US2975506A - Apparatus for coating metal articles - Google Patents

Description

March 21, G, w E L 2,975,506

APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL ARTICLES Original Filed June 8, 1954 2 S eets-Sh et 1 March 21, 1961 w, BELL 2,975,506

APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL ARTICLES Original Filed June 8, 1954 2 ee s-Sh t 2 Egg-3 .Zizzazzfar United tates Patent" APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL ARTICLES vided and this application July 31, 1957, Ser. No. 675,338

4 Claims. (CI. 29-81) The present invention relates to an apparatus for coating articles such as wire prior todrawing.

More particularly, this invention relates to an improved apparatus for descaling raw metal stock including a vigorous abrasion and polishing of the surface of the stock to remove all scale therefrom and the lubrication of the stock prior to drawing. 7

Raw metal wire stock as received from the mill is coated with impurities and oxide scale. As the scale is extremely hard and brittle, feeding of contaminate raw stock through drawing dies not only abrades the dies to cause excessive wear and consequent short life of the dies but interferes with the quality of the finished wire as well.

Heretofore, raw wire stock has been subjected to reverse bending and the action of cascading steel balls which are more or less effective in peening away scale from the stock, and has then been passed through powdered lime and soap, the lime precipitating the soap, so it will adhere to the wire and lubricate the wire for drawing.

While these prior processes are useful, the raw stock is not as eifectively and effioiently cleaned and lubricated as desirable, particularly when the rate of travel of the wire stock through the prior reverse bending and ballmill cleaning apparatus is stepped up to increase the speed of production.

It is a principal object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved apparatus for conditioning by cleaning, brightening and lubricating essentially continuous elongated raw metal stock for drawing.

More specifically, it is an object of this ,invention'to provide zan improved apparatus for continuously descaling, cleaning and lubricating raw metal stock in preparation for additional drawing of said raw stock intofinished metal articles. V

Still another object of the invention is to provide a descaling and lubricating apparatus for raw metal stock arranged with-a view toward increasing the speed and etficiency of the cleaning operating and improving the treatment of the stock prior to drawing.

In carrying out my invention I provide a rotary chamber rotatably driven by power, tension means to feed continuous metal stock linearly through and along the chamber along the center of rotation thereof, and support means within the chamber and rotated thefiby adapted to support at least one replaceable abrasive member, in positive tangential contact with the periphery of themetal stock feed therethrough.

I also provide a replaceable abrasive means in'the form of metal file blocks, although 9 other abrasive products including sintered: particulate aluminum oxide or silicon carbide fragments .in block form may be selected for this end.

Additionally, I provide the. rotary chambeniwith a plurality of "compartments, the first entered of which is provided with abrasive meansas indicated and immediately adjacenttheretp one Ifor jrnore compartments providing continuous {contact of the freshly. abraded metal jsuriac fes ice with wire-drawing compounds, for example, lime, lime rock, powdered lime, and to then pass the wire through a lime slurry and bake the lime thereto, prior to passing through powdered soap for lubricating the wire prior to drawing. A particular advantage accrues in contacting a freshly abraded bright metal surface immediately upon formation with metal drawing compounds and then baking the compounds thereto, as there appears to be a greater aflinity of the metal for the lubricants when the metal surface is in a pristine state and has had the lime baked thereon, leading to an increased film of lubricant and consequently advantages in die life, rate of drawing, etc.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 435,186, filed June 8, 1954, and entitled Apparatus and Process for Making Rods, and now Patent No. 2,913,354.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view in side elevation of a coating apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along and through the axis of rotation of the rotary chamber shown in Figure l with the supporting parts therefor removed;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line III-III of Figure 2 and drawn to a reduce scale;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line IVIV of Figure 2 and drawn to the same scale as Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the first entered compartment of Figure 2 with the outer cylindrical shell removed; and

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line VI-VI of Figure 5.

