Compacted Forming Sieve Surface for Longer Paper Machine Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional forming sieves in paper machines face challenges in maintaining a coplanar surface, especially with thinner thread diameters, leading to reduced stiffness, increased abrasion, and shorter operating life due to surface grinding, which affects the quality and stability of the paper produced.
Innovation Solution
A forming sieve is produced using a compacting process involving temperature, pressure, and moisture to reshape the thread inflection regions, creating a more coplanar surface without mechanical damage, thereby increasing the contact area and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the sieve surface is ground down with fine-grain emery paper to achieve a coplanar surface, then the surface smoothness is improved, but the thread floats and knuckles become damaged, reducing sieve stiffness and operating life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical grinding process with a chemical etching process using an alkaline solution. This substitution eliminates the mechanical damage to thread floats and knuckles while still achieving a coplanar surface, thereby maintaining sieve stiffness and operating life while improving surface smoothness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface treatment parameter from mechanical removal (grinding) to chemical removal (etching). By using an alkaline etching solution with controlled concentration and exposure time, the surface is smoothed without the mechanical stress that damages thread structures, thus preserving sieve mechanical properties
2Manufacturing precision
If the sieve surface is ground down to achieve a coplanar surface, then the surface smoothness is improved, but the operating life is reduced due to increased abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical grinding process with a chemical etching process using an alkaline solution. This substitution eliminates the mechanical damage to thread floats and knuckles while still achieving a coplanar surface, thereby maintaining sieve stiffness and operating life while improving surface smoothness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of surface irregularities into a benefit by using controlled chemical etching. The etching process selectively removes material to create a smooth coplanar surface while simultaneously strengthening the thread structure through controlled material removal, thereby extending operating life
3Length of moving object
If thinner thread diameters are used in the sieve, then the sieve thickness is reduced, but the stiffness is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and surface properties of the threads through chemical etching. By treating the sieve with an alkaline solution, the thread surfaces are modified to achieve a coplanar configuration, which optimizes the distribution of mechanical stresses and enhances stiffness despite the use of thinner threads
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an equipotential surface on the threads through chemical etching, ensuring that all thread floats and knuckles lie at substantially the same height. This coplanar configuration distributes mechanical loads uniformly across the sieve structure, maximizing stiffness efficiency for thin-thread designs
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compacted sieve achieves improved surface smoothness, increased stability, and longer operating life by maintaining the thread geometry without material loss, reducing turbulence, and enhancing the paper production process efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
reshaped by means of one or a combination of temperature, pressure and/or moisture
Implementation Method 2
reshaped by means of one or a combination of temperature, pressure and/or moisture
Data Source
AI summary
A sieve for the wet-end section of a paper machine is described, in which the sieve has been compressed by at least one of increased temperature, pressure and/or moisture. Such a treatment leads to a sieve which has at least one side wherein the thread floats and knuckles are reshaped and the sieve presents at least one substantially flatter surface for the production of paper. This process does not cause any physical damage to the surface of the sieve, as current techniques of abrasively polishing the surface do, and therefore leads to cloths with improved properties and lifetimes.