Web cleaning method

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6193810
  • Patent Number
    6,193,810
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, November 30, 1999
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 27, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A method of cleaning tissue webs in a rewinder utilize the Coanda effect to produce an improved tissue product. The Coanda effect web cleaner utilizes the smooth flow of a thin layer of air to scrub off dust and lint embedded and entangled in the web surface while stabilizing the web in its travel. Two of these Coanda effect web cleaners arranged on opposite sides of a multiple-ply web in a rewinder are effective when operated according to the method of the invention to produce a rewound tissue with an unexpectedly low loose dust and lint count on its surfaces.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention is generally in the field of paper manufacturing. It relates particularly to the manufacturing of tissue paper products such as facial tissue and the like.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A common complaint among users of facial tissues is that loose dust particles and/or lint fall off the tissue before use. They accumulate on the tissue carton top and counter surfaces. They cling to eyeglass lens when the tissue is used to clean them. They are, of course, considered unacceptable by the consumer.




The terms “dust particles” and “lint” which are used here are relatively general when considered out of context. For purposes of discussing this invention, however, dust is considered to be discrete particles of 0.4 mm or less in length, while lint is considered to be composed of longer particles or fibers, most of which are tissue making fibers.




In the process by which facial tissue, for example, is manufactured, dust and lint are found in several contexts. The tissue web has a quantity of loose dust and lint embedded or entangled in its surfaces, much of it a by-product of the creping step. As the web travels through the tissue reeling and rewinding operations, a boundary layer of air attaches to each of the web surfaces and becomes contaminated with dust and lint entrained in the air flow. Finally, the larger environment in which the manufacturing operations take place also contains a certain amount of environmental dust and lint.




Regardless of where the dust and lint is found, producing tissue with a minimum amount of loose dust and lint remaining on the surface of the finished product has long been an aim of the manufacturing process. Most systems and methods for reducing dust and lint on tissue during production have relied primarily on area containment and removal which would meet OSHA air quality standards. Some systems have been employed which attempt to remove loose dust and lint directly from tissue during its manufacture, however. For example, it is known to simply direct air jets at the surfaces of a web in both the tissue forming machine and the rewinding machine in attempts to clean the web. Examples of web cleaners which employ such air jets are found in Doran et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,496, Olbrant et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,806 and Warfvinge U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,748.




It is also known to employ the Coanda effect to dry tissue webs and to remove dust and other particulate materials clinging to tissue webs in the tissue forming machine. The Lindstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,993 and the Lepisto U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,140 describe Coanda effect airflow used in drying. The Overly U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,177 employs the Coanda effect for web cleaning, although without using the term “Coanda”. Recently, Thermo Wisconsin, Inc., a Wisconsin company, has manufactured and sold a device called a FiberMaster web cleaner which employs the Coanda effect to control airflow for web cleaning. The FiberMaster web cleaner is constructed and operates substantially along the lines disclosed in the Pollack U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,298 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,294. It employs a Coanda effect nozzle and stepped airfoil to direct a turbulent stream of air in counterflow to the boundary layer of air accompanying the tissue on one side of the tissue. FiberMaster web cleaners are normally used in tissue reeling operations and utilize air pressures of 20 inches H


2


O or less. Yet another web cleaner employing the Coanda effect is disclosed in the Horn U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,300.




Although it seems clear that significant amounts of environmental dust and lint can be removed using air cleaners of one type or another, the incidence of customer complaints about loose dust and lint in the finished product persists. The present invention is directed toward overcoming the shortcomings of existing web cleaners and methods for removing dust and lint, and producing tissue which is lower in dust and lint content than heretobefore considered possible.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




An object of the present invention is to provide an improved Coanda effect web cleaner for removing dust and lint from a web of tissue during the manufacture of facial tissues or the like.




Another object is to provide a Coanda effect web cleaner for removing dust and lint from a web of tissue wherein air, dust and lint flow into an exhaust plenum in a controlled and improved manner.




Still another object is to provide a Coanda effect web cleaner which stabilizes the web as it passes and prevents web pull-down into the exhaust area.




