US3650012A

US3650012A - Process and apparatus for recovering metals from cables

Info

Publication number: US3650012A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fred J Graveman
Original assignee: Aluminum Converter Sales and Research Inc
Current assignee: Aluminum Converter Sales and Research Inc
Priority date: 1969-12-17
Filing date: 1969-12-17
Publication date: 1972-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 1989-03-21

Abstract

Aluminum is recovered from steel reinforced aluminum cable (ACSR cable) by first straightening the cable and thereafter cutting the strands of aluminum away from the steel core at the end of the cable so as to expose a short portion of the core. Next, the cable is severed so that the exposed portion of the core is disposed at the end of a relatively short segment of cable. The steel core is then withdrawn from the surrounding aluminum strands by passing its exposed portion through an opening and pulling it while the ends of the aluminum strands abut against the member in which the opening is formed. Finally, the aluminum strands, freed of the steel core, are introduced into a rotary shear which reduces them to pellet size fragments.

Description

United States Patent Graveman 51 Mar. 21, 1972 Fred J. Graveman, St. Charles, Mo.

Aluminum Converter Sales & Research, Inc., St. Charles, Mo.

[22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1969 [21] Appl.No.: 885,676

[72] Inventor:

[73] Assignee:

3,309,947 3/1967 Denney ..8l/9.Sl

Primary ExaminerJohn F. Campbell Assistant Examiner-Donald C. Reiley, IlI

Attorney-Gravely, Lieder & Woodruff [57] ABSTRACT Aluminum is recovered from steel reinforced aluminum cable (ACSR cable) by first straightening the cable and thereafter cutting the strands of aluminum away from the steel core at the end of the cable so as to expose a short portion of the core. Next, the cable is severed so that the exposed portion of the core is disposed at the end of a relatively short segment of cable. The steel core is then withdrawn from the surrounding aluminum strands by passing its exposed portion through an opening and pulling it while the ends of the aluminum strands abut against the member in which the opening is formed. Finally, the aluminum strands, freed of the steel core, are introduced into a rotary shear which reduces them to pellet size fragments.

19 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING METALS FROM CABLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to the recovery of metal from cables, and more particularly to a process and apparatus for separating strands of a metal from a core formed of another metal and for reducing the strands so separated to relatively small fragments.

Many high voltage electrical cables currently in use consist of nothing more than a galvanized steel core and a plurality of aluminum strands twisted spirally around the core. The steel core, which may be either solid or a multiplicity of strands itself, imparts strength to the cable so that it can traverse extended reaches between poles or other standards. The aluminum strands, of course, serve as excellent conductors of electricity. The foregoing type of cable, which is commonly referred to as ACSR cable (aluminum cable steel reinforced), is in some applications sheathed with a dielectric insulating material.

Scrap ACSR cable contains considerable aluminum in the form of individual strands, and by reason of this fact, the recovery of the aluminum from such cable has proved profitable. Currently, the separation is achieved by introducing the cable into a shredding machine similar to a hammermill which reduces both aluminum and steel components to relatively small fragments. The steel and aluminum fragments are then segregated by means of conventional separating devices such as magnetic separators, gravity tables, air flotation systems, and the like.

Shredding devices capable of fragmetizing ACSR cable, however, consume considerable power and furthermore require continual maintenance and replacement of parts since they act not only on the soft aluminum, but also on the hard steel core. Moreover, complete separation of the steel and aluminum is not afforded since these machines pulverize some of the metal and particles of steel often adhere to the aluminum fragments. This detracts from the purity and value of the recovered aluminum. The purity of the aluminum recovered may be enhanced by a secondary separation process, but this increases the expense of the total operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus for completely separating the aluminum strands from the steel core of ACSR cable. Another object is to provide a process and apparatus which reduces the aluminum strands of ACSR cable to pellets of approximately equal size which are free of steel particles. A further object is to provide a process and apparatus of the type stated which consumes relatively little power to effect the separation and reduction. Still another object is to provide an apparatus of the type stated which is trouble-free and requires little maintenance. These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a process for recovering metal disposed in strands about a core in a cable and includes pulling the core longitudinally with respect to the strands so as to withdraw it from the strands. Thereafter the strands are reduced to small segments. The invention further includes apparatus for performing the foregoing process. The invention also consists of the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever the occur:

FIG. I is an elevational view of the apparatus for recovering metal from cable, the various components thereof being arranged in the order of operation on the cable;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cored cable from which metal is recovered, the core of the cable being exposed at the end of the cable;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the straightener forming a component of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the straightener;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the cutter forming part of the apparatus;

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 5 and showing a strand severing die in its open position;

FIG. 7a is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7, but showing the die closed;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the core puller forming part of the apparatus;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the rotary shear forming part of the apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line ll-ll of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line l2l2 of FIG. 1 1.

Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates an apparatus for recovering aluminum from electrical transmission cable 4 of reinforced aluminum variety and for reducing the aluminum so recovered to pellet size fragments which are convenient to handle and store. The cable 4 (FIG. 2) is employed almost universally for high voltage electrical transmission lines and normally consists merely of a galvanized steel core 6 and a plurality of aluminum strands 8 wrapped spirally around it. Normally, the core 6 is solid, although in some installations where increased flexibility is desired the core 4 may consist of a plurality of galvanized strands. The aluminum strands 6 are solid in cross section since aluminum bends fairly easily anyway. Utility companies sell scrap ACSR cable 4 in rolls l0 weighing approximately 100 to 2,000 pounds and containing up to 6,000 feet of cable 4.

Broadly speaking, the apparatus 2 (FIG. 1) comprises a turntable 20 for supporting a roll 10 of cable 4, a cable straightener 22 for removing curvatures from the cable 4, a cutter 24 for cutting the cable 4 into segments of predetermined length and for exposing a short segment of the core 6, a core puller 26 for withdrawing the core 6 from the aluminum strands 8, and a rotary shear 28 for reducing the aluminum strands 8 to equally sized pellets.

More specifically, the turntable 20 (FIG. 1) revolves about a vertical axis and is located generally at the same height as the straightener 22. It supports the roll 10 so that the cable 4 can be unwound from it merely by withdrawing the outer of the two free ends.

The cable 4 unwound from the roll 10 on the turntable 20 is fed into the cable straightener 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which comprises two sets of

opposed rollers

30 and 32 journaled on a frame 34 for rotation about axes presented at with respect to each other. The initial set of rollers 30 consists of four rollers 30 located in pairs on each side of a cable path 36 along which the cable 4 is advanced. The rollers 30 of each pair are offset with respect to each other so that no two rollers 30 are located directly opposite from one another across the path 36. The outer peripheries of the rollers 30 are grooved to conform to the cross-sectional contour of the cable 4, and the spacing between the grooves in the offset pairs of rollers 30 is such that the width of the path 36 so defined is approximately equal to the diameter of the cable 4.

The other or subsequent set of rollers 32 likewise consists of four rollers 32 located in pairs on each side of the cable path 36 and arranged so that they form a linear continuation of the path 36. Moreover the rollers 32 are oriented for rotation about axes presented at 90 with respect to the axes of the rollers 30, as previously noted. The rollers 32, like the rollers 30, are staggered, grooved, and in all other respects identical to the rollers 30.

The straightener 22 further includes a cable drive unit 38 which is mounted on the frame 34 at the entrance to the initial set of rollers 30. The drive unit 38 comprises a guide channel 40 which possesses a rectangular configuration located in alignment with the path 36 so as to form a continuation thereof and is wide enough to accept the cable 4. Journaled within the guide channel 40 is a drive roller 41 and a pair of idler rollers 42 which press the cable 4 against the drive roller 42 so that the cable 4 advances as the roller 42 revolves. The drive rollers 42 are powered by a gear motor 44 which is also mounted on the frame 34.

The cable 4 as it is unwound from the roll 10 passes into the guide channel 40 where it coincides with the lead end of the path 36. The guide channel 40 prevents the cable 4 from assuming a severe curvature at the initial roller 30. The drive rollers withdraw the cable 4 from the roll 10 and advance it toward the cutter 24 while the two sets of

rollers

30 and 32 knead or work any curvature out of the cable 4. By reason of the fact that the sets of

rollers

30 and 32 are presented at 90 relative one another, curvature in all planes is eliminated. Thus, the cable 4 emerges from the rollers 32 in a substantially straight length or configuration.

The portion of the cable 4 discharged from the cable straightener 22 is advanced through the cutter 24 (FIGS. -7) until a segment of approximately no longer than feet projects beyond the cutter 24, at which time the drive rollers 41 are de-energized and the cable 4 is servered so as to free a 10- foot or other predetermined length. Contemporaneous with the severing, the aluminum strands 8 at the new free end ofthe cable 4 are trimmed away so as to expose a few inches of the steel core 6. The foregoing operations are effected by a pair of dies 50 and 52 located a few inches apart and operated by a single power unit 53 which may be a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, a cam or toggle arrangement, or any other conventional motion imparting device. The latter die 52 (FIGS. 5 and 6) includes a fixed blade 54 over which the straightened portion of the cable 4 is passed and a moveable shear blade 56 normally located away from the fixed blade 54 at a distance sufficient enough to enable the cable 4 to pass between the

blades

54 and 56. The blade 56 when actuated, shifts completely past the upper margin or the cutting edge of the blade 54 so as to completely sever the cable 4 at that point.

The initial die 50 (FIGS. 5 and 7) likewise includes a fixed blade 60 and a moveable blade 62 which is normally positioned away from the blades 60 (FIG. 7) so that the cable 4 can pass between the two. The

blades

60 and 62, in contrast to the

blades

54 and 56, however, are disposed directly opposite one another so that no shearing effect is achieved. The

blades

60 and 62 furthermore possess

arcuate segments

64 and 66 in their cutting edges, and these

segments

64 and 66 when the

blades

60 and 62 are closed (FIG. 7A) form a circle equal in diameter to the diameter of the steel core 6 in the cable 4. The blade 62 is operated by the same power unit which reciprocates the blade 56, and the two

blades

60 and 62 are moved in unison. The cutting edges on the

blades

60 and 62 may also be V-shaped.

At the entrance to the initial die 50 a guide channel 70 projects rearwardly toward the cable straightener 22 and aligns the cable 4 with the arcuate segment 64 in the fixed blade 60. In particular, the channel 70 positions the cable 4 such that its core 6 is directly above the arcuate segment 64 as the cable 4 is advanced through the open dies 50 and 52 (FIG. 7). Thus, when the advance of the cable 4 is halted and the blade 62 is moved toward the fixed blade 60, the

arcuate segments

64 and 60 as well as the adjoining straight portions of the cutting edges will cut through the aluminum strands 8, but will leave the steel core 6 intact (FIG. 7A).

As previously noted the power unit 53 which closes the die 50 also closes the die 52 contemporaneously so that as the aluminum strands 8 are cut away the entire cable 4 is also severed by the blades 56 and 54 a few inches beyond the cuts through the aluminum strands 8. The severance of the cable 4 frees a straight segment 80 of approximately 10 feet in length, and

this segment has its core 6 exposed at its leading end, the result of the previous closure of the die 50.

The segment is transferred to the core puller 26 (FIGS. 8 and 9) where the core 6 in that segment is withdrawn from the aluminum strands 8 thereof. The core puller 26 includes a frame 82 in which a pair of

hardened steel rollers

84 and 86 are journaled. The

rollers

84 and 86 are spring biased toward one another by heavy springs, and at their regions of proximity their peripheral surfaces are spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the core 4. The roller 86 is connected directly to a gear motor 88, and the other roller 84 is connected with the roller 86 through a sprocket and chain drive 90 which is constructed such that the rollers revolve in opposite directions.

Directly opposite the region of proximity for the

rollers

84 and 86 at the side thereof at which the cylindrical surfaces of the

rollers

84 and 86 move toward one another, the frame 88 is traversed by a restraining plate 92 having circular apertures 94 therein which are slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the core 6 so that the core 6, but not the aluminum strands 8, will fit freely therein. The distance between the outer surface of the plate 92 and the region of proximity of the

rollers

84 and 86 is less than the length of the exposed core 6 on the end of the cable segment 80 severed from the cable 4 at the cutter 24.

The exposed core 6 on the cable segment 80 is inserted through one of the circular apertures 94 in the plate 92, and that aperture 94 aligns the core 6 with the space between the

rollers

84 and 86. Since the width of that space is less than the diameter of the core 6 the

rollers

84 and 86 will grip the core 6 similar to a washing machine wringer and pull it through the aperture 94. Inasmuch as the aperture 94 is too small to accept the strands 8 also, the ends of the strands 8 will abut against the surrounding surface on the plate 92, enabling the

rollers

84 and 86 to pull the core 6 through the strands 8 and withdraw it therefrom. Thus, the aluminum strands 8 are separated from the steel core 6.

Subsequently, the separated strands 8 are advanced axially into the rotary shear 28 (FIGS. 10-12) where they are reduced to pellet size fragments 98. The shear 28 includes a frame on which a rotor 102 is journaled by means of bearing blocks 104. The rotor 102 comprises a shaft 106 which is journaled in the bearing blocks 104 and is driven at its one end by a motor 108 connected thereto through a belt and sheave drive 109. At its opposite end the shaft 106 is fitted with a relatively large disk 110 having radially extending blades 112 mounted on its circular end face. The disk 110 is encased within a housing 114 which also contains a fixed cutter bar 1 16 disposed horizontally therein in close proximity to the end face of the disk 110. The bar 116 is furthermore offset with respect to the axis of rotation for the rotor 102 and its leading or cutting edge is presented very close to the path described by the blades 112. The rotor 112 revolves such that the blades 112 sweep downwardly past the cutter bar 116 (FIG. 12).

Preceding the cutter bar 116 is a feed assembly 118 (FIG. 11) which is also mounted on the frame 100 and includes guide tubes 120 sized to receive the spirally arranged strands 8. The tubes 120 extend toward the cutter bar 116 parallel to the axis of rotation for the rotor 102, and at their inner ends each is cut away to accommodate the peripheral surface of an independently mounted feed wheel 122. Those peripheral surfaces are moreover serrated or otherwise roughened to frictionally engage the strands 8 and advance them toward the revolving disk 110 as the feed wheels 122 rotate. Each feed wheel 122 is attached to a sprocket 124, and is mounted such that it is spring biased into the upper portion of its corresponding guide tube 120. The feed wheels 122 are driven from a common drive shaft 126, journaled in the feed assembly 118, and that drive shaft 126 has sprockets 128 located in alignment with the sprockets 124 on the feed wheels 122. The sprockets 124 and 128 are connected by chains 130 trained over them. The shaft 126 and in turn the feed wheels 122 are driven by a variable speed gear motor 132.

Beneath the cutter bar 116 the housing 114 merges into a downwardly extending discharge chute 134. i

The aluminum strands 8, while still grouped in their original spiral arrangement are introduced axially into the guide tubes 120 where they are engaged by the feed wheels 122 which advance the strands 8 generally axially toward the disk 110. Eventually the leading ends of the strands 8 pass across the edge of the cutter bar 116 and as the blades 112 on the rotor 102 sweep past the cutter bar 116 they shear off the ends of the strands 8 which are projecting beyond the bar 116, forming small pellet-like fragments 98 (FIGS. 11 and 12). These fragments 98 are driven downwardly by the blades 112 and discharged from the shear 28 through its discharge chute 134.

OPERATION A roll of scrap cable 4 is set upon the turntable and the outer end of the cable 4 is withdrawn and introduced into the guide channel 40 of the straightener 22. The end of the cable 4 is further threaded through the sets of

opposed rollers

30 and 32 so that it coincides with the lineal path 36 through the straightener 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Next the gear motor 44 is energized, and it rotates the drive roller 41 which in turn drives the cable 4 through the straightener 22 and in so doing withdraws more cable 4 from the roll 10. As the cable 4 passes through the straightener 22 the

rolls

30 and 32 work or knead it in two directions oriented 90 relative to one another so that the cable 4 is substantially straight by the time it emerges from the straightener 22.

