Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the oxygenation of both the bearing lubrication oil and the hydraulic oil used for actuating the roll shell support elements in a controlled deflection roll, such as used in the papermaking industry, includes a seal at either end of the controlled deflection roll which establishes a gas-impervious seal between the roll shell support and rotation bearings at either end of the roll and the interior of the roll. A source of pressurized inert gas is linked to both the interior of the roll and to the reservoir of hydraulic oil used to actuate the roll shell support shoes. This prevents oxygen from interfacing with the hydraulic oil at the only two points in the closed system where the hydraulic oil and the atmosphere would otherwise come into contact. A separate bearing oil lubrication system having its own reservoir is maintained to supply bearing lubricant to the bearings and return it to a sump while maintaining the bearing lubricant separate from the hydraulic oil.

Abstract: A self-loading controlled deflection roll is rotatably mounted with non-self-aligning bearings at either end to bearing housings which, in turn, are pivotally-mounted to support stands. The stationary support beam extending through the roll is pivotally-mounted in the same support stands. At one end of the roll, a drive shaft having a drive gear engaging a ring gear which is mounted on the end of the roll shell concentric with its surface is provided to rotatably drive the roll shell while simultaneously permitting lateral movement of the roll shell relative to the support beam during the self-loading phase of roll oepration.

Abstract: An end seal for a blade coater is provided wherein an elastomeric seal is held in a case by a plurality of needle-like projections extending from the case. The case has at least one side adapted to seal against, and conform with, the surface of the coater blade and is magnetically attached to the blade. This permits quick, easy adjustment of the elastomeric material in the coater to change coating widths, or the rapid replacement of the worn elastomeric end seal.

Abstract: A rotatable hollow drum for a dehydrator has an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end. A longitudinal shaft extends axially from one end of the drum to the other. A plurality of circumferentially-spaced, longitudinally extending flights are mounted to the inner side of the hollow drum. A plurality of circumferentially-spaced flights is also mounted to the shaft with each of these flights also extending along the shaft. The flights on both the drum and shaft uniquely comprise a plurality of tines which may have their ends bent, at progressively increasing angles, for intercepting, turning, separating and enhancing the conveyance of pieces of material being dried in the dehydrator as the pieces travel from one end to the other as the dehydrator rotates. This action promotes constant movement of the material in the dehydrator to provide uniform drying of individual pieces while reducing the likelihood of blockage caused by the accumulation of pieces.

Abstract: A self-loading type of controlled deflection roll has two sets of opposed, hydraulically actuated pressure shoes extending along its length. Each set of opposed pressure shoes is arrayed in a plane and the two planes intersect perpendicularly with their line of intersection coincident with the longitudinal axis of the roll. The distance from the surface of the beam on one pair of opposite sides to its longitudinal axis for one set of pressure elements is less than the corresponding distance on the other pair of opposite sides for the other set of pressure elements. The self-loading roll is intended to be brought into nipping engagement with another roll. The center support beam rotates in conjunction with a corresponding retraction of the pressure shoes in the oncoming direction toward the intended nip-line of engagement with another roll. This permits the rotatable shell of the self-loading roll to be supported at a lower position relative to the longitudinal axis of the roll.

Abstract: A controlled deflection roll of the self-loading type has a shaft about which a tubular shell is disposed. The roll shell is rotatably mounted on bearings at each end which, in turn, are mounted about corresponding bearing rings. The bearing rings are spaced about the shaft and are pivotally linked with the shaft at each end with a pair of pivot arms. Each of the pivot arms at either end of the roll have one end pivoted to the corresponding bearing ring and the other end pivoted to the shaft with both the shaft pivots and bearing ring pivots being located diametrically opposite one another with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. This arrangement allows approximately straight line transverse movement of the roll shell relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft about the pivot connections.

