JPS6363012B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metal fiber aggregate suitable for use as a filter, a reinforcing material for a filter, etc., and a method for manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND ART Sintered bodies using long metal fibers have been known for some time. This sintered body is usually manufactured by stacking a large number of wire meshes and sintering them, or by sintering long metal fibers arranged horizontally and randomly.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since the above-mentioned conventional sintered body is made by stacking metals and long fibers horizontally and sintering them, there is a problem in the vertical direction (when viewed from above or below). Although any pore size can be manufactured, the fibers are in close contact with each other in the lateral direction (parallel to the upper and lower surfaces), and therefore only extremely small pore sizes can be manufactured. For this reason, the pores in the sintered body have directionality, and compared to the case where pores are homogeneous in three dimensions, the overall porosity is smaller, and when the sintered body is used as a filter, it is difficult to pass through the sintered body. There is a problem that the resistance is large and the service life is short due to clogging. Furthermore, since conventional sintered bodies have small pore diameters in the lateral direction, there is a problem that passage resistance when passing fluid in the lateral direction is extremely large, making it impossible to actually use the sintered body to allow fluid to pass in the lateral direction.

The present invention aims to solve such conventional problems, and aims to provide an aggregate of long metal fibers (which may be sintered if necessary) having a large pore diameter in a three-dimensional direction, and a method for producing the same. shall be.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an aggregate of long metal fibers according to the present invention, and is an enlarged side view of FIG. 2. The aggregate 1 is made by gathering and compression molding metal long fibers 2 into a flat plate shape (in this example, a disk shape),
Moreover, it is formed by sintering if necessary, and is characterized in that at least a part of the long fibers are arranged in the thickness direction of the aggregate 1, as clearly seen in FIG. In this specification, the thickness direction does not mean only the thickness direction in the strict sense, that is, the direction perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces 1A and 1B of the aggregate 1, but also the direction that intersects the upper and lower surfaces 1A and 1B. It means. As a result of the long fibers 2 being arranged in the thickness direction of the aggregate 1,
As understood from FIG. 2, large pores 3 can be formed between the long fibers 2. The pores 3 can be varied in various ways depending on the wire diameter, inclination, density, etc. of the long fibers 2. The assembly 1 therefore has very large pores in its lateral direction, and the pores can also be made as desired.

Next, a method of manufacturing the assembly 1 having the above structure will be explained. First, a cylindrical wire mesh 4 shown in FIG. 3 is formed from long metal fibers 2. The wire mesh 4 may be woven or knitted. In the illustrated embodiment, it is shown as woven. The inclination angle θ of the long fibers 2 at this time affects the inclination angle φ in FIG. and adjust the inclination angle θ. Next, a cylindrical wire mesh 4
Crush it flat and fold it in a zigzag pattern as shown in Figure 4. At this time, the wire mesh is folded so that the folds 5 and 6 on both sides extend in the longitudinal direction of the wire mesh (the axial direction of the cylindrical wire mesh in FIG. 3). Next, the wire mesh 4 folded in a zigzag pattern is molded into a mold 10 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
The wire mesh 4 is wound spirally and installed in an annular recess to form a disk whose folds 5 and 6 are the upper and lower surfaces. Thereafter, the disk in the mold 10 is compressed in the thickness direction (vertical direction) by the mold 11 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 to form an aggregate having strength to withstand a predetermined load. If high strength is required, type 10,1
Sinter according to step 1. In this way, the assembly 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is manufactured. Although FIG. 2 shows that almost the entire long fiber 2 is inclined at an approximately uniform angle with respect to the upper and lower surfaces 1A and 1B, this is for illustration only, and in reality, the long fibers 2 are It is crushed by compression and becomes various angles and curves. However, the entire long fibers are not crushed horizontally, and some of the long fibers are still arranged in the thickness direction, so that large pores are left in the lateral direction.

The diameter of the pores in the vertical direction of the aggregate 1 made by the above method can be adjusted by the wire diameter of the wire mesh 4, the size of the mesh, the winding density when the wire mesh is spirally wound, etc. Further, the diameter of the pores in the lateral direction can be adjusted by adjusting the wire diameter of the wire mesh 4, the size of the mesh, the inclination angle θ (becomes φ after compression molding), and the like. By appropriately setting these, the pore diameters in the vertical and lateral directions can be made uniform. In other words, uniform pores can be formed in three dimensions. The shape of the horizontal holes formed in the aggregate 1 is the shape of the wire mesh 4.
It can be changed depending on the weaving method and knitting method. For example, when loop-knitted wire mesh is used, a side assembly 1 as shown in FIG. 7 is obtained. Also in this example, a part of the long fibers 2 extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the aggregate 1 is in the thickness direction, and therefore large pores 3 are formed. The metal fibers constituting the aggregate 1 may have a uniform diameter, or may have a combination of different diameters. A fiber aggregate formed by forming a wire mesh using long metal fibers of different wire diameters and using the above procedure has the advantage of having a large compressive strength because the long fibers having a thick wire diameter have a large reinforcing effect.

The above explanation is for manufacturing a disk-shaped aggregate 1, but instead of spirally winding the wire mesh folded in a zigzag manner as shown in FIG. It is also possible to manufacture bodies. It is also possible to manufacture thick aggregates by arranging wire mesh folded in a zigzag pattern into two or three layers, or to manufacture a laminate by interposing an intermediate layer such as a coarse wire mesh between each layer. be. Note that in the method described above, a cylindrical wire mesh 4 was used, but the present invention is not limited to a cylindrical wire mesh, and a normal flat wire mesh may be used. However, if a cylindrical wire mesh 4 is used as in the above embodiment, the fibers 2 may be removed even on both sides 4B of the wire mesh (see FIG. 4).
are continuous, therefore there are very few fiber ends in the aggregate 1, and when the aggregate is compressed and molded, it is unlikely that the fiber ends will get stuck in the pores and obstruct the eyes. It has the advantage of forming uniform pores.

