US2064589A - Apparatus for heating wire - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15, 1936.

w. H. CONVERS 2,064,589 APPARATUS FOR HEAT'ING WIRE Filed April 28, 1932 M y W ATTOR EYG .fatented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR HEATING Wm Wilber H. Oonvera, Poughk eepsic, N. '2.

Original application December 31, 1930, Serial No. 505,704. Divided and this application April 28, 1932. Serial No. 607,034

11 Claims. (cl. 210-11) This invention relates to an apparatus or device ior annealing or oxidizing a moving wire during its travel through the device. It is a division of my application, Serial No. 505,704,

filed December 31st, 1930. The invention is especially adaptable ior the purpose oi annealing wire which is to be insulated. 'Ihe device may be installed in a wire insulating machine, or in other machines where it is desired to anneal the wire Ma high rate oi speed or at the same rate. oi speed as that at which the wire moves through the machine to which the device is attached. The" invention is very suitable for use where it is desirable to clean or prepare the suriace oi bare wire before it is coated with insulation. The wire may be only annealed, or, by increasing the temperature the wire may be oxidized, ii desired.

In the usual method now employed ior annealing wire, the wire aiter being wound upon spools o is placed in an oven and brought to the required heat ior annealing, depending upon the sine oi the wire, etc. In this method. any soap or grease compound used in drawing the win to size, which is wound up with the wire on the spools and annealed in the oven, is deposited upon the suriace oi the wire. When this soap or compound is covered with insulating material it ,will cause spots in the insulation. The same sort of trouble mayoccurwhenthewireispassedthrougha heated pipe or oven, or brought into contact with a flame or other direct heating means, either in a suitable chamber or exposed to the air.

Prior annealing methods are slow. require much handling, labor and expense and another 35 great disadvantage in such methods and in the devices ior carrying out such methods is that the heated wire will stretch or elongate under any strain while itis hot. This is especially true oi the smaller sizes oi wire, and this elongation of the heated portion oi the wire makes it hard to ieed through 'an automatic winding machine ior winding the wire into a 0011, etc. In some cases, the diameter oi the wire will be reduced by the stretch, thus rendering it uniit ior many 5 electrical purposes, due to increased resistance caused by the reduced diameter oi the wire.

' with my invention it has been iound that a speed oi 400 to 800 ieet per minute ior #40 gauge wire and 200 to 800 ieet per minute ior #80 gauge wire can be employed without any noticeable stretch or elongation. With the degree oi the annealing heat under perfect control, speeds higherthanthiscanbeeasilyreachedwithout objectionable or appreciable elongation oi the 50 wire.

One oi the objects oi my invention is to provide apparatus ior annealing or oxidizing a wire in a continuous manner during the travel oi the wire through the apparatus.

Another object oi this invention is to provide 1 means whereby, during the heating oi the wire. no elongation or stretch oi thatportion oi the wire which is being heated or any other portion oi tlze wire takes place during such heat treatmen Still another object is to provide apparatus 10 whereby the wire is rendered iree irom oil and ioreign matter preparatory to its being coated or enameled, when coating or enameiing oi the wire is desired. 15

A i'urther object is to provide automatic means so that when heat is to be applied through an electric current to successive portions oi the wire. the electric current is turned on and oil by the travel oi the wire in such a manner that should the wire become stationary, the current and therefore the heat will be reduced to prevent melting or overheating oi that portion oi the wire that is at that instant in position to be heated and the current is turned on when the travel oi f the wire attains a predetermined rate oi speed. Also provision is made whereby variations in the speed oi travel oi the wire will not cause am ciable variations in the degree oi annealing.

While I show and describe herein anillustra- '56 tive embodiment oi a suitable apparatus ior carrying out my invention, it is understood that modifications may be employed, such, ior example, as a duplication oi parts and change in materialandthatthedevicemaybeenclosedorenu posed to theair. and that suitable changes may bemadetosuitittodiiierentsiaesoiwireorto wire of diiierent material or metals. also that by suitable housing the device can be operated sothattheannealingtakesplaceinthepresence o oi inert gases, steam, etc. to prevent tarnish iormlngonthesuriaceoithewireduetoths annealing operation. a

My invention comprises certain construction andcombination oi parts illustrated, ior example. a intheaccompanyingdrawinginwhichl'lg.l is a side view oi the device showing it installed nearawireinsulatingmachine; rig. iisanenlarged side elevation oi a portion oi the device. Fig. 3 is a iront elevation oi the same. shown u partlyinsection; I'lg.4isascctional vlew,tahen 'onthelineA-A oirig.3;l lg.tkasideeleva tion oi the wheel ior suspending the wire during the heating; Fig. 6 shows-how the electric current, thatissuppliedtotbedevicemaybevariedwithll in certain limits, and in proportion to speed changes in the rate or travel of the wire; Fig. 7 shows a modification by which automatic control of the current canbe secured.

