US2250234A

US2250234A - Wire beamer tensioner unit and method

Info

Publication number: US2250234A
Application number: US346235A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert C Pierce
Original assignee: National Standard Co
Current assignee: National Standard Co
Priority date: 1940-07-18
Filing date: 1940-07-18
Publication date: 1941-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1958-07-22

Description

R. c. PIERCE WIRE BEAMER TENSIONER UNIT AND METHOD July 22, 1941.

Filed July 18 1940 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iv'zverz '02.? 277 aj zfce,

July 22, 1941. R. c. PIERCE WIRE BEAMER TENSIONER UNIT AND METHOD Filed July 18; 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J uly 22, 1941. R. c. PIERCE WIRE BEAMER TENsIoNEfi UNIT AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 18, 1940 ,Z/7'KUG7Z 07% 5 77 Cfzlgrae,

Patented July 22, 1941 WIRE BEAMER TENSIONER UNIT AND METHOD Robert 0. Pierce, Niles, Mich., assignor to National-Standard Company, a corporation of Michigan Application July 18, 1940, Serial No. 346,235

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wire beamer tensioner unit or wire winding apparatus and method. The invention is more particularly applicable to apparatus and method for winding a plurality of wires in a set.

In connection with the manufacture of rubber Vehicle tires and for other purposes, it is frequently desirable to provide a plurality of relatively fine flexible wires in a set. For example, as here shown, such a set may include four separate wires. At each end of the set, the separate ends of the individual wires are ordinarily fastened together in some suitable manner to facilitate handling of the set or group of wires. For shipping purposes, the set is usually wound upon an ordinary spool or drum.

My invention relates more particularly to apparatus and method for winding such a set of Wires upon a spool. In ordinary practice, the set is formed as it is wound upon the spool by drawing separate wires from separate supply spools and winding them together in a set upon the new spool. In the present specification I shall assume, merely for purpose of example, that the set includes four wires. It is to be understood, however, that such a set may comprise any number of wires. In former practice, the ends of the four wires were initially joined together to start the set, and then the four wires together were Wound upon the spool, each wire freely flowing.

from each separate spool. In such practice, it usually happened that the individual wires of the set would not wind evenly on the receiving spool with the result that some wires of the set would be longer than others. In winding on the receiving spool some wires of the set would ride up on others, while some would drop down between, so that during the winding operation some wires of the set would be drawn more rapidly from the supply spools than others. As stated, the result of this was to place upon the receiving spool a set of wires of uneven lengths. Consequently, when the set was removed from the spool, difliculty was encountered because some wires of the set were longer than others.

, The principal feature of my invention is the provision of apparatus and method for winding such a set of wires upon a spool so that all the wires of the completed set, after being wound upon the spool, will be of the same length. When such a set is removed from the spool, all the wires will lie parallel under equal tension and be adapted for ready application in manufacture. In general, it may be stated that my invention comprises, in combination with a spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means for positively feeding to said spool each individual wire of the set at the same rate. In the former practice, the receiving spool would draw each individual wire of the set freely from the supply spool. If one wire of the set ran up on high places on the receiving spool that wire would be drawn just that much faster from its supply spool with the result that that wire of the set would be longer than the others. The essence of my invention is to prevent this by definite feedin measuring or metering each separate wire of the set so that they all will positively be fed to the receiving spool at the same rate.

In the practice of my invention, each wire of the set is supplied from an individual supply spool, but there is interposed between the su ply spools and the set receiving spool, apparatus which definitely measures, meters, or feeds the separate wires all at the same rate. In general, this comprises two large drums around which the four wires are wound several times so as to have sufficient frictional engagement with said drums to prevent slippage of any wire. To increase the frictional engagement there are smaller friction drums pressing against the wires to hold them in contact with the larger drums. The set receiving spool pulls the set to drive these drums, and the wires are supplied to the drums from the four individual supply spools. With this construction, the wire or wires having the greatest tension between the receiving spool and the friction drums will drive the latter at a certain rate. If any wire of the set, however, is dropping in'low places, such as valleys or depressions between wires previously wound on the receiving spool so that its tension is decreased, it will become temporarily slack between the receiving spool and the friction drums. Such frictions drums, however, will continue to feed it at the same rate as the wire having the greatest tension. The result of this slackness will be to cause this wire to ride up on the higher places on the receiving spool until finally such slackness is taken up. In other words, the slackness will facilitate the more rapid taking up of this slack wire on the receiving spool, while the wires with greater tension will tend to be pulled down into low places, such as valleys or depressions between the wires previously wound on the receiving spool, with the result that the slack wires will be taken up more rapidly and the taut wires not so rapidly, with the final result that the individual wires of the complete set upon the receiving spool when the winding is completed will all be of the same length within exceedingly fine limits.

In that form of device embodying the features of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation, Fig, 2 is a view in end elevation, Fig. 3 is a view, taken as indicated by the line 3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a top plan view, and Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation on a reduced scale. I

As shown in the drawings, [a, Ha, l2a, and Wu indicate four separate supply spools for supplying the four wires III, II, I2, and I3, respective- 13'. to form the set to be wound upon the set receiving spool M which is driven in any suitable manner (not shown).

