US404742A - stoe-ie - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. D. STORIE. FEED MECHANISM FOR GHAIN LINK MACHINES.

Patented June 4, 1889.

N. PETERS Phuwumc n her, Waihillginn, n. 04

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. D. STORIE. I FEED MECHANISM FOR CHAIN LINK MAOHINES.

No. 404,742. Patented June 4, 1889.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

'J. 1). SVTORIE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR CHAIN LINK MACHINES.

N0.-404,742. Patented June 4, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. STORIE, OF OSHAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

FEED MECHANISM FOR CHAIN-LINK MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,742, dated June 4, 1889.

Application filed November 14, 1887. Renewed March 18, 1889. Serial No. 303,821. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DOUGLAS S'romE, of the town of Oshawa, in the county of 011- tario and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Chain-Link Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to mechanism for use in connection with that class of links which are used in the formation of drive-chains that is to say, those made of malleable castiron, and having a hook or knuckle at one end designed to embrace the end bar of its neighboring link.

In some parts the present improvements may be considered as further developments of devices covered by my former patent, No. 369,620, dated September 6, 1887, as they include a hopper into which the links are thrown, and an elevator for raising them to a feedtrough; but the present invention does not embrace mechanism for treating the links f urther than feeding, cleaning, and lubricating, the devices now to be described and claimed being adapted for use wit-h a grinder, straightener, driver, or any other machine necessary in manufacturing drive-chains.-

The main and most important feature of the apparatus about to be described is, broadly speaking, a raking or pushing device for advancin g the links alon g a way which is usually located between the point where they are first received after leaving the hopper and the point of delivery to the machine which is to operate upon them, and the purpose of this is to properly arrange the several links and discharge or deliver them with their heads or knuckles in a correct and uniform direction. The invention, however, includes improvements in the hopper, elevator, troughs, ways, switch-rails, cleaning and lubricating, delivering, and driving mechanism, all of which are hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

For a ready comprehension of the construction and operation of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, I will commence the description at the hopper and continue through the different devices to the point where the properly-arfanged link is delivered to the succeeding machine for subsequent treatment, it being understood that I do not thus limit myself to such precise arrangement of the different devices, as many of them may be used in other connections.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing relative arrangement of the whole apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken through trough on line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a front view of lower part of hopper shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan of part of Fig. 2, showingtrack and switch with raking devices removed. Fig.6 is an end view of that part of Fig. 1 which embraces the adj Listing-brushes, comb, and connections of upper part of elevator. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail showing upper elevator roll, comb, and chute leading to trough. Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-section taken through trough looking toward chute. Fig. 9

is a longitn dinal'secti on a1 detail view (to scale of Fig.1) of the trough and its rakers. Fig. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing track, rakers, oil-pan, delivery-spouts, &c. Fig. 10 is a cross-section of raker-bar, showing lubricating device for rails. Fig. 11 is a plan of part of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a crosssection taken through tracks on line Z Z, Fig. 11. Figs. 13 and 14 are cross-sections of the double-twist delivery-spouts, the latter being taken at the overflow-opening. Figs. 15

and 16 are detail views of my device for cleaning knuckles of links.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

A is the hopper, into which the rough links are thrown. The body of this is of any suitable construction, and its mouth is preferably situated at the level of an upper floor, while its base rests upon a lower floor, of the building in which the work is to be carried on. At the lowest point this hopper is provided with a front well or chamber A, which has slots a at its sides and set-screws bywhich it can be set forward or backward-that is to say, to a greater or less distance from a gate a, which controls the supply of links from the hopper proper. This chamber A has a number of vertical slots a through which the hooks or fingers Z) I) of an endless carrier B may work, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4:. The

adjustment of the well or chamber is for the purpose of regulating the distance at which the elevator-hooks may enter to seize different sizes of links, and also to provide that the proper quantity of links may be brought within range of the hooks at any one time, besides insuring a clearing out of the corners in the well and effecting a continuous feed.

The elevator is preferably made up of two chain bands I) b, carrying cross-slats b upon which the hooks or fingers h are set, as seen in Fig. 6, and the chain bands run overtoothed or corrugated pulleys mounted upon transverse shafts]; and b, the former being set at the lower level and the latter at the higher level of the apparatus, both journaled in proper framing. The points of the hooks or fingers h are of such shape and size that'they will not enter the hooked portion of the links, but catch them always between their bars. These hooks are also so shaped that the links will hang clear of the cross-slats, as shown in Fig. 7, and are also made thin in section, so

that they may readily pass through a curved comb If, which forms the entrance to a chute or spout Z1, down which thelinks (which pass over the comb) are fed to a trough C. The hooks or fingers are set one upon each slat, so that they will dodge each other, and there is a separate slot in the front of the well A for each line of hooks.

