US1140087A - Art of rolling hollow-headed metal bars. - Google Patents

Description

S. R. VANNAMAN.

ART OF ROLLING HOLLOW HEADED METAL BARS.,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1914.

mama May 18, 1915."

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S. R. VANNAMAN.

ART or ROLLING HOLLOW HE'ADED METAL BARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, I914.

Patented May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i illj] n lllumulmngljn s. R. VANNAMAN. ART OF ROLLI'NG HOLLOW HEADED METAL BARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15: 914. 1,140,087. Patented May 18, 1915.

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W 4 ,L'LS/Z' %n7zzzmazn/ 1m II HI IIIIH S. R. VANNAMAN.

A 1T OF ROLLING HOL LOW HEADED METAL BARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. is, I914.

Patent-e d -May 18; 1915,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT o FioE.

SILAS n. VANNAMAN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS-,ASSIGNOR TOAAIMERICAN' 3-way mm 5 COMPANY, or LAPORTE, INDIANA, A conronarron or rnnnsrnvnnra.

, ART or ROLLING HOLLOW-BEADED METAL nAns..; i

Specification of Letters Patent. I v Paten td lay 18 1915,

l Application filed April 15,1514. Serial No. 831,917.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SILAs R. VANNAMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook-and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Rolhng Hollow-Headed Metal Bars, of which the following is a-specification.

My invention relates to the art of making metallic muntins or sash-bars and the like. In the manufacture of sky lights, prismatic-reflector windows, and the like, metallic muntins or double-channel bars are commonly employed for receiving and connecting contiguous small panes of glass, and one advantageous form of such muntin construction-consistsof a metallic strip formed, in

cross sectionsomewhatlike a dumb-bell, to v provide a central bar flanked by twohollow heads, said heads substantially at right angles to said bar and extending on both sides of the plane of said bar to make a double channel, having its parallel heads convexly curved at their outer surfaces. The bar'portion ofsuch muntin strip is usually, wholly or in part, of double thickness, one thickness of the bar being the undivided-central portion of the strip and the other thickness of the bar. being composed of the marginal edge portions of the strip, abutting edge to edge either in substantially meeting relation or ore or less separated.

"Modifications of such particular muntin' construction are also employed, but the muntin strip formation above described sufiices to indicate a class of metallic muntin structure to the manufacture ofwhich my invenmany disadvantages from 'a manufacturing viewpoint. For instance, the bar'is commonly made of zinc, and the drawing operation entails considerable loss of stock. Zinc sheets cut into strips of appropriate width are commonly employed as the stock from material wastage for several reasons. The border strips cut from the zinc plates are in stand the strain of drawing and have to be -'pleted article. Also in"practice, the di'awlng dies are subject to wear, whichresults,

described; from light'er zinc stock than here;

universal practice, so far as I am aware, to

which to make the structure, but there is practice,nearly always checked, or weakened by fine cracks, so that they will not discarded." Also, each strip has to have its" 515 end folded into suitableform'to receivethe I gripper of the drawing machine and several j inches of stock-strip are necessarily wasted. Also in practice the grippers ofthe drawing machine often breakthe leading end of the so stock, entailing loss of material. as. well as f waste 'oftime. Furthermore, the operation I of such a drawing machine usuallyrequires the attendance oftwo operators, one to feed gripper; Also a disadvantage is that the 1 strain of the drawing operation inherentlyrequires the useof a relatively stout or thick stock, with attendant highcost andjtheldis advantage-of increased weight inthe COIIP.

during along run, in a material change, in the thickness of portions of the drawn arti-' cle, and some variation in the lengthofthe drawn bar produced from a given lengthof original-'strip-stock; By the use of my in vention all of these disadvantages are [over 7 come. In thepractice of my-invention I roll such strips without any drawing action 80 whatever, and, as far as I am aware, I amv the first successfully to accomplish the roll ing of such bar. j

By the practicecf my invention I am'able to produce muntin strips of the character tofore; to employ border strips cut from aplate as'efiectively as intermediate strips, without'breakage ordefective results; to de; 1 crease the cost of production very mate'- rially; toinsure uniformity in the productr;'-

