US2596797A - Bundle compressor - Google Patents

Description

May 13, 1952 Filed Oct. 2, 1947 v. L. STROHM ET AL BUNDLE COMPRESSOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 j I I Z4 awn 25- J/CH VEE/VO/V A. fiTea/M 0/70 EUGENE E. MEL/J THEIR ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR5Z M y 1952 v. STROHM El AL 2,596,797

BUNDLE COMPRESSOR Filed 001:. 2, 1947 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 56 5060 5 6. Aazr,

.i/ THEIR ATTORNEY.

l INVENTORS. V VEP/VU/V jTFOH/V 400 Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED S TATES PATEN OFFICE BUNDLE' COMPRES SOR' Vernon L.- Strohm and Eugene R. KeIIy';- Waukegan 'Ill., assignors to United states Steel Company, a corporation of New Jersey; Application October '2, 1947, Serial No. 777,572

40mins. (c1. ion-#31)" This invention relates :to methods and apparatus for compressing bundles, particularly for compressing annular bundles'of wireor rod prior to charging the same to a normalizing furnace and thereby increasing furnace capacity.

An-object of the invention is to'provide'improved bundle compressing apparatus operated by fluidpressure means in which-the" working parts of theappar'atus are situated 'beneath'floor level and'thus doino't occupy neededspace above the floor. J

A further-object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus and methods for preparing annular-bundles of wire or rod-for chargin to a normalizing furnace; the apparatus being designed to' compress one or more bundles in a vertical direction, whereby a larger number of bundles'can'be chargedto the furnace. 4 7

A further object of the invention is to provide improved methods of increasing the capacity of wire of 'rod normalizing furnaces wherein the 7 wire or rod in annular bundles is compressed preliminary to entering'the' furnace.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present'invention, we have provided improved details of structur'ef'a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of. an improvedfibundle compressor embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan'view of the compressor;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line IV--IV of Figure 2; and s Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on line V-V of Figure 4. n

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In Figures 1 and '2 there is shown a fioorsection l beneath which are situated the working parts of the bundle compresson designated II. The floor section shown is immediately in front of the charging end of a wire orrod normalizing furnace, not shown, but which is adapted to receive annular bundles of wire or rod I2.

The number of bundles that may constitute a single charge is limited by the furnace height; hence, by compressing the bundles it is possible to charge a larger number.

A hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder I3 is suspended from beneath floor Ii]. In the construction illustrated the floor is supported on I-beams l4 and said cylinder is pivoted to a guide bracket I welded to the lower flange of one of said I-beams, the pivotal connection being indicated above the working parts H of the compression,

i 2 at 16. However, it is apparent that thesuspending' means could be variedwithout departing from the invention.

A double-acting piston is carried 'for "reciprocable movement within cylinder 13 and has a downwardly extending piston rod l1 "projecting from the lower end of saidcylinder. Pipes IB'an'd H! are connected to the topand bottomportions of said cylinder and are connected to a suitable source of fluidgeither hydraulic or pneumatiaior lowering or raising the piston and piston rod. A suitable control station having valves for applying fluid pressure to the cylinder is provided at a convenient location above floor H].

A pair of vertically disposed guides 20 extend between guide bracket and a base 21 there-V beneath. A ram 22 is carried by the lower .ex-

tremity of piston rod l1 and has vertically dis-- posed guide plates 23 that'engage guides for constraining movement to a vertical path. Ram 22 includes right angular-1y related, horizontal cross arms 24 and 25, each of which has aiplurality of longitudinally spaced apertures '26 in its outer end portion, herein illustrated as three in number, Figures 4 and 5. v

Floor ID has apertures 21 vertically aligned with apertures 26. A plurality of ropes or. cables 28 extend between the floor and 'the ram and pass through apertures ZBIand. 21. Said-ropes- 'have'bjights 29 above the floor apertures rwhich.

provide attaching .me'anssvfor bundle engaging hooks 30 and also form enlargements that. prevent the ropes dropping. through the floor when,

preferably with its vertical axis aligned with that of cylinder 13.