The device as here illustrated comprises a base ll of insulating material, and to which are secured the two uprights II and II which are formed at their upper ends with aligned bearings l2 and i2 orasingle support may be used if desired.

A rotor comprising two sheaves or wheels II and II formed of a good electrical conductor such as brass, are secured together side by side by means of bolts or rivets it which are insulated therefrom by the insulating bushings ll and the washers i1, while the sheaves II and it are separated by a disk ll of insulating material, in such a manner that a sheave i8 is electrically insulated from the sheave I l.

The sheave ll is formed with a stud shaft ll projecting from its outer face and adapted to rotate freely in the bearing II. The outer end of this stud shaft I9 is pointed as shown at II and contacts with a flat spring II, which is secured to the upright H by the screw 22. If a central upright is employed, as mentioned above, the two sheaves may be mounted one on each side thereof, and the spring 2! may be hinged to a suitable base so that by removing the spring from contact with the end of the shaft the wire may be readily placed on or taken from the wheel.

This sheave I4 is also formed on its inner face with a bore 23 extending partway therethrough in line with the stud shaft it. Within this bore 28 is mounted a cup-shaped bushing 2|, and within this bushing 24 is secured one end of a shaft 2|, the other end of which is freely rotatably mounted in the bearing I! of the upright H. The shaft 2! is pointed at the end as shown at I! and is in contact with a flat spring II. The shafts It and It thus rotate in the bearings i2 and i2 and contact with the springs 2i and Ii.

The sheave II is recessed as at 21. Within the reces 21 are pivoted on pivots a two contact arms 2! which are formed with weighted ends ll which, when the sheave it is rotated. will by centrifugal force move outwardly and bring the arms It into'contact with the shaft II thus establishing an electrical connection between the sheave II and the shaft II. This connection is broken by the springs 46 when the wheel I 3 stops its rotation or reaches a sufficiently low speed to enable the springs I! to overcome the centrifugal force.

The uprights II and ii are connected by lead wires 82 and 33, respectively. to an electrical transformer 31 or other source of current which in turn is connected to a power line II and It, the amount of current from which is governed by a rheostat 31 connected in said powerline. Each of the sheaves l3 and It thus constitute a terminal of the electric circuit.

Above the device and at some suitable distance (which may be varied to suit conditions) is mounted a single sheave or wheel it which is bearim.

Thewire tobeannealediscarriedfroma EPW890017 tothesheave .aroundwhichit is given approximately me turn. and is then carried up and around the sheave N, then down to the sheave l3, around it and'to the idler wheel II, to the applier l! for coating material, the oven l4 and thence to the wheel 40 and take up spool 41. I

It is understood that the sheave I. may be located at a predetermined or adjustable distance from the sheaves l8 and il depending upon the sizeof thewiretobetreated, thelengthoftima required for each treatment and the degree of 10 heat applied. In the application of electrical heat as herein shown, the electrical current may be of any desired voltage being controlled by a rheostat and automatic means applied to the device. In this particular it may be here stated 18 that while I have shown an automatic switch built into the wheel, that this may be located in connection with any of the moving parts or other pulleys or wheels and may be of any suitable construction to open and close an electrical circuit U by the change of speed of travel of the wire.

In the automatic control illustrated in Iig. O of the drawing, I have shown a governor applied to the sheave 42 comprising a ball governor ll similartothattypeusedinphonogr vhaetaao I arranged that speed variations, such as would occur during starting and stopping, will vary the current and thus insure an even annealing, this being accomplished by a sliding collar ll mounted on the shaft II to which is pivotally secured one end of the ball arms II. The collar II is formed with agroove it within which is placed one end of a pivoted arm N, the other end of which forms the arm for the rheostat it which is connected the speed of travel is reduced and will tend to fuse thewire. Alsoifthespeedofthewire creased the flow of current must be increased to anneal properly and it is highly duirahle the annealing temperature be kept at the proper amount at all times. I

By having a rheostat or controlling arm operated by the sliding collar II, the pivot of thearmbeing atl|,the armcanbemadeto move over a suitable row of contacts of the rheorent for annealing.

Where no speed variations are encountered in operation, a simple arrangement, as shown in Pig. '1, may be employed. The motor '0 draws the wire ll and winds-it on the spool II by the belt II and pulley 62. I have shown the primary of the transformer 88 and leads N to the motor 02 com nected in parallel to the power line ll so that as themotorisstarted thedroplnvoltagelcrm the terminals will drop acrou the transformer and as the motor comes up to speed the current will increase also in proportion. The secondary d6 oftransformer "isusedfor annealingandl have found this entirely satisfactory provided a commutator starting type of motor is employed.

