US1850591A - Apparatus for handling material - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1932. F. D. MARTIN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIAL Filed Dec. 26. 1929 o kk mm.. WM.. hm.

/n Vanor Fran/f D Waff/n @mmmwy atented Mar. 22, i932 UNITED 'STATES aesasei PATENT ori-icc FRANK D. MARTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS'SIGNOR TO WESTERN V`,.'ILII'JEC'JR'IG GOM- PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR 'HANDLING MATERIAL Application med December 26, 1928. Serial No. 416,342.

l Objects of the invention are to provide a simple and eicient apparatus for handling strand material and for supplying a continuous length thereof.

One embodiment of the invention contemili plates the provision of an apparatus for supplying copper rod to a wire drawing machine, wherein an enclosure or housing is provided adjacent to the wire drawing compartment and communicating therewith, in which the rod is placed during the operation of the wire drawing machine. Several coils of the rod are interwelded and placed in stacks upon two vertical posts mounted on the upper surface of a wheeled platform. One end of the rod on one post is welded to an end of the rod on the other post with a suitable amount of slack therebetween, and one free end of the coil is then strung in the usual manner with the wire drawing dies. The loaded platform is carried by a crane to the vicinity of the housing, which is then opened and the platform wheeled into place within the housing. The free end of the rod having the dies thereon is passed over a rotatable drum suspended from the roof of the housing, and then fed into the wire drawing compartment wherein it is strung in the usual manner. The interconnecting portion of the rod between the two posts is looped over another similar drum so that upon exhaustion of the rod upon the iirst post, the rod on the second post is ready to be drawn without stopping the operation of the wire drawing machine. On approaching the end of the supply, another loaded platform may be carried by the crane to the vicinity of the Vsupply housing and the rod thereon welded to the remaining supply,

y after which the empty platform can be removed and the loaded platform substituted so that the operation of the wire drawing machine may be continued without re-stringing.

lt is believed that the invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference rbeing had to the accompanying-drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a wire drawin machine having associated therewith a ro supplying apparatus embodying the invention;

2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section on line Y3--3 of Fig. 1.

Referring nowto the drawings'wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, it will be observed that a wire drawing machine is shown somewhat schematically in Fig. 1 and com rises a wire drawing compartment 10 an a takefup compartment 11, both mounted upon a common supporting base 12 embedded in a foundation or ioor 13. A pair of stepped wire drawing capstans 15-15 and cooperating idler sheaves 16-16 are mounted within the wire drawing compartment 11 with suitable brackets 17--17 interposed therebetween for supporting the reducing dies in the usual manner. An opening 18 is provided in the front side of the wire drawing compartment for facilitating the threadingof the rod and the reducing dies before starting the operation of the machine.

A suitable door (not shown) is provided for closing the opening 18 during the operation of the wire drawing mechanism.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, a supply compartment or housing 20 is provided adjacent to the wire drawing compartment 10 for enclosing a supply of the rod to be drawn.V The supply compartment 2O consists of oppositely disposed side walls 21-21, a roof 22..,and a rear wall 23 which are rigidly braced and secured together by means of angle beams as shown in drawings. On the front side of the compartment 2O there is provided a door 25. preferably of a rollable type, having a handle. 26 whereby it mav be manually raised or lowered. When raised, the door 25 automatically rolls around a drum 27 mounted near the roof of the compartment (Fig. 2).

A pair of flanged drums 30 and 31 are rotatably supported in U-shaped brackets 324-32 depending from the roof of the comformed'with an upwardly extending portion 33 (Fig. 2) for attachment to an angle iron .framework 34 (Fig. 3) secured to the under side of the roof.

The rod to be drawn is placed in coil form upon a pair of vertical posts 35 and 36 mounted upon a rollable support or wheeled platform 37. If several coils are placed on a post the inner end of each coil is welded to the outer end of the adjacent coil on that post. Guard Iianges 3838 are provided at the upper ends of the posts 35 and 36 for preventing tanghng or snarling of the rod as it is withdrawn from the posts. An e e-bolt or hook 39 is attached t-o each corner o the platform 37 by means of which the platform may be lifted by a suitable crane (not shown) and carried to and from the vicinity of the sup pl compartment 20.

