US1312954A - Insulated wire making machine - Google Patents

Description

W. E. COOK.

INSULATED WIRE MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC- I3, 1918.

l ,3 1 2,954. Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

i A rromvn W. E. CO0K.

INSULATED WIRE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-13.1918.

1 ,3 1 2, 95 4 Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- INVENTOR @MQ/m i; ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE;

WILLIAM- E. COOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

mSULATED-WIRE-MAKING mourn-E.

St. George, in the borough of Richmond, I

city of New York, county of Richmond,'and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements inInsulated- Wire-Making Machines, ofwhich the fol-' lowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. 7

'My invention relates to insulated wire making machines and more particularly to a machine by means of which the absorbent base upon a conductor wire is saturated, or impregnated with the asphaltum or other composition for weather-proofing said base and increasing its insulating properties.

In the manufacture of insulated wire of the character designed to be treated in a machine made in accordance with my invention, itis the usual practice to spirally wind a plurality of plies of cotton sliver, or other like absorbent material upon the wire, and secure it in place, and hold it compacted, by means of either spirally wound confining strands or cords, or a woven covering of such strands or cords. After being so covered,-the absorbent covering material is saturated. or impregnated with the asphaltum, or other similar composition, by passing it through a bath of this composition, and maintaining-it therein for a suflicient period to secure the maximum degree of absorption of the composition by the covering material. This is done by repeatedly passing the covered wire about oppositely disposed multiple grooved.

sheaves, rotatably mounted in the tank containing the composition.

In machines ordinarily used for saturating or impregnating a covered wire, there has always been a tendency'o'f the portions of the wire passed about the sheaves, to gradually tauten in a manner to not only place the arbors of the sheaves under .ex-

cessive stresses, but to interfere with the free running of the-covered wire, and express a portion of the composition therefrom as it passed over the sheaves. Such a machine also possessed the disadvantage that the sheaves were permanently mounted in the tank containing the bath, thus making it difiicult to thread the covered wire Specification of Letters I'atent.

. Patented Aug. 1 2, 1919,

Application filed December 13, 1918. Serial Ho. 263,566.

- through themachine, and also interfering with the uniform conditioning of a length of wire in the event of a necessity for shuttlng down a machine.

In a machine made in accordance with my invention, the sheaves are so constructed as to always provide sulii'cient slack in the wire undergoing treatment, to prevent its becoming taut in a manner to place the sheaves under abnormal stresses with the results above referred to, thus insuring free runningconditions of the machine, uniformity 1n the product, and a resultant increase 1n efficiency and capacity in the machine.

A further characteristic of the machine is that the sheaves may be removed in their entirety from the tank, either for the pur-,

pose of permitting a convenient threading of the covered wire thereabout, or the removal of the wire upon the sheaves from the bath, in the event of a shut-down of the machine.

Other characteristics of the machine relate to the means for applying power tothe sheaves for feeding the wire, and for raising and lowering same in relation to the tank.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularl ointed out in the claims hereto appen ed Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a machine embodying my invention, the position of the sheaves in dthetank being indicated in dotted lines; an I Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof. Like reference numerals refer to like parts in both of said views.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, the asphaltum, or other composition, is contained in a tank 10, being brought to, and maintained in, a fluid-condition by means of suitable heating devices vasthe steam coil 11. Adjacent the opposite ends, and upon opposite sides, of the tank 10, are uprights 12, supporting a suitably reinforced and braced superstructure 13.

The uprights 12 extend within the tank and serve as guides for the vertical slides 14, which slides respectively have. mounted therein the arbors of the oppositely disposed multiple grooved sheaves 15 and 16, about mounted in bearings 24 and 25 upon the which the covered wire 17 is repeatedly passed.

While applying the asphaltum, or other composition, to the covered wire 1-7, the sheaves 15 and 16- are immersed in the contents of the tank 10, being continuously rotated by a mechanism to be hereinafter described, in a manner to feed the wire through the tank'at asubstantially'uniform speed.

