US2857731A - Method and apparatus for making strand or rope - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1958 I w. H. SIMCOE 2,857,731

- mnon AND APPARATUS For: MAKING STRAND on ROPE Filed May 28, 1954 INVENTOR. WILLIAM H. S/MCOE,

his Attorney.

United States Patent F METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING STRAND 0R ROPE William H. Simcoe, Hamden, Conn., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New J ersey Application May 28, 1954, Serial No. 433,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 57--64) This invention relates to the manufacture of wire rope or strand and, in particular, to the closing die through which the elements pass as they are twisted together, and a drive therefor.

In machines for making Wire rope or strand as constructed heretofore, the die was either fluted or helically grooved or, if originally smooth, became fluted or grooved as a result of Wear because it was permitted to rotate at the same speed as the stranding machine. Fluted dies are objectionable because of the difficulty in resetting them after adjustment or repair. It is desirable therefore to employ a smooth-bore die and maintain it unfluted even after long use. This is the object of my invention.

In a preferred embodiment and practice, I provide a closing die which originally has a smooth cylindrical bore and I further provide means for driving it at a speed different from that of the stranding or twisting machine whereby relative rotary movement occurs between the die and the strand or rope being formed therein. This relative movement insures that any resulting wear of the die Will be distributed uniformly throughout the circumference of the bore instead of being concentrated at spaced points. The result is that the die does not wear to a fluted condition but the bore thereof always remains smooth, i. e., of uniform radius at any given plane of cross-section.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompany drawing. In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a stranding machine embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the closing die; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged axial section through the die, taken along the plane of line III-III of Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a stranding machine of the usual type comprises a rotor 10 including circular end plates 11 and 11 spaced along an axial shaft 12. The left end of the shaft may be supported in a combined radial and thrust bearing 13. The plate 11' at the other end rides on hearing rollers 14. Spool holders 15 extending between the end plates are rotatable on axes parallel to shaft 12 and rotatably support spools 16 of wire or strand. Wires or strands 17 from spools 16 are drawn through the trunnions of the spool holders and alined holes in end plate 11', then through holes in a guide plate 18 on the extreme end of shaft 12 beyond the end plate. The machine as described so far is conventional and forms no part of my invention.

A die chuck 19 is journaled in a fixed post 20, coaxially with the stranding machine. A closing die 21 having a smooth bore 22 extending axially therethrough and flaring at the entrance end, is fixed in the chuck. The die serves to progressively compress the wires or strands 17 into a solid compact strand or rope as the latter is formed by the twisting resulting from rotation of the machine, the length of strand or rope already formed being held against rotation as by being coiled on the usual haul-01f drum (not shown).

The rotor 10 is driven by a motor 23 through a chainand-sprocket drive 24 and an intermediate shaft 25 paral- Patented Oct. 28, 1958 lel to shaft 12. Shaft 25 drives shaft 12 through a chain-and-sprocket drive 26. Drives 24 and 26 are designed to effect revolution of the rotor at any speed suitable for stranding or strand-laying.

I also provide means for driving chuck 19 in the same direction as the rotor 10 but at a speed diflierent from that of the rotor. Conveniently the chuck may be driven from shaft 25 through a chain-and-sprocket drive 27. The speed of the chuck may be greater or less than that of rotor 10 and, for best results should vary from the rotor speed by at least 10% up to a differential of about 50%. That is to say, for a rotor speed of R. P. M., for example, the die chuck speed should be from 50 to 90 R. P. M. or from to R. P. M. In this way, any wear on the bore 22 is uniformly distributed with no chance of being sufi iciently concentrated to form helical flutes or grooves. As a result, bore 22 remains circular at all times and wholly free from flutes resulting from wear.

The invention described has several advantages. In the first place, by the use of a non-fluted die and maintaining it free from flutes even after prolonged Wear, the cross-section of the finished strand or rope is made such that it can be circumscribed by a true circle instead of an ellipse or other non-crcular shape as might occur in case of concentrated wear on the die bore. A further advantage is that the rotation of the die produces a wiping action on the finished strand or rope tending to compress the outer wires or strands against the inner ones and prevent looseness in the stranded structure. As already pointed out, furthermore, it is easier to reset a non-fluted die than a fluted die after adjustment or repair.

Although I have disclosed herein the preferred embodiment and practice of my invention, I intend to cover as well any change or modification therein which may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a method ofmaking stranded structures, the steps including drawing elements of the structure through a closing die while twisting the elements together at a predetermined speed and rotating the die about the axis of the structure at a speed diiferent from the speed of twisting the elements.

2. In a machine for making stranded structures, the combination with a rotor having spool-holders pivotally mounted thereon, of a closing die through which elements of said structure are drawn from spools in said holders as the rotor is turned at a predetermined speed to twist said elements together, and means for driving said die at a speed diiferent from that of said rotor.

3. In a machine for making stranded structures, the combination with a rotor having spool holders pivotally mounted thereon and means for driving the rotor to twist together elements drawn from spools on said holders toward a common point on the axis of the rotor spaced from one end thereof, of a rotary tubular closing die coaxial with said rotor having its entrance end substantially at said point, effective progressively to compress said elements into a solid compact structure, and means for driving said die at a speed different from that of said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 189,099 Higby Apr. 3, 1877 1,907,651 Morgan et a1 May 9, 1933 2,342,999 Brownell Feb. 29, 1944 2,411,291 Ramstedt Nov. 19, 1946 2,412,196 Ashbaugh Dec. 10, 1946

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