US2877481A - Rotary brush sections - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1959 w, c, VAN CLIEF,'JR 7 2,877,481

ROTARY BRUSH SECTIONS March 17, 1959 w. c. VAN CLIEF, JR 2,877,481

ROTARY BRUSH SECTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fil ed Jan. 5, 1955 FIQZ 2,877,481 ROTARY BRUSH SECTIONS William C. Van Clief, Jr., Baltimore, Md., assignor to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 5, 1955, Serial No. 480,021 9 Claims. (Cl. 15-181) This invention relates to a brush construction and it has particular relation to a construction formed of a disclike base section, which is adapted to be coaxially strung upon a mandrel to provide a cylindrical rotary brush which is inexpensive, of high durability and efficiency.

It has heretofore been suggested in forming an annular brush section suitable for stringing upon a mandrel, to stamp a pair of sheet metal discs constituting sides of the section to provide on one or both discs teeth projecting parallel to the central axis of the section and to provide openings in the other disc to receive the teeth. The discs are then disposed in spaced, coaxial position, brush bristles of double end type are disposed about their perimeter and a retaining ring is formed by wrapping wire about the waists of the bristles to draw the latter between the discs. Ultimately, the discs are pressed from opposite sides completely to double the bristles and forcing the teeth through the mass of bristles and through the openings for them in the other disc. When the teeth are clinched, they provide cross, or transverse, connections between the two discs holding them together in assembled relationship.

The construction is subject to certain disadvantages as for example there is a tendency for the sharp edges of the teeth to chafe the bristles thus causing them to fail prematurely. Forming the teeth also substantially reduces the stiffness of discs in which they are formed. The teeth are present while the bristles are being distributed and doubled and they may become distorted in passing through the bristle mass or they may objectionably distort, or disarrange the bristles thus causing defective construction. In the conventional construction, the retaining wire or ring was merely wrapped a plurality of times about the bristle material and the ends thereof were left unsecured so that radial force generated by rotation of the retaining wire and the bristles was in large measure transferred directly to the teeth. This construction was not so secure as might have been desired.

This invention comprises forming rotary brushes of sections, the metallic side discs of which are held together by staples of wire of circular section piercing the mass of bristles as well as the discs and ends of which are clinched firmly, providing transverse members to hold the discs in place. The wire staples being rounded in section and relatively smooth, chafe and wear the bristles to far lesser degree than do the edges of the teeth.

As a further feature, the invention comprises forming tes Patentretaining rings by wrapping a strand of wire one or more v times about the waists of the bristles and securing the ends by twisting, by solder or otherwise permanently securing them together. In so doing, the ends of the wire are drawn very tight, pressing the loops of the bristles into position between the discs and they are maintained permanently in that state. If desired, this tightening operation may be performed before the side discs are pressed into final position, thus reducing to a minimum the tendency of the bristles to become disarranged during subsequent pressing 2,877,481 Patented Mar. 17, 1959 operations. The ring so formed is capable of resisting relatively large centrifugal forces when a section is rotated.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may noW be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a rotary brush formed of sections constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view partly in elevation and partly in phantom of a brush;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 2 through a plurality of sections disposed in side by side relationship as they often are in a rotary brush;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line lVIV of Fig. 3 of a portion of a brush section illustrating one mode that may be employed in uniting the ends of the tie or retaining wire;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through one of the stampings employed in constructing a brush in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a disc showing the shape of an opening and a retaining tab formed in the opening before it is bent to parallel the central axis of the disc.

A brush B, shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, is composed of a plurality of sections S having the construction most clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In this construction, it is to be observed that the section comprises a sheet steel or iron stamping 20, shallowly, hat-like in shape as shown in Fig. 5. This has a cupped crown portion 21 with top or disc 22 and cylindrical side wall portion 23 integral with the edge of the disc and constituting a core for the section and being integral with annular rim 24, the latter constitutes one of the side discs of section S and is coaxial with respect to the core. The top portion is formed with openings 26 constituting ventilating means for the construction and is also provided with castellations 27 which extend parallel to the axis of the stamping. As shown in Fig. 6, the castellations may conveniently be formed by stamping out the openings 26 to provide the castellations as inwardly projecting tabs upon the cylindrical wall at the juncture with the edge of the disc and which when the crown portion is pressed into the blank, are bent to assume the vertical position as shown in Fig. 5. Needless to say, the entire stamping operation involving cutting the openings 26 and shaping the crown portion can be effected concurrently by use of appropriate dies. The crown portion, if desired, may also be pressed out as a preliminary operation and subsequently the openings 26 may be sheared in the top 22 and castellations 27 integral with the side wall, may be bent upwardly. The top 22, it will be observed, is also provided with a central opening 28 to receive the driving mandrel, such as the mandrel 29 shown in Fig. 1. In order to prevent rotation of a brush section upon the mandrel during brushing operations the opening may be formed with a keyway 30 adapted to receive a key 31 disposed in a suitable groove in the mandrel. Other modes of secur ing the section upon the mandrel may also be employed. For example, the opening 28 may be polygonal or of other non-circular shape to fit upon a mandrel of corresponding non-circular shape.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a side disc constituting an annulus 32 may be disposed upon the crown portion 21 near the outer edge thereof and in part is clamped in position by appropriate clinching of the tabs or castellations 27. Rim 24, side wall 23 and annulus 32 are continuous and provide a continuous peripheral channel.

