US1258649A - Apparatus for stretching and coiling belts. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. BRADSHAW.

APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND COILING BELTS.

APPLICATION FILED we. 1. 1911.

1,258,649. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Qwvewtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BRADSHAW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 \VILLIAM THOMPSON PLUMMER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND COILING BELTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Mar. 12, 1918.

Original application filed May 4, 1917, Serial No. 166,317. Divided and this application filed August 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM HENRY Bnnnsnxw, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Stretching and Coiling Belts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for stretching and coiling belts preferably during the process of manufacture or prior to their actual commercial use, and the present application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial Number 166,317, filed May 4, 1917.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical apparatus designed to treat belts or belting during the course of manufacture or before delivery for use in a manner permanently to take out the stretch or distensibility inherent therein. A. further object is to provide an apparatus of the above general character adapted to operate upon the material of which the belt is made in order to produce a better iinished article, as well as to eliminate stretching of the belt when in actual use. 1. further object is to provide an easily and conveniently operated apparatus of the above general character which will be reliable and efficient in use and operation and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and install.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated in. connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relations of the members and in'the relative proportioning and disposition thereof; all as more completely outlined herein.

' To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they can embody the same in the numerous modifications in structure and Serial No. 184,003.

relation contemplated b this invention, drawings depicting a pre erred form of apparatus have been annexed as a part of this disclosure, in which is shown senii-diagram matically a side elevation thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 1, 2 and 3 denote three sets or pairs of stretching and ealendering rollers. It is, of course, to be understood that more or less sets may be employed, as desired, six sets being preferred. The belt 4 passes over and between these rolls, as indicated and the several rolls are connected by means of power transmitting mechanism of any desired type, such as chains and sprockets in a manner to produce a progressively increasing peripheral speed of each set with respect to the previous set. This progression need not be constant or uniform. Thus, for example, the first set is provided with a sprocket 5 and chain 6 connected with a sprocket 7 upon the second set. This shaft upon which.

the sprocket 7 is mounted is provided with a slightly larger sprocket 8 which is connected by means of chain 9 with a sprocket 10 associated with the third set. The same is true of the lower rolls of each set. Both rolls of the first set may be driven directly from a shaft 11 provided with bevel gearing 1:? or the like, adjacent the set. Urearing 13 communicates power thereto from a main power shaft 14. A primary source of power indicated by the belt and pulley 15 is intended to rotate the shaft 14.

It will thus be seen that as the shaft l t rotates power will be transmitted through the shaft 11 to both rollers of the first set. This power is further transmitted through chains 6 to the rollers of the second setand thence through chains 9 to the rollers of the third set, and so on if more sets are em pl'oyed. The second set is rotated to cause a slightly higher rate of peripheral speed than the first while the third set is designed to rotate at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the second set. This produces a continuous stretching of the belt at the points 16 and 17 where it passes from one set to another prior to its passage to the reeling or coiling mechanism shown at the right of the drawing.

While the rollers of the sets, as shown, are of the same size and the sprockets of ditferent size, it is clear that the rollers may be of increasing size and the sprockets of the same size to produce the same desired result of increasing peripheral speed.

The-reeling or coiling mechanism for the beltwhich should be immediately adjacent the stretching mechanism comprises rollers 20 and 21 connected by means of chain and sprocket mechanism 22"?23 driven from a secondary shaft 24 connected by means of bevel gearing, or the like, 25,130 the main power shaft 14. The coiled belt is indicated at 26 and is held down with a high degree of pressure upon the roll 21 by means of a presser roll 27 guided as by a frame 28 of any desired type which also holds a solid core 29 for the belt roll 26. The guide slot for the core 29 is slightly inclined whereby when the roll is completed its center is more nearly over the axis of the roll 21. This construction permits the finished roll to be removed with the least trouble for it is unnecessary to lift its full weight from between the rolls 20-and 21 as would be the case if the guide slot were vertically disposed. The

rollers 20 and 21 are slightly different in diameter and thus the periphery of the roller 21 travels at a slightly greater speed than the periphery of the roller 20, thereby tending to push the coil ahead faster than the belt is fed by the roll 20, thus maintaining the belt in its stretched condition and coiling it very tightly in that stretched condition. The roller 20 is preferably driven at'a slightly greater peripheral speed than the roller 3 in order to produce a stretching of the belt adjacent the point 30, thus preventing recovery and maintaining the resultant tension.

If desired, the rollers may be of the same size and driven by differential gearing although the structure shown isfp-referred. These mechanisms above described merely illustrate semi dia-grammatically one of a number of different forms of apparatus adapted to carry out the process herein c escribed and while shown semi-diagrammatically, itis believed that any skilled mechanic would have no difiiculty whatsoever in constructing a commercially operative device in view of the disclosure herein.

