US1355521A

US1355521A - Apparatus for tempering wire

Info

Publication number: US1355521A
Application number: US280360A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alexander Herbert; Wyndham T Vint; Imbery Arthur
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-03-03
Filing date: 1919-03-03
Publication date: 1920-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1937-10-12

Description

H ALEXANDER, W. T. VINT AND A. IMBERY. APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING WIRE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.3. 1919.

1,355,521, Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT ALEXANDER, WYNDHAM T. VINT, AND ARTHUR IMBER Y, OF LEEDS,

ENGLAND; SAID ALEXANDER AND SAID VIN T ASSIGNORS TO SAID IMBERY.

APPARATUS FOR TEMPEBING- WIRE.

Application filed March 3,

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HERBERT ALEXANDER, VVYNDHAM THEoDoRE VIN'r, and ARTHUR IMBERY, subjects of the King of Great Brit ain, residing at 1 Charmouth street, Leeds, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Tempering WVire, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the hardening and tempering of steel and other metal wire, which is accomplished by heating the wire, passing it through an oil or other ,cooling bath and repeating the operation.

For some purposes it is desired that steel or other metal wire, whether bare or tinned, should be bright after hardening and tempering, but this desideratum has been difficult to obtain when the wire is electrically heated, and practically impossible where a gas or other flame is the heating agent, owing to the rapidity with which the surface of the wire oxidizes when exposed at a high temperature to the air. It has previously been proposed to heat the wire electrically while passing through an inclosed chamber, and then to cool it b passing it through an oil bath; but accor ing to the present in vention we effect both the heating and the cooling in the same oil bath, whereby all access of air to the wire while at the critical temperature can be effectually prevented.

The accompanying drawing shows a longitudinal section through an apparatus for carrying out our invention.

In the oil bath, which may be an openv topped trough 24, we arrange two pairs of

rollers

25 and 26, the distance apart of these rollers being adjustable. The wire 27 passes through an approximately air-tight chamber'28, thence into the trough 24, between the two pairs of rollers, and on leaving the trough passes through another approximately air-tight chamber 30; the trough contains oil, which is always kept at such a level as to immerse thoroughly the traveling wire. Conductors 34 are led to each pair of rollers, and the traveling wire completes the circuit while it is passing between the rollers, in known manner. The wire thus gradually heated, on leaving the second pair Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Oct. 12, 1920. 1919. Serial No. 280,360.

of rollers, continues to travel through the oil for a ruflicient distance to reduce its heat as required. At each end of the trough s an oil overflow 31; the oil thus escaping is cooled and pumped back to a pipe 35 above the trough, which delivers it upon the surface of the oil in the trough; by regulating the rapidity of this circulation the oil is kept at a suitable temperature.

The chambers at each end of the tank may be provided with glands if found necessary, but in our experiments we have found a washer 33 of as estos or other fiber surrounding the wire and sealing the apertures of the chambers to be sufficient.

lVe find that the presence of the oil in which the wire and rollers are immersed does not interfere with the making of good contact between the rollers or pulleys and the wire. The first pair of rollers or pulleys 25 may be stationary near the point of entry of the wire, and the second pair 26 may be moved longitudinally in the trough toward or away from the said first pair by a screw 36, or other suitable means, in order to vary the proportionate distances and therefore the time during which the wire is being heated-between the first and second pairs, and during which it is cooling between the second pair and the exit from the trough.

. Two or more similar troughs may be employed in succession in order to repeat the operation where necessary.

We claim as our invention 1. In apparatus for tempering wire, a single vessel for holding oil for cooling the wire, pairs of rollers arranged in the vessel and supporting the wire in the oil between them, and means for conducting an electric current to the pairs of rollers to heat the submerged stretch of wire between them.

2. In apparatus for tempering wire, a single vessel for holding oil for cooling the wire, pairs of rollers arranged in the vessel and supporting the wire in the oil between them, substantially air-tight chambers at the ends of the said vessel for the wire topass through, and means for conducting an electric current to the pairs of rollers to heat the submerged stretch of wire between them.

3. In apparatus for tempering wire, a single vessel for holding oil for cooling the wire, pairs of rollers arranged in the vessel and supporting the wire in the oil between them, means for adjusting the distance apart of'the pairs of rollers to vary the length of the stretch of wire to be treated, and means for conducting an electric current to the pairsof rollers to heat the submerged stretch of wire between them.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 16 tures in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

GERTRUDE VVRIGHT, H. T. RHODES.