Abstract: A self-loading controlled deflection roll is rotatably mounted with non-self-aligning bearings at either end to bearing housings which, in turn, are pivotally-mounted to support stands. The stationary support beam extending through the roll is pivotally-mounted in the same support stands. At one end of the roll, a drive shaft having a drive gear engaging a ring gear which is mounted on the end of the roll shell concentric with its surface is provided to rotatably drive the roll shell while simultaneously permitting lateral movement of the roll shell relative to the support beam during the self-loading phase of roll operation.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for effectively controlling cross-machine moisture profile in a paper web undergoing processing, such as water-removal via a press nip. A compartmentalized system is provided in close proximity across a section of a traveling web undergoing dewatering whereby select size cross-machine compartments, for example, about 6" in width, are selectively provided with steam and/or air so as to control wet and/or dry streaks along the traveling web so that web areas opposite each compartment can be selectively heated for accentuated moistre removal or cooled for retarded water removal. In preferred embodiments, control of the profiling system occurs with the air of moisture sensors and a computer.

Abstract: A multi-ply paper web forming apparatus utilizes first and second forming wires which travel in a co-running path for a portion of their length and which form a throat into which an aqueous slurry of paper pulp fibers is introduced. The slurry is dewatered between the co-running first and second forming wires upwardly and downwardly to quickly produce a substantially formed, but still moist, top ply web which is carried on the second forming wire onto a base ply web which has previously been formed on the wire of a single wire former. The first surface of the top ply web is brought into ply bonding engagement with the surface of the base ply web to produce a composite multi-ply web which has superior overall ply bond, retention and dryness before leaving the web forming section of a papermaking machine.

Abstract: An extended nip press has a looped belt mounted over a shoe having a concave surface which presses the belt against a mating surface on a roll to provide an extended nip. The shoe has a support which is movable in a skewing sense relative to the longitudinal axis of the roll. Lateral movement of the belt is monitored. When it has moved beyond predetermined limits in either direction, the shoe is skewed to alter the frictional forces on the belt as it passes over the shoe's surface. This controls the position of the belt and keeps it centered in the nip.

Abstract: A two-wire paper forming apparatus wherein the co-running forming wires converge over a forming roll and diverge over a couch roll downstream of the forming roll. A curved forming zone begins where the forming wires converge over the forming roll to receive a stock stream, and extends to before the couch roll whereby the forming roll in conjuction with a pair of convexly curved dewatering shoes disposed against the forming wires between the forming roll and the couch roll form the web while providing improved retention and formation.

Abstract: An active attenuation system is provided for attenuating the pressure pulses in a liquid flowing in a pipe. The system includes an actuator for introducing nulling pressure pulses into the pipeline having the same frequency, but phase reversed to provide opposite amplitude of the pressure pulses to be attenuated. A plurality of pressure sensors are disposed in the pipe to sense the pressure pulses to be attenuated and these sensors are connected to a pressure transducer amplifier system which, in turn, is electrically connected to a control monitor which adaptively models the responses and continuously adjusts its output to a power amplifier which, in turn, signals the actuator to produce nulling pulses at the desired frequency and amplitude to attenuate the pressure pulses at a desired location, i.e. headbox or pipeline termination, in the liquid flowing through the pipe.

Abstract: A system for forming a web from a dilute, aqueous slurry of fibers wherein a thin, horizontally-extending aqueous stream of fibers is projected onto a travelling foraminous forming wire. The forming wire is disposed to travel over a forming board which has a leading lip which is deflected downwardly with respect to the oncoming jet stream. The lower surface of the jet stream is disposed substantially parallel with the surface of the travelling foraminous wire wire at the point where the stream contacts the wire to minimize turbulence at the point of initial contact of the jet stream on the wire and subsequent spouting of the fibrous stock downstream in the forming zone.

Abstract: A disk screen, and method wherein the material, such as wood chips for making paper pulp, is screened through a rotary disk screening bed (12) having zones wherein the space between disk slots (20) decreases from zone to zone as the material passes from the inlet end to the outlet end of the screen. Such spaces may range in zones from 8 mm to 6 mm along the screening bed (12).

