Fiber disintegrating device, fiber body manufacturing device

Abstract

To prevent increase in pressure difference between pressure of a downstream side discharge path including a discharge part at which a discharge path and a discharge pipe communicate and pressure of an upstream side discharge path separated away from the discharge part in a defibrating device that discharges a defibrated product through the discharge path and the discharge pipe.SOLUTION: When an area including a discharge part 314 in a discharge path 310 is a downstream side discharge path 310D and an area other than the downstream side discharge path 310D is an upstream side discharge path 310U; in a screen 221, an area constituting the downstream side discharge path 310D is a downstream side screen 221D and an area constituting the upstream side discharge path 310U is an upstream side screen 221U; and an opening hole 222 interconnecting a defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge path 310 is a communication hole Ch in a defibrating device 200, the communication hole Ch is provided on the screen 221 so that air is hard to pass through the downstream side screen 221D compared with the upstream side screen 221U.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fiberizing device and a fibrous body manufacturing device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fiberizing device in which a rotating body housed in a fiberizing chamber rotates, and the fiberized material formed from the raw material is discharged through a discharge path extending along the outside of an annular wall defining the fiberizing chamber and a discharge pipe communicating with the discharge path. In this fiberizing device, the discharge path and the fiberizing chamber communicate with each other through a plurality of through holes provided in the annular wall of the fiberizing chamber. Further, the fiberized material formed in the fiberizing chamber passes through the through holes by an air flow generated by a pressure difference between the pressure in the fiberizing chamber and the pressure in the discharge path, and is discharged into the discharge path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the fiberizing device described in Patent Document 1, the pressure difference between the pressure in the downstream discharge path including the discharge portion where the discharge path and the discharge pipe communicate and the pressure in the upstream discharge path away from the discharge portion tends to be large. As a result, the velocity difference between the flow velocity of the air flow passing through the through holes of the downstream annular wall constituting the downstream discharge path and the flow velocity of the air flow passing through the through holes of the upstream annular wall constituting the upstream discharge path tends to be large. For this reason, there is a risk that the degree of fiberization of the fiberized material discharged into the discharge path varies.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The fiber disintegrating device includes a rotating body that rotates about the axis of a rotating shaft as the center of rotation, a fiber disintegrating chamber that houses the rotating body and forms a disintegrated product from a raw material containing fibers when the rotating body rotates, a supply pipe that supplies the raw material to the fiber disintegrating chamber, a discharge path that communicates with the fiber disintegrating chamber and from which the disintegrated product is discharged from the fiber disintegrating chamber, a discharge pipe that is applied with a negative pressure and discharges the disintegrated product from the discharge path, a discharge portion that communicates the discharge path and the discharge pipe, an annular wall that is provided with a gap from the rotating body in the radial direction of the rotating body and defines the fiber disintegrating chamber, a housing that forms the discharge path extending in the circumferential direction of the annular wall by covering the outside of the annular wall, a plurality of through holes that are provided in the annular wall and communicate the fiber disintegrating chamber and the discharge path, and an outer peripheral wall that the housing has and that is provided at a distance from the annular wall in the radial direction. The discharge portion is provided in the housing. In the discharge path, a region including the discharge portion is defined as a downstream discharge path, and a region other than the downstream discharge path is defined as an upstream discharge path. In the annular wall, a region that constitutes the downstream discharge path is defined as a downstream annular wall, and a region that constitutes the upstream discharge path is defined as an upstream annular wall. When the through holes that communicate the fiber disintegrating chamber and the discharge path are defined as communication holes, the communication holes are provided in the annular wall such that air passes less easily through the downstream annular wall than through the upstream annular wall when the downstream annular wall and the upstream annular wall having the same area are compared.

[0006] The fibrous body manufacturing apparatus includes the fiber disintegrating device described above, a web forming portion that forms a web by depositing the disintegrated product discharged from the discharge pipe, and a fibrous body forming portion that forms a fibrous body containing the fibers by binding the fibers included in the web.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments. In each figure, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In this specification, "the same" not only refers to being completely the same, but also includes the case where they are the same considering measurement errors, the case where they are the same considering manufacturing variations of members, and the case where they are the same within a range that does not impair the function. Therefore, for example, "the dimensions of both are the same" means that considering measurement errors and manufacturing variations of members, the dimensional difference between the two is within ±10% of one dimension, more preferably within ±5% of one dimension, and particularly preferably within ±3% of one dimension.

[0009] In addition, in each figure, X, Y, and Z represent three mutually orthogonal spatial axes. In this specification, the directions along these axes are referred to as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying a direction, the positive direction is denoted as "+", the negative direction as "-", and both positive and negative signs are used in the direction notation. The direction in which the arrow in each figure points is the + direction, and the opposite direction of the arrow is the - direction. Also, the Z-axis direction indicates the direction of gravity, the +Z direction is vertically downward, and the -Z direction is vertically upward. Further, the plane including the X-axis and Y-axis is referred to as the X-Y plane, the plane including the X-axis and Z-axis is referred to as the X-Z plane, and the plane including the Y-axis and Z-axis is referred to as the Y-Z plane. Also, the X-Y plane is a horizontal plane. Furthermore, for the three spatial axes X, Y, and Z without limiting the positive and negative directions, they are described as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0010] 1. Embodiment 1 The configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 performs a regeneration process of fibrillating a raw material MA containing fibers and regenerating it into a new sheet S. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is an example of a fibrous body manufacturing apparatus. Also, the sheet S is an example of a fibrous body.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a storage supply unit 10, a crushing unit 12, a defibrillation device 200, a sorting unit 40, a first web forming unit 45, a rotating body 49, a mixing unit 50, a deposition unit 60, a second web forming unit 70, a conveying unit 79, a sheet forming unit 80, and a cutting unit 90.

[0012] The storage supply unit 10 is an automatic feeding device that stores the raw material MA and continuously feeds the raw material MA to the crushing unit 12. The raw material MA may be any material containing fibers, for example, waste paper, discarded paper, or pulp sheets.

[0013] The crushing unit 12 includes a crushing blade 14 that cuts the raw material MA supplied by the storage supply unit 10, and cuts the raw material MA in the air with the crushing blade 14 into small pieces several centimeters square. The crushing unit 12 can use, for example, a shredder. The raw material MA cut by the crushing unit 12 is collected by a hopper 9 and conveyed through a pipe 2 to a supply pipe 20 of the defibrillation device 200.

[0014] From the crushing section 12 to the fiberizing device 200, the crushed pieces are conveyed by an air current. In the fiberizing device 200, the crushed pieces are supplied from the supply pipe 20 to a fiberizing chamber 210 described later, and the rotating body 500 accommodated in the fiberizing chamber 210 rotates, whereby the crushed pieces are fiberized.

[0015] A suction section 35 is provided in the pipe 3 connected to the discharge pipe 30. The suction section 35 includes a blower capable of applying a negative pressure to the discharge pipe 30 by sucking the air on the discharge pipe 30 side in the pipe 3. The fiberized material in the fiberizing chamber 210 is discharged from the fiberizing device 200 by an air current generated by the negative pressure applied to the discharge pipe 30, through a discharge path 310 and the discharge pipe 30 described later. The fiberized material discharged from the fiberizing device 200 is transferred to a sorting section 40 through the pipe 3 connected to the discharge pipe 30. The configuration of the fiberizing device 200 will be described later.

