US3055605A - Expansible roll and support thereof - Google Patents

Description

P 1962 R. w. YOUNG ETAL 3,055,605

EXPANSIBLE ROLL AND SUPPORT THEREOF Filed July 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet l 96 Eger Wvun f dfi nzfzzz enZezy p 1962 R. w. YOUNG ETAL 3,055,605

EXPANSIBLE ROLL AND SUPPORT THEREOF Filed July 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 25, 1962 R. w. YOUNG ETA]. 3,055,605

EXPANSIBLE ROLL AND SUPPORT THEREOF 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1959 p 1962 R. w. YOUNG ETAL 3,055,605

EXPANSIBLE ROLL AND SUPPORT THEREOF Filed July 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 age?" M51407 c/okzz 1127m 60y United States Patent ()ffice 3,055,605 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 Filed July 15, 1959, Ser. No. 828,431 4 Claims. 01. 242-56.4)

-'Ihis invention relates to a slitter-rewinder machine for slitting and rewinding webs of flexible sheet material such as paper, plastic, and the like, and more particularly to a novel telescopically expansible rider roll and trunnion arm support therefore, for use in such slitter-rewinder machines.

In machines of the class to which this invention relates, a web of flexible material is unwound from a supply roll and slit longitudinally thereof into a plurality of ribbons of desired width, which ribbons are rewound upon individual cores. It has been found that it is Virtually impossible to rewind the individual ribbons on adjacent and abutting cores due to the interleaving of the adjoining ribbons, which results in a rigid connection between the ribbons. In order to avoid such problems, the individual ribbons are separated before being rewound upon the respective cores. One means for separating the ribbons includes transversely spreading the adjacent ribbons, as by the use of bowed rolls, whereby they may be wound upon coaxial cores located at spaced intervals. A second common means involves mounting the rewind rolls for adjacent ribbons at spaced, or separated, parallel axes whereby only alternate, and not adjacent ribbons are wound upon coaxial cores. The invention as disclosed is arranged for use on a slitterrewinder machine utilizing the last-mentioned means for separating the ribbons prior to rewinding the same.

In order to remove any wrinkles formed in the ribbons being wound upon the rewind rolls, it is common practice to pass the ribbons over a. pivotally mounted roll which rests upon the ribbon being wound on the said rewind rolls, such pivotally mounted roll being known as a rider roll since it rides on the expanding roll of ribbon being wound upon the rewind roll. In prior art machines, elongated rider rolls are utilized, which rolls are adapted to engage a plurality of ribbons being wound upon coaxial rewind rolls. It has been found, however, that such an arrangement is not always satisfactory since ribbons being wound on the rewind rolls do not increase at a uniform rate between rolls due to various reasons such as the non-uniformity of thickness of the Web being slit, for example, and other factors beyond the control of the machine operator. Thus, it will be understood that where a single rider roll is utilized for a plurality of rewind rolls, the rider roll may function properly to remove the wrinkles from one or more of the ribbons, but not all. In accordance with this invention, individual rider rolls are utilized for the individual ribbons being rewound. Each rider roll functions independently of every other rider roll whereby each rider roll is capable of proper operation to remove the wrinkles from the associated ribbon.

Often, slitter-rewinder machines are adapted to slit the web of material into ribbons of any desired width. The novel expansible riding roll and trunnion arm arrangements of this invention are easily adapted for use in such machines to accommodate various widths of ribbon. The trunnion arms which support the rider roll are easily adjusted longitudinally of the rider roll to support rider rolls of desired length, and the length of the rider roll is easily adjusted by means of a novel telescopic arrangement; the trunnion arm and rider roll thereby offering a maximum of flexibility for use with ribbons of any width.

An object of this invention is the provision of a web slitter-rewinder, machine employing a novel rider roll arrangement in which individual and independent rider rolls are associated with the individual ribbons being rewound whereby the rewound ribbons are smoothly wound.

An object of this invention is the provision of a simple, economical and rugged rider roll and a pivotal trunnion arm support therefor.

An object of this invention is the provision of a novel expansible rider roll for use with ribbons of various widths.

An object of this invention is the provision of a novel trunnion arm for the support of a rider roll, which aim is adjustably positioned along a supporting member, is easily removed from said member, and which includes a resiliently biased locking pin for supporting the arm in a raised position.

These and other objects and advantages Will become apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic broken view of a slitter-rewincler machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a semi-diagrammatic front view of the machine;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a trunnion arm made in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view of a trunnion arm shown mounted on a shaft and supported in a raised position; and

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an expansible rider roll made in accordance with this invention.