After placing a coil o rod upon each of the posts 35 and 36, the inner end of the rod on the post 35 is welded to the outer end of the rod on the post 36. The outer end of the rod on the post 35 is then strung with the reducing dies in the usual manner, after which the plat-v form is carried by a crane to the vicinity of the sup ly compartment 20. The platform is then wheeled into position within the compartment 20, as shown in the drawings. `The portion of the rod interconnecting the coils on the two posts is now threaded over the take-olf drum 31 and the outer or free end of the rod havin the dies strung thereon is threaded over t e take-olf drum 30 and then through an opening (not shown) in the side wall of the compartment 20 and into the wire drawing compartment 10, wherein it is threaded in the usual manner around the capstans 15 and the associated idler sheaves 16, the reducing dies being located in their supporting brackets 17. passed from the wire drawing compartment 10 into the take-up compartment 11, wherein it is threaded under an idler sheave 42, over a similar sheave 43, through a distributor 44, and then around a take-up reel 45. The doors of the su ply and wire drawing compartments, an also a door 47 on the front side of the take-up compartment are now closed and the apparatus is ready for operation. i

Upon approaching the end of the supply of rod on the second post 36, another loaded p platform is carried by a crane to the vicinity -of the supply compartment 20, the Wire drawing operat1on is temporarily stopped, the door 25 of thc supply compartment is opened and the end of the remaining rod is welded to an end of the rod on the loaded platform, after which the empty platform is wheeled out of the compartment through an opening 48 in the rear Wall thereof and the loaded platform is wheeled into the compartment. Thus, since the rcstringing of the die and the rethreading ofthe rod through the wire draw- 'Ihe end of the rod is thenl ing mechanism is eliminated, the wire drawing operation may quickly be resumed.

It is believed that the advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent from the above description. By enclosing the rod supply within the compartment as described above, the operator is adequately protected against any possible injury which may be due to tangling, snarling or breaking of the rod as it is drawn from the supply. Also, by supporting. the supply upon a wheeled .platform adapted to be hoisted and transported mechanically, the rod may be handled conveniently and in large quantities with a minimum amount of manual labor.

Although the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated and described is particularl ap licable to wire drawing apparatus, it shoul be understood that the invention is capable of other applications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

. 1. In an apparatus for handlin strand material, a support, a plurality o upright members extending from the support, a supply of strand material in coil form mounted upon each of the upright members, the strand supplies being interconnected so as to permit an uninterrupted feed of the strand from the supplies seriatim, and a rotatable drum positioned above each of the supplies for facilitating the withdrawal o f the strand from the associated supply.

2. In an apparatus for handling strand material, a rollable support, a plurality of strand supplies mounted upon the support, the inner end of one of the supplies being connected to the outer end of another of the supplies, an enclosure for accommodating the support with the supplies thereon, and rotatable means individual to each of the supplies and mounted within the enclosure for facilitating the withdrawal of the strand material from the respective supplies, said supplies and rotatable means being arranged so as to permit an uninterrupted feed of material from the supplies seriatim.

3. In an apparatus for supplying strand material, a wheeled platform, a plurality of vertical posts attached to the platform, a supply of strand material in coil form mounted upon each post, a housing for enclosing the supplies, and rotatable means individual to each of the supplies and mounted within the housing for facilitating the withdrawal of tllie strand material from the respective supp ies.

4. In an apparatus for supplying strand material, a wheeled platform, means mounted upon the platform for holding a plurality of strand supplies in coil form with one end of a strand of one of the supplies connected to one end of a strand of another supply, a housing for enclosing the wheeledf latfgll with the supplies mounted thereon, t e housing having y FRANK D. MARTIN.

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