US18991A - Volute springs - Google Patents

Description

D. G. ROLLINS.

Making Springs Patented Dec. 29. 1857.

DANL. G. ROLLIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR MAKING VOLUTE SPRINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 18,991, dated December 29, 1857.

T o all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL Gr. ROLLIN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for the Manufacture of Volute Springs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a front elevation of my improved machinery, Fig. 2 a side elevation of the same,-Fig. 3 a plan of the same, and Fig. 4 a vertical longitudinal sec tion of the same at the line m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a face view of a plate of steel of the form to be made into a spring, and Fig. 6 a view of a double volute spring such as is made by t-he machine.

The purpose of my invention is the formation of volute springs of sheet steel plates by coiling the same upon a mandrel of suitable form, and the machinery I am about to describe, and in which my invention is embodied, is specially adapted to the m'anufacture of the double volute spring invented by me.

The principal operating parts of my machine are a former or mandrel upon which the spring is coiled, and conical rollers by means of which the spring is borne against and coiled upon this mandrel. y

In the accompanying drawings the various moving parts of the machine are represented as secured to a strong frame A, A. The mandrel B upon which the spring is to be coiled is in this instance composed of two parts c and UZ, dividing at the center, so that the two parts may be withdrawn endwise in opposite directions from the coiled spring. One of these parts (c) is perforated to fit upon a spindle secured to the other part. The extremities of the mandrel fit into sockets formed in the centers of two head blocks E and E', which are secured to the overhanging extremities of two shafts F and F, and these shafts are supported in line with each other and with the mandrel between them in suitable pillow blocks f, f, upon the upper bars of the frame of the machine. One of these shaftsr F is prevented from moving endwise by the collars at each side of its ournals; the collars of the other shaft are far enough apart to permit the shaft to be moved endwise a sufficient distance to detach the mandrel from the sockets in the head blocks, and this endwise movement is imparted when necessary by means of a shifting lever G of the ordinary construction.

Each head block has a conical roller H secured to it to act upon the plate of steel. The exterior surfaces of these rollers have the forms of volutes coiled in directions opposite to those of the volutes of the springs to be made. Each roller is secured to a spindle so that it can turn to apply itself to the spring plate. Beneath the mandrel B there is a supportI which approaches it, the space between the two being sufficient to admlit the plate to be formed into a spring, and this support has a lever J pivoted to it, one of whose ends can be made to bear upon the center of the mandrel so as to prevent it from springing upward under the strain.

Each of the shafts F, F', is fitted with a cogwheel K and K', whose teeth engage in those' of a corresponding pinion secured to a counter shaft L, and each countershaft is fitted wit-h a belt pulley M to which a belt may be applied to drive the machine. The two belts may both proceed from driving pulleys secured to one'driving shaft, but as in manufacturing a double volute spring of the form shown at Fig. 6, the conical rollers are necessarily turned in opposite directions, one of the belts must be crossed. The driving shaft N, should be driven by means of a belt that can be shifted when desired from a fast to a loose pulley, or by some other means that will enable the operators to stop the machine or put it in operation with facility.

. In forming double volute springs with this machine plates of sheet steel of the form represented at Fig. 5 are employed. These are heated in a suitable furnace and are then introduced endwise, one at a time, beneath the mandrel B upon the support I, until the central part of the plate is beneath the mandrel. Before each plate is introduced the conical rollers are turned until both are directly beneath the mandrel, and after the plate is introduced the conical rollers are put in motion by throwing the driving shaft into gear, and as they revolve they bear against the exterior face 0f the plate and roll it down in spiral coils upon the mandrel. In effecting this operation the edges of the volutes of the rollers bear against the edges of the spring plate and thus direct it in. coiling so that it assumes the proper conical or volute form. When the operation is completed the machine is stopped the shaft F is moved endwise to free the mandrel, the lever J is raised, and the mandrel with the spring upon it is removed from the machine. The tvvo parts of the mandrel are Withdrawn endwise fro-m the spring and the latter is tempered and polished if necessary in any suitable manner.

In operating with this machine the mandrel and conical rollers should be of suitable size and form relatively to the thickness of the steel and the form of spring to be produced; and in using the machine it will be found advisable, in order to save time, to have a number of mandrels, so that while one is being withdrawn from a spring -another may have a spring coiled upon it in the machine. In commencing work it will be found that the coldness -of the metal will,

chill thin steel; therefore parts of the Inachine maybe heated up before puttingit in operatio-n by laying hotl plates of iron upon the mandrel, rollers, and head blocks, or in any other suitable manner. It may even be found. necessary to apply heat to these parts of the machine during the operation, which may be done by means of a suitable furnace placed beneath them, or in any other manner that will produce the required result.

In coiling double volute springs it will be observed that the rollers turn 1n opposite directions around the mandrel, therefore the tendency of the plate being coiled to move in one direction under the operation of one roller is counteracted by an equal and opposite effect produced by the other roller. This peculiarity in the machine renders it unnecessary to nick the steel plates so as to prevent them from turning upon the mandrel, and thus saves the time and labor consumed in performing that operation.

The invention thus described is not limited to the manufacture yof double volute springs, but may be adapted to the manufacture of single volute springs; in this case but one conical roller is required and the mandrel has the form of a single cone; some means must however in this case be employed to prevent ythe spring plate from turning upon the mandrel While it is being coiled.

The machinery I have thus described may be modified without affecting the principle of my invention, and I propose to modify it as circumstances may require; thus foi eX- ample when the invention is adapted to the manufacture of a single volute spring the mandrel may be made to revolve and the conical roller, although turning upon its axis, to retain its position; or both may be made to revolve in opposite directions. The mechanism by which motion is imparted to the rollers may also be varied.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a conical roller with a mandrel so as to coil a volute spring substantially as herein set forth.

2. I also claim the combination of two conical rollers moving in opposite directions with a double conical mandrel so as to coil adouble volute spring` at one operation.

3. I also claim directing the coling of the plate into 'a volute spring so as to cause it to assume the desired conical form by means of the volute upon the conical roller which volute is turned in a direction the reverse of thatin the spring to'be formed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

' DANIEL Gr. ROLLIN. Witnesses: Y

W. L. BENNEM, H. WIGHTMAN.

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