Sheet forming method and apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING A SHEET FROM FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A FIRST SUBSTANTIALLY-HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF AN ENDLESS-MESH MEANS FOR TRAVELING WITH AND SUPPORTING A RIBBON-LIKE LAYER OF FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION; CARRYING ROLLS FOR SAID MESH MEANS INCLUDING A DRUM MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID FRUM TANGENT TO SAID HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF MESH; A SECOND SEGMENT OF SAID ENDLESS MESH MEANS FORMED IN A LOOP WRAPPED AROUND A SUBSTANTIAL ARC OF SAID DRUM FOR GUIDING SAID LAYER OF FIBRES AROUND SAID DRUM OUTER SURFACE AGAINST CENTRIFUGAL FORCE; TENSION-CONTROL MEANS ACTING ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CARRYING ROLLS AND ADJUSTABLY MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLYCONSTANT TENSION THROUGHOUT SAID MESH FOR PROVIDING A CONSTANT MESH-PRESSURE ACTING ON SAID FIBRES RESISTING CENTRIFUGAL FORCE AND PROVIDING A MAGNITUDE OF TENSION T IN SAID HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF MESH; STOCK DELIVERY MEANS TO SET A MAGNITUDE M OF FIBRE MASS DISTRIBUTED ON SAID HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF MESH; SAID HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF MESH HAVING A MAGNITUDE N OF FREQUENCY; AND SPAN ADJUSTMENT MEANS TO SET A MAGNITUDE L OF WAVE LENGTH IN

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF FORMING A SHEET FROM FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: DELIVERING A SUBSTANTIALLY-HORIZONTAL AND RIBBON-LIKE JET OF FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION TO A SUBSTANTIALLY-HORIZONTAL FREE-SPAN PORTION OF AN ENDLESS MESH MEANS AND SUPPORTING THE FIBRES THEREON; DRIVING SAID HORIZONTAL-MESH PORTION IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID JET; IMPOSING A WAVE VELOCITY V IN SAID FREE-SPAN TO CONTROL FLOCCULATION AND INTERLOCKING OF FIBRES BY ADJUSTING MESH TENSION T TO A CHOSEN VALUE BY TENSIONCONTROL MEANS AND MASS M TO A CHOSEN VALUE BY MASS CONTROL MEANS, WHEREIN SAID T AND M VALUES DETERMINE THE VALUE OF V ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIC WAVE FORMULA

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF FORMING A SHEET FROM FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: DELIVERING A SUBSTANTIALLY-HORIZONTAL AND RIBBON-LIKE JET OF FIBRES IN LIQUID SUSPENSION TO A SUBSTANTIALLY-HORIZONTAL FREE-SPAN PORTION OF AN ENDLESS MESH MEANS AND SUPPORTING THE FIBRES THEREON; DRIVING SAID HORIZONTAL-MESH PORTION IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID JET; IMPOSING A WAVE VELOCITY V IN SAID FREE-SPAN TO CONTROL FLOCCULATION AND INTERLOCKING OF FIBRES BY ADJUSTING MESH TENSION T TO A CHOSEN VALUE BY TENSIONCONTROL MEANS AND MASS M TO A CHOSEN VALUE BY MASS CONTROL MEANS, WHEREIN SAID T AND M VALUES DETERMINE THE VALUE OF V ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIC WAVE FORMULA