Abstract: The cooperating surfaces defining a pressing nip in a chip crusher are formed with specific patterns to treat the chips by fissuring to facilitate penetration by cooking chemical for the making of pulp for papermaking and the like. One of the surfaces is provided with a plurality of land areas separated by valleys, the land areas being substantially continuous and extending in the direction of movement of the surface as it passes through the crushing nip. The surface cooperates with the surface of a roll which defines the other side of the nip, the roll surface is provided with a plurality of teeth with the crown of each tooth defining a line preferably extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the roll surface through the nip.

Abstract: Materials such as wood chips are classified by thickness by feeding same through a chip outlet onto a rotating disc adjacent the axis of rotation of the disc, the disc cooperating with a housing to define a tapering passage terminating in a narrow, restricted outlet adjacent the periphery of the disc, orienting bars project from the disc and extend radially from the axis of rotation to beyond the chip inlet. A frusto conical chip orienting surface extends from the radial outward extremities of the orienting bars toward the outlet in a position traversing the path of material leaving the orienting bars.In one embodiment, an oversized outlet is provided, positioned trailing the orienting bars in the direction of rotation behind a substantially unobstructed trajectory of material leaving the orienting bars. In another embodiment, the oversized outlets are replaced by breaker bars that cooperate with cooperating breaker bars on the housing to shear positions of the material away.

Abstract: A sample splitter is formed by a chute that is sloped towards its discharge end and is oscillated back and forth on a horizontal path that is substantially perpendicular to the axial center line of the chute. The chute itself is substantially symmetrical on opposite sides of the axial center line and the walls are sloped upward so that the material forming the sample to be split moves along the chute with a sliding or rolling action back and forth across the axial center line of the chute without significant bouncing of the discrete pieces of the material. An elongated V-shaped plow is positioned at the discharge end of the chute with the apex of the plow forming a substantially straight line that is in axial alignment with the center line of the chute at the mid-point of the oscillation of the chute. The oscillation motion of the chute causes the material of the sample to slide down the chute and to be projected off the discharge end on one side or the other of the apex of the plow.

Abstract: A chipper having improved means for separating debris from chips is formed by extending the chip slots radially outward beyond the effective cutting length of the knives and is provided with passage means to direct debris from within the chip slots into a front chamber on the infeed side of the disc. The front chamber is provided with a tangential outlet for debris and the chipper is provided with a separate tangential outlet for chips.

Abstract: A debris separating chipper having a rotor with a cutting face and at least one knife mounted on the cutting face, a housing enclosing said rotor, a debris chamber in said housing having one wall thereof formed by said cutting face, a slot through said cutting face into a space, means for feeding logs to said cutting face, means for directing chips cut by said knife into said space, means for ejecting air out from said slot into said debris chamber, a debris outlet from said chipper for ejecting debris from said debris chamber and a separate chip outlet from said chipper adapted to communicate with said space for ejection of chips from said chipper. The air flow may be in some curves directed as a curtain across the slot to effect a further separation by deflecting lighter materials out of their normal trajectory into a dust chamber that empties into the debris chamber.

Abstract: A whole tree chipper composed of a housing encasing a rotor formed by a pair of substantially identical axially aligned frustro-conical hollow discs having their minimum diameter ends connected together and provided with at least one knife on each disc is disclosed. A slot extends through each disc adjacent each knife, for directing chips cut by the knife through the disc into a chip chamber located at the adjacent axial end of the housing. The rotor is rotated about the said axially aligned axes of the pair of discs and wood in the form of whole tree sections, is advanced longitudinally through an inlet spout which extends through the peripheral wall of the housing toward the conical faces of the discs forming the rotor. A debris chamber extends circumferentially of the rotor in said housing between the inlet spout and a debris outlet.

Abstract: A chipper infeed spout incorporating two surfaces disposed to form a V-shape having one side formed by a pair of support means (an anvil member and preferably a roll). A driven power roll is moveable across the direction of travel of the log along said spout and tends to align the log and force it against the pair of support means whereby the log forms a beam freely supported (by the support means) and having a concentrated load (power roll) interposed between the supports. Preferably the power roll is oriented to apply forces to a log not only to tend force it against the two spaced supporting means but also to force it toward the apex of the V of the V-shaped supporting surfaces.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a chipper wherein the housing is divided by a chipper disc into a front chamber and a chip chamber and wherein separate outlets are provided from the front chamber and from the chip chamber respectively for twigs and the like (debris) and for chips whereby separation of debris from the chips is obtained in the chipper.

Abstract: A chip thickness classifier comprising a drum mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and having its periphery formed by a plurality of discrete longitudinally extending bars of elongated cross-section. The bars are arranged in substantially shingled relationship with one side of each bar spaced closer to the axis of rotation of the drum than the other side of the bar thereby to form outlet passages between adjacent bars. The outlet passages are substantially axially extending slots having their major width dimension measured substantially radially of the axis of rotation of the drum. Each of said bars is mounted for rotation about a longitudinally extending axis of the bar and the bars are interconnected by an adjustment mechanism that applies simultaneous incremental movement to stepwise rotate said bars and change said width dimension of the outlet passage. The drum is rotated in the direction wherein the side of each said bar closest the axis of rotation of the drum leads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying a sheet while supporting same on an air bearing wherein drying air flows laterally of the bearing in ducts located beneath the drier and is directed to the surface of the drier through intermediate chambers whereby a minimum amount of laterally flowing air contacts with the sheet. Also disclosed is a system of controlling the drying capacity of sections of the drier to permit moisture profile control of the dried sheet.

Abstract: A chip crusher composed of a rotating disc and at least one crushing roller mounted to form a nip with a working face of the disc adjacent the periphery of the disc. The chips pass through an inlet and engage the rotating disc which flings them towards the periphery of the disc thereby to spread chips into a substantially single thickness layer. Each chip moves with the disc into the nip between the roller and disc wherein the chip is crushed. The crusher fissures the chip to a degree substantially proportional to the original chip thickness and thereby produces crushed chips having more uniform pulping qualities than regular chips.