US2741081A - Stranding machine - Google Patents

Description

April 10, 19 6 D. B. CARLETON STRANDING MACIHINE Filed Nov. 24, 1952 Inventor 54m .6. mafia/v,

United SW68 Patent 2,141,921 srnnvnmcinn'cnmn bana B. Carleton, Trenton, N.. 3., assigns:- to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of lew Jersey Applies-nail Novelties: 24, menses-a1 Ne. 322511 6 Claims. I)

This invention relates to improvements in stranding machines. 7 V V M As used herein, the term stranding machine refers to a machine which twists either a plurality of component wires together to form a strand or a plurality of component strands together to form a rope or cable. The term stranded wire structure refers either to a 'plurality of componentwires twisted together and constituting a strand or a plurality of component strandstwisted together and constituting a rope or cable. The'present invention is concerned with stranding machines of the type in which the supply reels rotate on stationary axes and the take-up reel is mounted in a frame rotatable longitudinally about the axis of the stranded wire structure.

;An objec t of the invention is to provi de an improved stranding machine which is of simpler construction and has fewer parts than previous machines with which I am familiar. v 7 v A further object is to provide a strandingmachine of the foregoing type in which the haul-ofi mechanism, usually considered necessary, is eliminated altogether.

A further object is to provide a stranding machine which is equipped with means situated in advance or the closing di'e f'or controlling the rateof travel if the coinp onen't wires or strands to furnish the desired lay.

A further 'object is to prdvide an improved stia'ndihg machine in which 'the' take-up reel has the furtheranction of pulling the strandedwir'e structure thro machine and in which the rate of travel of the Wires or strands is controlled by'a lay 'co ated in advance of the closing are, iii-arra ts easing with theu s ual hjaul-ofi mechanism. V V V 7 In 'accomplishing these and other Objectsof the invention, I have'p'rovided improved details of *srrucm'e, a preferred form of which is 'shdwu in menswear-dyin drawingflnwhich: I y 7 Figure l is a top plan view "of an improved s't'ran'ding machine which embodies features of the present inventidh; V

Figure 2 is a "side elevational View "of'the menus; and Figure 3 is a side "ele'v'ational viewon a rargerseire'br the guide plate and presetting pins. y

The stranding machine of the present "inventioh'c'oinprises a base IGfon which are mounted nsn c es'stea a lay control 'drum 12, a spreader or guide ante- 13,21 losing die 14, a rotary straightener 15, and "a takefp'reel 16. The component wires or -strands were red to 'the machine from the left from supply 're'els, riot 'sh'o'w "and at least one component passes over 'tensioniii'g' fri'ehrfs'T showndi ag'r'ainmatically in Figure 1. The "ilfachineh'as a drive motor 17 which is mourifedon a rn'dtb'r'b e 18 "situated beside the base 1'0. A longitudinall sprocket mechanism'"49. The Side "members 2 for shaft 21 are carried in bearing' stands Zlfixedto the base 10 adjacent the left "end thereef. The drum rotates in a clockwise direction and is of relativelylargediameter and has one or more-circumferential grooves 23; The drive m'eans illustrated for rotating -the' shaft-21 includes 'a worm gear 24 fixed to this shafit, a worm 25 fixed to :a longitudinally extending shaft 26, and a :Waterbury drive forr'otating the last named-shaft. The Waterbury" drive includes a motor -27 mounted on the base 40 and whose output shaft is coupled to shaft '26,'a pump mounted on the motor base 18 and whose input shaft is coupled to the end of the drive shaft 19, and pipes =29 and 30 which "connect said motor and pump. The Waterbury drive is not described in detail, since-per 'se such drives are well known, but reference CQH bE'm QdCffO Francis'Patent No. 1,774,880, dated September 2, 1930, for a complete description of thexprinciplesinvolved;

To the right of the lav-control drum '1-2, thebaselt] earries uprights-'31 and 32which support the fguideiplate .13 and theclosingdie 14. The guide plate- 13 is slidably mounted'on a pair of longitudinal rods 33 which-extend between the uprights -31 and 32. A longitudinal shaft 54 is rotatably mountedin a bearing 'on' the upright-31am has a screw-threaded portion which is engaged with the --lower=part of the guide plate i3. Preferably shaft 34 right -32 to the ri'gh-t of :guide plate 'andis aligned therewith. closing die is not shewnih detail-,since 'er se' it can be of'any'sta1idard -or desiredconstmction. Reference (2n bema'de to rny joint patent with 'Wi'lliam -H."-Simcoe 1N0. 2,5565.1'6'4-,d&f8d-l13115 12, 19 51, fora completeshowirig-of several suitable forms of c-losihg die.

