US2771984A - Mechanism for handling elongated material - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1956 N. J. RANNEY v MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 3, 1950 Nav. 27, 1956 N. J. RANNEY MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 3, 1950 iNVE NTO R We/VJ flan 76y United States Patent MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ELONGATED MATERIAL Neil J. Ranney, Mentor Township, Lake County, Ohio, assignor to Wean Equipment Corporation, Euclid, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,702

3 Claims. (Cl. 20312) This invention relates to mechanism for handling elongated material and comprises a number of features of improvement in such mechanism. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 166,034, filed June 3, 1950.

I have embodied the invention in apparatus for handling wire fencing. While my invention in its broader aspects is otherwise variously applicable, for purposes of explanation and illustration I shall describe the invention as embodied in a machine for handling wire fencing.

The strands of wire which are used for making the wire fencing are taken from coils of wire which may be disposed on spools or swifts as desired. I show the wire strands being delivered from swifts from which the respective wires extend upwardly and over guide pulleys and thence to the fence machine.

In the fence machine the line wires advance through the machine in substanial parallelism and the stay wires are fed from the side so that they in effect lie across the advancing line wires. In the machine shown the line wires are oriented substantially vertically while the stay wires are being applied thereto, the line wires advancing upwardly between dwells. The fencing produced by the fence machine is ultimately coiled in coils of predetermined length.

I provide for uninterrupted operation of the fence machine despite the necessity of stopping the feed of the wire fencing at the coiler when it is necessary to discharge a completed coil by interposing between the fence machine proper and the coiler a looper which during the time when the coiler is not coiling up fencing loops the fencing or takes up the slack therein. The looper is provided with novel control means rendering its operation entirely automatic. In the form shown the looper comprises an upper and a lower set of rollers about which the fencing is looped, the lower rollers being mounted for rotation about stationary axes while the upper rollers are mounted for rotation in a support which may move upwardly and downwardly toward and away from the lower rollers but which is counterweighed so that its normal tendency is to move upwardly. When the coiler is not coiling up fencing but the fence machine proper is delivering fencing the upper rollers of the looper move upwardly under action of the counterweight to take up the delivered fencing. When the coiler again begins to operate the upper rollers of the looper move downwardly so that the looper in effect pays out fence which it has stored up during the period of inoperativeness of the coiler.

The counterweight of the looper is connected with the support for the upper rollers by one or more flexible connecting elements such as cables. I prefer to employ two such cables and to urn each cable two or three times about a drum at the top of the looper. The two drumsone for each cablemay be mounted on a common shaft, which shaft is normally free to rotate in either direction during operation of the apparatus. However, it is necessary to control the movement of the upper rollers of the looper at various times including when fencing is to be threaded through the looper at the commencement, of operation of the apparatus. To this end I provide a motor which may be connected with the drum shaft, as, for example, by a magnetic clutch, and which may turn the drum shaft in either direction and thereby raise or lower the upper rollers as may be desired in threading. I also provide a solenoid brake to hold the drum shaft against turning when desired. The solenoid brake may be rendered operative to hold the dnmi shaft against turning during threading; and I also preferably provide means to render operative the solenoid brake when there is no tension on the fencing. I may provide control devices normally engaging the fencing at the entrance and exit ends of the looper together with means operated by either of those devices to render the solenoid brake opera ative if the fencing loses normal tension while in the looper or tends to move in the backward direction.

I provide means for stopping the operation of the fence machine proper while permitting continued operation of the coiler in the event that the looper becomes filled to its capacity with fencing. I also provide means for stopping operation of the coiler while permitting continued operation of the fence machine proper in the event that the upper rollers of the looper reach the bottom of their permitted path of vertical travel. I provide means which may conveniently take the forms of a dancer roll rheostat operating in the coiler motor generator field mounted adjacent the looper to slow down the coiler motor when the loop storage capacity of the looper is almost depleted. The rheostat may be operated by a member carried by the support for the upper rollers of the looper as that support nears the bottom of its travel.

When the coiler is in operation the power for moving the fencing through the apparatus is derived from the coiler which pulls the fencing from the crimping drum through the looper and coils it up.

I have not attempted to detail all of the novel features of my invention in the above summary but simply to draw attention to particular features and outline the advantages thereof. Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevational view of mechanism for handling elongated material; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of. the looper forming part of the mechanism for handling elongated material as viewed from the side opposite the side from which it is viewed in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there are provided seven wire payoif swifts 2 about which coils of wire are disposed and from which the wire is drawn for the fabrication of wire fencing. Disposed generally above the swifts is a superstructure 3 which carries pulleys 4 over which wire from the swifts is drawn as it passes to the fence machine. The line wires pass from pulleys 4 over pulleys 5 and thence downwardly and beneath pulleys 6. From the pulleys 6 the line wires pass beneath pulleys 7 whence they move vertically upwardly in side-by-side relation in a common vertical plane transverse of the apparatus to the crimping drum.