In order to prevent a tautening of the wire 17, to an extent to interfere with the actuation of said sheaves, 'or the proper saturation or impregnation of the covering for the wire, the grooves of each sheave from one side thereof to the other, are successively of slightly reduced diameter, the groove of largest diameter being at the point where the wire is fed to the machine, and the groove of'smallest diameter being at the point of the delivery of the saturated Wire from the machine. The grooves of one sheave are oppositely disposed to the corresponding grooves of the other sheave, so

that there is a normal tendency of the sheaves to feed. wire into the machine at a greater rate than the wire is delivered therefrom. The variance in the diameter of the succeeding grooves need not be great, it being merely necessary that suflicient slack be created in the wire as it is passing through the tank, to compensate for a tendency of different reaches of the wire to become taut as a result of slippage of either sheave in relation to the portion of the wire passing thereabout, while the other sheave is exerting a longitudinal stress thereon. This characteristic of the machine is of the utmost importance, since it has been found in practice that many of the difliculties heretofore considered inherent in a machine of this character, are obviated by this construction of sheave.

The sheaves 15 and 16 each carry upon one side thereof, abeveled gear, as 18 and 19, said gears beingin mesh with gears 20 and 21 carried by the vertical shafts 22 and 23, the lower end of said shafts being suitably slides 14. v

Mounted upon the superstructure 13 is a shaft 26, carrying beveled gears 27 and 28 cooperating with gears 29 and 30 adapted to impart rotative movement to the shafts 22 and 23. Idly mounted upon the shaft 26 is a power pulley 31 adapted to be connected with said shaft by means of a friction clutch 32 operatively connected with said shaft, and actuated by means of a lever handle 33.

By this construction the sheaves 15 and 16 are simultaneously rotated in opposite directions, a construction necessitated solely from the fact that it is the practice to cross the covered wire when passing it from one sheave to the other, in order to alternately and 35 respectively, each cross head having secured thereto a screw threaded-stem, as 36 and 37. Carried by the superstructure 13 are beveled gears 38 and 39 by means of which, and said screw threaded stems, the

slides 14 and the sheaves 15 and 16 carried thereby, may be raised or lowered in relation to the tank 10.

Mounted upon the superstructure 13 is a shaft 40 having idly mounted thereon gears 41 and 42, the first of which is in mesh'with a gear 43 carried by, and rotatable with, the pulley 31, and the latter of which is entrained with a gear 44, also carried by, and rotatable with, the pulley 31, by means of an intermediate gear 45 for securing the desired reversal in the direction of rotation of said shaft 40. Each of the gears 41 and 42 is adapted to be operatively connected with the shaft 40 by means of suitable friction clutches 46 and47, which clutches are actuated by means of the lever handles 48 and 49. In order 'to insure that one of said clutches is. inoperative while the other is operative, I connect the handles 48 and 49 by a link 50.

Carried by the shaft 40 are beveled gears 51 and 52 which are respectively in mesh with the gears 38 and 39, so that when power is applied to said shaft through the clutch 46 or 47, said gears 38 and 39 will be rotated in a manner to cause the screw thread thereon to cooperatewith the screw threads upon the stems 36 and 37, to raise or lower the slides 14in relation to the tank 10. It is apparent that the threads upon said stems '36 and 37 must be reversely pitched to secure the-desired similar movement of the slides 14 at opposite ends of the machine. To permit the raising and lowering of the slides 14, the shafts 22 and 23 are slidably connected with their driving gears 29 and 3 as by means of a spline;

The operation of the herein described ma I chine is substantially as follows:

While the covered wire to be treated in the machine, is ordinarily marketed on reels, Or in different lengths, nevertheless in the operation of the machine, succeeding lengths are connected so as to permit continuity in the run of the. machine, the connected ends being separated, when starting a new reel of wire. Under this condition, the threading of the covered wire through the machine, is of infrequent occurrence. In describing the operation of the machine, however, I will assume that the wire is to be threaded for an initial run through the machine.

