Stowe Woodward Inc.

Bertram Staudenmaier

Eric J Gustafson

Jan Anders Paasonen

William S Butterfield

A shoe press includes: a first member; a second member; a substantially cylindrical belt; and a processing unit. The first member has a convex pressing surface. The second member includes a shoe with a concave pressing surface substantially complimentary to the convex pressing surface. The second member further includes a pair of substantially circular head plates rotatably mounted on axially opposed ends thereof. The belt is fixed to, extends between, and is rotatable with the head plates such that a portion of the belt passes between the convex pressing surface and the concave pressing surface. The belt includes embedded therein a communications cable having a plurality of sensors configured to generate signals responsive to an operating parameter of the shoe press. The processing unit is in communication with the communications cable and processes signals generated by the sensors. Thus, signals generated by the sensors and processed by the processing unit represent conditions (particularly pressure, nip width, temperature, strain and stress) within the nip of the shoe press that can be displayed and understood by an operator.

Shoe press belt with system for detecting operational parameters

The problems caused by chemical and thermal shrinkage of hard roll covers, are reduced by the inclusion of one or more intermediate compressive layers between a roll core base and cover. The compressive layer has the properties of being rigid enough to allow the cover to be applied to the roll, and compressible enough to deform and absorb the stresses which occur as the cover is shrinking during processing. In one embodiment, the compressive layer is separately cast with the cover over a disposable inner mold so as to form a composite roll cover. The composite roll cover is fitted over a roll core base and the resulting circumferential cavity is then filled with a thermoset resin.

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Northboro, MA, United States of America

Bertram Staudenmaier