A further object is to provide a Coanda effect web cleaner and web cleaning system which find particularly advantageous application for removing dust and lint from a web of tissue in a rewinding machine.




Still a further object is to provide a new and improved method for removing dust and lint from a web of tissue in a rewinding machine.




Yet a further object is to provide an improved tissue product having a surprisingly low dust and lint count.




The foregoing and other objects are realized in accord with the present invention by providing an improved Coanda effect web cleaner and system, a new and improved web cleaning method, and a resultant low dust and lint count tissue product. The improved Coanda effect web cleaner comprises an elongated, curved airfoil formed adjacent a narrow slit defining a Coanda nozzle out of which a jet of air is forced. The curved airfoil is a continuous, uninterrupted surface extending from adjacent the slit to an exhaust outlet for the unit. From about 15 to 35 cfm of air per foot of slit length exits the slit, under a relatively low pressure of between 20 and 80 inches H


2


O. The air exits the slit, which is 0.002 to 0.015 inches wide, in a thin layer and at a velocity of 18,000-34,000 fpm. The thin layer of air attaches to the airfoil surface as a result of the Coanda effect. As it does so, it scrubs away, and carries with it, the boundary layer of air which is traveling with an adjoining surface of a tissue web. This boundary layer air is laden with dust and lint. It also scrubs away dust and lint which is partially embedded, i.e., mechanically entangled, in the tissue surface. The Coanda effect air flow, with the dust and lint “scrubbed” from the web with the boundary layer, and with loose dust and lint physically pulled from the web surface, travels to the exhaust outlet along the airfoil surface and is drawn into an exhaust plenum.




A system of two of these improved web cleaners are mounted in a tissue web rewinding machine, one above and one below the web path. Each of these web cleaners includes a Coanda nozzle slit which is preferably 0.012 inches in width. According to the method of the invention, about 15 to 35 cfm of air per foot of slit under a pressure of between 20 and 80 inches H


2


O in an air supply plenum is forced out of each slit next to the adjacent airfoil surface. The resultant air jets create thin, stable, non-turbulent layers of air which attach to respective curved surfaces, creating low pressure zones adjacent each nozzle which tends to draw the tissue web toward that nozzle. The air jet created layers, traveling at high exit flow velocities of 18,000-34,000 fpm, carry dust and lint to exhaust plenums from both surfaces of the multiple-ply web in the rewinding machine. Meanwhile, slightly upstream of these air foil surfaces, each web cleaner has a web stabilizer airfoil which attracts and supports the moving web while preventing the web from being drawn far out of its path by the effect of the exhaust. The two web cleaners are offset from each other relative to web travel, the lower one being upstream, although they may be reversed or opposed to each other.




A multiple ply tissue is produced with an unexpectedly low dust and lint count. In practice, it has been found that a multiple ply tissue having an MD Slope of less than 8.0 Kg can be produced with a dust and lint count of less than 10,000 per eight square feet of tissue surface.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention, including an improved web cleaner, a system of web cleaners, and a method of cleaning surface dust and lint from a tissue web, is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a schematic illustration of a tissue rewinding machine incorporating improved Coanda effect web cleaners in a system embodying features of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of an improved Coanda effect web cleaner embodying features of the invention, in operational position adjacent a tissue web in a rewinding machine, with an end plate shown in phantom lines;





FIG. 3

is a side elevational view of the web cleaner and tissue web seen in

FIG. 2

, with an end plate removed; and





FIG. 4

is a graph illustrating loose fiber counts in converted facial tissue which has been treated by the web cleaning method embodying features of the present invention.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to

FIG. 1

, a tissue web rewinding machine is schematically illustrated at


10


. The rewinding machine


10


utilizes two soft roll reels


11


of tissue web positioned adjacent to each other. A web is drawn from each of the two reels


11


, so that two webs are traveling in face-to-face relationship, creating a two-ply web W


2


. The dryer side of each single ply web faces outwardly in the web W


2


. The web W


2


passes through a calendar


12


and then a crimping station


13


. The latter creates crimp bonds between the two plies.