- to enablelasingle operator adequatelyto serve the apparatus; to increase theoutpiitl as to rate ofproduction, to make;all strips uniform'in length and of the full length of 95 the stock; and to avoid, substantially,"'all H disadvantageous heating or wear of: parts such as would cause variation'in the product in even a very long continuous run.f

In the practice of my invention a. machine substantially. as hereinafter described, operating -by the 1 method disclosed.

the strips, the other to operate the drawing p I employloo I In the drawing Figure 1 is a side eleva-' tion of a machine for rolling muntin strips of the character described. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respectively transverse sections on lines 22 to 7-7 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal horizontal section above the lower rolls, with the upper rolls and gearing removed; Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are perspective .details showing different portions of a former-core associated with the rolls and with leading-guides. Fig 12 is a detail of a rolladjusting eccentric; Fig. 13 is a sectional detail through leading-guide 53. Fig. 14 is a broken perspective detail of a strip taken from the machine in partially'completed condition, showing the several'steps in the formation of the completed article.

In the machine, the roll-couples 2222, 2323.,retc., to 27-27 are mounted on a frame plate 28 to rotate in unison, with their coacting surfaces all traveling in the same direction, under power applied toyone of the roll shafts, preferably an elongatedshaft 29 of roll 27 The gearing may be varied.

but as here shown. each roll pair is provided with a gear couple 30-307, and motion iscommunicated from couple to couple by idler pinions 31 connecting, in train, the several gear members 30. Each roll member, fixed to its appropriate gear member, is mounted for rotation on a short shaft 32 or 32, the last roll 27 having a special shaft 29' which is extended to receive any suitable power transmitting clutch, conventionally illustrated.

in Fig. 7 as 33. For adjustment. ofthe two members ofeach roll couple with respect to each other, to vary the pressure between the roll members, the shaft 32 for each upper is fed to the rolls in predetermined position from a guide table 50 having guiding side flanges 51, and in its progress through the machine, the strip is methodically acted on by successive roll couples so that first it is symmetrically bent (in cross section) to provide a short, central bar portion, flanked by half-heads defining one channel of the com pleted article; then the wing or border along one edge of the strip is reentrantly rolled, preferably around a forming core, to complete the head on one side and lay one border of the strip fiat upon the central bar portion of the strip; and then the other wing portion, similarly to the first, is reentrantly rolled into the second head and its extreme border portion is laid flat on the bar part of the strip.

\ strip of the proper width the two extreme wings are successively rolled down, reen- By using a metal border portions may be laid uponthe central bar portion jointly to'constitute the second-thickness of said bar, and may be brought into substantial butt-contact along their edges; the successive bending of the two wings enabling them to be brought to their final positions without interference.

Because of the somewhat granular character of zinc, and its comparative low tenacity, I prefer to make each rolling operation 7 rather mild in the change of form imparted thereby to the strip-stock, and to this end, among others, I have sub-divided each of: the three steps of the operation above stated. into at least two operations, andeffect also an a. finishing operation, as may best be seen byp reference .to Figs. 2 to 7. The first two roll couples substantially form the lower half of the completed strip, bending it to provide the central bar forming the bottom of the channel, and two halfheads flankin the bar; then the two. wings are bent in jointly, toal'most meeting position as part of both the second and third steps; and then the two trantly, to complete the second and third steps, after which a finishingv ressure is applied to give final sharpnesso definition to the muntin bar. Of the first roll couple 22-22, the lower roll 22 provides a central bar-forming rib 22, preferably having its edges slightly rounded, and flanked by grooves 22 beyond which are wing-deflectingflanges 22, preferably widely flared outwardly; and the complemental roll 22 has a central groove 22 flanked by projecting ribs 22 cooperating with the complemental parts of the lower roll, as illustrated in Fig. 2. At this first stage a metal strip is formed as at 42 to approximately the lower'half of its ultimate section, but preferably without particular sharpness of definition of its angles, so as to avoid possibility of tea-ring, crystallizing or thinning too much, the metal. I find it to be preferable in practice v to give the .wing-shapingfianges 22 a con vex curvature, as thereby the wings of thd strip are prevented from rufiling or wrinkling. The strip, formed to the cross section indicated at 42, passes to a leadingguide 53 which extends substantially from the periphery of the lower roll 22- to the contiguous roll 23' of the next couple so as to guide the strip substantially in the plane of tangency to the tops ofthe rolls, in a straight material-path that leads directly through the machine. such guide 53 is preferably pivotally mounted on a pin 54 for slight lost motion of its receiving end, (which is slightly beveled down below the plane of travel) in a downward direction, until stopped by contact with the roll 22, its leading end being shaped for cooperation with the adjacent roll 23, normally to rest lightly on the periphery thereof under the 56, subjacent to the core being preferably new influence of gravity. The top surface of the guide is shaped toprovide a lon 'tudinal ridge 55 flanked by grooves 55' i' ingly to cooperate with the channel and ads of the p'artiallyformed stock strip. The second roll cougle23l123 furthers the strip-formation, su stantially to complete the first step of forming the "lower half section of the article, by sharpening the definition of the bends of the channel and said head-halves, and deflecting the wings inwardly somewhat to produce the cross-section 43. To this end the rib 23, grooves 23 of the lower roll and cooperating portions23 and 23 ofv theupper rolls are more sharply angled than in the first roll couple, and the wing.form-ingflanges23 are shaped more nearly vertical and coiiper+ ate with convened guiding surfaces 23 of the upper roll to produce the, substantially complete lower-channel formation shown in Fig. 3. p 4

