US 6,758,136 B2 · Method and apparatus for calendering paper

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a calender, comprising a cylindrical heated roll and a flexible belt surrounding a stationary support beam which supports at least one actuator which may urge a concave load shoe against the heated roll by the flexible belt to form an extended and heated nip through which a fiber web passes to be calendered and a separating mechanism for having at least one of the rolls movable into and away from the nip characterized in that the flexible belt is a flexible tubular jacket which forms a part of an enclosed shoe roll such that the ends of the jacket have end walls mounted thereto, which end walls are rotatably mounted in relation to the support beam, and in that at least one of the end walls is driven by a drive arrangement which drive arrangement may be activated to drive the end walls and thereby also the jacket independently of its position in relation to the fiber web or the heated roll.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A calender device for calendering a fibrous web, said calender device comprising:

a stationary support beam;
a flexible tubular jacket surrounding the stationary support beam and having a pair of opposed ends;
a heated counter element arranged on the opposite side of the flexible tubular jacket from the support beam such that the fibrous web is advanced between the flexible tubular jacket and the heated counter element;
a load element supported on the stationary support beam opposite the heated counter element for pressing the flexible tubular jacket against the heated counter element and thereby calendering the fibrous web interposed therebetween;
an end wall rotatably supported adjacent to each end of the flexible tubular jacket, each end of said flexible tubular jacket being securely supported by the respective end wall;
and
a drive arrangement in operative engagement with each end wall, the drive arrangements being in communication with each other so as to be capable of synchronously rotating the end walls to thereby cause rotation of the flexible tubular jacket in a position-independent manner with respect to the heated counter element.

4 more elements

A method of initiaing calendering of a fibrous web between a counter element and a tubular flexible jacket having transversely opposed end walls operably engaged therewith, said method comprising:

providing the counter element and the tubular flexible jacket separated from each other;
advancing the fibrous web towards the counter element and the tubular flexible jacket;
synchronously driving the end walls with a drive arrangement operably engaging each end wall, the drive arrangements being in communication with each other and being configured to rotate the tubular flexible jacket at a predetermined peripheral speed relative to the advancing fibrous web;
closing the counter element and tubular flexible jacket together to define a nip through which the fibrous web is advanced;
and
applying pressure to the inside of the tubular flexible jacket, thereby engaging the tubular jacket against the counter element to thereby calender the web between the tubular flexible jacket and the counter element.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for calendering paper

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for calendering paper

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16