Fluid film continuous processing method and apparatus

A method of processing a product with a fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fluid under pressure;
• providing a product to be processed by the fluid;
• providing a confining wall having a general shape of the final desired shape of the product on one side;
• passing the fluid through the confining wall to form a thin film fluid processing and bearing film on said one side of said confining wall;
• controlling the characteristics of the fluid;
• directly contacting the thin fluid film with the product immediately adjacent said confining wall to prevent direct contact between said product and said confining wall and further to directly process the product according to the controlled characteristics of the fluid;
• monitoring the temperature of the fluid film and producing a corresponding temperature monitor signal;
• providing a temperature reference signal;
• comparing the temperature reference signal with the temperature monitor signal and producing a correlated differential temperature signal;
• and
• automatically varying the temperature of the fluid film in correlation to said temperature differential signal.

A method of processing a product with a fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fluid under pressure;
• providing a product to be processed by the fluid;
• providing a confining wall having a general shape of the final desired shape of the product on one side;
• passing the fluid through the confining wall to form a thin film fluid processing and bearing film on said one side of said confining wall;
• controlling the characteristics of the fluid;
• directly contacting the thin fluid film with the product immediately adjacent said confining wall to prevent direct contact between said product and said confining wall and further to directly process the product according to the controlled characteristics of the fluid;
• monitoring the fluid flow of the fluid film and producing a corresponding flow monitor signal;
• providing a fluid flow reference signal;
• comparing the fluid flow reference signal with the fluid flow monitor signal and producing a correlated differential fluid flow signal;
• and
• automatically varying the fluid flow of the fluid film in correlation to said fluid flow differential signal.

A method of processing a product with a fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fluid under pressure;
• providing a product to be processed by the fluid;
• providing a confining wall having a general shape of the final desired shape of the product on one side;
• passing the fluid through the confining wall to form a thin film fluid processing and bearing film on said one side of said confining wall;
• controlling the characteristics of the fluid;
• directly contacting the thin fluid film with the product immediately adjacent said confining wall to prevent direct contact between said product and said confining wall and further to directly process the product according to the controlled characteristics of the fluid;
• engaging said product and exerting a propelling force on said product mechanically in a direction to move the product along the fluid film;
• monitoring the power consumed to move the product mechanically and producing a correlated monitor power signal;
• providing a reference power signal;
• comparing the reference power signal to the monitor power signal and producing a differential power signal correlated to the difference between the two;
• and
• controlling at least one characteristic of the fluid film in direct response to and correlated to the differential power signal.

A method for processing a continuous, indefinite length web of material with a processing fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a rigid, confining wall elongated in a conveying direction and provided with a working surface along the length and having a transverse width;
• feeding the indefinite length web along said surface in the conveying direction;
• providing a film of processing fluid between the adjacent surfaces of said web and said working surface in direct contact with said web of material to be processed so as to simultaneously contact the material of the web with the fluid, space the web generally parallel and closely to the working surface while supporting the same and preventing contact between the web and the working surface;
• and
• chemically reacting the material of the web at its surface facing said working surface with the fluid.

A method of processing a product with a fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fluid under pressure;
• providing a product to be processed by the fluid;
• providing a confining wall having a general shape of the final desired shape of the product on one side;
• passing the fluid through the confining wall to form a thin film fluid processing and bearing film on said one side of said confining wall;
• controlling the characteristics of the fluid;
• directly contacting the thin fluid film with the product immediately adjacent said confining wall to prevent direct contact between said product and said confining wall and further to directly process the product according to the controlled characteristics of the fluid;
• wherein said step of providing a product provides chemicals, mixes them and deposits them at an entrance end of said confining wall, moves said chemicals in a conveying direction to a first section of said confining wall from said entrance end so that they will rise and attain a fixed final height of synthetic foam resin, conveying said foam resin from said first section through a second section of said confining wall and processing said resin in said second section to a substantially rigid product, and conveying said substantially rigid foam product to an exit end of said confining wall to complete the curing of said resin so as to produce an indefinite length continuous web of rigid synthetic polyurethane foam resin;
• monitoring the quantity of mixed chemicals deposited on said confining wall at the entrance end and producing a correlated signal;
• monitoring the proportion of mixed chemicals deposited at said entrance end and producing a correlated signal;
• monitoring the flow of fluid within said thin film and producing a correlated signal;
• conducting at least some of said steps of monitoring and producing at spaced intervals along the conveying direction and length of said confining wall and at spaced intervals transverse to said conveying direction;
• separately comparing said signals with respective fixed reference signals correlated to the monitored characteristic and its position of monitoring to produce corresponding differential error signals;
• and
• controlling at least one of the characteristics of chemical proportions, chemical quantities, fluid flow, fluid temperature, each in accordance with one or more of said reference error signals, in a fixed order of preference so as to maintain the fluid pressure within said film below 3 psig in said first section, within the range of 0 to 15 psig within said second section, the air film thickness not exceeding 0.010 inch, and the temperature of said fluid within the range of 160.degree. to 180.degree. F. within at least one of said sections.

