Apparatus for preparing airfelt

Claim 3

A rotary cylindrical disintegrating element rotatable about its cylindrical axis, said element having teeth generally randomly disposed on said disintegrating element''s periphery with the impacting faces of said teeth inclined inwardly in the direction of rotation at an angle of from about 15* to about 40* from the radii drawn through the front edges of the teeth''s tips and the top surfaces of said teeth being inclined inwardly to form a relief angle of from about 20* to about 60*; and 2. a casing for said disintegrating element comprising inlet means defining a support element for said fibrous material to support said fibrous material while it is being fed into a position where said disintegrating element can impact the fibrous material to separate said material into its individual fibers, the distance between said disintegrating element and said support element being from about 0.010 to about 0.080 in., said casing defining, in cooperation with said disintegrating element, a restricted air flow channel to keep the current of air and entrapped individual fibers, which result from rotating said disintegrating element to disintegrate said fibrous material, within a minimal crosssectional area, said casing having a primary discharge outlet for the air and fiber current, said discharge outlet being tangentially directed with respect to said disintegrating element, said casing having an air inlet immediately adjacent the said primary discharge outlet and between said primary discharge outlet and the point where the fibrous material is impacted, said casing having secondary air inlets in the casing across the width of said primary discharge outlet; and said casing having vacuum air outlets in said inlet means spaced upstream about 1 inch to about 4 inches from the point where the disintegrating element impacts said fibrous material; and B. A moving foraminous support element across the opening of said discharge outlet adapted to collect the individual fibers to form an airfelt while permitting the air to escape through said foraminous support element, said foraminous support element being at a distance from the center of said disintegrating element of from about three-fourths to about two diameters of said disintegrating element but no further than about 3 feet.

Claim 4

A rotary cylindrical disintegrating element rotatable about its cylindrical axis, said element having teeth generally randomly disposed on said disintegrating element''s periphery with the impacting faces of said teeth inclined inwardly in the direction of rotation at an angle of from about 15* to about 40* from the radii drawn through the front edges of the teeth''s tips and the top surfaces of said teeth being inclined inwardly to form a relief angle of from about 20* to about 60*; and 2. a casing for said disintegrating element comprising inlet means defining a support element for said fibrous material to support said fibrous material while it is being fed into a position where said disintegrating element can impact the fibrous material to separate said material into its individual fibers, the distance between said disintegrating element and said support element being from about 0.010 to about 0.080 in., said casing defining, in cooperation with said disintegrating element, a restricted air flow channel to keep the current of air and entrapped individual fibers, which result from rotating said disintegrating element to disintegrate said fibrous material, within a minimal crosssectional area, said casing having a primary discharge outlet for the air and fiber current, said discharge outlet being tangentially directed with respect to said disintegrating element, said casing having an air inlet immediately adjacent the said primary discharge outlet and between said primary discharge outlet and the point where the fibrous material is impacted, said casing having secondary air inlets in the casing across the width of said primary discharge outlet; and said casing having vacuum air outlets in said inlet means spaced upstream about 1 inch to about 4 inches from the point where the disintegrating element impacts said fibrous material; and B. A moving foraminous support element across the opening of said discharge outlet adapted to collect the individual fibers to form an airfelt while permitting the air to escape through said foraminous support element, said foraminous support element being at a distance from the center of said disintegrating element of from about three-fourths to about two diameters of said disintegrating element but no further than about 3 feet.

Claim 5

a casing for said disintegrating element comprising inlet means defining a support element for said fibrous material to support said fibrous material while it is being fed into a position where said disintegrating element can impact the fibrous material to separate said material into its individual fibers, the distance between said disintegrating element and said support element being from about 0.010 to about 0.080 in., said casing defining, in cooperation with said disintegrating element, a restricted air flow channel to keep the current of air and entrapped individual fibers, which result from rotating said disintegrating element to disintegrate said fibrous material, within a minimal cross-sectional area, said casing having a primary discharge outlet for the air and fiber current, said discharge outlet being tangentially directed with respect to said disintegrating element, said casing having an air inlet immediately adjacent the said primary discharge outlet and between said primary discharge outlet and the point where the fibrous material is impacted, said casing having secondary air inlets in the casing across the width of said primary discharge outlet; and said casing having vacuum air outlets in said inlet means spaced upstream about 1 inch to about 4 inches from the point where the disintegrating element impacts said fibrous material; and B. A moving foraminous support element across the opening of said discharge outlet adapted to collect the individual fibers to form an airfelt while permitting the air to escape through said foraminous support element, said foraminous support element being at a distance from the center of said disintegrating element of from about three-fourths to about two diameters of said disintegrating element but no further than about 3 feet.

Claim 6

a casing for said disintegrating element comprising inlet means defining a support element for said fibrous material to support said fibrous material while it is being fed into a position where said disintegrating element can impact the fibrous material to separate said material into its individual fibers, the distance between said disintegrating element and said support element being from about 0.010 to about 0.080 in., said casing defining, in cooperation with said disintegrating element, a restricted air flow channel to keep the current of air and entrapped individual fibers, which result from rotating said disintegrating element to disintegrate said fibrous material, within a minimal cross-sectional area, said casing having a primary discharge outlet for the air and fiber current, said discharge outlet being tangentially directed with respect to said disintegrating element, said casing having an air inlet immediately adjacent the said primary discharge outlet and between said primary discharge outlet and the point where the fibrous material is impacted, said casing having secondary air inlets in the casing across the width of said primary discharge outlet; and said casing having vacuum air outlets in said inlet means spaced upstream about 1 inch to about 4 inches from the point where the disintegrating element impacts said fibrous material; and B. A moving foraminous support element across the opening of said discharge outlet adapted to collect the individual fibers to form an airfelt while permitting the air to escape through said foraminous support element, said foraminous support element being at a distance from the center of said disintegrating element of from about three-fourths to about two diameters of said disintegrating element but no further than about 3 feet.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 containing diverting vanes disposed in said primary discharge outlet, said vanes having impacting surfaces which slant toward the outlet end of said primary discharge outlet, the degree of slant measured from the line of air flow being a maximum of about 45* whereby fibers are diverted away from the area beneath said vanes and into adjacent areas without any appreciable buildup of fibers on said surfaces.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said degree of slant is no more than about 25*.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said discharge outlet is from about 5* to about 270* around the circumference of the casing in the direction of rotation of said disintegrating element from the point where said disintegrating element impacts said fibrous material.