GB2148962A

GB2148962A - Tentering frame chain guide rail

Info

Publication number: GB2148962A
Application number: GB08422107A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans Cramer
Original assignee: H Krantz GmbH and Co
Current assignee: H Krantz GmbH and Co
Priority date: 1983-10-28
Filing date: 1984-08-31
Publication date: 1985-06-05
Also published as: DE3339147A1; ATA255284A; JPS60102294U; FR2558494A1; ES281235Y; GB2148962B; FR2558494B1; AT388402B; ES281235U; DE3339147C2; IT1177057B; IT8423339A0; GB8422107D0

Abstract

Limbs 3, 4 of a guide rail 1 for a tentering frame chain 2 are provided with undercut grooves 7, 8 wherein sliders 9, 10 are insertable coaxially with the longitudinal extent of the guide rail 1. The guide grooves 7, 8 can be formed by an appropriate cross-sectional shape of the limbs 3, 4 or else also by plate members which are C-shaped in cross-section and which are fastened to the limbs 3, 4. The slider 10 in the vertical supporting limb 4 can be replaced by a spring band (11, Fig. 3) which is underlaid by a compensating piece 12. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tentering frame chain guide rail This invention relates to guide rails comprising horizontal and vertical supporting limbs for a tentering frame chain consisting of needle and/or clip links which are fasiened to holders, which holders are movable by way of sliders and/or spring bands which are connected to the supporting limbs.

In known guidance and supporting mechanisms for tentering frame chains, sliders are fastened to rail-shaped guidance and supporting members or profiles, so that upon a replacement of worn or damaged sliders first of all the tentering frame chain with the holders carrying needle and/or clip links or members has to be removed before new sliders can be fitted. To simplify this fitting work, one endeavours to use sliders which are of long a length as possible. However, on account of the temperature conditions prevailing in the tentering frame, such sliders are subject to thermal stresses, since such sliders are usually made from composite material have a modulus of elasticity which is different compared with the rail material.

In order to facilitate the exchange of worn or damaged sliders, it is known from German Gebrauchsmuster No. 78 23 290 to fasten the sliders not to the guide rails but to the holders for the needle and/or clip links or members. This design makes it possible in mass production fashion to fasten, for example by rivetting, the sliders to the individual holders before these are fitted. The length of the sliders, which is also slight in accordance with the slight length of the holders, precludes in this respect the material stressing, known from large slider lengths, in consequence of the thermal expansion. Upon the replacement of worn or damaged sliders it is possible to remove the holder, which is preferably in two-parts, from the tentering frame chain in order to be able to exchange the sliders fastened thereto.In this way, a slackening or even dismantling of the tentering frame chain can be dispensed with. As a result of an appropriate stocking up of the holders equipped with sliders, the exchange of sliders can be carried out in a short time.

As a rule the slliders of a tentering frame chain wear uniformly, so that the slider have to be exchanged as a whole in the case of a specific state of wear. Upon a complete exchange of all the sliders, however, also the fastening of individual sliders to the holders in the known manner requires a considerable expenditure of time, from which results corresponding periods of disuse for the tentering frame.

The problem underlying the invention is to be able to use, for the guidance and support of a tentering frame chain, sliders of the greatest possible length, without the temperature conditions and the tendency of the sliders to expand leading to tensions in the sliding material, so that the sliders are damaged or break.

The aforementioned problem is solved in that the present invention provides a guide rail comprising horizontal and vertical supporting limbs for a tentering frame chain consisting of needle and/or clip links which are fastened to holders, which holders are movable by way of sliders and/or spring bands which are connected to the supporting limbs, characterised in that the sliders and/or the spring bands are held in grooves which extend over the length of the guide rail and which extend over the length of the guide rail and which are undercut in a hammerheadshaped or dovetail-shaped manner in crosssection.

As a result in accordance with the invention, of the mounting of sliders and/or spring bands in grooves which extend over the length of the guide rail, even very long sliders and spring bands can vary or expand almost unimpeded in their longitudinal extent without fastening rivets or the like standing in the way of such a variation. The accommodation of the sliders and/or spring bands in the rail longitudinal grooves has, in addition to this, the advantage that an exchange of worn or damaged slider or spring bands is possible without dismantling and refitting individual chain links in whole or even in part. Furthermore, no additional means for a secure connection of the sliders to the guide rail are necessary.

