An Improvement in Paper Feed Rolls for Feeding Paper in Paper Making Machines and other Machines or Apparatus.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1896
[Communicated from abroad by ARTHUR SCHWARZ, OI
Germany, Works Manager.]
Dernu-Schoneberg,
An Improvement in Paper Feed Rolls for Feeding Paper in Paper
Making Machines and other Machines or Apparatus.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK, of 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow,
Registered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
At present when feeding damp paper by means of feed rollers longitudinal folds or
creases are often formed in the paper and to remedy this defect the old smooth rollers
have been discarded and replaced by rollers having longitudinal grooves. These
fluted rollers, although they allow the air imprisoned between them and the paper
band to escape along the grooves, stretch the paper unequally.
In order to overcome this defect my correspondent sought to stretch the paper
in such a manner that no folds or creases could be formed in it during its passage
between the rollers. To effect this it is necessary that the stretching contrivance
should act, on the one hand, so slightly as to merely prevent the formation of
creases without impairing the comparatively small resistance of the wet paper,
and, on the other hand, it should not impede the proper laying of the paper,
throughout its width, upon the feed rolls.
As a stretching contrivance apart from the feed rolls appeared unsuitable my
correspondent designed the rollers forming the subject of the present invention.
These rollers have been found to give splendid results.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended a sheet of drawings whereon Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 a cross
section of one of the new feed rollers.
As will be seen from the drawing the roller is made of a larger diameter at the
ends than at the centre. The roller tapers uniformly from the ends to the
centre and the taper is not very great being only 10 millimetres in a roller
720 millimetres long. The straight dotted line Fig. 1 indicates the amount of
taper.
A damp paper band passing between two feed rollers has a constant tendency
to slacken in the centre, and, as a consequence, is liable to form in creases even
when fluted rollers are used; all the flutes do is to allow the escape of air as
before stated.
The new feed rollers although they are not capable of preventing the slackening
of the paper yet they stretch it at the moment it is fed forward by the rollers, and,
also, at the same time, impart a slight lateral pull which prevents the paper
creasing without damaging it.
As the roller is made larger in diameter at the ends than at the centre and as it,
revolves uniformly it follows that the ends of the roller have a greater peripheral
speed than the middle, and, as a consequence, a lengthwise pull is imparted to the
paper throughout its width. As the roller gradually tapers towards the centre the
peripheral speed likewise gradually diminishes towards the centre with the result
that the lengthwise pull gradually increases from the centre towards the ends
thereby preventing the formation of creases or folds.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is :-
A paper feed roll made with a surface which tapers uniformly and gradually
from the ends to the centre substantially as set forth.
Dated this 5th day of October 1896.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow.