US3443801A - Telescoping wire annealing spider - Google Patents

Description

13, W69 w. P. FREUND TELESCOPING WIRE ANNEALING SPIDER Filed Sept. 5, 1967 INVENTOR. WILL/AM P. FREUNE BY 2/ 40m,

Mal/w? z ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,443,801 TELESCOPING WIRE ANNEALING SPIDER William P. Freund, Broadview Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Alloy Engineering Company Filed Sept. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 665,596 Int. Cl. F27d /00; F2711 21/04 US. Cl. 263-47 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of invention Field of the invention.-The invention relates generally to the metal heat treating art, and more particularly to a novel wire coil annealing spider which may be stacked in a telescoping fashion.

Description of the prior art.Conventional full-height annealing spiders are normally about 80 inches high. It is often undesirable from a product standpoint to use such spiders, since the bottom coils of wire in a charge support the full height and weight of the charge. For example, with fine gauge wire the large stacking height of conventional annealing spiders brings about the result that coils of wire near the bottom of the spider will become severely deformed during the annealing process.

Another disadvantage of conventional full-height spiders is that they are difficult to load in the department where wire is being drawn. This difiiculty is due to the relatively large height of the conventional spider.

An additional disadvantage of conventional full-height spiders is that they cannot be used in all types of annealing operations. In some instances, annealing spiders are needed for both low-height continuous furnaces and normal-height batch furnaces. This necessitates the use of a short spider as well as a tall spider.

A prior proposal of a stackable spider has required the use of an additional connecting member disposed between two stacked spiders. The connecting member is inserted in an opening at the upper end of the lower spider and the upper spider is provided with an opening at its bottom to receive the connecting member. Thus, if one wishes to stack one of the described spiders on one another, it is necessary to mount the connecting member on the lower spider before stacking the other spider from above. If the connecting member is not already mounted on a spider, it will take a certain amount of time to do so. Also, if a connecting member is not close at hand or has been mislaid, additional time can be wasted. Therefore, from the standpoint of convenience and elficiency, this prior proposal has not been the most advantageous.

Summary of the invention The present invention contemplates a relatively short spider, approximately one-half the height of a full-height spider or less, provided with a recess in its lower end adapted to receive the upper portion of a similar spider so that one spider may be stacked upon another. Each spider is provided with a base plate and is constructed so that each lower spider supports the weight of the upper spider and its charge. Thus, by stacking a plurality of the new spiders, the full useful height of an annealing ice furnace may be taken advantage of without subjecting the lower coils of a charge to the total weight of the charge. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to prevent deformation of coils of wire near the bottom of a charge and at the same time to permit the utilization of the full useful height of an annealing furnace.

With the present invention, coils of wire may be loaded on the relatively short spiders in the drawing department, transported to the annealing department, and stacked upon one another on the annealing furnace base. Due to their relatively short height, the stackable spiders are easier to load with coils of wire. Accordingly, an additional object of the present invention is to provide an annealing spider which is easy to load.

It may be convenient to use the same spider in the lower height continuous furnace as well as in the higher batch furnace. The present invention may be used one high in the continuous furnace and two high in the batch furnace. Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide a spider which can be used both in furnaces where a relatively low spider is desired and also in furnaces where a relatively greater height spider can be accommodated.

Briefly, a preferred form of the present invention comprises a tube, a plurality of somewhat U-shaped staves connected along the length of the tube, and a base plate connected to the staves in spaced relation with the tube. The base plate is formed with an opening and with the tube and staves forms a recess for receiving and posi tively engaging an upper portion of a similar spider positioned beneath it.

From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that the present invention has as its general object the provision of a novel telescoping spider which has overcome various problems encountered in relation to wire coil annealing spiders. Other objects and advantages will be apparent and the present invention will be better understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a top end view of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the preferred form of the present invention taken along line 2'2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of two spiders of the preferred form of the present invention taken at their juncture along line 33 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of two stacked spiders taken along line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a side-elevational view, partly sectional and fragmentary, of two spiders of the preferred form of the present invention stacked upon one another.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, and to FIGURES l-4 in particular, a wire annealing spider constructed in ac cordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference character S. The spider S includes a cylindrical tube 10, a top plate 11 welded to the upper end of tube 10, and a bottom plate 19 welded to the lower end of the tube 10. As shown, the bottom plate 19 has a central aperture 21.

The top plate 11 has a pair of slots 30 extending in opposite directions from a central portion 33 of the top plate 11. The adjacent ends of the slots 30 are spaced from one another a distance less than the diameter of the aperture 21 in the bottom plate 19. Communicating with the slots 30 are a pair of slots 29 formed along the upper portion of the tube 10.

Several tapered staves 12 are welded along the length of the tube in circumferentially spaced locations.'As more fully described in US. Patent No. 3,188,067, issued June 8, 1965, to James L. Whitten, these staves serve to reinforce the tube 10 and to enhance heat transfer during heating and cooling of the spider. The lower ends of the staves 12 are welded to a base plate 18 which is spaced below the bottom plate 19. The staves 12 may be described as being somewhat U-shaped in cross-section with the straight sides of the U diverging from the curved 'portion of the U and tapering slightly inwardly from the bottom to the top of the spider. The staves 12 are preferably spaced from one another and have longitudinal axes which lie in planes which pass through the central axis of the tube 10 and form angles of approximately 120 with each adjacent plane.

Each of the tapered staves 12 is closed at its upper end by a plate 13. The plates 13 are inclined in a manner such that a coil of wire or another spider will have a tendency to slide on the staves in a downward direction. This arrangement facilitates loading of the coils of wire on the spiders and also facilitates stacking of the spiders. In the preferred construction of the spider S, the tube 10 is provided with vent openings 14 through its side into the upper end portions of the staves 12 in order to eliminate dead air spaces within the staves 12.

The base plate 18 has an opening designated generally by the numeral 20 for receiving the upper portion of another spider of the type here described. The opening 20 includes indents 22 each of which corresponds in Shape to the outer configuration of the staves 12. The indents 22 are equally spaced apart and are located between the staves 12. In the construction as illustrated in FIGURE 2, the staves 12 and the indents 22 are spaced 60 from one another.

The lower end portions of the staves 12 which extend between the plates 18 and 19 define leg portions 32. As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 5, the edges of each of the stave leg portions 32 are cut away at 27 to provide clearance for the upper end portion of a tube 10 of another spider inserted through the base plate Opening 20. Each of the leg portions 32 is reinforced by a plate 28. The plates 28 are welded to the inner sides of the leg portions 32 and extend upwardly within the staves 12 to a level slightly above the plate 19. The plates 28 are spaced from the tube 10 to form passages 38 which communicate with the insides of the staves.

When used individually, the spiders function in a manner similar to that described in US. Patent No. 3,188,067, column 2, lines 41-57.

When it is desired to stack one spider upon another, two spiders S and S may be positioned in the manner shown in FIGURE 5. The illustrated spider S is identical to the spider S and the various elements of spider S are designated by numerals corresponding to those of spider S with a prime mark.

As the spider S is held over the spider S, the base 18 of the spider S may be easily aligned with the upper portion of the spider S. If the indents 22 are not properly aligned with the upper ends of the staves 12', the tapered formation of the staves 12 and the inclined arrangement of the plates 13 will facilitate alignment and movement of the spider S downward over the spider S.

With the spiders S and S in stacked arrangement as shown in FIGURE 5, the leg portions 32 of the spider S extend downwardly adjacent the outer surface of the tube 10' of the spider S and occupy spaces between the staves 12' of the spider S. The base plate 18 of the spider S completely surrounds and is in closely spaced relationship with the outer surfaces of the spider S so as to prevent the spider S from falling olf spider S. Further, the full weight of the spider S is supported by the lower spider S because of the engagement of the bottom plate 19 of the tube 10 with the top plate 11' of the tube 10'.

In addition, when the spiders S and S are stacked in an annealing furnace, there is ample provision for the passage of gases through both spiders. Gases may flow through the slots 29 and 30, through the central aperture 21 and the slots 30 and through the central aperture 21'. Gases may also flow through the passages 38 and the vent openings 14 to eliminate dead air spaces with the staves 12. When the annealing operation has been completed, a suitable grasping means may be placed around the central portion 33 of the spider S for lifting it from the spider S.

With the construction described above, a novel wire coil annealing spider is provided that may be stacked upon a similar spider. Since each spider is provided with a recess in its lower portion adapted to receive the upper portion of a similar spider, no additional connecting means is necessary for stacking the spiders. When telescoped together, the weight of the upper spider S and its charge are supported by the lower spider S so that the coils of the lower charge will not be deformed. It will also be seen that the new spiders can be conveniently used both individually and in telescoped arrangement.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form, with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A telescoping spider for holding coils of wire during annealing comprising:

(a) a. tube having first and second ends and first and second end portions;

(b) a plurality of members having first end portions longitudinally connected to the tube and having second end portions extending beyond the second end portion of the tube;

(0) each of said members being somewhat U-shaped and including a longitudinally aligned plate connected to the inner sides of each member at least at said second end portion thereof to reinforce each member;

(d) engagement means connected to said second end of the tube for positively engaging another spider; and,

(e) a base plate connected to the second end portions of the members in spaced relationship with the tube, said base plate having an opening constructed and arranged for receiving a first end portion of another spider so that said engagement means may positively engage said another spider.