The succeeding lower rolls of the series are nearly identical with roll 23* in their central-rib and flankingrgroove formation,

and leading guides 56, 57, 58, and59, that substantially correspond in construction with the guide 53, are rovided in the'spaces between the several ro ls so that the strip is guided throughout the" machine by coaction of the channel first formed therein with the co-acting surfaces of-the leading guides and several lower rolls. The operator has merely to feed. the strip to the first roll-couple. Its progress thereafter is automatically effected and it travels straight through the machine.

gated fingers or rails conforming to'the interior curvatures to be imparted to the strip heads and extending longitudinally from the point of support on the stud 61, through the material-path provided by the grooves of the roll pairs and of the leading guides to, preferably, substantially theacting surfaces ,of the terminal or finishing rolls. At its supported end the forming core preferablyhas its rails united by a horizontal top strip or bridge 60*, made integral therewith and extendingv forward to the operating surface of the roll 25', the leading guide made narrow, to lie only within the groove between the core-rails. formed strip of the crosssection 43, rides from rolls 23-23" toithe nextroll couple on bridge 60' across the former rails 60 The partially I the leading guide 56, with its win portions straddling the rails 60?. The gui e stud 61 carries a block 65-having a properly shaped.

mouth 66, that steadies the wings, refer-j ably deflectingthem farther inward s ightly or preventing them from spreading, and

that leads them properly to the third roll couple 24-24. I

The lower member of'the third roll cou-j ple provides the appropriate rih 24* and channel 24*, with as narrow lateral margins i -as is consistent with requisite strength,

while the upper roll 24 provides ri-ng.-de.-

fleeting portions 24'f straddling exteriorly the wings of the strip to bendthem inward, so'that they curve snugly around the sides of the rails'flOF, thus giving the interior curvature to both the head beads and pro-; 'ducing the configuration shown at 44, Fig. 4. This intermediate step, of iii-bending both wings to 'almost meet constitutes part of the second and third steps and eases the subsequent action of the succeeding rolls in rentrantly bending the two wings, success sivel to complete the strip. It will be note that where thisinward deflectionof both wings occurs, the core rails are united" I! by the bridge 60*, so that,the lateral ressures are equalized. The'leading gui e 57 following the third roll-couple is preferably. provided with-a wing guiding extension 57" extending upwardly and forwardly over the core-rail 60,. to press the left wing of the strip inward somewhat, properly feeding it to the contiguous ro'll couple 2525'- by The preferably extends forward to substantially the forward end of said extension 57 to give which it is to be" reentrantly ibent.

lateral strength'to the rail at that point.

