US2266437A

US2266437A - Tensioning device

Info

Publication number: US2266437A
Application number: US342873A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oscar G Nelson
Original assignee: Western Electric Co Inc
Current assignee: AT&T Corp
Priority date: 1940-06-28
Filing date: 1940-06-28
Publication date: 1941-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1958-12-16

Description

Dec. 16, 1941. Y C), Q NELSON n 2,266,437

TENSIONING .DEVICE Filed June 28, 1940 F/6./- Y *Kiga agua@ A WTORNE'Yv Patented Dec. 16, 1941 e i f UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE y translizrsz:,'EVICE` y Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application June-'28, 1940, 342,873 1o claims. (creia- 75) This invention relates to a tensioning device, ing tension created'by the drawing of the mateand more particularly to a tensioning device for rial from Athe supply, will equal aconstant tenmaterial drawn from Aa supply. sion. The support vII in thepresent instance is The drawing of material from a rotatable in theformofa spindle to support a reel I1, the supply, for example, from a supply reel'mounted 5, latterfcarrying the supply I2 of material I5, and for rotation by the material being removed thereremovably fixed to the support or spindle by from, creates a certainamount of tension on the suitable :means I9. The support .II is rotatably material vwhich in many instances is not summounted bythe aid of one or more bearings I8, cient and in all instances is not constant. This only one of which V4is shown in the 'present inexisting tension varies with variations in the stance, upon a shaft 120. AThe shaft 2|) may be thickness of the material on the reel, the tension fof a machine used in the handling of materials, increasing as the lever arm, that is, the radius for example, a taping ,machine in which a reel of the material, decreases, requiring an increasor supply of v`material is moved in av circuitous ing force to rotate the reel. Therefore, to create path `around a forwardly moving V strandY to a constant tension on a material drawn from a spirally wrap the materialen the strand.

rotatable supply, the force required for the addi- The spring I4 is disposed upon a vlshaft 22, one tional tension must vary with the variations in end of which extends into .-a supporting bracket the existing tension, but in reverse `Yorder. 23, and is fixed thereto. The brake member I0,

An object of the invention is to provide a tenhaving an outer portion curvedA to conform to sioning device particularly for material drawn the annular `engaging portion of the support II from a rotatable supply and which is` simplein `and provided with a brake shoe 25, .extends upstructure-and highly eiicient in creating a conwardly and isprovided with an integral collar stant tension on the material. f portion 26 which is disposed concentric vwith the With this and other objects in view, the invenshaftand is free to rotate thereon. An aperture tion comprises a tensioning device for Vmaterial 21 in the collar portion 26 receives oneAend-of the drawn from a rotatable supply which device'inspring I4, so that 4 a portion of the force of the cludes a. brake member urged into `engagement spring may urge the b rake shoe 25 of the brake with a support for the supply and a follower member Il) into intimate engagement with the urged into engagement with thesupply Vby a comsupport II. l, Y -mnn force `variable by relative positioning of the 30 The follower I3 is inthe form of anarm, supmemberrand follower to create, on the material, porting roller 30 et its lowerend. which roller a, desired tension which, when added to en existengages the surface of the supply I2 and follows` ing varying tension eredi-,ed by the drawing of the decreasing lever arm or `radius of the supthe material from the supply, will equalv a conply during the removal of the material Iitherelstent tension. from. The roller 3.0 issupported by roller bearf Othervobjects and advantages will be apparent ings 01 other Suitable antifliction means 32, S0 from the fonowing detailed description lwhen that the tensioning means will 11e in. and be detaken in lconjunction with the accompanying k.termined by the force of.y thev Spring I4. The` drawing, wherein upper end of the follower I3 is in the form of a Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of the appa- 40 bearing Portion 33. 'disposed concentric with the ratus, portions thereof being shown in section, shaft 22, free to rotate thereon and controlled and Y Y Y by the spring Il.Oneface of the bearing por- Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of thestruction ,33 1S Provided with teeth 3l which are ture shown in 15'1g,v 1, pertions thereof being formed to mesh with teeth 35 of a tension varybroken away, K ing collar V38, the latter being disposed concentric Referring-now to the drawing, the presentemywith the shaft 22 for rotation thereon and havbodiment of the invention includes ingeneral a ing an aperture 31 therein for'receivin the other brake member. I0 urged int'o engagement with a end 0f the spring. Apertures 3B are formed at support; ger a, supply l2 of material and e, spaced positionsin the collar. and extend'radifouower n urged into engagement with the sup- 0 ally through the outer surface thereof to receive ply by Va common force, such .as a spring i4, -a suitable tool (not shown) to cause relative Nrwhich is variable by relative positioning of the vlrivelnellf the 0011er and the :follower I3 to brake member I0 and follower- I3 to create on vary the force of the spring Il. 4

. material Il drawn from the supply I2, a vdesired The other yface ofthe bearing portion 3l of the V.tension which when addedto the existing vary'- 55 ,'follower I3 has anotch V40 positioned to receive a lug 4I of a holding member 42, the latter being mounted upon the shaft 22 and provided with a key 43 projecting into an elongate recess 44 in the shaft to allow axial movement of the holding member yet prevent rotation thereof. A helical spring 46 disposed concentric with the shaft 22 between the holding member 42 and a collar 41, the latter fixed to the shaft 22, urges the holding member 42 to the left (Fig. 1) to cause the lug 4| to press against the surface of the .bearing portion 33 and enter the notch 40 when the follower is moved a sufficient distance to present the notch to the lug. Y

