US2240135A - Method of forming and impregnating fibrous pads - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1941, c. FIELD ETA LI METHOD OF FORMING AND IMPREGNATING FIBROUS PADS Filed Dec. 27, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet i April 29, 1941. c. FIELD ETAL 2,240,135

METHOD FORMING AND IMr REGNATING FIBROUS PADS I Filed Dec. 2'7, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Crosb field Gem! 6.700112 BY W W ATTORNE Y April 29, 1941. c. FIELD EI 'AL METHOD OF FORMING AND IMPREGNATING FIBROUS PADS Fil ed Dec. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet s l I I l l Ilnllllllll l h"H-" INVENTOR Crash Y Geral rToRNEY Api-il-29, 1941.

c, FIELD ETAL METHOD OF FORMING AND IMPREGNATING- FIBROUS P AD$ Filed Dec. 27, 1938 4 Sheets-*Sheet 4 43 w w I 22 W w k 5 O J I, J g a A m m 1 0 0 I3 J x i 24 w v 1 W /Z 6/ a 2 H fi% 1 s. a r. pm o \v o I a m Patented Apr. 29, 1941 METHOD or FORMING m nrraacmmo rmaous PADS Crosby Field, Brooklyn, and Gerald Crandall Toole, St. Albans, N. Y., assignors to Brillo Manufacturing Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Application December 27, 1938, Serial No. 247,762 12 Claims. (Cl. 252-91) The present invention is herein disclosed as applied to specific cases while the materials and apparatus are primarily designed for making steel wool pads, and for impregnating them with soap; but various features of the method, and also of the apparatus, may be useful as applied to specifically different materials, or purposes.

Specifically considered, the method includes making the pads from metal wool, usually steel wool, preferably in the form of a continuous strip comprising a large number of long,-curly., springy fibers. Steel wool fibers as blown off from a predetermined number of adjacent knives of wool cutting machines of the type disclosed in Field Patent No. 1,608,481, readily form fluify springy strips suitable for our purposes. Under normal conditions, or under predetermined applied tension, equal lengths of such a strip will contain the same amount of wool.

According to the present ,invention, feed mechanism pulls the strip material into the machine intermittently, each pull measuring off the same length of strip, each strip containing suflicient wool for one pad.

Eacli length is cut off, and the feed mechanism pushes the leading end of the strip into a forming chamber, and then completely releases it. The cross-section of this forming chamber is preferably the same as the larger-area dimensions of the pad.

After the leading end of the strip has been pushed into said chamber, opposite, continuouslyrotating spinning needles, are forced into said leading end. These needles are axially aligned and rotate in planes parallel with the direction of the feed-in, so that the untensioned, leading and trailing portions of the fiufiy strip, are wound in a few fluffy layers, the volume of which may be four or five times the volume of the pad to be made therefrom.

On each spinner there are preferably two needles, located eccentrically to their axis of rotation, so that the interior consists mostly of the leading end of the strip; and, the exterior layers as wound on the outside of said needles, tend toward elliptical; but when the needles are withdrawn, the outer layers become cylindrical. This cylindrical structure and its fiufiiness are importantas concerns uniformity of distribution of the wool, when the relatively large diameter cylinder is flattened to form a relatively thin pad.

of this mold is formed with passages through which the fluid soap is ejected downward into the cylindrical mass, just after the up-moving piston has closed the lateral inlet, but before" it has applied any substantial compression. These passages are preferably of relatively small crosssection and are distributed over a considerable area of the top end of the mold, so as to properly.

distribute the soap. As explained below, distribution of the soap may be assisted by beginning its discharge before friction, or compression, has completely stopped rotation of the cylindrical wool; and, in any event, the high pressure applied in flattening the pad, is highly effective for distribution of the soap throughout the thickness of the pad.

