US310956A - Half to ohaeles g - Google Patents

Description

(NoModeL) '2 sheets sheet 1.

T. MIDGLEY.

I ART OF MAKING WIRE. No. 310,956. Patented Jan. 20, 1885.

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(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. MIDGLEY.

ART OF MAKING- W IRB. 7 No. 310,956. Patented Jan. 20,1885.

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THOMAS MIDGLEY, OF \VOBGESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CHARLES G. \VASHBURN, OF SAME PLACE.

ART OF MAKING WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,956, dated January 20, 1885.

(No model.)

1'0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS MIDGLEY, of Worcester, in the county of "Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 5 new and useful Improvements in the Art or Process of Making Wire; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming IO a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a side view of an apparatus for carrying out my aforesaid improved process of making wire. Fig. 2 represents a top or plan view of the apparatus shown in 15 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus, taken on line C C, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents, upon an enlarged scale, a transverse vertical section through a portion of the apparatus, taken on line A. 13, Figs. 1 and 2, looking in the di rection of the arrows, same figures. Fig. 5 represents, upon the same enlarged scale as Fig. 4, a horizontal section ofa portion of the apparatus, taken on line a, Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 represents, upon a still larger scale than Figs. 4 and 5, a View of one of the slides of my apparatus, which will be hereinafter described.

The object of my invention is to provide a of metal prior to galvanizing or plating the same without the use of the strong injurious acids now employed for the purpose.

It consists in cleaning the wire by scouring the same between the annealing and galvaniz ing or plating operations, by passing said wire through sand, and sand mixed with other ingredients, contained in a series of .compart' ments or boxes, as hereinafter described. 0 To enable those skilled in the art to which my aforesaid invention appertains to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, D represents part of an ordinary annealing-furnace, and E of a galvanizing or plating furnace, between which is arranged myapparatus for carrying out my improvements in the process of making wire. In this instance, as will be seen by Fig. 2, I have represented a double apparatus for treatmeans for cleaning wire and similar strands ing six strands, b, of wire, but do not limit myself to this number, as the apparatus may be made to treat a greater or less number than the above at one time without departing from the principle of my invention. A strand of wire having been annealed in the ordinary way by passing through the annealing-furnace D, it is then cleaned by my improved process, and subsequently galvanized or plated in the following manner: After it leaves the 60 annealing-furnace it passes through a body of dry sand contained in the compartment or receptacle F, which removes the worst of the inerustation formed on the wire, and thereby partially cleaning the same. It then passes through a body of wet sand contained in a second receptacle, G, which is kept moist all the time by arranging a pipe, H, over the same, through which a flow of water is governed by means of an ordinary regulatingvalve, 0. This wet scouring process still further removes the iuerustation formed on the surface of the wire, and leaves it comparatively smooth. It is next subjected to a thorough scouring process by passing through a body of sand mixed with diluted muriatic acid, or other liquid for facilitating the cleaning operation which is contained in the box or compartment I. Said box is arranged to slide forward and "back longitudinally as the wire passes through it, being fitted in ways (I and c at each side of the same, and operated by a lever, J, connected at one end through a shaft, K, with said sliding box, and at the other end with a disk or pulley, L, eccentric with its center. Said pulley L is fitted to turn on a journal, M, secured to the side of the apparatus, and to the side of said pulley is secured another pulley or flange, N, over which a belt, 0, is passed to turn the same, said belt also being passed over a driving-pulley, P, secured to a driving-shaft, Q, arranged above the machine.

If preferred, any other equivalent mechanism may be employed for operating the sliding box I in lieu of that above described.

The operation of moving the securing material forward and back over the wire, as before described, removes nearly or quite all oxidation from the surface of said wire, the

scouring process being facilitated by the acid used with the sand, as before described. The wire next passes through a body of dry sand mixed with cotton waste or other suitable wiping material contained in a box or receptacle, 1%, which completes the scouring of the wire, and also wipes it, leaving it clean, but a little moist alter the last-named treatment. It next passes through a diluted bath of acid or fluxing-fluid contained in a tank or receptacle,R, for iacilitating the adhesion of the coating material, and, finally, from this bath passes into the galvanizing or plating furnace E, to be coated in the usual way, all of the aforesaid proccss being performed by a continuous and automatic operation. In this instance I have represented the several compartments or receptacles as being attached together but, if preferred, they may be made sepa rately and arranged at any desired distance apart from each other. The bottom of the cleaning apparatus under the receptacles where liquids are used is made on an incline, as shown at f, so that all waste is carried off through an opening, g, and waste-pipe 71. The parts marked z i are guards for keeping the dry sand used in the first compartment, F, within proper bounds, said compartment being filled and the sand extended up over the end of the annealingd'urnace when in practical use. The parts marked j j are removable slides, employed for preventing the contents of one receptacle passing into the one next to it in the operation of cleaning the wires, as before described. Said receptacles being provided with vertical slots Zr, to admit of the insertion of the wires into the sand, necessitates the use of such slides j. The latter also serve as guides for the wires, being provided with grooves Z at their lower ends. They are fitted to slide up and down in suitable ways, 122, formed upon or fastened to the sides of the receptacles. The wires are in practice guided through the apparatus by means of guides and guide-rolls of ordinary construction.

My invention may be applied not only to wire, as before described, but also to wire rods, iiat strips, and similar strands of metal,

which in practice may be annealed, cleaned, and galvanized or plated in long lengths by a continuous and automatic operation, said cleaning process being performed, as herein before described, without the use of any but the very weal; solution of acid necessary for producing adhesion of the coating material, and for facilitating the scouring process in cleaning the wire. By thus dispensing with the strong acid solutions usually employed for cleaning wire, I am enabled to produce a superior quality of wire at a considerable reduction in expense, as will readily be seen by those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

Having described my improvements in the art or process of making wire, what I claim therein as new and of my invention, and do sire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In the process of annealing, cleaning, and coating wire and similar strands of metal by a continuous and automatic operation, cleaning the same between the annealing and coating operations by first passing said wire through a body of dry sand, thence through a body of sand wet with water, thence through a moving body of sand wet with diluted acid suitable for facilitating the scouring operation, thence through a body of dry sand mixed with a suitable wiping material, and, finally, just prior to being coated, through a bath of suitable diluted acid or fluXing-fluid, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with an annealing-fun nace and galvanizing or plating furnace for treating wire and similar strands of metal, of a cleaning apparatus arranged between said furnaces, consisting of a series of boxes or receptacles, F, G, I, It, and R, means for sup port-ing, guiding, and operating the sliding box I, means for providing the compartment G with water, and means for disposing of waste liquids from the apparatus, substantially as shown and described.

THOMAS MIDGLEY.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT A. BARKER, \VALrnn B. NoUnsn.

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