GB2173171A

GB2173171A - Drums for the storage and handling of electric cable and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2173171A
Application number: GB08607094A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond Bob Tonkinson; Claude Oliver Robinson
Original assignee: ASKERN SAW MILLS Ltd
Current assignee: ASKERN SAW MILLS Ltd
Priority date: 1985-04-02
Filing date: 1986-03-21
Publication date: 1986-10-08
Also published as: GB8607094D0

Abstract

A drum for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like, has end flanges (10) and a barrel (12) on which cable can be wound, the flanges (10) being made of wood or other soft sheet material. In order that the peripheral surfaces of the flanges (10) can be protected against damage in use, said flanges are provided with metal rim elements (34), the rim elements being swaged around the peripheral edge portions and pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flanges. In addition, each flange may have a spindle hole (18, Figure 2 not shown) at its centre and in this case each spindle hole may be provided with a cylindrical steel liner (20, Figure 2 not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Drums for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like The invention relates to drums for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like.

Conventional drums for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like have end flanges and a barrel on which the cables can be wound to be contained between the flanges. The end flanges are generally made of wood. The barrel may also be made of wood and if so will generally be constituted by a plurality of wooden segments extending axially of the drum and seated at their opposite ends of support disc elements which provide respective registers co-axially of the end flanges and standing proud of their inner surfaces. The segments in this case may be nailed on the support disc elements or their opposite ends may be located in annular grooves in the flanges and held tightly in position by means of bolts extending the full width of the drum within the barrel.

In another construction, the end flanges have been made of wood but the barrel has been made of helically seamed tubing, the opposite ends of the barrel registering on support disc elements on the inside surfaces of the flanges.

In all these previous constructions, a particular drawback has been that the peripheral surfaces of the wooden flanges have tended to split and break down, even though the flanges have each been made of two or more plies of wood laminated together in such a way to give cross grains at angles to each other. The object of the invention is to provide a construction of drum in which this drawback will be at least alleviated.

According to the invention, there is provided a drum for the storage and handling of electric cable and the like, the drum having end flanges and a barrel on which cable or the like can be wound, the flanges being made of wood or other soft sheet material but their peripheral surfaces being protected against damage in use by being provided with metal rim elements, the rim elements being swaged around the peripheral edge portions of the respective flanges and the opposite edge portions of each rim element being pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flange. The rim elements may be made of mild steel and their opposite edge portions will preferably be turned inwardly towards each other so that in being pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flanges they bite into the timber or other soft sheet material of the flanges.The flanges will preferably be provided on their inside surfaces with support disc elements which provide respective registers for the opposite ends of the barrel. The barrel may be made of helically seamed tubing. Alternatively, the barrel may be constituted by a plurality of wooden segments extending longitudinally of the drum and seated at their opposite ends on the support disc elements.

The drum may be held together by a plurality of barrel bolts extending the full length of the drum, or, if the barrel is made of helically seamed tubing, by a plurality of screwthreaded metal rods welded within the barrel for their screwthreaded ends to project therefrom.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same wil now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a partly cut away front view of a drum embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a transverse section through the drum, Figure 3 is an exploded view, and Figure 4 is a scrap section on the line 4-4 in Figure 3, drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Figures 1 to 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the drum there illustrated has end flanges generally indicated 10 and a barrel 12 on which a length of electric cable or the like can be wound to be contained between the flanges. As shown, each one of the flanges 10 is made of two plies of wood 14 and 16 and these are laminated in such a manner as to give, in each flange, cross-grains at 90 to each other. At the centre of each flange is a spindle hole 18. Each spindle hole is provided with a cylindrical steel liner 20 with swaged over ends as shown in Figure 1.

On the inner surface of the flanges there are secured support disc elements 22 which provide respective registers 24 co-axially of the flanges and standing proud of their inner surfaces. The registers serve to centralise the barrel, which in this illustrated example is shown to be made of helically seamed tubing, and the drum is held together by a plurality of barrel bolts 28 which extend through aligned holes in the flanges, the bolts extending the full length of the drum and within the barrel between the two flanges. Metal washers 30 are positioned beneath the heads of the barrel bolts and beneath respective nuts 32 which engage screwthreaded end portions of said bolts.