Reference is first made to FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein there is shown a machine for slitting and rewinding a web or sheet, designated 10, coming from any suitable supply source, not shown, and traveling in the direction of the arrows included in FIGURE 1. The web 10 passes over a driven roll 11 and a backing roll 12 associated with cutting wheels 12. The cutting wheels are carried on bifurcated arms fragmentarily shown in the drawings; the slitting mechanism forming no part of this invention. The ribbons issuing from the cutting mechanism and designated 1tla-10f in FIGURE 2 for clarity, pass over a second driven roll 13, from which roll adjacent ribbons of material pass in different directions to thereby separate the same. Specifically, the ribbons 10a, 10c and 10e pass over an idler roll 16 and individual rotatable rider rolls 17 mounted at the ends of trunnion arms 19 which arms are normally pivotally supported on a shaft 21, while the ribbons 10b, 10d and 10 pass over the individual rider rolls 17 rotatably mounted at the ends of trunnion arms 19 pivotally supported on a shaft which is of identical construction as the shaft 21, but which is designated 21 for purposes of description. The ribbons from the rider rolls are wound upon cores, or rewind rolls, 22 (FIGURE 1) which are mounted on rotatable shafts, or mandrels, 23, 23 and which are rotatably driven by such shafts by means of suitable slipclutch arrangements not shown in the drawings. It will be understood that the rider rolls rest upon the ribbon wound upon the cores 22 and are pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction about the shafts 21 and 21' (as viewed in FIGURE 1) as the ribbon material is added to the said rolls 22. The weight of the rider rolls and associated trunnion arms, together with the winding tension on the ribbons provided by the rotated cores 22 combine in serving to maintain contact between the rider roll and the ribbons being wound on the cores 22. As seen in FIGURE 2, movement of the trunnion arms 19 in a direction longitudinally of the shafts 21 and 21 is prevented by the use of collar members 24 secured to the said shafts adjacent the trunnion arms. The collars are not, however, in tight frictional engagement with the trunnion arms since pivotal movement of such arms is necessary. Further, as seen in FIGURE 2, the rolls 11, 12 and 13 and the shafts 21, 21' and 23 are supported between the machine side walls 28, 28 with the shafts 21 and 21' being fixed and the rolls 11, 12 and 13 and shafts 23 being rotatably supported therebetween. Suitable means, not shown, drive the rolls 11, 12 and 13 and the shafts, or mandrels, 23.

One important feature of this invention involves the use of individual rider rolls 17 for the individual rewind rolls. Each rider roll is mounted in a pair of pivotable trunnion arms 19 whereby each rider roll operates independently of every other such roll. Regardless of differences in the individual ribbons, due to non-uniformities in the web it), and the like, the rider roll associated with each ribbon maintains contact with the associated rewind roll whereby each ribbon is smoothly wound upon its core 22.

Other important features of the invention involve the construction of the trunnion arms 19 and the rider rolls 17, respectively. The detailed construction of the trunnion arms will'first be described with reference to FIG- URE 3. As seen in FIGURE 3, the trunnion arm 19 comprises an elongated arm having a clamp member 28 formed at one end thereof for clamping support of the rider roll 17, not shown in FIGURE 3. The clamp member 28 is formed by a hole 29 and a slot 31 extending from the end of the arm to the hole. A cap screw 32, when tightened, serves to clamp the rider roll in the hole 29 in a conventional manner. The other end of the trunnion arm 19 includes a hole 33 therein for pivotal mounting of the arm on the shaft 21. It will be noted that the shaft 21 is formed with longitudinally extending and diametrically opposed flats 34, 34 thereon. A slot 36 is formed in the trunnion arm which extends from the hole 33 to the end of the arm, which slot is of slightly greater width than the normal distance between flats 34 whereby the arm may be removed from the shaft by simply rotating the arm to a position wherein the slot sides are in alignment with the flats, and then sliding the arm off the shaft. The desirability of being able to remove and replace trunnion arms with such case will become apparent when it is understood that the number of ribbons into which a Web is slit in most slitting machines is not fixed but, instead, can be changed by the removal or addition of cutting wheels 12 to meet the varying requirements. The number of necessary riding rolls and trunnion arms for the support thereof obviously varies in accordance with the number of ribbons being cut, and it is therefore highly advantageous to be able to add and remove trunnion arms with a minimum of work and time. With the trunnion arm and shaft arrangement of this invention, the trunnion arms are quickly and easily removed from and replaced on the said shaft.

