Angled Interruption Bands in Crimping Rollers for Tobacco Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
The crimping process in manufacturing aerosol-generating articles often results in inconsistent tensile strength and increased shredding, as well as the 'fly-out' effect, due to uniform crimping pressures that can damage the sheet material and affect its resistance to draw.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with crimping rollers featuring circumferential ridges with interruption gaps forming angled bands, creating different crimping patterns that maintain tensile strength while preventing shredding and improving resistance to draw by forming uncrimped or less crimped areas that anchor crimped parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If uniform crimping pressure is applied to compress the sheet into rods, then the sheet is folded into the desired shape, but the tensile strength decreases and shredding increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crimping roller surface is divided into different zones with varying ridge amplitudes: a first zone with high amplitude ridges for strong crimping and a second zone with low amplitude ridges for gentle crimping. This local differentiation allows the sheet to be folded effectively in some areas while maintaining tensile strength in others, preventing shredding and the fly-out effect.
2Shape
If high crimping pressure is applied to improve folding, then the sheet compresses better, but the material is damaged and tearing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The crimping roller incorporates a first zone with high amplitude ridges that apply strong crimping force for effective folding, and a second zone with low amplitude ridges that apply gentle crimping force to avoid material damage. This spatial variation in crimping intensity allows the sheet to be compressed effectively without causing tearing or damage.
3Device complexity
If uniform crimping pattern is applied to the entire sheet, then the process is simple, but the resistance to draw becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The crimping roller surface is segmented into a first zone with high amplitude ridges and a second zone with low amplitude ridges. This creates a non-uniform crimping pattern that provides both strong crimping in the first zone and gentle crimping in the second zone, resulting in consistent resistance to draw across the entire sheet while maintaining process simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for crimping a sheet of material, the apparatus comprising a first and second facing crimping roller defining a first and second rotation axis, respectively, the first roller including:a first plurality of circumferential ridges, each ridge defining a ridge amplitude;wherein each of said first plurality of ridges is interrupted along its circumferential extension forming an interruption gap where for a given interruption angle an amplitude of the ridge differs from the ridge amplitude in the remaining circumferential extension of the ridge;wherein said plurality of interruption gaps forms an interruption band defining a direction of extension, said direction of extension being angled with respect to a direction defined by the first rotation axis of an angle comprised between about 2° to about 25°.The invention also relates to a method for crimping a sheet of material as well as a crimped sheet of material and a rod made of a crimped sheet.