WO1992000236A1

WO1992000236A1 - Storage drum

Info

Publication number: WO1992000236A1
Application number: PCT/GB1991/001039
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hugh Henry Sutcliffe; Gerald Trevor Hill
Original assignee: Henry Sutcliffe Limited
Priority date: 1990-06-26
Filing date: 1991-06-26
Publication date: 1992-01-09
Also published as: GB9113860D0; GB2245540A; GB2245540B; AU8091591A; EP0536216A1

Abstract

A storage drum comprising a barrel (2) extending between a pair of flanges (1) such that an annular storage space is defined around the barrel and between the flanges. Each end of the barrel is received in a slot (5) formed in the respective flange. The barrel is formed from two or more segments (3) each of which extends from one flange to the other, and more tie-rods (6) extend between and are secured to the two flanges (1). Thus the segments (2) are retained against displacement relative to the flanges (1) by engagement in the said slots, and the flanges (1) are retained against displacement relative to the segments (2) by engagement between the tie-rods (6) and the flanges (1). The drum may be provided with a casing comprising a plurality of moulded segments (13) which are arcuate in cross-section to match the curvature of the drum flanges (1), the casing segments (13) being retained in position on the drum by one ore more bands wrapped around the casing.

Description

STORAGE DRUM

The present invention relates to storage drums, and in particular to storage drums of the type suitable for supporting reels of cable and casings for such drums.

Storage drums are well known in many forms. In the case of drums intended to support large quantities of heavy cable it has been ' conventional practice for many years to fabricate drums from lengths of timber. Typically two end flanges are each fabricated in the form of two layers of boards arranged to be mutually perpendicular. Supports in the form of further boards are then secured on the inside surfaces of the flanges and battens are then nailed to the supports so as to bridge the gap between the flanges. These battens then define a tubular "barrel" extending between the two flanges. Cable or the like can then be rolled onto the barrel to occupy the space around the barrel and between the two projecting flange edges. A spindle aperture is provided in each flange to enable the drum to be mounted on a suitable support spindle and the structure is strengthened by tie-rods extending inside the barrel and secured at each end to respective flanges. Reinforcement may be provided for the barrel in the form of cross-struts extending between the two flanges. Furthermore in the case of barrels of long length, for example greater than 900 mm, further timber supports can be provided within the barrel. Once the cable or the like has been wound onto the drum it can be covered by external battens simply nailed to the peripheral edges of the flanges. Reinforcement in the form of steel tape or the like can then be wrapped around the external batten to provide an added element of security.

Storage drums assembled from timber components as described above have provided satisfactory service for many years. Unfortunately the manufacture of such drums requires the use of reasonably good quality timber which is expensive and requires expertise and time to achieve good quality assembly. For these reasons the cost of the known timber assembly drums has become excessive. This is particularly the case as the drums tend to be used only once.

There is an alternative to the conventional timber assembly, it being known to mould drum components from waste timber, the components being formed essentially from chipwood bonded together by high strength moisture resistant adhesives. In one known arrangement drum flanges are moulded as simple discs with inwardly extending projections provided on the facing flange surfaces. A tubular barrel is then secured between the flanges with the projections on the flanges extending into the ends of the tubes. The known arrangements are not suitable however for drums supporting very large loads, e.g. large drums supporting heavy electrical cable or the like. It has also proved difficult to provide adequate peripheral protection for the stored material as no provision has been made for easily securing battens or the like to the peripheral edges of the flanges.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the problems outlined above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a storage drum comprising a barrel extending between a pair of flanges such that an annular storage space is defined around the barrel and between the flanges, characterised in that each end of the barrel is received in a slot formed in the respective flange, the barrel is formed from at least two segments each of which extends from one flange to the other, and at least one tie-rod extends between and is secured to the two flanges, whereby the segments are retained against displacement relative to the flanges by engagement in the said slots, and the flanges are retained against displacement relative to the segments by engagement between said at least one tie-rod and the flanges.

