US2348798A - Strand handling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

the same reference numerals Patented May 1c, 1944 2,348.79: STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Erwin E. Franz, (lranford, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company,

Incorporated, New York,

N. Y.,.a corporation of New York Application September 15, 1943, Serial No. 502,492

6 Claims.

This invention relates to strand handling apparatus and more particularly to a device for guiding a tape or ribbon like strand being wound edgewise upon a core.

There are certain windings of electrical conductor strand on a core to form an electromagnetic coil in which, for reasons not relevant to the present invention, the strand is a fiat tape or ribbon of metal covered with insulation, which tape like strand must be wound edgewise on a suitable core, i. e., with the broader fiat sides of addacent turns of the winding juxtaposed, and with each turn resting on one of its narrow edges against the core. The winding of such a coil has been a tedious and time wasting matter because of the difficulty of keeping the flat sides of each turn of winding substantially perpendicular to the face of the core with no better support than the narrow edge of the strand.

An object of the present invention is to provide a winding guide and strand support for controlling a tape like strand being wound edgewise upon a core.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be embodied in an elastically held together annular assembly of cam faced elements to be placed on the core to be wound, held frictionally thereon against the last placed turn of the winding to hold this against the body of the previous turns, and to be cammed back element by element by a new turn of winding being forced down edgewise between the last placed turn and the successive cam faces of the assembly.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which are applied to identical parts in the several figures and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view partly in horizontal central section of a winding mandrel and associated parts for winding a tape like strand on edge on a core;

Fig. 2 is a complete section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detached enlarged plan view of the annular strand guide and support;

Fig. 4 is a left hand elevation thereof, and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The apparatus herein disclosed to illustrate the invention comprises a spindle or shaft i drivable in rotation by any suitable means, not shown, and having a mandrel ll, mounted thereon to be driven thereby. A core body consisting of four elements l2, l3, l4 and I fits snugly but slidably on the mandrel. Elements l2 and I3 are generally semicylindrical wooden bodies as shown, and elements I4 and I! are plates of hard fiber, molded artificial resin or the like, edge rabbetted to the elements I2 and I3 as shown. The core body thus assembled has a. bore of oblong cross section to fit the mandrel ll, while its outer lateral surface, on which the winding is is to go, consists of two parallel opposed semicylindrical ends joined by parallel planes. when thus assembled the parts of the core may be fastened together in any suitable manner, e. g., permanently with glue or cement or temporarily, until some turns of winding have been laid on, with adhesive tape. The left core heads l6 and ii are securely attached to the core elements l2 and i3, as by cement, and are supported by the abutment element or support block I 9 mounted on the spindle l0. Other similar core heads not shown are to be mounted at the right side of the core when the winding is completed.

Abutted against the right end of the core body is a core dummy 20, rigidly and removably mounted on the spindle ill by a washer 2i and a nut 22. The core dummy 20 has its outer surface of the same dimensions and contour as those of the core body so that the outer surface of the dummy is in effect a continuation of the outer surface of the core body.

The core body is encircled circumferentially by a compound winding guide and strand support generally indicated by the numeral 30. This guide 30 is composed of a suitable plurality of suitably formed blocks 3|, 32; here shown as made of wood, but which may be of any suitable material, metal, molded plastic or the like. The side blocks 3i and end blocks 32 of the guide are so shaped that when they'are abutted in annular sequence, as in Figs. 3 and 4, they form an elongated annulus whose inner space, when the guide is detached, is triflingly smaller than the outer cross-section of the core body and of identically similar contour. The blocks are held in this assembled formation by one or more (here two) endless elastically stretchable bands 33, here shown as made of rubber, but which may be of any suitable elastic material, or may be helical tension springs, and which are held in place by being contained in grooves or slots 34 formed in the common periphery of the blocks.

Each of the blocks 3i and'32 is formed at its left end with a flat transverse strand supporting face 35 or 36 respectively on the inside, trailing corner of the left end, "trailing" meaning here at the rear with respect to the motion of the block when in operation. From the curved forward and upper edge of this face 35 or 36 the surface is curved convexly to the right to form a cam surface 31 or 88 respectively.

