US2008075A - Strand or rope making machine - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1935. KRAFT STRAND OR ROPE MAKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A Kraft r July 16, 1935. KRAFT STRAND OR ROPE MAKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rolling bodies, such as balls or rollers arranged Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 1, 1934, Serial No. 737,998 In Great Britain March 2, 1934 8 Claims. (Cl. 117-16) This invention relates to strand or rope makbent ough a cuved or curves of relatively la e ing machines of the kind in which the individual radius. c wires or strands which may have been provided The guiding an y in e fect constitute a with a backtwist are led to a flyer by the operap lley the g eat r pr p i n of the surfaces of tion of which two twists in the like direction are Which adapted o contact with the p ccrlsiStS imparted t th b dl of wires or Strands in of bodies free to rotate about axes at right-angles ne: r vol tion of th fly r, to the axis of rotation of the pulley.

In the construction of machines described in For instance, the P y y comprise a D British Specification No. 365,793 the individual rality of rollers a d torotate about axes 10 wir r t nd are l d together thr ugh t at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the stub journal of the flyer and then in an outward P y and forming in effect the s o e ve direction from the axis of rotation of the flyer therein and a plurality of rollers located up n to a separating plate secured to one end of a the portions o h pulley constituting the a s shaft rotatably mounted in the flyer and then thereofgenerally parallel with the shaft to a second In S0me cases, it y be found c venient to separating plate from which the wires or strands provide the P y With o e cf ers ar- 5 are led in a bundle to a guide pulley of relatively ranged concentrically o o eac Side of the small diameter and then in an inward direction y o the p y, t e rollers of the one set toward the axis of the flyer over a second guide being Staggered ely to t e rollers of the pulley to a, hollow shaft extending througha, other in such manner that the alternating rollers stub journal of the winding frame which is float- 0f the two s ts ove ap sligh y inward thus D ingly mounted in th flyer, viding in effect a groove in which the bundle of According to the present invention the flyer wires or strands will travel. is constructed to lead the wires or strands as a The guid means y be in the form of a 5 bundle in a forward direction lengthwise of the pu y of the character defined above of a diflyer to a point remote from the axis thereof and, ameterequal to the distance between the axis for returning the bundle of wires or strands of rotation of the flye d the farthest point towards the axis of the flyer and thence, for infrom the said axis reached by th bundle of stance, to winding mechanism associated therewires or strands in its passa om one end to with, is provided with guiding means adapted to the opposite end of the flyer; thus when the bunpermit substantially free twisting motion of the dle of wires or strands is led from adjacent to portion of the bundle of wires or strands which one end of the flyer towards the opposite end of is in contact with it. 'the flyer in a path parallel with the axis of the In otherwords, in accordance with the invenflyer, the diameter of the pulley functioning as tion the guiding means is adapted to provide a guiding means will be equal to the distance beminimum of resistance to the travel of the bundle tween the axis of the flyer and the general line of wires or strands towards the winding mechaof travel of the bundle of wires or strands in the nism and to the rotation of the bundle of wires direction in question. or strands about it axis The particular constructions of guiding means 40 Thus, in accordance with the invention, the above described in detail are given y Way of eX- 40 guiding means may comprise a combination f ample for, as will be appreciated, rolling bodies may be associated with suitable supports in a variety of manners to provide a guide which will afford substantially no resistance to the travel of the bundle of wires or strands while perto oppose the minimum of resistance to the twisting of the bundle of wires or strands as it passes t s .mitting" substantially free twisting motion of the 5 The gmdmg means m questlon preferably so portion of the bundle of wires or strands in conformed or arranged that the bundle of wires or met with them. strands in its travel toward the Winding meche- The invention will be described further in denism is subjected to a gradual change of 'd tail and by way of example with reference to the 50 'rection.v accompanying drawings, in which:-

Thus, the guiding means in question is adapted Figure 1 illustrates a general arrangement of to cause the bundle of wires or strandsin its a strand or rope making machine in accordance travel from the point remote from the axis of with the invention,

5 rotation of the flyer towards the said axis to be Figure 2 illustrating the means for pretreating the wires or strands in order to provide them with a backtwist before they are brought together and treated by the machine illustratedin' Figure 1, and

Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary views of guiding means embodied in a strand or rope making machine in accordance with the invention.

As shown in Figure l, the fiyer is formed of a plurality of longitudinally arranged members I secured to an end member 2 and a further end member 3, the latter being provided with a trunnion 4 rotatably mounted in bearings 5 and furnished with a sprocket 6 by which the ilyer will be rotated.

In addition, the flyer is provided with intermediate members I and 8 forming rolling rings bearing on rollers 9 and I0, while the end member 2 is arranged to form a rolling ring bearing on rollers II.

The winding frame, of which the body is indicated by the reference I2, is furnished at one end with a hollow stub shaft [3 journalled in a. bearing [4 inthe member 8 and at the other end with a stub shaft I5 journalled in a bearing IS in the end member 2 in such manner that notwithstanding the rotation of the flyer as a whole the winding frame will retain substantially the position shown in the drawings.

