Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D43/00—Feeding, positioning or storing devices combined with, or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, apparatus for working or processing sheet metal, metal tubes or metal profiles; Associations therewith of cutting devices
  • B21D43/02—Advancing work in relation to the stroke of the die or tool
  • B21D43/04—Advancing work in relation to the stroke of the die or tool by means in mechanical engagement with the work
  • B21D43/12—Advancing work in relation to the stroke of the die or tool by means in mechanical engagement with the work by chains or belts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
  • B65H5/08—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by grippers, e.g. suction grippers

Definitions

• This invention relates to a system and appa ratus for restraining lateral movement of metal plates and sheet and the like while they are being conveyed longitudinally through various stages as their edges are worked upon. Examples of such operations are edge trimming and forming of plates prior to shaping into large diameter pipe, or in welding reinforcing elements thereon, or performing other fabricating operations wherein skewing or misalignment of the plate may occur and would be undesirable and detrimental to subsequent operation.
• Patent 4,015,702 is to a method and apparatus for successively conveying large metal plates of varying sizes to a particular position where a welding operation of the like may be performed. It utilizes a guide beam in which gripping elements are used on the forward and rear edges of each plate section. However, the gripping elements are intended to be fastened to channel beam guides and the channel beams are moved by a rack and pinion arrangement which is cumbersome and far too slow to be practical for an operation involving edge forming and trimming of a plate for use in making large diameter pipe.
• U.S. 4,090,703 discloses apparatus for feeding rectangular metal sheets to a cupping press in which can body blanks are cut and drawn from the metal sheets.
• Several sheet feeding mechanisms are provided along a conveyor table. Endless chains and feedfinger arrangements move the metal sheets. The trailing edge of the sheet is engaged by a reciprocating feedfinger arrangement to advance and accurately position a sheet section from which blanks are to be stamped. The scrap is discharged from the press or table on which the stamping takes place.
• a plurality of longitudinally extending laterally narrow strips are provided to support the sheet sections which are to be blanked. There are also three separate feed units.
• U.S. Patent 1,986,857 discloses a complicated machine for folding corrugated paper blanks during their passage across an operating table. Although chain and pulley arrangements are disclosed, the nature of the materials which are being worked upon, that is, corrugated paper, and the problems involved are different than those encountered by applicant.
• the equipment employed in the patent is primarily a feeding device and would not be useful for handling steel plate.
• Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the latch and guide system in a typical application within the scope of the invention.
• Figure 2 is a longitudinal view partly in section and broken away in places showing the clamps, pulleys and cable means of one useful embodiment of the invention while the plate is engaged by the clamps and held in place for working.
• Figure 3 is a view, partly in section, along line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.
• Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the top portion of a clamp of the invention and looking in a direction opposite to that of Fig. 3.
• Figures 5A and 5H show various operating positions of the latch and guide system and apparatus of the invention during the sequence of steps employed in the operation.
• Figure 6A, 6B and 6C are diagrammatic longitudinal views of an advantageous alternative arrangement of the clamp and pulley assembly of the invention.
• Figure 7 is a view partly in section along line 7-7 of Figure 6B looking in the direction of the arrows.
• Figure 8 is a side view partly in section of a clamp of the type useful in the various embodiments of this invention and showing the forces exerted by the jaws of the clamp when engaging a plate.
• Machine M is a roll forming machine adapted to bend, trim, bevel and further bend the edges of plate 10 preparatory to passing the plate along a conventional runout table 24, having a plurality of spaced apart rolls 26, and on to a pipe forming operation (not shown).
• Elements C 1 and C 2 are tail clamps and lead clamps, respectively, which are shaped in the manner shown in the drawings (see Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 8) so that the mouth portions thereof are adapted to engage the trailing and leading edges of plate 10.
• Clamp C 1 is hinged at 12 so that it may pivot at that point as required during the various stages of operation of the invention.
• Clamp C 2 is hinged at 14 in the same manner for the same purpose.
• Cable or chain means are provided to move clamps C 1 and C 2 as required for the various operations within the system.
• Clamp C 1 is attached to cable or chain R 1 or any other suitable wire rope or the like which can traverse the pulley assembly hereafter described and apply the forces required to cause sufficient gripping pressure on the plate 10 as it travels along its path.
• a similar cable or chain arrangement R 2 is provided to actuate clamp C 2 and move it along its path of travel.
• Tension springs 18 are fastened at one of their ends to the opposite ends of base bar 20 and extend to the nearest face of the clamp supported on the particular bar with which it cooperates. Springs 18 are designed to maintain the clamps in an erect position when the clamps are not engaged and also to yield or depress when a plate contacts the clamp near its top at other than its open mouth or when the clamp contacts a stop element.
• Other means of holding the clamp erect may be used to accomplish the required functions such as compression springs, detents or the like.
• each clamp adapted to engage plate 10 has an open mouth or jaw section 21 adapted to receive plate 10 or the like to effect engagement between the two elements.
• teeth 22 may be used in the clamps to insure a tighter grip on plate 10 at the area of engagement.
• clamps designated C and described herein, including the jaw-like mount 21, upper teeth 22 and the hinge or pivot point 12 or 14, are important features of the invention.
