Orienter for wood strands

Claim 1

A device for orienting elongated wood strands and for forming an oriented layer of said strands across the transverse width of a caul surface preparatory to production of a reconstituted wood product, said strands each presenting a nominal length greater than its width and being oriented in a prescribed direction along the transverse width of said caul, said device comprising: a source of strands; said caul surface being located below said source of strands; a cylindrical drum interposed between the source of strands and the caul surface and having an axial width substantially equal to the transverse caul surface width; said cylindrical drum being rotatably mounted about a central drum axis parallel to the caul surface, said drum having an outer peripheral surface extending continuously across the width of the caul surface; drive means operatively connected to said drum for imparting to the drum rotational motion in a prescribed angular direction about the central drum axis; delivery means for receiving strands from the source and for directing a substantially-uniform array of strands onto the rotating drum peripheral surface at a loading station located between said drum and said delivery means at a first angular position with respect to the central drum axis; strand orienting fins on said drum, said fins including a plurality of adjacent fin surfaces facing one another in pairs, said fin surfaces being located across the drum width and extending outwardly to outer fin edges, said fins being spaced apart at said peripheral surface by distances less than the nominal strand length, whereby strands directed onto the drum peripheral surface between said fins are oriented substantially parallel to one another by contact with the fin surfaces; and means for confining the strands within a plurality of spaces on the drum, each space being bounded by the drum peripheral surface and a pair of said fin surfaces, as the strands are moved about said rotational path to a discharge station at a second angular position displaced about the central drum axis from said first angular position, and for releasing the strands to fall gravitationally onto the caul surface at said discharge station; said caul surface and central drum axis being movable relative to one another to enable an elongated layer of oriented strands to be formed on the caul surface.

Claim 2

A device for orienting elongated wood strands and for forming an oriented layer of said strands across the transverse width of a caul surface preparatory to production of a reconstituted wood product, said strands each presenting a nominal length greater than its width and being oriented in a prescribed direction along the transverse width of said caul, said device comprising: a source of strands; said caul surface being located below said source of strands; a cylindrical drum interposed between the source of strands and the caul surface and having an axial width substantially equal to the transverse caul surface width; said cylindrical drum being rotatably mounted about a central drum axis parallel to the caul surface, said drum having an outer peripheral surface extending continuously across the width of the caul surface; drive means operatively connected to said drum for imparting to the drum rotational motion in a prescribed angular direction about the central drum axis; delivery means for receiving strands from the source and for directing a substantially-uniform array of strands onto the rotating drum peripheral surface at a loading station located between said drum and said delivery means at a first angular position with respect to the central drum axis; strand orienting fins on said drum, said fins including a plurality of adjacent fin surfaces facing one another in pairs, said fin surfaces being located across the drum width and extending outwardly to outer fin edges, said fins being spaced apart at said peripheral surface by distances less than the nominal strand length, whereby strands directed onto the drum peripheral surface between said fins are oriented substantially parallel to one another by contact with the fin surfaces; and means for confining the strands within a plurality of spaces on the drum, each space being bounded by the drum peripheral surface and a pair of said fin surfaces, as the strands are moved about said rotational path to a discharge station at a second angular position displaced about the central drum axis from said first angular position, and for releasing the strands to fall gravitationally onto the caul surface at said discharge station; said caul surface and central drum axis being movable relative to one another to enable an elongated layer of oriented strands to be formed on the caul surface.

