Lateral Deflections of Webs in Air-Flotation Ovens
A long web span supported by many, regularly spaced, alternating air-bars is studied. The focus is on the lateral forces on the web due to the interaction of lateral curvature with out-of-plane deflections. The effect of stretching of the elastic web material is included, and the effect of high web speed is handled by distinguishing between the tension in the material Tmat and the apparent tension Tapp=Tmat−μv2. The governing partial differential equations for a continuous representation of the web’s lateral deflection, stability, and control is developed for both straight and cambered webs. The dimensionless parameters for web-tension effect, web-camber effect, and stretching effect are identified. The influence of tilted air-bars is studied, towards developing a control mechanism to compensate for camber.