1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a press device. Also it relates to a method for converting a press device in order to increase the linear force in an individual press nip, and to a multiple-nip press device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Press sections on machines for producing fibrous webs are already known in numerous embodiments from the prior art. Different press concepts are realized depending on the number of press nips to be passed through and on the arrangement and construction of the rolls forming said press nips. In the individual press devices the press nips are created by way of two rolls, whereby one of the rolls can be constructed for example as a shoe press roll. From publication EP 1 445 375 A1 there is already known for example a Duo Nipcoflex arrangement. On said arrangement the fibrous web is passed in the region of the press section successively through two press nips which are formed by two press devices in series. The first press device is characterized in that a suction press roll interacts with a shoe press roll. In this case the suction press roll is configured, looking in the vertical direction, as an upper roll and characterized by a rigid, meaning non-flexible rotatable roll cover. To discharge fluid or the water emerging from the fibrous web in the press nip, provision is made on the roll cover for openings which extend from the outer circumference into the roll cover and are discharged out of said cover through channels extending over the width of the roll through the roll cover, whereby the discharging takes place into a suitable end-face receiving box. Also described in this publication is a compact press arrangement, whereby in this case the suction press roll is involved in constructing two press nips, in particular the first and the second press nip arranged successively in the fibrous web running direction. The third roll, which together with the suction press roll forms the second press nip, forms together with another suction press roll a third press nip. The passing of the fibrous web between the individual press nips always takes place on the surface of a roll with no free draw.
An embodiment of a suction press roll is known from DE 100 22 353 A1. Said embodiment has several channels on the roll cover, whereby each channel has two openings which are arranged offset to each other in the circumferential direction and lead out of the suction press roll, and outside the press nip there is at least one suction apparatus acting on the outer cover face of the roll cover, whereby the distance between the respective openings of the channels in the circumferential direction is selected such that during rotation of the roll cover the suction apparatus always stands in connection to at least a part of the openings momentarily in the press nip via their channels.
On embodiments of said kind, linear force increases are limited by the shell curvature permissible for the suction press roll cover. If said linear force is to be increased on a press device, it is necessary as a rule in the case of conversions to provide a larger suction press roll diameter, which in part cannot be installed at all or only at great expense in the existing construction space, which is fixed by the presence of additional devices such as ducts, doctor blades and supports, thus making complex conversions necessary or limiting the possibility of a linear force increase.
What is needed in the art is a suction press roll by way of which, compared to conventional suction press rolls with the same diameter, far higher linear forces can be produced in the press nip in interaction with the mating roll. The inventive solution should also be suitable in this case for retrofitting in existing press devices in order to increase the providable linear force.
According to the invention, a linear force increase can be achieved in press devices with suction press rolls of identical or smaller size than conventional suction press rolls by equipping the suction press rolls with a compliance compensator. Said compensator is arranged parallel to and in the longitudinal axis of the suction press roll, meaning it extends over the width of the suction press roll. Decisive for a compliance compensator is the provision of a closed surface. Two basic embodiments are possible according to the invention depending on the embodiment of the roll cover of the suction press roll.
According to the first basic embodiment of an inventive suction press roll on a press device, the suction press roll includes a perforated roll cover which encloses an interior space, whereby arranged in the interior space is a suction zone which extends at least over a sub-region of the inner circumference of the roll cover in the circumferential direction. According to the invention there is arranged in the inside of the roll cover a shoe press roll which acts or is made to act against the inner circumference of the roll cover of the suction press roll. By way of the shoe press roll it is possible, as the result of its closed cover, to apply, at the inner circumference of the press cover of the suction press roll, a higher bracing force onto said suction press roll over the width, meaning parallel to the longitudinal axis of the suction press roll, such that a counter-force to the force of the mating roll is generated in this region. Hence it is possible to establish an increase of the linear force in the press nip compared to conventional suction press rolls, whereby local or locally different linear force characteristics over the width of the suction press roll can be established depending on the embodiment. The establishment of said force characteristics can be effected in this case steplessly or in steps.
The shoe press roll in the interior space is arranged in the suction zone. The suction region extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the suction press roll and, looking in the circumferential direction at the inner circumference, over a part of said circumference, whereby the arrangement of the suction zone is effected such that said zone extends, looking in the running direction of the fibrous web, at the inner circumference from a region in front of the press nip to behind said press nip. In this case the shoe press roll forms together with the suction box a pre-suction compartment, which looking in the fibrous web running direction becomes active in front of the press nip, and a holding zone which becomes active behind the press nip, meaning after the exit from said nip. The press cover of the suction press roll itself is equipped with through-openings which extend from the outer circumference of the press cover as far as the inner circumference, thus creating a connection between the outer circumference and the inner circumference of the suction press roll, in particular the suction zone.
The shoe press arrangement includes a circulating flexible belt which is pressed by way of a pressing-on unit against the inner circumference of the press cover of the suction roller. On the one hand said circulating belt separates the suction region of the suction roll from the shoe pressing region and on the other hand it creates a suction zone boundary. In this case use is made of the fact that once evacuated suction bores maintain their vacuum in part even when no vacuum is applied. The belt is by comparison impermeable and has a closed cover face.
Classically bored suction press roll covers can be used as the suction press roll cover. Also, conventional suction press roll covers, which may be available in the case of a conversion, can be used here accordingly for retrofitting. The through-openings extend in radial direction from the outer circumference to the inner circumference, meaning perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the suction press roll.
