Method of and apparatus for fabricating dimensionally stable, cylindrical filler bodies and expanded material

An apparatus for fabricating dimensional stable cylindrical bodies of thin material strips, comprising:

• means for forming slits through a thin strip of material, which slits extend longitudinally of said strip and which are staggered with respect to one another in a transverse direction of said strip;
• means, downstream of said means for forming slits, for expanding said strip of material in said transverse direction to a desired breadth;
• means, downstream of said means for expanding, for folding said strip of material in said transverse direction, for lopping said strip of material into pieces after it has been folded, and for cylindrically compacting lopped pieces of the strip of material in such a manner that the lopped pieces are rolled into cylindrical bodies;
• and
• conveying means for conveying said strip of material through said means for forming slits, means for expanding and means for folding, lopping and compacting;
• wherein
• said means for forming slits includes a first set of cutting discs separated from one another by a washer such that a space exists between every two immediately adjacent cutting discs, and a second set of cutting discs separated from one another by a washer such that a space exists between every two immediately adjacent cutting discs, wherein said cutting discs of said first set are individually received within said spaces of said second set and said cutting discs of said second set are individually received within said spaces of said first set, and wherein each cutting disc of said second set has a first plurality of spaced recesses on one side of said disc extending inwardly from a periphery thereof and around the entire periphery thereof, and a second plurality of spaced recesses on an opposite side of said disc extending inwardly from a periphery thereof and around the entire periphery thereof, such that along the entire periphery of said disc the following pattern is established and repeated, recess of first plurality, recess of second plurality, recess of first plurality, recess of second plurality.