Abstract: High powered lasers are used to score the bark on logs before they are mechanically debarked. Typical of the lasers employed are multi-kilowatt CO.sub.2 industrial lasers. A high powered laser beam is brought to a focus just above the surface of the bark on the log. A jet of compressed air is blown coaxially with the beam and facilitates the beam's formation of a narrow slot in the surface of the bark. Logs are advanced and rotated by a plurality of parallel augers extending across the base of a trough. The lasers are positioned in a gap beneath and in between sets of augers. The beam's focus may be adjustable with respect to the bark's surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for spreading a plurality of co-traveling web portions of a cut web such that a defined spacing is produced and maintained between the web portions. The apparatus includes a pair of spaced, perforated plates for permitting the application of sub-atmospheric air pressure to both sides of the traveling web portions to remove particulate matter from both surfaces of the web portions. The web spreading and particulate matter removing apparatus are connected to move as a unit while maintaining the spacing of the perforated plates from the web.

Abstract: A hydraulic crown support system employs a stationary cross head mounted within a cylinder or beneath an extended nip shoe. Individual hydraulic pistons are disposed along the stationary cross head, which, under the force of hydraulic pressure, support the inner wall of a roll or an extended nip shoe. The displacement of the support cylinders is controlled through one or more adjustable ports formed in the sidewall of the hydraulic cylinder or cylinders which support the roll or extended nip shoe. With a piston which extends from one end of the stationary cross head to the other, some tilting from one side to the other of the cross head can be achieved by the adjustment of the pressure ports, thus compensating for misalignment in the vertical direction between an extended nip or crown-controlled roll.

Abstract: Two rolls are mounted to a frame and rotated about spaced parallel axes by electric motors operating through speed reducers. Each roll has a surface formed of uniformly spaced, circumferential extending triangular grooves and ridges defined between grooves. The ridges of one roll are closely spaced from the grooves of the other roll to define a sinuous nip therebetween. A vibrating conveyor orients wood strands and feeds the strands to the nip with the grain of the strands parallel to the roll ridges and grooves. Wood chips have low strength transverse to the direction of the grain and, thus, when forced to flex by the interdigitating ridges and grooves of the opposed rolls, split into narrower strands.

Abstract: A replaceable screen structure for a stock screen where stock slurry for making paper is passed through a screen with the rejects going to a reject outlet and the accepts passing through openings in the screen to an accepts outlet, with the screen having projections and a rotor inducing a pulsating induced flow along the profile surface, with projections on the surface having an inclined ramp of less than about 45.degree. and a 90.degree. downstream wall and accepts flow openings between the projections positioned closer to the upstream projection than the downstream projection.

Abstract: A clamping head for engaging the interior cavity of a hollow tube, or core, used to wind a traveling web, such as paper produced by a papermaking machine, comprises a head shank in the shape of a truncated hexahedral pyramid having a clamping surface on each side of the hexahedron. A corresponding number of clamping pieces have contact surfaces which engage the clamping surfaces. The clamping and contact surfaces are contoured with concave, convex and straight pitches in the circumferential direction relative to the shank such that their contact is substantially linear. Expansion of the clamping pieces to engage the core is provided by a combination of pivotal and sliding movement of the contact surfaces on the clamping surfaces.

Abstract: A paper drying section utilizes two reversing rolls between each dryer roll to extend the available time for vapor to flash from the web. A vacuum box is disposed between the two reversing rolls to support and dry the felt and paper web as it passes from one reversing roll to another. An air cap is used to blow high velocity air onto the exposed surface of the paper web which is held by the vacuum box. The spacing of the two reversing rolls increases the wrap of the single tier dryer by approximately twenty percent over that of a conventional single tier dryer with a single reversing roll. Another configuration dryer section positions the first of the two reversing rolls downwardly beneath its adjacent dryer roll creating a long draw between the dryer roll and the first reversing roll. This long draw is supported by a vacuum box adjacent the felt.

