US1864162A - Cordage machine - Google Patents

Description

June 21, 1932. F. zETTEK CORDAGE MACHINE Filed Sept. 30, 1929 .1 mllm Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES .PATENT OFF-ICE- FRANK ZEITEN, OP CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To KELLOGG SwITCHBoAnn AND '9 SUPPLY COMPANY, OP CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS commen MACHINE Appncaan mea september 3o, 192s. serial No. 396,050.

My invention relates to wire stranding machines and has to do more particularly with the wire twisting mechanism as used on such machines.

In stranding machines of the present type as commercially used the twisting of a number of wires into a cord is attained by subjecting the component wires to a simultaneous rotary and drawing movement; the irst l0 being supplied by a rotating disk or a spider upon whose periphery or arms the spools of insulated wire are conveniently located and the second by a capstan wheel around whose outer rim the already twisted wires or cord is wound and which draws the latter through a stationary sizing bushing or mouthpiece.

The machine places a cover around the wires after they are twisted together.

It has been found that owing partly to the considerable strain and friction to which the wires are subjected in the stationary bushing, partly to incidental variations of the tension of the capstan wheel, the wires would frequently become tangled or irregularly twisted or broken during the twisting and covering operation.

To overcome this difficulty I have arranged a simple but an efficient device consisting of a rotary wire guide secured to the supporting frame by means of a ball bearing and serving as a receptacle for the mouthpiece into which the wires are being fed, the whole rotary arrangement operating to reduce the friction and facilitate the twisting of the wires into 5 a cord.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention and in which like reference characters in the several views denote like parts, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a section through the twisting attachment as invented by me;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the wire guide; and Fig.l 3 is a bottom view of the wire guide. Referring now more in detail to my invention as illustrated, the rotatable die com-V prises the wire guide 2 made of hardened tool steel and having at its upper part a tubular extensionl 3 serving as a receptacle for the guide by means of the screw 5 pressing against vI'nouthpiece 4, which issecured to the wire an indention 6 in the` cylindrical surface of the mouthpiece. The wire guide is secured to the stationaryl frame 7 by means of the ball bearing 8 whose inner ring 9 resting on the shoulder l() of the wire guide is held in place by the cover plate Vl1 which serves also c t0 protect the bearing `from lint and grit and 'which iS pressed against the bearing by the rings l2 having a screw-threaded engagement with the ltubular extension 3 of the wire guide 2. Around the `circumference of the rings l2 a number -of suitable perforations .13 are provided which'serve to'receivethe jaws of a key for tightening said rings.

The hollowed lower part 14 of the wire guide isboundedgfrom belowl by a partial conical surface 15 having a central aperturel and a number of equally spaced orilices17 conveniently distributed around the central aperture las Shown in the drawing. Underneath the twist-ing attachment as described above and independent from the' Same but cofaXial with it is located a rotating disk-or a spider, not shown in the drawing, upon whose periphery or arms a number of spools v spools the wires 18 are led first through the orifices 17 of the wire guide 2 and then into the mouthpiece 4 where the wires are twisted into a cord. The cord is drawn upwardv by 'ofwire are conveniently secured. From these a capstan wheel, not shown in the drawing,

around whose'outer rim the Vcord is'f wound. The actual twisting of the wires into a cord isa result of the combined drawing motion of the capstan wheel and the rotation of the spools as well as of that of the wire yguide H which being secured to the rigid frame 7 by means of a ball bearing is compelled to revolve with the wires owing to the pressure of the same in the orifices 17.

The advantage of having a rotary wire guide and especially such as supported by a nearly frictionless ball bearing and impelled in its circumvolution by the pressure of the wires themselvesconsists in its ability to respond flexibly either to incidental fluctuation, in the speed with which the wlres are if f drawn or rotated and unrolled from the spools or to any irregularities in the thickness 0f the individual wires all of which may tend to complicate the process of twisting and cause tangling and breaking of the wires.

The cylindrical mouth 4 is perforated through its center to suit the thickness of the cord, and its lower part is conveniently rounded with a view of minimum friction.

In illustrating my inventionI have shown an embodiment worked out for commercial purposes, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that minor changes maybe made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore do not wish to be limited by the exact structure as shown, but

aim to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is- 1. In a cordage machine, a frame, an annular member frictionally held therein, a second annular member within said first annular member, a ball bearing between said annular members, a wire guide having a frustro-conical outer surface with a plurality of orifices therein, screw threaded collars holding said wire guide in frictional engagement with said second annular member, a removable die, and a. set-screw for holding said die in said wire guide.

2. In a cordage machine,` a frame, a removable die, a set-screw for holding said removable die, a wire-guide having a frustro-conical outer surface with orices therein and a hollow cylindrical portion adapted to receive said removable die, a plurality of wires passing through said orifices in said wire guide, a ball bearing having an inner and an outer annular member, said inner annular member held in frictional engagement with said wire guide and said outer annular member held `in frictional engagement with said frame,

said wire guide adapted to rotate under the influence `of the wires passing through the orifices in said wire guide.

Signed by me at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 27th day of September, 1929.

FRANK ZETTEK.

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