• the jaws advantageously have upper and lower inserts 16 and 17 respectively, of tool steel which can be changed as required to accommodate wear or the requirements of a particular product.
• clamp C can firmly grasp the edge of a plate while a relatively low force is applied to provide tension to the cable means which actuates the clamp to cause it to move along its path of travel.
• F 2 and F 3 are the respective forces applied by the upper and lower jaws 16 and 17 of a clamp when in engagement with the edge of a plate.
• l 1 is the lever arm extending the distance from a pivot point on base bar 10 attached to the cable to the plate side which lower jaw 17 is in contact.
• l 2 represents the distance between the point on the edge of plate 10 at which the force F 2 is applied to the plate by upper jaw 16 and the force F 3 is applied by lower jaw 17.
• the greater ratio of the length of l 1 relative to the length of l 2 the lesser is the force F 1 which is the force applied to the force F 1 required to actuate the cables, or conversely the greater are the forces F 2 and F 3 and the gripping engagement of the plate.
• Clamps C are normally relatively large castings of iron or steel and when gripping a plate edge during normal operation can be very effective to prevent misalignment.
• Clamps C 1 and C 2 are arranged within channel
• Runout table 24 and the se ries of rolls 26 provide support for plate 10 during its passage through the system.
• a series of pulleys, P 1 and P 2 are provided as tail and head pulleys, respectively, and define the path of travel of cable R 1 to which tail clamp C 1 is attached.
• a pair of pulleys, P 3 and P 4 are provided as tails and head pulleys, respectively, to define the path of travel of cable R 2 to which lead clamp C 2 is attached.
• roller 32 imparts the initial desired roll forming radius to the edges while rolls 40 and 42 insure conformity of the plate edges to the desired contour.
• Cutters and bevelers 24, 26 and 28 trim, bevel and otherwise shape the edges of plate 10 to the width and edge contour required for the welding opera tion wherein the edges are joined to form the pipe section after the plate section is bent to a U-shape, and then to an O-shape prior to final welding into a finished pipe.
• the metal plate is subjected to a variety of lateral forces and that it is necessary to provide an efficient and reliable latch and guide system for directing plate 10 through the system without misalignment or skewing.
• the work that can be performed on the plate may take many forms.
• the arrangement shown in M hereof is a machine for preforming and edge trimming plates prior to forming heavy gauge pipe for use in high pressure steel pipe lines, many other operations requiring latch and guide systems to prevent misalignment and skewing of a metal section as it is conveyed to, through and away from a forming operation may be employed.
• steel plate 10 is shown in various positions wherein the clamping system of the invention is utilized during working.
• Figure 5A shows clamp C 1 and C 2 in a stationary and starting upright position ready to receive advancing plate 10 moving forward on conveyor table 24.
• Motors 44 and 46 are shown in Fig. 1, or other suitable driving equipment, are provided to actuate the respective pulley system in the manner described and independent of the plate conveying means.
• FIG. 6A, 6B, 6C and Figure 7 utilizes a clamp and pulley system wherein the clamps and cables are designed to travel forward about the pulleys after the work has been completed on a plate rather than returning the clamps by reversing the direction of the cables.
• This alternate arrangement differs from that heretofore described and as shown in Figures 1 through 5 in that there are separate channels for each clamp and cable and in that there are two clamps on each cable.
• the latch and guide system is constructed and operates in substantially the same manner as that heretofore described.
• clamps C 5 and C 7 which are adapted to engage the trailing edge of plate 10 ' are mounted on the cable or chain strand R 3 at points equidistant from each other.
• clamps C 6 and C 8 which are intended to engage the leading edge of plate 10' are likewise mounted on cable R 4 .
• Cable R 3 travels about pulleys P 5 and P 7 while cable R 4 travels about pulleys P 6 and P 8 .
• Any suitable system can be used for mounting the clamps on the cables or chains about which they are pivoted.
• the mounting means disclosed in Figure 2 can be used advantageously in the system of Figure 6A, 6B and 6C.
• Figure 6A shows clamps C 5 and C 6 mounted for engagement at the trailing and leading edges, respectively, of plate 10'.
• Figure 7 shows the arrangement of cables Rg and R 4 within channels 50 and 52, respectively, wherein they are held in a side by side relationship with a common side wall.
• the side walls of the channels serve as side guides for the respective pairs of clamps that travel through the twin channels.
• the channels of this alternative extend the length of the system between P 6 and P 7 and are a single channel for cable R 3 and R 4 from P 5 to Pg and P 7 to P 8 respectively.
• the operation of both of the embodiments of the invention described hereinabove con templates that the speed of the cable carrying the tail clamp shall be slowed to enable the clamp to lag behind the moving plate until the leading edge therein engages the lead clamp, and after such contact the movement of the cable for the tail clamp is increased to a speed greater than the plate to effect locking engagement between the tail clamp and the trailing edge
• the operation may be modified within the scope of the invention by adjusting cable speeds so that the tail clamp engages the plate edge before the lead clamp engagement is effected or the two clamps may engage the plate at approximately the same time.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bending Of Plates, Rods, And Pipes (AREA)
• Butt Welding And Welding Of Specific Article (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=22734751

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (2)

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Citations (6)

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• 1981
  • 1981-10-08 CA CA000387603A patent/CA1163226A/en not_active Expired
  • 1981-10-19 BR BR8108845A patent/BR8108845A/pt unknown
  • 1981-10-19 JP JP56503454A patent/JPS57501725A/ja active Pending
  • 1981-10-19 WO PCT/US1981/001402 patent/WO1982001361A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1981-10-19 EP EP19810902921 patent/EP0062062A4/en not_active Ceased
  • 1981-10-20 IT IT24567/81A patent/IT1139246B/it active

Patent Citations (6)

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