Abstract: A Pope-type reel for use on a papermaking machine to wind a substantially continuous, traveling paper web into successive wound paper rolls has a primary drive stand which pivots co-axially with the rotational axis of the reel support drum. A primary reel spool drive is mounted to the primary drive stand to provide torque to the reel spool from the initial winding of the traveling paper web onto the reel spool while it is supported by a pair of primary arms over the upper periphery of the support drum until the reel spool is rotated downwardly by the primary arms onto a pair of horizontal guide rails. At this time, the reel spool drive is disengaged, and a secondary reel spool drive engages the now partially wound web roll to provide torque continually until the paper web roll is completely wound.

Abstract: A dryer section apparatus as disclosed for drying a web of paper. The apparatus includes a plurality of dryer groups disposed successively relative to one another, such that the web is progressively dried during movement thereof through the dryer groups. The plurality of groups include a first single-tier group for drying the first side of the web, and a second two-tier group disposed downstream relative to the first group. A second single-tier group is disposed downstream relative to the two-tier group for restraining the web against cross machine directional shrinkage.

Abstract: A doctor cooperates with the peripheral surface of a Yankee dryer for peeling the tissue away from the peripheral surface such that when the tissue is peeled from the surface, a series of microfolds are generated in the resultant tissue. An adjusting mechanism is connected to the doctor for adjusting an angle defined between the doctor and the peripheral surface. The arrangement is such that when the angle is adjusted, the physical dimensions of the microfolds change. A sensor is disposed downstream relative to the doctor for sensing the physical dimensions of the microfolds. A control circuit is electrically connected to the sensor and responsive to the sensor. The control circuit is electrically connected to the adjusting mechanism for varying the angle of the doctor so that the physical dimensions of the microfolds are optimized.

Abstract: A doctor for creping tissue from a surface of a Yankee dryer is provided. The doctor includes a frame and a support which extends from the frame. A swing arm is pivotally secured to the support about a pivotal bearing. The swing arm defines a further bearing. A pivot extends through the further bearing for rotatable movement relative to the swing arm such that the pivot is rotatably supported by the swing arm. A doctor is rigidly secured to the pivot for doctoring the tissue from the surface of the dryer. A blade is removably secured to the doctor, the blade defining an operative edge which cooperates with the surface of the Yankee dryer for creping the tissue from the surface of the dryer. A loader is operatively connected to the pivot for rotating the pivot within the further bearing for loading the operative edge against the surface of the dryer.

Abstract: The dryer of this invention employs a vacuum chamber interposed below and between first and second heated dryer rolls. The vacuum chamber has two sides and a top which overlies two grooved reversing rolls. The vacuum chamber controls all flow of air in the gap between and below the dryer rolls. The dryer-fabric-backed paper web passes from the first dryer roll around the reversing rolls and up to the second dryer roll. The dryer fabric seals the vacuum chamber, and air is drawn therefrom. The provision of the grooved rolls permits a greater wrap of the felt around the dryers and the application of vacuum to hold the web against the felt during movement of the web between the dryers and the grooved rolls and between the grooved rolls.

Abstract: A sheet transfer apparatus is disclosed for transferring a web from a drying section to a calender. The apparatus includes a looped felt for supporting the web thereon from the drying section. A lead-out roll is disposed upstream relative to the calender for guiding the felt such that the felt is disposed between the lead-out roll and the web. A full width web blowing device connected to a source of pressurized air is disposed adjacent to the lead-out roll for selectively blowing the web off of the felt. A movable sheet transfer roll is disposed in the vicinity of the lead-out roll, the transfer roll being movable from a first position to a second position adjacent to the lead-out roll. The arrangement is such that when the transfer roll is disposed in the second position thereof, the blowing device blows the full width web off of the felt and onto the transfer roll for subsequent guidance thereof to the calender.

Abstract: A rigid, box-like frame structure has a vertically movable subframe assembly mounted thereon. Attached to the subframe are a number of horizontally movable tined sleeves with connected sharpened tines. As the subframe assembly moves downwardly, the attached tines penetrate the refuse bags on a conveyor below. The tined sleeves are then moved outwardly by actuators, tearing open the bags and discharging the refuse within. The subframe assembly is then lifted upwardly and the tined sleeves are moved back inwardly to their original position to start the cycle again.

