Method and apparatus for a material treater

Claim 5

In a sheet-treating process wherein a raw sheet of variable moisture content is impregnated by a volatile solution having a predetermined percent of resin solids and dried in a heating unit to remove a portion of said moisture and said volatiles, apparatus for controlling the amount of resins present in said treated sheet comprising: means for gauging the weight and moisture content of said raw sheet containing moisture and for combining the gauge responses so as to obtain a measurement of the dry weight of said sheet before said resin impregnation, means for gauging the weight of said impregnated sheet before said heating unit, to provide a measurement of the impregnated but undried sheet, means providing an indication of said predetermined percent resin solidS in said solution, computer means responsive to said measurements and to said indication in accordance with a predetermined functional relationship to provide a control signal indicative of the amount of resins in said dried impregnated sheet, and controller means for varying the rate of said resin impregnation in accordance with said control signal to maintain the percent resin in said dried impregnated sheet substantially uniform.

Claim 6

In a sheet-treating process wherein a raw sheet containing moisture is impregnated by a volatile solution having a variable resin solids content and dried in a heating unit to remove a portion of said moisture and said volatiles, apparatus for controlling the amount of resins present in said treated sheet comprising: first gauge means mounted adjacent to said raw sheet for producing a weight response thereto which is decreased according to sheet moisture content so as to provide a measurement of the dry weight of said raw sheet, second gauge means mounted before said heating unit and adjacent to said impregnated sheet for providing a measurement of the weight thereof, third gauge means responsive to said volatile solution for producing a measurement of the resin solids content thereof, controller means for adjusting the impregnation of said sheet in accordance with said weight and resin solids content measurements provided by said first, second and third gauge means, fourth gauge means mounted after said heating unit and adjacent to said impregnated sheet for providing a measurement of the weight of said dried impregnated sheet, means responsive to said first, second and third gauge means for providing a computed measurement of the total solids weight of said impregnated sheet, and means responsive to said dried impregnated sheet weight measurement and the total solids weight measurement for controlling the rate of drying of said impregnated sheet to maintain the percent volatiles therein substantially constant.

Claim 7

In a sheet-treating process wherein a raw sheet having a variable moisture content is impregnated at a variable rate by a volatile solution having a variable percent resin solids applied to said raw sheet and wherein said impregnated sheet is passed through a heating unit to dry said sheet by driving off a portion of said moisture and said volatiles from said impregnated material, control apparatus for maintaining the percent of said resin in said dried sheet, said apparatus comprising: a first radiation gauge for measuring the weight of said raw sheet, a moisture gauge for measuring the moisture content of said raw sheet, means for computing from said raw sheet measurements a signal proportional to the dry weight of said raw sheet, a second radiation gauge positioned before said heating unit for measuring the weight of said impregnated sheet, means for computing the different between the measurements of said first and said second gauges to determine the weight of said impregnating resin solution, transducer means for measuring the percent resin solids of said impregnating solution, means for forming the product of said measured percent resin solids and said computed solution weight to determine the weight of resin solids added to said sheet, a first ratio computer for forming the ratio of said total resin solids weight to said dry weight of said raw sheet to derive a signal proportional to the amount of resin in said impregnated sheet, and means for varying the rate of resin impregnation in accordance with said resin signal.

Claim 8

In a sheet-treating process wherein a raw sheet having a variable moisture content is impregnated at a variable rate by a volatile solution having a variable percent resin solids applied to said raw sheet and wherein said impregnated sheet is passed through a heating unit to dry said sheet by driving off a portion of said moisture and said volatiles from said impregnated material, control apparatUs for maintaining the relative amounts of said resin and said volatiles in said dried sheet constant, said apparatus comprising: a first scanning radiation gauge for measuring the average weight of said raw sheet, a scanning moisture gauge for measuring the average moisture content of said raw sheet, means for computing from said measurements a signal proportional to the average dry weight of said raw sheet, a second scanning radiation gauge positioned before said heating unit for measuring the average weight of said impregnated sheet, means for computing the difference between the measurements of said first and said second scanning gauges to determined the average weight of said impregnating resin solution, transducer means for measuring the percent resin solids of said impregnating solution, means for forming the product of said measured percent resin solids and said computed average solution weight to determine the total weight of resin solids added to said sheet, a first ratio computer for forming the ratio of said total resin solids weight to said average dry weight of said raw sheet to derive a signal proportional to the amount of resin in said impregnated sheet, means for varying the rate of resin impregnation in accordance with said resin signal, a third scanning radiation gauge for measuring the average weight of said dried impregnated sheet, means for computing the difference between said dry impregnated sheet average weight and the sum of said raw sheet average dry weight and said total solids weight to provide a signal proportional to the average weight of volatiles remaining in said sheet after drying, a second ratio computer for forming the ratio of said computed volatile weight difference to said average weight of said dried impregnated sheet to provide an output signal proportional to the percent volatiles in said dried impregnated sheet, and means for varying the rate of drying of said impregnated sheet in accordance with said output signal to maintain the percent volatiles in said sheet substantially constant.

