Through-air dryer assembly
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsFrank S. Hada, Michael A. Hermans, Ronald F. Gropp, Peter K. Costello
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A through-air dryer is disclosed. The through-air dryer includes a cylindrical deck made from a plurality of deck plates that support a throughdrying fabric. The deck plates are supported by opposing hubs. Each of the hubs is in communication with a bearing that is mounted to a stationary shaft for allowing the cylindrical deck and the hubs to rotate. The bearings are positioned so as to create a through-air dryer structure that remains stable during operation and allows for easy calculation of loads on the dryer.
Claims14
An apparatus for through-air drying webs comprising:
- a cylindrical deck having sufficient open space to permit air flow therethrough;
- a stationary support shaft concentrically positioned with respect to the cylindrical deck;
- a support structure positioned between the cylindrical deck and the support shaft for supporting the cylindrical deck, the support structure being configured to rotate on the support shaft, the support structure comprising a first hub spaced from a second hub, each hub engaging an opposite end of the cylindrical deck, the support structure further comprising a rotating tube surrounding the support shaft, the rotating tube being connected at a first end to the first hub and at a second end to the second hub;
- and
- a gas source in communication with the cylindrical deck and being configured to supply a gaseous stream through the cylindrical deck for drying webs thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.