The links when caught by the hooks will hang thereon in various positions; but in order to insure their all hanging with heads or knuckles down before they pass over the comb and are discharged into the chute Z)", I provide a brush B, the points or wires B of which project toward and close into the elevator, (there being one or more wires for each line of hooks,) so as to strike the links as they travel upward upon the elevator, and thus, aided by the overbalancing of the weighiier head or knuckles, turn them with their heads down. The frame of this brush B may be in the form of a bracket fastened to the main framing, as shown by Figs. 1 and o.

The chute b is preferably covered, and has a center piece or division Z1 and curved or slanting sides, so as to cause the links discharged from the elevator to turn upon their edges and so be delivered upon both sides of a set or series of rakers O, which reciprocate longitudinally in the trough O. This trough is composed of two beveled blocks a 0, adj ustable vertically in the frame by means of setscrews 0 c, and of two sheet-metal wallsc c hinged to the frame at some little distance above, but slanting inward in such manner as to cause their lower ends to rest against the beveled faces of the blocks 0, and these walls are set (by the screws 0) at such distance apart at their lower edges as to suit the size of links being acted upon, which latter pass along the trough thus formed while hanging by their heads, as seen in Fig. 8.

The rakers C, above alluded to, (and shown clearly in Figs. 8 and 9,) are for the iurpose of pushing the links forward in the trough as they fall int-o it from the chute b, and their practical eifect is to adjust the links by a succession of blows or pushes until they all assume the position namedi. 6., with their bodies hanging below the slanting walls of the trough and their knuckles or heads supported thereby and to feed them in this manner into a straight way or groove D, which commences at the end of the trough and extends in a straight line therewith forward to a junction with the switch-rails D D presentlyto be described. (This straight way may sometimes be dispensed with, the ends of the switch-rails being then brought close up to the end of the trough.)

The rakers just alluded to are preferably of the shape shown in Fig. 9viz., short bars having flattened points. These are loosely pivoted to a horizontal raker-bar (1 so as to be at an acute angle thereto, as seen in Fig. 9, and this raker-bar is arranged to reciprocate or oscillate longitudinally by being hun to cross-bars of the frame by pivoted bars c", as shown in Figs. 1 and 9, motive power beingimparted thereto, as will be hereinafter described.

At the entrance of the way 1), I preferably place a small in wardly-bent shield (I, which prevents all links which may be lying flat or otherwise misplaced from entering this way, and forces them over into a hopper-mouth d of a long inclined spout or chute (1?, by which they are returned to the well A of the hopper A. The links will by the action of the raker C be forced along this way in a continuousline, pressing against each other; but as no provision has thus far been made for turning the open sides of the knuckles or hooks all in the same direction, as is absolutely required for their proper delivery, I here connect switch rails 6r tracks D Dflwhich spread apart gradually from the point of junction with the sides of the way l) to where they terminate at orifices D and T), respectively, made through the framing.

(1" d represent knife-edges or thinned portions of the rails for a short distance immediately next to the way 1). These are to insure the catching of the hooks of the links upon the rails at the moment they are forced out of the way I), as the level of said rails falls slightly at this point, as seen in Figs. 10 and 12. This switch-rail device insures that every link will travel properly to its destination, as it will be readilyseen that those links which happen to be turned with their hooks toward the rail D will catch thereupon, while those which may be in the opposite direction will be caught upon the knife-edge of the rail D The links are raked or pushed along these rails by another set or series of .rakers E, the action of which is similar to that of the rakers Q in the trough; butin order to clear the sand and 'ritty particles out of the insides of the link-hooks I may place a comb \V at the end of the rails, (or elsewhere in the way ITO of the links,) over which the hooks will ride and be scraped thereby, as shown by Figs. and 16; and I have also found it desirable to lubricate the rails D D and to accomplish this I make the longitudinal bar E, to which these rakers are pivoted, hollow and attach thereto a small reservoir E near one end, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, from which oil may be supplied tothe hollow raker-bar, and then by using..l1ollow pivot-pins e, having crossapertures-e therein,and. passing these through the hollow raker-bar, and by also making the rakers hollow and connecting them with the hollow pins 6, I am enabled to keep up a constant lubrication of the rails by directing the oil through the interior of the rakers and out through narrow slits or pen-points which are in contact with the rails. This arrangement is fully illustrated in Figs. 10 and 10.

F is an oil-pan arranged underneath the switch-rails, which will catch the drippings from these rails, and the oil thus caught serves to lubricate the end bars of the-links, which drag through same while passing along the track.

Thev lubrication of hook and end bar will facilitate the driving process in making up the chain.

