US2278859A

US2278859A - Flanged wire fabric

Info

Publication number: US2278859A
Application number: US237659A
Authority: US
Inventors: Blackburn Ernest Linwood
Original assignee: Korb Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iro
Current assignee: Korb Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iro; Korb-Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iron Works Inc
Priority date: 1938-10-29
Filing date: 1938-10-29
Publication date: 1942-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 1959-04-07

Description

April 7, i942. E. l.. BLAGKBURN 2,278,859

FLANGED WIRE FABRIQ Filed oct. :29, 195s 42 sheets-sheet 1 l r j' 'Xms [es s?! K v2); Z@

fw M' ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 FLAN GED WIRE FABRIC Ernest Linwood Blackburn, Audubon, N. J., as-

signor to Korb-Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iron Works, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 29, 1938, Serial No. 237,659

Claims.

My invention relates to wire fabric adapted for use as a screen, apron, or belt, and particularly as a conveyor belt. The invention is especially concerned with wire fabric flanged along one or both edges, and with making such marginally flanged fabric as flexible as possible, notwithstanding the bending of its margin(s) to one side to vform a flange or flanges. Hitherto it has not been possible to produce wire fabric with laterally bent upstanding margins that w-ould take a sharp bend, so that it has been necessary to provide wire fabric belting with edge flanges consisting of short overlapping sheet metal plates, attached to the wire fabric so as to interfere with its flexure as little as possible. struction is expensive, and is also unsatisfactory in other ways.

My invention permits of making flexible wire fabric with outstanding marginal flanges formed by laterally bending wire strands of the fabric, and suciently extensible to let the fabric take a sharp bend-virtually as sharp (in many cases) as the main body of the fabric would be capable of taking if it had no lateral flange(s). Such fabric is not difficult or costly to manufacture, but can, on the contrary, be rapidly produced in quantity by usual wire-fabric making methods and machinery, and at little more cost per pound than corresponding unflanged wire fabric. My invention is adaptable to various different flexible wire fabric constructions, only one of which is here illustrated and particularly referred to in the following explanation of the invention, being a fabric whose main body portion consists of transverse wire coils with interconnecting transverse pivot strands. While the particular fabric here illustrated has its marginal flanges upstanding at right angles to the body of the fabric, the invention is equally ap plicable when the angle .of the flanges with the body of the fabric is more or less than a right angle.

In my construction of flexible laterally flanged wire fabric, I obtain the extensibility of the flanges necessary to thedesired flexibility of the fabric by'modication of the construction or texture of the fabric at the upturned edges, the modification which confers extensibility being preferably an omission of some of the strands of wire that are present in the main body of the marginal flange(s), while in this present appli- Such a concation I particularly disclose and specially claim the omission of coil strands from the margin(s). In either case, the omission need not entail any material change in the conformation of the retained strands. The fabric body construction here particularly. shown and referred to is that disclosed in my application Serial No. 180,760, filed December 20, 1937, now Patent No. 2,149,834, though the present invention is by no means limited to this particular fabric texture.

Various other features and advantages of the invention. will appear from the following description of a species or form of embodiment, and from the drawings. Aside from the texture of the main body portion of the fabric, all the features shown or described are of my invention, so far as novel over the prior art.

In the drawings,

Figs; I, II, and III, are plan, end, and side,` views of lengths of flanged-edged flexible wire fabric embodying my invention, Fig. I showing portions of the fabric in horizontal section, and Fig. III showing the fabric bent around a segment of a curved guide or pulley rim, which appears in section.

Figs. IV and V are plan views of single wire coils which are elements of the fabric construction shown in Figs. I, II and III;

Figs. VI and VII are side views of these coils;

Fig. VIII is a plan View of a plurality of sets of such coils assembled and pivotally connected together as in the completed fabric, portions of one of such sets of coils being omitted; and,

Fig. IX is a side view of a pivotal connecting Wire such as shown in Fig. VIII.

I will first describe the general construction of the main body M of the particular fabric here illustrated, and then explain the construction of its laterally bent marginal ange(s) m. To make the drawings clearer, some of the wires are stippled in certain figures.

