US2857116A

US2857116A - Packaging of wire

Info

Publication number: US2857116A
Application number: US491258A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederic B Krafft; Frank K Roberts; Lorenz Leo
Original assignee: Anaconda Wire and Cable Co
Current assignee: Anaconda Wire and Cable Co
Priority date: 1955-03-01
Filing date: 1955-03-01
Publication date: 1958-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1975-10-21

Description

F. B. KRAF'FT ETAL PACKAGING OF WIRE-Q Oct. 21, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1. 1955 VENTORS. KRAFFT OBERTS FEDERIO TTORNEYS Oct. 21, 1958- Y F. B. KRAFFI' EIITAL 2,857,116

v PACKAGING 01-" WIRE Filed march 1. 1955 i v s Sheets-Sheet 2 1 INVENTORS.

FREDERIO B. KRAFFT BY FRANK K. ROBERTS LEO LORENZ ATTORNEYS Oct. 21, 1958 i F. B. KRAFFT- ETAL.

' PACKAGING OFWIRE 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed March 1. 1955 INVENTORS. FREDERIC B. KRAFFT BY FRANK K. ROBERTS QFJ I I v E. mm w T f Nb MN 00 5 mm z. T 2 B. Al x 8 5 LEO LORENZ (2w EML w. @312;

ATTORNEYS United States atent O PACKAGING F WIRE Frederic B. Kralfh Fr ank K. Roberts, and Leo Lorenz, Mnskegon, Mich., assignors to Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, a corporation of Delaware Application March 1, 1955, Serial No. 491,258

6 Claims. (Cl. 242-83) This invention relates to the packing of wire or other filamentary material. More particularly, it relates to the packaging of such material in a cylindrical container in which the material is coiled about a cylindrical core positioned in the container so as to form an annular space between the core and the walls of the container. While the present invention is applicable in general to materials in filamentary form (e. g. cordage, textile fibers), we have found it to be especially well suited to the packing of wire, and the invention is therefore particularly described in reference to the packaging of wire.

Heretofore, flanged spools comprising a cylindrical core or barrel provided with end flanges have been commonly used for packaging wire and the like. The Wire is wound more or less helically about the spool barrel between the end flanges, which hold the wire in place and protect it from injury. It is also known to package wire in a cylindrical container having a cylindrical core positioned therein so that an annular space is formed in the container. In such a container, the wire heretofore has been loosely and more or less randomly coiled about the core in the annular space, and has not been well distributed over the width of the annular space of the container.

The use of a cylindrical container for packaging wire offers the advantage that it is feasible to package large quantities of wire, e. g. hundreds of pounds, in a single length, whereas such large quantities cannot be conveniently packaged on a metal spool. More wire per package is a feature which is of interest to operators of automatic coil winders and similar equipment, as it results in less time being consumed in readying packages of wire for use, and it reduces the amount of time required for setting up the machines (an operation which generally must be performed each time a package is exhausted). Another advantage of such a package over the flanged spool is that less expensive materials may be used in the construction of a cylindrical container. Thus, a suitable container may comprise a cylindrical fibrehoard barrel having a fibreboard cylinder for the core, whereas large flanged spools must be constructed wholly of heavy gauge metal, or of wood and metal, and are relatively expensive.

The present invention provides a package of filamentary material (e. g. bare, insulated or stranded wire, cordage, or the like) comprising a cylindrical container in which a cylindrical core is coaxially positioned so as to form an annular space between the core and the wallsof thecontainer. The material is coiled in open, substantially flat, spiral layers, and substantially fills this annular space. The package of the invention has the advantages that more material is contained in a cylindrical container of given size, and that the likelihood of entanglement of the material when it is unwound is substantially reduced.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus whereby a package of filamentary material according to the invention may be made. Heretofore, such material has commonly been packaged in cylindrical containers by feeding the material at a constant linear velocity into the container while rotating the container at a 2,857,116 Patented Oct. 21, 19 58 form of a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposedone over the other. This method comprises feeding the material into the container, rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear.

