US2641827A

US2641827A - Method of making fiber drums having metal closures

Info

Publication number: US2641827A
Application number: US99476A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert L Carpenter
Original assignee: CARPENTER CONTAINER CORP
Current assignee: CARPENTER CONTAINER Corp
Priority date: 1949-06-16
Filing date: 1949-06-16
Publication date: 1953-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 1970-06-16

Description

June 16, 1953 H. 1.. CARPENTER 2,641,827

METHOD OF MAKING FIBER DRUMS HAVING METAL CLOSURES Filed June 16. 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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METHOD OF MAKING FIBER DRUMS HAVING METAL CLOSURES Filed June 16, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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June 16, 1953 METHOD OF MAKING FIBER DRUMS HAVING METAL CLOSURES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 16. 1949 fierhr/ Z. faiymzfer Patented June 16, 1953 METHOD OF MAKING FIBER DRUMS HAVING METAL CLOSURES Herbert L. Carpenter, Amit'yville, N. Y., assignor to Carpenter Container Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 16, 1949, Serial N o. 99,476

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fibre drums and more particularly to an improved method for attaching metal heads or closures to fibre drums.

My invention has particular application to a method of making fibre drums of thetype having a body portion in the form of a tubular shell made of layers of fibre, such as kraft paper, laminated together by means of adhesives. Attempts have heretofore been made to attach metal heads or closures to such fibre bodies or shells by a spinning operation. However, in order to do so withoutsplitting or breaking the fibre it has been proposed that the lamination should be freely separated into their several layers before spinning the metal head in place. This proposal, of course, resulted in weakening the shell or body wall at one of the most critical points and in destroying the unitary character of the shell.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the prior difficulties and to provide an improved container in the form of a fibre shell having a metal head and a method of making the same wherein the shell wall is of unitary and cohesive construction, free from separation into its several I laminations, and in which the metal head is firmly secured in place by an interlocked seamed or beaded connection.

A further object is'the provision of an improved fibre drum and method of making the same which is of sturdy constructiomwhich can be readily made in watertight or airtight form, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is subject to mass production methods. My invention contemplates providing a laminated fibre shell in workable or moldable condition, molding the end portion thereof into an outwardly flared flange and, while still in work-,

able or moldable condition, interlocking the flared withthe beading of the metal head or closure;

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional View of the lower portion of a fibre container or drum having a metal head or closure secured thereto in accordance with my invention;

around a rotatable mandrel 2 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a fibre shell in the process of being formed from a web of kraft 'paper or the like wound around a mandrel; I

Fig. 3 is a side elevational and sectional view showing the initiation of the operation of molding the end of the shell into an outwardly flared flange;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the manner in which the outwardly flared flange is molded;

Fig.- 5 is a partially elevational and partially sectional view showing a fibre shell having a metal head applied, but not attached, and illustrating one type of apparatus which may be employed for attaching the closure to the shell;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Figs. 7, 8 and 9' are detailed sectional views illustrating successive steps in the spinning operation in attaching the metal closure to. the fibre shell;

Fig. 10 is'a similar view at the conclusion of the spinning operation;

Fig. 11 illustrates a further step which may be employed in flattening the bead or rim of the metal closure; and;

Fig. 12 is a detailed view of the end portion of the shell and metal closure illustrating a modifled attachment thereof.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated a typical fibre drum or container employing my invention. Thus the drum consists of a fibre shell Ill having a metal 'head or closure l I attached thereto in accordance with my invention.

A suitable seal made of fibre, fabric, paper, thermoplastic film or the like may be provided over the inner surface of the metal closure II as indicated at I2. The seal may be secured to the inner surface of the closure or maybe free from attachment thereto but the peripheral edges of the seal are preferably interengaged with the shell and the closure around the attaching bead The shell I 0 maybe lined or unlined or may be coated with a suitable waterproof synthetic resin or thermoplastic material. The fibre shell is of a well-known type and is made from laminated layers of fibre as, for instance, kraft paper which are wound around a mandrel with adhesive applied to the successive layers. Thus, in Fig. 2, I have shown a web 13 of kraft paper being wound M of cylindrical the roller 22.

shape. The web 13 has been previously coated with a suitable adhesive of a liquid or semi-liquid type such as casein glue or synthetic resins. In this way, a laminated tube consisting of convolutely wound layers of kraft paper or fibre is provided.

