Transfer Belt Surface Roughness Restoration via Doctor Blade Grinding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The surface roughness of the paper web carrying surface on a transfer belt in paper machines decreases over time due to contamination accumulation, leading to reduced adhesiveness and releasability, necessitating frequent belt replacement or cleaning, which results in production losses, increased costs, and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A method where a grinding member is attached to the doctor blade within the press section of the paper machine, allowing for in-situ grinding of the transfer belt surface without removing it, using a grinding belt with adjustable grain size and an auxiliary support bar to restore surface roughness and purity, reducing machine downtime and extending belt life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a doctor blade is used to scrape off contamination from the transfer belt surface during normal operation, then contamination is removed, but the original surface roughness decreases and the belt must be replaced more frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the contamination removal function and the surface roughness restoration function into a single integrated device by attaching a grinding member to the doctor blade assembly. This allows both cleaning and surface profiling to be performed simultaneously during scheduled maintenance, eliminating the trade-off between removing contamination and preserving surface roughness.
Solution Approach 2:
The doctor blade assembly is transformed into a multi-functional device that performs both contamination scraping and surface grinding. The grinding member with adjustable grain size enables the same device to maintain both cleanliness and appropriate surface roughness, extending transfer belt life and reducing replacement frequency.
2Manufacturing precision
If the transfer belt is removed from the machine for cleaning and grinding, then the surface roughness can be restored, but production time is lost and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer belt maintenance is performed in-situ within the paper machine using the existing doctor blade infrastructure. The grinding member is attached to the doctor blade and operates while the belt remains installed, allowing the system to service itself without removal, thereby eliminating production loss and reducing maintenance costs.
3Reliability
If the transfer belt is replaced frequently to maintain surface roughness, then good adhesiveness and releasability are ensured, but costs increase and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding member restores surface roughness proactively during scheduled maintenance intervals before the belt performance degrades to unacceptable levels. By performing preliminary surface renewal, the belt maintains reliable adhesiveness and releasability characteristics for extended periods, reducing replacement frequency and associated costs.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the transfer belt when surface roughness decreases, the invention recovers the belt's functional properties by grinding the surface back to the required roughness specification. This extends the service life of each belt significantly, reducing waste and environmental impact.
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
This method effectively cleans and re-establishes the required surface roughness of the transfer belt within the paper machine, reducing standstill times, prolonging belt life, and minimizing economic and environmental costs associated with frequent replacements.
Implementation Method 1
pressing the grinding member against the paper web carrying surface of the transfer belt with a predetermined load
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention concerns a method of grinding a paper web carrying surface (12) of a transfer belt (TB) of a paper machine, wherein during normal operation of the paper machine the transfer belt (TB) is installed in a press section of the paper machine, running together with the paper web carried thereon through a press nip of the press section, and wherein during normal operation of the paper machine a doctor blade (14) is applied against the paper web carrying surface (12) of the transfer belt (TB) to scrape off contamination from the paper web carrying surface (12) of the transfer belt (TB), wherein the grinding of the paper web carrying surface (12) of the transfer belt (TB) is done within the paper machine, without removing the transfer belt (TB) from the paper machine, the method comprising the following steps: a) stopping normal operation of the paper machine; b) attaching a grinding member (20) to the doctor blade (14) so that the grinding member gets into contact with the paper web carrying surface (12) of the transfer belt (TB); and c) running the transfer belt (TB) with a predetermined speed while pressing the grinding member against the paper web carrying surface (12) of the transfer belt (TB) with a predetermined load.