A method of continuously molding an indefinite length web of synthetic resin foam products with a fluid film, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fluid under pressure;
• forming a tubular tunnel open at opposite entrance and exit ends by providing interconnected bottom, top and opposed side confining walls, with said tunnel generally having the cross sectional shape of the product;
• passing the fluids through the confining walls to form a thin film fluid processing and bearing film envelope along the entire tunnel;
• providing at least two separate chemicals that when mixed will react to foam and produce a synthetic resin foam;
• mixing and depositing said chemicals on said bottom wall adjacent said entrance open end of said tunnel to be supported and evenly distributed in the transverse direction, with respect to the conveying direction, by said fluid film to form the beginning of the indefinite length web;
• moving said chemicals as a web in a conveying direction parallel to the length of said tunnel through a first section of said tunnel from said entrance end while said chemicals rise and attain a fixed final height of synthetic foam resin that it substantially fills the cross section of said tunnel at the end of said first section;
• conveying said foam resin web from said first section through a second section of said tunnel while controlling the temperature of said resin in said second section by controlling the temperature of said fluid to cure said resin into a substantially cured foam web to produce an indefinite length continuous web of cured synthetic foam resin;
• controlling the characteristics of pressure, temperature and quantity of fluid in said film;
• and
• completely enveloping the web throughout said tunnel with the thin fluid film to prevent contact between said web and said confining walls, and further to process the resin according to the controlled characteristics of the fluid.

Apparatus for continuously processing an endless web moving in the longitudinal direction of the web comprising:

• a base;
• a first, generally planar, normally stationary, process surface mounted on said base;
• a second, generally planar normally stationary, process surface mounted on said base to be spaced from and parallel to said first process surface;
• each of said first and second process surfaces being composed of a plurality of sections serially arranged in longitudinal direction of the apparatus corresponding to the processing direction with an entrance end and an exit end of the web;
• a plurality of holes extending over substantially the entire first and second process surfaces in a fixed pattern;
• means operatively associated with said process surfaces forming a separate plenum chamber for each of said surface sections on the side of each of said surfaces opposite from the other surface so that all of said holes within each surface section open up into their corresponding plenum chamber;
• and
• means operatively associated with said plenum chambers for supplying pressurized fluid separately to each of said plenum chambers so that the fluid will exit from said holes and form fluid films respectively along said process surfaces sufficient to form an anti-friction fluid bearing for the web.

A process containment apparatus for a moving product, comprising:

• a base;
• a containment wall mounted on said base;
• means operatively associated with said containment wall for holding a product along and in close proximity to said containment wall;
• means operatively associated with said containment wall for producing a pressurized fluid film between said containment wall and the product so as to be in direct contact with the product being moved by said feeding means for direct transfer of the fluid film properties to the product;
• means operatively associated with said means for providing the fluid film to sense fluid flow rate, fluid film temperature, and fluid pressure and to produce separate correlated monitor signals;
• means operatively associated with said sensing means for receiving said separate monitor signals and individually comparing said separate monitor signals to a plurality of respective fixed reference signals so as to produce differential control signals;
• and
• separate means operatively associated with said means for supplying the fluid film to control the flow rate, temperature and the pressure of the fluid in response to the control signals, respectively.