Bristles or filler material F for these sections may be of the replicate or double ended type and at their mid-portions or waists, are folded about a retaining ring or core structure 33 which may comprise one, or a ormer plurality of-turns-ofastrandof wire having-endportions suitably twisted, welded, soldered or otherwise fastened together as indicated at 34 in Fig. 4 whereby to provide, in effect a continuous ring or rings which inherently have substantial resistance to centrifugal force,

when the units are rapidly rotated. It will be appreciated that the application of solder to the wire is not limited to the ends of the latter; application may be made at intervals around the circumference. For example, it may be applied at a point directly opposite the ends, to counterbalance the weight of the solder used upon the latter. It may also be applied at such other points as may be desirable to attain counterhalancing of the'sectio-n or more firmly to secure the turns of wire together. If desired, two or more separate rings may be formed to provide greater strength.

As further means for holding the annular rim 24, and the annulus 32 together in firm engagement against the bristle materials, a series of staples 36, preferably of wire ofround or'nearly round section and having bends or bights 37 are driven through from side to side passing through the metal of the rim 24 and annulus 32 and also through between the brush bristles to form cross, or transverse ties. The ends thereof, as indicated at 38 in Fig. 2, are clinched inwardly toward each other whereby firmly to lock the ring 32 in position parallel to the rim 2d and directly to hold the bristles under pressure. This stapling operation can readily be performed with a conventional, heavy-duty stapling machine well recognized in the art and description of which is not deemed to be necessary. The staples in addition to holding the annulus 32 and the rim 24 in parallelism to form a channel for the brush bristles and'the retaining ring 33, also function to prevent peripheral creeping of the bristles and the ring about the walls 23 of the crown portion 21. The staples may further be so disposed as to engage the outer perimeter of the retaining ring or core 33, thus providing means more completely to secure the ring against centrifugal force. A still further alternative involves placing the staples on a diagonal with respect to the radii of the ring 33 so that one leg thereof is disposed to engage the outer perimeter of the retaining ring while the inner leg is disposed inside the same. As many rows of staples as desired may be provided.

It is an important feature that the staples are of a round wire, or at least of a wire which is substantially void ofsharp angles or corners, whereby to eliminate, or to reduce to aminirnum any tendency of the bristles to chafe against said angles or sharp corners on the staples. This is a substantial advantage over conventional constructions in which the opposite side elements of the brush section are held together by ties comprising teeth integrally struck from the metal of the-side element. Such teeth, of necessity, are thin and flat and present relatively sharp corners or edges to the filler material or bristles with which they come into contact.

A brush, such as is shown in Fig. l of the drawings, may be assembled of as many sections S as may be necessary to obtain a desired cylindrical length. The sections are strung on the mandrel 29 in well known manner and may he clamped in position by a suitable construction, as for example end discs 40, which are integrally formed with or otherwise secured to collars 41. The latter may be internally screw threaded and threaded upon a shoulder portion 43 of the mandrel so that by holding the mandrel stationary'and rotating the collar 41 the end discs may be tightened firmly to clamp the sections together against longitudinal displacement. The end disc may be provided with rugosities such as pits (not shown) engaging the projecting portions 37 and 38 on staples 3d orcastellations 27 to assist in preventing rotation of the sections on the mandrel.

It will be observed in Fig. projecting portions of staples 36 and 27 which clamp the annulus 32 in position,

3 of the drawings that the of the castellations also function as spacers between the annulus and the contiguous side of the adjacent ring thus providing slots 44 through which air can circulate outwardlyby centrifugal force when the brush is driven. Such circulation is promoted by the openings 26 in stampings 20 which allow the air to move longitudinally through the brush B. The outward passage of air through the space 44 promotes in continuous inward movement of air through spaces 26. The air in its circulation both longitudinally and radially, cools the metal of stampings and the bristles with which it contacts. Overheating of the bristles is obviated, or at least, the tendency thereto is greatly reduced.

The'portion 22 constituting a center in the finished section provides a conductor which further facilitates the removal of heat from about the base portions of the bristles. The rapid circulation of air through the center of the brush also cools the portion 22 in a highly effective manner.