velocity at which the material is fed into the container, and alternately increasing and decreasing the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated and the rate at which the material is fed into the container. By this method the material is spirally coiled in the container in the form of a stack of substantially flat superposed layers. The rate at which the material is fed into the container may be varied while the'rate of rotation of the container is maintained constant, or the rate at which the material is fed into the container may be maintained constant while the rate of rotation of the container is varied. Of course, both of these rates may be varied, but ordinarily there will be no advantage in operating in this manner;

According to a preferred embodiment of thfrhethod of the invention the material is fed into the container at a substantially constant linear velocity, and the container is rotated at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the wire, is fed into the container (i. e. the peripheral velocity of the inside surface of the cylindrical container wall at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the wire is fed into the container) and the rate of rotation of the container is cyclically varied by alternately increasing said rate at an increasing rate of increase and decreasing said rate at a decreasing rate of decrease. Thereby, spiral coils are obtained in which the turns thereof are substantially evenly spaced.

When the rate at which the. material is fed into the container is varied and the rate of rotation of the container is maintained constant, we have discovered that best results are realized if the rate at which the material is-fed into the barrel is cyclically varied by alternately increasing said rate at a uniform (i. e. constant) rate of increase and decreasing said rate at a uniform (i. e. constant) rate of decrease. v

The apparatus of the invention provides a device for packaging filamentary material in a cylindrical container in the form of a succession of substantially flat spiral coils. The apparatus comprises feeder means for feeding the material into the container, a container carrier adapted to support the container with the axis of the container substantially vertical, container rotating means for rotating the container on the carrier about the axis of the container, and a variable speed drive adapted to cyclically increase and decrease the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated and the rate at which the material is fed into the container. 1

The present invention may be better understood by reference to the following drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation in partial section of a package of wire according to the invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the package of wire shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale taken along line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig- 4 is a schematic drawing of an embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic drawing of another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a view taken along line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring -to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a package 6 of wire comprising a cylindrical container 7 and magnet wire '8. The cylindrical container is formed of a cylindrical outer shell 9 which forms the cylindrical walls of the container, a bottom closure 11, and a cylindrical core 12. The cylindrical container may conveniently consist of a fiberboard barrel of the type which is commonly used for the shipment of materials in bulk. The cylindrical core is coaxially positioned in the cylindrical outer shell, and with it defines an annular space 13. A glue flap 14 may be provided to glue the cylindrical core to the bottom closure so that the core is secured in place in the container. Thereby, shifting of the core is prevented.

The magnet wire 8 is in a single length (perhaps made up of lengths that have been joined together), and is coiled in substantially fiat spiral layers 16 which substantially till the annular space 13. The wire in each of the layers 16 is in the form of an open spiral extending between the cylindrical core and the cylindrical walls of the container and fills substantially the entire width of the annular space. The open spiral form of the layers 16 is best seen in Fig. 2, where the spiral form of the top layer of wire in the package 6 is shown. As the wire is wound in one direction about the spool (e. g. clockwise) the pitch direction of the spiral coils is reversed from layer to layer, i. e. one layer spirals out from the cylindrical core and the next spirals in from the walls of the cylindrical container. Thus, adjacent layers spiral in opposite directions so that the wire of one'layer crosses over the wire of the layer immediately below. This arrangement of the wire is seen in Fig. 3 where the wires of layer 16b spiral in one direction and the wires of layer 16a spiral in the opposite direction. The crossing of the wire of adjacent layers tends to prevent wire of one layer from falling into the space between turns of lower layers, and so minimizes any risk that the coils in the container may become locked together or entangled.

In the interest of clarity, only the top layer of magnet wire has been shown in Fig. l and only two layers have been shown in Fig. 3. Actually, other layers would be seen in each of these views through the spaces between the turns of wire. Further, the magnet wire 8 will usually be much smaller in proportion to the size of the container than is indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. For example, in a typical case the Width of the annular space is three or four inches and the magnet wire may be 5 inch in diameter.