This upper end wall of the mold could be made removable, and the piston given an additional vertical movement for ejecting the pad, but there are special advantages in making this end wall a stationary plate, permanently connected with, and forming the bottom of the soap supplying chamber. This requires making the side walls of the mold, slidable edgewise, into and out of registry with the compressor. In the form of apparatus shown such edgewise movement of the mold frame is effectively provided for by having a series of mold frame holes formed in a rotary plate which is mounted on an axis parallel with the compressor, and provided with indexing mechanism whereby successive mold frame holes may be moved into operative registry with the compressor to receive and shape a pad, and then carry it to a position in registry with an ejector, whereby the formed pad is ejected from the I frame, preferably downward, so that the pad falls While the above steps of the method are imon a conveyer which carries it to a point suitable for other operations, as for instance drying, cooling or packaging the pads.

The above and other features of our apparatus, as well as of our method, will be more clearly understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings. in

which Fig.;l is a top plan view;

Fig. is a vertical section on the line 2-2,

1; 1 2 lg, 3 is an end elevation viewed from the left of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a detailplan view of the mold frame rotor and a Geneva. cam drive and stop mechl anism in operative relation thereto;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views on a large scale, I showing the strip-gripping feed-in mechanism, in its relation to the knife for cutting off the rear end of the tensioned and measured strip of metal wool; Fig. 5 being a plan view; and Fig. 6 being a front end view of the parts as shown in Fig.5; Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 1-1, Fig. 2, showing the compressor, spinning needles, operating mechanism therefor and the soap supplying means at the upper end thereof;

Fig. 7a is a detail perspective showing the cams and levers for actuating. the valve and piston of the. soap pump; a

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the cams and driving mechanism for controlling simultaneous 5 inward and outward movements of the continuously spinning needles; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a square soap and metal wool pad which will be formed when the cross-sectional shape of the compressor 0 chamber and mold is a square. 7

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that while various of the above described steps of our method could be Performed by hand, and

some of them could be omitted, a very important part of the invention is the apparatus, which is a complete machine organized so that all of the steps are automatically formed, in proper succession on each pad; and some of the operations sive pads.

Referring to Fig. 2, supplemented by Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that the fluffy longitudinally elastic strip material a: enters the machine through a rectangular funnel l. in alignment with a pair of idler rolls 2, one of which is vertically adjustable by screws 3. 7 As shown in Fig. 2, the leading end of the ribbon x is in the plane of the rotary knife I, and

rests on stationary shear 4a. See Figs. 5 and 6.

Traction on the ribbon is applied by two sets of fingers 5, 5a, the fingers of one set 5 being attached crosswise to; and projecting laterally from, two sets of parallel chains 6, 8, which are similar, and are supported and caused to rotate at the same speed by three pairs of sprockets, namely, sprockets 1, I, on shaft la at the feed-in end; 8, 8, on shaft 8d at the delivery end of the feed; and 9, 9, intermediate. The latter are on separate shafts 9a, 8a, which are each vertically sprocket 1 on shaft c. Fig. 2; and shaft 12 is driven from Ia, through said gears lb. All the other feed chain sprockets are idlers, driven through said feed chains. I

Each set of fingers 5.5a, consists of several 4 are being simultaneously performed on sucoes- 40 fingers in series, and preferablythe laterallyprojecting wool-c i l ng Portion! of fi m gers are each covered by rubber tube as lb. Figs. 5 and 6. As will be obvious. the chains cause these fingers to travel in the direction of the arrows Fig. 2. They successively engage the rib-g bon in the rear of its leading end and pull it endwise between upper and lower plates ll, Ila, of an openoended, box-like passage; and then push said leading end through opening II in the side of a vertical compressor chamber l2. The opposite fingers separate successively, the last pair, leaving the ribbon entirely free. In a special case, with B-tooth sprockets, half inch links, fingers on 6 links, and with the initial fingerengagement an inch or so in rear of the leading end, about 2 inches of the ribbon may be pushed into a 2% inch compressor chamber.

Befcre this happens, however, and while the ribbon is still being pulledthrough passage 'll.

Ila, against tensioning resistance of idler rolls 2,

the knife 4 cuts off the measured length of tensioned ribbon, :c', thereby freeing it from tension.