When the guide is in position on the core body, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the faces and 36, perpendicular to the core surface, are pressed snugly against the last placed turn of the winding l8 and support this turn of the fiat strand in its position edgewise to the core body surface. The guide is placed originally with the faces 35 and 3B pressed snugly against the core heads I6 and H. The first turn of the winding is forced down edgewise between the heads and the guide, by being brought down over the successive cam faces 31 and 38 of the blocks 3| and 82. Each block in turn is thus cammed to the right by the thickness of the strand while the blocks in front of it still hold the previously placed turn upright against the turn before that, and the blocks behind the one momentarily being cammed away are snugly against the part of the new turn just laid. Thus the strand being wound is completely supported at all times between the last placed turn and the guide entirely around the core except where successive individual blocks of the guide are being cammed back to admit the strand.

As described above, the guide 30 is constructed to have its central opening of the same shape as the core body'on which the strand is to be wound; and this central opening is trifiingly smaller in dimensions than the core body. Hence, when the guide is forced into position on the core body, the elastic bands 33 allow the guide to expand to fit over the core body and compel the guide to hug the core body closely and thus cause the individual blocks to lose frictional contact with each other but to maintain frictional contact with the core body. Hence each block offers the frictional resistance to being moved necessary to its function of supporting the strand and, at the same time, when cammed back does not tend to drag its neighboring blocks out of position.

In operation as described, the guide creeps rightwardly block by block until the winding is completed. During the latter part of this procedure the block moves out on the dummy body 20. The right hand heads of the core are then forced down into place on the left end of the dummy. This is then withdrawn sufficiently to let these heads slip down into final position, and the process is completed. Fresh core elements as described are placed on the mandrel, the guide is forced from the dummy upon the new core body and over to the new left hand core heads, and

the procedure may be repeated.

In the particular case illustrated, the guide is shown as shaped to fit a core having a racetrack cross-section. Obviously, the blocks composing the guide 'may be shaped as to their abutted sides and inner faces to make the guide fit a core body of any desired cross-sectional shape without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In, a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members to encircle the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core.

2. In a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members to encircle the core and formed to a slightly smaller inner circumference than the outer circumference of the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core and to hold the stretched sequence frictionally snugly on the core.

3. In a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members to encircle the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core, each member being formed to have a strand supporting face to press against and support a last placed turn of strand on the core and being further formed with a cam surface to be engaged by a turn of strand being placed to cam the member away from the last placed turn to admit the new turn.

4. In a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members to encircle the core and formed to a slightly smaller inner circumference than the outer circumference of the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core and to hold the stretched sequence frictionally snugly on the core, each member being formed to have a strand supporting face to press against and support a last placed turn of strand on the core and being further formed with a cam surface to be engaged by a turn of strand being placed to cam the member away from the last placed turn to admit the new turn.

5. In a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising'an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members toencircle the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core, each member being formed to have a strand supporting face to press against and support a last placed turn of strand on the core and being further formed with a cam surface adjacent to and leading from the strand supporting face and to be engaged by a turn of strand being placed to cam the member away from the last placed turn to admit the new turn.

6. In a strand handling apparatus for winding a strand on a core, a combined strand guide and support comprising an annular sequence of mutually independent strand guide and support members to encircle the core and formed to a slightly smaller inner circumference than the outer circumference of the core, and elastic means to hold the sequence of members removably in place on the core and to hold the stretched sequence frictionally snugly on the core, each member being formed to have a strand supporting face to press against and support a last placed turn of strand on the core and being further formed with a cam surface adjacent to and leading from the strand supporting face and to be engaged by a turn of strand being placed to cam the member away from the last placed turn to admit the new turn.

DISCLAIMER 2,348,798.-Erwin E. Franz, Oranford, N. J. STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS. Patent. dated May 16, 1944. Disclaimer filed July 28, 1944, by the assignee, Western Electric Company, Incorporated. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1, 3, and 5 of said patent.

[Ofiicial Gazette September 5, 1944.]

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