Between the members 3 and 8 there extend a pair of longitudinal members ll, of which only one can be seen, which form a support for the axle 18 of the guide pulley IS, the construction of which will be described hereafter, 20 being a counterweight adapted to balance, when the flier is rotated,- the overhung weight of the guide pulley l9.

On the hollow shaft l3 there is mounted a worm 2| engaging a worm wheel 22 secured to a shaft 23 journalled in the body l2 of the winding frame and on the shaft 23 is arranged also a spur wheel 24 in engagement with the spur wheel 25 on the shaft 26 also journalled in the body I2 of the winding frame and on this shaft there is provided a pinion 2! meshing with the spur wheel 28 on the shaft 29 on which is also mounted a sprocket 30 driving through the chain 3| a sprocket 32 provided on the spindle 33 on which is removably mounted a drum" 34 on to which the finished rope or strand is wound in the operation of the machine.

On the spindle 33 there is also mounted a pin,- ion 35 driving through the spur wheel 36 a spur wheel 31 mounted on the shaft 38 which serves to impart appropriate traversing motion t0=the guide forks 39 by which the turns of the rope are appropriately positioned on the drum. On the end member 2 there is provided a bracket 49 supporting the spindle M of the guide pulley 42 over which the bundle of wires or strands are led from the die 43 which is arranged to be rotated from the shaft 45 through the intermediary of a chain drive indicated by the reference 46.

This guide pulley is of a construction similar to that of the pulley l9 that is to say it is of a character adapted to permit substantially free rotation of the bundle of wire elements as well as the forward or axial travel thereof.

Referring to Figure 2, 41 are the end members of a frame in which are rotatably mounted a plurality of flyers 49, each of which is provided with a floating carriage in which a spool 5| of stranded wire or wire to be laid up in the form of rope or strands, as the case may be, is arranged.

From each of the spools the wire or strand is withdrawn, being led below a grooved pulley 52 and about the grooved pulley 53, thence over the pulley 54, which is also grooved, and finally over the pulley 55 through the hollow spindle 56 which is journalled in one of the end members 41, a corresponding spindle 51 being provided at the opposite end of the fiyer journalled in a bearing in the other member 41.

To the last-mentioned spindle there is keyed a spur'wheel 58 engaging a toothed wheel 59 engaging a pinion on the shaft 45 and by the rotation of the toothed wheel in question each of the flyers is rotated in a direction giving a backtwist to the individual wires or strands.

The material forming the core of the rope, which may be stranded vegetable fibre, is twisted by the operation of the fiyer 60 in which is fioatingly arranged the cradle 6| forming a support for a spool 62 of the core material. This flyer is provided with stub shafts 63 and 64 engaged in bearings 65, 66 and one of the stub shafts is furnished with a sprocket 61 in driving connection with a sprocket 68 mounted upon the shaft 45 which is driven by the motor 69.

The core material is drawn off the spool and led below the grooved pulley 10 about the pulley 1 I, over the pulley 12, then over the pulley I3 and thence through the hollow trunnion or stub shaft 63.

At this point the general operation of the machine may be described before considering in detail the construction of the guide pulley IS.

The core material, which is twisted by the operation of the flyer 60, and its associated parts, and the individual strands or wires drawn from the several spools 54 mounted in the flyers 5|, by which a backtwist is imparted to them, are taken through the laying plate 44 and through the die 43 as a bundle, over the guide pulley 42, thence along the flyer shown in Figure 1, over the guide pulley I9, through the hollow spindle 2| and to the drum 34 mounted in the winding mechanism.

The flyer shown in Figure 1, being maintained in rotation, will cause the bundle of strands or wires to be given a double twist in its passage from the die 43 to the point at which it passes to the bundle of strands or wires, as the case may be, the guide pulley I9 is arranged to permit not only a free motion of the bundle in an axial direction but also substantially free rotational motion of the bundle. I

To this end the guide pulleys l9 and 42 are each provided with a plurality of anti-friction bodies adapted to permit such rotational motion. Certain arrangements of these anti-friction bodies are illustrated by way of example in Figures 3 to 6.

In Figures 3 to 5 the anti-friction bodies are rollers, of which, in the case of the construction illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, there are provided three sets pivotally mounted in transverse members 14 connecting the side members 15 of the pulley, I6 representing the spindle of a roller 11 forming the base of the groove in which the bundle of wires or strands will be guided, while 18 and 19 represent the spindles of the rollers 80, 8| forming the side walls of the groove, the rollers forming the base of the groove alter.- nating with rollers forming the side guides oi; members, as may be seen from Figure 3.

In the case of the construction shown in Figure tionship and their surfaces form in effect-the side walls and also the base of the groove in which the bundle of wires runs.

In the case of the construction shown in Figure 6, in the transverse members 84 connecting the side members 85 and arranged at suitably spaced intervals adjacent to the periphery thereof there are provided races, 86, 81, 88 accommodating a plurality of balls 89, 90, 9] which provide a substantially frictionless support, generally as do the rollers in the constructions illustrated in Figures 3 to 5, for the bundle of wires indicated by the reference 92, thus permitting the bundle as it is drawn forward to rotate about its axis.