The operation of a bundle compressing apparatus constructed as desoribeidand methods of furnace charging involving its use are. as follows:

With ram '22 in its uppermost positiomna plurality of bundles l2 of loosely packed wire or rod are conveyed to support 32 by suitable means and deposited thereon. The number of bundles may conveniently be the maximum number that can be charged in one pile in compressed condition in the furnace,

of free movement is sufiicient to enable the hooks to be placed over the top bundle;

Fluid pressure is applied to cylinder l3 through pipe [8 above the piston. The piston, piston rod l1 and ram 22 are thereby lowered. Ropes.

28 to which hooks 30 are attached are thereby pulled down and tensioned and compress bundles [2 against the floor via platform '32.

The wire or rod is thereby packed tightly in the bundles with a resulting reduction in the vertical dimension of up to 20 per cent. After the bundles are compressed, they are tied with band wire, the piston is operated upwardly, the hooks are removed from the compressed bundles, andthelatter are chargedto the furnace.

{From'thl foregoing description. it is apparent we have provided an improved and simplified device for compressing bundlesof wire-pr rod. The working parts are situated in an out-of-theway location and do not occupy needed floor space. When the bundles are compressed, the capacity. of the normalizing furnace is increased by one. or two bundles. Hence, there is a corresponding saving inthe cost of the normalizing treatment.

IWhile we have disclosed but a single apparatus and-,method itis vapparent that both may be subject to modification without departing from the, invention. Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

f We claim: 1 An apparatus for compressing annular bundlesof wire or rod comprising fluid pressure means adapted to be suspended beneath a floor and including a vertically reciprocable piston and pistonrod, a plurality of arcuately spaced ropes occupying more than one plane. radially of said piston rod and adapted to extend through apertures in the floor above said fluid pressure means, a ram fixed to said piston rod and having apertures in more than one radial plane corresponding to the spacing of said ropes and slidably receiving said ropes, stops on said ropes,

beneath said ram,'and separate bundle engaging means on each of saidropes adapted to engage over the top of an annular bundle, the

downward movement of said ram tensioningthe ropes'having their engaging means engaged with a bundle and thereby compressing the bundle.

- 2. An ap aratus for compressing annular bundles of wire or rod comprising fluid pressure means adapted to be suspended beneath a floor and including a vertically reciprocable piston and .a downwardly extending piston rod, a ram including a pair of right angularly related hori-c ments on the upper ends of said ropes, and bundle engaging means connected to said enlargements adapted to engage over the top of an annular bundle, the downward movement of said ram tensioning the ropes having their engaging means engaged with a bundle and thereby compressing the bundle.

3. In combination with a floor, an apparatus for compressing annular bundles of wire or rod comprising fluid pressure means suspended beneath the floor and including a vertically reciprocable piston and a downwardly extending piston rod, a ram fixed to the lower extremity of said piston rod, a plurality of arcuately spaced ropes occupying more than one plane radially of said pistonrod, said ram having apertures in more than, oneradial plane corresponding with the spacing of 'said ropes slidably receiving said ropes, said floor having apertures through which said ropes extend, stops on said ropes beneath said -ra1n,and separate bundle engaging means on each of said ropes abovesaid floor adapted to engage over the top of a bundle, the

tically aligned with the apertures infsaidcrossv members, arcuately spaced ropes slidably extending through said aligned apertures in said cross members and floor, stops on said ropes beneath said cross members, enlargements on'said ropesl above said floor, and bundle engaging means connected to said enlargements adapted to en-- gage over the. top of an annular buhdlejthe" downward movement of said ram tensioning'the ropes having their engaging means engaged with a bundle and thereby. compressing thev bundle.

' .VERN' N ILHSTROH Q I EUGENE 'R. KELLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name. Date ff 216,326 Hyde June 10,1879 524,729 Peters Aug. 21, 1894 580,816 Blaisdell Apr. 13, 1897 674,148 Wiseburn May 14, 19.0.1 682,848 Greene Sept. 17, 1901 1,242,471 Phifer Oct. 9,1917 1,261,589 .Morg'an Apr. 2,1918 1,494,564 Piasecki 1--- May 20; 1924; 1,612,317 {Reed Dec. 28,, 1926 2,040,493 Mardigian et al. May 1936, 2,240,823 Abele May 6,1941 2,324,745 Weber July '20, 1943' 213 1 2 Cornelius Sept. 5, 1944

Images