A DEVICE FOR WORKING A DOUGH STRAND INTO A THIN DOUGH SHEET

Abstract: A device for working a dough strand into a thin dough sheet, comprising two superimposed endless conveyors the operative runs of which are facing one another and adapted to be driven in the same direction at the same speed, said operative runs confining a passage gap for the dough strand that gradually increases in height in the conveying direction. According to the invention the operative run of the upper one of the two belt conveyors has, as seen in the conveying direction of the dough strand, a profile, that satisfies the equation: Yx = Y0/(1+ax), in which Yx is the perpendicular distance between the operative run of the upper belt conveyor and the lower, flat belt conveyor at a point x in the passage gap between the two operative runs, and wherein <u>a</u> is a measure for the length of the conveyance path.

Description: FOR THE PURPOSES OF INFORMATION ONLY Codes used to identify States party to the PCT on the front pages of pamphlets publishing international applications under the PCT. Short title: A device for working a dough strand into a thin dough sheet. The invention relates to a device for working a dough strand into a thin dough sheet, cαπμrising two superimposed endless cxjnveyors the operative runs of which are facing one another and adapted to be driven in the same direction at the same speed, said operative runs confining a passage gap for the dcu strand that gradually increases in heiφt in the cxiπveying direction. Such a device is kncwn and is practically used for further processing of the yield of a so-called continuous kneader. In such a kneader the required dough ingredients are mixed ar_d kneaded to a substantially homogeneous dough strand that leaves the device through an outlet. With the well-kncwn device the two facing runs of the two belt conveyors are completely flat along the entire length of said runs and consequently confine a passage gap, the height of which is linearly decreasing into the dough strand cαπveyiiig direction up to the desired thickness of the dough sheet. Dependent of the type of baking products which one desires, the obtained dcugh sheet is to be severed into pieces of 300-2000 grams. In practice this severing is taking place by cutting the dough sheet into lengths corresponding to the desired weights by means of a transverse cutter provided at the cutlet of the device, said cutter being actuated with a frequency that is adjustable and dependent on the speed of the belt conveyors. It has been experienced, that the dau . sheet pieces thus obtained not always have the desired weight and that pieces of equal length often differ to much in wei it and often appear to be of an irregular structure. It is an object of the .invention to mitigate this drawback, -tøoαrding to the invention this object is achieved in that the operative run of the upper one of the two belt conveyors has, as seen in the ∞πveying direction of the daa . strand, a profile which is represented by the following equation γχ = 1+ax in whicii Y x is the pe__pendiα_ιlar distanπe between the operative run of the upper belt conveyor and the lower, flat belt conveyor at a point x in the passage gap between the two operative runs, and wherein a is a measure for the length of the conveyance path. 2 With a device having a thus profiled operative run of the upper belt conveyor there will be a linear increase of the width of the dough strand, as a result of which the dough will maintain its uniform staicture. There will be no mutual displacements of dough particles in the conveying direction, due to which the final dough sheet will be substantially "stress free" in the longitudinal direction, so that the length of the dough sheet is fanning a reliable measure for the weight. The invention will be hereinafter further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawing. Fig. 1 is a side view of a device according to the invention, placed behind the outlet of a continuous kneader and fig. 2 shews a plan view of the device of fig. 1. The device acoαrding to the invention is indicated at 1 and coπprises a lower, flat and horizontally arranged belt conveyor 2 and a belt cxπveyαr 3 placed thereabove. This assembly of belt conveyors 2 and 3 is supported by a frame 4 that connects to the outlet side of a so- called cxntiπuous kneader indicated at 5. Trie outlet mouth 6 of the kneader 5 is positioned midway above the left guide roller 2a of the lower belt ∞πveyor 2, the upper run 7 of which confines, together with the lower run 8 of the upper belt conveyor 3, a passage gap far the dau strand that flows through the outlet mouth, said gap having a height that decreases as seen to the right. The two belt conveyor are driven at the same speed, which is dependent of the outlet speed of the dough strand, and in a direction such that the operative runs 7 and 8 are moving to the right. The operative run 8 of the upper belt conveyor is guided across a profiled support plate 9 extending between the end rollers 3a and 3b. The profile of the support plate 9 satisfies the following equation: γ = -s≥τ in which Y 0 is the height of the dough strand passage gap at the inlet side and Y χ is the height of the passage gap at airy location x of the passage txajectory, and a is a constant which is dependent on the length of the passage trajectory. The operative run 8 of the upper belt conveyor will thus be guided along a hyperbolic path, due to which the e.g. cylindrical dough strand leaving the mouth 6 will, while passing between the operative runs 7 and 3 8, proportionally increase in width, whereas its thickness decreases along the above equation to the final thickness d. This manner of treating the outflowing dough strand is charac¬ terized by the fact, that any cross-sectional slice of the outflowing dough strand will, when passing through the device, deform only in the transverse direction, so that in the conveying direction there will be no mutual displacements of dough particles and the final dough sheet will be stressfree as seen in the cxanveying direction. The dough sheet released adjacent the downstream guide roller 3b of the upper belt conveyor remains supported by the upper run 7 of the ∞irtiπuing lcwer belt conveyor along a distance p. Above this part of the lower belt conveyor a cutter 11 carried by a cross beam 10 is provided, the side portions 11a of which will cut off the marginal portions of the dough sheet, while the cross portion lib will divide the dough sheet into longitudinal pieces. The cutter 11 is periodically driven, in a manner not further shown, with a frequency which is dependent of the speed at which the dough strand leaves the dough mouth 6 and which may be adjusted in dependence of the desired weight of the pieces to be severed from the dough sheet.

Claims: 4 C L A I M S 1. A device for working a dough strand into a thin dough sheet, ∞mpri-sing two superimposed endless cx_πveyors the operative runs of which are facing one another and adaptpri to be driven in the same direction at the same speed, said operative runs confining a passage gap for the dcugh strand that gradually increases in height in the conveying direction, ctoaracrterized in that the operative run of the upper one of the two belt ∞πveyors has, as seen in the cjoπveying direction of the dough strand, a profile which is represented by the following equation in which Y χ is the perpendicular distance between the operative run of the upper belt conveyor and the lower, flat belt cαnveyαr at a point x in the passage gap between the two operative runs, and wherein a is a measure for the length of the conveyance path. 2. A device acx_αrding to claim 1, characterized in that the operative run of the upper belt conveyor is guided across a fixed profiled -support plate.

Inventors: VAN EERSEL JOHANNES CHRISTOFFE, VAN EERSEL, JOHANNES, CHRISTOFFEL
Applicants: EERSEL JOHANNES CHRISTOFFEL VA, SASIB BAKERY HOLLAND NV, SASIB BAKERY HOLLAND N.V., VAN EERSEL, JOHANNES, CHRISTOFFEL
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A21C3
IPC codes: A21C3