US2165178A - Method of making a resilient metallic bunch - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I S. W. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENT METALLIC BUNCH Filed Nov. 4, 1938 July 4, 1939.

INVENTOR 1 G ATTORNEY July 4, 1939. s. w. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING A RESILlENT METALLIC BUNCH Filed Nov. 4; 1938 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY JulyA, 1939. s. w. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENT METALLIC BUNCH Filed Nov. 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WW W BY 7 #M ATTORNEY Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATE TE? FFIE METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENT METAL- LIC BUNCH Application November 4, 1938, Serial No. 238,754

4 Claims.

The object of this invention is to devise a novel method of making a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from a coreless helical strand which nad imparted to it an inherent tendency to curl. The strand is formed from a metallic strand which may be oxidizable or non-oxidizable, and if a round wire is used, it is preferably deformed in cross section by a deforming operation, to change its contour and increase the number of abrading edges of the strand. The strand is subjected to a curling operation by known methods, preferably by drawing the strand under tension over a curling edge to impart to it an inherent tendency to form a helical coil, or by wrapping it around a mandrel with a flier. The strand thus formed is tensioned and coreless and has adjacent coils preferably disposed in close proximity to each other.

In carrying out my novel method, a strand of the character herein disclosed with the tension relaxed and in an unstretched condition is wound on a reel, core, spool, spindle, or mandrel, each of which can be considered as a mechanical equivalent of the others, until sufficient amount of mass for the desired size of bunch has accumulated. The mass after the winding operation is completed and in a loose condition is stretched into an elongated skein form and released to allow it to retract, thus causing an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns.

The stretching and retracting operations may be repeated a desired number of times and the mass when released may then, if desired be worked together mechanically or manually so 1 that coils of adjacent turns are more thoroughly interlocked throughout the major portion of the bunch.

With the foregoing in view, a further object of the invention is to wind a tensioned, helical, ccreless strand in an unstretched condition, and, after winding, stretching and retracting the turns either mechanically or manually, to cause the interlocking of coils of adjacent turns.

Other novel steps and features of the method will hereinafter clearly appear in the detailed description and the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one of several constructions which can be advantageously employed in carrying out in pram -tlce my novel method.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine for curling and winding strand material, and by the use of which my method can be commercially practiced.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of a reel.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a reel.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a reel with the strand material wound thereon.

Figure 7 shows a stretched skein formed by the hands of the operator.

Figure 8 shows a manually manipulated bunch in a hand of the operator.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of turning mechafor the reel carrying head.

Figure 10 is a side elevation similar to Figure 9 but showing the parts in a different relation from that seen in Figure 9.

Similar numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

In order to illustrate one method of curling the strand, I have shown in Figure 1 a construction conforming to that disclosed in the Sedgley Reissue Patent No. 18,576, in which the frame I of the machine has an electric motor 2 mounted on it. The shaft of the motor carries a pulley 3 around which passes a belt which also passes around a pulley 5 mounted on a shaft 6. The shaft has fixed to it a gear 7 which meshes with a gear 8 fixed to a shaft 9 journalled in the frame. The shaft 9 carries a roll ill which forms a driving deforming roll, and a driven deforming roll H is in free rolling contact with the roll NJ. The roll H is mounted on ball bearing journals l2 having adjusting screws it to regulate the pressure during the deforming operation. These rolls have a desired contour to deform the metallic strand is in cross section, and if they have a smooth surface the strand will be rolled into a fiat ribbon form with four abrading edges.

The metallic strand i l usually in the form of a round wire is wound on spools l5 mounted on spindles l5 and having tension devices H which or a hold-back tension on the spools. The wire passes to the deforming rolls l3 and II through a guide It, and from the rolls l0 and H around giude l9 and over a curling edge 26 to the take-up rolls ii, the lower one of which has its shaft intergeared with a shaft 22 which has a 23 meshing with a gear 2 3 on the shaft 5. The journals of the upper roll 2i have pressure adjusting screws 25.

The result of such construction is that the deformed metallic strand is drawn under a controlled tension over a curling edge imparting to it inherent tendency to curl and form a coreless, helical strand. As soon as the strand leaves the take-up rolls 2i, it assumes the form of a helical, coreless strand with adjacent coils preferably close together.

