Abstract:
This invention provides an improved method and apparatus for controlling the tension in a tensionally fragile web of material being pulled by a constant speed processing machine from either one of a pair of supply rolls. A first festooning roller effects the control of the web tension during the normal operation of the machine. During the splicing of the web from one supply roll to another, the tension in the web would tend to dramatically increase. This tendency is offset by a second festooning roller engageable with the web and shiftable in a web tension decreasing direction only upon the occurrence of web tensions substantially in excess of the normal tension range. Means are provided to restrict the rate of return movement of the second festooning roller to that which falls within the control limits of the first festooning roller, thus eliminating any tendency to accelerate the new supply roll to a speed above the desired machine operating speed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are a substantial number of machines which perform operations on a tensionally fragile web of material. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,942, to Amberg et al., there is disclosed a machine for forming a pre-printed web of foam plastic material into a plurality of successive cylinders which are then applied around glass or plastic containers and subsequently shrunk into conforming engagement with such containers. The foam plastic material, which may be either foam polystyrene or a foamed polyethylene, does not have significant tension resistance and, since the machine operates by pulling the web of material from a supply roll, it is essential that the tension in the web be at all times maintained within a desired control range. Upon the depletion of one supply roll, it is customary to splice the end of the web to the beginning end of the web mounted on the new supply roll. This operation inherently would result in a very substantial increase in web tension, since the new supply roll is essentially stationary and must be accelerated by the web so that the linear speed of the web being drawn from the new supply roll corresponds to the operating speed of the machine. 
     Prior mechanisms for controlling web tension have involved the engagement of a shiftable festooning roller with the web. A substantially constant fluid pressure bias is imposed on the festooning roll in opposition to the web tension forces extended on the roller so that the roll shifts in response to variations in the web tension. Such shifting movements of the festooning roller are utilized to operate a hydralic valve unit which varies the amount of drag force applied to the supply reel. This general type of speed control arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,724 to John R. Johnson et al. 
     When a single festooning roller is employed for the web tension control, it necessarily follows that the tension control range must be relatively broad so as to encompass not only the tension variation encountered during normal operation of the processing machine, but also to accomodate the very significant increase in web tension that could occur when the end of the web is spliced onto a new supply roll. Inherently, the requirement that a single roller accommodate such a wide range of potential web tension results in the web tension control not being particularly precise in the operating range. There is, therefore, a distinct need for a web tension control for tensionally fragile web material which will precisely maintain a desired control range of tension for normal operation conditions, and yet will accommodate the substantially increased tension that would otherwise result from the splicing operating when the end of the web is transferred for an empty roll to a fresh supply roll. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The method and apparatus provided by this invention involves the utilization of two separate festooning rollers for effecting web tension control of tensionally fragile webs of material. The one festooning roller is of conventional construction, engages a portion of the web and is shiftable as a function of the web tension to control a variable roll drag force producing means to maintain the web tension in a desired control range during normal operation of the machine. A second festooning roller or set of rollers is provided which is fluid pressure biased to an extreme position during the normal operation of the machine. The second festooning roller only becomes effective upon a significant increase in web tension above the normal control range, such as would tend to occur during the splicing of the end of the web to a new supply roll. This second festooning roller is not operatively connected with the drag force producing means but is effective solely by its displacement in response to the increased web tension to maintain the web tension within an acceptable limit during the acceleration of the new supply roll to machine speed. When the new supply roll reaches operating speed, however, the return movement of the second festooning roller to its normally inoperative extreme position is restricted to prevent the tendency of the supply roll to overspeed as a result of such return movement. The rate of return movement is reduced to that which can be conveniently accommodated by the normal control operation of the first festooning roller. 
     It follows that the method and apparatus of this invention not only eliminates the possibility of a dangerous increase in web tension occurring during the splicing operation as a result of the necessity for accelerating the new supply roll, but also eliminates improper functioning of the web supply apparatus due to the overspeeding of the new supply roll. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the annexed sheets of drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a web supply mechanism incorporating a tension control embodying this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane 2--2 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view taken on the plane 3--3 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale, schematic perspective view of the web tension control portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged scale plan view, with portions thereof shown in section, of the braking system provided for each turntable. 
     FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane 6--6 of FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the web tension control apparatus showing the hydraulic connections of the over speed elimination cylinder. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a web feeding apparatus is shown which is functionally quite similar to that described and illustrated in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,724 to Johnson et al. The apparatus incorporates an articulated welded frame structure 10 upon which a pair of identical turntables 11 are suitably journalled for rotation about horizontally spaced, vertical axes. Each turntable is constructed to support a roll of web like material 12 which, in a specific application of this invention, may comprise a web of foamed polystyrene which has very low tensile resistance. Two turntables 11 are used so that a minimum of time is lost in switching production to a second roll of material when the previous roll has been completely used. A pair of base plates 16 are attached to the top of the base 10 with one plate under each turntable assembly respectively. 
