Textiles: manufacturing – Textile product fabrication or treatment – Fiber entangling and interlocking
Patent
1997-12-02
1999-03-16
Neas, Michael A.
Textiles: manufacturing
Textile product fabrication or treatment
Fiber entangling and interlocking
28167, D04H 146
Patent
active
058814400
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for manufacturing non-woven fabric.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is well known to manufacture non-woven fabric by introducing fibrous material onto a support and then treating the fibrous material by means of high pressure liquid jets, typically water jets. This treatment causes the individual fibres to entangle with each other within the fibrous web and compacts the fibres to form a paper-like non-woven material. Such a method is known as "hydroentanglement" and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,308.
In hydroentanglement processes it is known for the liquid jets to be directed onto a fibrous web carried on a wire screen which is supported on a high open area cylindrical drum (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,722). A typical process path through hydroentanglement apparatus can involve a passage around a plurality of rollers and drums. A problem associated with such apparatus is the initial feed-through of the fibrous sheet, which can be extremely difficult to achieve and is typically accomplished manually.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus of automatically initially feeding the fibrous web in a hydroentanglement apparatus.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a non-woven fabric in which a web of fibrous material is entangled using high pressure liquid jets, the fibrous web passing through an apparatus having a tortuous process path around a plurality of drums and/or rollers over which the web is transported, whereby the fibrous web is initially passed through the apparatus by attaching a front portion of the web to at least one belt means which passes through the apparatus in parallel with the fibrous web for at least a portion of the tortuous process path, so that the belt means pulls the web through the process path, characterised on that the front portion of the fibrous web is held on one lateral edge only by the belt means as the web makes its initial pass through the apparatus.
The belt means includes an endless belt which preferably circulates continuously through the apparatus.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for processing fibrous material into a web of non-woven fabric by entanglement of fibres using high pressure liquid jets, the apparatus including jet heads directing jets of liquid onto a web of fabric being transported through the apparatus by a plurality of drums and/or rollers around which the web passes during a tortuous process path through the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is further provided with at least one feed belt means, which passes through the apparatus in parallel with the fibrous web for at least a portion of the process path, the web being attachable to the feed belt means in order to feed the web through said rollers and drums, the belt means being arranged on one lateral side of the fibrous web, so that said one side of the fibrous web can be attached to the belt means. Conveniently the belt means comprises high and lower endless tapes which are superimposed one on the other for at least a portion of their path through the apparatus the fibrous web being held between the two tapes for guiding the web through the apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an upstream isometric view of an apparatus for the hydroentanglement of fibrous material to which an endless feed belt can be fitted,
FIG. 2 is a section through an apparatus according to the present invention, and which is substantially identical to the apparatus of FIG. 1 and further includes the endless feed belt,
FIG. 3 is a upstream isometric view of the apparatus of FIG. 2, and
FIG. 4 is a downstream isometric view of the apparatus of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DISCUSSION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
F
REFERENCES:
patent: 2862251 (1958-12-01), Kalwaites
patent: 3679536 (1972-07-01), Kalwaites
Arden John Eric
Deeming Robert Michael
Courtaulds Engineering Limited
Neas Michael A.
Worrell Jr. Larry D.
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