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US 5,669,155 AGranted
Suction drum system for processing web materials particularly knitted fabrics
AssigneeTubular Textile LLC
InventorsRobert J. Hughes, Michael S. Leonard, William C. Hardin, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suction drum dryer, for knitted fabrics and the like, is provided with an adjustable width bellows mechanism for masking side margins of the drums not occupied by the fabric web. Ambient air draw into the suction drums is thus caused to flow substantially exclusively through the material to be processed. Significantly improved operating efficiencies are realized, as well as significantly higher production output from a given piece of equipment.
Claims10
A suction drum system for processing web materials of various widths, which comprises
- (a) a housing provided with an inlet and outlet for web material,
- (b) a processing drum mounted for rotation within said housing and having a perforate outer circumferential wall with spaced-apart lateral margins defining its width,
- (c) said inlet and outlet defining, with said processing drum, a processing path for directing said web to travel around a predetermined arcuate processing portion of said outer circumferential wall while being supported thereon,
- (d) suction means communicating with the interior of said drum for partially evacuating said interior and causing the flow of air from areas external of said drum through said perforate circumferential wall,
- (e) first masking means for masking an arcuate portion of said circumferential wall to limit the flow of air through said perforate circumferential wall substantially to said processing portion,
- (f) second masking means positioned externally of said processing drum for selectively and adjustably masking at least one lateral margin of said perforate circumferential wall, to limit the flow of air through said perforate wall to selected circumferential areas of said processing portion, and
- (g) means operable externally of said housing for controllably adjusting said second masking means.
4 more elements
A suction drum system for processing web materials of various widths, which comprises
- (a) a housing provided with an inlet and outlet for web material,
- (b) a processing drum mounted for rotation within said housing and having a perforate outer circumferential wall with spaced-apart lateral margins defining its width,
- (c) said inlet and outlet defining, with said processing drum, a processing path for directing said web to travel around a predetermined arcuate processing portion of said outer circumferential wall while being supported thereon,
- (d) suction means communicating with the interior of said drum for partially evacuating said interior and causing the flow of air from areas external of said drum through said perforate circumferential wall,
- (e) first masking means for masking an arcuate portion of said circumferential wall to limit the flow of air through said perforate circumferential wall substantially to said processing portion,
- (f) second masking means for selectively and adjustably masking at least one lateral margin of said perforate circumferential wall, to limit the flow of air through said perforate wall to selected circumferential areas of said processing portion,
- (g) means operable externally of said housing for controllably adjusting said second masking means,
- (h) said second masking means comprising a bellows structure comprising adjustably separated inner and outer side walls each having an arcuate edge closely embracing said perforate circumferential wall in the region of said processing portion, and
- (i) said inner and outer side walls being connected by expandable-retractable bellows walls to mask the area of said processing portion between said inner and outer side walls.
6 more elements
A suction drum system for processing web materials of various widths, which comprises
- (a) a housing provided with an inlet and outlet for web material,
- (b) a processing drum mounted for rotation within said housing and having a perforate outer circumferential wall with spaced-apart lateral margins defining its width,
- (c) said inlet and outlet defining, with said processing drum, a processing path for directing said web to travel around a predetermined arcuate processing portion of said outer circumferential wall while being supported thereon,
- (d) suction means communicating with the interior of said drum for partially evacuating said interior and causing the flow of air from areas external of said drum through said perforate circumferential wall,
- (e) first masking means for masking an arcuate portion of said circumferential wall to limit the flow of air through said perforate circumferential wall substantially to said processing portion,
- (f) second masking means for selectively and adjustably masking opposite lateral margins of said perforate circumferential wall, to limit the flow of air through said perforate wall to selected circumferential areas of said processing portion,
- (g) means operable externally of said housing for controllably adjusting said second masking means,
- (h) said first masking means comprises means masking said perforate circumferential wall across substantially its full width,
- (i) said second masking means serving to mask opposed lateral margins of said circumferential wall to confine the inwardly directed flow of air into the interior of said drum substantially to a central area of said processing portion between said lateral margins,
- (j) said second masking means comprises laterally extendable and retractable flow control members closely embracing outer surface portions of the said processing portion of said drum at each side thereof, and
- (k) control means for simultaneously extending and retracting said flow control members at each side to vary the effective width of said processing portion.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.