Claim 10

A device for orienting elongated wood strands each having a nominal length greater than its width and for forming a layer of directionally-oriented strands on a caul surface preparatory to production of a reconstituted wood product, comprising: a source of strands; a receiving caul surface having a prescribed transverse width located below said source of strands; a first drum interposed between the source of strands and the caul surface having an axial width substantially equal to the width of the caul surface; said first drum being rotatably mounted about a first central drum axis parallel to the caul surface, said first drum having an outer peripheral surface extending continuously across the width of said caul surface; first drive means operatively connected to said first drum for imparting to the first drum rotational motion in a prescribed angular direction about the first central drum axis; delivery means for receiving strands from the source and for directing a substantially uniform array of strands onto the rotating first drum peripheral surface at a loading station between said first drum and said delivery means at a first angular position with respect to said first central drum axis; strand orienting fins on said first drum, said fins including A plurality of adjacent fin surfaces facing one another in pairs, said fin surfaces being located across the drum width and extending outwardly from the peripheral surface to outer fin edges, said fins being spaced apart at said peripheral surface by distances less than the nominal strand length, whereby strands directed onto the peripheral surface between the fins are oriented substantially parallel to one another by contact with the fin surfaces; first means for confining the strands within a plurality of spaces on the first drum, each space being bounded by the peripheral surface of the drum and a pair of said fins, as the strands are moved about the rotational path from said loading station to a discharge station at a second position displaced about the first central drum axis from said first angular position and for releasing said strands at the discharge station to fall gravitationally from between said fins; a second drum located between said first drum and caul surface for rotation about a second central drum axis parallel to the first central drum axis, said second drum having a peripheral surface thereon coaxial with said second central drum axis and extending continuously across the width of the caul surface; second drive means operatively connected to said second drum for imparting to said second drum rotational motion about the second central drum axis in a direction of rotation opposite to that of said first drum; strand transfer means on said second drum for receiving strands at said discharge station from said first drum and for moving said strands therefrom about said second central axis to an angular displaced final discharge station adjacent said caul surface where said strands are released to fall gravitationally onto said caul surface; second means for confining the strands on said transfer means as they are moved therewith from said discharge station to said final discharge station; and said caul surface and said second central drum axis being movable relative to one another so an elongated layer of oriented strands may be formed on the caul surface.

Claim 11

A device for orienting elongated wood strands each having a nominal length greater than its width and for forming a layer of directionally-oriented strands on a caul surface preparatory to production of a reconstituted wood product, comprising: a source of strands; a receiving caul surface having a prescribed transverse width located below said source of strands; a first drum interposed between the source of strands and the caul surface having an axial width substantially equal to the width of the caul surface; said first drum being rotatably mounted about a first central drum axis parallel to the caul surface, said first drum having an outer peripheral surface extending continuously across the width of said caul surface; first drive means operatively connected to said first drum for imparting to the first drum rotational motion in a prescribed angular direction about the first central drum axis; delivery means for receiving strands from the source and for directing a substantially uniform array of strands onto the rotating first drum peripheral surface at a loading station between said first drum and said delivery means at a first angular position with respect to said first central drum axis; strand orienting fins on said first drum, said fins including A plurality of adjacent fin surfaces facing one another in pairs, said fin surfaces being located across the drum width and extending outwardly from the peripheral surface to outer fin edges, said fins being spaced apart at said peripheral surface by distances less than the nominal strand length, whereby strands directed onto the peripheral surface between the fins are oriented substantially parallel to one another by contact with the fin surfaces; first means for confining the strands within a plurality of spaces on the first drum, each space being bounded by the peripheral surface of the drum and a pair of said fins, as the strands are moved about the rotational path from said loading station to a discharge station at a second position displaced about the first central drum axis from said first angular position and for releasing said strands at the discharge station to fall gravitationally from between said fins; a second drum located between said first drum and caul surface for rotation about a second central drum axis parallel to the first central drum axis, said second drum having a peripheral surface thereon coaxial with said second central drum axis and extending continuously across the width of the caul surface; second drive means operatively connected to said second drum for imparting to said second drum rotational motion about the second central drum axis in a direction of rotation opposite to that of said first drum; strand transfer means on said second drum for receiving strands at said discharge station from said first drum and for moving said strands therefrom about said second central axis to an angular displaced final discharge station adjacent said caul surface where said strands are released to fall gravitationally onto said caul surface; second means for confining the strands on said transfer means as they are moved therewith from said discharge station to said final discharge station; and said caul surface and said second central drum axis being movable relative to one another so an elongated layer of oriented strands may be formed on the caul surface.