The package of the invention is characterized in that the wire in the container is arranged in a stack of superposed substantially fla-t spiral coils. As a consequence of this arrangement considerably more wire is packaged in a cylindrical container of given size than has been possible heretofore. A package of wire according to the invention comprising, for example, a cylindrical container having an annular space 20 inches in outside diameter, 13 inches in inside diameter, and 30 inches in height, may contain about 750 pounds of enameled or equivalent film-insulated copper magnet wire (which corresponds to a bulk density of about 240 pounds per cubic foot) whereas corresponding packages of this type of wire heretofore known contained not more than about 600 pounds of wire (which corresponds to a bulk density of about 190 pounds per cubic foot). in accordance with the invention, bulk densities of packaged film-insulated copper magnet wire above 200 pounds per cubic foot are readily and consistently obtained, as are correspondingly high bulk densities for other materials.

Fig. 4 shows apparatus suitable for packaging wire according to the method of the invention. A wire 21 which is to be packaged according to the. invention is fed into a container 31 by passing it between a drive wheel 22 and an idler 23. The drive Wheel is mounted on a shaft 24 which is driven by a motor 26 through a sprocket chain 27 and gears 28. The idler 23 presses the wire firmly into driving engagement against the drive wheel 22 so that the wire is pushed by the drive wheel through a guide conduit 29.

The cylindrical container 31, shown partially broken away, is mounted on a container carrier 36 with the axis of the cylindrical container substantially vertical. The cylindrical container comprises an outer cylindrical shell 32 and is provided with a cylindrical core 33 positioned in the cylindrical container, forming an annular space 34 therein. The container carrier 36 is mounted on a shaft 37 which is driven by a belt 38.

The wire 21 is directed by the guide conduit 29 to a fixed point 39 over the annular space 34. From the point 30, the Wire falls by gravity. The container rotates with the container carrier, and as it does so the advancing wire emerging from the guide conduit 29 coils and drops into the annular space of the container.

The belt 38, held taut by an idler 39, is driven by a variable speed drive indicated at 40, so that the rate of rotation of the cylindrical container may be alternately increased and decreased. The variable speed drive comprises a variable diameter pulley unit 41 which is driven from the shaft 24 through a chain 42 connected to the pulley unit drive shaft 43. This variable diameter pulley unit in turn drives the belt 38. The output speed of the variable diameter pulley unit 41 '(and hence the speed with which the carrier 36 is rotated) is cyclically increased and decreased by alternately moving up and down the control arm 44 of the variable diameter pulley mechanism. This operation in turn is eflfected by rotation in alternately opposite directions of a control shaft 45. The shaft 45 is driven through a chain drive 46 and gearing 47, which in turn is connected through a variable speed drive nit 48 to a reversible electric motor 50. The motor is energized from a power line 51 through a limit switch assembly 52. Each time the control arm 44 reaches a limit of its travel, it engages the limit switch assembly and causes the direction of the motor 50 to be reversed.

As stated above, it is preferred to cyclically increase at an increasing rate, and decrease at a decreasing rate, the rate of rotation of the carrier 36. The variable speed drive unit 48 provides for doing so. The control shaft 55 of this unit, by which the speed of its output shaft 56 may be varied, is connected by a sprocket chain drive 57 to its output shaft. Accordingly, as the output shaft 56 turns in a direction to increase the rate at which the carrier 36 is rotated through the variable diameter pulley unit 41, the control shaft 55 is rotated in a direction to increase the rate at which the shaft 56 is itself rotated. When the shaft 56 is rotated in the opposite direction, so. that the variable diameter pulley assembly 41 is being actuated to decrease the rate of rotation of the carrier 36, the control shaft 55 is likewise being driven in the direction which causes the drive shaft 56 to slow down. The apparatus thus provides automatically for cyclically increasing the rate of rotation of the carrier 36 at a continuously increasing rate and decreasing its rate of rotation at a continuously decreasing rate.