As a further aspect of the invention, the grooves can be formed by the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal and vertical supporting limbs of the guide rail.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, however, the grooves can be formed by plate members or profiles which are C-shaped in cross-section and which are fastened to the supporting limbs of the guide rail by screw bolts having heads which are countersunk in the plate member.

If the lateral pull of a goods web to be transported through the tentering frame is to be assimilated by way of ball bearings on the holders of the needle and/or clip members, one of the sliders can, in accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, be exchanged for a spring band which extend continuously over the length of one strand of the tentering frame chain. The continuous spring band offer to the ball bearings an uninterrupted rolling stretch or section so that interruptions, causing impacts, for the rolling stretch of the ball bearings are avoided.

Since adequate elasticity of the spring band is guaranteed only when the spring band is comparatively thin, the spring band can butt against a compensating piece which is held so as to be displaceable coaxially together with the spring band in the groove of one of the limbs of the guide rail.

Through the use of a compensating piece, the guide rail can be provided with uniformly dimensioned grooves, so that optionally thickwalled sliders as well as thin spring bands can be used.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of a first preferred embodiment of the guide rail of the invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but of a second preferred embodiment of the guide rail of the invention; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but of a third preferred embodiment of the guide rail of the invention; and Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a pair of tentering frame chains with spring bands extending over the length of the strands of the chains.

Referring to the drawings, the first preferred guide rail 1, which is angular in cross-section, for a tentering frame chain 2, indicated by dot-dash lines, substantially comprises horizontal and vertical supporting limbs 3 and 4 respectively and is fastened by way of an edge strip 5 to a tentering frame (not shown), by means of screws 6 arranged at intervals along the length of the guide rail 1.

Provided in the supporting limbs 3 and 4 are grooves 7 and 8 respectively which are undercut in a hammerhead-shaped manner in cross-section and wherein sliders 9 and 10 respectively are inserted coaxially with the longitudinal extent of the rail 1.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 in a second preferred guide rail 1 the slider 10 in the groove 8 (Fig.

1) is replaced by a spring band 11 which extends over the length of the guide rail 1 and which is inserted with a compensating piece 1 2 in the same way into the groove 8 as the slider 10 of Fig. 1, i.e. coaxially with the longitudinal extent of the guide rail 1.

Instead of grooves 7 and 8 formed by the cross-sectional shape of the supporting limbs 3 and 4, in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the guide rail 1, which is illustrated in Fig. 3, plate members or profiles 13, 14 respectively, which are C-shaped in cross-section, are fastened by means of screws 1 5 and 1 6 respectively to the support ing limbs 3' and 4' respectively. Heads 1 7 and 1 8 of the screws 1 5 and 1 6 respectively are so countersunk in the plate members 13, 14 respectively that they do not extend into the cross-section of grooves 7', 8' formed respectively by the plate members 1 3 and 14.

Thus the sliders 9, 10, or respectively the spring band 11 with the compensating piece 12, can be inserted in an unimpeded manner coaxially over the longitudinal extent of the guide rail 1 into the grooves 7, 7' or 8, 8' respectively.

In order to prevent an unintentional shifting of the spring bands 11 in the direction of travel of the tentering frame chain, as shown in Fig. 4 initial or end pieces 1 9 of the spring bands 11 are bent in the direction of travei of the chain in a hook-shaped manner around stationary bolts 20.

Claims

1. A guide rail comprising horizontal and vertical supporting limbs for a tentering frame chain consisting of needle and/or clip links which are fastened to holders, which holders are movable by way of sliders and/or spring bands which are connected to the supporting limbs characterised in that the sliders and/or the spring bands are held in grooves which extend over the length of the guide rail and which are undercut in a hammerhead-shaped or dovetail-shaped manner in cross-section.

2. A rail as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the grooves are formed by the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal and vertical supporting limbs.

3. A rail as claimed in claim, characterised in that the grooves are formed by plate members or profiles which are C-shaped in cross-section and which are fastened to the supporting limbs by screw bolts having heads which are countersunk in the plate members.

4. A rail as claimed in claims 1 to 3, characterised in that there are two grooves, one in each supporting limb, one of the grooves having a slider and the other of the grooves having a spring band which extend continuously over the length of a strand of the tentering frame chain.

5. A rail as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the spring band butts against a compensating piece which is held so as to be coaxially displaceable together with the spring band in the groove.

6. A guide rail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, or in Figs. 2 and 4, or in Figs. 3 and 4, of the accompanying drawings.