Method and apparatus for the treatment of fiber pieces
AssigneePoly ID AG
InventorsPeter Eyerer, Peter Stockmayer, Rolf Weigele
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the treatment of fiber pieces, with which the fiber pieces (24) in a gas/solid mix are fed through a transport line (11) into a heating device (14). Inside the heating device (14) the exposed ends of the fiber pieces (24) are rounded off and/or thickened. Subsequent to the treatment in the heating device the treated fibers (25) flow into a feed line and from there into a separating device (18), in which the gas/solid mix is separated. The fiber bits produced according to the invented method improve the mechanical quality and characteristics of fiber composite materials considerably. By utilizing the described device the invented method can be carried out most economically. (FIG. 1)
Claims15
A method for the commercial treatment of fiber pieces having exposed ends comprising the steps of:
- suspending and transporting the fiber pieces in a stream of moving gas to form a gas/solid flow;
- and subjecting, in the gas/solid flow, the exposed ends to a thermal treatment within a range of the melting temperature of the fibers to thicken the ends of the individual fibers, whereby, after the thermal treatment, the fibers are still individually separate within the gas/solid flow.
An apparatus for the treatment of fiber pieces comprising, a transport line having a fiber adding nozzle for introducing fiber pieces into the transport line and a first gas injector for introducing gas in the transport line to form a stream of moving gas in which the fiber pieces are suspended and transported as a gas/solid flow through the transport line, a heating device downstream of the transport line, said heating device being so disposed relative to the transport line as to heat the fiber pieces in the gas/solid flow in a range of the melting temperature of the fiber pieces to thicken the ends of individual fiber pieces, and a feed line disposed downstream of the heating device for receiving the gas/solid flow, said feed line being connected to a separating device for removing the fiber pieces having the thickened ends from the gas/solid flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.