Patent ID: 7322539

Claim:
A refining surface of a refiner, the refiner having two opposed refining surfaces coaxially-disposed along an axis, with at least one of the refining surfaces being configured to rotate about the axis in a rotation direction, and the refining surfaces being configured to receive a lignocellulose material therebetween for defibering thereof, the refining surface comprising: a plurality of radially-extending bars defining grooves between adjacent bars, each groove having a bottom surface, and each bar having a leading surface and an opposed trailing surface with each of the leading and trailing surfaces being configured to extend away from the bottom surface of the respective grooves, each bar also having a radially-extending length and an angularly-extending width, at least one of the bars including a non-concave bevel extending from a leading edge of the leading surface of the bar, the leading edge of the leading surface being defined with respect to the interaction of the non-concave bevel with the opposed refining surface, the non-concave bevel being spaced apart from the bottom surface of the groove along the leading surface and extending across the bar, from the leading surface, for less than the entire width thereof, the remainder of the width of the bar extending from the non-concave bevel to the trailing surface being substantially parallel to the refining surface, the leading edge of the non-concave bevel being further configured such that, as an opposed bar of the opposed refining surface approaches axial coincidence with the non-concave bevel, an increasing force is generated substantially perpendicularly to the refining surface and axially outward with respect to the opposed refining surfaces.