Claim 9

Control apparatus for a material treating process comprising: means for continuously applying to a raw material a resin-volatile mixture having a predetermined percent resin solids content to impregnate said material, means for measuring the total weight of said mixture applied to said material including a first gauge for measuring the weight of said raw material, a second gauge for measuring the weight of said impregnated material and means for computing the difference between said measured weight values, means for producing an indication of said predetermined percent resin solids content, means responsive to said measured total mixture weight and to said indication for producing a measurement of the weight of resin solids applied to said raw material, and means responsive to said last-mentioned resin solids weight measurement for controlling the amount of said mixture applied to said raw material so as to maintain the weight of said resins in said material substantially constant.

Claim 10

Control apparatus for a raw material treating process comprising: a first gauge for measuring the weight of said raw material, means for continuously applying a resin-volatile mixture having a predetermined percent resin solids content to said material to impregnate the same, means responsive to said first gauge measurement for computing the amount of said solid resins impregnating said material, means for drying said material to drive off a portion of said volatiles therefrom, said drying means including means for adjusting the rate of said material drying to regulate the amount of said volatiles in said dried material, means for measuring the weight of volatiles in said dried material including second gauge means for measuring the weight of said dried impregnated material and means for computing said Volatile amount from the different between said measured dried impregnated material weight and said computed amount of impregnating resin solids, and control means for actuating said adjustable drying rate means in accordance with said computed volatile signal to maintain the percent volatiles in said dried material substantially constant.

Claim 11

Control apparatus for a raw material treating process comprising: means for continuously coating said raw material with a resin-volatile mixture having a predetermined percent resin solids content, said coating means including adjustable means for applying a controllable amount of said mixture per unit time to said material to vary the degree of impregnation thereof, means for measuring the total weight of said mixture applied to said material including a first scanning gauge for measuring the average weight of said uncoated material, a second scanning gauge for measuring the average weight of said coated material and means for computing the difference between said measured average weight values, means responsive to said computed weight difference value for computing the weight of resin solids impregnating said material, controller means for actuating said adjustable coating means in accordance with said computed resin solids weight value to maintain the percent resin solids in said material substantially uniform, means for drying said material to drive off a portion of said volatiles therefrom, said drying means including means for adjusting the rate of said material drying to regulate the amount of said volatiles in said dried material, means for measuring the weight of volatiles in said dried material including a third scanning gauge means for measuring the average weight of said dried material and means responsive to the difference between said dried material average weight value and said computed weight of said impregnating resin solids for computing said volatile weight, and means for actuating said adjustable dryer means in accordance with said measured amount of volatiles in said dried material to maintain the percent volatiles therein substantially constant.

Claim 12

Control apparatus for a fibrous material treating process comprising: a roll coating unit having an applicator roll mounted adjacent to said material for applying a resin-volatile solution having a predetermined percent solid resins content thereto, means for driving said applicator roll at a variable speed to vary the amount of resin impregnating said material, a first traversing gauge system mounted upstream from said coating unit for developing a first signal proportional to the average dry fiber weight of said uncoated material, a second traversing gauge mounted downstream from said coating unit and adjacent thereto for developing a second signal proportional to the average weight of said coated sheet, means for producing a signal indicative of said predetermined percent resin solids content of said resin-volatile solution, computer means receiving said first and second traversing gauge signals and said resin-solids percent signal to compute the ratio of the total resin solids present in said coated material to said average dry fiber weight, and automatic resin control means responsive to said computed ratio for actuating said applicator roll speed adjusting means whenever said computed ratio deviates from a desired value therefor.

Claim 13

Control apparatus for a fibrous material treating process comprising: a roll coating unit having an applicator roll mounted adjacent to said material for applying an impregnating resin-volatile solution having a predetermined percent solid resins content thereto, means for driving said applicator roll at a variable speed for varying the amount of resin impregnating said material, a dryer unit for drying said impregnated material to drive off a portion of said volatiles, a first transversiNg gauge system mounted upstream from said coating unit for developing a first signal proportional to the average dry fiber weight of said uncoated material, a second traversing gauge mounted downstream from said coating unit and immediately adjacent thereto for developing a second signal proportional to the average weight of said coated sheet, a third traversing gauge mounted downstream from said dryer unit for developing a third signal proportional to the average weight of said dried impregnated material, a computer system receiving said all of said gauge signals for computing the ratio of the weight of volatiles in said dried impregnated sheet to said average weight thereof, and automatic volatile control means responsive to said computed volatile weight ratio for varying the drying rate of said oven in order to maintain the percent volatiles in said dried impregnated sheet substantially constant.

