Method and apparatus for handling rolls inside an endless paper-making belt

A support device with air caster units is provided sufficient to lift and support heavy rollers or rolls inside an endless belt so that the rolls can be removed from within the endless belt and the endless belt replaced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to the method and apparatus for handling 
endless paper-making belts, and more particularly, to a device for 
installing or removing an endless paper-making belt from around heavy 
rolls. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The handling of large endless belts, especially in the light of their 
breadth, provides difficulties when installing such endless belts around 
heavy rolls such as those found in the forming section of a paper-making 
machine or the stretcher rolls used in the manufacture of paper-making 
belts. On paper machines these belts are called wires, fabric or felts. On 
conventional paper-making machines, when changing the forming fabric, the 
old fabric on the machine is suspended while the breast and couch rolls 
are held in a cantilever manner while the various other suction rolls and 
foils and suction boxes are also held in a cantilever manner. Tension is 
released on the fabric, and the fabric is removed from the free end of the 
rolls. 
In the case of the stretching rolls used in the manufacture of these 
fabrics, the rolls are moved towards each other on bearing supports 
mounted on wheels travelling in tracks provided in the floor thereof. As 
the tension in the fabric is released, the fabric is held tent-like and 
the rolls are moved inwardly to the point where they are cantilevered so 
that the fabric can be removed over the end of the rolls and the new 
fabric replaced. The weight of the stretching rolls used in the 
manufacture of the fabric or the weight of the breast and couch rolls on a 
paper machine are such that a considerable support structure must be 
provided on the cantilevered side so as to support the full length of 
these rolls while the fabric is being removed and replaced. This problem 
is especially acute in the manufacture of paper-making belts since these 
belts are continuously being installed or removed from the stretcher rolls 
during their production. Accordingly, in the building in which the belts 
are being stretched, the floor must often be especially reinforced on the 
support side of the rolls in order to properly cantilever the stretching 
rolls which might sometimes exceed 40 feet. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method 
for overcoming certain problems in the handling of large endless belts, 
especially when they are installed on or removed from around heavy 
stretching rolls in the manufacture thereof or from paper-making machines. 
These rolls may be in excess of 40 ft. in width and 4 ft. in diameter. 
An apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a roll 
support platform including air supported casters mounted to the bottom of 
said platform adapted for lifting and gliding the platform and the 
supported roll over the belt such that the rolls can be completely removed 
from within the endless belt to allow the belt to be changed. 
A method in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of 
changing an endless paper-making belt, including first releasing the 
tension on the belt, supporting the end rolls on air casters such that the 
rolls and support means are spaced from the floor and moving the supported 
rolls from within the belt clear of the belt so as to effect its change. 
In a more specific embodiment of the present apparatus in accordance with 
the invention, the support platform includes an endless web adapted to 
pass under the air supported casters such that the endless web is in 
contact with the fabric as the support platform moves over the fabric, the 
endless web passing over the platform as the platform supporting the roll 
is moved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5, there is shown a pair of stretcher 
rollers 12 and 14 and a belt 10. The belt 10 is endless and is in the 
process of being finished for use. The rolls 12 and 14 are normally 
mounted on bearing supports 16 and 18 which in turn have wheels 20 and 22 
for movement in tracks embedded in the floor. In a normal stretching 
process, the rolls 12 and 14 are moved away from each other, stretching 
the fabric about the rolls 12 and 14. After this has been accomplished, 
the bearing supports 16 and 18 are moved inwardly towards each other, as 
shown in FIG. 2, and are allowed to position the rolls 12 and 14 over 
pillows 28 and 30 of a transporter including a platform 24. 
The belt 10 can be hung by means of hangers 34 and 36 suspended from the 
ceiling 32 and supporting poles 38 and 40 which in turn hang the belt 10 
as a tent so as to allow clear movement of the rolls 12 and 14. 
