Patent GB-1277038-A (GB)
Title: A method of manufacturing shaped articles from elastic porous materials
Inventor: NOVOZHILOV NIKOLAI PAVLOVICH
IPC: B29C53/02
Filed: 1969-07-09
Abstract: 1277038 Cushions VLADIMIRSKY NAUCHNOISSLEDOVATELSKY INSTITUT SINTETICHESKIKH SMOL 9 July 1969 34519/69 Heading A4M [Also in Divisions B1 B6 B8 and F2] Shaped articles are made from elastic porous materials such as urethane &c., foams, by compressing a blank 1, Fig.1, of the material along one dimension to form a shortened blank 2, Fig.2, then treating one surface S or parts thereof to maintain that surface or the parts in a compressed condition, and finally releasing the blank from its compressed condition so that under its elasticity it bends towards the surface S. If the complete surface S is treated then the article obtained will be of cylindrical, arcuate or spiral form depending on the amount the blank is compressed. By treating parts only of the surface S, the article obtained may be of rectangular section with rounded corners Figs.7 and 8 (not shown). An approximately Z- shaped article may be obtained by treating a part of the surface S and also treating a part of the opposite surface spaced lengthwise from the treated part of surface S Figs. and 10 (not shown). The treatment may consist in applying a glued strip of paper to the surface S or part thereof, or by fusing the surface layer, or by impregnating the layer with a hardening or setting compound. The articles may be used as arms or bolsters in upholstered furniture, for packing instruments, for insulating piping, or as filters for liquids and gases. An arcuate article so formed may be supported on a base, and the space between it and the support filled with an elastic or rigid material to form a seat, Fig.4 (not shown). In the case of a cylindrical filter in which the medium to be filtered passes from the outside to the inside, the article is processed as by heating to eliminate elastic stresses, and the treated layer is removed. The porosity of the filter decreases gradually from the outside to the inside. Several constructions of apparatus for compressing the blank and treating its surface are described. In one form, Fig. 11, the blank 13, positioned between a fixed bed 10 and a slidable plate 14, is compressed lengthwise by members 12. The plate 14 is then moved to the left and during such movement a roller 19 mounted on the plate and projecting through an opening therein applies a glued paper sheet to the upper surface of the blank. In another construction, Figs. 12, and 13 (not shown), a long blank is fed by a conveyor beneath a horizontal plate, and two conveyor belts diverging at the entry end, engage the side edges of the blank to compress it transversely, means being provided to apply a strip of glued material to one surface of the compressed blank. When released the blank rolls up into a cylinder. According to a further arrangement, Fig.14 (not shown) the blank is passed successively between two pairs of conveyors, the second pair moving at a slower speed than the first pair to effect the required compression. Finally, a blank may be compressed between two plates, Fig.15 (not shown) a strip of glued flexible material is applied to one edge, and a strip of the blank adjacent to that edge is severed from the blank to form an article by a knife passing through slits in the plates.