[0016] The sorting section 40 sorts the components contained in the fiberized material by the size of the fibers. The sorting section 40 has a drum section 41 and a housing section 43 that houses the drum section 41. The drum section 41 uses, for example, a sieve.

[0017] The fiberized material introduced into the interior of the drum section 41 from the inlet 42 is separated by the rotation of the drum section 41 into a passing material that passes through the openings of the drum section 41 and a residue that does not pass through the openings. The first sorted material, which is the passing material that has passed through the openings, descends inside the housing section 43 toward the first web forming section 45.

[0018] Also, the second sorted material, which is the residue that does not pass through the openings, is re-fed from the discharge port 44 communicating with the interior of the drum section 41 to the supply pipe 20 of the fiberizing device 200 through the pipes 8 and 2.

[0019] The first web forming unit 45 includes a mesh belt 46, tensioning rollers 47, 47a, and a suction unit 48. The mesh belt 46 is an endless belt and is stretched over a plurality of tensioning rollers 47, 47a. The mesh belt 46 circulates along an orbit formed by the tensioning rollers 47, 47a. A part of the orbit of the mesh belt 46 is flat below the drum part 41, and the mesh belt 46 constitutes a flat surface. The suction unit 48 corresponds to a suction mechanism.

[0020] A large number of openings are formed in the mesh belt 46. Among the first sorted materials descending from the drum part 41 located above the mesh belt 46, components larger than the openings of the mesh belt 46 accumulate on the mesh belt 46. Also, among the first sorted materials, components smaller than the openings of the mesh belt 46 pass through the openings.

[0021] The suction unit 48 includes a blower (not shown) and sucks air from the side opposite to the drum part 41 with respect to the mesh belt 46. The components passing through the openings of the mesh belt 46 are sucked in by the suction unit 48. The airflow sucked by the suction unit 48 has the effect of promoting deposition by attracting the first sorted materials descending from the drum part 41 to the mesh belt 46.

[0022] The components deposited on the mesh belt 46 become web-shaped and constitute the first web Wb1. The basic configurations of the mesh belt 46, the tensioning rollers 47, 47a, and the suction unit 48 are the same as those of the mesh belt 72, the tensioning rollers 74, and the suction mechanism 76 of the second web forming unit 70 described later.

[0023] The first web Wb1 is conveyed to the rotating body 49 as the mesh belt 46 moves.

[0024] The rotating body 49 includes a base 49a connected to a drive unit (not shown) such as a motor, and a protrusion 49b protruding from the base 49a. When the base 49a rotates in the direction D, the protrusion 49b rotates around the base 49a.

[0025] The rotating body 49 is located at the end of the flat portion of the orbit of the mesh belt 46 on the side of the tensioning roller 47a. At this end, since the orbit of the mesh belt 46 bends downward, the first web Wb1 conveyed by the mesh belt 46 protrudes from the mesh belt 46 and contacts the rotating body 49. The first web Wb1 is loosened by the protrusion 49b colliding with the first web Wb1 and becomes small fiber lumps. These lumps pass through the pipe 7 located below the rotating body 49 and are conveyed to the mixing section 50.

[0026] The mixing section 50 mixes the first sorted material and the additive. The mixing section 50 includes an additive supply section 52 that supplies the additive, a pipe 54 that conveys the first sorted material and the additive, and a mixing blower 56.

[0027] The additive supply section 52 supplies the additive composed of fine powder or fine particles inside the additive cartridge 52a to the pipe 54.

[0028] The additive supplied from the additive supply section 52 contains a resin for binding a plurality of fibers, that is, a binder. The resin contained in the additive melts when passing through the sheet forming section 80 and binds a plurality of fibers.

[0029] The mixing blower 56 generates an air flow in the pipe 54 connecting the pipe 7 and the deposition section 60. Also, the first sorted material conveyed from the pipe 7 to the pipe 54 and the additive supplied to the pipe 54 by the additive supply section 52 are mixed when passing through the mixing blower 56.

[0030] The deposition section 60 loosens the fibers of the mixture, disperses them in the air, and drops them to the second web forming section 70.

[0031] The deposition section 60 includes a drum section 61, an inlet 62 for introducing the mixture into the drum section 61, and a housing section 63 for housing the drum section 61. The drum section 61 is a cylindrical structure configured in the same manner as the drum section 41, for example, and rotates by the power of a motor (not shown) in the same manner as the drum section 41 and functions as a sieve.

[0032] Below the drum section 61, a second web forming section 70 is arranged. The second web forming section 70 has, for example, a mesh belt 72, a stretching roller 74, and a suction mechanism 76.

[0033] Among the mixture descending from the drum section 61 located above the mesh belt 72, components larger than the openings of the mesh belt 72 accumulate on the mesh belt 72. The components accumulated on the mesh belt 72 form a web shape and constitute the second web Wb2.

[0034] In the conveyance path of the mesh belt 72, a humidity conditioning section 78 is provided on the downstream side of the deposition section 60. Since the moisture content of the second web Wb2 is adjusted by the moisture supplied by the humidity conditioning section 78, an effect of suppressing the adsorption of fibers to the mesh belt 72 due to static electricity can be expected.

[0035] The second web Wb2 is peeled off from the mesh belt 72 by a conveyance section 79 and conveyed to a sheet forming section 80. The conveyance section 79 has, for example, a mesh belt 79a, a roller 79b, and a suction mechanism 79c. The suction mechanism 79c includes a blower (not shown), and generates an upward airflow through the mesh belt 79a by the suction force of the blower. Due to this airflow, the second web Wb2 separates from the mesh belt 72 and is adsorbed to the mesh belt 79a. The mesh belt 79a is moved by the rotation of the roller 79b and conveys the second web Wb2 to the sheet forming section 80.

[0036] The mesh belt 79a can be constituted by an endless belt having openings, similar to the mesh belt 46 and the mesh belt 72.

[0037] The sheet forming section 80 heats the second web Wb2 to bind the fibers derived from the first sorted material contained in the second web Wb2 with the resin contained in the additive.

[0038] The sheet forming unit 80 includes a pressing unit 82 that presses the second web Wb2 and a heating unit 84 that heats the second web Wb2 pressed by the pressing unit 82. The pressing unit 82 presses the second web Wb2 at a predetermined nip pressure by a pair of calendar rollers 85 and conveys it toward the heating unit 84. The heating unit 84 applies heat while sandwiching the second web Wb2 densified by a pair of heating rollers 86 and conveys it to the cutting unit 90. In the heating unit 84, the resin contained in the second web Wb2 is heated to form the sheet S. The sheet forming unit 80 is an example of a fibrous body forming unit.

[0039] The cutting unit 90 cuts the sheet S formed by the sheet forming unit 80. The cutting unit 90 has a first cutting unit 92 that cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction F1 of the sheet S indicated by the reference sign F1 in the figure, and a second cutting unit 94 that cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the conveying direction F1. The cutting unit 90 cuts the length and width of the sheet S to a predetermined size to form single sheets S. The sheets S cut by the cutting unit 90 are accommodated in the discharging unit 96.