When it is desired to thread the machine, the operating lever handle 48 or 49 will be forced to the right 1), thus setting the clutch 46 in a manner to cause the gear 41 to transmit power to the shaft 40 from the pulley 31, and gear 43, the actuation of 5 said lever 48 or 49 simultaneously releasing the clutch 47. As power is supplied to the shaft 40. it will, through the gears 51 and 52, rotate the gears 38 and 39,.Which will act upon the screw threaded stems 36 and 37 in a manner to raise the slides. 14 from within the tank 10 until the sheaves 15 and 16 carried by said slides respectively, are exposed above the top of said tank. When the, sheaves have been raised 'to the desired. 15 height, either lever 48 or 49 is actuated to disconnect both gears 41 and 42from said shaft, thus causing the sheaves to remain in this .position. With the upward movement of the slides 20 14, the shafts 22 and 23 will have movement in relation to the gears 29 and 30, thus maintaining the operative relation of the actuating means for said sheaves 15 and 16.

The end of the covered wire 17 is then passedover the sheave 15, drawn the length of the tank 10, and passed under and about the sheave 16, the end of the wire being repeatedly passed back and forth for the length of the tank, under and about said 30 sheaves alternately, so that succeeding reaches thereof will be crossed in the manner, and for the purpose, a'bove referredto. In threading the covered wire through the machine, it is first passed about the groove of largest diameter and when the wire is completely threaded through the machine, the end thereof is brought out of the machine and passed through the usual cleaning mechanism to the rewinding mechanism, 40 which mechanisms are not shown in the drawings. a

The covered wire having been properly threaded through the machine, the lever 48 and 49 is actuated to set the clutch 47, thus reversing the direction of rotation of the shaft 40 and causing the slides 14, with the sheaves 15 and 16, to descend until the said sheaves are immersed in the composition in the tank, whereupon both clutches 46 and 47 50 are released. I

The clutch 32 is then actuated-by means of the lever handle 33, to connect the shaft 26 with the power pulley 31, thus rotating the sheaves 15 and 16 through the gears 27, 29 and 18, and 28, 30 and 19, respectively.

As the covered wire 17 is repeatedlypassed back and forth through the tank 10, bythe rotation of the sheaves 15 and 16, it will gradually become saturated or impregnated with the asphaltum, or other composition. In passing the wire through the tank 10, the sheaves 15 and 16 both act to feed the wire. Consequently, each reach of the wire is subjected to the longitudinal stresses incidental to this feeding movement. In the event that tendency of the wire to tauten has been' cumulative, so that even though slack-be "formed in the wire, this slack will be gradually absorbed, necessitating stoppage of the machine to again create slack to permit the continued operation thereof.

The tautening of the wire, in addition to developing the stresses above referred to, also compacts portions of the wire, or long stretches thereof, in a manner to express the composition therefrom and cause irregularities in the product.

By forming the sheaves of a plurality of grooves of gradually decreasing diameter, I continuously feed thewire into the machine at a sli htly higher speed than that at which it is de ivered therefrom, thus maintaining constant slack in the wire,-sufiici'ent to prevent the development of such stresses, and

the resultant imperfections in the product, or possible damage to the Wire. In this manner the entire length of the wire passed through the machine, is subjected to substantially the same conditions, and the ma chine may be continuously operated without any material variation in the product.

In the event of a necessity for shutting down the machine during the day, or after a days run, it is preferable to remove the covered wire upon the machine, from the asphaltum bath, thus causing all portions of the length of the wire to be subjected to the bath for the same interval of time, which is measured by the interval required for any part of the wire to pass completely about both sheaves. When the machine is shut down, either handle 48 or 49 is actuated to set the clutch 46, and thus raise the slides 14 and remove the sheaves 1-5 and 16 from the ,tank 10. When the run of the machine is resumed, the clutch 47 is actuated in the manner heretofore described, to again lower said sheaves into the bath andthus permit the completion of the. saturation of all por- 1 tions of the covered wire, then extending about said sheaves.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

, Having described the invention, what I claim as new, and-desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is

1. An insulated wiremaking machine embodying therein a tank for a bath of a fluid composition, and means whereby a wire covered with absorbent material, is repeatedly passed back and forth through the composltion in said tank, said means bein so constructed that a wire covered with a sorbent material will be fed into the bath at a higher speed than it is delivered therefrom, to prevent tautening of the wire. 7 v

' 2. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank for a bath of a fiuid composition, and parallel multiple grooved sheaves adjacent opposite ends of forth through the composition and about said sheaves.

