Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 11th Oct., 1887
I, ALVAN AUGUSTUS SIMONDS, of Dayton, in the State of Ohio, United States of
America, Merchant, 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 :-
My invention relates to machines for drying paper with hot air and consists of a
certain construction of parts fully described in this Specification and more particularly
pointed out in the claims.
In the manufacture of paper, as soon as the web of the paper has been formed and
compressed into a sheet of the required thickness, it passes to a drier. The driers in
ordinary use are those which employ steam heated rollers with endless belt carriers of
felt. The paper as it leaves this drier is slightly calendered which leaves it in the
condition of the paper of the ordinary newspaper.
If the paper is to be made into writing paper after leaving the drier, the web is
passed through a sizing tub, is again rolled to remove a surplus of size, and is then
divided into sheets and taken to a drying loft where it is exposed to a moderately
high temperature for from thirty six to forty eight hours. This is rendered necessary
because it has been found that the roller driers employed in the first drying of the
web, when used to dry sized paper, destroy the sizing and a fine quality of writing
paper cannot therefore be made by using such driers.
My object is to produce a drier which will dry sized paper without injuring the
sizing and which can also be used in the first drying of the web.
I am aware that paper driers have been made consisting of large structures with
rollers and belts for carrying the paper web through the same in a tortuous course,
the structure being provided with a hot air supply.
I am also aware that it has been proposed to pass the paper web through boxes of
considerable depth, each of such boxes being provided with air forcing devices or fans

page_text: at the top and bottom near one end for supplying a blast of air to the paper on both
sides, and I am aware that in this case it is stated that a "hot blast" is used.
My invention differs from these constructions in that I provide a tube or box of
such dimensions that but little space is given on each side of the paper web and such
tube or box is provided with an air inlet at one end on one or both sides of the paper
and I connect such inlet or inlets by a pipe with an air heating and air forcing device
whereby heated air is delivered against the paper without being cooled or moistened
by contact with the air of the room in which the operation takes place.
By employing this construction I have found that I can dry a paper web much
more rapidly and cheaply and can dry sized paper without injuring the size and can
thus cheapen the cost of the paper to which it is applied.
The mechanism is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 is a
side view of the blower, furnace, and drying machine with certain parts.broken away
to show the interior construction, figure 2 is a section of this drying machine on
the line XX, exhibiting the parts immediately beneath. Figure 3 is a side view
of figure 2 partly in section. The same letters of reference indicate identical parts
in each of the figures.
My improved drier consists of a frame E, in which are mounted, rollers J, J, J,
and reel K. Supported on the said frame between the said rollers are one or
more flat tubes or boxes F, F¹. These tubes or boxes are connected at one end
by a pipe D with air heating and air forcing devices which are represented in
this instance by the blower A and furnace B. These tubes or boxes at the end
opposite the air inlets II are open substantially the full extent of each tube or
box and the other end is provided with an opening for the admission of the sheet
of paper to be acted upon. This opening consists of a narrow slot in the centre of
the end wall and is of sufficient width to admit of the paper web being passed easily
and freely there-through. This paper designated in the drawings by the letter H is
curved over one of the rollers J, through the tube or box F, and when more than
one such box is employed, then around a roller or rollers through the tube or box F,
and is guided thence to the reel K. The paper is subjected to a strong current of
hot air in the tubes or boxes For F¹, and is thereby thoroughly and evenly dried.
The heated air may be admitted to the tubes or boxes at both top and bottom and
directed against and made to act upon both sides of the paper.
I have shown an endless felt band or apron G upon the rollers J, J', in this
instance, and the moist paper received and supported thereupon when first introduced
into the machine.
When
When the tubes or boxes are of great length, supporting rollers S may be employed
to keep the paper from dragging on the bottom of the box. But this is necessary
only when the heated air is admitted solely to the upper side of the paper.
the air is admitted beneath the paper, the current of air will of itself keep the paper
from dragging on the bottom of the tube or box.
It is well known that the more highly heated air becomes the greater is its capacity
for absorbing moisture. The air in this case is conducted from the heating device
and discharged upon the paper in its most absorptive condition and having only a
narrow space on each side of the paper the passage of the air is rapid, a great amount
of air is brought into contact with the paper in a given time and the moisture in the
paper rapidly evaporated.
If the heat were applied to the air of the room, the air would have its temperature
very much reduced and lose much of its absorptive power before it could be forced on
to the paper.
Were heated air forced into the room the result would be the same.
By the use of my device I direct the air when it is the most highly heated and capable of
absorbing the greatest amount of moisture, against the wet paper and thus secure the
rapid absorption of the moisture.
While my invention is of especial value in the manufacture of writing paper
I propose to employ it in drying all other kinds of paper. I believe that it will be
found to have special advantages in drying wall papers, paper curtains, and the like
paper fabrics.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with guiding and supporting rollers for a paper web and a
narrow tube or box having an opening the full size of the same at one end, an opening
for the passage of the paper web at the other, and an air inlet near one end of the
said tube or box, of an air heater connected with the said air inlet and an air blast
device for causing a current of air to pass through the air heater and tube or box
substantially as described.
2. The combination with a narrow tube or box having an opening at one end the
full size of the same, an opening for the passage of a paper web at the other end and
air inlets at the top and bottom of the said tube or box near one end of the same, of
an air heater connected with said inlets, an air forcing device for causing a current of
air to pass through the heater and tube and guiding and supporting rollers for guiding
and supporting a web of paper through the centre of the tube or box, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a narrow tube or box, having an opening at one end the
full size of the same, a narrow slot at the other end for the passage of a paper web,
and a hot blast inlet, of guiding and supporting rollers for the paper web, substantially
as described.
4. The combination of a narrow tube or box, having an opening at one end the full
size of the same, a narrow slot for the passage of the paper web at the outer end, hot
blast inlets at the top and bottom, and guiding and supporting rollers for the paper,
adjusted to carry the paper centrally through the tube or box, substantially as
described.
5. The combination of a narrow tube or box having an opening at one end the full
size of the same, a narrow slot for the passage of a paper web at the other end, hot
blast inlets at the top and bottom, guiding and supporting rollers for the paper
adjusted to carry the paper centrally through the tube or box, an air heater connected
to the hot air inlets and a forcing device for causing a current of air to pass through
the air heater and inlets into the said tube, substantially as described.
ப
1
1008
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.