I indicates a suitable spreader of well known construction adapted for reciprocal movement to move the wires back and forth as they are being wound upon the spool M in order to distribute them more or less evenly on the spool in a well known manner. a

Located between the set receiving spool I4 and the supply spools are the two friction drums l6 and II about which the set of wires is Wound four times, as shown in the drawings. l8 indicates a comb, between the teeth of which the wires are placed in order to assist in holding them in separated positions. The drums 16 and I! are suiiicientlylarge and are made of suitable material so that the wires frictionally engage the same with substantially no slippage thereon. Thisfr'ictional engagement is increased by the pressure of two additional friction rolls Ito and. Ha, above the. drums operating by gravity, and weighted, as desired, to press the wires more securely into frictional engagement with the drums I6 and l1. I

The drums'lt and-i! are driven by the spool l4 through the tension of one or more of the wires. Suitable drags or friction devices (not shown) for the supply spools are provided to prevent overrunning of the same.

.As shown in Fig. 5, there is some space between the spool l4 and the friction drums I6 and l'l.- It will be seen that the wire or wires that are wound fastest upon the spool M will have the greatest tension between the spool 14 and frictiondrums l6 and I], and consequently will be the wires driving such friction drums. For example, as shown in Fig.5, I have indicated one of the wires 16 as having greater tension than the wire |3.-- This drawing is largely diagrammatic andQthe other two wires for convenience are not shown. The principle can just as well be illustrated with two wires. As shown in this figure, the wire [0, having gone up on the high placeson thelspool M, has had its tension increased. Since all the wires are frictionally in engagement with the drums' l6 and 11, said drumshave fed the'wire l3 just as fast as the wire [0. Since the wire it has gone into low places on the receiving spool and consequently not been takenup as fast, it has developed some slack between the spool l4 and the friction drums. The result of this condition isto cause the taut wire-ll] to be pulleddown into the low places on the spool. Thatis, this wire is not so likely to rideup on other-wires on the spool; The wire l3 being slack, however, will ride up on the higher places, or because of its slackness will be taken up faster by the spool 14. The result will be to equalize the differences-in tension of the wires l0 and I3. Stating the matter in more simple and general words, it can be said that as soon as any wire becomes more taut than the others, it will not be taken up by the spool so rapidly; and as soon as any wire becomes more slack than the others, it will be taken up more rapidly. The result of this is a continual tendency to equalize the tension and winding rate of the individual wires of the set with the result that all the wires of the set, as finally wound upon the spool, will be ofpractically the same length.

It is to be understood that there is sufiicient drag (not shown) on the friction drums to cause sufficient tension on one or more of the wires through which the drums are driven from the winding spool to accomplish the objects ofthe invention.

My invention finds particular use in connection with braiding machines making tubular braid. Anywhere from 2 to 35 wires or more may be wound on a beamed spool with my improved apparatus and one spool is mounted on each carrier of the braiding machine. For example, there may be a 24 carrier circular braider with 10 wires on each spool in each carrier. In such case, if the wire is soft and easily stretched, the tighter ones may do so and thus all the wires may come to a uniform length; but in stronger materials such as high carbon wires, phosphor bronze and the like the wire does not stretch so easily and if unevenly wound on the spool there are likely to be loops at the braiding point which cause flaws in the braiding. By the use of my invention the wires may all be wound on the spool at a given length thus facilitating the making of commercially smooth tubular braid.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In combination With'a spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means for posi-' tively and simultaneously feeding to said spool each individual wire of the set at the same rate.

2. In combination with a spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means for positively and simultaneously feeding to said spool each individual wire of the set at the same rate, said means including a drum about which the wires are frictionally wound.

3. In combination with a driven spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means for positively and simultaneously feeding to said spool each individual wire of the set at the same rate, said means being driven from said spool by said wires.

4. In combination with a driven spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means for positively and simultaneously feeding to said spool each individual Wire of the set at the same rate, said means including a drum about which the wires are frictionally wound, said drum being driven from said spool by said wires.

5. The method of winding a plurality of wires in a set upon a spool comprising positively and. simultaneously feeding to said spool each individual wire of the set at the same rate.

6. In the winding of a plurality of wires in a set upon a spool, the method of causing the Wire winding most rapidly thereon positively and simultaneously to feed to said spool the other wires of the set at the same rate.

7. In combination with a driven spool windmultaneously to feed to the spool the remaining wires of the set at the same rate.

8. In combination with a driven spool winding thereon a plurality of wires in a set, means driven by said spool through the wire winding most rapidly thereon, said means operating through frictional engagement with the remaining wires simultaneously to feed to the spool said remaining wires of the set at the same rate.

9. The method of producing a set of wires of equal length by a single winding upon a driven spool which comprises simultaneously presenting to the spool individual wires of the number in the set from a metering device and maintaining each wire in presentment relationship to the spool whereby inequalities in take-up of the individual wires are overcome by adjustment upon the spool.

10. The method of producing a set of wires of equal length by a single winding upon a driven spool which comprises simultaneously presenting to the spool individual wires of the number in the set from a metering device driven by said wires and maintaining each wire in presentment relationship to the spool whereby inequalities in take-up of the individual wires are overcome by adjustment upon the spool.

ROBERT C. PIERCE.