Referring now in particular to Figure 1 of the drawing and generally to the apparatus and method, black iron wire or raw elongated metal stock 1 is drawn through the apparatus by driven wheel 45, and the take-up reels of the wire drawing apparatus, and not herein shown or described since it forms no portion of the present invention and is clearly shown and described in my parent aplication Serial No. 435,186 of which this application is a division. The raw metal stock l enters the machine through a fixed guide 2 and is trained horizontally about sheave 3 rotatable about a vertical axis and is then reversed and trained about sheave 5 rotatable about a horizontal axis. The initial bending serves to crack and to remove the worst of the embrittled, more readily removed scale.

The partially descaled raw metal stock then passes through a hollow trunnion 7 of. a main polishing and lubricating chamber8, shown in Figure 4 as being in the form of acylinder and having opposite end walls 9 and 10. The hollow trunnior'i7 is shown as being secured to the drum 8,ithrough an apertured"intermediate plate l2 dividing the main chamber or drum 8 into a polishing chamber 11 and a treating chamber 2 t [Ifhestock passes from the treating chamber 2 1';

the hollow interior of the trunnion 35 tothe. tensig ing "45,, 'The hollow trunnionsfl and jare po tata'bly supported on a frame 36 for the descaling and polishing apparatus in spaced pillow boxes 37 and 38 respectively. The chamber or cylinder 8 is shown as being rotatably driven by a motor 40,supported on a shelf 41 extending inwardlyfrom the support legs of the frame 36. The drive to the cylinder or drum 8 from the motor 40 is shown as being a V-belt drive of a well known form and indicated generally by refer ence character 39.

The descaled, polished and treated wire stock passes from the trunnion 35 around the tensioning pulley 45, driven by the motor 40 through -a V-belt drive 41, driving a counter shaft 42, a V-belt drive 43 driving a shaft 44, and a beveled gear drive 46 driven from the shaft 44 and driving a shaft 47 on which the tensioning pulley 45 is keyed or otherwise secured.

The'tensioning pulley 45 is shown as rotating in a tank 48 containing an aqueous slurry of lime, borax or any other suitable material for coating the wire stock and assisting the soap to pick up on the wire stock as a lubricant during the wire drawing operations.

The freshly polished and coated stock, leaving the tank 48 passes upwardly over horizontally spaced sheaves 49 and 50 having electrical conductors 49a and 50a, respectively, electrically connected thereto. The electrical conductors 49a and 50a are diagrammatically shown as being connected with a transformer 50b, putting out an dependent in part upon a gage of the wire stock, but sufiicient to maintain a flow of between 15 to 40 amperes in the wire stock as it passes over the sheaves 49 and 50 and heat the wire stock by resistance heating as it passes between said sheaves. The heating of the wire serves to bake on to the surface of the wire, the lime and other compounds essential to the subse quent drawing operations.

From the sheave 50, the wire stock having the draw ing compound baked thereon is fed downwardly and under an idler 51 on a support 51a of the frame 36 through a box 52 containing powdered soap or a limelike lubricant. The wire stock is then trained to the a driving wheel- (not shown) of the wire drawing machine for drawing the wire to size as in my parent Patent No. 2,913,354.

Referring now in particular to the details of the descaling and coating apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 through 6, the wire stock in the form of black wire enters the cylinder or chamber 8 through a guide 2 and 7 passes therefrom about the vertical axis sheave 3, changing the direction of the wire and then reverses its direction about the horizontal axis sheave 5 and enters the polishingchamber 11 of the rotary chamber or cylinder 8 through the hollow trunnion 7 as has previously been described.

The reversing of the wire prior to entering the polishing chamber 11 spalls off the more [brittle scale as the softer stock is reversed in direction about the sheaves 3 and 5. V

The compartment 11 of the chamber 8 is shown in Figure 2 as having two parallel spaced chordal plates 13, 13 connected between the walls 9 and 12 and spaced on opposite sides of the center of rotation of said chams The chordal plates 13, 13 abut the inner cylindrical wall of thechamber :11 at one of their ends, and are open at their opposite ends to receive a plurality of abrasive bars her and the aperturedportions in the walls 9 and 12, A through which the wire passes for, treatment.