The rakcrs E are slanted and so spaced that every two will have a link between them 011 the rails, and it is also designed that during reciprocation the backward movement of the raker-bar will draw the points of the rakers over the heads of the links and drop them vagain one space to the rear, thus insuring a constant progression. (The same action occurs with the rakers in the trough before described.)

In order to prevent the links from being thrown forward more than one space upon the rails D D and also'to give sufficient friction to insure the cleaning out of the knuckles by the rubbing upon the comb and lubricated rails, I prefer to place at the outside of the rails friction-plates (Z (1, having, by preference, on their inner edges rubber beads d (F, which impinge against thehooks of the links, as seen clearly in Figs. 5 and 11. These friction-plates are made adjustable laterally to accommodate different sizes of links, elongated slots (Z being made therein to receive setscrews screwed down into the framing upon which said friction-plates are superimposed.

When a link has beenfed forward to the end of either track, or into the posit-ion shown at Y in Fig. 10, the next forward movement of the rakers will project it forward, so that it will fall into the orifice D or D, as the case may be, and from thence it travels down a twisted spout to the point of delivery. There being two rails and an orifice at the end of each, there must consequently be two spouts D and I), one for each, the one being twisted to the right and the other to the left, these extending down for a sufficient distance to allow a link to be turned completely around in such manner that their faces or hooks will all lie in the same direction by the time they reach the end of the respective twists. At this lower end they join or are merged into one common spout G, (which consequently receives links from both of the rails D D down which the links pass in an upright position-that is to say,with heads or knuckles upperniostand when this straight spout G is stopped at the bottom the links will stand vertically therein and one above the other, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this figure I show a tripor stop lever G ,with two arms or fingers g 9 working in said spout and operated from any suitable source, this being for the purpose of delivering just one link at a time to the machine (represented by M) which is to operate upon the links fed to it, as above described.

Should the machine M be stopped at any time, the trip-lever G will also be stopped, and the links will pile up in the straight spout G, and as it would not do for them to back up into the twisted spouts D D, as this would disarrange them for properdelivery with their hooks all turned in the same direction, I provide an overflow opening g at the upper end of the spout G, through which the surplus links coming down from the twisted spouts (after G is full) will fall into a hopper G, from whence they are conveyed back to the main hopper A through atrough or spout g In order to insure the rapid and proper projection' of the links as they leave the rails and come into line with the orifices D D, and to prevent them from lodging at those points, I arrange upon the framing midway between D and D suitable vertically-grooved standards 70, in which'works a post carrying two hammer-heads or strikers K K, arranged upon said post in such manner that they will be immediatelyin the vertical line of the orifices D D, respectively; to this post It} is adjustably connected a lever K pivoted at k to a standard of the frame, and having its end engaging with a cam Z, mounted upon the main driving-shaft L, which cam is shaped so as to trip or release the lever K at the lprope'r time, and thus allow the strikers K K to fall each time a link is forced from either of the tracks D D and in this manner drive same rapidly down the respective spouts.

In practical operation one link will be delivered from one track, and then a link from the other track, and so on, as this arrangement prevents two links from meeting and blocking each other at the junction of the twists with the straight spout G.

The whole of the apparatus above described is driven from the main driving-shaft L, this being journaled in a suitable frame L, and proper fast and loose pulleys Z being provided for the belting from the usual countershaft at one end, and a disk Z at the other end, having a crank-pin Z to which are ad- IIO justably connected rods N and P for driving the rakers and elevator. The rod N is that which gives reciprocating motion to the bar I and rakers E, and is encircled by or engages with one end of a coiled spring a, located within a slotted box or casing 72, attached to the side of the raker-bar E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this spring being strong enough to allow the rod N to pull the rakers forward when working regularly without yielding; but when a link may jam or stick at the end of the track or mouth of either of the orifices from any cause, so that the rakers and links cannot move forward with every revolution of the driving-shaft, this spring n will be alternately compressed and re-expanded with the backward and forward motion of the rod N, thus avoiding breakage or damage to the mechanism. The rod I runs from the link 1) on the crank-pin to the forward end of the machine and is there connected to a lever O, fulcrumcd on the shaft 1)", and carrying a pawl 0, which engages a ratchet 0, also mounted upon said shaft, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, and (3, and thus rotating said shaft and with it the elevator B, as will be readily understood.

To drive the raker-bar C and rakers C (in the trough (1) I connect one end of a third rod Q to the lever O and its other end to a strap or bridle q, pivoted at each side of the trough and crossing same, as seen in Fig. 3, and the cross-bar of this bridle engages with a fork q projecting upward from the rakerbar (1 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 9.

