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US 5,582,644 AGranted
Hopper blender system and method for coating fibers
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorsPaul Gaddis, Ferhan Kayihan, Jeanne Bernards, David Hayden, Octave Levenspiel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for coating discontinuous fibers with a liquid coating material uses a hopper/blender which entrains the fiber particles in a toroidal mass of moving fibers. The hopper/blender has an inverted conical section with an agitator assembly rotated therein. The agitator assembly has a base disc with tubular blades projecting outwardly therefrom into the conical section. Aft swept lifter blades relative to the direction of rotation are mounted to the agitator disc. A method of applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers is also disclosed.
Claims33
A fiber coating apparatus for applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers comprising:
- an upright chamber having an upper chamber wall and a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers to be treated are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers with applied liquid coating material are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section which has a base and an upper end, the inverted conical section having an annular wall extending between the base and the upper end;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support;
- plural elongated mixing blades each having a blade body with one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting outwardly from the blade support toward the upper chamber wall and into the inverted conical section of the chamber, the blade body extending from said one end above and being spaced from the blade support;
- at least two fiber lifting blades each having first and second ends, the first end being coupled to the blade support and the second end comprising a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support, the fiber lifting blades projecting in a direction relative to the direction of rotation of the blade support such that the second end of each fiber lifting blade lags the first end of each such fiber lifting blade in the direction of rotation of the blade support;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material onto fibers in the chamber;
- and
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the mixing and fiber lifting blades to entrain fibers in air within the chamber with the droplets of coating material applied to the air entrained fibers providing at least a partial coating by the coating material applier of the coating material on the air entrained fibers.
5 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus for applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers to be treated are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers with applied liquid coating material are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support;
- plural elongated blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting outwardly from the blade support and into the conical section of the chamber;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material into the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the blades to entrain fibers within the chamber with the droplets of coating material applied to the entrained fibers providing at least a partial coating of the coating material on the entrained fibers;
- and wherein
- the chamber has plural inverted conical sections, each with a respective base, the conical sections being coupled together such that fiber passes through the chamber to successive conical sections, a rotatable blade support being provided at the base of each conical section, a motor for rotating each blade support, a plurality of the blades being mounted to each blade support, the blades projecting upwardly into the conical sections, a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of coating material into each conical section, whereby rotation of each blade supports rotates the blades to thereby entrain the fibers within the conical sections as the fibers pass from conical section to conical section with the droplets of coating material applied to the entrained fibers in each conical section providing at least a partial coating of the coating material on the entrained fibers.
5 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus for applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers to be treated are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers with applied liquid coating material are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support;
- plural elongated blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting outwardly from the blade support and into the conical section of the chamber;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material into the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the blades to entrain fibers within the chamber with the droplets of coating material applied to the entrained fibers providing at least a partial coating of the coating material on the entrained fibers;
- and
- the apparatus including at least four of the blades, the blades projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the upright axis, the blades being oriented at a blade angle of from about forty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to horizontal, and the apparatus further including at least two additional mixing blades, the mixing blades being disposed 180 degrees apart about the periphery of the blade support and midway between a respective pair of the blades, the mixing blades projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the upright axis.
5 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus for applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers to be treated are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers with applied liquid coating material are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support;
- plural elongated blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting outwardly from the blade support and into the conical section of the chamber;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material into the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the blades to thereby entrain fibers within the chamber with the droplets of coating material applied to the entrained fibers providing at least a partial coating of the coating material on the entrained fibers;
- and
- the apparatus including at least four of the blades, the blades protecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the upright axis, the blades being oriented at a blade angle of from about forty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to horizontal and the apparatus also further including a pair of fiber lifting blades each having first and second ends, the first end being mounted to the blade support and the second end comprising a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support, the fiber lifting blades projecting in a direction relative to the direction of rotation of the blade support such that the second end of each such lifting blade lags the first end of each such lifting blade in the direction of rotation of the blade support.
5 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus for applying a liquid coating material to discontinuous fibers comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers to be treated are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers with applied liquid coating material are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support;
- plural elongated blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting outwardly from the blade support and into the conical section of the chamber;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material into the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the blades to entrain fibers within the chamber with the droplets of coating material applied to the entrained fibers providing at least a partial coating of the coating material on the entrained fibers;
- and
- wherein each of the blades has a tip with an elliptical cross-section.
5 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support about an axis of rotation;
- at least four elongated mixing blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the axis of rotation and into the inverted conical section of the chamber, the mixing blades being oriented at a blade angle of from about forty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the mixing blades to entrain and mix fibers within the chamber;
- and
- the chamber having plural inverted conical sections, each with a respective base, the inverted conical sections being coupled together such that fiber passes through the chamber to successive inverted conical sections, a rotatable blade support being provided at the base of each inverted conical section, a motor for rotating each blade support, plural elongated blades mounted to each blade support, the blades projecting upwardly into the inverted conical sections, whereby rotation of each blade supports rotates the blades to thereby entrain and mix the fibers within the inverted conical sections as the fibers pass from inverted conical section to inverted conical section;
- and
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material onto fibers in the chamber.
6 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support about an axis of rotation;
- at least four elongated mixing blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the axis of rotation and into the inverted conical section of the chamber, the mixing blades being oriented at a blade angle of from about forty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material onto fibers in the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the mixing blades to entrain and mix fibers within the chamber;
- and
- the apparatus including at least two additional mixing blades, the additional mixing blades being disposed 180 degrees apart about the periphery of the blade support and midway between a respective pair of the mixing blades, such additional mixing blades projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the axis of rotation.
5 more elements
A fiber coating apparatus comprising:
- an upright chamber having a fiber receiving inlet through which fibers are delivered to the chamber and a fiber delivery outlet from which fibers are removed from the chamber, the chamber having an inverted conical section with a base;
- a rotatable blade support positioned within the chamber at the base for rotation about an upright axis;
- a motor coupled to the blade support for rotating the blade support about an axis of rotation;
- at least four elongated mixing blades each having one end mounted to the blade support and a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support and outwardly relative to the axis of rotation and into the inverted conical section of the chamber, the mixing blades being oriented at a blade angle of from about forty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
- a coating material applier positioned to direct droplets of the liquid coating material onto fibers in the chamber;
- the motor rotating the blade support to rotate the mixing blades to thereby entrain and mix fibers within the chamber;
- and
- the apparatus including at least two fiber lifting blades each having first and second ends, the first end being mounted to the blade support and the second end comprising a distal end projecting upwardly from the blade support, the fiber lifting blades projecting in a direction relative to the direction of rotation of the blade support such that the second end of each such lifting blade lags the first end of each such lifting blade in the direction of rotation of the blade support.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.