US2062059A - Method of forming lubricated wire rope cores - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES METHOD OF FORMING LUBRICATED WIRE ROPE CORES Walter D. Hodson, Beverly Hills, Ill.

No Drawing. Application November 4, 1935, Serial No. 48,262

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method of forming lubricated wire rope cores; and particularly to such cores wherein the lubricant comprises a viscous fiber-containing lubricant.

In my Patent 2,000,952, issued May 14, 1935 is described a wire rope having a lubricated core in which the lubricant comprises fibrous material having markedly higher lubricant absorption powers than the rope material.

As described therein, finely divided asbestos is preferably used as such absorbent material, and at the same time it acts as a lubricant and prevents wear of the binder fibers upon each other.

As described in the Patent 2,000,952,, any suitable lubricant may be used which the absorbent material will suitably absorb. It is preferred to use a greaseof high tenacity and viscosity. A grease comprising seventy-two ('72) parts of mineral oil, for example, viscosity naphthalene base smackover oil, and two and one-half (2 parts of aluminum oleate is satisfactory.

It is preferred to incorporate therewith a minor proportion of a preservative such as dgras, creosote, thymol, pine tar or the like. One-half'of 1% of dgras in the .above formula is preferred.

The amount of fibrous material to be mixed with the lubricant will, of cQurse depend upon the absorbing qualities thereof. With a fairly coarsely ground asbestos, three parts of the above mixture may be 'used with one part of the asbestos. A more carefully prepared asbestos may be incorporated in smaller proportion.

In my co-pending application 751,245, filed November 2,1934, is described a method of incorporating lubricants of the type herein described into the wire ropes or wire rope cores.

Wire rope cores are made up of twisted strands of vegetable fibers, these strands being themselves composed of twisted yarn or string material. The yarn or thread material is made up of the individual fibers which have been spun into either a yarn or thread material, these terms as used being substantially synonymous and covering all primary forms of spun material.

In the production of lubricated wire rope cores, it is extremely important that the fibers pene trate to the innermost parts of the fibrous material. It has now been discovered that extremely satisfactory results in this respect may be obtained by incorporating the lubricant upon the yarn or string material, twisting the lubricant-coated yarn into strands, then twisting the lubricated strands into rope material, this twist, of course, being in an opposite direction, after which the wire strands are wound upon the core, very materially compressing it in the process.

As an example of the process, the threads or yarns are spooled and tightly wound and then placed on a rack feeding a large number of these threads. Each thread is drawn through a bath of the lubricant, passing over and under rollers. It is then drawn through a metal die of the proper inside diameter to accommodate and hold under. pressure the total number of yarns or threads being so treated and the threads are then again separated.' They are then drawn over a roll, always being under pressure and tension, and are respooled.

These spools of impregnated or partially impregnated threads are then sen to the ropemaking machine, which twists the threads into strands, and passes them through a sizing die. The strands are then twisted into ropes in passing through a sizing die, which is then wound upon a reel. In some instances, itma'y be desired to add additional lubricant to the threads just prior to incorporation into the strands. v

During the entire rope-forming operation the threads and strands are under pressure and tension and also under twisting strains, so that the lubricant together with the loosely distributed absorbent fibers is forced into all parts of the rope material. This distribution is further assisted by the winding of the wire strands about the rope core. In this process the core is generally compressed one-third in volume, with the result that lubricant is still further distributed therethrough.

As used in the claims herein, the term thread has been used to cover yarn, string, andalso primary spun material of like type.

The foregoing detailed description has been therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In the application of a viscous fiber containing adhesive lubricant to a wire rope core comprising twisted strands of thread material, the steps of applying lubricant to the thread to provide a .coating thereon, .passing a number of coated threads under pressure through a die, twisting a plurality of the threads into a strand, passing the strand through a die, twisting a plurality of strands into ropes while passingthrough a die under pressure, whereby the lubricant is pressed and squeezed among and about the indi-