A process containment apparatus for a moving product, comprising:

• a base;
• a containment wall mounted on said base;
• means operatively associated with said containment wall for holding a product along and in close proximity to said containment wall;
• means operatively associated with said containment wall for producing a pressurized fluid film between said containment wall and the product so as to be in direct contact with the product being moved by said feeding means for direct transfer of the fluid film properties to the product;
• and
• means operatively associated with said wall for collecting the fluid from the fluid film as it moves away from said wall and the product and for recirculating said collected fluid back to the means for producing the fluid film.

An apparatus for processing a continuous, indefinite length web of material with a thin film of processing fluid, comprising:

• a rigid confining wall elongated in the conveying direction, having a substantially uniform width along the conveying direction, and a substantially planar rigid working surface;
• means for moving the web along said working surface in said conveying direction to coincide with its indefinite length;
• said confining wall having a through slot elongated in the direction of conveying and being generally along the center of said confining wall;
• and
• plenum means on the side of said confining wall opposite from said working surface for passing pressurized processing fluid through said slot to form a thin film of processing fluid entirely between said web and said working surface to directly contact said web, space said web a small distance from and parallel to said working surface, and provide laminar flow of working fluid from said slot generally laterally in each direction from the center line of said wall outwardly and transversely to said web.

A product processing apparatus, comprising:

• means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;
• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• means for separately measuring the temperature, pressure and flow of fluid forming said moving thin film of fluid and producing correlated signals;
• means providing reference temperature, pressure and flow signals;
• and
• means for receiving the reference signals and receiving the measured signals, and respectively comparing corresponding signals to produce correlated comparison signals, and said means for changing the pressure, temperature and flow of the fluid being responsive to said comparison signals to correspondingly adjust the temperature, pressure and flow of the fluid so that said measure signals will more closely approach said reference signals.

A product processing apparatus, comprising means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;

• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• said confining wall comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• said forming means separately providing fluid to each of said sections so that the fluid characteristics may be changed from one section to another;
• means for changing the rate of flow and the temperature of the fluid in said moving thin film of fluid;
• means for separately measuring the temperature, pressure and flow of the fluid forming said moving thin film of fluid and producing correlated signals;
• means providing reference temperature, pressure and flow signals;
• and
• means for receiving the reference signals and receiving the measured signals, and respectively comparing corresponding signals to produce correlated comparison signals, and said means for changing the pressure, temperature and flow of fluid being responsive to said comparison signals to correspondingly adjust the temperature, pressure and flow of fluid so that said measured signals will more closely approach said reference signals.

A product processing apparatus, comprising means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;

• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• said confining walls which have the moving thin fluid film comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• said confining wall comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• releasable fastener means providing the sole interconnection between said adjacent sections, so that the size of said confining wall may be selectively changed by adding and subtracting sections;
• and
• said fastening means resiliently interconnecting adjacent sections to accommodate expansion of the product and permit relative movement of adjacent sections away from each other.

A product processing apparatus, comprising means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;

• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• said confining wall with the fluid film comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• releasable fastener means providing the sole interconnection between said adjacent sections, so that the size of said confining wall may be selectively changed by adding and subtracting sections;
• and
• said fastening means permitting movement of said sections away from each other a distance sufficient to permit maintenance and inspection between said adjacent sections.

A product processing apparatus, comprising:

• means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;
• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• said confining wall with the fluid film comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• said forming means separately providing fluid to each of said sections so that the fluid characteristics may be changed from one section to another;
• means for changing the rate of flow and the temperature of the fluid in said moving thin film of fluid;
• means for measuring the power consumed in moving the product through said zone by said moving means, and producing a correlated power consumption signal;
• and
• said means for varying the pressure, temperature and flow of fluid receiving said power signal and producing a change in the pressure, temperature and flow in accordance with the value of said power signal.

A product processing apparatus, comprising means for forming a zone having confining walls including one confining wall with a moving thin fluid film;

• means for moving the product being processed through the zone of confining walls with the moving thin film film of fluid in direct contact with the product;
• said confining wall comprising a plurality of separate and independent wall sections rigidly interconnected with each other;
• said forming means separately providing fluid to each of said sections so that the fluid characteristics may be changed from one section to another;
• and
• means for changing the rate of flow and the temperature of the fluid in said moving thin film of fluid.