Abstract: A vacuum device (15, 15') and method for avoiding sheet flutter in an on-running tangent pocket (14, 14') defined between the perimeter of a dryer roll (9, 9'), and a free transitional span (13, 13') of a dryer felt (7, 7') travelling toward the dryer roll and carrying a wet paper sheet web (8, 8') on the face of the felt outside of the tangent pocket. The device comprises an elongate hollow manifold (17, 17') arranged to extend longitudinally within the pocket (14, 14') parallel to the felt (7, 7') and web (8, 8'). The air in the pocket (14, 14') is vacuumed into a chamber (16, 16') within the manifold (17, 17') through an arrangement of ports (21, 21', 22, 22') communicating with the vacuum chamber. A suction member (20, 20') draws the air from the vacuum chamber (16, 16') and communicates with a vacuum source (34).

Abstract: A controlled deflection roll for operating at a predetermined heated temperature including a roll shell rotatably journalled on a shaft with the roll shell supported along its length on a piston in a chamber in the shaft and support oil delivered beneath the piston and passing into pockets on the outer surface of the piston to support the roll shell, heated oil delivered to the spaced between the shaft and roll shell, and an annular chamber of insulating oil at the ends of the roll shell between the shell and the end bearings.

Abstract: A point of sale wood chip classifier includes apparatus for receiving and discharging unclassified wood chips onto a longitudinally extending downwardly angled trough-shaped vibratory classification bed which includes a plurality of rotating disks for promoting tumbling of the chips toward an overflow end, the bed including openings between the disks defining a plurality of classification zones of increasing size along the bed in the downhill direction. A plurality of collection bins are located below the classification zones for receiving the classified chips, the classification bins being carried on respective load cells which signal the individual weights of a sample to a microcomputer for calculation of totality of chips and percentages of each classified component.

Abstract: A disk screen or like shaft structure in which screen disks and spacers are connected together in modular relation. The spacers support the disks with inner edges of the disks spaced from inner surfaces of the spacers so that when the modules are supported on a shaft the inner edges of the disks will be maintained spaced from the shaft. The spacers are preferably made from nonmetallic material such as polyurethane. By placing the modules under predetermined endwise compression, the inner surfaces of the spacers are adapted to be extended inwardly from an initial edge relation generally aligned with the inner edges of the disks. Bolts may serve as the connectors for the disks and spacers for the modules, and facilitate assembling of the modules under endwise compression.

Abstract: A three-way valve for use in a fluid pulsation attenuator having a flexible diaphragm forming an interface with a flow of pulsating fluid on one side and a chamber of pressurized air on the other. The valve includes a head and an attached sliding tube having a plurality of orifices through its wall. As the head follows movement of the diaphragm, the sliding tube moves between positions which permit one or more orifices to communicate with chambers in the valve to either introduce additional pressurized air into the air chamber portion of the attenuator, or to discharge air therefrom, as needed, to quickly achieve matching, at start-up, and the continuance of matching of the air chamber pressure to the running-average pressure of the fluid on the other side of the diaphragm, and thus to keep the diaphragm's average position approximately centered within its range of movement, ready to absorb pulses of either sign.

Abstract: A valve is proposed for regulating and balancing the pressure in two fluid pressure systems. The valve comprises a balance piston and a regulating piston. The balance piston is acted on by the pressures in each of the two systems and the regulating piston is acted on by a regulating pressure and by the pressure in one of the systems. The balance and regulating pistons each control a respective connection to a relief line for each of the two systems. Thus, the regulating pressure determines the pressure in one system, while the balance piston determines the pressure in the other system relative to the pressure regulated by the regulating piston. The regulating pressure may be either pneumatic or hydraulic pressure. Shock absorber means is provided to resist movement of the balance piston in response to rapid pressure fluctuations. The shock absorber means comprises a plunger and a bore adapted to receive the plunger.