Wood chip optimizer
US5842507A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 7, 1997 |
| Grant date | Dec 1, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 7, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
- CPC primaryD21B1/02
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A wood chip conditioner that uses at least two closely spaced, counter-rotating rolls having a regular, wave shaped profile formed into their surfaces having a repeating pattern of peaks and valleys that radially circumscribes the roll and which are preferably the same dimension and offset from each other so that a peak on one roll is in registry with a valley on the other roll and form a nip through which oversized wood chips traverse. The chips passing through the nip are destructured by being bent and compressed by the surfaces on the rolls, which produces internal cracks along the grain of the wood without penetrating the chips. The rolls are also designed to avoid breaking or fracturing the chips, which would increase the occurrence of undesirable pins and fines. The surface of the peaks preferably also have shallow, equally-spaced grooves that extend axially. The grooves provide an edge that catches and pulls the chips into and through the nip. The bending action to which the chips traversing through the nip are subjected also loosens or dislodges the bark on the outer surface of the chips by breaking the bond between the bark and the chip. The present invention also includes…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.