2. A telescoping spider for holding coils of wire during annealing comprising:

(a) a tube having first and second ends and first and second end portions,

(b) a plurality of members having first end portions longitudinally connected to the tube and having second end portions extending beyond the second end portion of the tube;

(0) engagement means connected to the second end of the tube for positively engaging another spider; and,

(d) a base plate connected to the second end portions of the members in spaced relationship with the tube, said base plate having an opening constructed and arranged for receiving a first end portion of another spider so that said engagement means may positively engage said another spider;

(e) said members being disposed in spaced relationship with one another, and each of said members being cut away at said second end portion thereof so that the first end portion of said another spider can be inserted in a space, a portion of which is bounded by the second end portions of the members.

3. annealing spider for supporting coiled charges comprising:

(a) a tube having first and second ends,

(b) a plurality of members integrally secured to said tube around its circumference and projecting longitudinally thereof beyond said second end of said tube, and

(c) a plate secured to said members in spaced relation to said second end of said tube,

(d) said plate having an opening shaped to permit the first tube end of a corresponding spider to be inserted through said plate into abutting engagement with said second end of said tube.

4. A spider as claimed in claim 3 including means secured to said first end of said tube for permitting a lift ing mechanism to operatively engage said spider.

5. An annealing spider for supporting coiled charges comprising:

(a) a tube having first and second ends,

(b) a plurality of members integrally secured to said tube around its circumference and extending longitudinally thereof,

(c) said members having first end portions secured to said tube adjacent said first end thereof and second end portions projecting beyond said second end of said tube, and

(d) a base plate secured to said second end portions of said members in spaced relation to said second end of said tube,

(e) said base plate having an opening shaped to telescopically receive a first tube end of a corresponding spider together with the first end portions of the members secured thereto.

6. The spider of claim 5 wherein said tube and said members form an assembly which is tapered inwardly from said base plate to said first end of said tube.

7. A spider as claimed in claim 5 wherein said members are of generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration.

8. A spider as claimed in claim 5 including a top plate secured to said first end of said tube and including an opening for permitting a lifting mechanism to operatively engage said spider.

9. A spider as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second end portions of said members are spaced apart circumferentially of said tube to define legs extending from said second end of said tube to said base plate.

10. An annealing spider for supporting coiled charges comprising:

(a) a tube having first and second ends,

(b) said tube including means adjacent said first end for operative engagement with a lifting mechanism for said spider,

(c) a plurality of staves integrally secured to said tube in spaced relation around its circumference,

((1) said staves having first end portions adjacent said first end of said tube and second end portions projecting beyond said second end of said tube,

(e) said second end portions of said staves defining legs spaced apart circumferentially of said tube, and

(f) a base plate secured to the ends of said legs in spaced relation to said second end of said tube,

(g) said base plate having an opening shaped to permit the first end of the tube of a corresponding spider together with the surrounding stave portions secured thereto to be inserted through said base plate into contacting engagement with said second end of said tube.

11. A spider as claimed in claim 10 wherein said staves are tapered axially inwardly of said tube from said base plate to said first end of said tube.

12. A telescoping wire coil annealing spider comprismg:

(a) a tube having first and second ends and first and second end portions, respectively;

(b) a first end plate connected to the first end of the' tube;

(c) a second end plate connected to the second end of the tube;

((1) a plurality of somewhat U-shaped staves having longitudinal edges connected to the tube and having first and second ends and first and second end portions respectively, the second end portions of the staves extending beyond the second end of the tube and the first end portions of the staves connected to the tube;

(e) a base plate connected to the staves at the scond ends thereof in spaced relationship with the tube', the base plate having an opening with indented portions constructed and arranged to receive first end portions of another similar spider; and,

(f) the base plate and the staves constructed and arranged to receive a portion of the similar spider so that the spider may be stacked upon the similar spider which may positively engage the second end plate.

13. The spider of claim 12 wherein the staves are cut away along their longitudinal inside edges at said second end portions thereof to provide room for the movement of the similar spider into and out of the region formed by the second end plate, staves, and base plate.

14. The spider of claim 12 wherein each stave includes a plate connected to its inner sides along at least the second end portion thereof for reinforcement of the staves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,310,991 2/1943 Pierce 26347 2,803,447 8/1957 King 26347 JOHN J. CAMBY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 981 15

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