US638320A - Barbed wire. - Google Patents

Description

No. 638,320.. Patented Dec. 5, 1899.

r. c. CARROLL.

BARBED WIRE.

Applicution filed June 15', 1598.

(No Model J75 Ve n/"far! ZM c. Q

- FRANCIS O. CARROLL, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

'BARBED WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,320, dated. December 5, 899.

Application filed June 15,1898. Serial No. 683,491. (No model.)

To aZ/l whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS G. CARROLIJ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barb-VVire; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in barb-wire which is principally used for fencing and by means of which I provide a barb-wire which is well fitted for the purpose and contains a feature of improvement over the ordinary barb-wire that is peculiarly beneficial to its useviz., a barb which will gently prick the stock and then turn out of harms way, so as not to lacerate the flesh.

More particularly, my invention relates to a barb-wire which in its construction provides a rotatable barb so sensitively adjusted that it moves on its pivot at the slightest touch and when relieved from the external contact automatically returns to its normal position, which is caused by the fact that one arm is longer than the other and therefore heavier and serves as aweight, whereby the shorter or lighter arm is held normally projecting from the fence at an oblique angle to a horizontal.

My invention consists, essentially, of a pivoted barb supported upon one of the strands of a double or twisted stringer-wire at points thereon where the strands are expanded or separated, providing space to permit the free turning of the barb and to prevent impingement thereof; also, a construction consisting of a single strand of wire crimped at points and a barb pivoted upon the wire and standing within the crimped portion; also, a pivoted barb which may be formed with a long and short arm orpoint, making a double barb.

I am aware that barb-wire has been patented and is in use wherein a cable-strand is used and a barb somewhat similar in construction to the one herein shown has, been employed; but the barb and the cable-strands used are twisted firmly and tightly together and the barb is held in a fixed and immovable position, whereas the rotatable feature of the barb is essential to my invention.

That my invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompany ing drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an elevation of a section of fence embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a single-strand wire crimped at a point therein, with the barb rest ing at the crimped point.

In the figures, A A are the strands that form the cable or stringer.

a are open spaces provided in the cable by expanding or holding the strands apart at different points by suitable mechanical appliances.

B is a barb which is twisted into a loop somewhat larger than and loosely surrounding the lowermost strand A, as best shown in Fig. 2, which permits the barb to turn freely on the wire as an axis.

b is a long or heavy arm of the barb, serving as a weight, and b is a shorter arm, which formation of the barb adapts it to act automatically to revert back to its normal position when disturbed from any cause.

The essential feature of my invention is the looping of the barb-wire loosely around its pivoting-wire to make it rotatable thereon and adapting it to move by external contact.

In Fig. 2, A A are separate strands of the cable, and a the space between them, it being shown in the figure that the barb B will turn on the pivotal wire almost entirely around the short arm b and will pass between the strands, while the long arm I) will not. However, the barb may be so constructed or the space may be made so large that it will revolve entirely around the axis. The construction and formation of these parts are left to the discretion of the manufacturer.

In the form of barb herein shown both arms are tangential to the loop and stand in aplane but should he do so the barb turns under the force applied until the arms stand approximately vertical and even violent pressure cannot'lacerate his flesh. When the animal departs, each arm automatically resumes its normal position, as above. Obviously the barb will not hang in this position unless one arm is heavier, and it cannot have the rotary action described unless the upper strand A is sufficiently raised to permit; but by raising this strand as high as shown I gain the further advantage that the points of the short arms are protected from above, and henceif this improved barb-wire is used along the top of the fence the larger animals, that often put their heads over it, will not tear their throats by downward pressure.

In Fig. 3, O is a single strand, 0 is a crimp in the strand, and B is the pivoted barb. If the single strand is used, it will be necessary to form the crimps in the strand, with rather sharp offsets at the bending-points, so as to prevent the barb from longitudinal displace went from the crimp.

Barb-wire fencing employing fixed barbs has been in use for many years and very extensively, although at all times objectionable for such purpose, for the reason that it was dangerous to stock, as the fixed barbs would lacerate and injure the flesh, which is evidenced by the fact that it is difficult to find afarm-animal of any kind that does not show, even on casual observation, marks and scars resulting from contact with barb-wire fencing; but in the last few years a smooth wire fabric has been put upon the market and is rapidly displacing barb wire fencing, although more expensive to the user. My invention relieves barb-wire of this objectionable feature, and if perfectly manufactured will produce a fence that will present all of the warning and cautioning features of barbwire fencing that are observed and heeded by stock generally when not impelled by eX- citement, but is perfectly harmless if they run against it, rub against it, or be thrown against it, as the barbs from contact will adjust themselves so that they will not lacerate or penetrate the flesh."

What I claim as new is 1. A barb for wire fences consisting of a single piece 'of wire formed intermediate its length into a loop adapted to pivotally surround the stringer-wire in a plane only at right angles to the length of the fence, the ends of said piece of wire projecting in opposite directions from the loop and one of theni being pointed while the other causes the pointed arm of the barb to normally project from the loop upward obliquely to a horizontal, the structure permitting the rise of this pointed arm only in said transverse plane, substantially as described.

2. In a barb-wire fence, the combination with the stringer-wire; of a barb comprising a loop encircling said wire and pivoted thereon so as to swing only in a vertical plane, and two arms projecting oppositely on a single tangential line from the loop one of them being longer so that they will normally stand oblique to a horizontal but both being capable of swinging simultaneously into the upright plane of the fence, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a barb-wire fence, the combination with the stringer-wire composed of strands separated vertically at intervals; of a barb in each opening thus formed comprising a loop pivotally surrounding the lower strand, and lighter and heavier arms projecting oppositely from the loop so that the lighter arm will stand normally oblique to a horizontal. and out of contact with any strand but the lowermost, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a barb-wire fence, the combination with the stringer-wire composed of strands separated vertically at intervals; of a barb in each opening thus formed comprising a loop pivotally surrounding the lower strand and two pivoted arms projecting from the loop, one of them being slightly heavier than the other so that both will stand normally oblique to a horizontal, and one arm being of a length to pass between the strands, substantially as described.

5. In a barb-wire fence, the combination with the stringer-wire composed of strands separated vertically at intervals; of a barb in each opening thus formed comprising a loop pivotally surrounding the lower strand and two arms projecting from the loop, one of them being slightly longer and heavier than the other so that both will stand normally oblique to a horizontal, and the shorter arm being of a length to pass between the strands, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS O. CARROLL.

Witnesses:

PEARL BABcooK, W. V. TEFFT.

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