US2741293A

US2741293A - Machine for straightening shaped wires

Info

Publication number: US2741293A
Application number: US167095A
Authority: US
Inventors: Siegerist Walter
Original assignee: Blaw Knox Co
Current assignee: Blaw Knox Co
Priority date: 1950-06-09
Filing date: 1950-06-09
Publication date: 1956-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 1973-04-10

Description

April 10, 1956 Filed Jun" 9, 1950 W. SIEGERIST MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING SHAPED WIRES 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.

INVENTORZ WALTER SIEGERIST,

5% Me a/149W ATTORNEYS.

A ril 10, 1956 w. SIEGERIST 2,741,293

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING SHAPED WIRES Filed June 9, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6. FIG. 3.

/6 i6 k a Z /5 2% IA E {7 1E {8 79 z 9 .5: /0

FIG, 5

INVENTORI WALTER SIEGERIST;

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING SHAPED wmEs Walter Siegerist, University City, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Blaw-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Delaware Application June 9, 1950, Serial No. 167,095

Claims. (Cl. 153-98) This invention relates to straightening machines and is particularly directed to a rotary type machine for straightening wires or rods of varying cross sectional outlines or shapes.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a rotary wire or rod straightening machine capable of working on a wide variety of wire or rod shapes without any major alterations in the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary type straightening machine which reduces operational hazards to the operator by eliminating or reducing the turning torque on the workpiece.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary type wire or rod straightening machine for imposing on the work a succession of bending actions progressively reversed from a positive maximum to a negative maximum in each 180 of straightener rotation and in decreasing amounts as the wire or rod is passed through the straightening machine.

The invention consists in the provision of a suitable housing having a plurality of adjustably mounted radially disposed yokes therein, each of which rotatably supports a die through which the stock to be straightened passes, the dies being supported in bearings and the yokes adjusted so that decreasing amounts of bending pressure are applied to the stock as it passes through the dies, the dies having openings of the same outline as the wire or rod to be straightened.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the essential elements for straightening wire or rod stock, the path of the work being exaggerated to illustrate the action which takes place.

Fig. 2 is an eleyational view of a rotary spinner embodying the invention,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a straightening die supporting yoke for .the spinner,

Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the yoke adjusting mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a greatly exaggerated schematic view of thedie arrangement.

The wire straighteners that heretofore have been used were operated in connection with the straightening of smooth surface wires. These machines consist of a combination of input and output feeding rolls, spinner frame in which there are stationary dies engaging a fraction of the surface of the workpiece. These dies are displaced with reference to the axis of the workpiece so that a sinuous shape is imposed on it in one plane. The spinner rotates about the workpiece axis as the workpiece is fed through the spinner between the input and output feeding rolls. In the machines now in use it is necessary to feed the entering end of the wire from the coil through the spinner by either pointing the wire so that it will thread itself thro g the dies or, as i m re of n done, a considerably smaller diameter wire of a length greater than the overall length of the spinner is welded to the end of the workpiece. This small wire is threaded through the spinner very easily because the displacement to produce the sinuous shape of the wire does not exceed the wire diameter as a measure of the amplitude of the sine curve.

Another method of threading the end of the workpiece through the spinner that is often used is to back off each one of the dies so that they do not touch the workpiece, thereby making it possible tothread the workpiece through the spinner. After the workpiece has been threaded through the spinner in this manner the dies are then reset to correspond to the requirements "of the diameter of the workpiece and the nature of the material being straightened. All of these methods have a considerable disadvantage of being very time consuming and they produce an end that is not straightened.

All of the wire straighteners now in use also require that when the tail end of the coil comes along, it is necessary to again stop the machine and cut this end off and pull it out of the machine by reversing the feed rolls or by opening the feed rolls and pulling it out by hand. It is obvious that the conventional solid die type of'spinner straightening machine exerts a torque equal to the torque required for the straightening plus the much greater torque due to the friction of the dies on the surface of the work piece. Consequently, the work must be stopped at the point where the tail end of the coil starts to twist or as the shop men term it propeller." The bent end is required to keep the work from twisting.

The invention is embodied in the structure shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings wherein the numeral 1 designates a reel on which the stock to be straightened is wound. The stock is then led through a series of feed rolls '2, through a straightening mechanism 3, through a second set of feed rolls 4, and finally through a cut-off mechanism 5. The feed rolls 2 and 4 are driven at such 'a rate that rolls 2 will act to push the'stock through the straightening mechanism, rolls 4 acting to pull thereon. These rolls operate in a timed sequence with the cut-off mechanism so that predetermined uniform lengths are cut from the stock.