Reinforcement members in the form of moulded segments may be provided inside each barrel segment to strengthen the barrel structure. The reinforcement members may be received in recesses defined in the flanges to increase the strength of the structure.

The radially outer edges of the flanges may define recessed shoulders to receive outer battens. The battens may be in the form of moulded casing segments. The moulded casing segments may support formations intended to engage with mating formations in the flange. For example, the casing segments may define projections intended to be a push fit in a groove moulded into the flange. The present invention also provides a casing for a drum which includes a central barrel and a pair of flanges secured to opposite ends of the barrel, the casing comprising a plurality of moulded casing segments which are arcuate in cross-section to match the curvature of peripheral edges of the drum flanges, and the casing segments being retained in position on the drum by one or more bands wrapped around the casing.

The ends of each casing segment may be displaced radially outwards relative to the curvature of the segment such that the ends of the casing segment rest on the periphery of the flanges and a central portion of the casing segment which interconnects the two ends is displaced radially inwards relative to the segment ends.

Each casing segment may incorporate at least one . groove intended to receive a circumferential band.

A slot may be defined extending across the or each groove to enable a cutting tool to be inserted into the groove so that a band received in the groove may be readily severed.

Embodiments for the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure. 1 is a partial sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure. 2 is a perspective view of a barrel component of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates an alternative configuration for components assembled to form a barrel similar to that of Figure 2;

Figure 4 illustrates a number of alternative internal strengthening supports which can be inserted in the barrels of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 illustrates the inter-engagement between supports of the type illustrated in Figure 4;

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative configuration for a flange of the type illustrated in section in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a front view of a flange incorporating a configuration of the type shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 illustrates an alternative configuration to that shown in Figure 6; Figure 9 illustrates a front view of a flange incorporating the features illustrated in section in Figure 8;

Figure 10 illustrates strengthening supports mounted adjacent an end flange;

Figure 11 is a view on lines II-II of Figure 10;

Figure 12 illustrates a modified rim for a flange and an associated outer segment;

Figures 13 to 15 illustrate features of a casing in accordance with the invention for use with a conventional drum or a drum in accordance with the present invention;

Figures 16 and 17 illustrate the structure of a fully assembled further embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 18 and 19 are elevations of the two sides of. a flange incorporated in the embodiment of Figures 16 and 17;

Figures 20 to 28 are sections on the like-numbered lines through the flange of Figures 18 and 19;

Figures 29 and 30 illustrate the structure of a barrel segment incorporated in the embodiment of Figures 16 and 17, Figure 30 being a section on lines 30-30 of Figure 29; and

Figures 31 to 33 illustrate the structure of a casing segment incorporated in the embodiment of Figures 16 and 17, Figure 32 being a section on lines 32-32 of Figure 31.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the illustrated drum comprises a pair of flanges 1 between which a barrel 2 extends. The barrel is made up from four segments 3 with inter-engaging overlap joints. The barrel segments are reinforced by supports 4 and the ends of the barrel are received in grooves 5 in facing surfaces of the two flanges. Tie-rods 6 extend through holes 7 in the flanges and are secured in position by nuts 8 bearing against washers 9. The nuts 8 are tightened up to force the flanges against the ends of the barrel. Thus the flanges cannot move apart and therefore the ends of the barrel cannot become disengaged from the grooves 5.

A spindle hole 10 enables the drum to be mounted on a suitable support and drive holes 11 can be engaged by a suitable driving means to rotate the drum on the support.

The rim of each flange is wider than the main body of the flange to define a shoulder 12. This shoulder is used to support a ring of outer casing segments 13. The thickness of the outer casing segments 13 may be such that they fit within the recess adjacent the shoulder 12 as shown at the top of Figure 1 or fit within the recess adjacent shoulder 12 and extend over the peripheral edge of the flanges as shown at the bottom of Figure 1. The casing segments 13 may be secured in position by any suitable means, for example nails or restraining straps.