Referring now in particular to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the peripheral surfaces of the flanges are protected against damage in use by being provided with metal rim elements 34. As shown, the rim elements, which are made of mild steel, are swaged around the peripheral edge portions of the respective flanges and the opposite edge portions of each rim element are turned inwardly and pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flanges. The opposite ends of each rim element are welded together to retain the rim element securely on the flange which it surrounds.In Figure 3, for the sake of simple illustration, the ends of one of the rim elements are about to be joined together and welded, but it will be understood that the operation of fitting the rim elements to the flanges may be carried out either before of after the assembly of the flanges to the barrel.

The required thickness and radial dimensions of the rim elements will depend upon the size of the cable drum and may be determined by trial and experiment. However, by way of example, it may be stated that the thickness of mild steel which has been employed and found appropriate on a wide range of drum sizes has varied between 1 m.m.

and 6 m.m.

A drum embodying the invention is of very strong but extremely neat construction because the rim elements protect the peripheral edges of the flanges from damage throughout the useful life of the drum. In addition to protecting the timber edges against splitting, the rim elements prevent to a very large extent water penetration into the timber at the periphery of each flange, that is to say directly into the end grain of the timber and between the laminations. The rim elements also prevent penetration of the peripheral edges of the flanges by foreign bodies, that is to say nail, small stones and the like.The lining of the spindle holes with the cylindrical steel liners 20 also protects the timber flanges in an analagous fashion, that is to say by preventing the ingress of rainwater and the like to the end grain of the timber and by protecting the timber against damage, in use, if the drum is to be mounted for rotation on a spindle.

Various modifications may be made. For example, the flanges need not necessarily be made of solid timber as illustrated in the drawings. They could be made of plywood or of other soft sheet material such as chipboard (in which case the fitment of the metal rim elements to the flanges will be even more advantageous).

Instead of the drum being bolted together by the use of the bolts 28 as in the illustrated construction, a plurality of metal rods could be welded within the barrel for their screwthreaded ends to project therefrom. When the barrel has then been assembled with the flanges, the screwthreaded ends of the rods will project through holes in the flanges for the fitment of washers and nuts. However, it will be understood that it is not essential for the barrel to be made of helically seamed tubing as in the illustrated embodiment. If preferred, the barrel could be constituted by a plurality of wooden segments extending longitudinally of the drum and seated at their opposite ends on the support disc elements which stand proud of the inner surface of the flanges.

The drum which has been illustrated in the drawings has been primarily intended for the storage and handling of electric cable. However, it will be understood that substantially the same construction of drum can be used for the storage and handling of other elongate products, for example lengths of flexible pipe, chain and the like. The invention is applicable to the construction of such drums whatever the elongate product which is to be wound thereon.

Claims

1. A drum for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like, the drum having end flanges and a barrel on which cable or the like can be wound, the flanges being made of wood or other soft sheet material but their peripheral surfaces being protected against damage in use by being provided with metal rim elements, the rim elements being swaged round the peripheral edge portions of the respective flanges and the opposite edge portions of each rim element being pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flange.

2. A drum according to claim 1, in which the rim elements are made of mild steel and their opposite edge portions are turned inwardly towards each other so that in being pressed into engagement with the opposite side surfaces of the respective flanges they bite into the timber or other solt sheet material of the flanges.

3. A drum according to either one of the preceding claims, in which each flange has a spindle hole at its centre and each spindle hole is provided with a cylindrical steel liner with swaged over ends.

4. A drum according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the flanges are provided on their inside surfaces with support disc elements which provide respective registers for the opposite ends of the barrel.

5. A drum according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the barrel is made of helically seamed tubing.

6. A drum according to claim 4, in which the barrel is constituted by a plurality of wooden segments extending longitudinally of the drum and seated at their opposite ends on the support disc elements.

7. A drum according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the drum is held together by a plurality of barrel bolts extending the full length of the drum, or, if the barrel is made of helically seamed tubing, by a plurality of screwthreaded metal rods welded within the barrel for their screwthreaded ends to project therefrom.

8. A drum for the storage and handling of electric cables and the like, the drum being constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.