The straightening mechanism .is more particularly rillustrated in Figs. 2 through 6 and consists .of a :pairof brackets '6 mounted on a suitable machine frame {not shown). Each of these brackets is machined to receive :an antifriction bearing 7 that is held therein. The bearings 7 rotatably support acylindrical housing 8 prow'dedwith a plurality of uniformly spaced diametric apertures or pockets 9 which open outwardly of the housing, as shown in Fig. 3. A die holding yoke 10 is mounted in each of the apertures or pockets. Since each yoke is similar, a description of one will be understood to refer to each thereof. The yoke consists of a cylindrical body portion 11 having

integral shanks

12 and 13. The yoke is located in pocket of aperture 9 and shank 13 projects from the small diametered opening at one side of the housing 8. The shank 13 is keyed into this pocket opening (Figs. 2 and 5) and is provided with a plurality of uniform rings 14 at its outer extremity. These rings serve as indicators to the operator by informing him of the distance the axis of the body portion 11 is displaced from the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing 8. The shank 12 is held in the enlarged opening for the pocket or aperture 9 by a plate 15 secured therein by suitable fastening means. This shank 12 is threaded on an adjusting sleeve 16' free to turn in plate 15, but held in fixed position by a jamb nut 16. The sleeve 16 is provided for adjusting the radial position of the body portion of the yoke with respect to the housing. Wear rings i7 are interposed .between the plate 15 and the jamb nut 16 and between the plate and the inner flanged end of the sleeve 16'. ,A lu- V V i bricant is supplied to the bearing through a suitable fitting screwed into the shank 13.

An antifriction or other type bearing 18 is secured in the body portion ll of the yoke, and a die 19 is mounted in the inner raceway of the bearing 18. These dies may be readily removed from the inner raceways of the bearing 18 so that a different set of dies may be installed, thus permitting the machine to readily change over for operating on various size stock.

'The die 19 rotates relative to the housing 8 and has an opening or passageway therein of the same shape as the cross section of the stock to be straightened. The stock does not rotate as it passes through the dies and frictional 'lycontacts the dies, thereby causing them and the inner bearing raceway to be held stationary. The die opening is of a length to give a satisfactory contact with a work- 7 piece having a smooth surface. The'rnachine can also be used for straightening stock having a deformed surface. In the latter use. the dies must have a throat length that exceeds the greatest distance between the deformed projections on the workpiece surface. The die throat need only have a suitable length for a smooth wire but is critical when a bar having deformations therein is to be straightened. .The opening in the die is always equal to or may be slightly greater than the maximum section of.

the stock. 7

A pulley 20 is secured to a shaft 21 integral With the housing 8 and is driven at a high rate of speed by its own prime mover. The housing 8 may be driven by the motor which drives the feed rolls, if desired. The cover 22 encloses housing 8 and is locked in closed position by a latching means 23.

, A die assembly, similar to that described above, is located in each of the pockets 9 in housing 8. Each yoke is ofliset with respect to each other so that a plurality of bending actions is imposed on the stock as it passes through the straightening device. Under some conditions, all yokes need not'be offset because some wires or rods can be straightened with fewer yokes. It is onlynecessary to employ a minimum number of offsets for any given stock. The degree of offset decreases as the stock con tinues its motion through the housing 8. The feed rolls.

2 impose a small amount of'bending on the stock prior 2 a .to presentation to the straightening machine. The feed rolls present the end of the workpiece taken from the coil to the stationary threading die (not shown) on the incoming end of the rotating spinner. The spinner dies preferably have their large diameter openings facing the incoming end of the workpiece. These large diameter openings guide the incoming end of the workpiece through the throat of each die as the spinner rotates. The large diameter opening for the dies should have a size sufficient to assure that they register more or less with the housing bore in all adjusted positions, thereby to provide the guide action upon the stock and direct the stock into the dies and through the housing. I The dies impose a bending action on the stock as the housing rotates. This bending action is progressively reversed from a plus maximum to a minus maximum during each 180 of rotation, depending upon the material being straightened. This action is repeated between each successive die so that the number of plus and minus bends is a function of the speed of rotation of the housing 8 and the linear velocity of the stock as it passes through the straightening machine. A high rate of housing rotation'and a low rate of feeding produces a large number of bending alterations for each unitlength of wire, thus resulting in a straighter piece of stock while a reduced housing speed and an increased stock feed subjects it to fewer bends per unit of length. The dies 19 remain stationary as the housing rotates.