Since the aggregate of the present invention can form arbitrary pores not only in the vertical direction but also in the lateral direction, uniform pores can be formed in three-dimensional directions. As a result, compared to conventional sintered bodies in which only extremely small pores can be formed in the lateral direction, the overall porosity can be made extremely large (for example, 60 to 80%), and therefore this aggregate has a large ability to trap foreign matter and is extremely suitable for use as a filter. Furthermore, since the fluid passage resistance is low, it is suitable for use as a support or reinforcement for filter media in filters.
In particular, since large pores can be formed in the lateral direction, it can be suitably used when it is necessary to flow a fluid in the lateral direction.

8 and 9 show an example in which the assembly 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a reinforcing body for a polymer filtration filter in the production of synthetic fibers or synthetic resin films. In the figure, the entire reference numeral 21
The filtration device shown is a cylindrical casing (not shown)
and a polymer tube 22 extending vertically from approximately the center thereof, and a large number of disk-shaped leaf filters 23 are stacked around the polymer tube 22. Note that, if necessary, radial spokes may be arranged between each leaf filter to guide the polymer inward from the outer circumferential side. The leaf filter 23, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
6, and a means for closing the outer periphery thereof, such as a weld 27. As the filter 26, a wire mesh with fine openings, a sintered body of metal fiber nonwoven fabric, or the like is used. The support plate 25 is a reinforcing body that supports the filter 26 against filtration pressure, and the assembly 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used as the support plate 25. The pore diameter of the aggregate 1 used here is larger than the opening of the filter 26 in order to reduce the passage resistance of the polymer. In the filtration device having the above structure, the polymer to be filtered flows into the gap between the leaf filters 23 from the outer circumferential side as shown by the arrow in FIG. 25 , flows radially inwardly within the support plate 25 and is collected and pumped out of the central hub ring 24 into the polymer tube 22 . As mentioned above, the assembly 1 of the present invention
can form large pores in the lateral direction, allowing high viscosity polymer to flow well in the lateral direction (radial direction).

Although the usage example of FIG. 8 shows the leaf filter 23 in which the support plate 25 and the filter 26 are integrally constructed, the support plate 25 and the leaf filter 26 may be separable parts. Figures 10 and 11
The figure shows an example of use in that case, in which a support plate 32 formed of the assembly 1 shown in FIG. are laminated on. In this filtration device, the polymer is
It flows into the space inside the leaf filter 33 from the space, flows into the support plate 32 through the filter supported by the support plate 32, further flows radially outward inside the support plate 32, and is sent out.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a modification of the fiber aggregate of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, this fiber aggregate 35 is made by arranging wire meshes 4 folded in a zigzag pattern one above the other, inserting a coarse wire mesh 36 in the middle, and compressing and sintering the whole assembly into one piece. This fiber aggregate 35 is extremely suitable for use as the support plates 25, 32 of the filtration apparatus shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. That is, in the fiber aggregate 35, the wire mesh 4 on the upper and lower surfaces
supports the filter, and the coarse wire mesh 36 in the center serves as a passage for the polymer, which has the advantage of supporting the filter well and making it easier for the polymer to flow laterally. .

Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the method of the present invention,
A flat plate-like aggregate in which at least a portion of long metal fibers are arranged in the thickness direction can be manufactured. In this way, the produced aggregate of the present invention can form pores of a desired size in the lateral direction, and even though it is an aggregate of long metal fibers, it has a substantially uniform porous structure in the three-dimensional direction. Obtainable. As a result, it is suitable as a filter or as a reinforcement for a filter, particularly when fluid flows laterally (parallel to the upper and lower surfaces) within the assembly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is an enlarged view of a part of the side view, Figure 3~
FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the manufacturing method of the present invention,
3 is a perspective view of the wire mesh 4, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the wire mesh 4 folded in a zigzag pattern, and FIG. 5 is a top view showing the wire mesh 4 of FIG. 4 wrapped around the mold 10. 6 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing a part of the side surface of a modified example of the assembly 1.
Figure 8 shows an example of the use of the aggregate in Figure 1.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a part of the leaf filter 23 used in the filtration device 21, FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the main part of a modified example of the filtration device, and FIG. The figure is a partial sectional view of a leaf filter and support plate used in the filtration device of FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a modified example of the fiber aggregate of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Aggregate, 2... Metal long fiber, 3... Hole, 4... Wire mesh, 5, 6... Fold, 10, 11...
...type.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An aggregate formed by aggregating and compressing long metal fibers into a flat plate, characterized in that at least some of the long fibers are arranged in the thickness direction of the aggregate. Fiber aggregate. 2. A metal fiber assembly characterized by preparing a wire mesh made of long metal fibers, folding the wire mesh in a zigzag pattern to form a flat plate with the folds on both sides serving as the upper and lower surfaces, and compression molding the entire flat plate in the thickness direction. manufacturing method. 3. The method for manufacturing a metal fiber aggregate according to claim 2, wherein the wire mesh has a cylindrical shape. 4. The method of manufacturing a metal fiber aggregate according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the flat plate is a disk made by folding a wire mesh in a zigzag pattern and winding it in a spiral shape.