Patent GB-1128772-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for handling lengths of web like material especially sausage casing
Inventor: HOWARD JOHN ALBAN
IPC: B65H51/20
Filed: 1965-05-31
Abstract: 1,128,772. Drying apparatus. UNILEVER Ltd. 6 June, 1966 [31 May, 1965], No. 23035/65. Heading F4G. [Also in Division B5] Apparatus suitable for drying sausage casing or other web or ribbon-like material comprises a plurality of substantially parallel longitudinal carrier members 13 arranged so as to define the curved surface of a cylinder 2 around which casing 5 can be wrapped and progressed therealong in an axial direction, means 4 for moving said carrier members round a substantially circular path thereby rotating the cylinder, and at least one cam track 14 co-operating with the carrier members to produce longitudinal and radial movement of the carrier members during rotation of the cylinder, during said movement each carrier member successively moving longitudinally in the axial direction of progression and then moving radially inwards and back to its starting position. As shown, the or each cam track and the carrier members are arranged so that during movement of each carrier member (e.g. carrier members b, c in Fig. 3) back to its starting position it is flanked by two carrier members (a, d) at a greater effective distance from the cylinder axis. Two similar cam tracks 14 may be located at opposite ends of the carrier members to provide said movement. In operation sausage casing is fed in through an inlet 16, is wrapped several times round the periphery of the moving bars and passes out of the casing via outlet 17. The drum is rotated in a clockwise direction and this causes the bars to progress gradually in the axial direction indicated by arrows B in the developed view of the carrier members shown in Fig. 4 while moving in the circumferential direction A, the progression allowing several turns of casing lengths to be carried by the drum and the drum to be rotated, without these turns riding up on one another, progressing towards one end of the drum, or otherwise causing stress in the casing. From Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen that while each carrier member is moving in the direction of the arrows A it will be progressed longitudinally in the direction of the arrows B, subsequently moving back in the direction of the arrows C to its starting point. During the return movement of each carrier member it is out of contact with the sausage casing and the casing is supported by two other carrier members at a greater effective distance from the cylinder axis (see members a, b, c, d of Fig. 3) so that the carrier members b and c are returning in the direction of the arrows C of Fig. 4 to their starting positions while the casing is supported by the flanking carrier members a and d. During progression of the easing or web through the device air is blown through ducting 6 to dry it. Figs. 5 and 6 show an improved form of carrier member comprising two longitudinal bars 18, 19 joining a pair of nylon end members 20 which include tensioning pieces 21 and cylindrical nylon bearings 22. A loop of nylon cord 23 is stretched between the tensioning pieces 21. In both constructions, at their ends the carrier members 13 ride on the cam tracks 14. Cam tracks 14 are of wire material and shaped so as to determine a particular movement of the carrier bars during rotation of the drum. The shape of the cam track can thus be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, Fig. 4 showing a developed view of the carrier members 13 and their movement. The cam tracks 14 are inclined at a small angle to a plane perpendicular to the shaft 8 so as to produce longitudinal progression of the bars 13 in the direction of the arrows B, as shown in Fig. 4, while the bars are moving in the general direction A. At three stages in each cam track, at 120-degree intervals round the drum, the cam tracks are bent radially inwards and at the same time are inclined in opposition to the previous inclination to recover the ground progressed during the previous stage. The apparatus may be used for the drying of sausage casings made of collagen, cellulose, alginate or similar material formed in tubes by extrusion. In an example a drum having an effective diameter of 4 feet 6 inches was used and carried five turns of sausage casing rotating at three revolutions per minute, 70 feet of casing thus being handled at one time and passing through the device in 1 2/3 mins.