The end of the straightened length of cable 4 is further fed into the guide channel 70 of the cutter 22 (FIG. 5) and advanced through the cutter until it is presented slightly beyond the die 52, this advancement being effected by the powered drive roller 41 and the idle rollers 42. Once the end of the straightened portion of the cable 4 is beyond the die 52 the roller 41 is de-energized and the power unit 53 ofthe cutter 24 is activated. The power unit 53, of course, closes the dies 50 and 52, causing the

blades

54 and 56 of the latter (FIG. 6) to cut completely through and sever the cable 4. The

blades

60 and 62 of the die 50, on the other hand, out through only the strands 8, leaving the core 6 intact (FIG. 7A). Accordingly, the leading few inches of the strands 8 drop away from the core 6, exposing the core 6 (FIG. 2) for subsequent operatrons.

Once the dies 50 and 52 have retracted to their open position, the drive rollers 42 are again energized and remain energized until approximately 10 feet of cable passes through the cutter 22, at which time they are de-energized and the power unit 53 is once again activated. When the dies 50 and 52 close this time, a lO-footstraight segment 80 is severed from the cable 4 by the

blades

54 and 56 of the die 52. The

blades

60 and 62 of the die 50, on the other hand, cut through the aluminum strands 8 slightly to the rear of the cut made by the die 52 so that a few inches of the core 6 are again exposed at the new end ofthe continuous cable 4.

The exposed core 6 on the severed straight segment 80 is inserted through the aperture 94 in the restraining plate 92 of the core puller 26 (FIGS. 8 and 9). The aperture 94 aligns the exposed core 6 with the space between the

rollers

84 and 86, and once the core 6 projects far enough into this space for the

rollers

84 and 86 to engage it, the

rollers

84 and 86 draw the core 6 through the aperture 94. Since the aluminum strands 8 encircling the core 6 will not fit through the aperture 94 with the core 6, their ends merely abut against the restraining plate 92. Thus, the

rollers

84 and 86 pull or withdraw the core 6 from the strands 8. The core 6 at this point is discarded. In this connection, it has been observed that the length of the seg ments 80 which can be handled by the puller 26 is dependent on the size of the cable 4 and the number of strands 8 around its core 6. Whatever the nature of the cable 4, the frictional engagement between the core 6 and the strands 8 must not exceed the amount which enables the former to be pulled through the latter. When the core 6 is pulled from segments 80 in excess of the permissible length the ends of the strands 8 move with the far end of the core 6, causing the intermediate portions of the strands 8 to flare outwardly and bunch together at the restraining plate 92. In general, lO-foot segments of most cables 4 can be handled at the puller 26.

The aluminum strands 8, freed of their core 6, are introduced into the guide tubes of the rotary shear 28 (FIGS. 10 and 11) and advanced axially through those tubes 120 at a uniform rate and in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation for the rotor 102 by the rotating feed wheels 122. The end portion of each strand 8 which projects beyond the cutter bar 116 is severed by the downwardly moving blades 112 on the end face of the rotor disk 110. The severed fragments 98 resemble small cylindrical pellets and are driven downwardly by the blades 1 12 as they sweep below the cutter bar 116. The pellet-like fragments 98 leave the rotary shear 28 through the discharge chute 134 and are collected for sale to an aluminum smelter.

The foregoing operation is, of course, repetitive and continues until all of the cable 4 in the roll is reduced to segregated lO-foot lengths of steel core 6, one one hand, and small aluminum fragments 98, on the other.

Should the cable 4 have a dielectric insulation sheathing its aluminum strands 8, this insulation may be removed prior to feeding the straightened cable 4 into the cutter 24 by conventional stripping machinery.

Inasmuch as practically all of the cutting and shearing necessary to reduce the aluminum to pellet-like fragments 98 is effected exclusively on the soft aluminum strands 8 and not on the hard steel core 6, the various cutting edges utilized to effect this reduction and particularly the cutting edges on the blades 112 and the cutting bar 116 of the rotary shear 28 do not wear as rapidly as do the cutting edges in shredders which reduce both the core 6 and strands 8 at the same time. Furthermore, since the shear 28 operates only on the ends of the aluminum strands 8, it consumes relatively little power in comparison to shredders which operate on a tangled mass of cable in a single instance. Moreover, the aluminum fragments 98 discharged from the chute 128 have no foreign substances interspersed among them so that subsequent separations are not necessary. Also, in this same vein, no steel fines are produced which detract from the purity of the reduced aluminum.