After leaving the crimping station


13


, the crimped web W


2


travels to a slitting station


14


which creates multiple, 8½-inch wide webs of two-ply tissue. These 8½ inch wide webs are wound into hard rolls on a common core in a rewinder


15


. Subsequently, conventional converting operations are employed to cut, fold and package individual, multiple-ply tissues from the 8½-inch wide webs.




Between the crimping station


13


and the slitting station


14


, a system of improved Coanda effect web cleaners


20


and


120


embodying features of the invention are utilized, according to the invention, to remove loose dust and lint from the dry side surfaces of the web W


2


and from the boundary layers of dust and lint laden air accompanying them. As will hereinafter be discussed in detail, the construction and arrangement of the system of web cleaners


20


and


120


, and the method of cleaning the tissue web W


2


, are effective to remove substantial quantities of dust and lint from the web surfaces and, consequently, to improve the quality of facial tissue products. Accepted knowledge has been that downstream converting operations tend to create dust and lint, negating any benefits of cleaning the web in the rewinding operation. Specifically, it was thought that the tissue being dragged across web handling components downstream would create more dust and lint than could be removed upstream. The system and method of the present invention have been able to effect such substantial cleaning in the rewinder that an overall reduction remains after downstream converting operations.




Referring now to

FIG. 2

, a web cleaner


20


embodying features of the present invention is shown in greater detail. The web cleaner


20


is shown in operational relationship with a two-ply tissue web W


2


immediately upstream of the slitting station


14


and the rewinder


15


.




Referring also to

FIG. 3

, the web cleaner


20


underlies the web W


2


. As it moves, the web W


2


carries a boundary layer of air along with it, on both its upper and lower surfaces. These boundary layers of air, which might be several inches thick in a rewinding machine, entrain loose environmental dust and lint. If this dust and lint is not removed, it adheres to the web W


2


as the web is further processed. The web W


2


also has loose dust and lint on its surfaces and partially embedded or entangled in its surfaces. If this dust and lint is not removed, it also ends up on the finished tissue product.




The web cleaner


20


includes an air supply plenum and airfoil housing


22


. The housing


22


extends across the width of the web W


2


and is mounted on one side of a correspondingly elongated exhaust housing


23


.




The housing


22


has arcuate wall


24


with an outer surface


25


which forms an airfoil. Below the wall


24


, inside the housing


22


, a scrubber air supply plenum


28


is mounted. A generally C-shaped channel member


26


supports the plenum


28


. The air supply plenum


28


receives air under pressure from a suitable supply (not shown).




A Coanda nozzle


29


is formed along the length of the plenum


28


, adjacent to and overlooking the airfoil surface


25


. The nozzle


29


is defined by a slit in the plenum


28


, immediately adjacent the wall


24


. The slit


29


is 0.012 (±0.0002) inches in width along its entire length. In the web cleaner


20


illustrated, the slit would be approximately 190 inches long.




In operation of the web cleaner


20


, as hereinafter discussed, air under a pressure of 20 to 80 inches H


2


O in the plenum


28


is forced out of the slit


29


at about 15-35 cfm (per foot length of slit) to create a jet of air directed toward the web W


2


in a thin layer. The thin layer of air, traveling at between 18,000 and 34,000 fpm, attaches to and flows over the airfoil surface


25


, following it in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the web W


2


.




The exhaust housing


23


is octagonal in cross-section. The housing


23


is also tapered and contains a correspondingly frusto-conically shaped exhaust plenum


30


. A small diameter end


31


of the plenum


30


is closed by an end plate


33


(seen in dotted lines in FIG.


3


). A large diameter outlet port


32


is formed in the large diameter end.




An exhaust slot


35


extends along the length of the plenum


30


. The exhaust slot


35


is oriented so that it forms a passage extending tangentially into the plenum


30


. The inlet opening


36


to the slot


35


is positioned immediately adjacent the terminal end


37


of the airfoil surface


25


. In this relationship, the slot


35


is also oriented so as to extend in substantial alignment with the airfoil surface


25


in the area adjacent the terminal end


37


where this surface approaches the opening


36


, i.e., it is disposed at an angle of less than 30° to the surface


25


in this area.




