GB2096657A - Apparatus and method for binding and severing rope - Google Patents

Abstract

In an apparatus which forms rope into lengths having cut ends bound with adhesive tape to prevent fraying, tape is applied automatically by a pair of rollers (20) between which the rope is passed parallel to the roller axes before being severed. Each roller carries two adhesive tapes from tape feeding means which normally are pressed against and adhere to the two tapes on the other roller, but which are pressed around the rope as it passes between the rollers to form two spaced bindings each of two tapes adhered together on opposite rope sides. The rope is cut between the tape bindings by a pair of blades (22) at the same time as the tapes are cut free from the tape feeding means. Jaws are also provided to hold the rope during binding and to pull the cut ends apart as well as to pull out the predetermined length of rope from a supply. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus and method for binding and severing rope The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for binding and severing rope, especially glass filled rope braided with glass yarn (hereafter called glass rope).

Glass rope is used in various situations for thermal insulation and other purposes, and is frequently required in sections of predetermined length. This normally involves cutting the lengths of rope from a large drum of rope and the cut ends are liable to fray causing damage to the rope and releasing glass fibre pieces which are considered a potential health hazard. To reduce this problem it has been the normal practice to use a special braided glass rope which is however, more expensive than a conventional glass rope.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of binding and severing rope comprising the steps of: pressing adhesive tapes each half way around the rope at predetermined positions so that the tapes bind the rope and adhere together at diametrically opposite positions; and cutting the rope at a position such that the two free ends of rope so produced each have tape bound round them.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for binding and severing rope comprising: a rope receiving compartment into which a section of rope may pass between rollers having their axes parallel to the sections of rope, the rollers being movable apart in a direction perpendicular to their axes and against a force urging the rollers together, tape feeding means arranged to feed adhesive tapes into the rope receiving compartment around each roller with the adhesive carrying surface of the adhesive tape facing outwards from the roller so that when two rollers are in contact the tape around one roller adheres to the tape around the other roller in the region of contact, tape cutting means disposed in the rope receiving compartment adjacent the rollers and actuable to sever the tapes when the section of rope is in the rope receiving compartment, and rope cutting means disposed in the rope receiving compartment which is actuable to sever the rope, when the section of rope is in the rope receiving compartment, at a position such that each free end of rope so produced is bound by the tapes.

This apparatus and method enables a conventional glass rope to be cut into length without the problem of fraying at the cut ends and the binding and severing may be automated so that exposure of an operator to the glass fibre is reduced to a minimum.

An apparatus and method for binding and severing rope in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial side view of the part of the apparatus shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side view corresponding to that in Figure 3 of a second part of the apparatus; Figure 5 shows the sequence of operations of the apparatus, Figures 5a and Sc being front views and Figure 5b a side view corresponding to Figure 5a.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings the apparatus essentially comprises a pair of jaws 1 on a carriage 2 which can pull a length of asbestos rope 3 around a pulley 6 from a supply of the rope (not shown), a binding and severing arrangement 4 through which the rope passes, and a receiving chute 5 into which the severed lengths of rope are allowed to fall.

The binding and severing arrangement 4 is shown in more detail in Figures 2 to 4 and comprises a rope gripping part 7 and a tape feeding and cutting part 8, the part 8 normally fitting inside the part 7 and being guided for movement relative to the part 7 by rollers 9.

At the upper end of the rope gripping part 7 are two identical pairs of jaws 10 spaced laterally apart along the path of the rope 3 so that the rope can be gripped by the jaws at two spaced positions. Each pair of jaws 10, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is operated by a piston 11 and cylinder 1 2 linked to the jaws by levers which open the jaws when the piston retracts into its cylinder. The pair of jaws 10, piston 11 and cylinder 12 are carried on a support 13 which is pivotally mounted on one side of a central support 14 and linked to a piston 1 5 and cylinder 1 6 by levers, so that movement of the piston 1 5 pivots the two pairs of jaws 10 outwards away from one another.

At the upper end of the tape feeding and cutting part 8 are two identical tape feeders 17.

Each tape feeder has a drum 18 on which two coaxial reels of adhesive tape can be placed, the drum having a central rib which spaces the two reels apart from one another, and feed rollers 1 9 over which the two tapes can pass with their adhesive sides outermost to a pressure roller 20.

The feed rollers 1 9 also have central ribs to keep the tapes spaced apart by a preset amount, but the pressure roller is a plain cylindrical roller whose axis is parallel to the path of the glass rope 3. The two tape feeders are mounted for sliding movement on a support 21 and are spring urged towards one another so that in their rest position the two pressure rollers are pressed together with the two adhesive tapes from one tape feeder in contact with and adhered to the two adhesive tapes from the other tape feeder.

Below the tape feeders 1 7 are a pair of cutters 22 slidable towards one another on the support 21. Each cutter has a vertical blade 24 and a horizontal blade 25 extending on either side of the vertical blade, the vertical blade having two angled cutting edges. The respective vertical and horizontal blades are slightly offset from one another so as to give a "scissors" type of cutting action when the two cutters are moved together by a piston 26 and cylinder 27 mounted on the support 21 and linked to the cutters by levers.

During the cutting action the vertical blades 24 move in a plane substantially mid-way between the two adhesive tapes from each tape feeder, the horizontal blades 25 being wider than the two tapes.