For driving theclosing die i l and also the straightener -15 andtaiceqlp reel-16) a longitudinallyextending-counter shaft 331's rotatably mounted in bearings -39 carried-by the base it Shaft 38 is *driven from the *di'ive' shafb 19 by a chain'iind sprocket'inechanisn149,and is drivingly-con- "nectedwith the closing die by another chain and sprocket mechanism "41. v

To the'rightof the closing die 1'4 the base 10 carrie's'a stand 42 'onwhich' the" straightener 15 -i'smounted in aligned relation with said die. The straightener isnot shown in detail; since perse it is nbt part et the present invention, *but canbe 'of'any standard or desired eonstrtre titan. Reference can be-rnacle to 'R'oberts Patent No. 22,007,335, 'dated July 9, *1935.', for a complete' 'showing The straighteneris driven from-the countershaft-38 by-a belt pulley ree-ensm'srh 43. V 1

To the right of the straightener 15 the base roe-arises *dnwkich are "mounted apair of aligned-"bearings 46 and W respectively. A rectangularcra'dle 'or frame is mounted for rotation'on'alongitudinalaxis wearing and; its ax-is 6f rotation "being coaxial with that @he "closingulie ld and the st rai ghtener l i "me fraine is driven from the countersha'ft 3S by another ch ain he finine 'containaligned bearings 'stl. The take-ap reamin ij'ouinals 51" which are =removably mounted ih beans s se for rotation on an axis perpendicular to the axis oii'fa t'ion er the tra'tnet gear s2 is rd'tatably"nro'unted-infiaine e8 with'tlre hearingsswand islceyed tonne 516f the tanner-e withmwliieli' didnitiidiiiiil 'shdlFSE-l is tn hted tar eateries-relat ve to the name. "The innereneh'f shaft 53 carries a bevel gear 54 which is connected wi be used for this purpose.

gear 52 via a gear train 55 such as that illustrated in Figure 1. In order to drive the take-up reel, it is only necessafy to produce relative rotation between the shaft 53 and the frame 48, and any conventional means can I have illustrated a friction mechanism which includes a drum 56 on the shaft 53 and a plurality of brake bands 58 surrounding said drum. As the frame 48 rotates on its longitudinal axis, the friction mechanism retards rotation of the shaft 53 and thus produces relative rotation between the shaft and frame. This relative rotation is transmitted to the take-up reel 16 via the bevel gear 54, gear train 55 and gear 52. The rate of rotation of the take-up reel is controlled by adjusting the degree of tightness and thus the retarding effect of the brake bands 58. It is seen that no special drive means are required for rotating the take-up reel, but rotation thereof is effected merely by retarding the shaft 53.

In advance of the take-up reel 16 the frame 48 carries a level winding mechanism. This mechanism includes a double-threaded shaft 59 rotatably mounted in bearings on the side members of the frame, a driving connection 60 between said shaft and one of the journals 51 of the reel, and a traversing device 61 carried by said shaft. As reel 16 revolves, it rotates shaft 59 and moves the traversing device back and forth across the length of the reel.

In operation, all or some of the component wires or strands W, as they enter the machine, pass around grooves 23 in the circumference of the lay control drum 12. One or more convolutions of these components can be thus wrapped around the drum, which is of sufiicient diameter'not to induce any bending set in the components. The drum is driven at a definite rate in such a manner as to maintain back tension on the components so that they can be properly stranded in the closing die 14. The speed of rotation of the drum determines the length of lay in the finished stranded wire structure, and the drum maintains a substantially uniform position or point of lay. While all of the component wires or strands may, if desired, bewrapped around the drum, this may not always be necessary or desirable. It is a requirement A tions may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims. e

I claim:

1. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum adapted to have components of a stranded wire structure wrapped therearouud, means following said drum for closing the components into a stranded wire structure, a frame rotatable on the axis of the stranded wire structure, a take-up reel rotatably mounted in said frame and adapted to tension the stranded wire structure and its components for pulling them through said closing means without intervening haul-01f mechanism, and drive means for rotating said drun1,said frame and said reel in a timed relation, with said drum holding back and ten sioning components which are wrapped around it.

2. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum adapted to have components of a stranded Wire structure wrapped-therearouud, drive means for rotating said drum, guide means, a closing die and a straightener following said drum and adapted to act successively through the machine, and drive means for rotating said of the invention, however, 'that at least one of the components be wrapped around the drum, For some stranded wire structures which have core members for tensile strength, it may be necessary to Wrap only the core member. Components not wrapped around the drum can pass either to the side or over the top thereof as desired.

The component wires or strands next pass in succession over the presetting pins 37 on cone 36 and through the guide plate 13, the closing die 14 and straightener 15, all of which function in the usual manner. The longitudinal' position of the guide plate 13 is of course adjusted to obtain the natural point of twist for the particular sizes, grades and number of components being stranded.

After leaving the straightener, the finished stranded wire structure passes directly to the traversing device 61 and thence to the take-up reel 16, there being no intervening haul-off mechanism. Rotation of the take-up reel supplies the necessary tension for pulling the structure through the machine, and to make this possible, the

reel and its drive may be made somewhat heavier than usual. The drum 12, rather than the usual haul-off -mechanism, controls the lay, as already explained. Thus the drum enables the haul-off mechanism to be eliminated.

In the event one or more component wires or strands breaks in the stranding operation, the machine readily can be reversed and the strand retracted to repair the broken components. The presence of haul-off mechanism has always complicated such reversals.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modificareel, the two drive means operating in a timed relation so that said drum holds back and tensions components which are wrapped around it.

' 3. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum adapted to have components of a stranded wire structure wrapped therearouud, drive means for rotating said drum, guide means, a closing die and a straightener following said drum and adapted to act successively on the components after they leave said drum for forming them into a straightened stranded wire, structure, a frame rotatable on the axis of the stranded wire structure directly following said straightener, a take-up reel and a level winding mechanism mounted in said frame and adapted to receive the stranded wire structure directly from the straightener without intervening haul-off mech anism, said take-up reel being adapted to tension the stranded wire structure audits components for pulling them through the machine, and drive means for rotating said frame and said reel, the two drive means operating in a timed relation so that said drum holds back and tensions components which are wrapped around it.

4. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum having a circumferential groove adapted to receive components of a stranded wire structure wrapped therearouud, drive means for rotating said drum at a predetermined rate, guide means, a closing die and a straightener following said drum and adapted to act successively on the components after they leave said drum for forming them into a straightened stranded wire structure,'a frame mounted for rotation on the axis of the stranded wire structure directly following said straightener, a take-up reel and a level winding mechanism 'mouuted' in said frame and adapted to receive the stranded wire structure directly from the straightener without intervening haul off mechanism, drive means for rotating said frame, and adjustable means for rotating said reel as said framerotates, rotation of said reel being adapted to tension the stranded wire structure and its components for pulling them through the machine, the two drive means operating in a timed relation so that said drum holds back and tensions components which are wrapped around it.

5. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum adapted to have components of a stranded wire structure wrapped therearouud, drive means for rotating said drum at a predetermined rate, means following said drum for closing the components into a stranded wire structure,,a frame rotatable on the axis of the stranded wire structure, a take-up reel rotatably mounted in said frame, means for rotating said frame, a shaft coaxial with the axis of rotation of said frame and rotatable relative to said frame, gearing connecting said shaft and said reel for rotating the reel on relative rotation between the shaft and frame, drive means for rotating said frame, and friction means for retarding rotation of said shaft and thus rotating said reel, rotation of said reel being adapted to tension the stranded wire structure and its components for pulling them through said closing means Without intervening haul-off mechanism, the two drive means operating in a timed relation so that said drum holds back and tensions components which are wrapped around it.

6. A stranding machine comprising a rotatable lay control drum adapted to have components of a stranded wire structure wrapped therearound, drive means for rotating said drum at a predetermined rate and thereby controlling the rate of advance of the components, means for closing the components into a stranded wire structure, a frame rotatable on the axis of the stranded wire structure, a reel mounted for rotation in said frame and adapted to act both as a take-up reel for the stranded wire structure and as a means for tensioning the stranded wire structure and its components for pulling them through said closing means, and drive means for rotating said frame and said reel, the two drive means operating in a timed relation so that said drum holds back and tensions components which are wrapped around it.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,248 Sieg et a1. Aug. 20, 1889 2,506,230 MacCreadie May 2, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,630 Great Britain May 22, 1914 16,967 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1890 101,938 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1916

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