The method of winding a fibre shell of this type is well-known and does not form the subject matter of the present invention. Any desired number of layers may be wound in this manner depending upon the strength of the shell wall desired. If desired, a layer of waterproof material may be wound into an intermediate portion of the shell wall.

After the tubular shell has been Wound in this manner, it is removed, in the usual manner, from one end of the mandrel. Before the adhesive has set and while the laminated shell structure is still moist, I have found that it is moldable and workable. While the shell is still in this moldable or workable condition I mold the end portion thereof into an outwardly flared flange such as illustrated at IS in Fig. 5.

The molding takes place under pressure and in a manner to prevent free separation of the layers of the lamination and so as to preserve the unitary cohesive character of the shell wall;

This may be accomplished by pressure rollers l6 and I! of the type embodied in the apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which the rollers are provided with convexly and concavely formed end portions l8 and I9 respectively. Roller IE is mounted on shaft 20 and the roller l'i upon shaft 2!. The shaft 20 and roller 16 are so -mounted as to be shiftable towards and away from the shaft 2|.

In carrying out my method a laminated fibre shell H], which has just beenwound or formed and is in moist, workable and moldable condition, is placed over the shaft 2! with one end thereof resting on roller ll adjacent, but just short of, the concave portion IS; The shaft is then set into operation so that the shaft and roller l! rotate causing the shell to rotate about the roller. Shaft 20 is then shifted towards shaft 21' causing roller 16 to engage and exert pressure against the end of the shell 18. Simultaneously, the shell It is fed towards the left as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4 causing the extreme end of the shell to be fed upwardly between the convex and concave portions i8 and IQ of the respective rollers. The convex-concave portions of the rollers serve to mold the shell under pressure into the small outwardly flared flange l5.

The feeding of the shell l9 towards the left so as to be molded in this fashion may be accomplished manually or automatically as by means of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus, it will be seen that spaced from the roller ii on the shaft 2! I provide another roller 22. Also, mounted on the shaft 2! but free to slide thereon is the pressure disc 23 which is pressed by helical spring 24 against Disc 23 is provided with a feed cam in the form of a peripheral radius 25 facing towards roller ll. The apparatus is so proportioned in size that when the shell is placed over shaft 21 with the one end resting on roller l1 adjacent but just short of the concave portion of the roller the opposite end of the shell will rest upon radius 25. A pressure roller 26 is also mounted on shaft 20 a spaced distance from roller Hi.

When shaft 20 is shifted towards shaft 2|, roller flared rotate.

2B exerts pressure against the Wall of shell I with the result that the shell will be pushed downwardly along cam radius 25 of pressure disc 23. This combined with the action of sprin 24 causes the shell to feed inwardly towards the convex and concave portions of the rollers 15 and [1.

The rollers are so proportioned in size and shape that the molding operation in forming the flared flange is accomplished under pressure so that the laminated layers are simultaneously molded and compressed and retained against separation.

When the flared flange has thus been formed the shaft 2|! is shifted away from 2| and the shell removed from the apparatus. Thereafter, while the shell is still in its moist, workable and moldable condition a metal closure is seamed into interlocked engagement with the flared flange on the shell. This operation may be accomplished by a spinning or other forming operation as, for instance, by means of the apparatus shown in Figs. 5-11.