During the operation of the apparatus, it will be understood that, without the added force of the brake member I0 on the support Il to cause tension on the material I5, a certain amount of tension on the material will exist. This tension, without the aid of the brake, may be determined by the force necessary to rotate the supply, namely the material on the reel, and the support II. Naturally, the force required to rotate the reel and its support increases as the lever arm decreases during the removal of the material from the supply, and as the required force increases the tension'on the material increases, assuming that the' material is withdrawn at a constant speed. In order lthat the material mayl be handled satisfactorily, for example, in order that the material may be wrapped uniformly on a strand,` it is important that the tension on the material be constant and in most instances this tension required is greater than that created merely by the drawing of the material from the supply. In the present embodiment the force for the added tension lies in the spring I4 and its effect on the brake member I0. This force may be determined by suitable means (not shown) and the force may be varied by varying the relative positions of the follower and brake member, considering, for example, that the tension varying collar 36 is a variable portion of the follower. The

teeth

34 and 35 are equally spaced and may represent indications of the force ofV the spring I4. If desired, pointers, such as arrows, may be disposed on or formed in the bearing portion 33 and the collar 36 to indicate, through the aid of the teeth, the variations from a definite force.

Let it be assumed, for example, that the device as shown is set to create the required tension on materalof a definite size. At the beginning of the withdrawal of the material from a full supply, the force of the spring, transferred to the support II by the brake member I0, is at its maximum, the total force of the spring being divided between the follower and the brake member.V As the -material is withdrawn from the supply layer by layer, the roller 30 moves inwardly toward the axis of rotation ofthe supply, decreasing gradually the force of the spring on the brake member to decrease the effective force on the support correspondingly to the increase in force necessary for the material to rotate the reel resulting in the combination of two forces, one decreasing while the other correspondingly increases to maintain a constant force and, therefore, a constant tension on the material.

When the reel is empty the follower may be moved counter-clockwise about the shaft 22 until the notch 40 receives the lug 4I, the latter holding the follower in the dotted linel Position shown in Fig, 2, so that the empty reel may beA the holding member 42 to the right against the force of the spring 46, removing the lug 4IV from the notch 40, and allow the follower I3 to be moved by the spring I4 until the roller 30 rests upon the surface of the new supply of material. In this manner the adjustment of the spring I4 is maintained and the material from the new supply may be withdrawn under the same tension without further adjustment of the device.

the follower into engagement with the collar 36.

The follower may be moved longitudinally of the shaft 22 to disengage the teeth 34 thereof from the teeth 35 of the collar, to decrease the tension or force of the spring I4 if desired.

It will, therefore, be observed that the brake member I0 may apply a varying force to the support II controlled by the decreasing radius of the supply through the follower I3, to cause a decreasing tension on the material as the existing tension, caused by the added force required to rotate the supply, increases, creating -a combined constant tension on the material.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merelyillustrative and may be modied and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tensioning device for'material drawn from a supply comprising a rotatable support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted cn the shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the brake arm against the support to create a tension on the material drawn from the supply, and a follower pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force of the spring.

2. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising a rotatable support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about' the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the brake arm against the support to create a tension on the material drawn from the supply, a follower pivotally mounted 'on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force of the spring. and means movable on the shaft relative to the follower to vary the force of the spring.

3. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising a rotatable support for va. supply of material, a shaft, aA brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed en the shaft to supply a force urgingV the brake arm against the support to create a tension on the material drawn from the supply, a follower pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow'the supply while decreasing in sizel to decrease the force of the spring, and a member interengaging the follower to vary the force of the spring.l Y

4. A tensioning device for material drawn fram a supply comprising a rotatable support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about -the by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force of the fil axis thereof and into engagement with the supf port, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the brake arm against the support ,to create a tensionk on the material drawn from the supply, and a follower pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force ofthe spring, one portion ofthe follower movable relative to another to vary the force of the spring.

I port to create a tension on thefmaterial drawn 5. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising a rotatablel support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a. force urging the brake arm against the support to create av tension on the material drawn from the supply, a follower pivotally mounted on -the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force of the spring, means to vary the force of the spring, and means to'v indicate the variation in the force of the spring.

6. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprisinga rotatable support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a from they supply, a follower pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply While decreasing in size to decrease the force of the spring, and a holding member positioned tointerengage the follower to hold the follower in a position away from the supply when the follower is moved into the position.

9. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising a support, fora supply of material, rotated by the withdrawal of the material under an increasing existing tension varying with the decreasing radii of the supply, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft fork ypivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the brake arm against the support to create an added tension on the material, and a follower movable on the shaft with the decreasing radii to cause variation in the force of the spring-to cause the `v added tension to decrease. as the existing tension increases resulting in a constant tension on force urging the brake arm against the support to create a tension on the material drawn from the supply, a follower: pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about the axis thereof by the spring to follow the supply while decreasing in size to decrease the force of the spring, and means to hold the follower away from the `support for the positioning of a supply of material on the support.

7. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising -a rotatable support for a supply of material, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft lfor pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, a spring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the brake arm against the support to create a tension on the material drawn from the supply, a. follower pivotally mounted on the shaft and urged about .the axis thereof the material.

10. A tensioning device for material drawn from a supply comprising a support, for a supply of material, rotated by the` withdrawal of the material under an increasing existing tension varying with decreasing radii of the supply, a shaft, a brake arm mounted on the shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and into engagement with the support, aspring disposed on the shaft to supply a force urging the OSCAR G. NELSON.