Abstract: A drum dryer seal is built up of six layers of high temperature ceramic cloth that form a blanket. The top layer is aluminized, high temperature barrier yarn, to prevent air from passing through the seal. The blanket is clamped to a bracket on the non-rotating portion of the dryer by a clamp consisting of a clamping strip and a plurality of clamping bolts. The clamping bolts may also hold a plurality of C-shaped spring retention brackets, the upper leg of each holds a resilient spring. The springs overlie the sealing ring. A plunger is mounted on the spring which is positioned over a sealing ring. The plungers bias the blanket against the sealing ring. An alternative embodiment employs spring rods incorporated in the blanket which extend between the bracket and the sealing ring.

Abstract: A backing bar assembly has a plurality of positively positionable backing bar units which are retained within an inverted U-shaped housing by semi-cylindrical lifters which are adjusted by adjustment screws connected to the housing. Each backing bar unit has concave end surfaces which face the adjacent backing bar units. A pair of backing bar units is engaged by the semi-cylindrical convex surfaces of a lifter and may thus be vertically positioned by rotation of the adjustment screw. By adjusting two backing bar units at a single screw, dramatic discontinuities between backing bar units are avoided. An inflatable resilient seal is engaged by all the backing bar units and extends between the units and the blade to transmit force to the blade to retain it in a desired position.

Abstract: The bars of one of two sets of interleaved screen bars is extended beyond the interleaved portion of the screen bed, thus forming a region of the screen bed which has screens particles of intermediate dimensions. A second improvement is a clamping member which holds the downwardly extending legs of individual bars of the screen. The clamping member is a steel channel which has a steeply peaked roof between legs which sheds particles. The bar legs fit into slots which penetrate the peaked roof transverse to the lengthwise direction of the channel. The legs are retained by transverse bolts which pass through the vertical sidewalls of the channel and the legs, retaining and clamping them. The third improvement mounts the clamping member to a flange which may be traversed by a screw and bolt arrangement such that the clamping member may be adjusted in its lateral position. A fourth improvement is a clamping member which extends longitudinally and which has a keyway formed therein.

Abstract: A disk especially suitable for a papermaking wood chip and pulp refiner has an array of refiner bars which protrude outwardly from a base member. Grooves are formed between adjacent bars which may change in depth toward the outer diameter of the disk. Alternating grooves are of greater depth, to increase the open area of the disk to facilitate steam evacuation without significantly reducing the bar stiffness and hence resistance to breakage and deflection of individual bars.

Abstract: A self-loading controlled deflection roll has movable shoes disposed inside the roll shell, at the opposite ends and at the center of a central shaft, for displacing the external surface of the roll shell toward and away from a mating roll forming a nip with the controlled deflection roll. In order to ensure that both ends of the controlled deflection roll shell move evenly in a radial direction into nipping engagement with the mating roll, and to also ensure that the ends retract evenly away from nip engagement, a control system and method are provided for automatically adjusting the flow of hydraulic fluid, such as oil, which is used to displace the shoes at the opposite end of the central shaft.

Abstract: A multi-ply paper web is formed by bringing a top ply liner into ply-bonding engagement with a base ply web (W.sub.B) traveling on a base ply forming wire (36). The top ply liner (W.sub.T) is formed between two co-running forming wires (10, 20) in a convex upwardly/concave downwardly curved, substantially horizontal forming zone. Dewatering in the forming zone is effected by applying sub-atmospheric air pressure solely beneath the lower surface of the top ply liner (W.sub.T) being formed. Water is removed from the upper surface of the top ply liner (W.sub.T) solely by wire tension, gravity and centrifugal force created by passing the co-running forming wires (10, 20) over the convex upwardly curved path of travel. This permits a greater concentration of pulp stock fines to remain in the upper surface of the top ply liner (W.sub.T) to effect greater ply-bonding affinity with the base ply (W.sub.B) when the two plies (W.sub.T, W.sub.B) are brought together and bonded.