This knife is rigidly mounted on rotating shaft 4b, and its rotation is timed so that it passes the stationary shear la when the proper length shall have been measured oil; thus leaving a leading end of ribbon a resting on said stationary shear,

as described above.

The bottom of the chamber I2, is the retracted compressor piston i3, and the top is the stationary plate l5, against which the piston compresses the metal wool to form the pad.

The piston is in the lowermost, position while the sets of fingers have been pushing the leading end of the ribbon into the compressor and have released the ribbon, leaving it entirely free. While the piston is still in this lowermost position, pairs of rapidly spinning needles i1, Ila, are projected endwise into the box and into engagement with the leading end of the ribbon therein. These needles are eccentrically located with respect to the axes of shafts 20, 20a, by which they are rotated. Being rapidly revolved in planes parallel with the length of the ribbon: and the cut-off length of ribbon being free, the needles quickly wind it up into cylindrical form. 'Ihereupon the needles are withdrawn,'leaving the loosely rolled cylinder of metal woolfree, within'the compressor chamber.

The lateral stresses applied on the needles in winding the free ribbon are very small, and means for giving them their endwlse and rotary movements may be correspondingly simplebAs shown in Fig. '1, the needles are similarly and symmetrically arranged, as also the means for giving; each pair the required movements. The needles H are endwise slidable in a rotary bushing or journal is, which is rotatably mounted in the wall of the compressor chamber, flush with the inner surface thereof. The needles are rigidly secured in a disc is which is secured to and rotated by shaft 20. Said shaft is rotatable-in slidable block 2|, which is keyed against rotation by slidable engagement with a parallel stationary guide-bar 22. The non-rotating slidable blOCkfZl, imparts forward movement to the spinnerby rotary bearing against disc l9; and retracting movement by bearing on collar "a which is'secured on shaft 20. Said shaft 20 is slidably spllned in a bushing or journal 23, which is rotatably mounted in the frame of the machine as shown, and which is driven through sprocket 24 by chain 25,

An intermediate portion of chain 25 engages a sprocket on countershaft 26. This latter sprocket is of the same diameter as sprocket 2|, consequently shaft 28 rotates at the same rate as needle shaft 26. At the other end, similar sprocket drives chain 26:: which drives a sprocket 26a precisely similar and symmetrical with respect to sprocket 26; and all the movements of the needles, Ila, with respect to this sprocket, and

the means permitting them are the same but symmetrically opposite to those for needles i"|;

except, of course, both sets of needles revolve in the same direction. Therefore, the means for projecting the pairs of needles endwise into the compressor chamber and withdrawing them therefrom will be specifically described in connection with needles i1. As shown (Fig. 7) the block 2| is connected by link 21, to lever 26, which is pivotally anchored at 29 and which has intermediate its length a roller 29a bearing on cam 60 which is rotated by sprocket 61 on stationary journal 32. The lever 26, is tensioned by spring 33 so that the needles I'i will be projected into the compressor by spring pressure upon block 2!; and the cam 66, as shown in Fig. 8, is formed with symmetrically located cam depressions which permit the springs to thrust the needle into the position shown in Fig. 7. The

. cam 30 also has symmetrical concentric cam projections which hold the needles in the withdrawn position. The depressions extend through relatively short arcs, so the needles operate for relative short periods. This is permissible because they rotate at high speed, on a free untensioned length of the fluffy wool.

Fig. 2 shows that chain 25 which drives the .spinning needles, is itself driven through sprocket 26!), on shaft 3, which is driven by chain 2607, which is driven from a sprocket on the shaft of a motor not shown, but which as noted below is preferably the same electric motor that drives the compressor and spinner-shifting mechanism.

The spinner-shifting cam 36 is synchronized with all other parts of the machine, the sprocket wheel 3i which rotates it being driven through chain 3ia, sprocket 3Ib, shaft 1), bevel gears o, n, shaft m, sprocket 1, chain It and sprocket i which is keyed to central shaft 1, carrying the cam which operates the compressor. Thus the in and out reciprocations of the needles are timed accurately with respect to the movements of the plunger. cam 30, being symmetrical, as shown in Fig. 8, only half a revolution of the cam is required to feed one in and out cycle of endwise movement of the spinning needle. Consequently, since all other gears between the compressor cam shaft and the sprocket 3! have a one to one ratio, the proper one to two ratio for the cam, is provided for by making sprocket 3| twice the diameter of driving sprocket 3ib.