The stay wires pass beneath pulleys 16 and thence over pulleys l7 whence they pass into the fence machine and are applied to the line wires to make fencing.

The fence machine delivers fencing which passes around the crimping drum 121 and thence to the looper. The looper is designated generally by reference numeral 251. It comprises a frame 252 having a base portion all the rollers 25 i; and a 7 n th r d re ti n va e rsib e mo .5 h ha t 25 is conne ted: t he o o 2 7 through j a c r whose shaft is connected with the motor shaft by a magnetic clutch. A magnetic brake is connected with the 7 gear reducer shaft and is adapted to maintain that shaft and the shaft 2561against rotation when desired. 7

Keyed to the shaft 256' are two cable drums 263 and V 264. 'Carried by the frame 252 is a vertical guid'eway 265 in which ride Wheels 265 of a vertically movable support designated generally byreference numeral 267 on which coiler since the looper has been depleted of fencing and the coiler cannot coil 'up' fencing any faster than it is supplied byv the fence machine. When the coiler is stopped by operation of the limit switch.274 the fence machine continues to operate.

Mounted .upon a support 275 adjacent the'looper' is a dancer roll rheostat 276 having an arm 277 having a slot 2 78 in, its end. The support 267 carries. a bracket 279 having a pin 28f?v projecting. therefrom. The arm 277 is positioned as shownin Eiguresl. and 8 when the support 267 is above it in the looper. As thefsupport 7 moves downwardly the pin 280 entersthe slot 278 and are. jpurnal'ed' for rotation four rollers 263. The axes of l the rollers 263 are parallel and. the rollers268' are disposed so that when the support 267 is lowered to the bottom of the frame 252 the rollers 26% lie intermediate the rollers 254 as indicated at the bottom of each ofiFigures t and .2. Connected with the support 267, are two cables 269 which extend upwardly from the support 267 and are turned two or three times 7 about the respective drums 26 3 and 2 64 and then ex- 7 gradually drawn downwardly.

The purpose of the looper, as explained above, is to 7 enable continuous operation of the fence machine proper despite intermittent operation of the coiler due to the necessity of stoppingthe coiler periodically to discharge a coil off fencingj. While the coiler is stopped'the fence machine proper continues'to operate and feed fencing to the looper; that fencing is taken up by the looper by upward movement of the support 267'. When the coiler is again put into operation it normally draws fencing from the looper somewhat faster than the fencing is fed to the looper from the crimping drum with the result that the support 267 moves downwardly.

The'motor 257 is for turning the shaft 256 in either direction as desired for moving the support 267 up or down, as, for example, when the looper is to be threaded.

The support may be maintained in any desired position by the brake 262.

A safety switch. 271 is disposed in engagement with the fencing as it passes from the crimping drum to the looper. So long as the fencing remains taut between the crimping drum and the looper the safety switch 271 has no effect. When, however, the fencing becomes loose "between the crimping drum and looper the safety switch 271 is allowed to operate by spring means within the switch casing to stop the apparatus and to apply the brake 262 to hold the shaft 256 against turning and hence, to hold the support 267 against upward or downward movement. When the fencing is again made taut between the crimping drum and the looper the switch 271 is operated against the action of the spring means therein to release the brake 2'62 and'permit' the apparatus to again be put into operation. l

The support 267 carries a shoe 272- which' when the support reaches the top of the frame 252 operates a limit switc 273 and which when the support reaches the bottom of the frame 252 operates a limit switch 27%. Operation'ot the'liniitswitch 273 by the shoe 2'72 stops operation of the fence machine but does not stop operation of the coiler. Obviously when the looper is filled to its capacity it can no longer store up additional fencing and turns the arm 277 in the clockwise direction viewing Figure. 8 to operate. the'danc'er roll rheostat to'decrease the voltage across. the coiler motor generator field and thereby slow down thecoiler'motor which derives its 1 current from the generator. As the arm 277 turns in the clockwise direction viewing Figure 2 the voltage across the coiler motor generator field is gradually decreased so that the coiler motor slows down progressively. The pinch roll unit shown in Figure l 'advances the fencing to the coiler 430 after a length of coiled fencing has been sheared from the uncoiled fencing being delivered through the looper.

