Headbox Slice Opening Arrangement : An Alternative Solution for Tissue Machines

Sammanfattning: The head box in a tissue machine distributes the fiber suspension to a flat jet along the width of the machine. By adjusting the so-called lip opening, the flow is regulated and the jet is accelerated to match the machine speed. In this work, ideas for alternative solutions for lip opening mechanism is generated and evaluated with a focus on making a cost saving. One of the concepts has been selected for a deeper analysis with respect to the design, strength and cost. The selected concept is based on reducing the number of jacks required by using one jack operating a shaft parallel to the apron beam. Levers convey the movement to the apron beam. The analysis show that the shaft is exposed to high torque which results in large elastic twisting of the shaft, which means that the force that supports the apron beam will not be equal over the entire width. If the difference in force is too big, the apron beam will twist which results in an uneven lip opening. The shaft stiffness is therefore crucial. For the head box with a width of 2946 mm, the number of jacks is reduced from three to one. Wider head boxes may need more than one jack since the shaft cannot be made to long without getting too much twisted. A lip opening mechanism of the current design with six 20 ton jacks can be compared to the new concept in which only two jacks is needed and the cost is reduced by 18%. There is further potential for savings if the jack, separate gear and electric motor are replaced with an actuator that has the motor mounted directly.