The central cam shaft 2', is driven through speed-reducing gearing, and as shown in dotted lines Fig, 2, this, includes sprocket h, on said shaft i; chain 9; sprocket I; shaft e; sprocket d; chain c; sprocket b; and shaft a, which latter is driven through sprocket (1 preferably from anothersprocket on the same motor shaft that drives adjacent chain 26d, of the needle-spinning mechanism.

Referring again to Fig. 2, it will be seen that during the time when the spinning needles have been operating, the compressor piston I3 has been held in its lowermost position by the concentric small radius portion of compressor cam 60, which is engaged by-a roller "a, carried by radius arm l3b, pivoted on shaft lic, and which controls said The'depressions and projections of piston it, through link lid which is adjustable for wear and tear and also for various compressions that may be desired for the pads.

By the time cam 66 has rotated far enough to have roller [8a traverse the concentric small,

radius part of its groove and before the outward slant to the large radius part begins, the. spinning needles now shown in Fig. 2, will havecompleted their work of rolling up the metal wool in cylindrical form and will have been withdrawn. Thereupon the cam groove forces the compressor piston upward. closing the ribbon inlet opening ll through the side walls. of the compression chamber i2. Then, before the loosely wound metal wool has been substantially compressed, the pump operates to expel fluid soap through the cavity 66 and openings 6|, into the compression cylinder i2. downward onto said uncompressed wool. As shown in Fig. 7, the discharge of the soap is effected by means of a piston 61 reciprocating in pump cylinder 62. The flowof V the soap to and from this pump cylinder is controlled by a three-way valve 63, which, during the suction stroke, communicates with the supply pipe 64, through which the soap flows from the soap kettle. In the position shown in Fig. 1a,

the pump is in communication with the down-' flow outlet pipe 66, through which the soap flows into said chamber 56. This three-way valve 63 is controlled by lever 66. It will be obvious from the Fig. 7a. that when this lever is rocked on its axis, toward the right, the pump will be in communication with the soap supplypipe and the downflow outlet through pipe 66, will be closed.

As shown in Fig. 3, the means for operating the pump plunger and valve include the central shaft i, which rotates shaft r at right angles thereto, through 1 to 1 bevel gears; and shaft 1-, through chain 8, rotates a higher level shaft t, at the same speed. As shown in Fig. 7a, shaft it carries a peripheral push-cam I0, which positively pushes upward on horizontal lever 1| and link i2, thereby causing bell crank 13, pivoted at II, to retract link 15 which is pivoted to collar 16,-which is adjustably secured on the stem 66, of piston in soap pump 62. The lever 'l l is pulled downward by a parallel lever Ila, which is pushed downward by said cam Ill, this motion being transmitted to lever ll through a link 11, which can be lengthenedor shortened, as by axial rotation of its shank portion, to screw it in or out of the end pieces whereby it is pivoted to said levers 1!, Ha.

There may be, and usually is a certain amount of lost motion between up-push on lever I I and down-push on lever Ila; and this lost motion is biased in favor of contact of lever H, with cam 16, by tension spring 16 which is stretched for ward from link 15, to the frame of the machine. The length of stroke of the pump may be changed by shifting the upper pivot of link 12, in the.

ary end closure I! through which the soap is being discharged. This pressure serves to flatten the cylindrical wool to a relatively thin square pad impregnated with soap, as indicated more or less diagrammatically in Fig. 9. Piston [3 then withdraws, leaving the cake in the mold; and the soap valve closes.

The side-wall, or frame element of the mold in which the piston l3 leaves the cake, is a square hole In in an edgewise movable plate I21) and, in this case this plate is a rotor which is shown in Fig. 4 as having eight such holes, equally distributed at equal distances from the axis of shaft I20, on which said rotor is mounted. As shown in Fig. 2, this shaft H is parallel with the compressor; and, as shown in Fig. 4, the mold holes Ila are successively indexed to and held in position of registry with the compressor, by a rotary Geneva cam and stop drive 89, of well known type, which is keyed on the above mentioned vertical shaft 12, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4.

