Spreader Roll Cylindrical Conical Geometry for Web Tail Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for feeding web material into processing installations, such as pulp dryers, require manual adjustment of the web tail's position, leading to potential slippage and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A device with a spreader roll having a cylindrical first roll portion and a conical or cambered second roll portion, along with a holding belt and pulley system, ensures the web tail is securely held and aligned, preventing slippage and enabling automatic feeding without additional wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual adjustment of tail position is used, then operator control is maintained, but operational efficiency decreases and slippage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables automatic feeding of the tail into the conveyor belt without operator intervention. The spreader roll with cylindrical first roll portion and conical/cambered second roll portion automatically guides and positions the tail, while the holding belt with pulley system self-adjusts to maintain proper tail alignment, eliminating the need for manual position adjustment while ensuring stable tail positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The holding belt acts as an intermediary element between the tail and the conveyor belt system. It provides a controlled interface that gradually guides the tail into the folded conveyor belt, preventing sudden movements and slippage while enabling automatic feeding operations
2Extent of automation
If vertical guiding plates are used to guide tail position, then automatic feeding is enabled, but additional wear is imposed on tail and conveyor belt
Solution Approach 1:
The spreader roll employs curved surfaces - a cylindrical first roll portion and a conical or cambered second roll portion - to guide the tail horizontally. These curved surfaces provide smooth guidance without creating sharp edges or rigid constraints that would cause wear, enabling automatic feeding while protecting the tail and conveyor belt from additional wear
Solution Approach 2:
The conical or cambered second roll portion changes the geometric parameters of the guiding surface, creating a gradually varying curvature that smoothly directs the tail. This parameter variation allows automatic positioning without the need for rigid vertical plates that would cause friction and wear
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
A device (1) for feeding web material through a processing installation comprises a conveyor belt (28) which has a first segment (30) and a second segment (32). An opening roller and a guiding surface are adapted for unfolding the conveyor belt (28) by means of separating the first and second segments (30, 32). A spreader roll (12) is adapted to keep the conveyor belt (28) unfolded while a tail (58) of said web material is placed on said first segment (30). A folding roll (26) is adapted for folding said second segment (32) over said first segment (30) for to enclose the tail (58) in the conveyor belt (28). The spreader roll (12) comprises a first roll portion, a second roll portion and a circumferential guiding track separating the roll portions. The first roll portion, which is adapted for supporting said first segment (30), has a cylindrical outer surface (16).