When the cores 22 are wound full, it is necessary to stop the machine operation, remove the full cores and replace the same with unwound cores. In accordance with this invention, a novel arrangement is employed at the pivotal end of the trunnion arms for maintaining the arms in a raised position during the changing of cores in the mandrel 23. As seen in FIGURE 3, a slot 39 is formed in the trunnion arm a spaced distance from the hole 33, and a hole 41 is formed between the said slot 39 and hole 33. The hole 41 is formed with an enlarged diameter portion at the end adjacent the hole 33 whereby a shoulder 42 is formed intermediate the ends of the hole 41. A rod 44 having an enlarged plunger 46 secured at one end thereof and .a handle 47 at the other end thereof, extends into the hole 41. A compression spring 48 is positioned between the plunger 46 and shoulder 42 in the hole 41 to thereby bias the plunger 46 outwardly of the hole 41; the movement of the plunger to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 3, being limited by engagement of the handle 47 with the bottom of the slot 39. In normal operation of the machine while the ribbons Illa-10f are being rewound upon the cores 22, the trunnion arms 19 execute a pivotal movement about the shafts 21 and 21', during which movement the plunger 46 engages the arcuate portion of the said shafts 21, 21. Such engagement, obviously, does not interfere with the normal pivotal motion of the trunnion arms. It will be noted that a longitudinally extending groove 49 is formed in the shaft 21 (FIGURE 3) intermediate the flats 34 thereon, which groove is of sufficient width to accommodate the plunger 46. When the cores 22 are wound full of the ribbons, the pivotal movement of the trunnion arm rotates the plunger into a position adjacent the groove 49. When it is desired to replace the cores, the trunnion arms are manually pivoted to a position wherein the plungers 49 snap into engagement with the groove, as shown in FIGURE 4. After the cores are replaced, the handles 47 are pulled outwardly to disengage the plunger from the groove, and the trunnion arms pivoted to a position wherein the rider rolls 17 again engage the rewind rolls. It will be apparent that the above-described locking mechanism functions at any longitudinal position of the trunnion arm along the shaft 21.

Sectional views of a novel longitudinally expansible rider roll of this invention, for use with the longitudinally adjustable trunnion arms 19, are shown in FIGURES 1 and 5 of the drawings. Referring, then, to FIGURES 1 and 5, the rider roll 17 shown comprises a pair of relatively slidably, telescopically, engaged tubular members 51 and 52. A collar 53, which is of the same outside diameter as the outer tube 51, is suitably secured to the smaller tube 52 at the outer free end thereof. Bearing members 54, 54, which may be of the ball bearing type, are mounted a spaced distance from the outer free ends of the tube 51 and of the tube 52 on the sleeve 53. Any suitable means, notshown, may be used to secure the inner race members of the bearings to the tube 51 and sleeve 53. The outer race members of the ball bearings 54, 54 are provided with a radially extending annular flange 56, 56 adjacent one end thereof. A surface tube 57, which may comprise a cardboard tube of the same or similar constructionas the cores 22 is mounted on the'body portion of the outer race members of the bearings, with the ends thereof in abutting relation With the annular flanges 56, 56. The extending ends of'the tube 51 and sleeve 53 are adapted to be clamped in the clamping members formed at the free end of the trunnion arms 19.

The surface rolls 57 must be at least as wide as the width of the associated ribbon passing thereover. Since in most slitting-rewinding machines the position and number of cutters therein is selectively variable, to obtain ribbons of desired width, the rider rolls must be of suitable width to accommodate ribbons of such varying width. The trunnion arms are easily adjustable in a longitudinal direction on the shaft 21. The width of the rider rolls, for use with the trunnion arms is simply adjusted by extending or collapsing the telescopically engaged tubes 51 and 52. The surface tube 57, which is made of cardboard, or other suitable material, is easily obtained by cutting a piece of core material to the desired length, which tube is mounted on the bearings 54 after first separating the tubes 51 and 52 and returning the same to engaged position with the tube 57 in position on the bearings.

Having now described our invention in detail, in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art. It is intended that such changes and modifications shall fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a web slitting-rewinding machine of the type wherein a web from a supply roll is slit into a plurality of ribbons and the ribbons are rewound on spaced, coaxially mounted rewind rolls, the combination of a shaft extending parallel to the rewind rolls a spaced distance therefrom, a plurality of pairs of trunnion arms pivotally mounted on the said shaft; a pair of telescopically disposed tubular members extending between each pair of trunnion arms, each tubular member having an end secured to the end of the associated trunnion member; and individual rider rolls rotatably supported by each pair of tubular members; each ribbon passing over an individual rider roll to the associated rewind roll.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein the trunnion arms are laterally adjustable along the shaft.

3. The invention as recited in claim 1 including bearing members carried by each of said tubular members and wherein the said rider rolls are carried by the bearing members.

4. The invention as recited in claim 1 including means forming an elongated groove in the said shaft; individual plungers mounted on each trunnion arm and extending 6 through a bore formed in the arm; spring means normally biasing each plunger toward the said shaft so that the end of the plunger is disposed within the said groove in a predetermined relative angular position between the trunnion arm and the shaft; and manually-operable means for disengaging the plunger from the said groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 441,476 Ford Nov. 25, 1890 641,106 Hawksworth Jan. 9, 1900 974,156 Jones Nov. 1, 1910 1,066,319 Powell July 1, 1913 2,209,471 OIken et al. July 30, 1940 2,460,694 Haswell Feb. 1, 1949 2,475,895 Hill July 12, 1949 2,593,154 Judelson Apr. 15, 1952 2,830,775 Kiesel Apr. 15, 1958 2,935,273 Hoefigen et a1 May 3, 1960

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