Method and apparatus for pressure saturation of substrate

A pressure saturator for impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant, comprising:

• a. a block member having a concave upper surface;
• b. conveying means rotatably mounted near each side of said block member for moving the substrate through said saturator;
• c. a mandrel rotatably mounted between said conveying means and having an outer circumferential surface, the lower portion of which extends into a recess formed by said concave surface and is spaced therefrom;
• d. means for supplying a pressurized liquid saturant to said chamber,
• e. said block member and mandrel cooperating to define a chamber therebetween having an inlet and an outlet and shaped to converge gradually in depth from a relatively deep entrance region near said inlet to a relatively shallow exit region near said outlet such that rotation of the mandrel further pressurizes the liquid saturant and forces the liquid saturant into the substrate.

A method of impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant, using a mandrel and a peripheral saturant chamber of a generally decreasing radial depth from its entrance to its exit such that the saturant chamber converges in depth from a relatively large depth at its entrance to a relatively smaller depth at its exit, the steps comprising:

• a. introducing the substrate and the liquid saturant into the chamber;
• b. rotating the mandrel in the direction of the decreasing depth of the chamber;
• c. moving the substrate along with the periphery of said rotating mandrel through said chamber from the entrance to the exit at a selected rate, said selected rate effective to pressurize the liquid saturant in the chamber, thereby forcing saturant into the substrate to create an inpregnated substrate;
• and
• d. withdrawing the impregnated substrate from said chamber through said exit.

A pressure saturator for impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant, said saturator comprising:

• a chamber defining element;
• a rotatable mandrel mounted for rotation adjacent to the chamber defining element, said mandrel defining a surface which cooperates with the chamber defining element to form a gradually and progressively converging chamber therebetween, said chamber defining an entrance region and an exit region and shaped to converge in depth from a relatively larger depth in the entrance region to a relatively smaller depth in the exit region;
• means for passing the substrate through the chamber from the entrance region to the exit region;
• and
• means for supplying liquid saturant to the chamber;
• the larger and smaller depths selected such that movement of the saturant through the converging chamber pressurizes the liquid saturant in the chamber, thereby forcing the saturant into the substrate.

A pressure saturator for impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant, said saturator comprising:

• means for defining a converging chamber having an entrance region and an exit region and converging in depth from a relatively larger depth in the entrance region to a relatively smaller depth in the exit region;
• means for passing the substrate through the chamber from the entrance region to the exit region;
• and
• means for supplying liquid saturant to the chamber;
• the larger and smaller depths selected such that movement of the saturant through the converging chamber pressurizes the liquid saturant in the chamber, thereby forcing the saturant into the substrate.

A pressure saturator for impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant, said saturator comprising:

• first and second opposed elements positioned to define a gradually converging chamber therebetween, said converging chamber having an entrance region and an exit region and converging in depth from a relatively larger depth in the entrance to a relatively smaller depth in the exit region;
• means for passing the substrate through the chamber from the entrance region to the exit region;
• and
• means for supplying liquid saturant to the chamber;
• the larger and smaller depths selected such that movement of the substrate through the converging chamber pressurizes the liquid saturant in the chamber, thereby forcing the saturant into the substrate.

A method of impregnating a substrate with a liquid saturant using a converging saturant chamber having an entrance and an exit region and converging in depth from a relatively larger depth in the entrance region to a relatively smaller depth in the exit region, said method comprising the following steps:

• supplying liquid saturant to the chamber;
• passing the substrate through the chamber from the entrance region to the exit region at a rate such that movement of saturant through the converging chamber pressurizes the liquid saturant in the chamber, thereby forcing the saturant into the substrate to create an impregnated substrate;
• and
• withdrawing the impregnated substrate from the exit region of the chamber.