While the foregoing has been devoted to ASCR cable, the apparatus 2 and process may also be used to reduce other types of cored cables.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for separating and recovering different metals from a cable which has a core formed from one metal and a plurality of strands wound spirally around the core and formed from a different metal; said process comprising; cutting the strands away from the core at one end of the cable to expose a relatively short portion of the core at that end of the cable; placing the ends of the strands located adjacent to the exposed portion of the core against an abutment; gripping the exposed portion of the core; and pulling the core in the direction which urges the ends of the strands against the abutment, whereby the core is pulled through and freed from the strands.

2. A process according to claim 1 and further characterized by cutting the strands into small fragments after the core has been pulled therefrom.

3. A process according to claim 2 and further characterized by cutting the cable into relatively short segments, and wherein the core in each segment is pulled from the strands of that segment in accordance with the steps of claim 1.

4. A process according to claim 3 wherein each cable segment does not exceed approximately 10 feet.

5. A process according to claim 3 and further characterized by straightening the cable before the core is pulled from it.

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the steps of cutting the strands into small fragments comprises advancing the strands across a fixed cutter member, and shearing the strands by passing a rotating cutter blade past the fixed cutter member in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of advance for the strands, the axis of rotation for the blade extending generally in the same direction as the direction in which the strands are advanced across the cutter member.

7. A process according to claim 6 wherein the step of pulling the core comprises inserting the exposed portion of the core between a pair of counter rotating rollers which frictionally grip the core.

8. An apparatus for separating metals, from a cable which has a core formed from one metal and strands wound spirally around the core and formed from a different metal; said apparatus comprising trimming means for cutting substantially through the strands near one end ofa segment of the cable but for leaving the core intact so that a short portion of the core can be exposed at one end of the cable segment; an abutment having an opening sized and configured to receive the core but not the strands wound around the core whereby when the exposed portion of the core is inserted into the opening the ends of the strands will abut against the abutment; and pulling means located beyond the abutment for engaging the exposed portion of the core and for pulling the core through the opening whereby the strands will be restrained by the abutment and the core will be pulled through the strands and freed therefrom.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 and further characterized by reducing means for fragmentizing the strands after the core has been withdrawn therefrom.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the reducing means is a rotary shear comprising a housing having a feed opening into which the strands are introduced, a fixed cutter member in the housing and positioned such that the strands pass across it as they are advanced through the housing from the feed opening, and at least one shear blade journaled for rotation in the housing about an axis extending generally in the same direction in which the strands are introduced into the housing, the shear blade being positioned such that it passes in close proximity to the fixed cutter member, whereby the strands will be reduced to pellet-like fragments as the strands are advanced across the cutter member.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the trimming means comprises blades moveable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position, the blades having arcuate cutting edges which are spaced apart sufficiently when the blades are in their open position to permit the cable segment to pass between them, the arcuate cutting edges defining a generally circular shape substantially equal in diameter to the diameter of the core when the blades are in their closed position, whereby the blades will cut through the strands but will leave the core intact, and power means for moving the blades relative to one another.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the power means operates the cutting means contemporaneously with the trimming means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8 and further characterized by straightening means for removing curvatures from the cable.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the straightening means comprises at least one set of rollers journaled for rotation about parallel axes and arranged in groups of at least two on each side of a lineal path along which the cable passes.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein two sets of rollers are provided; wherein the rollers of each set revolve about parallel axes; and wherein the axes of the rollers in one set are presented at to the axes of the rollers in the other set.

16. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the pulling means comprises a frame, a pair of counter-rotating rollers mounted on the frame and spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the core, and means for rotating the rollers.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the abutment is mounted on the frame, and the space between the rollers aligns with the opening in the abutment.

18. An apparatus according to claim 8 and further characterized by cutting means including blades which close upon themselves for cutting the cable into cable segments.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the cutting means and trimming means operate in unison so that a seg ment is cut from the cable and the strands are cut away from the core contemporaneously.