US1720676A - Strand-working mechanism - Google Patents

Description

.Fuiy 16, 1929. w. F. HOSFORD ET AL STRAND WORKING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 17. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet v? S w CE y 15, 1929- w. F. HOSFORD ET AL 1.720.676

STRAND WORKING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,720,676 PATENT OFFICE.

wnmmn FULLER nosronn, or OAK PARK, AND DAVID LEVINGER, or CHICAGO, rumors, assmnons T WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, mconroaum), or new YORK, 11., Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

STRAND-WORKING, MECHANISM.

Application filed December 17, 1924. Serial No. 756,405.

This invention relates to improvements in strand working mechanisms, and more particularly to wire drawing apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved wire drawing apparatus wherein different types of wire storage mechanisms may be interchangeably mounted upon a common supporting portion thereof and operatively connected to a common driving means embodied in the apparatus.

In accordance with the general features of the invention a, wire drawing mechanism is provided withdi common supporting surface and a single operative connection for associating interchangeably in supporting and driving relationship therewith, either a wire coil take-up mechanism formed as a unit, attachable to the wire drawing mechanism and detachableitherefrom, or a spool takeup mechanism 'also formed as a unit, attachable to the wire drawing mechanism and detachable therefrom.

One of the advantages of this construction is that a wire drawing mechanism embodying the invention will be more compact and occupy less floor space than a machine provided with both spool and coil take-up mechanisms permanently attached thereto. There is a furtheradvantage that where a battery of wire drawing mechanisms of this type is employed it is not necessary to have both a spool and coil take-up for each machine, but a spool take-up may be provided for each of the machines and a lesser number of coil take-up mechanisms provided where the machines-are used primarily for storing wire on spools; and on the other hand a coil take-up mechanism may be provided for each wire drawing-apparatus and a lesser number of spool take-ups provided where the machines are used primarily for storing the drawn wire in the form of coils. A further advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the driving mechanism for the wire drawing apparatus is provided with a single operative connection which may serve for either the spool or the coil take-up mechanism, rather than to provide the driving mechanismLWit-h two operative connections, as is the practice in some instances when the machine is equipped permanently with both spool and coil take-up mechanisms.

It is believed that'the invention will be clearly understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanymg drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wire drawng machine embodying the features of the invention;

F g. 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof;

Fig. 1s a front elevation of a wire coiling mechanism adapted to be interchangeably mounted upon the machine with the spool take-up mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the driving mechanism for the drawing ele ments and the interchangeable wire storage mechanisms, and F g. 5 is a schematic plan view of the drivmg mechanism for the Wire coiling mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, is a bed or base plate upon which is mounted a housing 11 provided with an upper suitably hinged section or cover 12 which is adapted to be swung open by pulling upwardly handles 13 formed in the front face thereof. Mounted upon the base plate 10 to the rear of the housing 11 is a second housing 15 for the driving mechanism to be described in greater detail hereinafter. The base plate 10 is provided upon its upper surface at the right hand side thereof with aportion 16 adapted to have mounted thereon interchangeably either a spool take-up mechanism indicated at 17 in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 or a coil take-up mechanism indicated at 18 in Figs. 3 and 5.

Either of the mechanisms 17 and 18 may be secured to the portion 16 by a plurality of screws indicated at 19-19 which may be passed through either of the base plates 22 and 23 of the mechanisms 17 and 18, respectively, and threaded into openings provided in the portion 16. Suitably journaled within the housing 15 is a pair of horizontally disposed driving shafts 24 and 25 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4), the shaft 24 being rotated from a motor (not shown) positioned in a basement or pit below the machine. The motor is operatively connected to the shaft 24 by a sprocket chain drive indicated at 26 and the s aft 25 is driven at a suitable speed from the shaft 24 also by a similar drive indicated at 28. The shaft 24 extends through the rear wall of the housing 11 and has secured at its forward end by a key 29, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, a conical or stepped drawing drum or capstan 3Q provided with eight steps and the shaft 25 also extends into the housing 11 and carries a plurality of sheaves 31- 31, seven of which are stepped in gradually decreasing diameters beginning at the forward end of the shaft and are mounted loosely thereon. Fixed to the shaft 25 by a key 32 at the rear of the seventh sheave 31 is a drawing drum or capstan 33.

