US2127618A

US2127618A - Method and apparatus for forming automobile side rails

Info

Publication number: US2127618A
Application number: US702732A
Authority: US
Inventors: Riemenschneider Ernest
Original assignee: Midland Steel Products Co
Current assignee: Midland Steel Products Co
Priority date: 1933-12-16
Filing date: 1933-12-16
Publication date: 1938-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-23

Description

METHOD ANDAPPARAIUS FOR FORMING AUTOMOBILE SIDE RAILS Aug. 23, 1938. E. RIEMENSCYHNEIDER Filed Dec. 16, 1,935

' INVENTOR A e/v5.57 lP/L'MEN56H/VF/DEJE BY J 7 ATTORN Y practice of greater economy in the production of Patented Aug. 23, 1938.

PATENT OF'FI'CE METHOD AND APPARATUS FoR FORMING AUTOMOBILE SIDE RAILS Ernest Riemenschne'ider, Cleveland, Ohio, as-

signor toThe Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 16, 1933, Serial No. 702,732

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for producing articles from continuous strip stock, portions of which automatically come to a stop for operations thereon while other portions travel continuously.

' This invention has special reference to the completely closed box section side rails having apertures provided in various portions thereof for the attachment of other parts of the motor vehicle and frame before the rail is formed into closed box section thereby obviating the necessity of providing special equipment for the provision of such openings after formation of the rail into such box section. The invention is also susceptible of use for the continuous production of side rails of other than completely closed boxsection and includes means for simultaneously developing the contour of the ends of the rails during the perforating operation. I

A further object of the invention is to produce a multiplicity of side rails continuously and almost'completely formed while a plurality of rails exist in the form of a continuous strip or other form .as it issues from the apparatus, requiring only the separation -of the independent rails and simple, finishing operations to give the rail final contour.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process and apparatus for producing a plurality of side rails from a continuous strip upon which certain operations are performed while the stock moves continuously and on which other operations are performed during cessation of the feed of the stock; these two operations being corelated by means providing sufficient slack in the strip to permit continuous travel of a portion of the strip while another portion thereof has its movements interrupted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the descriptive matter and wherein like immerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the apparatus showing the essential steps for carry- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective of a portion of the perforated and formed strip showing the preformed adjacent ends of a pair of rails prior to their separation.

Referring now'more specifically to the drawing, the numeral I0 designates a coil or reel of light gauge steel strip stock freely rotatably mounted in a position to deliver the strip across the elongated bed ll of a. perforating and shearing press. The press has a vertically movable ram carrying a multiplicity of punches l3 to provide the strip ill with properly positioned apertures or holes l5, and also has a cutting or slitting punch H1 at the end of the ram to slit or cut the strip transversely with a substantially X-shaped incision I6, as shown in Fig. 2 upon each reciprocation of the ram. This incision may be of any desired developed shape to provide the ends of each rail section of the strip with a suitable contour when the blank is formed up into substantially a closed box-section side rail.

Adjacent the delivery end of the perforating press, is a pair of super-imposed knurled feed rolls ll, which engage opposite surfaces of the strip Ill at the margins thereof for drawing the strip across the bed of the press. These rolls are geared together to rotate in unison and are spaced so as to firmly grip the strip for attaining a positive feed thereof. The rolls 5! are preferably of a circumference to make two or three complete revolutions for drawing a suficient length of the strip across the bed of the press to form a single side rail. Any suitable means may be provided for causing the rolls ill to periodically cease rotation when a predetermined length of the strip has been drawn across the bed and to remain idle for a sufiicient length of time to permit the ram i2 of the press to perforate the blank and elevate to clear the stock. The movement of the ram i2 may bemanually controlled or automatically controlled from the rolls IT with suitable mechanism whereby the ram 83 does not descend with its perforating dies to perforate the strip until the rolls ll stop. In the present embodiment and for purposes of illustration only, a gear rotatable with the lower roll IT is shown meshing with a gear i8 of an electric motor 49 to drive the rolls the requisite number 22 which controls the starting and stopping of strip across the bed of the press.

lower of which meshes with a gear 20 of a con- 7 tinuously operating motor 2|. The armature shaft or gear may be provided with means coop-- erating with an automatically controlled switch 22 which controls the starting and stopping of motor it, although the latter may be controlled manually or otherwise than illustrated. 'These rolls 24 constitute the first pass of a'rolling mill 25' designed to bend the flat strip Stock through the various stages illustrated in Fig. 3 to form the strip into hollow section or substantially that shown by the section 26 of Fig. 3 wherein the two longitudinal margins of the strip are not 15 brought into contact but are permitted to remain in slightly spaced relation before entering the edge spacing and welding apparatus to be presently described. In its passage through the rolling mill, the strip i0 is bent along the dotted lines 21 shown in Fig. 2 to be formed into hollow section and it will be noted that the ends of the incision it stop at approximately the outer bend lines 21 whereby the continuity of the strip remains and can be drawn through the apparatus until it is welded along the longitudinal margins II to form the desired section. The strip may be moved through the rolling mill by any one or more pairs of the rolls 2! or by means external to the rolling mill, but in any event the strip from the press is guided into the rolling mill between a pair of idler rolls 38 at the end thereof.