Similarly, the shoe press roll integrated in the suction press roll can be a standard version which needs to be modified only with regard to its installation in the suction press roll. The shoe press roll itself includes a pressing-on unit, preferably with a pressing-on element in the form of a press shoe, whose pressing-on face is constructed to be convex and extends partly in the circumferential direction and further over the width, meaning parallel to the longitudinal direction of the press roll. The bracing can be effected for example by way of piston elements, spring devices or pressure accumulator elements on a support element.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the flexible press cover of the shoe press roll is made from a wear-free or high wear-resistant material in order to prevent unnecessary replacement of the flexible belt.
There are no restrictions with regard to the concrete embodiment of the suction box. In this connection it is also possible, with regard to the assignment of the suction device to said suction box, particularly at the side on the end faces, to resort to the possibilities existing from the prior art. The suction box in the interior space of the press roll is sealed from the inner circumference of the press cover by way of suitable sealing devices.
A second embodiment of the inventive solution consists of combining in one press roll two concepts known from the prior art. This is achieved in that the suction device no longer becomes active in the interior space and hence the fluid-gas mix no longer needs to be passed into the interior space of the press cover in order to be discharged from there but is passed directly through the press cover and evacuated preferably at the side in the region of the end faces. As the result, the inner face describing the inner circumference of the press cover can be kept closed, whereby the closed construction makes it possible to resort here to pressing-on units which enable the linear force to be established in particular over the width or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the press roll. This is achieved in that provision is made for pressing-on units which include one or a multiplicity of pressing-on elements which become active at the inner circumference or exert a pressure on said inner circumference in the direction of the press nip and hence create a bracing force in relation to the mating roll. Here it is possible, depending on the embodiment, to combine different sub-variants with each other.
According to a first sub-embodiment provision is made for only one bracing unit. According to another embodiment provision is made for pressing-on units of this kind for each individual press nip which can be formed on the suction press roll such that the inventively constructed suction press roll is also suitable for the construction of press nips with a higher establishable linear force. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment provision is made therefore in addition for a second yoke on which piston elements active on the inner circumference can be braced for the purpose of the compliance compensator or a pressing-on element extending over the width. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the generatable linear force can be influenced likewise by way of the locally different, in particular zone-based control of the bracing elements, in particular piston elements. As the result, the precision adjustment of the compliance compensator is possible.
Passing the fluid-gas mix through the roll cover is advantageous in that the suction zone is not integrated in the roll and therefore the roll compliance does not limit the maximum possible linear force. The passage through the roll cover can be effected in various ways. According to a first embodiment, provision is made for openings which extend from the outer circumference of the roll cover in said cover and are discharged out of said cover via central channels or through-bores into the end-face regions and passed on from there via separate devices, meaning outside the roll. Another possibility, instead of connecting the bores via a central bore to a suitable suction device, is to route the bores through the press cover such that during operation in press devices the opening on the surface, meaning on the outer cover is always in the press nip and the second opening is in a region outside the press nip, whereby in this case a device for evacuation should also be provided.
The mating rolls of the inventively constructed suction press rolls can be rolls of various types of construction. According to a first embodiment, the mating roll can be constructed as a so-called Nipcoflex roll, meaning an extended press nip is obtained by passing a flexible roll cover over a concavely/convexly formed press shoe. According to another embodiment, the mating roll can also be a solid cover roll. This applies analogously also for the second embodiment.
By way of the inventive solution it is possible to exert an effect, in the press nip looking over the width of the machine, selectively on corresponding linear force increases and their repercussions and to actively control said repercussions.
According to a particularly advantageous further aspect, the inventive solution is used for suction press rolls on press devices for which provision is made for at least two suction press rolls of the same type on one press device. Compared to conventional suction press rolls without an inventive compliance compensator, inventive suction press rolls with identical or smaller diameter can be used for the same establishable line forces, which means that a simple replacement of conventional suction press rolls by inventively constructed suction press rolls is also possible for effecting a linear force increase.
The inventive solution can be used on a press apparatus, in particular a multiple-nip press apparatus including a first press device and a second downstream press device. The first press device includes a first roll, which together with a second roll as mating roll forms a first press nip and together with a central roll forms a second press nip downstream from the first press nip in the fibrous web running direction, and a third press nip which is constructed between the central roll and a third roll. Downstream from the first press device is a second press device which includes two rolls forming a further fourth press nip. In this case the first roll of the first press device and one roll of the second press device are constructed as suction press rolls, preferably according to the invention. The suction press rolls are identical, as the result of which they can be exchanged and the stocks of spare parts reduced.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
As already explained, the linear force in the press nip 4 can be varied by the device 21. Preferably a device for controlling the pressing-on force as a function of the linear force to be established is assigned to said device. With regard to the construction of the shoe press roll 6 it is possible to resort to conventional construction concepts. The press shoe 19 can be lubricated in this case hydrostatically and/or hydrodynamically. Actuation of the pressing-on elements is effected preferably hydraulically. Other embodiments are likewise possible.
The second embodiment is characterized by a combination of the known characteristics of a rigid roll cover with openings for the purpose of evacuating or routing the fluid-gas mix through the cover 27 and an arrangement of a pressing-on unit 34 which becomes active at the inner circumference 32 of the roll cover 27 and braces said roll cover via said inner circumference on the supporting element, in particular yoke.
While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2007 024 508.6 | May 2007 | DE | national |