Upstream (relative to web W


2


travel) of the airfoil surface


25


and the exhaust slot


35


is an exhaust damper housing


40


. The damper housing


40


is in the form of an airfoil and has an upper surface which extends rearwardly, at


41


, from a leading edge surface


42


and downwardly, at


43


, to a trailing edge


44


. A lower surface


45


also extends rearwardly from the surface


42


to the trailing edge


44


. The damper housing


40


extends across the width of the web W


2


, like the housings


22


and


23


. The housing


40


is supported in the unit


20


in a manner which permits adjustment of the positions of surfaces


43


and


45


, for reasons hereinafter discussed.




The damper housing


40


functions as both a flow control airfoil for boundary layer airflow and as an exhaust damper. In the latter regard, it will be seen that the flat surface


45


forms a restricted passage


46


with the outer surface


47


of the exhaust housing


23


. At the same time, the surface


43


forms a restricted passage


48


with the airfoil surface


25


adjacent its terminal end


37


.




The damper housing


40


has a web stabilizer


50


mounted on pylons


51


on its upper surface


41


. The stabilizer


50


also has an airfoil-shape in cross-section. It has an upper airfoil surface


54


which extends between a leading edge


55


and a trailing edge


56


. A lower, curved surface


58


also defines an airfoil. The web stabilizer


50


extends along the housing


40


over the entire width of the web W


2


. According to the invention, for reasons hereinafter discussed, the top of the airfoil surface is positioned about one-half inch (½″) lower than the airfoil surface


25


above the nozzle


29


.




In operation of the web cleaner


20


in the rewinding machine, the web W


2


is traveling at 2000-4000 fpm with a boundary layer of air and entrained environmental dust and lint on its upper and lower surfaces. The underlying boundary layer traveling with the web W


2


strikes the lead-in stabilizer airfoil


50


and a large portion of the boundary layer is torn away, i.e., separates from the web, and flows under the airfoil surface


58


. The web W


2


is supported and stabilized across its width by the upper surface


54


of the stabilizer


50


, on the remaining boundary layer air with its entrained dust and lint.




The tissue web W


2


travels on toward the airfoil surface


25


. Air at a pressure of 20-80 inches H


2


O is supplied to the plenum


28


and about 15 to 35 cfm of air per foot of slit


29


is forced out of the elongated Coanda nozzle slit


29


in a jet forming a thin layer of fast moving air. The thin air layer, which extends the length of the nozzle slit


29


and is traveling at 18,000-34,000 fpm away from the slit, attaches to the continuously curved airfoil surface


25


. Because of its high velocity there, the moving layer of air creates a low pressure area adjacent the nozzle slit


29


. This low pressure area causes the web W


2


to be drawn close to, but not into contact with, the nozzle slit


29


. The web W


2


is stabilized across its width by this effect.




According to the invention, the web W


2


is stabilized by the web stabilizer


50


in a plane slightly lower than the plane at which it is stabilized over the slit


29


, as seen in FIG.


3


. This is because the surface


54


is slightly lower than the surface


25


above the nozzle


29


, and permits the web W


2


to be drawn downwardly with the Coanda air flow over surface


25


to a greater degree without over-stressing the web. More efficient cleaning results without more web W


2


breaks.




The thin jet layer of high velocity air, traveling in a direction opposite to web W


2


movement, scrubs away the remaining boundary layer air and entrained dust and lint from the web on that side of the web. It also shears away loose, but embedded or entangled, dust and lint from the web W


2


surface. This “scrubber” air, loaded with dust and lint, follows the curved airfoil surface


25


toward the inlet opening


36


of the exhaust slot


35


, leading into the exhaust plenum


30


.




Meanwhile, a partial vacuum is created in the exhaust plenum


30


by a suitable source of reduced pressure (not shown). Sufficient suction is created to draw a high volume of air into the plenum


30


through the slot


35


; a volume which is approximately ten times the volume of scrubber air supplied to the system from the Coanda nozzle slit


29


. The scrubber air, with its dust and lint load, is sucked into the plenum


30


. Because more air is being sucked into the plenum


30


than is supplied as scrubber air, environmental dust and lint from the area and from the detached boundary layer air traveling along the damper housing surface


41


,


43


is also drawn into the plenum.




