GB2314318A

GB2314318A - Metal cable drum

Info

Publication number: GB2314318A
Application number: GB9712333A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Gerald Bellfield; Alan George Rogers
Original assignee: PENTRE GROUP Ltd
Current assignee: PENTRE GROUP Ltd
Priority date: 1996-06-18
Filing date: 1997-06-16
Publication date: 1997-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2017-06-16
Also published as: GB9612728D0; GB9712333D0; GB2314318B

Abstract

A metal cable drum comprises a hollow core 1, a pair of flanges 3, 5 disposed at opposite ends of the core 1 and extending radially outwardly therefrom, and wherein the flanges 3, 5 are provided with means by which a plurality of lagging battens 13 are releasably retained at discrete circumferentially spaced positions extending between the flanges 3, 5. The outer periphery of each flange may be provided with a channel section having an open side which typically faces the open side of the channel of the other flange. Preferably, a reception location 24 is provided on each flange to receive the opposite ends of the respective battens 13, thereby precluding the necessity of holes to be formed in the ends of the battens 13. The channel section may comprise two radially aligned holes to receive one of two releasable retaining pins 19 which can be bent over after insertion for retention purposes. Alternatively, a single releasable element may be inserted through a hole in the base of the channel, wherein the end of a batten 13 may be configured to receive the releasable element. The lagging may be fully enclosed along the circumference of the drum, wherein the lagging battens 13 are preferably made of metal and may be I, C, or U-shaped in section.

Description

TITLE: Improvements in and relating to metal cable drums DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to metal cable drums and in particular the application and storage of lagging used in connection therewith.

A known construction of metal cable drum comprises a cylindrical metal core, a pair of opposed metal flanges and a central hub supported with respect to the core. The outer rim of the respective flanges is formed with a C-section channel and the respective open sides of the channel face one another. The respective channels receive the opposite ends of wooden battens which are thereby located between the flanges to circumferentially enclose the cable or other such like material wound onto the drum. The two outer rims are cut away at axially aligned positions to allow the battens to be introduced into the channel and fed around to position in edge abutting relation. Respective holes in the rim adjacent the cut-out and in the end of the flange at the position of the cut-out facilitate securing of the first and last battens by nailing. The fitting of lagging by this method is time-consuming.

Removal follows the reverse procedure and since only the first and last battens are secured, all the other battens are undamaged and suitable for re-use.

The lagging has to be removed to unwind the cable when the cable drum has reached its intended destination. The drum is intended to be returned once the cable has been removed. Invariably the lagging is not returned with the drum and whilst this only represents a small proportion of the overall costs nevertheless repeated provision and loss of lagging does add to the overall expense. The lagging could be refitted to the C-shaped channel but this is time consuming and could lead to confusion as to whether or not the reel is full or empty.

If the number of lagging battens could be reduced so that the contents of the drum were visible when the lagging was in place whilst still providing effective protection, the possibility of confusion between full and empty drums would not arise.

For timber cable drums it has been proposed to use a skeletal lagging system in which battens are placed between the flanges at discrete intervals around the circumference. With a wooden cable drum this is readily achieved since the battens can be simply nailed to the flanges. However, removal of the battens damages them so that they are not suitable for re-use with that drum. Skeletal battening could be used with a metal cable drum of the above-described construction by providing aligned holes in the respective channels at discrete locations to locate the battens by nailing.

However, removal of the battens would result in damage and preclude their re-use with the drum.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a quicker means of applying at least skeletal lagging to a metal cable drum. A further aim is to provide a means of securing lagging which would facilitate its re-use.

A still further aim is to encourage return of the lagging with the cable drum.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a metal cable drum comprising a hollow core, a pair of flanges disposed to opposite ends of the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom, and wherein the flanges are provided with means by which a plurality of lagging battens are retained releasably at discrete circumferentially spaced positions extending between the oppositely disposed flanges.

The invention enables skeletal lagging battens to be applied to a cable drum in a manner which renders them releasable since the preferred fixing method does not damage the battens. Said means conveniently comprises a combination of fixed and releasable retaining means, although all retaining elements could be releasable. The preferred retaining means does not require holes or other recessing to be formed in the ends of the battens, but merely provides a reception location on the flange for the opposite ends of the respective battens.

