US2411291A - Adjustable die - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1946.

E. L. RAMSTEDT 2,411,291

ADJUSTABLE DIE Filed May 1, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y) w Y Patented Nov. 19, 1946 Y 2,411,291 ADJUSTABLE Din Emil L. Ramstedt, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 1, 1945, Serial No. 591,391

6 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to wire rope or cable laying machines, and particularly to improvements in the guide die for the center strand or core of a rope or cable to be formed on such machines.

On certain known types of ropes or cables, it is necessary to provide a center strand or core of substantially triangular cross--sectional contour. Heretofore in the guiding of such a triangular strand or core, it has been the practice to employ a guide die having a triangular bore or passage- Way extending therethrough, this bore usually having been formed by a broaching operation. According to prior practice a separate guide die must be used for guiding each size of strand or core. This necessitates the provision of a great number of dies. Since they are usually made from high-grade tool steel which is hardened and polished and which must be carefully initially broached, their initial cost is thus very high and they are also costly to maintain.

Among the disadvantages inherent in prior art guide dies are: the tendency of a bent core wire to cause a break; the tendency toward breakage on the introduction of an oversized core wire; the tendency of the die to wear out rapidly; the excessive original cost of producing the dies; the tendency of worn dies to objectionably shave the wire core; the tendency of the die to overheat; and the tendency to mutilate the apexes of the triangular core.

Among the objects of the present invention are to overcome the above and related disadvantages of prior practice and to provide a simplified core guiding die comprising a holder having a plurality of steel balls mounted therein with provision for radial adjustment, the balls being adapted to jointly denne a die openingto suit the contour of various sizes of wires or cores.

The above and related features of the invention will be fully apparent from the following detailed disclosure when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a rope or cable laying machine having my invention incorporated therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged axial section through the guide die constituting the chief feature of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a triangular wire or core adapted to be guided by the die of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numerals I8 represent disc-like members of a conventional form of a rope or cable laying flier, this nier being rotatably supported in a manner Well known to those skilled in the art. The fiier includes a plurality or cradles I2 mounted by suitable trunnions journaled `in the disc-like members lo. Each cradle l2 carries a reel Ell carrying a supply of rope or cable strand material l5. The several disc-like members l are secured to an elongated hollow tubular member i8 a portion of which extends through a suitable bearing (not shown) in which it is rotatably mounted. At its forward end the member i8 carries a known form of lay plate 22 through which the several strand elements l5 converge toward a rotary stranding die 24 of conventional form.

A countershaft 26 mounted in suitable bearings 28 is driven by a suitable main drive motor (not shown). This shaft drives the hollow member i8 through conventional transmission elements (not shown), thus providing a drive for the flier. The rotary stranding die 24 is driven by a belt 4i? from pulley 42 carried on a stub shaft 44 driven by change gearing 45 from a gear 48 secured to the countershaft 26. A pair of haulcii drums 5t and 52 of conventional form are provided to draw the rope or cable through the machine, the drum 52 being mounted on a shaft carrying a gear 54 driven by a pinion 5t secured to a shaft 58 driven through reversing gearing 60 and change gears {i2-64 from the countershaft. The shaft 58 carries a pulley 5E which through belt @il drives pulley 'lil carried by shaft 'l2 which is connected by gearing 14 to a shaft T6 which carries a take-up drum i8 on which is accumulated the product of the machine.

Extending longitudinally through the center of the hollow flier member I8 and rotatable relatively thereto is an elongated hollow shaft 80 which is adapted to be driven in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the llier.

A cradle (not shown) rotatablyvsupports a. suitable reel which carries a supply of triangular wire or core strand such as indicated at |08. This `core strand passes longitudinally through the hollow center of the shaft 30. As the flier rotates, the plurality of strands I 6 is laid around the triangular core m8 which is rotated at a speed to suit the lay of the rope or cable being laid up by the machine.

