Extended nip press apparatus with geared blanket edge clamp

Abstract

In an extended nip press employing an endless loop nip blanket the invention is a gear-actuated blanket edge clamp. The ends of the blanket are sealed to rotatably mounted heads and forced against sealing surfaces on the heads by shoes which are mounted radially about the heads. The shoes are pivotally mounted to main pivot links. These in turn are pivotally mounted to the head. A jack link joins each of the main links to an expanding gear ring. The gear ring is rotatably mounted to the head about the axis of the head's rotation. The gear ring has two opposed gear teeth segments. Two opposed pinion gears which are mounted on shafts ride on the geared sections. The shafts are turned from the exterior of the head, and cause the expanding gear ring to rotate. The rotation of the gear ring causes the jack links to press against the main links, causing the main links in turn to swing radially outwardly. The outward displacement of the main links causes the shoes to move outwardly against the clamping surface. A gear clamping ring is disposed inwardly of the gear ring and shoes, and is arranged to secure the shoes and ring gear against movement. During operation of the extended nip press, the blanket is held taut by internal pressure. In an alternative embodiment, the jack links have spring biasing to accommodate variations in link dimensions.