15, 15, and herein shown as being four in number and spaced on opposite sides of the line of travel of the wire through the chamber 11, and so arranged as to i have tangential engagement with the wirestock as the chamber 8 is rotating. V I .1 d The open end'of the space between the chordal plates 13', 13, carrying the abrasive bars' 15,15 isflshown as 4 in gibbed guides 29 extending at right angles to the chordal plates 15, 15 and spaced in advance of the ends thereof.

The abrasive bars 13, 13 may be metal files, sintered abrasives including those in the silicon carbide aluminum oxide class, and are herein shown as being tapered files oppositely arranged to be held in position by the taper, thereof. The abrasive bars or files 15, 15am shown as being spaced from the walls 9 and 12 by spacer bars or blocks 16, 16 having tapered inner faces conforming to the taper of the abrasive bars 15, 15 to hold the same in position when the door or retainer 28 is closed. 7

It should here be understood that while the files are shown as being oppositely arranged, to have interengagement with each other, that the tapers of the file may be so formed that the files will all cut in the same direction and effect scale removal and polishing of the wire prior to treatment in the chamber 20.

The door 28 is shown as having a projection or ledge 30 extending outwardly therefrom toward an access opening 17 in the wall of the chamber 11. The ledge 30 is engaged by a tongue 27 projecting inwardlyf-rom an access door 25 for the chamber 8, for locking the door 28 in position to hold the abrasive bars 15, 15 in place between the chordal plates 13, 13. The access door 25 is shown as being pivotally connected to a hinge member 18 secured to the wall of the chamber 8 and extending outwardly therefrom. A pivot pin 19 is provided to pivotally connect the door 25 to the hinge member 18. A locking pin 22 extending through spaced lugs 23 and engaging the outer side of the access door 25 is provided to lock the door 25 closed andlock the retainer door 28 in position, to hold the abrasive bars or files 15, 15 in position between the chordal plates 13, 13 to have tangential engagement with the wire as it passes therethrough.

The treating compartment 20 contains a supply of drawing compounds such as powdered lime, which readily adheres to the abraded smooth-surfaced wire leaving the chamber 11. The compartment 20 is shown as hav ing a plurality of lifter plates 21, 21 extending inwardly from the wall of the cylinder in chordal planes, to lift the drawing compounds and cascade them to the cen ter of rotation of the compartment 20 onto the scaled wire, as it passes therethrough.

Access to the compartment 20 to replace the drawing compounds is through a door 26 hinged to a hinge member 26a on a hinge'pin 26b. A locking pin 26c passing tlliroudgh spaced lugs 26dis provided to lock the door 26 c ose The wire passing from the treating compartment 20 leaves said compartment through thehollow trunnion 35, as has previously been described, and is trained about the power driven tensioningpulley '45, which pulls the wire through the chamber 8 and immerses the same in a lime slurry in the tank 48, from which itis drawn by the first drum of the wire drawing apparatus (not shown) over the idler sheaves 49 and 50 where the wire'acts as a resistor as it passes between said sheaves, and the limb is baked thereon by the resistance heat, to assure a more efli'cient precipitation of the soap on the wire, andthus increase the efiiciency of the picking up of soap as a lubricant. From the sheave 50, the wire then passes under the, sheave .51 through the soap box 52,- for drawing cutting ofi and packing, as previously described.

The scaling, abrading or polishing and lime treating and baking operation thus more efficiently removes the dross from the wire and places the wire incondition for heat by the electrical resistance, baking the'compounds thereon, increases ,the afiinity' of the. soap :.to' .the wire,

- being closed 'by aretainer or door 28 slidably guided enabling the drawingoperation to be greatlyspeeded up,

and thus providing a faster and more efficient continuous treating process than has heretofore been known.