Tubular stock may be'straightened in the above described mechanism as well as deformed concrete reinforcing bars and similarly constructed elongated stock. In

tail end of the workpiece preparatory to threading the next coil to be straightened. This has the etfect of saving time and particularly the saving of material because the unstraightened entering end and unstraightened tail end produced when conventional Wire straighteners are used, must be scrapped.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for straightening elongated stock comprising a cylindrical housing provided with a bore open at both ends and a plurality of axially spaced pockets intersecting said bore and opening from said housing, means supporting said housing for rotation about the longitudinal axis of said bore, means for rotating said housing, a yoke in each said pocket, "means for radially adjustably mounting each yoke in each pocket, yoke extensions exposed to indicate the extent of radial adjustment of said yokes, a bearing in each yoke; and a die in each bearing, each die having a cylindrical throat and an enlarged flared inlet portion acting as a guide through which the stock passes to said throat, said enlarged flared inlet 'portion registering more or less with said housing bore in all positions of adjustment of said yoke.

' 2. A. straightening machine for elongated stock comprising an elongated cylindrical housing having a central bore and plurality of axially spaced pockets intersecting said yokes in adjusted position transversely of the housing bore, a bearing in each yoke, and a die in each bearing, each die provided with an enlarged flared stock receiving opening and a relatively reduced cylindrical throat portion, said stock receiving opening being adapted for registering with the housing bore in all adjusted positions of said yoke transversely of the housing bore. a

' 3. A straightening machine for elongated stockcomprising a housing having a longitudinal bore and also provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets opening across the housing bore and having large and small openings, bearing means supporting said housing for rotation about the longitudinal axis of said bore, a yoke in 7 each pocket, each yoke having a threaded extension in the large'pocket opening and a cylindrical extension in the a small pocket opening, threaded means in the large pocket opening connected with said threaded yoke extension for.

adjustably mounting each yoke in each pocket, rings on the cylindrical extension for each yoke, said rings being relatively exposed for indicating the position of adjustment of the yoke in its pocket, a bearing in each yoke, and a die in each bearing, each die having an open cylindrical throat and an enlarged flared entrance more or less presented in the housing bore for adjusted positions of said yoke.

4. A straightening machine for deformed elongated stock, said machine comprising: a housing having a bore open at both ends through which the stock to be straightened passes, and a plurality of pockets formed in said housing in spaced relation with each pocket being directed normal to the housing bore and having lateral openings; bearing means supporting said housing for rotation about the axis of the housing bore; a yoke adjustably mounted in each housing pocket, each yoke having extension portions located in the lateral openings of the pockets, one of said portions being exposed for indicating the adjustment of said yoke normal to the housing bore; threaded means secured in each pocket engaging the yoke therein for fixing the adjusted position thereof; and a die carried in each said yoke, each die having a stock receiving aperture therein and a flared portion at the stock entering side of said stock receiving aperture, said flared portion converging toward said stock aperture and registering more or less with said housing bore on adjustment of said yoke normal to said housing bore.

5. A machine for straightening elongated stock comprising a rotary housing having a through opening con centric with the axis of housing rotation to pass the stock to be straightened, said housing having axially spaced apertures intersecting the housing through opening, a die holder yoke in each aperture radially adjustably movable relative to the housing axis, means connected with each of said yokes and located in said apertures to effect selective adjustment of said yokes to radially offset positions relative to the axis of said housmg, a bearing in each yoke retained by said yoke with its axis of rotation substantially parallel with the housing axis, a die in each bearing, each die having a cylindrical throat and an enlarged inlet portion converging toward said cylindrical throat, said enlarged inlet portion registering with said housing through opening in all adjusted positions of said yoke to guide stock toward said throat, and other means movable with each of said yokes and extending from said yoke apertures to an exposed position to indicatethe adjustment of said yoke radially of the housing through openmg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 617,223 Brightmann Jan. 3, 1899 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,268 Great Britain 1900 481,083 France Apr. 5, 1916 581,749 France Oct. 2, 1924