Location of the battens in the radial direction is conveniently by fixed inner and outer abutments. The radially outer abutment may be provided by a peripheral rim of the flange. The radially inner abutment may be a discrete component for each lagging batten. More preferably it will be provided by a continuous circumferential wall of the flange. Indeed it is preferred for the outer periphery of each flange to be provided with say a C or U-section channel, eg. a channel section open to one side and closed to three sides and with the open side of the channel of one flange facing the open side of the channel of the other flange. Other sections could be used as an alternative to a C or U-section, including, for example, RSJ, RSC, UNP, universal beam, universal column and composite type flat board angle structures or T bar and flat bar structures or any other preferred section. For convenience, we refer to C-section hereinafter. The base of the respective channels serves as an end abutment for the lagging battens and the sides serve as the radially inner and outer abutments. The advantage of using a drum of this configuration is that it can also be provided with fully enclosed circumferential lagging if it is desired. Such a construction has duality of purpose. Where duality of purpose is required circumferential location of skeletal battens is conveniently by releasable retaining means. One preferred embodiment employs two pin-like elements to locate each end of the lagging battens. The radially inner and outer sides of the aforesaid channel section are provided with two circumferentially spaced radially aligned holes to receive a respective one of the aforesaid pins. The retaining pin may take the form of a spring roll pin or a headed bolt and a cooperating nut, or the likes of a nail, the end of which can be bent over after insertion for retention purposes. A further alternative is the use of a malleable wire. In an alternative, a single releasable retaining element may be inserted through a hole in the end wall of the flange, ie. through the base of said channel. In such a case the lagging batten has its end configured to receive said retaining element, for example by the provision of an aperture in an end wall thereof.

Where duality of purpose is not demanded, one circumferential abutment may be fixed, for example by positioning an abutment plate or bar in the channel at each desired circumferential location. Conveniently a plate is welded in place.

A preferred skeletal lagging batten is made of metal, eg. mild steel, and conveniently is of I, C or Ushaped section. Using steel for the battens enables off-loading of large steel cable drums which is often done by rolling the drum off the deck of the transporter, the bed of which has a inclination of 100- 150. A winch cable is passed around the circumference of the drum and playing out of the winch cable controls rolling movement of the drum. The loads involved enable this to be done with full timber lagging, but it could not be done with skeletal timber lagging. By using steel for the skeletal lagging, the strength of the battens would be sufficient to utilise this unloading process.

The provision of discrete reception locations, for example opposed pairs of reception locations, enables the skeletal lagging to be fitted in a timeefficient manner. Thus, for the case where radial abutments are fixed, positioning of the lagging simply requires one end to be introduced into a reception location therefore with the battens angled so the other end is circumferentially displaced from its reception location so that it can be moved circumferentially into its reception location, whereby the batten will usually be aligned parallel to the axis of the drum, and the releasable retaining element introduced in place.

Where two circumferential abutments are used to define each reception location, usually at least one circumferential abutment is in place for each reception location. Both circumferential abutments can be in place for one end, so only one retaining element has to be positioned to locate each batten in place.

Unwinding of the contents of the drum requires removal of the lagging which is achieved by releasing the afore-mentioned retaining pins. For the return journey the lagging battens may be replaced in the circumferential reception locations. An alternative is to provide a specific reception location for the battens within the hollow core of the drum.

Accordingly, it is proposed to partition off a portion of the hollow core. A cage-like structure (eg. mesh) is preferred for lightness.

Conveniently at least a portion of the hollow core is partitioned off to provide said reception location. Preferably, the reception location is accessible from an end of the drum. An openable and closable end closure may be provided. Alternatively, a hole may be provided in the end to facilitate inserting a lagging batten axially. Alternatively, the ends may be fixed and access to the location means provided within the core, say from a radial access.

Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention provides a metal cable drum comprising a hollow core, a pair of flanges disposed to opposed ends of the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom, a plurality of drum lagging battens and one or more reception locations to receive the drum lagging battens and in which the one or more reception locations are disposed within the hollow core.

The present invention will now be descried further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a metal cable drum according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a view in direction A of Figure 1, Figures 3 is a fragmentary detailed view of the circled portion B of Figure 1 showing the lagging fixing in further detail, Figure 4 is a fragmentary view on CC of Figure 3, but shows both flanges, and Figure 5 is a section on AA of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, a cable drum comprises a hollow cylindrical core 1, a pair of flanges 3, 5 disposed to opposite ends of the drum and extending radially outwardly therefrom. Radial spokes 7 connect a hub 9 to the core. The outer rim of the flanges are formed by a C-shaped channel section 10 and the respective open sides face one another to receive a lagging element 13 extending between the respective flanges. Sides 10a, 10b of the channel section 10 provide inner and outer radial abutment surfaces and a base 10c provides an end abutment. In the illustrated embodiment a plurality of lagging beams 13 are equally spaced around the rim. Reception locations for the respective lagging means are formed by radial flange elements 17 applied to the C-section channel and respective retaining pins 19 which extends across the side flanges 10a, 10b of the C-section channel. Aligned reception holes 20 are provided in the side of the Cshaped channel to receive the location pin. In the illustrated embodiment 12 lagging beams are provided at equal spaced locations around the periphery of the driver to define a skeletal lagging structure. It will be apparent that the contents of the drum are visible when the lagging beams are in place. The lagging beams are themselves of C-section as shown in Figure 5 and it is proposed these will be of metal construction.