Obviously. the speed of movement of the strip through the rolling mill orthe surface speed of the rolls 2! is co-related with the surface speed of the rolls H in order to maintain a predetermined degree of slack stock 8| between the press .of the rolling mill whereby the latter can continuously operate while the strip on the bed-of the press I I remains stationary to receive the necessary perforations and incision while the rolls llremainat a standstill. This slack portion 3| of the strip is maintained by its e over an idler roll 32 which a constant upward pull on the slackportion of the strip by any suitable means such for example as a cable 32 being suspended over a sheave wheel with a counterweight a attached to the end thereof to maintain the elevation of the pulley l2 and proper tension upon the slack portion of the strip. II are automatically stopped to enable the press to make the requisite perforations in the length of thestrip, the continuous operation of the rolling'mill uses up a portion of the slack causing a lowering of the pulley 32 and of the slack portion to. approximately the dotted lines 04 shown in Fig. 1 and Just before this slack has been taken up the rolls i'l automatically start operation again upon elevation of the perforating punch to move another predetermined length of the strip across thebedofthepresswhilemoreslackisbeing provided.-

After beingbrought tothe box form 2! shown in m. 3, the formed section is moved through a confining throat 8| which moves the edges of the hollow section into substantial abutment thereby causinrthese edges to fulcrum on a spreader roll t. havinga circumferential rib 01 as shown in Fig. 4 which causes the-seam to open up a'predcterm'ined distance as it enters under a welding instrumentality 88 as described in my co-pendmemos ScrialNo. 880,481. This welding 'instrumentality may be of any-type but is preferably of the atomic hydrogen type including a plurality of atomic hydrogen units llv adapted to provide s'uiiicient liquid metal on the spaced apart when the rolls "enamels 4 edges of the stock to assure completepenetration of the weld as the edges of the stock are moved the box section and to force the welded portions into the same plane. Obviously, the section fag-med by the apparatus may be tubular or other- If preferred, the tubular formed stock after being welded is run through a series of straightening rolls 43 from where it passes to a cut-off station 44, where the incisions ii are completed to separate the stock into individual section of predetermined length, preferably of a length to constitute a side rail of an automotive vehicle.

When the strip is formed into box section, the intermediate portion 45 of the incision extends transversely across the bottom of the box section while the two arms 46 at either side of the intermediate section diverge upwardly as shown in Fig. 6 for the full depth of the sides of the rail. The ends of these incisions 46 terminate approximately at the upper corners of the box secare severed by cutting transversely of the box section along two lines 41 by means of electric torches'or otherwise.- If it is desired to accomplish this separation automatically, an automatic cut-off 48 embodying saws or cutters '4. may have its movement controlled so as to grip the stock adjacent the division points and move along with the stock as it continues its travel through the apparatus while the saws or cutters 49 are making final incisions 41 to separate the stock into individual sections. After each severance, the automatic cutoff automatically moves to the left of Fig. 1 to grip the stock at the next succeeding pointof division to again start cutting along the lines 41 as the stock moves to the right of the Instead of separating the individual rails by cutting incisions 4i and 4 all the way through the strip and subsequently cutting apart along the lines 41, they may be separated by cutting along these or other lines only part way through the thickness of the strip to provide weakened lines of division. Along these weakened'lines there is only sufficient material left by which succeeding sections orjrails can be pulled or propelled, one by the other, through the entire machine. However, these ,lines. are only of such strength that they will break apart as the finished box section stock .is guided over means causing rupture along the weakened lines and separation of the rails. Such means may be suitable fulcrum member against which the box section stock is pressed with suitable pressure means exerting pressure at points on opposite sides of the weakened line to be broken and in a direction toward the fulcrum. In the present arrangement of weakened lines, the fulcrum is applied under the line 45 and the stock is bent down over the same at opposite sides'of the-fulcrum, or the latter may be moved upwardly against the dii shaped to provide each rail section with forward (6 and rear klckup portions in a suitable tube bending mill or mechanism to provide the completed rail having the necessary apertures in opposite sides thereof and inregistration in some instances for the attachment of other parts of the motor vehicle and frame parts. While the process has been described for the production of automobile side rails, it is obvious that the other articles can be produced by this method.

It is to be understood that various changes in the process and apparatus may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for producing articles from continuous strip stock including a reciprocatory intermittently operated press into which the strip is intermittently fed and slack is produced ou the exit side of the press, a continuously operating mechanism for continually moving the strip away from the slack stock, a counter weighted roll between the press and mechanism over which the strip passes to maintainthe slack strip in condition to compensate for the intervals of nontravel of portions of the strip in advance of the roll while undergoing operations in the press whereby said mechanism on the opposite side of said counter weighted roll continuously moves the strip therethrough.