It will be understood that all of the connections between the parts of the driving mechism will be made adjustable to suit different sizes of links, and the same will be provided in all other parts of the apparatus which may require such adjustment or regulation, and, furthermore, I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement, as these maybe varied accordingto the judgment of the mechanic without departing from the essential principles and features of my invention.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as follows:

1. The combination, with the hopper A and elevator B, having fingers or hooks thereupon, of the well or chamber A, having a slotted front through which said lingers project, for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the hopperA and elevatorB, having fingers or hooks thereupon, of the well or chamber A, adjustable horizontally and having a slotted front, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

The combination, with the frame and an elevator having hooks or fingers for carrying drive-chain links, of a brush adapted to adjust the links upon said hooks, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the elevator having hooks or fingers for carrying drive-chain links, of a comb arranged at the upper end of said elevator and adapted to remove such links from said hooks or fingers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the elevator B, having fingers or hooks Z) Z), of the comb I), chute b", and a trough or receptacle for the links, substantially as set forth.

(5. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a feeding-chute, of the trough (J, constructed with adjustable beveled blocks 0 c, and adjustable sloping inner walls 0 0 substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a track or way adapted to receive the loose links and suspend them by their heads or knuckles, of raking or pushing devices engaging with said heads or knuckles, so as to move said loose links toward the point of delivery, substantially as specified.

8. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine,

the combination, with a track or way along which the loose links travel while suspended by their heads or knuckles, of a reciprocating bar carrying pivoted raking or pushing bars or teeth adapted to engage with the heads of such loose links and advance the latter along said track or way, substantially as specified.

9. The combination, with the trough U, of the reciprocating rakers and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination, with the rails l) I), of the reciprocating rakers E, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a rail adapted to be embraced or straddled by the hook portions of the links and with means for causing said links to move upon said rail, of means for lubricating the rail, whereby the interior of the locking knuckles or hooks may also be lubricated, substantially in the manner set forth.

12. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with the track or way along which the links travel, of a device for scrapin g and cleaning the insides of the hooks, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with the track upon which the links travel, of the comb IV, for the purpose set forth.

14. The combination, 'with a rail for conveying the links, of the hollow raker-bar E, hollow perforated pivots e, and hollow rakers 1, whereby a lubricant is conveyed from the raker-bar to the rail, substantially as and for purpose described.

15. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a rail for conveying the links and rakers for moving same thereon, of the friction-plate (i for the purpose described.

16. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a guideway in which the links travel with their heads uppermost, of two rails divergiu g from said guideway and l, substantially adapted to catch the links whose hooks are turned toward them, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

17. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a guideway in which the links travel with their heads uppermost, of two rails diverging from said guideway and adapted to catch the links whose hooks are turned toward them, and right and left twisted spouts arranged to turn two series of links and deliver them through a single spout with their hooks turned all in the same direction, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

18. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with a delivery spout or conductor, of an overflow device whereby surplus links will be thrown out and only a regulated quantity delivered at the end of the spout, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

19. The combination, with the double-twist spouts D D, of the single spout G, having the overflow-openin g g, for the purpose specified.

20. In a spout or chute for delivering links, having a device for stopping its outlet end, the overflow-opening g, for the purpose described.

21. In combination with the spout G, having an overflow-opening, the hopper G, and return-spout 9 for the purpose described.

22. In combination with a guideway for drive-chain links, the shield d, for throwing out misplaced links, arranged substantially as described.

23. The combination, with the guideway D and shield 61,01": the hopper d and returnspo'ut (Z for the purpose described.

24. The combination, with the rails for delivering and spouts for receiving the links, of the strikers K K and means for operating same, substantially as and for the purpose de- 7 scribed.

25. The combination, with the strikers K K, operating as described, the pivoted lever K and driving-shaft L, of the cam Z, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

26. In a drive-chain-link feeding-machine, the combination, with the rakers and means for driving same, of a spring adapted to compensate for the movement of said rakers when the latter are held stationary from any accidental cause, substantially in the manner described.

27. The combination, with the raker-barE and rakers connected thereto and with the rod N and means for working same, of the coiled spring 42, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

28. The combination, with the driving-shaft L, having a crank wheel or disk thereon, of rod P, lever 0, having a pawl, shaft 1), having a ratchet thereon, elevator 13, and shaft 19 all combined substantially as and for the purpose described.

29. The combination, with the raker-bar C carrying rakers and having the fork q, of the pivoted bridle q, rod Q, and lever O, operated as described, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

.30. The combination, with the rails D D of the knife-edges (Z d, for the purpose set forth.

31. The oil-pan F, in combination with the rails D D rakers E, and hollow raker-bar E, as described.

Oshawa, September 20, 1887.

JAS. D. STORIE.

Witnesses:

FRAS. GILBERT, STEPHEN L. JoNEs.

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