[0040] Next, the configuration of the defibrating device 200 will be described. The defibrating device 200 is a device that performs a processing operation of unraveling a raw material MA in a state where a plurality of fibers are bound into one or a small number of fibers. The defibrating device 200 is a dry defibrating processing device that performs processing such as defibrating in the air, such as in the atmosphere or air, rather than in a liquid.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the defibrator 200 includes a rotating body 500, a defibrating chamber 210, a supply pipe 20, a discharge passage 310, and a discharge pipe 30. The defibrator 200 forms defibrated material from the raw material MA supplied through the supply pipe 20 by the rotation of the rotating body 500 housed in the defibrating chamber 210 about the axis AR of the rotating shaft 501 as the center of rotation. Further, the defibrator 200 includes a screen 221, a fixing member 211, and side walls 212 and 213 that define the defibrating chamber 210, housings 311, 312, and 313 that define the discharge passage 310, support portions 401 and 402 that support the rotating body 500, and a closing member 601. Further, in the following description, the rotational direction in which the rotating shaft 501 rotates about the axis AR may be referred to as the circumferential direction CR, and the radial direction of the rotating shaft 501 may be referred to as the radial direction RR.

[0042] The rotating body 500 has a rotating shaft 501, a base portion 502, rotating blades 503, and rotating vanes 504. The rotating body 500 is housed in the defibrating chamber 210 such that the axis AR of the rotating shaft 501 is along the Y-axis. Thus, the rotating shaft 501 extends in the Y-axis direction. In other words, the defibrator 200 is arranged in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in a posture where the axis AR is horizontal. The base portion 502 has a disk shape and is inserted through and fixed to the rotating shaft 501. The rotating blades 503 are provided so as to protrude in a direction away from the base portion 502 in the radial direction RR. The rotating blades 503 have a plate-like protrusion shape. A plurality of rotating blades 503 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction CR.

[0043] On the +Y direction side of the base portion 502, a plurality of rotating vanes 504 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction CR. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the rotating blades 503 and the base portion 502 are formed by laminating thin plate-like plates in the Y-axis direction, but they may be formed as an integral block.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the fixing member 211 has a cylindrical shape. The fixing member 211 is located on the +Y direction side of the rotating blade 503 in the Y-axis direction.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 4, 10, and 12, the side wall 212 is disc-shaped. The side wall 212 is located on the +Y direction side of the fixing member 211. The side wall 212 is fixed to the fixing member 211 to define the inner surface on the +Y direction side of the fibrillation chamber 210. The side wall 212 is provided with a support portion 401, a supply pipe 20, and a supply portion 214.

[0046] The support portion 401 is located at the center of the side wall 212. The support portion 401 is located on the +Y direction side of the rotary blade 503 of the rotating body 500. The support portion 401 supports the rotary shaft 501 of the rotating body 500 so that the rotating body 500 can rotate about the axis AR as the rotation center. The support portion 401 supports the +Y direction side of the rotary blade 503 on the rotary shaft 501 of the rotating body 500.

[0047] The rotary shaft 501 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism is composed of a belt and a pulley, and power is transmitted from a rotation drive source (not shown) to the belt and the pulley, so that the rotating body 500 rotates about the axis AR as the rotation center. In the present embodiment, in FIG. 11, the rotating body 500 rotates counterclockwise about the axis AR, but it may rotate clockwise. Alternatively, in FIG. 11, the rotating body 500 may rotate in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions about the axis AR. Further, the configuration for rotationally driving the rotary shaft 501 may not be a configuration using a belt and a pulley.

[0048] The supply pipe 20 supplies the raw material MA containing fibers to the fibrillation chamber 210. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 12, the supply pipe 20 is tubular. The supply pipe 20 is provided on the surface of the side wall 212 on the +Y direction side. The supply pipe 20 is provided on the side wall 212 at a position in the -Z direction of the axis AR of the rotary shaft 501. The supply pipe 20 extends in the Y-axis direction. The supply portion 214 is a circular through-hole that penetrates the side wall 212 in the Y-axis direction. The supply portion 214 communicates the supply pipe 20 with the fibrillation chamber 210. Therefore, the supply portion 214 opens at a position in the -Z direction, which is directly above the axis AR of the rotary shaft 501, on the side wall 212. In other words, the supply portion 214 opens on the side wall 212 at a position farther from the discharge portion 314, which will be described later, compared with the axis AR.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 10, the side wall 213 is disk-shaped. The side wall 213 is located on the -Y direction side of the fixing member 211. Also, the side wall 213 is located on the -Y direction side of the rotary blade 503 of the rotating body 500. The side wall 213 is fixed to the fixing member 211 via the screen 221 to define the inner surface on the -Y direction side of the fibrillation chamber 210. The side wall 213 is provided with a support portion 402 that supports the -Y direction side of the rotary blade 503 on the rotary shaft 501 of the rotating body 500.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 to 9, and 11 to 14, the screen 221 is thin plate-shaped. The screen 221 is located between the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 in the Y-axis direction. The screen 221 is fixed to the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 to be formed in an annular shape. The screen 221 is provided with a gap from the rotary blade 503 in the radial direction RR.

[0051] The dimension in the Y-axis direction, which is the width dimension of the screen 221, is larger than the dimension of the rotating blade 503 in the Y-axis direction. In the Y-axis direction, the tip of the rotating blade 503 is located within the width of the screen 221. The screen 221 is fixed to the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 to define the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical defibrating chamber 210. The screen 221 defines a region of the inner peripheral surface of the defibrating chamber 210 that faces the tip of the rotating blade 503. The screen 221 is an example of an annular wall.

[0052] The screen 221 is composed of, for example, a thin plate member made of metal. The screen 221 of the present embodiment is formed in an annular shape by being fixed to the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 so that a plurality of thin plate members are arranged along the circumferential direction CR. As the metal material, for example, stainless steel can be adopted. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of through holes 222 penetrating the screen 221 in the thickness direction are formed in the screen 221.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the plurality of through holes 222 have the same shape. The through hole 222 of the present embodiment is a circular hole. The hole diameter of the through hole 222 is set to a size that allows the defibrated material defibrated to a desired degree to pass through. Note that the opening shape of the through hole 222 does not have to be circular, and may be rectangular or polygonal. The screen 221 may be formed by forming the through hole 222 in the thin plate member by punching, etching, cutting, or the like. Note that the screen 221 may be composed of one thin plate member.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 11, the plurality of through holes 222 are provided so as to be distributed in the circumferential direction CR of the screen 221. In this embodiment, through hole rows in which the through holes 222 are aligned in the Y-axis direction are provided around the entire circumference of the screen 221 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction CR. The opening diameter of the through holes 222 is preferably 0.3 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, and the opening diameter of the through holes 222 in this embodiment is 0.6 mm. Furthermore, the dimension of the remaining portion of the screen 221, which is the shortest distance between the openings of the through holes 222, is preferably half to twice the opening diameter of the through holes 222, and the dimension of the remaining portion in this embodiment is 0.4 mm. Therefore, in this embodiment, the plurality of through holes 222 are provided in the screen 221 in a so-called staggered pattern, in which the positions of the through holes 222 forming adjacent through hole rows in the circumferential direction CR are shifted in the Y-axis direction.

[0055] Alternatively, the plurality of through holes 222 may be provided in rows in the Y-axis direction at different intervals in the circumferential direction CR, all around the screen 221. Alternatively, groups of through holes 222 may be provided in the Y-axis direction and in the circumferential direction CR at the same intervals in the circumferential direction CR, all around the screen 221. In addition, in this embodiment, the same number of through holes 222 are arranged in the Y-axis direction to form through-hole rows, but the number of through holes forming each through-hole row may differ from one another.