With the illustrated embodiment, insertion of the respective battens 13 requires one end thereof to be introduced into a reception location of one flange.

The pin 19 may be in position, if clearance so allows.

The batten is angled, ie. the other end displaced circumferentially to an extent to clear the rim 10b so that the other end of the batten can enter the channel.

It is then moved toward the abutment 17. Retaining pin 19 can then be put in place.

It is a relatively straightforward matter for the lagging beams to be reinstalled into the aforesaid reception location after the cable has been dispensed whereby they can be returned with the cable drum.

An alternative is to provide a reception location 24 within the hollow core of the drum in which the lagging beams can be stored when an empty cable drum is being transported. Conveniently, metal mesh is used to define a storage location therefor. The use of mesh keeps the weight to a minimum. A single sheet of mesh material 25 can be curved and welded in position within the core. One end of the storage compartment can be fixed and preferably be made from a mesh material 26 whilst the other is conveniently removable to facilitate access to the storage compartment.

For a case where it may be necessary to provide full lagging as an alternative to skeletal lagging, the fixed circumferential abutment 17 is replaced with a releasable abutment which conveniently takes the form of another pin 19 and further holes are provided in the channel sides to receive it. Thus, both circumferential abutments are releasable.

For such a requirement, the outer side 10b of each flange has a cut-out (not illustrated) whereby respective lagging battens can be introduced radially into the channel and slid around the channel. Holes are conveniently provided in the rim 10b and an end 10c by which the first and last battens are nailed in place.

Claims

1. A metal cable drum comprising a hollow core, a pair of flanges disposed to opposite ends of the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom, and wherein the flanges are provided with means by which a plurality of lagging battens are retained releasably at discrete circumferentially spaced positions extending between the oppositely disposed flanges.

2. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 1 in which said means comprises a combination of fixed and releasable retaining means.

3. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the retaining means does not require holes or other recessing to be formed in the ends of the battens, but merely provides a reception location on the flange for the opposite ends of the respective battens.

4. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of claims 1, 2 or 3 in which location of the battens in the radial direction is by fixed inner and outer abutments.

5. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 4 in which the radially outer abutment is provided by a peripheral rim of the flange.

6. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 4 or 5 in which the radially inner abutment is a discrete component for each lagging batten.

7. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 4 in which the radially inner abutment is provided by a continuous circumferential wall of the flange.

8. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 7 in which the outer periphery of each flange is provided with a channel section open to one side and closed to three sides and with the open side of the channel of one flange facing the open side of the channel of the other flange.

9. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 8 in which the channel section is selected from a C or U-section, RSJ, RSC, UNP, universal beam, universal column and composite type flat board angle structures or T bar and flat bar structures.

10. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 8 or 9 in which the base of the respective channels serves as an end abutment for the lagging battens and the sides serve as the radially inner and outer abutments.

11. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims and having fully enclosed circumferential lagging.

12. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which circumferential location for the lagging battens utilises two pin-like elements at least one of which is releasable to locate each end of the lagging battens.

13. A metal cable drum as claimed in claims 8, 9, or 10 in which the radially inner and outer sides of the aforesaid channel section are provided with two circumferentially spaced radially aligned holes to receive a respective one of two releasable retaining pins.

14. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 13 in which the retaining pin is selected from a spring roll pin, a headed bolt and a cooperating nut, a nail, the end of which can be bent over after insertion for retention purposes, or malleable wire.

15. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 8, 9 or 10 in which a single releasable retaining element is inserted through a hole in the end wall of the flange, ie.

through the base of said channel, and the lagging batten has its end configured to receive said retaining element.

16. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of claims 8 to 15 in which where duality of purpose is not demanded, one circumferential location means is fixed.

17. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 16 in which the fixed location means comprises an abutment plate or bar in the channel at each desired circumferential location.

18. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the lagging comprises skeletal lagging battens made of metal.

19. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 18 in which the battens are selected from I, C or U-shaped sections.

20. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which there are discrete reception locations for the skeletal lagging.

21. A metal cable drum as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which a portion of the hollow core is partitioned off to receive the battens.

22. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 21 in which the reception location is accessible from an end of the drum.

23. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 21 or 22 in which an openable and closable end closure is provided.

24. A metal cable drum as claimed in claim 21 in which access to the location means provided within the core is from a radial access.

25. A metal cable drum comprising a hollow core, a pair of flanges disposed to opposed ends of the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom, a plurality of drum lagging battens and one or more reception locations to receive the drum lagging battens and in which the one or more reception locations are disposed within the hollow core.

26. A metal cable drum constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.