GB2051725A

GB2051725A - A barrel forming machine

Info

Publication number: GB2051725A
Application number: GB7921377A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SCHOOLHILL HYDRAULIC ENG CO
Current assignee: SCHOOLHILL HYDRAULIC ENG CO
Priority date: 1979-06-19
Filing date: 1979-06-19
Publication date: 1981-01-21
Also published as: GB2051725B

Abstract

A barrel forming machine in which upper and lower retaining means 3,4 and 24 respectively for staves used in forming a barrel are spaced on a frame and a radially expansible former 10 is provided between the retaining means for expanding against the internal surface of the staves thereby to force the staves into the shape of the barrel. The former comprises an hydraulic cylinder- actuated expansible spider, which is movable axially of the being-formed barrel by hydraulic cylinders 7. A split- clamping band 19 is contractible about the staves to sandwich them between the band and expanded former. The lower retaining means is formed by a pair of co-axial rings between which the staves and a bottom end hoop are received. The upper retaining or locating means 24 is formed by a contractible wire loop 24, which, on tightening about the upper end of the barrel, permits application of a top hoop. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Barrel forming machine This invention relates to a barrel forming machine.

Barrel forming machines have hitherto been proposed in which the staves for assembly into a barrel are placed horizontally between retaining means at either end of the machine, the staves then being drawn together by hydraulic clamps at the retaining means to form the barrel side walls. A disadvantage of these previously-proposed machines is that the staves tend to overlap one another as they are drawn together and there is no internal guide to ensure that the finished barrel conforms to the desired contour.

An object of this invention is to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided a barrel forming machine having a frame, first and second axially spaced retaining means on the frame for holding staves for a barrel in position at least one of the retaining means being drivingly radially contractable, and a radially-expandable former on the frame intermediate the first and second retaining means for expanding in use against the internal surface of the staves. The former may be axially movable.

The former is preferably hydraulically driven and may be in the form of a series of hinged arms connected with a hydraulic ram and having at their free outer end arcuate faces for engagement with the staves' internal surfaces.

Aclamping band may be provided intermediate the first and second retaining means for engagement with the outer surface of the staves thereby to clamp the staves between the clamping band and the expandable former. The clamping band may be of a set diameter and may be releasable into two hinged portions.

The machine is preferably arranged so that the first and second retaining means are spaced vertical ly whereby the barrel is formed in an upright attitude.

The contractable retaining means may be a wire rope or other flexible line formed in use in a loop which is fitted over the staves at one end of the barrel to be formed, and the ends of the rope or line are preferably secured to tensioning means, for example one or more hydraulic rams, for pulling the line ends to constrict the loop.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a machine of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the former used in the machine of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the former of Figure 3.

In this embodiment of the invention the barrel forming machine has a steel frame formed by a base 1 and a support 2 on the base 1. The base 1 has on its upper face a pair of concentric rings 3, 4 which define between them an annular groove 5 for receiving one end of wooden barrel staves 6.

Extending through the base 1 are two D.A. hydraulic cylinders 7 having a bore of 1 5/8 inches and a stroke of 15 inches, whose rams 8 are secured at their free ends to a plate 9 forming the base of a radiallyexpandable "spider" 10. The spider 10 has six arcuate outer walls 11 to which are pivotally connected radially-extending legs 12 which are each hinged intermediate their ends at 13. To the inner portions of the legs 12 are hingedly connected rods 13a mounted on a plate 14 on an upper end of a hydraulic ram 15 reciprocable in a vertical cylinder 16 having a bore of 21/2 inches and a stroke of 2 7/8 inches.

The base 1 has an aperture 17 for passage of hydraulic lines to the cylinder 16 from a hydraulic power unit 18 having a pump and a 5.5 hp electric motor.

The support 2 carries an outer clamping band 19 in two semicircular hinged portions connectable together by a removable pin joint 20 and a hinge pin 30. The hinge pin 30 is mounted on a hinge guide 31 which forms part of a self-centring device 32 for the hinge pin 30. To this end the hinge guide 31 is slidably received by a pair of pivotal rods 33 along which the guide 31 is urged towards the centre of the "spider" 10 by a pair of springs 34. One of the portions of the band 19 is itself split through a hydraulic cylinder and ram 21 so that the band 19 can be constricted.

An upper section of the support carries a pair of opposed hydraulic cylinders 22 of 21/2 inches bore and 10 inch stroke and fitted with 3/8 inch needle valves, and their rams 23 are secured to opposite ends of a 1/2 inch diameter 6-strand 19-wire galvanised rope 24 128 inches long. When not in use, the wire rope 24 can be stored by hanging it on a hook 25 on a stand 26.

When a wooden barrel is to be made up on the machine of this embodiment, the cylinder and ram 21 are set so that the band 19 is in an expanded condition, and the rams 23 are fully extended to maximise the effective length of the wire rope 24. A bottom hoop is placed in the groove 5, and wooden staves 6 are placed upright on the base 1 with their lower end located in the groove 5 between the rings 3 and 4 and within the hoop.

The spider 10 is set in position half-way up the staves 6, as shown in Figure 1 by appropriately extending the rams 8, and the ram 15 is actuated to pull down the plate 14, thus causing the rods 13a to push down the inner portions of the legs 12 and straighten the legs 12, increasing the diameter of the spider 10 so that the walls 11 contact the inner surfaces of the staves 6 and space them appropriately.

The outer clamping band 19 is then tightened against the staves 6 to sandwich them between the band 19 and spider walls 11, by actuating the ram 21, and the wire rope 24 is looped around the upper ends of the staves 6. The opposed rams 23 are then retracted to tighten the wire rope 24 around the staves 6 and pull them into liquid-tight engagement with one another, thus forming them into barrel shape. The upper end of the barrel is thus formed by the tension in the wire rope 24, the bottom end is formed by its retention in the groove 5, and the centre portion is formed into its desired shape by the spider 10 and band 19.

While being thus held in its final form, a top hoop (not shown) is placed over the upper end of the barrel, and the pin of the pin joint 20 is withdrawn to release the clamping band 19. The rams 8 are then actuated to lower the spider 10, the wire rope is slackened by actuation of the rams 23, and the barrel can then be removed from the machine.

Modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and reference is also made by way of example to the accompanying photograph.

Claims

1. A barrel forming machine having a frame, first and second axially spaced retaining means on the frame for holding staves for a barrel in position, at least one of the retaining means being radially contractable, and a radially-expandable former on the frame intermediate the first and second retaining means for expanding in use against the internal surface of staves held by the retaining means.

2. A machine according to Claim 1, wherein the former is axially movable.

3. A machine according to Claim 1 or2,wherein the former is expandable hydraulically.

4. A machine according to Claim 3, wherein the former has a series of hinged arms connected with a hydraulic ram and having at their free outer ends arcuate faces for engagement in use with the internal surface of staves held by the retaining means.

5. A machine according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein a clamping band is provided intermediate the first and second retaining means for engaging in use the outer surface of staves held by the retaining means thereby to clamp the staves between the clamping band and the former.

6. A machine according to Claim 5, wherein the clamping band is in the form of mutually-hinged arcuate portions.

7. A machine according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the contractable retaining means is a flexible loop.

8. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contractable retaining means is hydraulically driven.

9. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second retaining means are vertically spaced and arranged for receiving staves in an upright attitude.

10. A barrel forming machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.