Annular brush sections constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention may be assembled by various techniques and by use of various types of apparatus.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown and described are by way of illustration; those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made therein without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising a metal disc with a central hole formed therein for a mandrel, the disc having a continuous integral cylindrical side Wall formed at the edge thereof, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, the side wall, rim and annulus providing a continuous channel, the disc having integral castellations formed thereon at the juncture with the side wall and being clinched radially outwardly to retain the annulus and radially disposed bristles between the rim and the annulus and being directly pressed thereby.

2. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising a metallic disc having a continuous integral cylindrical side wall formed at the outer edge thereof, a hole for a mandrel formed centrally in the disc and a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, said side wall, said rim, andsaid annulus forming a continuous channel, the side wall having integral castellations formed at the juncture of the side wall and the disc and being clinched radially outwardly to retain the annulus, a retaining ring disposed in the channel and replicate bristles folded about the ring and being retained under direct pressure between the rim and the annulus.

3. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising a metallic disc having an integral cylindrical side wall formed at the outer edge thereof, the disc further having a hole for a mandrel formed centrally therein, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, said side wall, said rim and said annulus providing a continuous channel, a bristle retaining ring disposed in the channel and replicately folded bristles doubled about the retaining ring, said side wall at the juncture of the disc and the side wall having integral castellations formed thereon and being radially clinched to retain the annulus and U- shaped staples piercing the rim and the annulus to retain the bristles from peripheral creeping and for further securing the rim and the annulus in fixed relationship with respect to each other.

4. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising, ;a metallic disc with an integral, continuously cylindrical side wall at the perimeter thereof, the disc having a hole for a mandrel formed centrally therein, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship and said annulus forming a continuous channel, a bristle retaining ring disposed in the channel and double ended bristles replicately folded about the ring and being maintained under direct pressure by the annulus and the rim, said disc having openings formed therein for circulation of air therethrough, staples piercing the rim and the annulus to retain them in position with respect to each other and to retain the bristles from peripheral creeping, said staples having portions projecting axially from the rim and the annulus and providing axial spacing between contiguous sections when they are assembled upon a mandrel whereby to permit outward flow of air be tween the sections to cool the same during operation of a brush formed of said section's.

5. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising a disc having an integral, continuously extending, cylindrical, peripheral side wall portion, a hole for a mandrel formed centrally in the disc, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, said side wall, said rim and said annulus forming a continuous channel, a bristle retaining ring disposed in the channel anddouble ended bristles replicately folded about the ring and being directly gripped by the rim and the annulus, the disc having openings formed therein to permit axial movement of air in the side wall portion and means associated with the section to space the same with respect to contiguous sections when they are ganged together upon a mandrel whereby to permit outward movement of air when a brush comprising said sections is rotated.

6. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising a disc having a continuous cylindrical side wall integral with the edge of the disc, the disc having a hole for a mandrel formed centrally therein, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, said side wall, said rim and said annu- Ills providing a continuous bristle retaining channel, a bristle retaining ring disposed in the channel, double ended radially projecting bristles looped about the retaining ring and being maintained under direct pressure between the rim and the annulus, the disc having openings formed therein for the axial movement of air there through, means spacing the sections when a plurality thereof are ganged upon a mandrel and comprising staples piercing the rim and the annulus and having end portions projecting axially and being adapted to constitute spacers between contiguous sections.

7. A rotary brush section of annular form comprising to the rim, said wall, said rim a metallic disc having a continuous, cylindrical side wall integrally formed at the edge thereof, said disc also having a hole for a mandrel formed centrally therein, a continuous annular rim integral with the edge of the side wall, a continuous annulus disposed about the side wall in spaced relationship to the rim, said side wall, said annular rim and said annulus forming a continuous annular channel, a bristle retaining ring disposed in the channel, radially disposed bristles replicatcly folded about the retaining tween the rim and the annulus, the disc also having openings formed at the edge thereof and the side wall having castellations integrally formed at the openings and being clinched radially outwardly to retain the annulus, staples piercing the annulus and the rim and having portions projecting in a direction parallel to the axis of the section and constituting spacing elements between the contiguous sections when they are ganged upon a mandrel whereby to permit outward movement of the air when the ganged sections are rotated.

8. A rotary brush section comprising a core element, brush bristles having mid portions thereof with a plurality of turns of wire confining said mid portions on the core, the ends of the wire being soldered together and solder further being applied to the turns of the wire at a point diametrically opposed to said ends, the latter solder counterbalancing the solder at said ends, and side discs coaxially disposed with respect to the core and clamping the bristles with the ends thereof projecting radially outwardly.

9. A rotary brush section comprising a core element, brush bristles having mid portions thereof wound tightly with a plurality of turns of tie wire confining said mid portions on the core, the ends of the Wire being soldered together and solder further being applied to the turns of the wire at a point diametrically opposed to said ends, the latter solder counterbalancing the solder at said ends and side discs coaxially disposed with respect to the core and clamping the bristles with the ends thereof projecting radially, the side discs further being pierced by tie elements extending through the bristles and securing the side discs permanently together and further securing the tie wire in place.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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