FORMING NON-WOVEN AIR-LAID FIBROUS WEB HAVING ZONES OF DIFFERING FIBRE BLENDS: INDEPENDENT FIBRE MIXING AND FEED CONTROL ALONG LENGTH OF FORMING WEB

摘要

A web or structure is formed by feeding separate supplies of fibrous material into contact with two separate lickerins that are parallel to each other and rotated toward each other. The fibers from the two lickerins pass through a mixing zone and are accumulated on a moving conveying screen that is moved parallel to the axes of the lickerins. Segmented baffle plates may be inserted into the mixing zone to control the lateral or cross-sectional composition of a web formed by the fibers accumulated on the screen. A segmented feed may be used to advantageously deliver different fiber materials at different rates to each lickerin. Radially layered composite web structures having circular cross-sections may be formed with the same apparatus by forming the conveying screen into a U-shape and selectively controlling the air flow through the screen.