Claim 14

Apparatus for measuring the percent resin content of a fibrous host material having a variable moisture content and impregnated by a resin-bearing solution having a variable percent resin solids concentration, said apparatus comprising: means for measuring said host material to produce a first instrument response which is compensated for said moisture content and thereby indicative of the dry weight of said material before impregnation, means for measuring said impregnated material to produce a second instrument response indicative of the total weight thereof, means for measuring said solution to produce a third instrument response indicative of the percent resin solids concentration thereof, and computer means for mathematically combining said instrument responses in accordance with a predetermined functional relationship to provide a signal proportional to said resin content of said impregnated material.

Claim 15

Apparatus for measuring the percent volatiles in a moisture-bearing material impregnated by a resin-bearing volatile carrier having a known percent resin solids and volatile concentration, said impregnated material being dried in a heating unit to drive off a portion of said moisture and of said volatile carrier, said apparatus comprising: means responsive to the material before it is dried in said heating unit for producing a measurement of the impregnated material which is compensated for moisture and for the percent volatiles therein, which measurement is thereby indicative of the dry weight of said undried impregnated material, means responsive to the impregnated material after it is dried to produce a measurement of the weight of said dried impregnated material, and means for computing said percent volatiles in response to both of said weight measurements.

Claim 16

Control apparatus for a material-treating process, comprising: means for continuously applying a resin-volatile mixture to said material to impregnate the same, means for measuring the percent resin solids content of said mixture, means for measuring the total weight of said mixture applied to said material, means for computing the weight of said solid resins impregnating said material from said total weight measurement and said percent resin solids measurement, and controller means responsive to said computed resin weight for adjusting the amount of said mixture applied per unit time to maintain the weight of said solid resins in said material substantially constant.

Claim 17

Apparatus for a material-treating process wherein a host material having a variable moisture content is impregnated with a second impregnating material including a solid material dissolved in a solvent, comprising: means for measuring the dry weight of said host material containing moisture including: means for measuring the total weight of said host material, means for measuring the moisture in said host material, and means for measuring the weight of the solids in said impregnating material applied to said host matErial, and means for combining said measurements to provide a control signal proportional to the weight of the solids in said impregnating material applied to said host material relative to the dry weight thereof.

Claim 18

Apparatus for controlling the percent resin content of a fibrous host material having a variable moisture content wherein said host material is impregnated with said resin, in the form of a mixture of resin solids and a volatile carrier said apparatus comprising: means for measuring a host material containing moisture to obtain the dry weight thereof including: means for measuring the total weight of said host material, means for measuring the moisture content of said host material, means for measuring the weight of the resin solids in said impregnated material to provide a second signal proportional thereto, means for combining said signals to provide a control signal proportional to the percent resin solids in said impregnated material relative to the dry weight of the host material, and control means responsive to said control signal for varying the rate of resin impregnation of said host material.

Claim 19

The subcombination of claim 7 wherein said first gauge means includes means for measuring the moisture in said raw sheet.

Claim 20

In combination with apparatus through which a traveling raw sheet is passed for depositing on said sheet a treating material having a substantially nonvolatile component mixed with a first volatile component to form a treated sheet, first gauge means responsive to the raw sheet for producing a first signal indicative of the untreated weight thereof, second gauge means responsive to the treated sheet for producing a second signal indicative of the treated weight thereof, means providing a first indication of the weight fraction of one of said components contained in said treating material, and means receiving said signals and said indication for computing therefrom a response indicative of the weight of one of said treating material components contained in said treated sheet.

Claim 21

Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein said means providing said weight fraction indication comprises gauge means responsive to said treating material before it is deposited on said raw sheet, and wherein said weight fraction indication comprises a signal from said gauge.

Claim 22

Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein said raw sheet contains a second volatile component, said apparatus comprising means providing a second indication of the amount of said second volatile component to said computing means, and wherein said computed response is indicative of the relation of the weight of said one treating material component to the weight of said raw sheet exclusive of the weight of said second volatile component therein.

Claim 23

Apparatus as in claim 23 wherein said means providing said second indication comprises gauging means measuring said raw sheet before it is treated, and wherein said second indication comprises a signal from said gauge.

Claim 24

Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein said apparatus includes means for driving off some of said volatile component from said treated sheet to form a sheet which is partly devolatilized, and further comprising third gauge means responsive to said devolatilized sheet for providing to said computing means a third signal indicative of the weight of the devolatilized sheet, and wherein said computing means further produces a second response indicative of the portion of volatile material remaining in said devolatilized sheet.

Claim 25

Apparatus as in claim 25 wherein said raw sheet contains a second volatile component, said apparatus comprising means providing to said computing means a second indication of the amount of said second volatile component contained in said raw sheet, whereby at least one of said computer responses is compensated for errors which might otherwise exist due to the presence of the second volatile component in the raw sheet.