Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6241081
-
Patent Number
6,241,081
-
Date Filed
Thursday, October 21, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 5, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Caesar, Rivise, Bernstein, Cohen & Pokotilow, Ltd.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 198 8442
- 024 34
- 024 39
- 474 218
- 474 221
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A seam arrangement for connecting the two ends of a fabric so as to form an endless belt, particularly for use in papermaking. The seam arrangement comprises two endless coils (10) which are respectively located at the free ends of the fabric and on interdigitation are brought into union by a pintle wire. Each loop of the coils (10) is secured by a “short” fabric loop (22) and a “long” fabric loop (18). The short fabric loop is located at the right hand side of the long fabric loop when looking up the fabric towards the seam.
Description
This invention relates to a modified spiral seam arrangement.
Spiral seams are used for example to connect the ends of fabrics to form endless belts for use in paper machine clothing, especially press felt base cloths or dryer fabrics.
In a spiral seam, the ends of a fabric are provided at each edge to be formed with a loop structure capable of interdigitating with a corresponding loop structure on the opposite edge, and the seam is usually secured by means of a pintle wire or rod extending axially through the interdigitated loops. Conveniently, the loops are provided by means of a pair of, preferably flattened, helical coils, each formed from a single continuous metal wire, plastic coated wire, or suitable plastic monofilament. The helical coils are woven into the fabric, or otherwise secured depending upon the nature of the substrate. One side of the spiral is substantially flatter than the other so that the loops are substantially D shaped, the flatter sides being directed towards the paper supporting surface of the fabric in plan view, from the more curved side, each loop of the spiral has an N-shape.
Machine direction (MD) warp yarns are woven in repeat groups of four to each turn of the helical coil. Alternate yarns run short, and the remaining spaced yarns extend into the fringed area and are looped around the leg of the coil adjacent the seam, and a return portion of each is back woven into the fabric in the space made available by the yarns which have run short to in effect provide a continuous warp path.
The weave pattern is such that one of the MD yarns forms a “long”fabric loop, floated over at least the last cross machine weft yarn, and the other a “short”fabric loop coming from below the last weft yarn or floated over fewer yarns than the “long” fabric loop. In the known fabric seam the “short” fabric loop lies between the diagonal and the left hand vertical limb of the N-shape of the spiral coil loop. In this arrangement the “short” fabric loop distorts the coil loop to such an extent that part of the seam moves proud of the belt. This results in undesirable marking of the paper which is being manufactured on the belt.
According to the present invention there is provided a seam arrangement for connecting the ends of a fabric so as to form an endless belt, the seam arrangement comprising a first coil provided at one of said ends of the fabric and a second coil provided at the other of said ends of the fabric, wherein the two coils are operable to be interdigitated and secured together by means of a pintle wire which may be passed through the interdigitated coil loops, and wherein two machine direction yarns of the fabric are passed through each loop of a coil so as to secure the coil to the fabric edge, the machine direction yarns associated with each coil loop providing a “long” fabric loop and a “short” fabric loop, characterised in that each coil loop notionally forms an N-shape with the top of the N-shape being provided by the free ends of the coil loop which are remote from the fabric end to which that coil loop is secured, and in that the “short” fabric loop lies between the “lon” fabric loop and the right hand limb of the N-shape of the spiral coil loop.
Space for back-weaving the MD yarns is created by terminating selected MD yarns short of the edge region, at a joining point, and the return portions back woven to the joining point so that there is no perceptible break in the weave. The MD yarns would preferably be warp yarns.
It has been found that an arrangement of this kind allows the spiral coil to be seated closer into the plane of the fabric, so that the coil stands less proud and thus reduces the extent or depth of any embossing or marking inflicted by the coil on paper which is supported on the fabric and the less proud configuration of the seam makes it less prone to wear.
An embodiment of the invention will now be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1
is a sectional weave diagram of a seam of a known form of helical seam;
FIG. 2
is a diagrammatic plan view showing the weave of the seam of
FIG. 1
from above;
FIG. 3
is a diagram corresponding to
FIG. 1
showing the weave of a seam according to the invention; and
FIG. 4
is a diagrammatic plan view, similar to
FIG. 2
of the seam of FIG.
3
.
In a prior art spiral seam, as illustrated diagrammatically in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a flattened helical coil member
10
has a large number of turns, each having a leg
11
, alongside the edge of the woven fabric. The coil
10
is flatter on its upperside
10
a
, than on its lower side
10
b
, thus providing a ‘D’ shaped outline. In plan (as seen from
FIG. 2
) each loop has the shape of an ‘N’ with the lower side parts
10
b
forming the diagonal of the N-shape. In the example, the fabric comprises two layers of cross-machine direction weft yarns,
12
, with an upper layer and a lower layer of staggered yams. Machine direction warp yarns
14
are woven through the weft yarns
12
in a pattern wherein each warp yarn floats over two weft yarns in the upper layer, and passes under one weft yam in the lower layer in each repeat.