As the first step in this operation the head ll preferably with an inner seal l2, of the typ previously described, is applied to the flared end of the shell. The closure l l takes the form of a metal disc approximately equal in diameter to the internal diameter of the shell, a cylindrical collar portion 21 around the disc portion and a peripheral flange 28 which rests on and projects slightly beyond the flared flange l5 of the shell. While the shell is still moist and in workable, moldable condition the flange 28 of the closure together with the peripheral edge of the seal are formed or bent downwardly into beaded or seamed interengagement with the flared end of the shell.

The beaded or seamed interengagement is conveniently accomplished by means of a spinning operation and any suitable apparatus for car.- rying out this operation may be utilized. Such apparatus is shown in Figs. 5 to 11 and may consist of a rotatable idling disc 29 suitably mounted for rotation in a support 30 and provided with circular grooves 3! in the upper face thereof of a size to accommodate the rims of shells of varying sizes. Spaced vertically from the idling disc 29 is a disc 32 forming the drive rotor which is suit ably mounted on a drive shaft 33 journaled in a bracket 34. Disc 32 should be of a size to rather snugly fit inside the collar.21 of metal head H and rest against the central portion thereof.

The disc 29 and its mounting 30 are arranged so as to be shiftable towards and away from the disc 32. In this manner the disc 29 is shifted away from disc 32 and a flared shell 10 is placed in inverted position in one of the grooves 3| on the disc 29 with the metal head II and seal l2 applied to the flared end thereof. The disc 29 and support 30 are then shifted upwardly until the drive rotor or disc 32 engages the metal head. The drive rotor or disc 32 is then rotated causing the entire assembly of shell, head and seal to A suitable spinning die or tool may then be brought into contact with the projecting flange of the metal head 50 as to seam the flange, seal and the flared end of the shell into a beaded interlocked engagement.

A suitable die or tool for accomplishing this purpose is illustrated at 35 in Figs. 5 and 7-10 inclusive and takes the form of an idling rotor journaled in a bracket 36 which may be shifted towards and away from the drive disc 32 and the upper portion of the shell and flange of the head associated therewith. The rotor is made of a suitable hard metal suchas steel and is provided with a concave groove 31 having the approximate conformation of the bead desired to be formed thereby. The flange 38 at the upper end of groove 31 preferably projects beyond the flange 39 at the lower end so as to overlap the top of the beading as it is being formed.

In the operation the shell, head and seal assembly are set into rotation by drive disc 32 and therspinning die 35 is shifted into engagement with the projecting flange 28 of the head gradually bending and beading it over as shown in Figs. '7 and 8. Thereafter as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the spinning die causes the peripheral edge of the seal and the flange of the head to interlock with the flared end of the shell and the flared end of the shell is further molded into a beading interlocked with the beaded edge of the seal and head. This beading is illustrated at 40 in Figs. 1 and 10.

Thereafter, the operation of the apparatus is discontinued, the shell removed therefrom and the upper end of the shell may be formed and finished in any desired manner so as to receive a removable head or closure.

When the adhesive sets and the shell hardens it will be seen thatthe shell wall is a cohesive, unitary structure, that the beading 4D is integral therewith and is likewise a cohesive unitary structure free from separation into its several laminations, and that it has been molded into interlocked, seamed or beaded engagement with the seal andhead. Due to the molding under pressure of the fibre, the fibre in the beading is more compact and dense than the fibre in the body of the shell.

When completed in this manner the beading 40 projects slightly beyond the periphery of the body of the shell as shown in Figs. 1 and 10. Prior to the time that the adhesive has set, the beading may be flattened against the side of the shell so as not to project beyond the periphery thereof. This may be conveniently accomplished immediately after the beading and seaming operation by means of another spinning tool or die associated with the same apparatus. Thus referring to Figs. 5 and 11 it will be seen that I have provided a rotor 4| journaled in a bracket 42 so as to be shiftable towards and away from the drive disc 32 and the shell and the shell assembly associated therewith. This rotoris provided with a substantially flat or slightly concave groove 43.