The platform 24 is provided underneath and at each end thereof with 
so-called air casters 26. The air caster 26 includes a square steel plate 
or frame and a circular rubber curtain or annular diaphragm extending from 
the plate and air under pressure is fed into the space defined by the 
rubber skirt. Air eventually escapes between the skirt and the ground, but 
the air pressure contained within the annular skirt allows any air caster 
to be lifted and held off the ground even when supporting a great load. A 
typical air caster is supplied by Aero-Go Inc. under the trade mark "AERO 
CASTER". It is contemplated that a cluster of air casters 26 would be 
supplied at each end of the platform 24, and the air casters as well as 
the platform 24 would be effective to lift the rolls 12 and 14 off of the 
bearing supports 16 and 18, and very little force would be required to 
move the otherwise heavy rolls 12 and 14 on the transporter clear of the 
belt 10, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. 
Because the transporter 24 is supported on air over the floor and no 
portion of the transporter 24 is in contact with the belt 10, the rolls 
can thus be moved over the belt 10 without apparent damage to the belt 10. 
Accordingly, rather than having to provide excessively strong floor 
supports for cantilevering the rolls 12 and 14, they are merely positioned 
on the transporter 24 and moved out from within the belt 10, and the belt 
10 can then be replaced by a new belt to be stretched. It is contemplated 
that similar versions could be used for changing the paper-making belts 
found on paper-making machines. 
The remaining Figures show the different embodiments using the principle of 
an air caster for moving the rolls clear of the belt 10. For instance, in 
FIG. 6, where space might be limited, the rolls 42 and 44 are supported at 
one end and bearings mounted on a pivoting support 46 are adapted to pivot 
about a vertical axis. When the rolls 42 and 44 are brought together, the 
other ends of the shafts of the rolls 42 and 44 are supported on a 
transporter platform 48 also provided with air casters. The rolls 42 and 
44 would then be moved by pivoting about the vertical axis into a position 
shown in dotted lines. The belt could then be easily cleared of the rolls 
42 and 44. 
The embodiment in FIG. 7 illustrates how the belt 10 can be moved clear of 
the rolls 59 rather than moving the rolls clear of the belt 10. In this 
case, the bearing support 64 is pivoted about a horizontal axis while the 
other end of the shaft 70 is supported on an air caster transporter. As 
air pressure is provided within the air casters 68, the transporter lifts 
off the surface of the ground, and in this case, off a moving metallic 
slat conveyor 66. Carriages 52 and 56, which move on guide rail 50, 
support the poles 60 by means of hangers 47 and 58, and the fabric is 
moved clear of the rolls by passing through the air space underneath the 
platform 68. In order not to damage the fabric, the conveyor 66 is 
provided so as to reduce the friction of the fabric as it passes 
underneath the air transporter platform 68. 
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown a pair of air 
caster transporters 76 and 90 with one transporter at each end of the 
rolls 72 and 74. Rolls 72 and 74 are supported at one end on respective 
pillows 86 and 87, each supported by transporter 76. The transporter 76 
includes a platform and beams 80a and 80b, beams 82a and 82b, as well as 
cross-beams 83a and 83b. Underneath the transporter 76 is a cluster of air 
casters. An endless web 85 passes about the air casters 78, as shown in 
FIGS. 8 and 9, such that the pressure of the air in the casters acts on 
the inner side of the bottom run of the endless web 85 which is trained 
about the platform. The endless web should have a soft outer surface and a 
vinyl-like interior surface. The soft outer surface would reduce the 
possibility of damage to the fabric. As the transporter 76 carrying one 
end of the roll moves the endless web which is in contact with the fabric 
or the ground, it is forced to move such that the air casters are always 
over a static portion of the web 85 relative to the belt. The fragmented 
end of FIG. 8 shows the other transporter 90 including beams 89 and an 
endless web 96 with air casters 94 supported on the transporter 90. Of 
course, the features of the transporter are identical. 
Referring to FIG. 9, the transporter 76 is, of course, double such that end 
beam 88 can connect segments of the transporter 76 and the respective 
endless web are shown at 84 and 85 while the casters are identified in 
both groups by the numeral 78.