Referring to Figs. I, II, and III of the drawings, the main body portion M of the fabric as there illustrated may be characterized as having each of its faces formed by a series of transverse rows A of short lengths of wire l0, Il, which may be inclined relative to the length of the fabric, preferabl,7 at different angles in alternation. As here shown, the alternate lengths I0, Il of each row A are oppositely (but equally) inclined, so that any tendency of the lengths l0 to push the fabric sidewise, in service, by their engagement with supporting pulleys or rolls (Fig. III) is counteracted by the opposite tendency of the lengths I'I. In each row A, the set of alternate lengths I are slightly staggered (lengthwise of the fabric) relative to the interlapping set consisting of the lengths II. Each set of lengths I0 or II at one face of the fabric corresponds in lengthwise position to a set of lengths II or I0, respectively, at the opposite face of the fabric, and each wire length I0 or II of a row A at one face has its ends (integrally) connected at I2 with lengths I0 or II, respectively, at the opposite face, belonging to the corresponding row A there.

Regarding any two successive rows A, A at either face, it will be seen that their lengths Hl, I I interlap, and that a (straight) transverse wire strand I3 extends across the fabric between these interlapping lengths I I I at the two faces of the fabric, and (by engagement with the connective portions I2 already referred to) ,interconnects the two successive rows A, A like a pivot. As shown in Fig. II, the lengths III, II that lie substantially opposite one another at the two faces in effect form a simple chain-link composed of strands which overlap one another, in the midplane or pitch-plane of the fabric, at the ends or bends I2 of the link,-which are thus double,-

and the pivot strands I3 extend through both these double bends of each such link, which cross in the midor pitch-plane of the fabric.

In the preferred form and 'construction here illustrated, the fabric is made up by assembling wire spirals or coils a and a (Figs. IV, V, VI and VII) which are oppositely wound, as rights and lefts, but may otherwise be just alike. Preferably, the convolutions of these coils a, a are elongated lengthwise of the fabric,,-or in other words, flattened in the direction of its thickness. Each row A in the fabric corresponds to a structural unit which consists of a pair (or set) of the coils a and a Whose convolutions have been interlapped (as it were) by pushing them amongst one another while keeping the coils in the same plana-two such structural units A appearing in Fig. VIII. As a result of this mode of assembling, the long sides of the respective convolutions, which form the lengths I0 and II in the fabric, all lie in the two parallel planes that define its opposite faces, While the bends I2 of the convolutions of the two coils cross and bear against each other at opposite ends of the convolutions, in an intermediate plane which is the midor pitch-plane of the fabric. As shown in Fig. VIII, two such units A, A are assembled with the convolutions of their adjacent coils a and a interlapped (more or less), and may be secured together by the strand I3 inserted through the crossed bends I2, I2 of both coils a, a of each unit A, Figs. VIII and IX. From this beginning, any length of fabric desired can be built up, by simply adding on more units A and securing them with the necessary additional strands I3,- one of such additional strands I3 being also partly shown in Fig. VIII.

As a matter of manipulation in manufacture, it may be found convenient to add single coils a and a in alternation to the initial unit A, inserting a strand I3 after adding each pair or set of coils a, a to secure them. In this case, the assemblage of coils to form units A is, so to speak, merged in the addition of single coils a and a to the fabric.

As shown in Fig. I, the long convolution sides or lengths Il) andl II of the units A are so proportioned relative to the angle of divergence of these lengths I0 and II that when the strands I3 securing the units A together are perfectly straight, as here shown, adjacent lengths I6 and II of adjacent units A lie almost in contact. To the eye, therefore, the fabric in Fig. I is composed of herringbone stripes of oppositely inclined lengths I8, Il which seem to touch one another without a break, thus forming an unbroken face. Hence the fabric presents in its faces a maximum number of wire lengths Ill, I Il giving it maximum tensile strength and maximum surface friction With the pulleys or rolls supporting it in service, as well as with the load resting on it, and a minimum of interstices. While such a close-textured fabric can be designed to bend to a radius of an inch or less, it is otherwise very rigid, and cannot be made to stretch or contract lengthwise without exure, or be distorted diagonally. As shown in Figs. II and Il'l, the fabric presents unbroken fiat faces at both sides, owing to the contiguity and interlapping of the wire lengths III, II. It is obvious, however, that by making the lengths IIJ and II longer, or otherwise suitably varying the structure, these lengths I!) and II can be spaced apart as much as desired, giving a more open texture and a lighter weight per unit of areathough with a corresponding sacrice of strength, rigidity, and surface friction.