Secured to the inside of the rear wall of the housing 11 intermediate the shafts 24 and 25 is a die box or support '34 adapted to hold eight wire drawing dies 37-87, the dies being positioned and retained therein with their axes suitably disposed with respect to the periphery of the stepped capstan 30 and the sheaves 31-31 and capstan 33. Carried outside upon the left hand vertical end wall of the housing 15 is a trough like member 38 carrying tallow or other suitable lubricating material within which ,is mounted a die 39 through which the wire is first drawn. A guiding sheave 40 is rotatably mounted between a pair of cars 41 formed integrally upon the left hand end of the member 38 and over which the rod or wire 42 to be drawn down to a smaller size is led from the supply source (not shown).

Suitable means (not shown) is provided for lubricating the dies 37-37 mounted in the die box 34 and at the right hand side of the capstan 30 is a lubricator header 45 provided with a plurality of nozzles 4646 which direct the lubricant onto the periphery of the different steps of the capstan30. Upon the outside of the right hand vertical end wall of the housing 15 is mounted a support or housing 47 adapted to suitably position another wire drawing die 48 which is the final or finishing die.

The dies 37, 38, and 48 are first accurately strung upon the wire or rod 42 so that upon stringing the wire drawing machine, each die will drop into its allotted position in the die holders. A mechanism adapted to string the dies upon the wire in this manner is fully disclosed in the copending application of F. Murphy, Serial No. 681,922, filed December 21, 1923.

In stringing the wire drawing machine the end of the wire to be drawn, with the dies properly strung thereon, is passed over the guide sheave 40, the die 39 is positioned in the member 38, the wire is then passed over the top of and Wrapped one or more turns around the capstan 33, the first of the series of dies 47 is then properly positioned in the die box 34, the wire is then passed one or more turns around the smallest diameter capstan 30, then underneath and over the top of the smallest diameter sheave 31, then the second of the series of dies 37 is properly positioned in the die box 34 and the wire is then passed over and ported in a journal indicated at 52. The

shaft 51 is driven from the shaft 24 by a sprocket chain drive 53 and is operatively connected to a suitably journaled vertically disposed shaft indicated at 54 in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 through bevel gears 55 and 56, the lower end of the shaft 54 having fixed thereto a bevel gear 59.

