Method of and apparatus for forming a wadding lap

A method of forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising the steps of advancing the web in a predetermined path to a lap-forming location;

• forming the lap from the web at said lap-forming location;
• calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and preparing the web for said forming step in said path after said calendering step and prior to reaching said lap-forming location, said preparing step including condensing the fibrous material of the web and causing the fibers of the web to assume substantially random dispositions at least at one of the major surfaces of the web with respect to the fibers at the other major surface of the web to such an extent as to avoid entanglement of the fibers of successive convolutions of the lap and taking place at a region at which the web passes onto the lap at the largest diameter of the latter, and immediately upstream of said lap-forming location and immediately before the transfer of the web onto the lap.

A method of forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising the steps of advancing the web in a predetermined path to a lap-forming location which changes its spatial position in dependence on the diameter of the lap;

• forming the lap from the web at said lap-forming location;
• calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and preparing the web for said forming step at a preparing location situated in said path after said calendering step and prior to reaching said lap-forming location, said preparing step including moving said preparing location in such a manner as to keep the same at a substantially constant distance from said lap-forming location for said preparing step to take place immediately before the transfer of the web onto the lap independently of the diameter of the latter.

A winding apparatus for forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising means for winding the web at a lap-forming location into the lap with attendant advancement of the web in a predetermined path toward said lap-forming location, including two winding rollers which support the lap during the winding of the latter;

• means for calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and means for preparing the web for the formation of the lap therefrom, such preparing means being situated between said calendering means and said lap-forming location and including a smoothing plate that is so arranged as to press the web against that of the winding rollers that is arranged along said path upstream of said lap-forming location to thereby condense the material of the web and cause the fibers of the web to assume substantially random dispositions at least at one of the major surfaces of the web with respect to the fibers at the other major surface of the web to such an extent as to avoid entanglement of the fibers of successive convolutions of the lap.

A winding apparatus for forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising means for winding the web at a lap-forming location into the lap with attendant advancement of the web in a predetermined path toward said lap-forming location, including two winding rollers which support the lap during the winding of the latter;

• means for calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and means for preparing the web for the formation of the lap therefrom, such preparing means being situated between said calendering means and said lap-forming location and including a smoothing plate that has a smoothing edge extending substantially transversely of the web, arranged at the downstream end of said smoothing plate as considered in the advancement direction of the web, and including a row of teeth arranged next to one another as considered transversely of the web, and said smoothing plate being so arranged as to press the web against that of the winding rollers that is arranged along said path upstream of said lap-forming location to thereby condense the material of the web.

A winding apparatus for forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising means for winding the web at a lap-forming location into the lap with attendant advancement of the web in a predetermined path toward said lap-forming location, including two winding rollers which support the lap during the winding of the latter;

• means for calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and means for preparing the web for the formation of the lap therefrom, such preparing means being situated between said calendering means and said lap-forming location and including a smoothing plate that includes two smoothing edges extending substantially transversely of the web and is so arranged as to press the web against that of the winding rollers that is arranged along said path upstream of said lap-forming location to thereby condense the material of the web, one of said smoothing edges being situated downstream of the other as considered in the advancement direction of the web, and said other smoothing edge having a row of teeth arranged next to one another as considered transversely of the web, while said one smoothing edge extends along a substantially straight course.

A winding apparatus for forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising means for winding the web at a lap-forming location into the lap with attendant advancement of the web in a predetermined path toward said lap-forming location, including two winding rollers which support the lap during the winding of the latter;

• means for calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• and means for preparing the web for the formation of the lap therefrom, such preparing means being stationary, being situated between said calendering means and said lap-forming location and including a smoothing plate that is so arranged as to press the web against that of the winding rollers that is arranged along said path upstream of said lap-forming location to thereby condense the material of the web and including at least one smoothing edge arranged at the downstream end of said smoothing plate as considered in the web advancement direction, said preparing means further including means for mounting said smoothing plate for movement in such a trajectory that said smoothing edge is always situated in the immediate vicinity of the nip region formed between the web and the outer layer of the lap from the smallest to the largest lap diameter.

A winding apparatus for forming a lap from a fibrous web, comprising means for winding the web at a lap-forming location into the lap with attendant advancement of the web in a predetermined path toward said lap-forming location, including two winding rollers which support the lap during the winding of the latter;

• means for calendering the web in said path upstream of said lap-forming location;
• means for preparing the web for the formation of the lap therefrom, such preparing means being situated between said calendering means and said lap-forming location and including a smoothing plate that is so arranged as to press the web against that of the winding rollers that is arranged along said path upstream of said lap-forming location to thereby condense the material of the web, and means for mounting said smoothing plate, including a pendulum bar which is mounted for pivoting between two end positions in one of which it holds said smoothing plate at a nip region formed between the web and the outer layer of the lap;
• and means for moving said pendulum bar between said end positions with attendant ejection of the formed lap from the lap-forming region during the movement of said pendulum bar toward said other position thereof.