The pinch roll unit comprises a lower roll 281' and an upper roll 282. The rolls are cylindrical and mounted with their axes parallel one directly above the other. Each roll has a heavy rubber covering to promote traction on the fencing while avoiding damage to the fencing;

The heavy rubber coverings ofthe rolls 2'81 and 282 also yield to permit passage of the twists orfso-called buttons of'the fencing which have a thickness perpendicular to the plane of the fencing of some three times the diameterof the wire. The pinch rolls deliver the fencing tothe coiler which coils it into coils of predetermined length as above stated. 7 l f V x V While the coiler is operating to coil up fencing it for. a time draws fencing from the looper faster than fenc'ing is delivered to the looper by the fence machine proper; indeed, as the diameter of the coil of fencing increases the speed at which the fencing is drawn forward from the looper increases. As above described, as the quantity of fencing in the looper decreases and the support 267 nears the bottom of the looper the dancer roll rheostat 276 is claimed in my said parent application Serial No; 166,034,

l n 1950, and. i my opend pp c t n Serial No. 226,701, filed May 16, 1,which is adivision of my said parent application. 7

While I have shown and describedra present preferred embodiment of theinvention it is to be distinctly under,- stood that the invention is not'limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. i

I claim: V

1. Mechanism for handling elongated material com; prising an operating station, means pulling elongated materialfrom the operating station, take-up means: between theoperating station and the pulling means, the take-up means including portions normally biased to move relatively away from each other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one of theportions of the take-up means having mounted thereon a proiecting contact member,.a device positioned'to be'engaged by. said projecti g contact member upon relative approach of said. portions toward'each other and only when said portions'are al-I.

mo n he closest o t er rela onsh p. me n p nections between said device and the pulling means progressively slowing up the pulling means upon progressive operation of said device by said projecting contact member.

2. Mechanism for handling elongated material comprising an operating station, means pulling elongated material from the operating station, take-up means between the operating station and the pulling means, the take-up means including portions normally biased to move relatively away from each other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one of the portions of the take-up means having mounted thereon a projecting contact memher, a pivotally mounted member positioned to be engaged by said projecting contact member upon relative approach of said portions toward each other and only when said portions are almost in their closest together relationship and to be turned about its pivot during continued relative approach of said portions toward each other and connections between the pivotally mounted member and the pulling means progressively slowing up the pulling means upon progressive turning of the pivotally mounted member by said projecting contact member.

3. Mechanism for handling elongated material comprising an operating station, means pulling elongated material from the operating station, means including an electric motor for driving the pulling means, take-up means between the operating station and the pulling means, the take-up means including portions normally biased to move relatively away from each other for engaging and taking up slack in the material, one of the portions of the take-up means having thereon a projecting contact member, a pivotally mounted member positioned to be engaged by said projecting contact member upon relative approach of said portions toward each other and only when said portions are almost in their closest together relationship and to be turned about its pivot during continued relative approach of said portions toward each other, a rheostat operated by said pivotally mounted member upon such turning movement thereof about its pivot and electrical connections between the 6 rheostat and the motor progressively slowing up the motor upon'progressive operation of the rheostat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,965 Daniels Nov. 29, 1887 415,448 Daniels Nov. 19, 1889 484,992 Bond Oct. 25, 1892 583,557 Westerberg June 1, 1897 864,860 Randall Sept. 3, 1907 1,071,608 Dear et al. Aug. 26, 1913 1,265,329 Henderson May 7, 1918 1,305,836 Schoening June 3, 1919 1,455,976 Stevens May 22, 1923 1,480,797 Van Orman Jan. 15, 1924 1,582,927 Hentschell May 4, 1926 1,612,160 Sommer Dec. 28, 1926 1,629,097 De Ybarrondo May 17, 1927 1,654,723 De Ybarrondo Jan. 3, 1928 1,773,709 Daniels Aug. 19, 1930 1,783,946 Sommer Dec. 2, 1930 1,783,947 Sommer Dec. 2, 1930 1,996,061 Blashill Apr. 2, 1935 2,062,008 Lewis Nov. 24, 1936 2,076,236 Holloway Apr. 6, 1937 2,155,186 Getz Apr. 18, 1939 2,242,571 McFarland May 20, 1941 2,245,584 Harter June 17, 1941 2,248,043 Degnan July 8, 1941 2,280,943 Ferm Apr. 28, 1942 2,347,198 Lambach Apr. 25, 1944 2,357,389 Ferm Sept. 5, 1944 2,394,824 Todd Feb. 12, 1946 2,434,406 Herath Jan. 13, 1948 2,494,402 Mursch Jan. 10, 1950 2,557,417 Dreisel June 19, 1951 2,561,165 Arcement July 17, 1951 2,624,791 Krow Jan. 6, 1953 2,707,254 Newman et al Apr. 26, 1955

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