[0056] When the through-holes 222 are formed in the thin plate member by etching, the thin plate member may be made of, for example, SUS430, SUS304, or SUS316L. Alternatively, the screen 221 may be a mesh formed by weaving wires. In this case, the mesh openings correspond to the through-holes 222.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 to 14, the housings 311, 312, 313 are provided so as to circumferentially surround the outside of the screen 221 in the circumferential direction CR. The housings 311, 312, 313 form the discharge passage 310 by covering the outside of the screen 221 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction CR. The housings 311, 312, 313 are fixed to the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 with the screen 221 interposed therebetween. The housings 311, 312, 313 have an outer peripheral wall 351, a side wall 352, and a side wall 353. The outer peripheral wall 351 is provided at a distance W from the screen 221 in the radial direction RR. The outer peripheral wall 351 is annular. The distance W between the outer peripheral wall 351 and the screen 221 in the radial direction RR is the inner dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the radial direction RR.

[0058] The outer peripheral wall 351 defines the inner peripheral surface of the discharge passage 310. The side wall 352 is located on the +Y direction side of the outer peripheral wall 351 and defines the inner surface on the +Y direction side of the discharge passage 310. The side wall 353 is located on the -Y direction side of the side wall 352 and defines the inner surface on the -Y direction side of the discharge passage 310. Also, the distance D between the side wall 352 and the side wall 353 in the Y-axis direction is the inner dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction. The discharge passage 310 of the present embodiment is formed in an annular shape by being fixed to the fixing member 211 and the side wall 213 with the screen 221 interposed therebetween so that the three housings 311, 312, 313 are arranged along the circumferential direction CR.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 to 14, the discharge passage 310 is provided on the outside of the screen 221 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction CR. The discharge passage 310 extends in the circumferential direction CR of the screen 221. The discharge passage 310 communicates with the defibrating chamber 210 through a plurality of through holes 222 provided in the screen 221. The defibrated material formed in the defibrating chamber 210 is discharged into the discharge passage 310 through the plurality of through holes 222. Note that the discharge passage 310 may be formed of one housing member.

[0060] On the outer peripheral wall 351 of the housing 311, a discharge pipe 30 and a discharge portion 314 are provided. The discharge pipe 30 is provided on the +Z direction side of the outer peripheral wall 351 of the housing 311. The discharge pipe 30 is located on the +Z direction side which is vertically below the axis AR of the rotation shaft 501. Therefore, the discharge pipe 30 is provided at the lowest position on the outer peripheral wall 351. The discharge pipe 30 is tubular. The discharge pipe 30 extends in the +Z direction from the outer peripheral wall 351.

[0061] The discharge portion 314 is a through hole that penetrates the outer peripheral wall 351 in the Z-axis direction. The discharge portion 314 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The opening edge portion 315 is the edge of the opening on the discharge path 310 side of the discharge portion 314. The dimension of the opening edge portion 315 in the Y-axis direction is the same as the inner dimension of the discharge path 310 in the Y-axis direction. The dimension of the opening edge portion 315 in the X-axis direction is set to be from 40 mm to 50 mm. The dimension of the discharge portion 314 in the Y-axis direction is the same as the inner dimension of the discharge path 310 in the Y-axis direction.

[0062] The discharge portion 314 communicates the discharge path 310 and the discharge pipe 30. The discharge portion 314 is provided on the outer peripheral wall 351 and opens toward the screen 221. Therefore, the discharge portion 314 is provided at the position in the +Z direction which is vertically below the axis AR of the rotation shaft 501 on the outer peripheral wall 351. In other words, the discharge portion 314 is provided at the lowest position on the outer peripheral wall 351.

[0063] In the present embodiment, the distance D between the side wall 352 and the side wall 353 is the same over the entire circumference of the screen 221. The distance D is set to a predetermined dimension of, for example, from 40 mm to 50 mm. On the other hand, the distance W between the outer peripheral wall 351 and the screen 221 is narrower in the circumferential direction CR of the screen 221 in the region away from the facing region where the discharge portion 314 faces than in the facing region where the discharge portion 314 faces.

[0064] For example, as shown in FIG. 14, in the discharge passage 310, the interval W of the region located in the -Z direction of the axis AR is defined as interval W1, the interval W of the region located in the +X direction of the axis AR is defined as interval W2, the interval W of the region located in the +Z direction of the axis AR is defined as interval W3, and the interval W of the region located in the -X direction of the axis AR is defined as interval W4. At this time, interval W1 is narrower than interval W3. Also, interval W2 and interval W4 are narrower than interval W3. Further, interval W1 is narrower than interval W2 and interval W4. In the present embodiment, interval W2 and interval W4 are the same.

[0065] Also, in the present embodiment, the interval W gradually decreases as it moves away from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR on the screen 221. Also, the interval D between the side wall 352 and the side wall 353 is the same throughout the entire circumference of the screen 221. Therefore, the flow path cross-sectional area of the discharge passage 310 gradually decreases as it moves away from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR on the screen 221. In the present embodiment, for example, interval W1 is set to 5 mm, interval W2 and interval W4 are set to 10 mm, and interval W3 is set to 15 mm.

[0066] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 to 14, the blocking member 601 is provided on the outer peripheral surface side on the discharge passage 310 side of the screen 221. The blocking member 601 is provided in the opposing region of the screen 221 where the discharge portion 314 faces. The blocking member 601 is located in the +Z direction of the axis AR. The blocking member 601 closes the opening on the discharge passage 310 side of the through hole 222 by covering the outer peripheral surface on the discharge passage 310 side of the screen 221. The blocking member 601 closes the through hole 222 provided in a region close to the discharge portion 314 on the screen 221. Note that the blocking member 601 may be provided on the inner peripheral surface side on the defibrating chamber 210 side of the screen 221. In this case, the blocking member 601 closes the opening on the defibrating chamber 210 side of the through hole 222 by covering the inner peripheral surface on the defibrating chamber 210 side of the screen 221.

[0067] In this embodiment, the dimension of the blocking member 601 in the Y-axis direction is the same as the dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction. The dimension of the blocking member 601 in the X-axis direction is larger than the dimension of the opening edge 315 in the discharge portion 314 in the X-axis direction.

[0068] Also, as shown in FIG. 14, the angle formed between the line segment connecting the axis AR and the +X direction end of the blocking member 601 and the line segment connecting the axis AR and the +X direction end of the opening edge 315 is θ. Also, the angle formed between the line segment connecting the axis AR and the -X direction end of the blocking member 601 and the line segment connecting the axis AR and the -X direction end of the opening edge 315 is θ. Therefore, the position of the +X direction end of the blocking member 601 is located on the +X direction side by an angle θ with respect to the position of the +X direction end of the opening edge 315. Also, the position of the -X direction end of the blocking member 601 is located on the -X direction side by an angle θ with respect to the position of the -X direction end of the opening edge 315. In this embodiment, the angle θ is set to, for example, 5° to 15°.

[0069] In the screen 221, the through hole 222 provided in the region covering the outer peripheral surface of the blocking member 601 does not communicate the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310. In other words, in the screen 221, no through hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310 is provided in the region covering the outer peripheral surface of the blocking member 601. Also, in this embodiment, in the screen 221, in the Z-axis direction, no through hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310 is provided in the region between the center of the discharge portion 314 and the rotation axis 501.