Preferably the flange 1 is moulded from wood chips secured together by an adhesive which is impervious to moisture. If appropriate adhesive and compression forces are used in the moulding of the flanges the resulting structure is of great strength and durability. The barrel segments 3 may also be moulded from woodchips, as may the internal barrel supports 4 . Thus all the structural components can be produced from cheap materials to a high accuracy ensuring easy assembly and a strong final product. The casing segments 13 could also be moulded from woodchips in the form of part-cylindrical segments or alternatively simple wooden casing segments could be used. The casing segments 13 will often be lost when the drum is first opened to dispense cable and therefore it is less likely that the casing segments 13 will be available for reuse. The rest of the drum structure however should be sufficiently durable to p-^vide repeated use even over a period of several years. deferring now to Figure 3, this shows an alternative inter- enga_fc ,*ment between the segments of the drum barrel. In contrast to the configuration of Figure 2, in Figure 3 the inter-engagement is by tongue and groove formations.

Figure 4 illustrates four alternative configurations for the supports 4 of Figure 1. Each segment is provided with a hole 14 to enable the passage of the respective tie-rod therethrough and is permanently secured to one of the segments 3. The abutting edges of the supports could be provided with inter-engaging tongue and groove formations as shown in Figure 5 which is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4. Thus the supports can provide any required degree of reinforcement to the drum barrel.

In the case illustrated in Figure 1, the flange 1 is provided with simple grooves 5 cut or moulded into one face of the flange. This does reduce the thickness of the flange adjacent the ends of the barrel however. This could be avoided by the simple expedient of moulding the groove 5 in the manner indicated by the section of Figure 6 so that the thickness of the flange is substantially uniform throughout its radial extent. Figure 7 is a view of the surface of a flange of the type illustrated in Figure 1, the appearance being substantially unaffected if the simple groove 5 of Figure 1 is replaced by the groove 5 of Figure 6. Thus the partial section of Figure 6 corresponds to a view taken on the lines 6-6 of Figure 7.

As a further alternative to the configuration of Figures 1 and 6, the groove 5 may be formed by moulding projections on the surface of the flange facing the barrel end as shown in Figure 8. The groove 5 may furthermore be continuous as shown in Figure 7, or discontinuous. For example the groove formation indicated in Figure 8 may be used to produce a configuration as shown in Figure 9 where the groove 5 is discontinuous, being defined between eight adjacent pairs of projections. The partial section of Figure 8 corresponds to the view of Figure 9 on line 8-8.

Thus a variety of alternative configurations can be provided all giving the overall advantages of the present invention, that is a simple to assemble robust structure which can be fabricated by simple moulding techniques using readily available waste material.

Although in the illustrated embodiment the barrel is manufactured from four barrel segments, any convenient number of segments could be provided for example 2, 4, 6, 8 etc. The supports reinforcing the barrel internally may also be provided in any appropriate number.

Referring now to Figures 10 and 11, the same reference numerals are used for equivalent components as in the case of Figures 1 to 4. Figure 10 shows a flange 1 which defines a groove 5 that receives the end of a barrel 2. Reinforcing supports 4 are arranged inside the barrel 2 and received in shallow recesses 15 defined on the inside surfaces of the'^*flange 1. The provision of the recesses 15 not only provides substantial further support for the members 4 but in addition simplifies assembly as the supports 4 are automatically correctly located simply be insertion into the recesses 15.

Figure 11 is a view on the lines π-π of Figure 10.

Referring now to Figure 12, this illustrates an alternative flange rim configuration similar to that illustrated in Figure 1 but in addition incorporating a circumferential groove 16 which extends continuously around the flange rim. Again where appropriate the same reference numerals are used in Figure 12 as were used for equivalent components in Figure 1. Moulded outer casings segments 13 are provided with projections 17 but are a push fit into the groove 16. Thus the outer casing segments 13 can be simply positioned around the periphery of the drum and then secured in position by for example extending a tie strap around the outside of the drum. It will be appreciated that alternative inter-engaging means to the projections and groove illustrated could be provided.

