Paper stock cleaning apparatus

A paper stock cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a rotatably horizontally disposed air-permeable and water-permeable drum, one end of which is provided with a paper stock inlet port for intake of paper stock into said air-permeable and water-permeable drum, and the other end of which is provided with a paper stock outlet port, said air-permeable and water-permeable drum having an internal peripheral surface and being rotatable about an axis extending in an axial direction;
• a cleaning water supply device for supplying cleaning water into said air-permeable and water-permeable drum;
• a plurality of baffle plates extending in a peripheral direction of said air-permeable and water-permeable drum about said axis so as-to project inwardly from said internal peripheral surface of said air-permeable and water-permeable drum and so as to be spacedly arranged in said axial direction, said baffle plates having internal edges;
• a plurality of paper stock cleaning zones divided in the axial direction by said baffle plates and being formed between said baffle plates, and a plurality of raking plates being spacedly arranged in the peripheral direction between adjacent baffle plates and adapted to rake the paper stock in said paper stock cleaning zones in a direction of rotation of said drum, the paper stock loaded through said paper stock inlet port being allowed to move, zone by zone, through said paper stock cleaning zones formed between said baffle plates and brought to said paper stock outlet port, the paper stock, when in said paper stock cleaning zones between said baffle plates, being raked up in the peripheral direction by said raking plates in accordance with rotation of said air-permeable and water-permeable drum and falling by force of gravity, repeatedly;
• wherein all or a part of said raking plates in said paper stock cleaning zones are disposed in inclined postures with respect to said axis;
• and wherein all or a part of said raking plates include portions that project inwardly beyond said internal edges of said baffle plates.