Apparatus for compaction of formed sheet for improved properties

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING PAPER WEB MATERIAL AND RELATED WEB MATERIALS ON FOURDRINIER MACHINE COMPRISING: AN ELASTIC FOURDRINIER WIRE ADAPTED TO TRAVERSE A BREAST ROLL SPACED-APART FROM A DRIVEN COUCH ROLL; SUCTION MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID BREAST ROLL AND SAID COUCH ROLL WHEREBY WATER MAY BE WITHDRAWN THROUGH SAID WIRE FROM A WEB MATERIAL BEING FORMED THEREON; MEANS FOR REGULATING THE RELATIVE SPEEDS OF SAID BREAST ROLL AND SAID COUCH ROLL WHEREBY SAID BREAST ROLL APPLIES TO A TENSION ON SAID WIRE STRETCHING SAID WIRE IN THE DIRECTION OF WIRE TRAVEL TO SAID COUCH ROLL, SAID WIRE CONTRACTING DURING IN CONTACT WITH AND TRAVEL OVER SAID COUCH ROLL IN THE DIRECTION OF WIRE TRAVEL TO SAID BREAST ROLL WHEREBY WEB FORMING SLURRY DEPOSITED ON SAID WIRE WHILE IT IS IN A STRETCHED CONDITION IS COMPACTED WHILE SAID WIRE IS CONTRACTING A SECOND ELASTIC WIRE ADOPTED TO TRAVERSE AT LEAST TWO WIRE SUPPORT MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE SAID ELASTIC FOURDRINIER WIRE FOR PRESSING A WEB BEING FORMED ON SAID FOURDRINIER WIRE TO THEREBY REMOVE WATER THEREFROM, AND MEANS TO CONTROL THE SURFACE SPEED OF SAID SECOND WIRE, SAID SPEED REGULATING MEANS FOR THE BREAST AND COUCH ROLLS INCLUDING BRAKING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID BREAST ROLL WHEREBY THE BREAST ROLL SPEED DIFFERENTIAL RELATIVE TO THAT OF THE WIRE AND THE COUCH ROLL IS POSITIVELY MAINTAINED AND STRETCHING OF THE WIRE AS A CONSEQUENCE IS POSITIVELY CONTROLLED AND THE AMOUNT OF STRETCHING IS OVER AND BEYOND THE NOMINAL WIRE STRETCHING INHERENT IN THE DRIVING OF WIRE UNDER CONDITIONS OF LOAD OTHERWISE SPECIFIED IN THIS CLAIM.