Referring to Figure 13, this is a part-sectional view through a drum supporting a casing having flanges the peripheral edges, of which support a casing segment corresponding to the casing segment 13 of Figure 1. The casing segment comprises ends 18 and 19 which are displaced radially outwards relative to a central portion of the casing segment that interconnects the ends 18 and 19. Thus if the drum is rolled on a planar surface the edges 18 and 19 contact that surface but the central portion is spaced from the surface.

The central portion is provided with moulded formations 20 and 21 which increase the strength of the casing segment. The casing segment is also provided with a pair of circumferentially extending grooves 22 and 23 which are provided to locate a band used to secure the casing segments on the drum flanges.

Referring to Figure 14, this shows the raised ends 18 and 19, the raised rims 20 and 21 and the grooves 22 and 23. Slots 24 are provided which extend across the grooves 22 and 23 to enable a tool to be inserted into the grooves so that bands located therein can be readily severed to separate the casings from the drum.

Figure 15 is an end view of a drum supporting nine casing segments of the type illustrated in Figures 13 and 14. It will be seen that each of the casing segments is curved to conform with the curvature of the peripheral edge of the drum flanges.

Thus the casing segments provide the means for encasing a drum using a relatively small number of components as compared with conventional battens. Furthermore, the casing segments are secured in position by simple bands and therefore there is no damage to the casing flanges as the result of inserting nails through battens. The casing segments can also be very readily removed.

Referring to Figures 16 to 33, these illustrated in detail a further embodiment of the invention although the same reference numerals are used as in Figures 1 to 15 for equivalent components. Figures 16 to 33 are not described in detail as they will be understood given the above description of Figures 1 to 15. Additional features of note shown in Figures 16 to 33 are the provision of an aperture 25 to receive a cable end, a "ramp" 26 against which a cable end sits after insertion through the aperture 25, radially extending moulded ribs 27, and a thickened circumferential rim 28. Other details may be appreciated from the sectional views.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A storage drum comprising a barrel extending between a pair of flanges such that an annular storage space is defined around the barrel and between the flanges, characterised in that each end of the barrel is received in a slot formed in the respective flange, the barrel is formed from at least two segments each of which extends from one flange to the other, and at least one tie-rod extends between and is secured to the two flanges, whereby the segments are retained against displacement relative to the flanges by engagement in the said slots, and the flanges are retained against displacement relative to the segments by engagement between said at least one tie-rod and the flanges.

2. A storage drum according to claim 1, wherein reinforcement members in the form of moulded segments are provided inside each barrel segment to strengthen the barrel structure.

3. A storage drum according to claim 2, wherein reinforcement members are received in recesses defined in the flanges to increase the strength of the structure.

4. A storage drum according to any preceding claim, wherein radially outer edges of the flanges receive a casing.

5. A storage drum according to claim 4, wherein the casing is in the form of moulded segments.

6. A storage drum according to claim 5, wherein the casing segments support formations intended to engage with mating formations in the flange.

7. A casing for a drum which includes a central barrel and a pair of flanges secured to opposite ends of the barrel, the casing comprising a plurality of moulded casing segments which are arcuate in cross-section to match the curvature of peripheral edges of the drum flanges, and the casing segments being retained in position on the drum by one or more bands wrapped around the casing.

8. A casing according to claim 7, wherein the ends of each casing segment are displaced radially outwards relative to the curvature of the segment such that the ends of the casing segment rest on the periphery of the flanges and a central portion of the casing segment which interconnects the two ends is displaced radially inwards relative to the segment ends.

9. A casing according to claim 7 or 8, wherein each casing segment incorporates at least one groove intended to receive a circumferential band.

10. A casing ^* according to claim 9, wherein a slot is defined extending across the or each groove to enable a cutting tool to be inserted into the groove so that a band received in the groove may be readily severed.

11. A storage drum substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.