The upper roll 25, provides a narrow rib 25 and a head formingchannel 25 to bend rentrantly, to substantially completed condition, one lateral head of the strip, leaving 119 the other strip-wing unafi'ected and pro.-

ducing the crosssection 45 and completing the second major step. The succeedinglead ing guide 58 has an extension 58 similar'to the extension 57, to direct the right wing of the strip to the actionxof the next upper roll 26. Said roll is provided with a narrow rib 26 flanked by a headforming groove 26 for the-right hand 'head and a;

clearance groove 26" for'fthe previously formed left hand head. This roll-couple forms the remaining head as shown bycross-section 46, and completes the thirdv major step. The terminal rolls 27 andf27' are'finishing rolls, sharply d'efined,jas to their ribs 27, 27 and grooves 27, 27* and usually 'operated under'considerable pre'ssure in coiiperatio'n with a' slightly attenu-I ated terminal portion of the'rails 60*, so as to cause a final compression and metal fiow for the ultimate sharp definition of the lee loo 7 bends of the channel and heads and final compression of the border portions upon the central bar of the strip securing the ultimate cross-section 47. The confronting channel engaging ribs 27* and 27 of the lower and upper rolls are preferably scored or knurled to increase the positiveness of the engagement of the rolls with the strip, and to work the bar-portions of the muntin into intimate contact.

a It will be observed that the formation of the strip by the reentrant deflection first of one wing and then of the other enables the strip to be rolled with its edge portions abutting closely so as to form a double bar at the base of the channel (although one layer of the bar is axially divided). In some forms of construction this closeness or meeting is not essential, but in manyinstances it is particularly desirable, for strength and for uniformity of seating surface at the bases of the channels. Beyond the terminal rolls the strip passes through a guide which may be of any desired length, only a fragment being herein shown. As the guide is closed at the top and bottom, it directs the strip straight away from the roll without any bending thereof, and in practice the rolled muntin strips so produced are satisfactorily straight, and free from curves or twists.

While I have herein described in some detail a particular apparatusgfor the practice of my invention, particularly constructed with a view to working on zinc, and therefore performing its operations in a number of steps adequate to prevent possibility of damage to this rather weak metal, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications in the machine might be made without departure from the spirit of my invention and within the scope of the appended claims. Also it will be understood by those skilled in the art that by changes in details of roll design specifically different configurations of strips might be produced within the spirit of my invention. It will be understood, therefore, that while I have herein described in detail a machine which I have commercially used and found to be practical and efficient, for purposes of full disclosure of my invention, I do not limit myself in detail to the specific features of construction or specific operations of the rolls in the method of rolling, further than as set forth in the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is I 1. The art of rolling muntin strips in the form of a double channel bar with hollow heads, which consists in rolling a fiat strip into a central channel, flanked by half-heads with wings extending back past the bottom bar of the channel; reentrantly rolling one wing to complete a head and to lay the wing border on the said bottom bar; and thereon said bottom bar with the wing-margins n confronting and closely contiguous.

- 3. The method of rolling double channel strips which consists in rolling a fiat strip into a form presenting a central bar and flanking half-heads having wings extending back past the bar, mutually in-bending said wings nearly to contacting position, and successively reiintrantly rolling one' wing to complete a head and lay the wing border on said bottom bar, and reentrantly rolling the other wing in like fashion.

4. The method of rolling double channel strips which consists in rolling a flat strip into a form presenting a central bar and flanking half-heads having wings extending .back past the bar, and thereafter mutually in-bending said wings nearly to contacting position, and successively reentrantly rolling one wing to complete a head and lay the wing border on said bottom bar, and reentrantly rolling the other wing in like fashion while guiding the strip interiorly on a forming-core.

5. A machine for rolling muntin strips in the form of a double channel bar with hollow heads, comprising in combination successive roll couples including certain rolls adapted and arranged to bend the strip into a central channel flanked by half-heads l1aving wings extending back past the bottom bar of the channel; other succeeding rolls adapted and arranged reentrantly to rollone wing to complete a head and lay the wing border on said bottom bar, and other; succeeding rolls adapted and arranged reentrantly to roll the other wing in like fashion.

