Enclosed shoe press with flexible end connections for its annular belt

Claim 1

In an extended nip press for removing water from a traveling web in a paper machine, comprising in combination: a rotatable press roll; an elongate shoe having a concave pressing surface facing the roll so that a dewatering press nip is formed between the shoe and roll; means for applying a force urging the shoe towards the roll so that a web is subjected to dewatering pressure in the nip; a continuous looped annular belt passing through the nip and extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe; means for supplying lubricant to the leading edge of the shoe to build up a wedge of lubricant between the shoe and belt; end walls on the axial ends of said belt for containing lubricant within the belt; and a flexible annular connector joining the said end wall to the belt and having a radial dimension sufficient so that the belt flexes and conforms to the curvature of the shoe beyond the lateral ends of the shoe with said connectors absorbing the relative deflection between said end wall and belt.

Claim 13

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, the belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and roll, which comprises the steps of: sealing off the axial ends of the belt with an end wall connected to the axial ends of the belt, said end walls being structured so that the belt flexes in the curvature of the plane of the roll beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and roll by offering substantially no resistance to the belt flexing in the roll plane while maintaining the integrity of the connection between the end wall and the belt.

Claim 14

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, the belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and roll, which comprises the steps of: sealing off the axial ends of the belt with an end wall connected to the axial ends of the belt, said end walls being structured so that the belt flexes in the curvature of the plane of the roll beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and roll by offering substantially no resistance to the belt flexing in the roll plane while maintaining the integrity of the connection between the end wall and the belt.

Claim 15

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, the belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe, and wherein the belt is substantially unsupported following its natural annular shape in its travel from the trailing edge of the shoe to the leading edge, which comprises the steps of: closing off the axial ends of the belt in a manner so that the axial ends of the belt are substantially unrestrained so that the belt flexes following the plane of curvature of the roll and shoe beyond the lateral ends of the shoe while passing through the nip.

Claim 16

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, the belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe, and wherein the belt is substantially unsupported following its natural annular shape in its travel from the trailing edge of the shoe to the leading edge, which comprises the steps of: closing off the axial ends of the belt in a manner so that the axial ends of the belt are substantially unrestrained so that the belt flexes following the plane of curvature of the roll and shoe beyond the lateral ends of the shoe while passing through the nip.

Claim 17

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, said belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe, which comprises the steps of: providing end walls for closing off the axial ends of the belt; and joining the end walls with the axial ends of the belt with an annular connector offering low resistance to flexing of the belt following the natural curvature of the nip at the lateral ends of the nip said connector having a radial depth sufficient so that the belt flexes only in a single plane beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and follows the curvature of the nip.

Claim 18

The method of containing lubricant within a continuous looped annular belt passing through a lubricated extended nip between a concave shoe and a roll with the shoe pressed to the roll to dewater a web passing through the nip, said belt extending beyond the lateral ends of the shoe, which comprises the steps of: providing end walls for closing off the axial ends of the belt; and joining the end walls with the axial ends of the belt with an annular connector offering low resistance to flexing of the belt following the natural curvature of the nip at the lateral ends of the nip said connector having a radial depth sufficient so that the belt flexes only in a single plane beyond the lateral ends of the shoe and follows the curvature of the nip.