The margins m of the fabric differ in construction from its main body portion M in the omission of certain coil strands a or a. from each margin: viz., in the present instance alternate coils are thus omitted from each margin. As here shown, the coil strands omitted from the two margins are the same: i. e., all the coil strands a are bent and extend up into each margin m, and all of the coil strands a terminate in the main body M of the fabric at the edge or corner where the margin is bent upward. In this particular construction, all the pivot strands I3 are bent to extend upward to the upper edge of each margin, where their upper ends are preferably secured to those of a length I 0 of the coil a in a secure manner, as shown at IAL-as by electric welding or other method of fusion.

Of course it will be understood that these features of the margin construction admit of some variations as regards the proportion and character of body strands along the length of the fabric that extend up into a marginal flange: e. g., some of the pivot strands I3 might terminate in the body of the fabric without extending up into the margin ange; or some of the strands a might terminate in the body of the fabric, as well as all the coil strands a. Or, on the other hand, all the coil strands a and part of the coil strands a (e. g., alternate coil strands a) might extend up into the margin ange m, if extreme flexibility were not required. The exact construction illustrated gives very great exibility, approaching or equalling what the main body VM of the fabric would have if its flanges m, m were omitted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion formed of coiled wires, and pivot wires by which the coiled wires are interconnected in said main body portion against separation lengthwise thereof, whereby lengthwise extension of said main body portion is prevented, while said coiled wires are free to move relative to one another for exure of the fabric, said fabric also having a marginal ange comprising certain of the main body wires bent and prolonged to one side of said main body portion at an angle `relative thereto, and successively interconnected by the pivot wires in said flange with freedom to separate lengthwise of the fabric when the latter ilexes away from the flange, whereby lengthwise extension of said flange is permitted.

2. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of transversely extending coiled wires and transverse pivot wires pivotally intern connecting said coiled wires to permit flexure of the fabric while preventing lengthwise extension of said main body portion, a proportion of said coiled wires along the length of the fabric having end portions bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the rest of said coiled wires terminate in the main body of the fabric and thus allow separation of wires in the ange when the fabric ilexes away from the flange, whereby lengthwise extension of said flange is permitted.

3. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of coiled wires interconnected for longitudinal flexure of the fabric, a proportion of said coiled wires, along the length of the fabric, having portions bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the other coiled wires terminate in the main body of the fabric. 4. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of transversely extending coiled wires and transverse pivot wires pivotally interconnecting said coiled wires to permit' longitudinal flexure of the fabric, the pivot wires and a proportion of said coiled wires, along the length of the fabric, having end portions bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to'form an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the rest of said coiled wires terminate in the main body of the fabric.

5. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of transversely extending coiled wires with their convolutions interlapped and transverse pivot wires pivotally interconnecting them, said pivot wires and a proportion of said coiled wires, along the length of the fabric, having end portions bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the rest of said coiled wires terminate in the main body of the fabric.

6. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein the fabric has lateral marginal flanges formed as aforesaid at both its opposite edges, and wherein a proportion of the coiled strands, along the length of the fabric, terminate in the main body of the fabric adjacent each of its margins.

vother coiled strands terminate in the main body of the fabric adjacent each of its margins.

8. A flexible wire fabric comprising a series of transverse strands which are oppositely coiled in alternation, and have their convolutions interlapped in sets, each set having the convolutions of its component coils crossed at their opposite sides, and the successive sets being similarly interlapped, and a common pivotl strand extending through and interconnecting the several coils of each pair of interlapped sets to form the main body of the fabric; the end portions of said pivot strands and of a proportion of said coiled strands, along the length of the fabric, being bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the other coiled strands terminate in said main body of the fabric, so that said outstanding marginal flange is variable in length when the fabric flexes.

9. A flexible wire fabric comprising a series of transverse units each comprising a pair of strands oppositely coiled, with their convolutions interlapped and crossing at both the opposite sides of the coil, and a series of single transverse pivot strands each extending through and interconnecting both coils of' adjacent units to form the main body of the fabric; the end portions of said pivot strands and of alternate coiled strands being bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding marginal flange for the fabric, while the other coiled strands terminate in said main body of the fabric, so that said y outstanding marginal flange is variable in length when the fabric flexes.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the fabric has marginal flanges as aforesaid at both its opposite edges, and wherein alternate coiled strands are bent to one side of the main body of the fabric and extend into both of said flanges, while the other coiled strands terminate in the main body of the fabric adjacent each of its margins.

ERNEST LINWOOD BLACKBURN.