6. A machine of the character described comprising in combination successive roll couples, whereof the first are adapted to roll a flat strip into a central channel flanked by half-heads with wings extending back past the bottom bar of the channel, and others are successively adapted rentrantly to roll one wing to complete a head and thereafter reentrantly to roll the other wing in like fashion; and leading guides engaging the first formed channel interposed between the successive roll couples.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of roll couples com prising rolls adapted to shape a strip into a channel and succeeding rolls adapted to work on the wing portions of the strip to I complete the formation thereof, leading guides interposed between the several pairs of rolls below the path of material travel through the roll and each arranged for engagement with the first-formed channel of the strip, said guides pivotally mounted for depression of the receiving end and limited in movement at that end contact with the contiguous roll.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of roll couples,

comprising shaping portions leaving there-- between a material path, and a leading guide interposed between two roll couples below the material path, said guide beingv movably mounted for depression of its receiving end below the level of the material path, and normally standing with its finding crest' substantially in alinement wit the bottom of the material path.

9.- In a machine of the character described the combination of two roll couples, shaped to provide a material'path, extending hor1 zontally through the machine, and a leading-guide interposed between said roll couples, pivotally mounted between its ends,

' normally positioned with its guiding Crest substantially on the line of the bottom of the material path to the rolls, and tiltable for depression of its 1 eceiving cnd below the level of the material path to a position for substantial contact with the periphery of v the lower roll of the first of said roll couples.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a series of roll couples, comprising rolls adapted and arranged to operate upon a strip and form therein a central channel flanked by halfheads with wings extending back past the bottom bar of the channel, other succeeding 1 rolls adapted and arranged convergently to bend said wing members inwardly beyond 'the vertical, and other succeeding rolls Eadapted reetrantly to bend said wing mem-- bers to complete the head formation.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a series of roll couples comprising rolls adapted and arranged to operate upon a strip and form therein a central channel flanked by halfheads with wings extending back past the bottom barof the channel, other succeeding I rolls adapted and arranged convergently to e strip into a hollow headed bar, with hollow heads in both sides; leading guides between the lower rollsof the successive couples, and a forming core spanning a p'lurality of said roll couples and assing through the material-path defined J y -theacting surfaoes'of said roll'oouples and by. the leading guide, said core comprising two parallel rails supported at their receiving ends, and at then: forward oraleading endspositio'ned only bythe rolls.

13. In a machine .of the charaietei' scribed, the combination withv first-operation rolls adapted and arranged toform a strip into a channel, half-heads and wingsgsuc:

cessive second and third operation rolls adapted and arranged successivelyto bend rentrantly the side-wings to complete the formation of a double channel, and a'I core I supported at its receiv:

member, spanning the secondand'gthirdoperation rolls and ing end. a r

14. In a machine of the characterdescribed, the combination with-first-operation i rolls' adaptedv and arranged to form a strip into a channel, half heads and wings; suc-' cessivej second and "third operation rolls I adapted andarranged successively to bend,

reentrantly .the side wings to completethe formation of the double channel; leading guides extending between contiguous rolls for engagement with the channel-of the strip formed by the'first operation rolls; and a core member spanning the second and third...

operation rolls and 006 eratin therewith and with the leading gui es, sai core member supported at its receiving endand'bitiliilll with the second and third operation r0 s.-

15. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination with first-operation rolls adapted and arranged to form a strip into a channel, flanked by half heads and wings; wing-inbending rolls adapted and arranged to bend said wings toward each other closer than the width of the strip furcated. throughout its length of cooperathrough. the half heads, other succeeding rolls adapted and arrangedfrentrantly to bend the side wings to completethe formation of a double channel, and the core mem-. ber, spanning said rolls subsequent to the first-operation rolls, supported at its-receiving end and providing rails corresponding with the interior shape of the half head and separated throughout their portions co6p-.v

erating with said reentrantly bending roll, and having a bridge portion spanning said rail where said core member coiiperates with said inbending rolls.

16. In a machine of the character described, the combination with first-operation rolls, adapted and arranged to form a strip into a channel, flanked by half heads and wings, of successive second and third fis 1,140,087

operation rolls adapted and arranged snc- In testimony whereof I hereunto set my cessively to bend rentrantly the side Wings hand in the presence of two subscribing Wit- 10 to complete the gornijmtion of a dciuble chm? nesses.

nel, leading gui es. etween'the ower r01 s of the successive couples, and Wing guiding- SILAS VANNAMAN extensions on the leading guides that direct In the presence of-- the strips to the second and third operation MARY F. ALLEN,

rolls. GEO. T. MAY, J r; Y

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