The device shown in Fig. 4 is adapted to feed the wire 21 into the container 31 at aconstant rate, and to rotate the turntable at an alternately increasing and decreasing rate. Figs. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the invention in which the rate at which the Wire is fed into the cylindrical container is alternately increased and de creased while the cylindrical container is rotated at a constant rate.

In this apparatus (Fig. 5) the wire 66 passes between a drive wheel 67 and idler 68. The drive wheel 67 is mounted to be rotated by a shaft 69. The idler68 presses the wire against the drive wheel 67 so that the wire. is

fed into a cylindrical container 71 mounted on a container carrier 76. The cylindrical container comprises an outer cylindrical shell 72 and is provided with a core 73 'positioned in the cylindrical container forming an annular space 74 therein. The container carrier is mounted on a shaft 78 which is driven by a motor 77.

The wire 66 is directed to a fixed point 70 over the annular space 74. From the point 70 the wire falls by gravity. The container rotates with the carrier, causing the wire fed into the annular space of the container to coil about the core.

The shaft 69 is driven by a belt 79 through a variable speed drive, the input of which is driven by the motor 77, and which is so operated that the drive wheel 67 rotates at alternately increasing and decreasing rates. Thus, the wire 66 is fed to the container at alternately increasing and decreasing rates.

The variable speed drive comprises a variable diameter pulley unit 81, for example, a Reeves variable diameter pulley; and a reversing motor 84. The reversing motor 84 drives the control shaft 88 of the variable diameter pulley unit 81 through a gear reduction unit 86, and causes the control shaft 88 to rotate cyclically first in one direction and then in the other. The control shaft 88 actuates the control arm 89 of the variable diameter pulley unit 81, moving it up and down according to the direction of rotation of the control shaft 88, and this movement causes the output speed of a variable diameter pulley unit 81 to cyclically increase and decrease. A limit switch assembly 83 is mounted in position to be engaged by the control arm 89 at its limits of travel, and is connected to the motor 84 and a power line 82, so as to reverse the direction of rotation of the reversing motor 84 each time the control arm has been brought to the position corresponding to maximum or minimum desired speed of rotation of the shaft 69.

As stated above, when the container is rotated at a substantially constant rate and the linear velocity of the wire is varied, it is preferable to cyclically increase and. decrease the linear velocity of the Wire at a uniform rate. The variable diameter pulley unit 81 and the reversing motor 84 provide for operating in this manner. As the control shaft 88 rotates first in one direction and then in the other according to the direction of rotation of the reversing motor 84, the variable diameter pulley unit 81 causes the rate of rotation of the shaft 69 to alternately increase at a uniform rate and then decrease at a uniform rate. Thereby, the rate of rotation of drive Wheel 67 is varied accordingly, so that the linear velocity of the wire being fed to the container 71 alternately increases at a uniform rate and then decreases at a uniform rate.

In the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 5, the cyclic variation in the speed with which the drive wheel 67 is rotated requires that the speed with which the wire is taken from its source of supply must be cyclically increased and decreased. In many packaging operations, such as where the Wire is packaged directly at the output end of the machine on which the last manufacturing operation is performed, it is inconvenient to vary the speed with which wire is delivered from the manufacturing machine. For this purpose an accumulator device is desirable, to gather in the wire being delivered at a constant rate from the manufacturing machine, and to feed it at an alternately increasing and decreasing rate to the packaging machine. A form of accumulator for this purpose is shown inFigs. 5 and 6.

This accumulator comprises vertical columns 92, a lower shaft 93 and an upper shaft 94. Each of these shafts extends between the columns and carries a plurality of pulley wheels 96 which are mounted so that they are each free to rotate relative to each other on the respective shafts. The lower shaft 93 is fixedly mounted between the columns 92. The upper shaft 94 extends through slots 97 in the columns 92 and is mounted so that it is movable up and down throughout the height of the slots.

