US 5,622,734 A · Apparatus for producing a crimp-bonded fibrous cellulosic laminate

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for producing a crimp-bonded fibrous cellulosic laminate. The process includes the steps of: 1) providing at least two superposed plies of a fibrous cellulosic material; 2) passing the superposed plies through a crimp roll arrangement including a rotating crimp element and a rotating anvil element; and 3) applying a pressure load against the rotating elements sufficient to crimp bond the fibrous cellulosic material plies into a laminate. The crimp element has protruding members configured in a discontinuous pattern aligned on an axis that is parallel to the cross-machine direction to provide a substantially continuous uniform area of localized surface contacts between the rotating crimp and anvil elements across the width of the plies. Also disclosed is an overall crimp-bonded fibrous cellulosic laminate and an apparatus for crimp-bonding multiple superposed plies of a fibrous cellulosic material.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for crimp-bonding multiple superposed plies of a fibrous cellulosic material comprising:

a rotating hardened metal crimp element and having machine direction and a cross-machine direction;
a rotating smooth hardened metal anvil element having a machine direction and a cross-machine direction;
protruding members configured on the surface of the crimp element in a discontinuous pattern aligned on an axis that is parallel to the cross-machine direction to provide a substantially continuous uniform area of localized surface contact between the rotating elements across the width of the plies;
said protruding members being composed of individual elements arranged so that the surface area of an individual protruding member in contact with a fibrous cellulosic laminate between the rotating elements remains substantially constant as the crimp element rotates;
and
means to apply pressure against the rotating elements so that the pressure load on multiple plies of a fibrous cellulosic material at each area of localized surface contact is sufficient to form crimp bonds between the plies so the plies are joined by autohesive bonding.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for producing a crimp-bonded fibrous cellulosic laminate

Life of this patent

Apparatus for producing a crimp-bonded fibrous cellulosic laminate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20