US 12,030,264 B2
Methods and equipment for forming tubes of fibrous material
Gary Fallon, London (GB); Arnold Herholdt, Stellenbosch (ZA); Gerhard Le Roux, Stellenbosch (ZA); and John Richardson, London (GB)
Assigned to BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED, London (GB)
Appl. No. 16/496,583
Filed by British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited, London (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 15, 2018, PCT No. PCT/GB2018/050670
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 23, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/172744, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1704692 (GB), filed on Mar. 24, 2017; and application No. 1704700 (GB), filed on Mar. 24, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0316880 A1, Oct. 8, 2020
Int. Cl. B29C 70/52 (2006.01); A24D 3/02 (2006.01); B29B 15/12 (2006.01); B29K 101/12 (2006.01); B29K 105/08 (2006.01); B29L 31/14 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/523 (2013.01) [A24D 3/0291 (2013.01); B29B 15/122 (2013.01); A24D 3/0237 (2013.01); B29C 70/521 (2013.01); B29C 70/526 (2013.01); B29C 70/528 (2013.01); B29K 2101/12 (2013.01); B29K 2105/08 (2013.01); B29L 2031/14 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Equipment for forming a tubular rod from a bundle of fibrous material comprising:
a mandrel having an upstream end section and a downstream end section separated by a tapered intermediate section so that the downstream end section has a smaller cross-sectional area than the upstream end section, the mandrel being constructed to form a space within the bundle of fibres as the bundle of fibres advances over the mandrel;
a die constructed to form the bundle of fibers around the mandrel into a desired external shape, the die comprising a passage having a longitudinal axis;
wherein the upstream end section and intermediate section of the mandrel comprises a passage therein, said passage having a longitudinal axis that is coaxial with said longitudinal axis of the passage of the die,
wherein an outlet is provided in the tapered intermediate section of the mandrel, between the upstream and the downstream end sections, for delivering a treatment fluid from the passage to the bundle of fibrous material on the mandrel in a direction that is not opposed to the direction of movement of the bundle over the mandrel, the outlet being oriented at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the passage.