The foregoing operation is that set forth in the Sedgley Reissue Patent No. 18,576, aforesaid, and my present invention relates more particularly to the formation of a flexible resilient metallic bunch from a strand of this type.

The strand is wound with its tension released and in an unstretched condition on a reel which may be in the form of a spindle, mandrel, spool or core.

The winding mechanism is driven by an electric motor 26 which drives a reduction gearing 21 connected by shaft 28, having a flexible coupling 29, with the driving shaft 3!! of the winding mechanism, the journals of the shaft 30 being resiliently supported and counter balanced. The shafts 28 and 30 are intergeared.

The driving shaft 38 has a driving cone 3! which is continually driven.

I employ a plurality of cores 32 each of which is carried by a shaft 33 journalled in a rotatable head 34 and providedwith a friction member 35. The friction members 35 are progressively brought into driving connection with the driving cone 3! by. intermittent rotation of the head 34 so that while a core is being wound, a wound core will be accessible to the operator.

The head 34 is fixed to a shaft 35 journalled in the frame 36 of the winding mechanism and such frame is preferably connected with the frame of a the curling machine.

The shaft 35 has fixed to it a cam 31 having cam faces corresponding in number to the number of cores on the rotatable head 34, and, as illustrated, three cam faces are shown. The cam 37 controls theintermittent rotation of the head 34 and is controlled by a bar 38, see Figures 9 and 10, suitably guided to slide beneath the cam 31. The bar 38 has at one end a pin and slot connection 39 with a lever 49 fulcruming on the frame of the winding machine. The other end of the lever 40 is pivotally connected with a controlling rod M which may be automatically actuated in timed relation with the revolutions of a ,core being wound or controlled by the operator in any desired manner. The bar at its forward end has longitudinally adjustable on it a cam 42. The bar 38 is recessed at 43 to permit the turning of the cam 37, and it is also recessed at one side to receive an angularly shaped latch 44 pivoted to the bar 38 to swing laterally on its pivot. The winding head frame has a latch block 46 fixed to it and provided with a pin or boss 4'! cooperating with the latch 44 to cause it to be positioned beneath the cam 3'! to prevent its turning or to be moved out of the path of the cam when the rotating head 34 is to be turned to position an unwound core in winding position. This turning of the head 34 begins when the cam 42 on the bar 38 is moved beneath the cam 31 and is completed by a shoulder 48 at the end of the recess 43. When the bar moves in one direction the latch is swung out of position beneath the cam 31 by the latch block pin and when moved in the reverse direction the latch is moved by the latch block pin beneath the cam 3'1. For a more detailed description of the construction and operation of the winding mechanism, reference is directed to the Sedgley Patent No. 2,120,944 of June 14, 1933.

The controlling rod Al is controlled by a gear V 48 driven by the driving mechanism of the curl ingmachine so that when a predetermined length of curled strand has been wound on a reel; the

' material which is on a Wound reel is ready for the stretching and coil interlocking operation.

If such operation is to be done manually the operator removes the mass of wound strand in a loose form with his two hands and stretches it into an elongated skein formation which causes coils of adjacent strands 'to open up and lie between coils of other strands so that when the skein is released and worked together by the hands of the operator, the coils of adjacent strands will interlock substantially throughout the metallic bunch which has been formed.

If the strand material wound on the reel with the tension relaxed is to be mechanically stretched, an expansible and contractible reel can be employed which after the winding operation has been completed can be automatically expanded and retained in an expanded condition a sufficient length of time to permit the operator to remove the wound material from its reel. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways and in order to illustrate one manner of doing this, I have shown the reels, see Figures 3 and 4, as consisting ofsections 53 and 54 connected by links 55 with a controlling rod 56 keyed to a tubular shaft 51 on which a friction member a 35 is mounted. The inner end of the controlling rod 56 travels in the path of a stationary cam 53, so that when the reel carrier is tripped to move a wound reel out of winding position, the

reel sections will be expanded, and, due to the dwell 59 of the cam, see Figure 1, will be retained from the reel on which it has been wound and stretched, and if desired, manually manipulated by the hands of the operator to further interlock the coils of adjacent strands and form a flexible and resilient metallic bunch with adjacent coils interlocked substantially throughout the mass of the bunch.