The simple centrifugal switch shown in M 8 andlwillsumceirasmallamountofimannealed (0 wire is not obiectionable at the start and lop of the operation.

In the operation of the device. it will be seen thatpartofthewirellwhichtravellupm the sheave ltothesheaveflandbacktothe" sheave I3 is always in the electrical circuit between the sheaves I3, I4 and acting as a resistance to the current is heated and annealed during its travel from the sheave I3 to the sheave I4, but that part of the wire leading fromthe supply spool M to the sheave I4 and from the sheave l3 to the idler 42 is cold and as the two sheaves l3 and I4 are secured together they move in synchronism. Therefore, as the wire 40 is pulled from the sheave I3, the sheave I4 simultaneously turns the same amount. No elongation strain is exerted on the hot portion of the wire 40 between the sheaves I3 and I4, this part of the wire traveling freely. It is important that just sufiicient tension be employed to keep the wire 40 in good electrical contact with sheaves I3 and I4, there being an expansion and contraction on heating and cooling the wire, so the wire should be slightly free to accommodate this action on the sheaves.

These portions of the wire which are in contact with the sheaves I3 and I4 act as contacts for leading the current to that portion of the wire which is looped up from the sheaves I3 and I4 to the sheave 38. Due to the heat conductivity of the sheaves I3 and I4, thewire which is in contact therewith is not heated and the sheave with which the heated wire comes into contact aids in cooling the wire. That portion of the wire which is being heated by the electric current may, if de sired, be passed through a chamber and heated by any other suitable means.

Also the distance between the device and the pulley 38 may be varied as desired to govern the length of wire being heated and also the device may be so arranged that the sheaves I3 and I4 may be mounted on a central bearing and the springs 2| hinged so that the wire may be placed thereon from the side and not have to be threaded between the uprights II and II. It is also understood that direct current could be used instead of alternating, with suitable changes.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus. of the class described, means for exerting tension upon a wire, means for forming a portion of said wire into U-shape and heating said U-shaped portion while moving said wire longitudinally, means for transmitting said tension from one part of said wire to another part by by-passing it around said portion being heated, and means for varying the length of the portion being heated.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wire longitudinally and forming portions thereof into U-shape and heating said portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movement of said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, and means for relieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wire longitudinally and forming portions thereof into U-shape and heating said portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movement of said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, means for relieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated, and means for cooling said wire at the end of said heated portions.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, means for moving a wire longitudinally and iorming portions thereof into U-shape and heating said portions in succession, means controlled by the speed of movement of said wire to vary the amount of heat applied thereto, means for relieving tension on the portions of said wire as they are being heated, and means for cutting off the heat when the speed of movement of said Wire becomes less than a predetermined amount.

5. In a device for heating wire, means for subjecting said wire to an electric current for heating a portion of it while it is being moved, means to prevent strain from being placed upon that portion of the wire which is being heated, and means controlled by said wire for breaking the electric current when the wire moves at a speed below a predetermined amount,

6. In a device for heating wire, means whereby continuous movement is imparted to the wire, electrical means for heating a portion of the moving wire, means to prevent elongation strain from being imparted to that portion of the wire which is being heated, and means controlled by said wire for closing the electrical current of said heating means when the movement of the wire has reached a predetermined rate of speed.

'7. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of coaxial rotating elements insulated from each other and connected toa source of electricity,and means to cause said wire to contact with said elements at separated points along said wire.

8. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of coaxial sheaves rotating at the same peripheral speed and insulated from each other, a source of electricity connected to said sheaves, said wire passing around said sheaves in succession.

9. In a devicefor heating a wire, a pair of sheaves rigidy connected together and rotating side by side at the same peripheral speed and insulated from each other, a source of electricity connected to said sheaves, said wire passing around said sheaves in succession and a rotatable element over which said wire passes between said sheaves.

10. In a device for heating a wire, a pair of rotating elements insulated from each other and connected to a source of electricity, means to cause said wire to contact with said elements at separated points along said wire, and centrifugal means carried by one of said rotating elements to close the connection to said source of electricity when this element is rotated.

11. In a device for heating wire, means for subjecting said wire to an electric current for heating a portion of it while it is being moved, means to prevent strain from being placed upon that portion of the wire which is being heated, and an element carried by said first-named means and operated by centrifugal force to complete said electric current connection.

WILBER' H. CONVERS.

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