As is well understood by those skilled in the metal forming art, various modifications and variations of the present invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of my invention, as illustrated and described herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for conditioning raw wire stock, a rotary drum having a polishing chamber therein, spaced tubular bearings rotatably supporting said drum at opposite ends thereof, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said drum, said drum having apertured end walls, the apertured portions of which are in alignment with said tubular hearings, to accommodate the drawing of wire through said bearings and drum, a plurality of axially misaligned sheaves supported at the entering end of said drum defining a reversing circuitous path for the wire and guiding the wire to pass through an adjacent tubular bearing, a tensioning pulley at the discharge end of said drum pulling the wire through said drum under tension, means driven by said motor for driving said pulley, the improvement comprising a pair of facing chordate support plates within said drum on oppo site sides of the path of travel of the wire therethrough, abrasive bars extending along said plates and mounted thereon, for abrading opposite sides of the wire upon rotation of said drum, said chordate support plates engaging the wall of said drum at one end thereof and extending partially across said drum and having free end portions affording access to said abrasivetbars, and a retainer door Within said drum slidably movable along the free end portions of said chordate support plates, afiording access to said abrasive bars and retaining said abrasive bars to said chordate support plates when in position across the free end portion of said support plates.

2. In an appratus for conditioning raw Wire stock, a rotary drum having a cylindrical polishing chamber therein, spaced tubular hearings ro-tatably supporting said drum at opposite ends thereof, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said drum, said drum having apertured end walls, the apertured portions of which are in alignment with said tubular bearings, to accommodate the drawing of wire through said bearings and said drum, a plurality of axially misaligned sheaves supported at the entering end of said drum defining a reversing circuitous path for the wire and guiding the wire to pass through an adjacent of said tubular bearings, a tensioning pulley at the discharge end of said drum, means driven by said motor for driving said pulley to draw the Wire through said drum under tension, the improvements comprising a pair of facing chordate support plates Within said drum on opposite sides of the path of travel of the wire therethrough, said chordate support plates having engagement with the wall of said drum at one end and having opposite free end portions spaced from the wall of said drum, abrasive bars extending along each of said support plates, a retainer door slidably movable along the free end portions of said chordate support plates for retaining said abrasive bars thereto, and an access door to said drum having engagement with said sliding door, when closed, for retaining said sliding door in a closed position and retaining said abrasive bars to said chordate support plates.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame, a drum rotatably journalled on said frame-and having an interior chamber having a cylindrical wall, a motor, a drive connection from said motor of said drum for rotatably driving said drum, means for pulling the wire through said chamber under tension, the improvements comprising two faced chordate support plates spaced from opposite sides of the path of travel of the wire through said drum and extending from said interior cylindrical wall of said chamber and having free end portions spaced from said interior cylindrical wall, spacer blocks at opposite ends of said chordate support plates and spacing said plates apart and having tapered inner faces converging from the open ends of said chordate support plates, oppositely arranged abrasive bars extending along said chordate support plates and wedgedly retained thereto by the taper of the tapered inner faces of said spacer blocks, and a retaining door slidably mounted on the free end portions of said chordate support plates for closing the open end portions thereof and retaining said abrasive oars thereto for abrading opposite sides of the wire while passing along said drum.

4. In an' apparatus of the class described, a frame, a drum rotatably mounted on said frame and having an inner chamber having an interior cylindrical wall, a motor, a drive connection from said motor for rotatably driving said drum, tensioning m ans for drawing wire through said inner chamber along the axis of rotation of said drum, the improvements comprising an access door for said drum hinged thereto and extending along the outer Wall of said drum, two spaced facing chordate support plates mounted within said drum and extending from the interior cylindrical wall thereof toward said access door and having free end portions opening to said access door and spaced inwardly therefrom, spacer blocks at opposite ends of said chordate support plates spacing said plates apart and having tapered inner faces converg ing from the open ends of said chordate support plates toward said Wall, oppositely arranged tapered abrasive bars extending along said chordate support plates and Wedgedly retained thereto by the taper of said spacer blocks, a retainer door slidably mounted on the free end portions of said chordate support plates for closing the opening therebetween, and an engaging connection be tween said retainer door and said access door for retaining said retainer door in a closed position upon the closing of said access door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,484 Hartsough Sept. 8, 1931 2,203,063 Schueler June 4, 1940 2,383,927 Carlson Aug. 23, 1945 2,703,550 Bell Mar. 8, 1955 r 2,826,871 Baker 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 770,158 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1957

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