[0070] Further, with a line segment that is orthogonal to the axis AR and connects the axis AR and the center of the discharge portion 314 as a projection line segment, and with the direction along the projection line segment as the projection direction, when the opening edge portion 315 of the discharge portion 314 is projected onto the screen 221, in the present embodiment, a through hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310 is not provided in the region surrounded by the opening edge portion 315 projected onto the screen 221. In the present embodiment, the above-described projection direction is a direction along the Z-axis direction. Further, the region surrounded by the opening edge portion 315 projected onto the screen 221 is an example of a facing region on the screen 221 where the discharge portion 314 faces.

[0071] Also, with a line segment that is orthogonal to the axis AR and connects the axis AR and the opening edge portion 315 of the discharge portion 314 as a virtual line segment LD, in the screen 221, with the region surrounded by the virtual line segment LD as a region RD, and with a through hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310 among the through holes 222 as a communication hole Ch, in the present embodiment, the communication hole Ch is not provided in the region RD. The region RD is an example of a facing region on the screen 221 where the discharge portion 314 faces.

[0072] As a result, in the screen 221, when a region other than the region RD is a region ERD (not shown), the region RD has a smaller number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area compared to the region ERD. Also, in the screen 221, with a region where the interval W with the outer peripheral wall 351 is the narrowest interval W1 as a region RN, and when a region other than the region RN in the screen 221 is a region ERN (not shown), the region RN has a larger number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area compared to the region ERN.

[0073] Also, the region RN has a larger number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area compared to the region RD. In the present embodiment, the region RN and the region where the interval W in the discharge passage 310 is the narrowest interval W1 are located in the -Z direction directly above the axis AR. Therefore, the region RN is an example of a region on the screen 221 that is the farthest from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR.

[0074] In addition, in the present embodiment, by covering the outer peripheral surface of the screen 221 with the blocking member 601, a region where the through-hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge path 310 is not provided is formed on the screen 221. However, in the screen 221 of the present embodiment, a region where the outer peripheral surface is covered by the blocking member 601 may be formed by not forming the through-hole 222, thereby forming a region where the through-hole 222 that communicates the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge path 310 is not provided on the screen 221.

[0075] Next, the operation of the defibrating device 200 will be described. The defibrating device 200 guides the raw material MA supplied to the defibrating chamber 210 to the gap between the rotary blade 503 of the rotating body 500 and the screen 221 by an air flow, and performs dry defibrating treatment on the raw material MA.

[0076] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the raw material MA introduced from the supply pipe 20 of the defibrating device 200 is introduced into the defibrating chamber 210 through the supply unit 214. In the defibrating chamber 210, the rotating body 500 rotates when the rotating shaft 501 is rotationally driven. In addition, a negative pressure by the suction unit 35 is applied to the discharge path 310 via the discharge pipe 30. As a result, an air flow is generated in the defibrating chamber 210, the discharge path 310, and the discharge pipe 30 as indicated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 4.

[0077] By this air flow, the raw material MA is sent to the gap between the tip of the rotary blade 503 and the screen 221. The raw material MA sent to this gap flies by receiving centrifugal force from the rotating body 500 or the like, collides with the screen 221, and is unwound and defibrated. That is, in the defibrating chamber 210, the raw material MA is defibrated to generate a defibrated product.

[0078] The defibered material generated in the defibering chamber 210 passes through the through holes 222 of the screen 221 by the airflow and flows into the discharge path 310. The defibered material that has flowed into the discharge path 310 moves to the discharge pipe 30 through the discharge section 314 by the airflow and is discharged into the pipe 3 connected to the discharge pipe 30. This airflow for moving the defibered material is generated by the pressure difference between the negative pressure applied to the discharge pipe 30 by the suction section 35 and the pressures in the discharge section 314, the discharge path 310, and the defibering chamber 210, which is upstream of the discharge pipe 30. For example, the airflow passing through the through holes 222 of the screen 221 is generated by the pressure difference between the negative pressure from the suction section 35 acting on the discharge path 310 and the pressure in the defibering chamber 210.

[0079] In the discharge path 310, the negative pressure by the suction section 35 easily acts on the region near the discharge section 314. As a result, in the through holes 222 provided in the region near the discharge section 314, the flow rate of the air passing from the defibering chamber 210 toward the discharge path 310 tends to increase. Also, in the through holes 222 provided in the region near the discharge section 314, the flow velocity of the airflow passing from the defibering chamber 210 toward the discharge path 310 tends to be high. In this case, there is a possibility that the undefibered defibered material that has not been sufficiently defibered is discharged into the discharge path 310 in the through holes 222 provided in the region near the discharge section 314. Also, there is a possibility that the defibered material clogs the through holes 222.

[0080] Further, when the flow rate of the air passing from the defibering chamber 210 toward the discharge path 310 increases in the through holes 222 provided in the region near the discharge section 314, it becomes difficult for the negative pressure by the suction section 35 to act on the region far from the discharge section 314. As a result, in the through holes 222 provided in the region far from the discharge section 314, the flow velocity of the airflow passing from the defibering chamber 210 toward the discharge path 310 tends to be low. In the region where the flow velocity of the airflow passing through the through holes 222 of the screen 221 is low, it is difficult for the defibered material to pass through the through holes 222. As a result, there are many over-defibered defibered materials that have stayed in the defibering chamber 210 for a long time and have been over-defibered.

[0081] In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the discharge path 310, the region including the discharge portion 314 is defined as the downstream discharge path 310D, which is a region close to the discharge portion 314, and the region other than the downstream discharge path is defined as the upstream discharge path 310U, which is a region far from the discharge portion 314. Further, among the screens 221, the region constituting the downstream discharge path 310D is defined as the downstream screen 221D, and the region constituting the upstream discharge path 310U is defined as the upstream screen 221U. And when the through-hole 222 that connects the defibrating chamber 210 and the discharge path 310 is defined as the through-hole Ch, the downstream screen 221D has fewer through-holes Ch provided per unit area compared with the upstream screen 221U.

[0082] In other words, when comparing the downstream screen 221D and the upstream screen 221U having the same area, the through-hole Ch is provided in the screen 221 so that air passes through the downstream screen 221D less easily compared with the upstream screen 221U. In this embodiment, when the blocking member 601 is provided, the downstream discharge path 310D is a region including the region RD, the blocking member 601, and the discharge portion 314, and the upstream discharge path 310U is a region including the region RN and not including the blocking member 601 and the discharge portion 314. Further, the downstream screen 221D is an example of a downstream annular wall, and the upstream screen 221U is an example of an upstream annular wall.

[0083] According to this, compared with the case where the number of through-holes Ch provided per unit area is the same over the entire circumference of the screen 221, the flow rate of the air passing from the defibrating chamber 210 through the through-hole 222 of the downstream screen 221D into the discharge path 310 can be reduced. Also, it is easier for the negative pressure by the suction portion 35 to act on the upstream discharge path 310U. Further, it is easy to increase the flow velocity of the air flow passing from the defibrating chamber 210 through the through-hole 222 of the upstream screen 221U into the discharge path 310. As a result, it is possible to reduce the discharge of undefibrated defibrated materials that have not been sufficiently defibrated from the through-hole 222 of the downstream screen 221D into the discharge path 310. Also, it is possible to reduce the over-defibrated defibrated materials that have been over-defibrated.

[0084] Also, it is easy to reduce the pressure difference between the pressure of the downstream discharge passage 310D and the pressure of the upstream discharge passage 310U. Also, it is easy to reduce the velocity difference between the flow velocity of the air current passing through the through holes 222 of the downstream screen 221D and the flow velocity of the air current passing through the through holes 222 of the upstream screen 221U. Therefore, the fibrillation variation of the fibrillated material discharged to the discharge passage 310 can be reduced.