The seam is formed with two MD yarns for each turn of the coil member
10
, a first MD yarn
16
, shown in
FIG. 1
as a continuous double line, has a main part
19
which forms a “long” fabric loop
18
, over the last two upper layer cross-machine yarns and under and around the leg
11
of the coil adjacent the fabric edge. The yams nest in the ‘V’ between the nearer end of each coil upper side
10
a
and lower side
10
b
, with the “short” fabric loop
22
nesting on the apex of the ‘V’ and the “long” fabric loop
18
further out on the part
10
b
. The return section
17
of the MD yarn
16
passes over the leg
11
, and then passes over the upper yarn adjacent the seam, and is back woven into the fabric for a few repeats. The weave space is filled by a normal MD yarn, which is cut short to terminate adjacent the woven back end of section
17
. (This is not shown in the drawings).
A second MD yarn
20
has a main part
21
which forms a “short” fabric loop
22
, as it emerges from below the last bottom layer cross-machine yarn and below the last upper layer yarn to pass under and around the leg
11
, adjacent the “long” fabric loop
18
. After it passes about the leg
11
of the spiral yam
20
forms a return portion
23
which passes over the last cross-machine yarn and is then woven back into the fabric for several repeats. As with the woven-back end
19
of yarn
16
, the space for this is provided by cutting short a normal MD yarn.
As can best be seen from
FIG. 2
, the return portions
17
,
23
of yams
16
,
20
are located alternatingly with the main portions, the sequence from top to bottom of the figure being: main part
21
of yarn
20
(short fabric loop); return part
23
of yarn
20
; main part
19
of yarn
16
(long fabric loop); return part
17
of yarn
16
.
The fabric loops
18
,
22
pass about the lower part
10
b
of the spiral.
It can be seen from
FIG. 2
that the “short” fabric loop distorts the N-shape of the coil loop, forcing the diagonal
11
upwards in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the fabric, resulting in a proud seam. When viewed from above the N-shape can be seen to be significantly distorted. The “long” fabric loop is consequently less tightly bound around the diagonal and consequently it contributes less to seam strength.
FIGS. 3 and 4
illustrate the weave pattern of a spiral seam arrangement according to the invention. The arrangement of cross-machine direction weft yams
32
is the same as that of FIG.
1
—upper and lower layers with the yarns staggered, and a helical coil member
30
which is of the same configuration as that of
FIG. 1
with more flattened upper parts
30
a
and more bowed lower parts
30
b
, appearing in plan view as an ‘N’ shape. The machine direction warp yarns
34
are again woven through the weft yarns
32
in a pattern wherein each warp yarn floats over two weft yarns in the upper layer, and passes below one weft yarn in the lower layer in each repeat.
The seam is formed with two MD warp yarns for each turn of the coil member
30
. A first MD yarn
36
, shown in
FIG. 3
is a continuous double line, has a main part
39
which forms a “short” fabric loop
38
, passing below the last cross-machine yarn of the upper layer and under the last cross-machine yam of the lower layer, about the part
30
b
, and then returns below the last two cross-machine yams of the upper layer, to form a return portion
37
which is back woven into the fabric for several repeats. The weave space is created by ending a normal MD yam to terminate in a joining zone with the end of woven-back portion
37
. (This is not shown in the drawing).
A second MD yarn
40
is shown in
FIG. 3
as a dashed broken line, and has a main part
43
which forms a “long” fabric loop
42
which passes over the last two upper layer cross-machine yarns, about the part
30
b
of the coil, and passes over the coil, to form a return portion
41
, which passes over the last cross-machine yarn, to be woven back into the fabric for several repeats. As
FIG. 4
shows, the arrangement of the main and return yarn portions is different from that shown in FIG.
2
.
The
FIG. 4
arrangement in practice has the effect that the spiral is less distorted by its connection with the fabric ends and is seated better into the plane of the fabric, thus reducing marking of any paper supported on the fabric. The seam stands less proud and is also less prone to wear than previous seams. The seam achieves a far stronger seam with respect to the length direction of the fabric and the coil is less prone to rotating, so that interdigitation of the two opposed loop structures during fabric seaming is made easier.
It is to be understood that the embodiment described with reference to
FIGS. 3 and 4
is by way of illustration only. Many modifications and variations are possible.
Claims
- 1. A seam arrangement for connecting the ends of a fabric so as to form an endless belt, the seam arrangement comprising a first coil provided at one of said ends of the fabric and a second coil provided at the other of said ends of the fabric, wherein the two coils are operable to be interdigitated and secured together by means of a pintle wire which may be passed through the interdigitated coil loops, and wherein two machine direction yarns of the fabric are passed through each loop of a coil so as to secure the coil to the fabric end, the machine direction yarns associated with each coil loop providing a “long” fabric loop and a “short” fabric loop, characterised in that each coil loop notionally forms an N-shape, with the top of the N-shape being provided by free ends of the coil loop which are remote from the fabric end to which that coil loop is secured, and in that the “short” fabric loop lies between the “long” fabric loop and a right hand limb of the N-shape of the coil loop.
- 2. A modified spiral seam arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of machine direction yarns are terminated short of the fabric end, at a joining point, and a return portion back woven to the joining point.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9703297 |
Feb 1997 |
GB |
|
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
102e Date |
371c Date |
PCT/GB98/00361 |
|
WO |
00 |
8/21/1999 |
8/21/1999 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO98/37272 |
8/27/1998 |
WO |
A |
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
12 51 105 |
Sep 1967 |
DE |
0 275 656 |
Jul 1988 |
EP |
0 364 066 |
Apr 1990 |
EP |