The exhaust damper


40


channels dust and lint loaded air on its airfoil surface


41


,


43


through the restricted passage


48


toward the slot


35


. At the same time, air from below the damper


40


is drawn upwardly through the restricted passage


46


, toward the inlet opening


36


of the exhaust slot


35


. Thus, the damper


40


channels air drawn from both above and below the damper, toward the exhaust slot


35


.




By adjusting the position of the exhaust damper


40


, the width of each of the passages


46


and


48


can be controlled. Thus, the amount of suction pulling the web W


2


toward the exhaust slot


35


can also be controlled. A balance with the air which flows upwardly through the passage


46


to the slot


35


from below is achieved. As a result, the web W


2


is not sucked downwardly toward the exhaust slot


35


, but the dust and lint laden air beneath it is removed.




The exhaust housing


23


is constructed so that the exhaust slot


35


is tangentially oriented relative to the housing. This causes a swirling action to occur inside the plenum


30


as the lint and dust laden air is sucked in and through the plenum


30


, creating a self-cleaning action inside the plenum.




The diameter of the plenum


30


increases from the closed end


31


to its outlet end


32


, as has been pointed out. As a result, the exhaust suction in the exhaust slot


35


is uniform along the length of the plenum


30


.




Turning to

FIG. 1

, a pair of web cleaners


20


and


120


are shown in operational position below and above the two-ply web W


2


between the crimping station


13


and the slitting station


14


in the rewinding machine. Respective end plates


33


and


133


are seen. Here, the two plies of tissue are unwound from reels so that their dryer (softer) sides are facing outwardly. Thus, it will be seen that the two-ply web W


2


created in the rewinding machine has its dryer or softer sides facing outwardly.




The web cleaner


120


is mounted above the web W


2


in a relationship corresponding to that of the cleaner


20


to the web W


2


, albeit inverted. The cleaner


120


is constructed and operates in a manner identical to that of the cleaner


20


. Accordingly, corresponding reference numerals plus 100 digits are used to indicate corresponding components and no further description is considered necessary.




According to the invention in its preferred form, however, the web cleaner


20


is positioned upstream from the unit


120


. As will be seen, it is offset upstream by approximately the length (along the web W


2


) of the cleaner


20


. This arrangement of cleaners


20


and


120


produces optimum dust and lint removal.




In operation of the system comprising the web cleaners


20


and


120


in a tissue web rewinding machine, air under a pressure is directed out of each Coanda nozzle slit


29


and


129


next to the adjacent airfoil surfaces


25


and


125


. The thin layer of air created by the resultant jet attaches to the curved surfaces, creating low pressure zones adjacent to each nozzle, which tends to draw the tissue toward those nozzles. The air, traveling at high exit flow velocities of 18,000-34,000 fpm, shears away dust and lint from both surfaces of the multiple-ply web in the rewinding machine.




In utilizing the system and practicing the method of the invention, tests were conducted with the improved Coanda effect web cleaners


20


and


120


in the rewinding machine. Two different two ply tissue web compositions were employed, a relatively low dust composition identified as T


2


tissue and a higher dust composition identified as T


1


tissue. The T


2


tissue was a lightly creped, service and industrial quality tissue. The T


1


tissue was a highly creped, soft, premium-type tissue.




Softness of a tissue is normally a function of the stiffness of the dried tissue (low stiffness equates with high softness) and the bulk of the tissue (high bulk equates with high softness). Stiffness can be objectively represented by the slope of the machine direction (MD) load/elongation curve for the tissue, hereinafter referred to as the MD slope. Thus, the MD slope for a tissue is an effective indicator of softness.