     As best seen in FIG. 2, each turntable 11 is mounted on the base 10 by means of a bearing assembly made of a circular inner bearing track 13 affixed to the base plate 16 and a depending, annular outer bearing track 14 affixed to the turntable 11. The two bearing tracks 13 and 14 each have formed therein a semicircular cross-section cavity which forms a bearing race for rotary ball bearings 15 which are deployed around the entire circumference of the tracks 13 and 14. 
     Base plate 16 is used not only as a support for the respective turntable 11, but also to accommodate the reel braking systems. Each turntable has two brake systems, including a pair of drag brakes 17 and a pair of stopping brakes 18. Each of the brake systems is similar, whether used as a drag or a stopping brake. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pair of mounting brackets 19 are affixed to each base plate 16 in diametric relationship respectively for each drag brake assembly 17 and a pair of brackets 19a respectively for each stopping brake assembly 18. These mounting brackets are thus spaced at 90° intervals around the periphery of the outer bearing track 14. A drag shoe mounting arm 20 is hingedly attached to each stopping brake mounting bracket 19a by a hinge pin 21, allowing the drag brake shoe mounting arm 20 to pivot in the plane of the outer bearing track 14. A drag brake shoe pad assembly 22 is mounted to each drag brake shoe mounting arm for easy removal and replacement when worn. 
     A pneumatically operated drag brake cylinder 23 is mounted on each drag brake assembly mounting bracket 19. Each cylinder 23 has a piston mounted therein (not shown) and a piston rod 24 extending out one end of the cylinder. Each piston rod 24 has a piston cap 25 mounted thereon and facing radially inward to push against the end of the respective drag brake shoe mounting arm 20 at a point remote from the pivotal mounting of the particular mounting arm 20. Thus, when the two drag braking cylinders 23 are activated, pressure is applied to the free end of each drag brake shoe mounting arm 20 and in turn the drag brake shoe pads 22 are each forced against the outer surface 14a of the outer bearing track 14. 
     The stopping brake systems 18 are similar to the previously described drag brake systems 17, and a stopping brake is mounted intermediate each of the drag brakes. Thus, a stopping brake shoe mounting arm 20a is hingedly attached to each drag brake mounting bracket 19 by a hinged pin 21a, allowing the stopping brake shoe mounting arm 20a to pivot in the plane of the outer bearing track 14. A stopping brake shoe pad assembly 22a is mounted to each stopping brake shoe mounting arm 20a for easy removal and replacement when worn. A pneumatically operated stopping brake cylinder 23a is mounted on each stopping brake assembly mounting bracket 19a. Each cylinder 23a has a piston mounted therein (not shown) and a piston rod 24a extending out one end. Each piston rod 24a has a piston cap 25a mounted thereon and facing radially inward to push against the end of each stopping brake shoe mounting arm 20a at a point remote from the pivotal mounting of the respective mounting arm 20a. Stopping brake cylinders 23a operate similar to drag brake cylinders 23, forcing the stopping brake shoe pads 22a against the outer braking surface 14a of the outer bearing track 14. 
     A roll of tensionally fragile web material 12 rests on either of the turntables 11 and is centered about an upstanding spindle 26 by a conventional centering fixture 27 which engages the core 28 on which web 12 is wound. During operation of the machine to which the web material 12 is applied, the roll of web material may be on either turntable 11. Referring to the schematic perspective view of FIG. 4, it will be assumed that the initial roll of web material 12 was placed on the left hand turntable 11. To unwind the web material, counterclockwise rotation of the roll 12 and the supporting turntable 11 is therefore required. 
     The web of material from the roll 12 is fed around one roller 30a of a conventional web splicing mechanism 30. A second roller 30b is provided around which is entrained the adhesively coated end of a web 12 supplied from a reel on the right hand turntable 11 when the supply of web material 12 on the left hand reel is near the point of exhaustion. The lateral positions of rollers 30a and 30b are manually controlled by conventional mechanism 30 to move the rollers together to bring the adhesively treated end surface of the new reel into intimate contact with the adjacent surface of the web being supplied from the left hand reel, and thus effect the splicing of the web from the new supply reel without interrupting the feeding of the web to the production machine. 