Detachably mounted upon the extreme forward end of the shaft 51 by a set screw 66 and a key 61 is an auxiliary drawing element or capstan 62 which draws the wire through the final reducing die 48 and thereafter it is taken up by the spool take-up mechanism 17 shown in the drawings mounted upon the portion 16 of the base 10. lVhen the coil take-up mechanism (Figs. 3 and 5) is'being used the auxiliary capstan 62 is not necessary and may be easily removed from the shaft 51 and a suitable guarding cap (not shown) positioned over the projecting end of the shaft 51 to prevent possible injury to the operator. A guard 63, suitably supported, is provided for the auxiliary capstan which is also removed when the capstan is detached from the shaft 51.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 the spool take-up mechanism 17 comprises a horizontally disposed shaft 66 suitably journaled upon the base plate 22 and adapted at its forward end to support a removable takeup spool 67. The shaft 66 is operatively connected to the shaft 54 through a horizontally disposed shaft 68 having fixed thereon at opposite ends bevel gears 69 and 70 which respectively mesh with the bevel gear 59 carried by the shaft 54 and a bevel gear 71 secured upon the shaft 66 (Fig. 4). The shaft 68 forms a permanent part of the mechanism 17and is suitably journaled upon the base plate 22 thereof. Surrounding the shaft 68 is a housing 74 enlarged at its left hand end as indicated at 75 to surround the bevel gear 69 and provided with a flange 76 which is secured by screws 73 around an opening (not shown) in the right hand end wall of the housing 15. When the base plate 22 is properly secured to the portion 16 of the base plate 10, the bevel gear 69 is inmesh with the bevel gear 59 and the drive to the shaft 66 is then com- 'plete. For distributing the drawn wire in even layers back and forth across the spool 67 the following mechanism, also embodied in the take-up mechanism 17 is provided. To the rear end of the shaft 66 is secured a pinion 7 7 which meshes with an idler gear 7 8 in turn meshing with a gear 79 fixed to a horizontal shaft 80 ositioned above the shaft 66. The pinion 77 and gears 78 and 79 have been shown in ofi'set relation in the schematic illustration for the sake of clearness. As shown in Fig. 1 the shaft 80 provided with right and left hand screw threads 83 and 84, respectively, which are traversed alternately by'a lug (not shown) carried by a block 85 reciprocably mounted upon a pair of rods 86. Suitably carried by the reciprocable block 85 is a pair of distributor fingers 87 between which the wire being fed by the capstan 62 is led and as the block 85 travels backward and forward due to the threads 83 and 84 and associated mechanism the wire is distributed in alternate directions across the spool 67 and between the flanges thereof in smooth even layers. This type of distributing mechanism is old in the art of spooling and a more detailed description thereof it is believed is not necessary.

Due to the constant speed at which the wire is received by the spool 67 and the in creasing diameter of the spooled wire upon the spool it is necessary to gradually decrease the speed of the spool to maintain a uniform tension on the wire. This is accomplished in the embodiment illustrated, by splitting the shaft 66 intermediate the bevel gear 71 and the forward end thereof carrying the spool 67, and mounting therebetween a suitable slip clutch indicated at 88. The clutch 88 comprises two abutting friction disks 91 and 92. one mounted upon each section of the shaft 66, the disk 91 being slidably mounted upon the forward section of the shaft. The friction between the disks may be regulated by turning a nut 93 screw threaded upon the forward section of the shaft 66 which acts upon a compression spring 94 mounted upon the shaft and between the nut 93 and disk 91 to either decrease or increase the tractive force of the disk 92 upon the disk 91.

lVhen it is desired to take up the drawn wire in the form of coils the spool take-up mechanism 17 may be detached from the portion 16 of the base plate 10 by simply removing the screws 19 and 73 whereupon the mechanism 17 may be lifted from the portion 16 and the coil take-up mechanism 18 illustrated in Fig. 3 may be mounted in operative relation to the wire drawing machine by reinserting the screws 19 in the base plate 23, and the screws 73 in a flange 81 formed upon a housing 82, the flange 81 being similar to the flange 76 upon the housing 74 of the mechanism 17. As explained Referring to Figs. 3 and 5 which iliustrate the coil take- up mechanism 18, 95 is a rotatable block or head around which the drawn wire is adapted to be coiled. The head 95 is fixed to the upper end of a vertically disposed shaft 96 suitably journaled in a supporting standard 97 integral with the base plate 23. Fixed tothe lowerend of the shaft 96 is a gear 98 which is in mesh with a gear 99 secured to the upper end of a vertically disposed shaft 100 carrying at its lower end a bevel gear 103 in turn meshing with a bevel gear 104 fixed to one end of a horizontally disposed shaft 105 which corresponds to the shaft 68 of the spool take-up mechanism 17. Upon the opposite end of the shaft 105 is a bevel gear 106 which, when the mechanism 18 is in position upon the portion 16, meshes with the bevel gear 59 fixed to the shaft 54. The shafts 100 and 105 are suitably journalcd upon the standard 97, which also supports at its upper end a stationary cylindrical shell or guard 107 positioned around the rotatable head 95. The guard 107 is provided with a slot 108 extending in a vertical direction from its upper edge through which the drawn wire passes as it is coiled around the head 95 during the operation of the mechanism.