The shaft 94 is suspended from pulleys99 which are fixedly mounted above the slots 97 onthe columns 92. The wire 66 passes up and down over the pulleys as is indicated in Fig. 6, and then passes under the guide wheel (Fig. 5) to the drive wheel 67. Weights 98 aresuspended from the pulleys'99 and over-balance the rodq94 and the pulleys mounted thereon so that the wire passing over the pulleys 96 is always under tension.

When wire is passed into the accumulator faster than it is being taken out, the weights 98 lift the upper shaft 94 and so increase the length of wire carried by the array of pulleys 96. Vice versa, when wire is drawn from the accumulator at a faster rate than it is being fed thereto, the Weights are pulled up as the amount of wire carried by the pulley array decreases.- i p I According to the method of the invention the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated and the'rate at which the wire is fed into the container is alternately increased and decreased between a maximum and minimum rate. As this ratio is increased from a minimum to a maximum rate wire fed into the container falls along a curved path of ever decreasing radius of curvature (i. e. the Wire spirals in from the cylindrical walls of the container). After this ratio has reached the maximum, it is decreased, and as it decreases the wire tends to fall along a curved path of ever increasing radius of curvature (i. e. the wire spirals out to the cylindrical walls of the container). In order to obtain substantially flat superposed layers of wire, the minimum ratio must always be such that the peripheral velocity of the container (i. e. the velocity of the inside surface of the cylindrical container wall) is greater than the linear velocity at which the wire is fed into the container; for, otherwise, the wire would tend to fall along a path having a radius of curvature greater than the radius of the container and, as the container wall would preclude the wire following such a path, the wire would hump up and not form a flat layer. Similarly, the maximum ratio must not exceed that at which the peripheral velocity of the outside surface of the container core is equal to the linear velocity of the wire fed into the container, otherwise the wire will be pulled tightly against the container core and damage to either the wire or its packaging is likely to result.

The rate of change from minimum to maximum of the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated to the rate at which wire is fed into the container determines the spacing between turns of the spiral, and may be adjusted as desired. The rate at which this ratio is changed should preferably be of sufficient magnitude so that each turn of a spiral falls outside (or inside) the preceding turn (i. e. when the radius of curvature of the path which the wire tends to follow is decreasing, the magnitude of the rate at which the ratio is being increased should be sufficient so that each turn of the spiral falls inside the preceding turn; and when the radius of curvature of the path which the wire tends to follow is increasing, the magnitude of the rate at which the ratio is being decreased should be sufficient so that each turn of the spiral falls outside the preceding turn).

As stated above,,when the container is rotated at a substantially constant rate and the linear velocity of the wire is varied it is preferable to cyclically increase and decrease the linear velocity of the wire at a uniform rate (we shall refer to operation in this manner as case I), whereas, when the wire is fed into the container at a substantially constant rate and the container is rotated at a varying rate, it is preferable to cyclically increase at an increasing rate and decrease at a decreasing rate the rate of rotation of the container (we shall refer to operation in this manner as case 11). Our explanation for this difference is as follows: In both of these cases, at any instant, theangular velocity A (in radians per second) of the container, the desired radius R (in feet) of the particular turn of the spiral being formed, and the linear velocity V (in feet per second) with which the wire is being advanced into the container, should be so related that the equation R A=V is substantially satisfied. Also in both cases, it is preferred that R should increase or decrease uniformly with each revolution of the container. In case I, therefore, as the angular velocity A of the container is constant with respect to time, R must vary uniformly with time. Thus, in case I, R varies uniformly with respect to time, A is constant, and as V=RXA, V varies uniformly with respect to time. case II, however, the angular velocity A is variable with respect to time, so R, to vary by a uniform amount with each revolution, must vary non-uniformly with respect to time; and as V is constant, in order that R A=V, A must vary non-uniformly with respect to time.