     It should be noted, however, that once the adhesive joint is produced, the tension in the web will tend to significantly increase, due to the fact that the web must accelerate the new supply reel to a rotational speed corresponding to the linear speed of movement of the web 12 produced by the production machine. To prevent this tension increase from reaching a point at which there is danger of severing the tensionally fragile material, a tension reducing mechanism 40 is provided. Such mechanism comprises a plurality of laterally spaced vertical rollers 41 which are mounted on a horizontally linearly movable carriage 42. Intermediate each roller 41 there is provided a cooperating idler roller 43 which are respectively mounted for horizontal rotation about fixed shafts 44 suitably mounted on a bracket 10a on the frame 10 of the machine. The web 12 is successively trained over the fixed rollers 43 and the movable rollers 41 and then passes around a horizontally laterally shiftable festooning roller 51 mounted on a conventional festooning lever type mechanism 50. From roller 51, the web 12 is then trained over a roller 60 which is mounted for rotation about a fixed vertical axis on a bracket 10a and the web is drawn into the production machine from that point. 
     While the operation of the standard festooning roller unit 50 is well known in the prior art, a brief description of such will probably aid in the understanding of this invention. The mechanism 50 comprises a laterally shiftable web engaging roller 51 which is mounted on the free end of a horizontally pivoted festooning lever 52. As the tension increases, lever 52 pivots horizontally about its axis against the bias of a fluid pressure biasing cylinder 54, supplied from a constant pressure source (not shown in detail) and operates a hydraulic control valve unit 55 to supply fluid pressure to the drag brake cylinders 17 in proportion to the amount of pivotal movement of the festooning lever 52. Thus the tension is maintained at a desired level by increasing or decreasing the amount of drag imposed on the reel. Carriage 42 is shifted along the slide rods 45 by an increase in web tension and normally is biased against such movement by a single action fluid cylinder 46 connected to the same constant pressure source of fluid pressure as cylinder 54. During the normal operation of the production machine, the cylinder 46 is in its extreme retracted position as shown in FIG. 3 and the piston (not shown) of the cylinder would be in an extreme left hand position and maintained in such position by a constant fluid pressure which provides an effective biasing force greater than that exerted on rollers 41 by the normal range of web tension maintained by festooning roller mechanism 50. As the tension in the web material 12 increased due to the splicing operation, a linear force is imparted to the linearly shiftable rollers 41 to pull such rollers closer to the stationary rollers 43 and thus reduce the web tension. The only resistance to the movement of the rollers 41 is supplied by the fluid pressure applied within the cylinder 46. 
     In accordance with this invention, the piston rod of cylinder 46 is also connected to the piston 47a of a double acting hydraulic cylinder 47 which has opposite ends of its cylinder chamber interconnected by a conduit 48. To prevent overspeeding of the newly spliced supply roll, the conduit 48 (FIG. 7) includes a one way flow constriction 49, which permits unimpeded passage of liquid therethru during the movement of the double acting cylinder 47 corresponding to the movement of the single acting cylinder 46 to the right (as shown in FIG. 3) to relieve the web tension. Upon relief of such tension, however, the single acting cylinder 46 will attempt to return to its original position under the constant fluid pressure bias, but in cylinder 47 the flow rate of the return liquid is impeded by the flow constriction device 49 so that the double acting cylinder 46, hence carriage 42, returns to its normal position shown in FIG. 3 at a very slow rate. As shown in FIG. 7, flow constricting device 49 may include a check valve 49a connected in parallel with a flow limiting orifice 49b. Cylinder 47 thus functions as a unidirectional dash pot. This permits the normal festooning roller mechanism 50 to take over control of the web tension and maintain it within the desired control limits in conventional fashion. 
     The reason for delaying the retraction of the linearly shiftable festooning mechanism 40 under the influence of the fluid pressure bias within the singly acting cylinder 46 is simple. If there were no delay, the linearly movable festooning rollers 41 would retract and increase the web tension. This would result in a false signal to the conventional festooning mechanism 50 to decrease the drag forces on supply reel and hence permit such supply reel to overspeed. Instead, the provision of the constricted flow device 49 in the bypass 48 between the two sides of the piston in the double acting cylinder 47 permits only a gradual return of the single acting cylinder 46 and carriage 42 to its normal retracted position shown in FIG. 3. 
     The description of the construction and operation of the standard festooning roller mechanism 50, the reel drag brake system 17 and the reel stop brake system 18 has been quite abbreviated in view of the fact that this constitutes conventional apparatus, which is fully described and illustrated in the aforemention U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,724 to Johnson et al. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications of the described apparatus embodying this invention are readily possible and it is intended that the scope of the invention be determined solely by the following claims.