A load versus elongation curve for a tissue is defined here in terms of elongation in a strip of tissue three inches wide, per unit of load. The slope of the curve is the MD tensile slope, expressed in Kg. It has been found that desirably soft tissues have an MD slope of 8.0 Kg or less over a range of 70 to 157 grams of load. The tissue webs T


1


and T


2


were rewound separately, using the web cleaner system of the invention over a range of scrubber air plenum pressures. Each of the webs T


1


and T


2


was then examined to count remaining loose surface dust and lint particles.




The examination was conducted using the procedure described in Walters U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,545, at Column 5, line 45 through Column 6, line 9, which is incorporated herein by reference. The following dilution procedure was utilized:




1. Pour the sample jar into a 500 ml graduated cylinder. Rinse the sample jar with distilled water into the graduated cylinder bringing the total volume up to 400 ml.




2. Uniformly mix the sample from step 1 and divide into identical 200 ml samples A and B.




3. Take sample A, pour and rinse container with distilled water into a 2000 ml graduated cylinder. Bring the total volume up to 1,500 ml with distilled water. Uniformly mix the sample, then decant three identical 250 ml samples into three separate Kajaani measuring beakers. Note ½ of this sample is not analyzed.




4. Measure the total fiber count in each sample with a Kajaani FS 200 fiber analyzer. Record the result for each sample.




5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for sample B.




6. Average the six fiber counts for all the samples and record as the final number.




The aforedescribed dilution procedure has been found useful for measuring a dust concentration of the water collected in the sample tray. It works well for dust levels normally associated with premium facial tissues. It has been designed to dilute the water in the sample tray to a fiber concentration which can be counted on the Kajaani 200 FS fiber analyzer without the need for use of the machine's auto dilution procedure. It measures a relative dust concentration and does not count all of the particles contained in the sample tray. A higher average particle count indicates more loose surface dust and correlates with increased consumer complaints.




If the samples from step 4 either fail to count accurately from too low of a concentration or the Kajaani FS 200's auto dilution sequence operates the results are invalid. The dilution procedure needs to be modified by those skilled in the art and results cannot be compared directly to samples tested using the above procedure. Other analysis techniques can be employed to measure and record the dust concentration for the sample in the water tray.





FIG. 4

is a graph which represents the dust and lint found on the web as a result of the afore described examination. For the graph, the count was taken from each of the six fractions reported. These were averaged, yielding the number in the graph. The lines represent values correlated to the loose surface dust and lint present on webs per eight square feet of tissue surface after passing through the rewinding machine and in the hardroll. A higher number would indicate more loose surface dust and lint. The abscissa (X-coordinate) of the graph represents an untreated control web, a vacuum only treated web (no Coanda nozzle air), and a series of webs treated with increasing Coanda nozzle air pressures (10 inches H


2


O through 80 inches H


2


O). The ordinate (Y-coordinate) of the graph represents loose surface dust and lint counts in total particles.




It will be seen in

FIG. 4

that with the normally dustier T


1


tissue web, a 50% reduction in surface particles is achieved from each web surface with a Coanda effect system in the rewinder when scrubber air pressure is at 50 inches H


2


O or higher. A count of less than 10,000 loose surface fiber/dust particles remained in the diluted sample, per eight square feet of tissue surface. Relatively little particle removal is achieved with the less soft, low dust tissue T


2


. The importance is that with the highly desirable, softer premium tissue, surface dust can be reduced to the level normally associated only with lower quality, service and industrial type tissues by employing the Coanda nozzle effect system in the rewinding machine according to the method of the invention.




While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it should be understood that the invention is not so limited and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, and all devices that come within the meaning of the claims, either literally or by equivalence, are intended to be embraced therein.



