Broke pulping apparatus and reel stand with brake

Abstract

The invention comprises a broke pulping system including a pulper tank and a reel stand located above the pulper tank. The reel stand further comprises apparatus for cradling a reel of paper on a mandrel for rotation about a horizontal axis, and apparatus for braking in order to control the rotation. The reel stand further includes a hold and the braking apparatus cooperates with the mandrel so as to cause the reel to rotate, unwind and fall through the opening into the pulper tank when the brake is released after the reel is slit across its width direction. When the brake is applied, the reel will stop rotating. The broke pulping system of the invention will preferably include an enclosure apparatus for preventing people or other objects from accidentally falling through the opening in the reel stand. In an alternate embodiment of the invention paper may be sampled from reels in a more efficient manner than the prior art allows by removing an outer layer or slab from the reel, collecting a sample and sending the remaining paper on the reel to further finishing operations.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.