In use, the apparatus is initially set up as shown in Figure 1 with the jaws 1 holding the free end of the asbestos rope. The carriage 2, which is slidable on a track 28, is stopped at a predetermined position on the track against an adjustable stop 29 so as to set the length of rope to be cut. As seen in solid lines in Figures 5a and 5b the rope 3 lies through the pair of jaws 10 which are open, and the tape feeding and cutting part 8 is in a lowered position so that the pressure rollers 20 and cutters 22 are below the rope. The jaws 10 grip the rope and then the tape feeding and cutting part 8 is raised relative to the rope gripping part 7 by a piston and cylinder 31, 32 so that the two pressure rollers 20 engage the rope and are guided around the rope by cams and rollers 33.Since the pressure rollers are spring urged together they roll around the rope as it passes between them and press the two adhesive tapes on each roller against the rope to form a half circle around the rope with each tape. After the rope has passed through the rollers they come together again and press the two tapes on one roller against the two tapes on the other roller so as to form two complete straps around the rope at spaced positions. The rope is then between the cutters 22, as seen in dotted lines in Figures 5a and 5b.

The cutters 22 are now moved towards one another by the piston and cylinder 26, 27 causing the vertical blades 24 to sever the rope at a position between the two straps of tape and the horizontal blades 25 to sever the tapes at a position just above the rope. This leaves two cut ends of rope each bound by a strap of adhesive tape.

The jaws 1 then release their free end of the rope and it falls into the receiving chute 5. In order to ensure that the rope has been fully severed and to clear the rollers 20 the two pairs of jaws 10 are then pivoted outwards away from one another by the piston and cylinder 1 5, 1 6 which stretches any remaining rope filaments around the vertical blades 24 to cut them. The cutters 22 are then moved apart and the tape feeding and cutting part 8 is lowered to the position in Figure 5c, the pressure rollers 20 passing between the two cut ends of rope.

The two pairs of jaws 10 now move back to their vertical position and the carriage 2 moves along the track 28 with the jaws 1 open until it abuts a stop 30, when the jaws 1 are on the far side of the two pairs of jaws 10. The jaws 1 close and grip the new free end of the rope which is then released by opening the two pairs of jaws 10.

This also releases the severed length of rope which falls down the chute 5 to a collecting bag or other receptacle.

The carriage 2 can now move back along the track pulling the rope 3 between the open jaws 10 until it abuts the stop 29 ready for the sequence of operations to be repeated.

This method cuts the rope into predetermined lengths, each length having its cut ends bound with adhesive tape to prevent fraying of the rope, automatically and without requiring any handling of the rope by an operator other than initially feeding a free end from a drum of rope to the jaws 1. It is therefore possible to use cheaper forms of asbestos rope than previously without encountering the same problems of fraying and attendant health hazards.

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for binding and severing rope comprising: a rope receiving compartment into which a section of rope may pass between rollers having their axes parallel to the section of rope, the rollers being movable apart in a direction perpendicular to their axes and against a force urging the rollers together, tape feeding means arranged to feed adhesive tape into the rope receiving compartment around each roller with the adhesive carrying surface of the adhesive tape facing outwards from the roller so that when two rollers are in contact the tape around one roller adheres to the tape around the other roller in the region of contact, tape cutting means disposed in the rope receiving compartment adjacent the rollers and actuable to sever the tapes when the section of rope is in the rope receiving compartment, and rope cutting means disposed in the rope receiving compartment which is actuable to sever the rope, when the section of rope is in the rope receiving compartment, at a position such that each free end of rope so produced is bound by the tapes.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein two laterally spaced apart strips of adhesive tape are fed around each roller and the rope cutting means is positioned to sever the rope intermediate the two spaced apart strips.

3. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the rope cutting means comprises a pair of blades positioned on either side of the rope when the section of rope is in the rope receiving compartment, the blades having their opposed cutting edges offset and being movable past one another to sever the rope by a shearing action.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the tape cutting means comprises a pair of blades each secured perpendicularly across one of the pair of rope cutting blades and movable therewith, the tape cutting blades having their opposed cutting edges offset so as to sever the tapes by a shearing action at the same time as the rope is severed by the rope cutting blades.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising two aligned pairs of jaws between which the section of rope may be held when it passes between the rollers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the two pairs of jaws are movable away from one another.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a carriage movable parallel to the two pairs of jaws between preset stops and having a pair of jaws arranged to pull a predetermined length of tope through the two aligned pairs of jaws as the carriage moves between its preset stops.

8. Apparatus for binding and severing rope substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of binding and severing rope comprising the steps of: pressing adhesive tapes each half way around the rope at predetermined positions so that the tapes bind the rope and adhere together at diametrically opposite positions; and cutting the rope at a position such that the two free ends of rope so produced each have tape bound round them.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein two spaced apart tapes are pressed onto each side of the rope to form two spaced bindings between which the rope is cut.

11. A method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the adhesive tapes are fed from reels around a pair of rollers which press the tapes onto each side of the rope as the rope passes between them, and the adhered tapes are cut free when the rope is cut.

12. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the rope is held by a pair of jaws on each side of the predetermined position during pressing of the tapes onto the rope.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the jaws are moved apart after the step of cutting the rope so as to ensure complete severing of the rope, the cut ends of the rope being subsequently released.

14. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the rope is severed into predetermined lengths, a movable carriage pulling each length of rope from a supply and holding its free end during the steps of binding and severing the rope.

1 5. A method of binding and severing rope substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.