2. The method of continuously forming tubular articles from continuous strip stock, consisting of weakening the strip transversely at intervals to provide a plurality of individual sections of stock joined by continuous longitudinal uninterrupted marginal edges whereby one section is propelled along by its adjacent section, bending the stock into tubular form while the sections are joined and presenting two contiguous uncut edges throughout the length of the strip and then welding said uncut edges together.

- 3. The method of continuously forming tubular articles from continuous strip stock; consisting of providing the strip stock transversely at intervals with substantially X-shaped slits termi nating at spaced intervals from the longitudinal edges of the strip, forming the slited strip stock into substantially tubular cross section whereby the unslitted margins of the strip form substantially one side of the tubular section, welding the .:longitudinal margins of the strip together, and

then separating the portions 0! the strip between the slits by severing the strip along lines extending through the endsof the X-shaped slits.

4. An apparatus'for producing tubular metallic articles from continuous metal strip stock including an intermittently operated blanking press adapted to cut the stock, feed mecha-- v nism for intermittently moving predetermined lengths of stock through said press at intervals for producing a quantity of slack stock at the exit side of the press after each stoppage. of the movement ofthe stock,.a drive mechanism for said feed mechanism, and continuously. operating means for continuously forming the strip stock from the slack stock into tubular form, and means operable by said continuously'operate ing means for intermittently operating the drive mechanism for the feed mechanism to move the stock through the press.

- 5. An apparatus for producing automobile side rails from continuous metal strip stock, including an intermittently operable part for cutting the stock, means for holding strip stock, feed means for moving predetermined lengths of the stock from said means through the press and producing slack stock at the exit side of the press, and

continuously operating means for continuouslymined lengths of the stock from said holding means through the press and for producing slack stock at the exit side of the press, continuously operating means for forming the strip stock from the slack into tubular form with. the longitudinal marginal edges of the stock adjacent one another, and for intermittently operating the aforesaid feed means, slack stock maintaining means between the press and forming means, weldingmeansior joining said marginal edges of the strip stock after formation, and means-for separating the formed stock into predetermined lengths.

7. An apparatus for producing metallic arti- I cles from continuous strip stock including an intermittently operable press for making cuts transversely of the stock, intermittently operable feed means for moving predetermined lengths of the stock through the press. and producing slack stock on the eint side of the press, continuously operating means for forming the strip stock'from the slack stock into tubular form with the longitudinal marginal edges of the stock adjacent one another, welding means for joining said marginal edges of the strip stock after formation into tubular form, and means for completing the cuts in the stock made by the press for separating the formed stock into separate tubular articles. v

8. An apparatus forproducing tubular metal stock from flat stripstock comprising means for cutting openings inthe fiat stock having continuous straight uninterrupted longitudinal edges, means for progressively forming the flat strip stock into tubular form with its longitudinal marginal edges adjacent each other, and means for continuously welding said uninterrupted marginal edges of the strip together.

9. The method of forming tubular metal pieces by continuous welding methods, including producing laterally slotted flat strip steely having continuous uninterrupted longitudinal marginsr shaping and continuously welding said margins of said stock so as to effect a continuous production of circumferentially slotted tubular welded stock, and then cutting the portions of said stock circumferentially separating its slot.

10. A method of forming automobile side rails" from continuous strip metal stock consisting of first intermittently moving the strip to blank and perforate the strip and to produce slack in the strip beyond the point where it is blanked, perforating and blanking the strip during each stop of the strip, continuously moving the blanked continuous strip fromsaid slack stock through from continuous strip metal stock consisting of.

during each stop period, continuously moving the a quantity of slack stock is produced at a point beyond the exit of said device, cutting the strip during each stop period, continuously moving the strip from said slack portion into .a continuously operating means, and continuously forming said strip stock into hollow section with its longitudinal margins adjacent each other by continuously feeding. part of the strip from said slack into said continuously operating means.

12. A method of forming automobile side railsfirst intermittently moving the strip stock across the bed of an intermittently operable device whereby the stock is intermittently stopped and a quantity of slack stockis produced at a point beyond the exit of said device, cutting the strip strip from said slack portion into a continuously operating means, and continuously welding the adjacent longitudinal margins to form the strip into hollow section.

13. The method of continuously forming hollow articles from continuous strip stock, consisting of providing the strip stock transversely at intervals with slits terminating at spaced interedges of the 813 9..

strip stock, a continuously operatingymechanism F. I

for continuously moving the strip away from the press, feeding rolls for drawing the stock .throuzh the press at intervals and producing slack at the exit side of the press, a counter weighted roll between the feeding rolls and said mechanisni over which the strip passes to maintain a quantity of slack in the strip stock, drive means for said continuously operating mechanism, and periodically operated means forthe feeding rolls operated from said drive means of said continuously operating mechanism.-