Having now described my invention, claim as new and desire to secure by Patent is:---

1. A machine for twisting together a plurality of wire elements to form ropes or strands comprising a fiyer adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis, winding mechanism for the twisted elements fioatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the flyer, guiding means on the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis toward the periphery of the flyer and adjacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged further guiding means adapted to cause the elements as a bundle to travel lengthwise of the flyer and to .what I Letters be returned towards the axis thereof and thence to the winding mechanism, said guiding means including a, carrier and a plurality of bodies mounted on the carrier to rotate about axes parallel with the axis of the bundle in order to permit substantially free twisting motion of the bundle throughout its travel from the first-mentioned guiding means to -the point at which it is returned to the axis of the flyer.

2. A machine for twisting together a plurality of wire elements to form ropes or strands comprising a flyer adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis, winding mechanism for the twisted elements floatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the flyer, guiding means on the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis toward the periphery of the flyer and adjacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged a pulley of a diameter equal to the distance between the axis of rotation of the flyer and the farthest point from the said axis reached by the bundle of wires in its passage from one end to the opposite end of the flyer and a plurality of sets of rolling bodies arranged adjacent to the periphery of the pulley adapted to rotate therewith and, in addition, to rotate about axes at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the pulley.

3. A machine for twisting together a pluraljacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged a pulley of a diameter equal to the distance betweeri the axis of rotation of the flyer and the farthest point from the said axis reached by the bundle of wires in its passage from one end to the opposite end of the flyer, said pulley consisting of two discs forming side members, bridge pieces connecting the discs arranged at intervals adjacent to the periphery thereof and a plurality of rollers mounted in said bridge pieces to rotate about axes atright-angles to the axis of rotation of the pulley and providing in effect a groove in which the bundle of wires will be guided.

4. A machine for twisting together a plurality of wire elements to form ropes or strands comprising a flyer adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis, winding mechanism for the twisted elements floatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the flyer, guiding means on the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis toward the periphery of the flyer and adjacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged further guiding means adapted to cause the elements as a bundle to travel lengthwise of the flyer and to be returned towards the axis thereof and thence to the winding mechanism, said guiding means including a carrier and a plurality of bodies mounted on the carrier to rotate about axes parallel with the axis .of the bundle in order to permit substantially free twisting motion of the bundle throughout its travel from the first-mentioned guiding means to the point at which it is returned to the axis of the flyer.

5. A machine for twisting together a plurality of wire elements to form ropes or strands comprising a flyer adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis, winding mechanism for the twisted elements fioatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the flyer, guiding means on the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis toward the periphery of the flyer and adjacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged apulley of a diameter'equal to the distance between the axis of rotation of the flyer and the farthest point from the said axis reached 'by the bundle of wires in" its passage from one end to the opposite end of the flyer and a plurality of sets of rolling bodies arranged adjacent to the pe-' means comprising a plurality of rollers mounted n to of longitudinal axis winding mechanism for the the portion of the bundle of elements with. which twisted elements floatingly arrangedin the flyer, they are in Contact and adjacent to the means for rotating the flyer, guiding means on of the flyer remote from that at which the Said the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to did ng means is arrang d D y 0f 8/ a eter,

rect the bundle of elements to be spun from the equal to the distance between the axis of rotaaxis toward the periphery of the flyer and adtion of the flyer nd he farthest 9 1m} from elements floatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the fiyer, pulley on the flyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis'toward the periphery of the flyer, said pulley consisting of side members, bridge pieces connecting the said members arranged at intervals adjacent to the periphery thereof and rolling bodies mounted on the bridge pieces and adapted to rotate about axes at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the pulley, and adjacent to the end of the fiyer remote from that at which the said guiding means is arranged a pulley of a diameter equal to the distance between the axis of rotation of the flyer and the farthest point from the said axis reached by the bundle of wires in its passage from one end to the opposite end of the flyer and a plurality of sets of rolling bodies arranged adjacent to the periphery of the pulley adapted to rotate therewith and, In addition,

to rotate about axes at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the pulley.

8. A machine for twisting together a plurality of wire elements to form ropes or strands comprising a flyer adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis, winding mechanism for the twisted elements floatingly arranged in the flyer, means for rotating the flyer, a pulley on the fiyer and rotatable therewith adapted to direct the bundle of elements to be spun from the axis toward the periphery of the flyer, said pulley consisting of side members, bridge pieces connecting the side members arranged at intervals adjacent to the periphery thereof, rolling bodies mounted on the bridge pieces and adapted to rotate about axes at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the pulley and adjacent to the end of the flyer remote from that at which the said pulley is arranged a. further pulley of a diameter equal to the distance between the axis of rotation of the flyer and the farthest point from the said axis reached by the bundle of wires in its passage from one end to the opposite end of the flyer, said further pulley consisting of two discs forming side members, bridge pieces connecting the discs arranged at intervals adjacent to the periphery thereof and a plurality of rollers mounted in said bridge pieces to rotate about axes at right-angles to the axis of rotation of the said pulley and providing in effect a groove in t which the bundle of wires will be guided.

- ANTON KRAFT.

Images