[0085] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the discharge passage 310 is provided so as to cover the outside of the screen 221 over the entire circumference. Further, the discharge portion 314 is provided on the outer peripheral wall 351 of the housings 311, 312, 313 forming the discharge passage 310 and opens toward the screen 221. Thereby, in the discharge passage 310, it is easy to apply the negative pressure by the suction portion 35 to the upstream side far from the discharge portion 314. Therefore, in the screen 221, it is possible to suppress the discharge of over-fibrillated fibrillated material to the region far from the discharge portion 314, and the fibrillation variation of the fibrillated material discharged to the discharge passage 310 can be reduced.

[0086] Also, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 11, in the discharge passage 310, in the region on the +X direction side from the axis AR, a clockwise air current toward the discharge portion 314 can be generated, and in the region on the -X direction side from the axis AR, a counterclockwise air current toward the discharge portion 314 can be generated. At this time, in the discharge passage 310, in the region that is the farthest from the discharge portion 314 and is located in the -Z direction directly above the axis AR, a clockwise air current toward the discharge portion 314 and a counterclockwise air current toward the discharge portion 314 can be generated.

[0087] As described above, according to the fibrillating device 200 and the sheet manufacturing device 100 according to Embodiment 1, the following effects can be obtained.

[0088] The fiberizing device 200 includes a rotating body 500 that rotates about the axis AR of the rotating shaft 501 as the center of rotation, a fiberizing chamber 210 that houses the rotating body 500 and forms a fiberized product from the raw material MA containing fibers when the rotating body 500 rotates, a supply pipe 20 that supplies the raw material MA to the fiberizing chamber 210, a discharge path 310 that communicates with the fiberizing chamber 210 and from which the fiberized product is discharged from the fiberizing chamber 210, a discharge pipe 30 to which a negative pressure is applied to discharge the fiberized product from the discharge path 310, a discharge portion 314 that communicates the discharge path 310 and the discharge pipe 30, an annular screen 221 that is provided with a gap from the rotating body 500 in the radial direction RR of the rotating body 500 and defines the fiberizing chamber 210, housings 311, 312, 313 that cover the outside of the screen 221 and form a discharge path 310 extending in the circumferential direction CR of the screen 221, a plurality of through holes 222 that are provided in the screen 221 and communicate the fiberizing chamber 210 and the discharge path 310, and an outer peripheral wall 351 that the housings 311, 312, 313 have and that is provided at a distance from the screen 221 in the radial direction RR. Further, the discharge portion 314 is provided in the housing 311. Also, in the discharge path 310, the region including the discharge portion 314 is defined as the downstream discharge path 310D, the region other than the downstream discharge path 310D is defined as the upstream discharge path 310U, in the screen 221, the region that constitutes the downstream discharge path 310D is defined as the downstream screen 221D, the region that constitutes the upstream discharge path 310U is defined as the upstream screen 221U, and when the through hole 222 that communicates the fiberizing chamber 210 and the discharge path 310 is defined as the through hole Ch, the through hole 222 of the downstream screen 221D is provided in the screen 221 so that air passes through it less easily compared to the upstream screen 221U when the downstream screen 221D and the upstream screen 221U having the same area are compared. According to this, compared with the case where the number of through holes Ch provided per unit area is the same over the entire circumference of the screen 221, the flow rate of air passing from the fiberizing chamber 210 through the through hole 222 of the downstream screen 221D into the discharge path 310 can be reduced. Also, the negative pressure by the suction portion 35 acts easily on the upstream discharge path 310U. Also, the flow velocity of the airflow passing from the fiberizing chamber 210 through the through hole 222 of the upstream screen 221U into the discharge path 310 can be increased easily.As a result, it is possible to reduce the discharge of undefibered defibered materials that have not been sufficiently defibered from the through-holes 222 of the downstream screen 221D into the discharge path 310. In addition, it is possible to reduce the amount of over-defibered defibered materials that have been over-defibered.

[0089] The plurality of through-holes 222 have the same shape, and the downstream screen 221D has a smaller number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area compared to the upstream screen 221U. According to this, the flow rate of the air passing from the defibering chamber 210 through the through-holes 222 of the downstream screen 221D into the discharge path 310 can be reduced compared to the case where the number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area is the same over the entire circumference of the screen 221.

[0090] The plurality of through-holes 222 have the same shape, the discharge portion 314 faces the screen 221, the downstream screen 221D includes the region RD where the discharge portion 314 faces, and in the region RN of the screen 221, the number of the communication holes Ch provided per unit area is larger than that in the region RD. According to this, in the region RN of the screen 221, it is easy to increase the flow velocity of the airflow passing through the through-holes 222. Therefore, in the defibering chamber 210, it is possible to reduce the formation of over-defibered defibered materials and reduce the variation in defibering of the defibered materials discharged into the discharge path 310. In addition, in the defibering chamber 210, the through-holes 222 of the screen 221, and the discharge path 310, it is possible to ensure an airflow for discharging the defibered materials toward the downstream side of the discharge path 310 and suppress the retention of the defibered materials.

[0091] In screen 221, no communication hole Ch is provided in region RD. According to this, compared with the case where the number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area is the same over the entire circumference of screen 221, the flow rate of air passing through through-hole 222 of downstream screen 221D from defibrating chamber 210 toward discharge path 310 can be reduced. According to this, it becomes easier to apply the negative pressure by suction portion 35 to the upstream side far from discharge portion 314 in discharge path 310. As a result, in defibrating chamber 210 and discharge path 310, an air current for discharging the defibrated material toward the downstream side of discharge path 310 can be ensured, and it is possible to suppress the defibrated material from staying. Further, compared with the case where communication hole Ch is provided in region RD, it is possible to reduce the defibrating variation due to an increase in the amount of undefibrated defibrated material.

[0092] The defibrating device 200 further includes a closing member 601 in region RD, and the closing member 601 closes the opening of through-hole 222 by covering screen 221. According to this, the communication between defibrating chamber 210 and discharge path 310 through through-hole 222 can be blocked. Therefore, the number of communication holes Ch provided in screen 221 can be changed, and a region with fewer communication holes Ch can be formed in screen 221.

[0093] The closing member 601 is provided on the outer peripheral surface that is the surface on the discharge path 310 side of screen 221, and closes the opening on the outer peripheral surface side of through-hole 222. According to this, a region with fewer communication holes Ch can be formed in screen 221 without changing the gap between screen 221 and rotating body 500.

[0094] Housings 311, 312, 313 form discharge path 310 by surrounding the outside of screen 221 in circumferential direction CR. According to this, since discharge path 310 is provided over the entire circumference on the outside of screen 221, through-hole 222 can be provided over the entire circumference of screen 221. Therefore, the defibrated material in defibrating chamber 210 is easily discharged to discharge path 310.

[0095] The interval between the outer peripheral wall 351 and the screen 221 is narrower in the discharge passage 310 in the region away from the downstream discharge passage 310D in the circumferential direction CR than in the downstream discharge passage 310D. According to this, it is easy to increase the average flow velocity of the air flow in the region away from the discharge portion 314 in the discharge passage 310. Also, the central region where the flow velocity of the air flow is the highest in the flow passage cross section of the discharge passage 310 can be brought closer to the screen 221. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the retention of the defibrated material in the discharge passage 310.