3. An insulated wire coverlng machine embodying therein a tank for a bath of a fluid composition, parallel multiple grooved sheaves adjacent opposite ends of the tank,

the grooves of each sheave being of gradually decreasing diameter from one side thereof to the other, whereby a wire covered with absorbent material will be fed into the bath at a higher speed than it is delivered therefrom, to prevent tautenin of the wire,while being repeatedly passe back and forth through the composition and about said sheaves, and means simultaneously rotating said sheaves.

'4. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank for a bath of a fluid composition, rotatable members adjacent opposite ends of the machine adapted to have a wire covered with absorbent material passed repeatedly about same and through the composition, and means whereby said members and the wire thereabout, may be raised from within, or lowered into, said tank.

5. An insulated wire making machine embodying therein a tank for a bath of a fluid composition, means whereby a wire covered with absorbent material, is repeatedly passed back and forth through the composition in said tank, said means being so constructed that the feeding action thereof will be gradually reduced toward the delivery point of the machine, to compensate for the increase of diameter of the covered wire, and means whereby said last named means maybe raised from within, or lowered into, said tank.

6. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank, standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a superstructure carried by said standards, slides mount- .ed to have vertical movement along said standards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, means whereby said slides may have vertical movement along said standards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threaded stem carried by each of said slides, whereby said slides may be moved toward, and from, said tank, a gearhaving screw threads cooperating with the threads upon said stems respectively, a shaft. mounted upon said superstructure, beveled gears thereon meshing with said first named gears respectively, and means whereby said shaft may be rotated in either direc- 'tion to raise, or lower, said slides in relation to said tank.

S. An insulated Wile covering machine embodying therein a tank, standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a su erstruoture carried by said standards, sli es mounted to have vertical movement along said stand ards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threaded stem carried by each of said slides, whereby said slides may be moved toward, and from, said tank, a gear having screw threads cotiperating with. the threads upon said stems respectively, a shaft mounted upon said superstructure, beveled gears thereon meshing With said first named gears respectively, a gear carried by each of said sheaves, gears carried by said superstructure, a vertical shaft mounted in each of said slides, and slidably connected'with one of said last named gears, a gear upon each of saidvertical shafts cotiperating with the gears upon said sheaves, respectively, a shaft carried by said superstructurefor rotating said sheaves, means loosely mounted upon said shaft whereby-power may be applied thereto, a clutch mechanism whereby said means may be operatively connected with said shaft, a plurality of gears carried by, and rotatable with, said means for applying power to said last named shaft, and two gears carried by said first named shaft,

the first of which gears is in mesh with one of the gears upon said shaft for rotating said sheaves, and the other of which is entrained therewithby means of an intermediate gear, and a plurality of clutch mechanisms coperating with the gears upon said first named shaft, whereby either of the gears thereon may be-operativcly connected with said shaft.

9. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank, standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a superstructure carried by said standards, slides mounted to have vertical movement along said standards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threaded stem carried by each of said slides, whereby said slides may be moved toward, and from, said tank, a gear having screw threads cooperating with the threads upon said stems respectively, a shaft mounted upon said superstructure, beveled gears thereon meshing with said first named gears respectively, a gear carried by each of said sheaves, gears carried by said superstructure, a" vertical shaft mounted in each of said slides, and slidably connected with one of said last named gears, a gear upon each of said vertical shafts cooperating with the gears upon said sheaves, respectively, a shaft carried by said superstructure for rotating said sheaves, means loosely mounted upon said shaft whereby power may be app ied thereto, a clutch mechanism whereby *said means may be operatively connected with said shaft, a plurality of gears carried by, andro-tatable with, said means for applying power to said last named shaft, and two gears carried by said first named shaft, the first of which gears is in mesh with one of the gears upon said shaft for rotating said sheaves, and the other of which is entrained therewith by means of an intermediate gear, and a plurality of clutch mechanisms cooperating with the gears upon said first named shaft, whereby either of the gears thereon may be operatively connected with said shaft, and operative connections between said clutches, whereby when one of said clutches is set, the other clutch will be simultaneously released.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 26th day of November, 1918, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. COOK.

Witnessesz.

F. T. WENTWORTH, A. E. REN'roN.

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