Combined with the coil take-up mechanism 18 and mountable therewith as a unit upon the portion 16 is a coil stripping mechanism 111. The function of the mechanism 111 is to relieve the attendant of the physical strain of removing the coils of wire, which are quite heavy, from the head 95.

Removably mounted within a suitable opening formed axially in the shaft 96 is a rod 112 carrying at its upper end a head 113. Pivotally connected to the underside of the head 113 as indicated at 114 are four legs 115 spaced 90 apart and provided at their lower ends with feet 116. The lower ends of the legs 115 when in operative position as shown in the drawings fit within four vertically disposed recesses 118 formed in the peripheral face of the head 95 in such a manner that the outer faces of the legs and feet are flush with the peripheral face of the head. Reciprocably mounted upon the rod 112 is a member 119 provided with four arms spaced 90 apart. Each leg 115 is connected with an arm of the member 119 by a link 120, the links being pivotally connected to the legs and arms.

When a length of rod or wire 42 has been drawn and completely taken up around the head 95 and the legs 115 of the mechanism 111, the mechanism may be lifted from op- Ill) crative engagement with the head by latching a hook 121 depending from the free end of an arm 122 into an eye 125 fixed to the upper end of the head 113. The arm 122 is pivotally secured to a ram 126 of suitable pneumatic lifting apparatus 127 which is controlled by operating a valve handle 128. The apparatus 127 is supported upon a table 129 fixed to the standard 97 at the rear -thereof as viewed in Fig. 3, the table serving as a platform for depositing the coil of wire upon its release from the mechanism 111. V

The member 119 and links 120 are so arranged that in the position shown in the drawings the legs 115 are retained in the position shown due to the weight of the member 119 and the cooperative toggle action between the member 119 and links 120, while if the member 119 is moved upwardly upon the rod 112 the legs will turn upon their pivot points 111 in a counterclockwise direction, thereby causing the feet 116 to move toward the axis of the rod 115. This inward movement of he feet 116 can only take place when the mechanism 111 is removed from operative ngagement with the mechanism 18, which is accomplished in the following manner. The hook 121 is first attached to the eye 125, the handle 128 is then operated to cause the ram 126 to move upwardly, thereby carrying the coil stripping mechanism 111 and the coil of wire with it, the rod 112 sliding out of the opening in the shaft 96. The arm 122 is then swung by hand to a position over the table 129 and the member 119 is moved upwardly upon the rod 115 which will cause the feet 116 to move inwardly as hereinbefore described whereupon the coil of wire 130 will drop onto the table 129. Upon the operator releasing the member 119 after the release of the coil 130 the parts will return to their normal position as shown, due to the action of gravity.

In Fig. 4 a suitable friction clutch is indicated at 133 which is adapted to connect the sprocket chain drive 53 with the shaft '51 and consequently adapted to control the by the movement of an operating lever 134 (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted upon a rod 135 which is suitably connected to a shifting fork 136.

The wire drawing machine as hereinbefore described, provided with a common supporting surface and a single operative connection for associating interchangeably in supporting and driving relationship therewith either a coil or a spool take-up mechanism provides an eflicient arrangement for a mechanism of this type and one which con serves floor space.

What is claimed is: I

In a wire drawing apparatus, a die, a capstan for drawing wire through the die, a driving means for the capstan, a gear operatively associated with the capstan driving means, a member secured to the wire drawing apparatus, a removable wire storing mechanism, a shaft having a gear for connecting the wire storing mechanism with the gear associated with the capstan driving means, and a rigid member surrounding the shaft and attachable to the men'iber secured to the wire drawing apparatus to predeterminately space the wire storing mechanism with respect to the gear associated with the capstan driving mechanism to insure a proper meshing of said gear with the gear carried by the shaft.

In witness whereof, We hereunto subscribe our names this 8th day of December A. D, 1924:.

WILLIAM FULLER HOSFORD. DAVID LEVINGER.

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