Drying cylinder for a web material machine, particularly a paper machine

Claim 2

Drying cylinder designed for equipping a drier and/or after-drier for a machine producing material in webs, namely paper, the cylinder having two axial ends and a hollow structure internally heated and presenting a cylindrical outer side surface, circular in section, against which a web is to be applied, wherein the outer side surface is delimited by several cylindrical rims, circular in section, of the same radius and coaxially placed side by side, and made out of a good heat conducting material, each rim exchanging heat with an individually controlled internal heating device that the rim surrounds, and each rim being integral in rotation with at least one hub fixed to at least one rotating shaft of the cylinder, wherein each rim is separated from a neighboring rim by a small axial gap, and wherein the two axial ends of the cylinder are sealed and relatively gas-tight and wherein the inside of the cylinder is connected to a vacuum pressure source, so that the web is sucked against the rims through the axial gaps between the rims.

Claim 3

Drying cylinder for a machine producing material in webs, and in particular for the cross-direction moisture profile control of a papermaking machine, said cylinder comprising a tubular structure presenting a substantially cylindrical outer surface of circular cross-section having a central axis around which said tubular structure is rotatably mounted and which is subdivided in a plurality of axially contiguous peripheral cylindrical zones against which a web is to be applied, said cylinder further comprising a heating installation including, for each of said cylindrical zones, an individually controlld heating device provided with at least one heating member in radial correspondence with the respective cylindrical zone, with several heating members of said heating installation being axially spaced apart from one another, wherein each of said cylindrical zones is defined by an outer face of one of a plurality of cylindrical rims of a good heat-conducting material and of the same radius, which are coaxially placed side by side and axially spaced apart from one another so that two adjacent rims are separated by a small axial gap, each rim being integral in rotation, by means of at least three substantially radially extending spokes with at least one hub member fixed to at least one shaft rotating about said cylinder aixs, each heating member for each heating device being embedded under said outer face of the respective rim so that each said heating member is in conduction heat-exchange relationship with said respective rim, and each said heating device being further provided with one electrically operated control member for simultaneously actuating all said heating members of said respective heating device and which is fixed to at least one of said respective hub members and spokes connecting said respective rim to at least one respective hub member.

Claim 4

Drying cylinder for a machine producing material in webs, and in particular for the cross-direction moisture profile control of a papermaking machine, said cylinder comprising a tubular structure presenting a substantially cylindrical outer surface of circular cross-section having a central axis around which said tubular structure is rotatably mounted and which is subdivided in a plurality of axially contiguous peripheral cylindrical zones against which a web is to be applied, said cylinder further comprising a heating installation including, for each of said cylindrical zones, an individually controlld heating device provided with at least one heating member in radial correspondence with the respective cylindrical zone, with several heating members of said heating installation being axially spaced apart from one another, wherein each of said cylindrical zones is defined by an outer face of one of a plurality of cylindrical rims of a good heat-conducting material and of the same radius, which are coaxially placed side by side and axially spaced apart from one another so that two adjacent rims are separated by a small axial gap, each rim being integral in rotation, by means of at least three substantially radially extending spokes with at least one hub member fixed to at least one shaft rotating about said cylinder aixs, each heating member for each heating device being embedded under said outer face of the respective rim so that each said heating member is in conduction heat-exchange relationship with said respective rim, and each said heating device being further provided with one electrically operated control member for simultaneously actuating all said heating members of said respective heating device and which is fixed to at least one of said respective hub members and spokes connecting said respective rim to at least one respective hub member.

Claim 5

Drying cylinder as in claim 2, wherein each of said rims is directly in contact and integral in rotation with a respective underlying component which the rim surrounds and which contains all said heating members of said respective heating device.

Claim 6

Drying cylinder as in claim 2, wherein the cylinder further comprises a cooling installation including, for each said rim, an individually controlled cooling device provided with at least one cooling member, with several cooling members of said cooling installation being axially spaced apart from one another, each cooling member of each cooling device being embedded under said outer face of the respective rim so that each said cooling member is in conduction heat-exchange relationship with said respective rim, and each said cooling device is further provided with one electrically operated control member for simultaneously actuating all said cooling members of said respective cooling device and which is fixed to at least one of said respective hub members and spokes connecting said respective rim to at least one respective hub member.

Claim 7

Drying cylinder as in claim 4, wherein each of said rims is directly 8 in contact and integral in rotation with a respective underlying component which the rim surrounds and which contains all said cooling members of said respective cooling device.

Claim 8

Drying cylinder as in claim 2, wherein a tooth of a comb for separating the web from said cylinder is introduced in each axial gap between two adjacent rims.

Claim 9

Drying cylinder as in claim 2, wherein each heating member of each heating device is an electrical resistance power supplied from the outside of said cylinder.

Claim 10

Drying cylinder as in claim 2, wherein each heating member of each heating device comprises a tubular duct in which a hot heat-conveying fluid is circulated.

Claim 11

Drying cylinder as in claim 4, wherein each cooling member of each cooling device comprises a tubular duct in which a cooling fluid is circulated.

Claim 12

Drying cylinder as in claim 8, wherein said electrically operated control member of each said heating device comprises an electric valve which controls the circulation of said heat-conveying fluid in each said duct of said respective heating device.

Claim 13

Drying cylinder as in claim 6, wherein said electrically operated control member of each said cooling device comprises an electric valve which controls the circulation of said cooling fluid in each said duct of said respective cooling device.

Claim 14

Drying cylinder as in claim 11, wherein said electric valve is power supplied by means of a relay which is fixed to at least one of said respective hub members and spokes.

Claim 15

Drying cylinder as in claim 7, wherein said electrically operated control member of each said heating device comprises a relay which power supplies each said electrical resistance of said heating device and which is fixed to at least one of said respective hub members and spokes.

Claim 16

Drying cylinder as in claim 13, wherein said relay of each said electrically operated control member is capable of being independently switched on and off by an independent remote control system.

Claim 17

Drying cylinder as in claim 14, wherein said independent remote control system comprises a specific receiver sensitive to a specific frequency and associated to said relay of each said electrically operated control member, said remote control system transmitting control signals to said relay by means of a transmitter transmitting signals at a plurality of frequencies and controlled by an equal plurality of switches so that the actuation of a specific switch controls the transmission of control signals at a corresponding specific frequency to which a corresponding specific receiver is sensitive.

Claim 18

Drying cylinder as in claim 15, wherein said control signals at a plurality of frequencies pass through at least one power supply line to each said electrically operated control member.

Claim 19

Drying cylinder as in claim 13, wherein said relay of each said electrically operated control member is switched on and off by a photosensitive cell picking up a specific light beam.

Claim 20

Drying cylinder as in claim 13, wherein said relay of each said electrically operated control member is a proximity microswitch relay which is actuated by a tooth of a comb introduced in said axial gap between to rims.