1 | Jun 2018 | US |