The upper end of this same shaft 11 carries a cam 90 for holding out of operation and permitting operation of an ejector 9| registering with one of the frame, holes l2a of rotor I 2b. The shape of this cam is shown in Fig. 1, which in connection with Fig. 2 will make it obvious that the ejector Si is held in retracted position, with the spring 92 compressed, during most of the revolution of said Vertical shaft 12. To so hold it, the cam 90 applies thrust on bell crank 93 operating through link 84 to lift the stem of the ejector against gravity and against pressure of said spring; but at the proper time, when the frame rotor is locked by the Geneva stop, a depression in the cam allows the spring to operate and eject the pad onto conveyer I 00. The intake end of this conveyer is rotated through sprocket 99,.chain 98, and sprocket 91, on the above described intermediate shaft 1' which is rotated by shaft 1', through the 1 to 1 bevel gears.

This shaft 1' also drives the rotary knife 4 through sprocket a, chain 11, and sprocket w, on the shaft 4b, whereon the rotary knife 4 is 'mounted. As indicated in Fig. 1, this shaft has slight endwise play, and is thrust to the left by spring 40 so as to yieldably hold the rotary knife 4 in shearing relation to the stationary shear 4a.

There are certain details of functioning of the spinning needles which contribute to the production of a fluffy cylindrical roll; and to a distribution of the wool therein particularly adapting it for flattening and compression into pads having approximately standard weight and standard distribution of wool therein, as well as standard thickness and peripheral form. Referring to Fig. '7, it will be seen that the bushings l8, which are rotated by the slidable needles l1, Ila, have their inner surfaces flush with the walls of compressor chamber i2. Moreover, these continuously rotated bushings have a diameter substantially equal to the width of said chamber.

Consequently, when the wholly free ribbon .12 is engaged by the needles, the edge portions of said ribbon bear against surfaces that are rotating therewith, and they will encounter no frictional resistance and will be subject to no endwise compression while the strip has been wound to a width approximately that of said chamber. Moreover, the ribbon, being entirely free, there is nothing to apply any radial inward pressure, or any longitudinal tension on the ribbon such as could promote tight winding, or otherwise deprive it of its characteristic of relative flufliness.

Moreover, after the needles are withdrawn the cylinder tends to have end support and rotate with said inner surfaces of said bushings; and

even while the comprwsor piston is pushing the cylinder upward a distance substantially equal to its own diameter, substantial portions of the end surfaces of said cylinder are in contact with said rotating, high-speed inner faces of said bushings, and tend to be more or less rotated thereby. These factors combine to form a cylinder with definite, but uncompressed end surfaces and also to rotate such cylinder on its axis. So, while it is practically impossible to observe just when the wool cylinder stops rotating, indirect evidence, such as the distribution of the soap in the wool, indicates that at the time when the inlet opening ll closes and the discharge of the soap begins, the wool cylinder has substantial rotation about its own axis, thereby distributing soap over the cylindrical surface thereof.

We claim:

1. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from fluffy metal wool, which includes successively forming approximately equal weights of the fluffy wool into fluify bodies, discharging fluid soap on said wool while in fluffy condition, then highly compressing the thus soaped fluify wool, to distribute the fluid soap therein and form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape and then solidifying said soap.

2. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes stretching the ribbon toward its elastic limit; severing approximately equal lengths thereof while so tensioned; forming each length into a fluffy body, discharging fluid soap on the outer surface thereof, highly compressing the thus soaped fluify body to distribute the fluid soap therein and form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape; and then solidifying said soap.

3. A method of making metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons, which method includes separating the ribbon into lengths suitable for one pad, winding-each length of ribbon without tensioning it, to form a fluffy roll, supplying the roll with fluid soap; highly compressing the roll diametrically, to flatten it, distribute said fluid soap therein, and form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape; and then solidifying said soap.