[0096] The rotating body 500 is accommodated in the defibrating chamber 210 so that the axis AR intersects the vertical direction, and the discharge portion 314 is provided at the lowermost position on the outer peripheral wall 351. According to this, the gravity acting on the defibrated material can be applied as a force acting on the defibrated material discharged to the discharge passage 310 and directed toward the discharge portion 314. Therefore, the defibrated material in the discharge passage 310 can be efficiently discharged from the discharge passage 310 toward the discharge pipe 30.

[0097] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a defibrating apparatus 200, a second web forming unit 70 that forms a second web Wb2 by depositing the defibrated material discharged from the discharge pipe 30, and a sheet forming unit 80 that forms a sheet S containing fibers by binding the fibers included in the second web Wb2. According to this, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 can form the sheet S from the defibrated material formed by the defibrating apparatus 200.

[0098] The defibrating apparatus 200 and the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention are basically configured as described above, but it is of course possible to make partial configuration changes, omissions, etc. within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Also, the above-described embodiment and other embodiments described below can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non-contradictory range. Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described.

[0099] In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of through-holes 222 may have the same shape, and in the screen 221, the through-holes 222 may be provided in the screen 221 such that the number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area increases as the distance from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR increases. In this case, for example, a row of through-holes 222 in which the same number of through-holes 222 are arranged in the Y-axis direction may be provided in the screen 221 such that the interval between the rows of through-holes becomes narrower as the distance from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR increases. Further, for example, rows of through-holes 222 in which the through-holes 222 are arranged in the Y-axis direction may be provided in the screen 221 at the same intervals in the circumferential direction CR, and the number of through-holes forming the rows of through-holes may be increased as the distance from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR increases. According to this, it is easy to apply the negative pressure by the suction portion 35 to the upstream side far from the discharge portion 314 in the discharge passage 310. Further, it is easy to reduce the velocity difference of the flow velocity of the air flow passing through the plurality of through-holes 222 provided in the screen 221. Therefore, the fibrillation variation of the fibrillated material discharged into the discharge passage 310 can be reduced.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, the discharge portion 314 may not be provided on the outer peripheral wall 351. For example, the discharge portion 314 may be provided on either the side wall 353 or the side wall 352 of the housing 311. Further, for example, when the discharge portion 314 is provided on the side wall 353, the discharge portion 314 may face the screen 221 or may face the side wall 352 and not face the screen 221. In this case, the closing member 601 is provided in a region of the downstream screen 221D where the discharge portion 314 does not face. That is, the closing member 601 closes the opening of the through-hole 222 by covering the downstream screen 221D. Further, the closing member 601 is provided on the outer peripheral surface that is the surface on the discharge passage 310 side of the downstream screen 221D, and closes the opening on the outer peripheral surface side of the through-hole 222. According to this, the communication between the fibrillation chamber 210 and the discharge passage 310 through the through-hole 222 can be blocked. Therefore, the number of communication holes Ch provided in the downstream screen 221D can be changed, and a region with fewer communication holes Ch can be formed in the downstream screen 221D. In this case, the plurality of through-holes 222 provided in the screen 221 may not have the same shape.

[0101] In the above embodiment, the defibrator 200 may not be disposed in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in a posture where the axial center AR is horizontal. In this case, the defibrator 200 may be disposed in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in an inclined posture where the axial center AR intersects the horizontal direction, provided that the discharge portion 314 is located at the lowest position on the outer peripheral wall 351.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the defibrator 200 may not be disposed in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in a posture where the discharge portion 314 and the discharge pipe 30 are vertically below the axial center AR. For example, the defibrator 200 may be disposed in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in a posture where the discharge portion 314 and the discharge pipe 30 are vertically above the axial center AR. Further, for example, the defibrator 200 may be disposed in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in a posture where the discharge portion 314 and the discharge pipe 30 are aligned in the horizontal direction with the axial center AR.

[0103] In the above embodiment, the distance W between the outer peripheral wall 351 and the screen 221 may gradually become narrower as it moves away from the discharge portion 314 in the circumferential direction CR. For example, in the discharge path 310, when the distance W in the region located in the -Z direction of the axial center AR is the distance W1 and the distance W in the region located in the +Z direction of the axial center AR is the distance W3 wider than the distance W1, in the discharge path 310, the distance W in the region connecting the region located in the -Z direction of the axial center AR and the region located in the +Z direction of the axial center AR may gradually become narrower as it goes from the region located in the +Z direction of the axial center AR to the region located in the -Z direction of the axial center AR. Alternatively, in the discharge path 310, the distance W in the region connecting the region located in the -Z direction of the axial center AR and the region located in the +Z direction of the axial center AR may be a distance narrower than the distance W3 and wider than the distance W1.

[0104] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when viewed from the -Y direction side, in the discharge passage 310, a clockwise airflow is generated in the region on the +X direction side of the discharge portion 314 in the discharge passage 310, and a counterclockwise airflow is generated in the region on the -X direction side of the discharge portion 314. On the condition that such airflows are generated, the discharge passage 310 does not have to be symmetric about the left and right. In this case, for example, the interval W2 and the interval W4 may be different, or the region where the interval W is the narrowest may be shifted in the X-axis direction from the position in the -Z direction of the axis AR. Further, for example, the interval D between the side wall 352 and the side wall 353 may be different between the region on the +X direction side of the discharge portion 314 and the region on the -X direction side of the discharge portion 314.

[0105] In the above-described embodiment, a fixed blade may be provided in a region of the inner peripheral surface of the screen 221 that faces the rotary blade 503. The fixed blade defibrates the raw material MA guided between it and the rotary blade 503. In this case, the fixed blade may be fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the screen 221 with a gap from the tip of the rotary blade 503. As shown in FIG. 14, when viewed from the -Y direction side, the fixed blade may have a pointed shape protruding from the screen 221 toward the rotary blade 503 and may extend in the Y-axis direction. When a plurality of fixed blades are provided, the plurality of fixed blades may be provided at intervals in the circumferential direction CR over the entire circumference of the screen 221. Alternatively, the fixed blade may be provided in a region of the inner peripheral surface of the screen 221 that is on the opposite side of the surface where the closing member 601 is provided.

[0106] In the above-described embodiment, the supply portion 214 does not have to be circular as long as it is a through hole that penetrates the side wall 212 in the Y-axis direction. For example, it may be polygonal, elliptical, or an arc shape centered on the axis AR.

[0107] In the above-described embodiment, the supply portion 214 does not have to open at a position directly above the axis AR in the side wall 212. For example, the supply portion 214 may open at a position in the side wall 212 that is aligned horizontally with the axis AR.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the discharge portion 314 may be circular when viewed from the Z-axis direction. Also, the dimension of the opening edge portion 315 in the Y-axis direction does not have to be the same as the inner dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction. In this case, for example, the dimension of the opening edge portion 315 in the Y-axis direction may be smaller than the inner dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the dimension of the closing member 601 in the Y-axis direction does not have to be the same as the dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction. For example, the dimension of the closing member 601 in the Y-axis direction may be smaller than the dimension of the discharge passage 310 in the Y-axis direction. Also, the dimension of the closing member 601 in the X-axis direction may be the same as or smaller than the dimension of the opening edge portion 315 in the X-axis direction in the discharge portion 314. Further, the closing member 601 does not have to be rectangular. For example, the closing member 601 may be circular or oval.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the fibrillation device 200 does not have to be provided with the closing member 601. In this case, in the screen 221, the through holes 222 may be provided in the region RD so that the number of through holes 222 provided per unit area is smaller than that in the region ERD. Alternatively, by providing the above-described fixed blade on the inner peripheral surface of the screen 221 corresponding to the region RD, the number of communication holes Ch in the region RD may be made smaller than that in the region ERD. In this case, the fixed blade is provided on the inner peripheral surface that becomes the surface on the fibrillation chamber 210 side of the screen 221, and can be said to be an example of a closing member that closes the opening on the inner peripheral surface side of the through hole 222.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the housings 311, 312, 313 do not have to cover the outside of the screen 221 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction CR. Also, the discharge passage 310 does not have to be provided outside the screen 221 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction CR. For example, in the above embodiment, a region between the outside of the screen 221 partially covered by the housing 311 and the outer peripheral wall 351 of the housing 311 may be used as the discharge passage 310. In this case, in the screen 221, the through holes 222 do not have to be provided in the region not covered by the housing 311.