Claims
  • 1. A method of manufacturing a multiple-ply tissue having an unexpectedly low loose dust and lint count by removing dust and lint from both outwardly facing surfaces of a multiple-ply tissue web while the web is traveling with its accompanying boundary layers of air in a predetermined plane and direction in a tissue rewinding machine, comprising the steps of:a) directing scrubber gas in a transversely elongated jet from a slit defining a Coanda nozzle so that the jet forms a thin, non-turbulent layer of rapidly moving gas which moves in a direction opposite to web travel and scrubs the boundary layer of air and entrained dust and lint, as well as dust and lint embedded in one surface of the web, away from the one surface of said web; b) directing said scrubber gas with the air and lint and dust which it has removed from said one surface of said web to follow a Coanda nozzle airfoil surface adjacent said slit until it reaches and is drawn into an exhaust plenum; c) simultaneously directing another transversely elongated jet of scrubber gas from another slit defining a second Coanda nozzle so that it forms a thin, non-turbulent layer of rapidly moving gas which moves in a direction opposite to web travel and scrubs the boundary layer of air and entrained dust and lint as well as dust and lint embedded in the other surface of said web, away from the other surface of said web; and d) directing said scrubber gas with the air and lint and dust which it has removed from said other surface of said web to follow a second Coanda nozzle airfoil surface adjacent said another slit until it reaches and is drawn into an exhaust plenum.
  • 2. The method of claim 1 further characterized by and including the step of:a) creating the jets of scrubber gas by maintaining a gas pressure from 20 inches H2O to 80 inches H2O in a plenum from which the gas departs through each slit.
  • 3. A method of manufacturing a multiple-ply tissue having an unexpectedly low loose dust and lint count by removing dust and lint from both outwardly facing surfaces of a multiple-ply tissue web while the web is traveling with its accompanying boundary layers of air in a predetermined plane and direction in a tissue rewinding machine, comprising the steps of:a) under a pressure of at least 20 inches H2O, directing scrubber gas in a transversely elongated jet from a slit defining a Coanda nozzle having a width of between 0.002 and 0.015 inches so that the jet forms a thin, non-turbulent layer of rapidly moving gas which moves in a direction opposite to web travel and scrubs the boundary layer of air and entrained dust and lint, as well as dust and lint embedded in the surface of the web, away from one surface of said web; b) directing said scrubber gas with the air and lint and dust which it has removed from said one surface of said web to follow a Coanda nozzle airfoil surface adjacent said slit until it reaches and is drawn into an exhaust plenum; c) simultaneously directing another transversely elongated jet of scrubber gas from another slit defining a second Coanda nozzle having a width of between 0.002 and 0.015 inches so that it forms a thin, non-turbulent layer of rapidly moving gas which moves in a direction opposite to web travel and scrubs the boundary layer of air and entrained dust and lint, as well as dust and lint embedded in the surface of said web, away from the other surface of said web; and d) directing said scrubber gas with the air and lint and dust which it has removed from said other surface of said web to follow a second Coanda nozzle airfoil surface adjacent said another slit until it reaches and is drawn into an exhaust plenum.
  • 4. The method of claim 3 further characterized by and including the step of:a) creating the jets of scrubber gas by maintaining a gas pressure from 20 inches H2O to 80 inches H2O in a plenum from which the gas departs through each slit.
  • 5. The method of claim 4 further characterized in that:a) said gas pressure is at least 50 inches H2O.
  • 6. The method of claim 5 further characterized in that:a) each of said Coanda nozzle slits has a width of about 0.012 inches.
  • 7. The method of claims 1 or 3 including the additional step of:a) stabilizing the web before it reaches each of said Coanda nozzle airfoil surfaces by passing it over two additional airfoil surfaces each of which corresponds to one of the two Coanda nozzle airfoil surfaces.
  • 8. The method of claim 7 wherein:a) each of said additional two airfoil surfaces is disposed in a plane further from the web than its corresponding Coanda nozzle airfoil surface.
  • 9. The method of claims 1 or 3 including the additional step of:a) drawing more air into each exhaust plenums than is supplied by the corresponding Coanda nozzle.
  • 10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of:a) controlling the amount of air drawn into each exhaust plenum by adjusting the position of an exhaust damper over which air is drawn into each exhaust plenum.
  • 11. The method of claims 1 or 3 wherein:a) each exhaust plenum is approximately frusto-conical in shape so as to be tapered from one end to an opposite end; and b) each exhaust plenum has a tangentially disposed opening so that air being drawn into it is swirled within the plenum.
RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/102,314, filed Jun. 22, 1998, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,964.

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