A particular feature of the present invention relates to the simple and improved inexpensive guide bearing for the triangular core |08 which is effective to impart a twist to the core in a direction to suit the lay of the rope being formed. As shown in Figure 2, the guide die includes a holder portion Il? having a circular passageway ||4 extending therethrough. "The holder is provided with an enlargement or collar portion H3 carrying end projections H8 which intert with notches |20 formed in the extremity of a sleeve |22 which telescopically engages the end of the bore of the hollow shaft 80, the sleeve |22 being detachably secured to the shaft by a set screw |24. An internally threaded coupling nut I 26 engages threads formed on the extremity of the sleeve |22 and coacts with the collar IIB on the holder ||2 to thus detachably secure the .guide die to the sleeve |22. The entrance end of the holder ||2 is flared outwardly, as indicatedrat |28, to facilitate initially threading the core through the die. A plurality of radial holes |30 are formed in the holder ||2, with the axis of each substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe die passageway H4. The outer portions of the holes |30 are provided with respective screw threads |32, and there is a respectively lhardened steel ball |34 in each hole |35. Balls of various sizes, such as those of hardened'tool steel forming conventional ball bearings, are satisfactory and economical. Outward movement of the balls |35 is prevented by screw plugs |36 which have socket portions |38 formed therein for engagement with 9, suitable adjusting wrench |49. Each plug |36 is preferably formed with a shallow conical depression |42 forming a self-centering seat for the ball coacting therewith. In'the embodiment illustrated, the holder ||2 is formed with three radial holes |30 circularly arranged and equidistantly spaced with a respective ball in each hole. The screw plugs |36 constitute means for adjusting the position of the balls radially within the holes, thus making it possible for a given die equipped with three identical balls to be used for guiding different sizes of substantially triangular wire or core such as shown in detail in Figure 4. By simply adjusting the screw plugs |35, the size of the substantially triangular guide opening jointly formed by the three balls can be easily and quickly varied to suit the size or gauge of triangular core wire used for different sizestof ropes or cables. Thus my improved die overcomes the objections to prior art dies, and in addition, practice demonstrates that a minimum number of dies will cover the entire range of sizes usually required by manufacturers of attened strand or rope. When the balls |34 become worn after long use,

they can be inexpensively replaced, and in orderk to make such Vreplacement it will be unnecessary to remove the wire in process from the die. Nor

will it be necessary to cut the core wire. And because the balls are universally rotatable, wear is distributed and heat due to friction is greatly minimized or practically eliminated. Thus those 4 skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is a definite step forward over prior conventional practice.

Having thus described the invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A rope or cable laying machine of the character described, comprising a core guide die including a holder having a plurality of holes whose axes converge to a common point, and a respective ball mounted in each hole with provision for radial adjustment, the said balls jointly defining an opening adapted to form a guide for different sizes of core strand.v

2; A rope'or cable laying machine of the character described, comprising a core guide die including a holder, a, plurality of holes whose axes converge to a common point, a, respective ball occupying each radial hole formed in the holder, and means for adjusting each ball radially'in the hole it occupies to suit differentY sizes of core strand.

3. In a machine of the class described, a guide die comprising a holder having three equidistant circularly spaced holes therein, a respective ball in each of said holes, and respective means for adjusting each ball radially within the hole it occupies to suit different sizes of substantially triangular core strand.

4. A guide die comprising a holder "having a longitudinally extending passageway, a plurality of radial holes whose axes intersect at a common point on the longitudinal axis of said passageway, a respective ball within each of said holes, the several balls jointly deining a curvilinear die opening, and means engaging said balls for adjustine' them radially within said holes to suit different sizes of cores.

5. A guide die comprising a holder having a passageway extending longitudinally thereof, three equiangularly spaced holes whose axes intersect the longitudinal axis of said passageway, a respective hardened steel ball within each hole, the balls thus jointly defining a substantially Atriangular guide openingl and plugs adjustablerelatively to the holder and having seats engaging the balls t0 position them for coaction with different sizes of triangular core strands.

6. A guide die comprising a holder having a passageway extending longitudinally thereof, three equiangularly spaced holes whose axes intersect the longitudinal axis of said passageway, a respective hardened steel ball within each hole, the balls thus jointly defining a substantially triangular guide opening, the outer portions of each of said holes being formed with internal screw threads, and screw plugs engaging said' threads and having recessed seats engaging said balls, said plugs being adapted to adjust the balls radially to suit diierent sizes of triangular Core strands.

EMIL L. RAMs'rED'r.

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