Patent GB-1480823-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus and method for continuously expanding and feeding preformed honeycomb material
IPC: B32B3/12
Filed: 1974-07-15
Abstract: 1480823 Honeycomb cores LANCASTER RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 15 July 1974 [16 July 1973] 31287/74 Heading B5N An apparatus for continuously expanding and feeding preformed honeycomb material comprises a source of unexpanded honeycomb material, means for partially expanding material from the source, intermittently operable means for supplying successive lengths of the partially expanded material to means for further expanding, the material to a preselected degree, so that the further expanded material has a preselected width, means for continuously feeding the further expanded material; and control means for the intermittently operable means, which control means are operable in response to the feeding of a preselected length of further expanded material by the feeding means in a manner to cause the intermittently operable means to supply such a length of partially expanded material as will, when expanded to the preselected degree, have a length equal to the preselected length. In the embodiment shown, P is a paper honeycomb panel of predetermined width W, 1 is the apparatus, 3 a feed drive section, 5 a supply drive section and 7 a honeycomb delivery drive section. Delivery roll 9 is continuously driven by section 7 to simultaneously supply a plurality of side-by-side strips of unexpanded honeycomb core material 11, 13, 15 from source 17 to drive rollers 19, 21 intermittently-driven by section 5, which draw the strips through converging channels 189, 191, 193 and thus partially expand the strips to supply partially expanded material to glue rollers 23, 25 driven by section 3 and thence to compression conveyer 27 together with two paper facing webs 29, 31 to be adhered to the faces of the strips. The section 3 comprises motor 39, speed reducer 41, chain 45 and sprockets 47, 49, sprocket 49 driving gears 51 keyed to shaft 52 of roller 55. Also keyed to shaft 52 is sprocket 56 driving chain 57 and thus sprocket 58 keyed to roller 59. Reversing gear 53 driven by gear 51 drives sprocket 63 by chain 64, sprocket 63 driving rollers 65, 67 via sprockets 68, 69 and chain 70, these sprockets and chains being arranged to allow raising and lowering of rollers 65, 67 by air cylinder 205, all four rollers 55, 59, 65, 67 operating at the same peripheral speed as conveyer 27 and rollers 23, 25. Power take-off 71 includes sprocket 73 keyed to the shaft of roller 59, chain 75 driving sprocket 77 fixed, together with gear 79 to shaft 78 of lower conveyer roller 83, reversing gear 81 meshing with gear 79 and driving an upper conveyer roller 95 through idler sprocket chain assembly 85, 87, 89, 91 and 94, endless conveyer belts 97, 99 being driven by rollers 83, 95, the belts driving forward conveyer rollers 101, 103 and the idler sprocket chain assembly being arranged to allow raising and lowering of upper conveyer roller 95. Power take-off 105 comprises sprocket 109, chain 107, sprocket 111 and gear 113 fixed to shaft 114 of roller 25. Reversing gear 115 drives upper roller 23 via idler chain and sprocket assembly 117, 119, 121, 123, 125 and 126 which is arranged to allow raising and lowering of roller 23. Fixed to the ends of the shafts of rollers 23, 25 are gears 127, 129 driving reversing gears 131, 133 keyed to the shafts of doctor rollers 135, 137, glue being supplied from reservoirs 136, 138. Electric motor 139 driving a pair of meshing gears 151, 153 driving lower and upper rollers 21 and 19, means being provided for the raising and lowering of drive roller 19, rollers 19 and 21 controlling the expansion and merging of the partially expanded strips by timer 165 actuating rollers 19, 21 and adjustable by control knob 166. Switch 167 is positioned adjacent reversing gear 131 which is driven by roller 23, gear 131 carrying arm 169 which actuates switch follower arm 171 to momentarily actuate switch 167 as roller 23 rotates through one complete revolution. As each rotation of rollers 23, 25 feeds a preselected length of expanded material, arm 169 actuates switch 167 to energize timer 165 and correlates operation of drive rollers 19, 21 to supply the length of partially expanded material to rollers 23, 25. Partially expanded material is delivered to the expander section by roller 9, roller 9 being over-driven by motor 173, and fitted with slip clutches 178 and toothed driving discs 179 which grip and feed strips 11, 13, 15. Tension sensing rollers 185, 187 are provided to maintain paper webs 29, 31 under tension, strips 11, 13, 15 being drawn from source 17 and delivered into expanding shoots each including a separate converging channel 188, 191, 193, the side pressure on the slips continually expanding the material lengthwise as it is drawn from each shoot. As the side-by-side strips advance toward the nip of rollers 23, 25 they are merged into a continuous width and centred, the rollers drivingly engaging the faces of the merged strips and applying glue thereto. Adjustable side pressure plates 197 are disposed downstream of rollers 23, 25 to maintain the width W and the centreing of the core, the webs of facing material being brought into contact with the core and adhered thereto by belts 97, 99, the panel P being moved between two opposed optional heating plates to set the glue.