It is immaterial insofar as the present invention is concerned whether the rate at which the wire is fed into the container is varied while the container is rotated at a constant rate, or whether the rate at which the container is rotated is varied while the wire is fed into it at a constant rate. Varying the rate at which the wire is fed into the container has the disadvantage that it is necessary to continuously accelerate and decelerate the mass of wire in the container which may be on the average several hundred pounds. However, the extra mechanical complexities introduced by the use of an accumulator and the cold working of the wire incident to its passage through such a device, generally ofisets such disadvantage and may make it advisable to vary the rate at which the container is rotated while feeding the wire into the container at a constant rate.

We claim:

I. The method of packaging filamentary material in a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposed one over the other in an annular portion of a cylindrical container, which comprises rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the material is fed into the container, feeding the material to a fixed point positioned above the annular portion of the container and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into said annular portion of the container, and alternately increasing and decreasing the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated and the rate at which the material is fed into the container, whereby said material is spirally coiled in the container in the form of a stack of substantially flat superposed layers.

2. The method of winding filamentary material in a cylindrical container in the form of a stack of substantially fiat spiral coils disposed one over the other, which comprises feeding said material to a fixed point positioned above the container and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into said container at a substantially constant linear velocity, rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the material is fed into the container, and alternately increasing and decreasing the rate at which said container is rotated, whereby said material is spirally coiled in the container in the form of a stack of substantially flat superposed layers.

3. The method of packaging filamentary material in a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposed one over the other in a cylindrical container, which comprises feeding said materialto a fixed point positioned above the annular portion of the container and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into said container, rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the material is fed into the container, and alternately increasing at an increasing rate of increase and 8 decreasing at a decreasing rate of decrease the ratio of the rate at which the container is rotated and the rate at which the material is fed into the container, whereby said material is laid in the container in the form of a stack of superposed substantially flat spiral coils in each of which the turns are substantially evenly spaced.

4. The method of packaging wire in the form of a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposed one over the other in a cylindrical container, which comprises feeding the wire to a fixed point positioned above the container and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into the container at a substantially constant linear velocity, rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the wire is fed into the container, and cyclically varying the rate at which said container is rotated by alternately increasing at an increasing rate of increase and decreasing at a decreasing rate of decrease its rate of rotation while feeding the wire into the container at said constant linear velocity, whereby said wire is laid in the container in the form of a stack of superposed substantially flat spiral coils in each of which the turns are substantially evenly spaced.

5. The method of packaging wire in the form of a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposed one over the other in a cylindrical container, which comprises feeding the wire to a fixed point substantially above the annular portion of the container and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into the container, cyclically increasing and decreasing the rate at which said wire is fed into said container, rotating the container at a constant rate of rotation and at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which the wire is fed into the container, whereby said Wire is laid in the container in the form of a stack of superposed substantially flat spiral coils in each of which the turns are substantially evenly spaced.

6. The method of packaging wire in the form of a stack of substantially flat spiral coils disposed one over the other in the annular space between a cylindrical core and a cylindrical container wherein said core is coaxially positioned, which comprises feeding the Wire to a fixed point positioned above the annular space and fixed with respect to the axis of the container, causing the material to pass solely by gravity from said fixed point into said annular space, rotating the container at a peripheral velocity which at all times exceeds the linear velocity at which wire is fed into the container, and cyclically varying the rate at which said container is rotated by alternately increasing said rate at an increasing rate of increase and decreasing said rate at a decreasing rate of decrease, the rate of rotation of said container being varied between a lower limit at which the peripheral speed of the container wall is about equal to the speed of the wire fed into the container and an upper limit at which the peripheral speed of the core is about equal to the speed of the wire fed into the container, whereby said wire is laid in the container in the form of a stack of superposed substantially flat spiral coils in each of which the turns are substantially evenly spaced.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,676,606 Albright July 10, 1928 1,691,995 Saulter Nov. 20, 1928 1,992,430 Johnson Feb. 26, 1935 2,132,573 McDonald Oct. 11, 1938 2,552,594 Scott May 15, 1951 2,722,729 Wilhelm Nov. 8, 1955