[0112] In the above embodiment, in the circumferential CR on the screen 221, the distance W between the outer peripheral wall 351 and the screen 221 may be the same. In this case, the flow path cross-sectional area of the discharge path 310 may not change and may be the same in the circumferential CR on the screen 221.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the plurality of through holes 222 may not have the same shape. For example, when a pressure difference ΔP is applied to the openings on both sides of one through hole 222, if the flow rate of air passing through the through hole 222 per unit time is the flow rate Qh, when the value represented by ΔP / Qh is defined as the flow path resistance Rh, the plurality of through holes 222 may not have the same shape as long as the flow path resistance Rh is the same.

[0114] In the above embodiment, compared with the upstream screen 221U, in the downstream screen 221D, by reducing the number of communication holes Ch of the same shape provided per unit area, when comparing the downstream screen 221D and the upstream screen 221U of the same area, compared with the upstream screen 221U, in the downstream screen 221D, it is made difficult for air to pass through. However, by making the shapes of the communication holes Ch different between the downstream screen 221D and the upstream screen 221U, compared with the upstream screen 221U, in the downstream screen 221D, it may be made difficult for air to pass through. For example, compared with the upstream screen 221U, by reducing the hole diameter of the communication hole Ch provided in the downstream screen 221D, when comparing the downstream screen 221D and the upstream screen 221U of the same area, compared with the upstream screen 221U, in the downstream screen 221D, it may be made difficult for air to pass through. In this case, compared with the upstream screen 221U, in the downstream screen 221D, the number of communication holes Ch provided per unit area may be the same or less.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0115] 2, 3, 7, 8, 54... tubes, 9... hopper, 10... storage and supply section, 12... crushing section, 14... crushing blade, 20... supply pipe, 30... discharge pipe, 35... suction section, 40... sorting section, 41... drum section, 42... inlet, 43... storage section, 44... outlet, 45... first web forming section, 46... mesh belt, 47, 47a... tensioning roller, 48... suction section, 49... rotating body, 49a... base, 49b... protrusion, 50... mixing section, 52... additive supply section, 52a... additive cartridge, 56... mixing blower, 60... deposition section, 61... drum section, 63... storage section, 70... second web forming section, 72... mesh belt, 74... tensioning roller, 76... suction mechanism, 78... humidity conditioning section, 79... conveying section, 79a... mesh belt, 79b... roller, 79c... suction mechanism, 80... sheet forming section, 82... pressing section, 84... heating section, 85... calendar roller, 86... heating roller, 90... cutting section, 92... first cutting section, 94... second cutting section, 96... discharge section, 100... sheet manufacturing apparatus, 200... defibrating apparatus, 210... defibrating chamber, 211... fixing member, 212, 213... side walls, 214... supply section, 221... screen, 221D... downstream screen, 221U... upstream screen, 222... through hole, 310... discharge path, 310D... downstream discharge path, 310U... upstream discharge path, 311, 312, 313... housing, 314... discharge section, 315... opening edge, 351... outer peripheral wall, 352, 353... side walls, 401, 402... support sections, 500... rotating body, 501... rotating shaft, 502... base, 503... rotating blade, 504... rotating vane, 601... blocking member, F1... conveying direction, W1, W2, W3, W4... intervals, Wb1... first web, Wb2... second web.

Claims

1. A rotating body that rotates about the axis of a rotating shaft as a center of rotation, a defibrating chamber that houses the rotating body and forms defibrated material from a raw material containing fibers when the rotating body rotates, a supply pipe that supplies the raw material to the defibrating chamber, a discharge path that communicates with the defibrating chamber and discharges the defibrated material from the defibrating chamber, a discharge pipe that is applied with negative pressure and discharges the defibrated material from the discharge path, a discharge portion that communicates the discharge path and the discharge pipe, an annular wall that is provided with a gap from the rotating body in the radial direction of the rotating body and defines the defibrating chamber, a housing that forms the discharge path extending in the circumferential direction of the annular wall by covering the outside of the annular wall, a plurality of through holes provided in the annular wall, an outer peripheral wall of the housing, the outer peripheral wall being provided at a distance from the annular wall in the radial direction, and comprising: The discharge portion is provided in the housing. Of the discharge path, a region including the discharge portion is defined as a downstream discharge path, a region other than the downstream discharge path is defined as an upstream discharge path, of the annular wall, a region constituting the downstream discharge path is defined as a downstream annular wall, a region constituting the upstream discharge path is defined as an upstream annular wall, and when the through hole that communicates the defibrating chamber and the discharge path is defined as a communication hole, the downstream annular wall has a smaller ratio of the communication hole per unit area compared to the upstream annular wall. A defibrating device.

2. In the annular wall, the downstream annular wall further includes a closing member, The closing member closes the opening of the through hole by covering the annular wall. The defibrating device according to claim 1.

3. The plurality of through holes have the same shape, The downstream annular wall has a smaller number of the communication holes provided per unit area compared to the upstream annular wall. The defibrating device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The plurality of through holes have the same shape, The discharge portion faces the annular wall, The downstream annular wall includes a facing region facing the discharge portion, Of the annular wall, in the circumferential direction, a region farthest from the discharge portion has a larger number of the communication holes provided per unit area compared to the facing region. The defibrating device according to claim 1.

5. In the annular wall, no communication hole is provided in the facing region. The defibrating device according to claim 4.

6. In the annular wall, the facing region further includes a closing member. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The blocking member closes the opening of the through hole by covering the annular wall. The fibrillation device according to claim 4 or claim 5.

7. The blocking member is provided on the outer peripheral surface that is the surface on the discharge path side of the annular wall, and closes the opening on the outer peripheral surface side of the through hole. The fibrillation device according to claim 2 or claim 6.

8. The plurality of through holes have the same shape, In the annular wall, the number of the communication holes provided per unit area increases gradually as it moves away from the discharge part in the circumferential direction. The fibrillation device according to claim 1.

9. The housing forms the discharge path by surrounding the outside of the annular wall in the circumferential direction. The fibrillation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The interval between the outer peripheral wall and the annular wall is narrower in a region away from the downstream side discharge path in the circumferential direction in the discharge path compared with the downstream side discharge path. The fibrillation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The rotating body is accommodated in the fibrillation chamber so that the axis intersects the vertical direction, The discharge part is provided at the lowest position on the outer peripheral wall. The fibrillation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. The fibrillation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, a web forming part that forms a web by depositing the fibrillated material discharged from the discharge pipe, a fibrous body forming part that forms a fibrous body containing the fibers by binding the fibers contained in the web, comprising: A fibrous body manufacturing device.

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