The take up rolls 2] are preferably run at a constant speed so that the helical, coreless strand is delivered at a constant rate. r

The operation will now be clear to those skilled in this art andis'as'follows: The metallic strand is preferably deformed, curled and wound up in a continuous operation. The strand is drawn from the tensioned spools l5, deformed byfthe rolls Ill and H, and is drawn under tension bythe takeup rolls'2i over the curling edge 20. As soon as the strand leaves the take-up rolls it assumes the form of a helical, coreless strand with adjacent coils preferably close together. The operator winds the free end of the strands around a reel 32 which is in Winding position, and the curled 4 strand is wound up under a released tension with-, out stretching the strand. A mass of curled wire= is wound up in a loosecondition on the reel in this manner and when a sufiicient amount has accumulated for the desired size of bunch to formed, the parts are so timed that the rod ti will move the bar 39, and latch block pin 4%? rocks latch dd out of the recess in the bar. The 42 slides under the cam 3? partially turning it. The shoulder 48 completes the turning operation and the latch moves beneath the cam 3i to hold it stationary during a winding operation.

As the rotatable head 3 3 turns, the rod 55 of a wound reel comes into the path of the cam 58, thereby moving the rod 56 inwardly to cause the links 55 to expand the reel sections 53 and 5 5. The reel sections are retained in expanded condition due to the dwell 5% until the rod passes beyond the cam 58. The springs 58 and 85 then return the reel sections to their closed position. The operator cuts the strand or strands between a wound reel and a reel to be wound and while the reel is expanded removes the elongated skein and allows it to contract to cause the interlocking of coils and formation of the flexible and resilient metallic bunch. He may work it manually into a bunch to cause a more thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, or pushes it through a funnel to accomplish the same purpose.

If the cam 58 is not used, the reels will remain in their contracted position or a non-sectional reel may be used as shown in Figure 6, for the winding of the strand. In this figure, I have shown a wound reel with the strand severed and the rotatable head B i would now be stationary. The operator removes the loose mass of wound wire by spanning the upper portion of the cylin drical mass with the thumb and fingers of one hand and the lower portion with the thumb and fingers of the other hand, and in this manner withdrawing the mass from the open end of the reel. He, now, while still holding the mass with his two hands, moves his hands apart, thus producing an elongated skein with the turns stretched to open up the spacing between the coils of the strand, and permit coils of one turn to be disposed between adjacent coils of another turn. When the skein is released, the tension inherent in the strand will cause the interlocking of the coils of adjacent turns. The operator may now take the bunch in the palm of one hand and by a rotating or compressing movement of his two hands cause a more intimate interlocking of the coils of adjacent turns as shown in Figure 8.

I preferably employ reels having a comparatively small diameter, and I have found reels which are less than two inches in diameter give very advantageous results.

It will be clear from Figures 1 and 2, that one or more strands may be processed and wound up to form a quantity sufficient for a single bunch, and Figure 1 shows clearly how the strand or strands form a loop due to the relative speed of the winding reel and the take-up rolls and thus prevent stretching of the coils of the tensioned curled strand during the winding operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from a tensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consists in winding the strand in a tensioned released and unstretched condition around a reel, stretching the wound material after the winding operation is completed, into the form of an elongated skein to cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, releasing the skein to form a bunch, and exerting a pressure against the material of the bunch to cause a more thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent strands throughout the area of the bunch.

2. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from a tensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consists in winding the strand in a tension released and unstretohed condition around a reel, mechanically stretching the wound material by expansion of the reel after the winding operation is completed, into the form of an elongated skein to cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, releasing the skein to form a bunch, and exerting a pres sure against the material of the bunch to cause a more thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent strands throughout the area of the bunch.

3. The method of forming a flexible and re silient metallic bunch from a tensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consists in winding the strand in a tension released and unstretched condition to provide an elongated mass of strand material, severing the strand, manually stretching the strand material into the form or" an elongated skein to cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, releasing the skein to form a bunch, and manually compressing the bunch to cause a more thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent turns throughout the area of the bunch.

4. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from a coreless, helically curled strand, which consists in Winding the strand in an unstretched condition into the form of an elongated cylinder, stretching the cylindrical mass of wound strand after the winding operation is completed to stretch and space the coils of the turns and permit coils of one turn to move into the space between coils of adjacent turns, releasing the mass to permit the turns to contract due to the tension inherent in the strand and thereby cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns and the formation of the bunch with an annular disposition of the turns in the bunch.

SYLVESTER W. GRATER.

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