It may have been attempted to stretch belts by the mechanism shownat the left of the .drawing and it also may have been attempted to coil belts by a mechanism somevihat similar to that shown at the right,'but

it isbelieved that the combination of parts herein shown'has never before been disclosed and that due to a peculiar coaction and inter-relat1on of these mechanisms a much better belt is obtained and inless time, in that is then startedanddue to the peculiarcoaction and interrelation of the two groups of elements and the manner of connecting .one with the other, whereby each rolleror set of rollers has a greater peripheral speed than 'the previous roller or set in engagement, there is accomplished a pulling of the belt at all times whereby it is stretched and wound up very tightly.

By way of example, it may be noted that when the ,plies of canvas are sewed together to make a fabric belt, there is produced a very strong and firm article. A pull of many thousand pounds is required in order to stretch a twenty inch ten-ply belt. This stretching cannot be successfully accomplished in acoilingrdevice used by itself nor could it be successfully or practically acconr plished by a belt stretching device alone such as shown at the leftof the drawings, for example. If it is attempted to stretch the belt in a coilingdevice alone the coil could not be pressed downwardly upon the roll 21 with sufiicient pressure to put the required tension in the belt for the rollers would simply spin around against the face of the belt and shortly wear holes therein. With the calendering rollers or belt stretching deviceshown at the left of the drawings, this desired degree of tension is very easily exerted upon the ibelt because the belt is wrapped around.

the instant it leaves the calender rollers, it

tends to recover itself. or shorten. When the-belt is passed through the set of calender rollers arrangedto run at different speeds,

such as above set forth tostretch-the belt, it

is then much easier to maintain this stretch, or if it partially recovers, again to pull the belt to its stretched length than it would be if the belt had not been passed through the calender rollers. The result is that although the belt cannot be permanently stretched by either a coiling machine alone or a set of calender rollers alone, the stretch can be permanently removed by first passing the bolt through a set of calender rolls and immediately coiling it in its stretched condition as described above.

It is impracticable to build an ordinary coiling machine which applies its power to the core with sufficient strength to coil a twenty inch ten-ply belt when the coil approaches its maximum diameter, for the reason that the power is applied to the center of the coil and the strain is applied to the circumference, but by using the ceiling machine such as herein set forth, it is possible to maintain sufiicient tension on the belt to prevent the belt previously stretched in a set of calender rollers from recovering on itself and therefore coil it in a stretched condition. After the belt has stood for a week or two coiled in this stretched condition it sets in such condition and the stretch is permanently eliminated.

It is thus seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical apparatus of the above general character adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth in a reliable, efficient and inexpensive manner.

\Vithout further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a coiling device arranged in series and means for operating the coiling device at a peripheral speed of not less than that of the stretching device.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a plurality of pairs of stretching rollers, a coiling device in series therewith and means for operating the coiling device at a peripheral speed of not less than that of the stretching device.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a coiling device arranged in series one immediately following the other, the coiling device being constructed and arranged to coil the belt while maintaining'the resulting tension from the action of the first device.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a plurality of pairs of stretching rollers each of which rotates at a higher peripheral speed than the pair before and a coiling device in series therewith, said coiling device including a roller operating upon the belt driven at a peripheral speed of not less than that of the stretching roller immediately therebefore.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a plurality of pairs of stretching rollers each of which rotates at a higher peripheral speed than the pair before and a ceiling device comprising means adapted to exert a continued tension and coiling action on said belt as it is fed from said stretching rollers.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a coiling device arranged in series, each of said devices comprising roller means arranged to exert a pulling and stretching action on the belt, the roller means of the coiling device being arranged to move at a higher rate of peripheral speed than that of the stretching device.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a coiling device arranged in series, both of said devices comprising a plurality of rollers, and means for driving successive rollers at progressively increasing peripheral speeds as the belt is fed thereover, whereby a continuous pulling action results.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a coiling device arranged in series, both of said devices comprising a plurality of rollers, a source of power connected with both devices, and differential gearing whereby each roller is driven at a higher peripheral speed than the preceding one.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a ceiling device arranged in series, both of said devices comprising a plurality of rollers, a source of power connected with both devices, differential gearing whereby each roller is driven at a higher peripheral speed than the preceding one, and means for pressing the coiling belt into engagement with the last roller.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device and a ceiling device arranged in series, each device comprising a plurality of rollers, the rollers of one of said devices being of the same size and driven at different peripheral speeds by means of differential gears.

1 1. In an apparatus of t-he character described, in combination, avstretching device and;a;coiling devicearranged in series, each device comprising a plurality of rollers, the rollers of one device being of different size and driven bygears of the same size.

.12. Inan apparatusof the character described, in combination, a stretchingdevice, and-a coiling device arranged in series, said coiling device including a pair of driven rollers adapted to support the coiled belt the b wee 1 3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a stretching device,

I and a coiling-device arranged in series, said coiling device including a pair of driven rollers adapted to support the coiled :belt therebetween, said supporting rollers being driven at diflierent peripheral speeds.

14:. In an apparatus of the character d escribed n combination, a stretching device and a coillng devlce arranged inseries, sa d v coiling device including a pair of driven rollers adapted toesupport the coiled belt therebetween,,amandrel upon which the belt 1-; is coiled, and an inclined guide for said 991 of this patent may be obtained 101- fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner ,of Patents,

Washington, D. C. a

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