4. A method of making metal wool pads from fluffy metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes segregating lengths of ribbon of approximately equal weight, loosely winding each length to form a fluffy roll having length and diameter approximating the two larger dimensions of the desired pad; discharging fluid soap on the fluffy roll; flattening the thus soaped fluify cylinder diametrically, to distribute said fluid soap therein and form a relatively dense pad having one of its dimensions approximately the same as the length of the cylinder; and then solidifying said soap.

5. A method of making metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons, which method includes successively stretching lengths of ribbon to approximately .the same predetermined tension, cutting off successive substantially equal lengths thereof while under such tension, and when released from such tension, loosely winding each length of ribbon, to form a roll; discharging fluid soap on the roll; highly compressing the roll to flatten the same, distribute said fluid soap therein, and form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape; and then solidifying the soap.

6. A method of ,making soaped metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons, which method includes successively stretching lengths of ribbon to approximately the same predetermined tension and cutting ofi successive substantially equal lengths thereof while under such tension, loosely winding each lengthof ribbon to form a roll; discharging fluid soap upon the peripheral surface thereof, applying high pressure diametrically of said roll, to distribute the fluid soap therein and flatten it to form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape; and then solidifying said soap.

'7. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons, which method includes successively stretching lengths of ribbon to approximately the same predetermined tension and cutting oil successive substantially equal lengths thereof while under such tension, loosely winding each length at high speed to form a loosely wound roll; and, while the roll still has rotary motion about its own axis, discharging fluid soap upon the peripheral surface thereof; applying high pressure diametrically of said roll to distribute the fluid soap therein and flatten it to form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape; and then solidifying said soap.

8. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from metal wool ribbons, which method includes separating the ribbon into lengths suitable for one pad, loosely winding each length of ribbon, to flufiy, cylindrical form at high speed and, while the cylinder still has rotary motion about its own axis, discharging fluid soap upon the cylindrical surface thereof, highly compressing the thus soaped fluify metal wool, to distribute the fluid soap therein and flatten it to form a relatively dense pad of predetermined shape, and then solidifying said soap.

9. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from flufly metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes segregating lengths of ribbon of approximately equal weight, loosely winding each length to form a flufl'y roll; having length and diameter approximating the two larger dimensions of the desired pad; discharging fluid soap on the outer surface of the flufiy roll; flattening the thus soaped roll diametrically, to distribute the fluid soap therein and form a relatively dense pad having one of its dimensions approximately the same as the length of the cylinder; and then solidifying said soap.

10. A method of making soap impregnated metal wool pads from fluffy metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes segregating lengths of ribbon of approximately equal weight, winding each length to form a fluffy roll having axial length approximately equal to one of the I dimensions of the desired pad; flattening the thus soaped flufiy cylinder diametrically, under high pressure, to distribute the soap therein and form a relatively dense rectangular pad; and then solidifying said soap.

11. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from fluffy metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes segre ating lengths of ribbon of approximately equal weight, loosely winding each length on ellipse-producing centers to form a flufiy roll having an approximately cylindrical periphery, while edgewise confining the ribbon to an axial length approximately equal to one of the dimensions of the desired pad; then releasing said flufiy roll from ellipse-producing restraint; discharging fluid soap on the outer surface thereof, flattening the thus soaped fluffy roll diametrically, under high pressure to distribute the soap therein and form a relatively dense rectangular pad; and then solidifying said soap. 12. A method of making soaped metal wool pads from flufiy metal wool ribbons of the class described, which includes segregating lengths of ribbon of approximately equal weight, loosely winding each length on ellipse-producing centers to form a fluffy roll, while edgewise confining the ribbon to an axial widthapproximately equal to one of the dimensions of the desired pad, then releasing said roll from ellipse-producing restraint; and discharging fluid soap thereon flattening the roll diametrically, under high pressure, to distribute said fluid soap therein and form a relatively dense rectangular pad, and solidifying said soap.

CROSBY FIELD.

GERALD CRANDALL TOOLE.

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