After the conclusion of the seaming and beading operation rotor 4| is shifted into engagement with the beading, with the result that it is flattened against the side of the shell as shown at 44 in Fig. 11. Thi operation, of course, causes a further compression or molding of the shell structure adjacent the beading but since the shell is still moist and in moldable and workable condition the cohesive and unitary character of the shell wallis preserved. After the conclusion of the operation illustrated in Fig. 11 the shell assembly is removed from the apparatus, the upper end thereof formed and finished, as previously explained, and the shell wall and adhesive is permitted to set.

An alternate method for accomplishing the same result is shown in Fig. 12 where the end of the shell wall It is illustrated as offset inwardly at 45. This is-accomplished in a well-known manner prior to the flaring and beading operations. After the shell wall 45 has been offset inwardly with the shell in moist workable and moldable condition, the succeeding flaring and beading operations are accomplished in the same manner as previously described.

As previously stated the seal l2 may be made of thermoplastic film and I have found that satisfactory results are obtained by making the seal of a sheet of polyethylene resin. Also, the inside of the container in each form of my invention may be coated with similar thermoplastic material such as polyethylene resin. After the completion of the container the seal I2 and the thermoplastic coating on the inside of the shell may be heat fused together forming a tight sealed connection which is waterproof and substantially gas proof. Polyethylene resin has the additional advantage of being resistant to many chemicals including most acids.

The containers embodying my invention and made as described and illustrated herein overcome the prior difiiculties and are in the form of fibre shells having metal heads in which the shell structure is free from separation into its several laminations and is cohesive and unitary in character and is molded or formed into beaded interengagement with the metal head without the disturbance of this unitary cohesive character. The resultant shell is a sturdy construction, is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and may be produced by mass production methods. The shell may be provided with a lining in the form of separate sheet material or may be coated with a suitable thermoplastic resin. As previously stated the shell wall may have incorporated therein a layer of waterproof or airproof material. Modifications may of course be made in the. illustrated and described embodiment of my invention without departing from the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making fibre containers having metal closures which comprises: first providing a tubular shell made of layers of fibrous material laminated together by a liquid-containing adhesive, said adhesive being still moist and the shell being moldable; then, while still in moldable condition, molding an end portion of the shell under compressive force applied to both surfaces thereof into an outwardly flared flange of cohesive, unitary construction; next applying to the flared end of the shell a unitary metal closure having an integral peripheral flange projecting beyond the flared flange of the shell with the flange of the closure resting on the flange of the shell; then rolling the flange of the closure downwardly over the flange of the shell; and finally, while the shell is still in moldable condition, simultaneously forming the flange of the closure and molding the flared flange of the shell into interlocked beaded engagement with each other, with the metal beading surrounding the fibre beading, thereby providing a cohesive, unitary fibre shell with a metal closure interlocked therewith.

2. The method of making fibre containers having metal closures which comprises: first forming a tubular shell from layers of fibrous material laminated together by a liquid-containing adhesive; then, prior to the setting of the adhesive and while the shell is still moist and moldable, molding an end portion of the shell under compressive force, applied 'to both surfaces thereof, into an outwardly flared flange of unitary and cohesive construction; next applying to the flared 7 end of the shell a unitary metal closure having an integral peripheral flange projecting beyond the flared flange of the shell with the flange of the closure resting on the flange of the shell; then rolling the flange of the closure downwardly over the flange of the shell; and finally, while the shell is still in moldable condition, simultaneously forming the flange of the closure and molding the flared flange of the shell into interlocked beaded engagement with each other, with the metal beading surrounding the fibre beading, thereby providing a cohesive, unitary fibre shell with a metal closure interlocked therewith.

HERBERT L. CARPENTER.

8, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Hulbert June 29, 1926 Hulbert June 29, 1926 Hamilton et a1 Sept. 9, 1947 Jackson Nov. 30, 1948 Coyle Dec. 7, 1948 Kinney Feb. 1, 1949 Beattie 1 Apr. 12, 1949 Priest Dec. 27, 1949,