US1712081A - Apparatus for feeding articles - Google Patents

Description

May 7, 1929. c. KNOTH APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet avwewcoz: Conrad Knoll), $51 0/ abhor/1401 May 7, 1929. c, KNOTH 1,712,081

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1923 3-Sheets-Sheet 2 Conrad [(nozb,

May 7,1929. KNOTH 1,712,081

A-PPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i'vwantomz F 4 C 1M4 ltfommm u.

Patented May 7, 1929.

users. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oonnan KNOEE, or nnmsrnn, NEW JERSEY, Assrenon TO onus-silt Morons con PORAJIIQN, or ns'rnorr, n'rcrrrean, A conroaa'rronr DELAWARE.

AEPARA'IUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES.

Application filed .Tune 16', 1923. Serial No. 645,783.

This invention relates to feeding apparatus and is herein shown as embodied in an appaiatus for feeding hollow rollers that go into roller bearings.

In the manufacture of'hollow rollers for boa-rings, it has been the practice, prior to this invention, to harden the rollers by passing them slowly through a furnace and quenching them in a bath of cooling liquid. Upon such prior apparatus, groups of rollers are laid by hand, side by side, on cast iron frames and these frames with the rollers are slid down an inclined track in the furnace while the rollers are subjected to direct contact with the hot gases heating the fur nace. As the rollers leave the end of the furnace, they leave the frames and drop sidewise into the liquid. The hot frames then have to be removed by tongs and allowed to cool before being loaded again. This kind of apparatus requires several operators, some to load the rollers, and some to remove the frames; the rollers are exposed to the impurities in the products of combustion and are not quenched uniformly becausethe air imprisoned in the rollers when they drop sidewise into the liquid, retards the entry of the liquid into the inside of the rollers. The inclination of the track necessitates the raising of one end of the furnace above the other and the workmen at the high end are obliged to work in an awkward position on a raised platform.

It is accordingly one of the objects of this invention to provide a feeding apparatus for articles which will require less labor and attention and perform better work. In the illustrated construction, no loading frames are used; the rollers are fed from a hopper and pushed through the furnace in a stream in end-to-end relation. To shield the rollers from the flames, they are directed through hollow tubes traversing the furnace and then to quench them quickly, they are made to drop cndwise into the cooling bath, the liquid thus entering the center of each roller as fast as it rises on the outside.

Figure l with a portion of the furnace shown in section.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the feed rollers.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through the furnace and Figure 6 is a plan view of the furnace with the upper half removed.

The 'work pieces to be treated, in this case hollow cylindrical rollers made of spirally wound steel ribbons, are placed in a hopper andpicked up and fed in end-to-end relation through hollow tubes and dropped into a; second set of tubes through which their speed is regulated by feed rollers, the rollers then passing very slowly through tubes traversing a furnace after which they are quenched in a bath of liquid. The numeral 10 designates a hopper having inclined sides 12, the lower edges of which are flanged as an and secured to the outer pair of a series of angle irons 16 which form an inclined bottom for the hopper. are arranged with their apexes upwardly and are slightly spaced apart to form slots extending longitudinally through the bottom of the hopper. Thus a series of upwardly, open channels are formed which causethe rollers to align themselves by gravity at the bottoms of the channels. The work pieces are theii picked up and fed in end-toend relation by series of feeding fingers or pushers 18, projecting through the slots in thehopper and secured to bars 20 which are guided between the flanges of angle irons 22 and 24-. The bars are con nectcd by two endless sprocket chains 26 which pass around sprocket wheels -28 on the driven shaft 30 and around sprocket wheels 3 on a shaft 32, journaled in the frame of the hopper.

To prevent any breakage of the parts in case the rollers become jammed, the shaft 30 is frictionally driven so that it can slip. A disc 38 is fixed to the shaft 30 and, spaced from this disc, is a second disc 40 which is pressed towards the first disc by springs 42 interposed between the first disc and the. heads of a series of bolts fixed to the second disc. A snocl-tot rin dd is thus ieldin 'l The angle irons 16 journaled on the "frame. It should be noted that the bars 20 and feeding fingers 18 are guided at a slight angle to the course of the channels in the hopper so that the feedtingers ot' each set gradually leave the channels and transfer the feeding action to the next succeeding set. As the rollers slide upwardly in the channels, they enter a series of tubes 52 which in efiect .t'orm continuations, of the channels and extend upwardly to a bracket 54- by which they are attached to a. second set of tube sections and 62. As the rollers emergefrom the open ends of the tubes on they drop into the open or cut-away portions 58 ot the tube sections 60. lhey are fed from the tubes 52 taster than they can be carried away by the tube sections Gil, the ex- 0 rollers dropping into a pan 5G by which they are directed back into the hopper again.

The tube sections 60 and (52 torm an inclined conduit or guide through which the rollers tend to feed themselves by gravity. The sections 62 are bent in a. gradual curve and are joined by horizonta tube sections 6st and 66 to a series of tubes 68 extending into the'fire box of the furnace 70. The rollers are lied very slowly through the furnace and to regulate their speed, feeding discs 72 and Tel are provided. The feeding discs 72 of one set are fixed to a, horizontal shaft T6 which is movably mounted and the discs Tel: of the other set are mounted on a shaft 78 ournaled in a bracket on the frame. The sha l t 78 is driven at slow speed by a worm wheel 80 at one end, engaged by the worm 82. The shaft 7'6 is driven at the same speed and in the opposite direction from the shaft 78 through the medium of sprocket wheels 8- 1 and 86 near the ends of the respective shafts and a l cnain directed about the sprocket wheels and the large sprocket wheel 88 in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

The tube sections (A are slotted above and below (see Figure 6) opposite the teed discs so that the latter will have access to the rollers being fed. The upper set of iced discs is yieldingly pressed towards the other set, the shaft 76 being mounted in lever arms 90 pivoted at 92 to brackets on the frame and pressed downwardly by weights 96 attached to the lower ends of bars 9% that are pivotally hung in the ends of the lever arms 90. As indicated in Figure 4%, the discs 72 are provided with a yieldable mounting so that the pressure on the rollers in the diiterent streams will be equalized in case they vary in diameter. The mounting consists of a series of coil springs 73 bearing against the inner surfaces of the discs and set in radial sockets 75 in a hub member fixed to the shaft 76. The discs are 1 n-et'erably toothed and are confined against axial movement by end collars 77. In view of the movable mounting of the shaft 76, tension on the sprocket chain is maintained by movably mounting the sprocket wheel 88 between links 98 pivoted to a bracket 100 on the frame and by attaching a weight 102 to a bifurcated bar 10 1- hung on the shaft of the sprocket wheel. The tube sections G l are supported by plates 1.06 and 1.08 adjustably secured to brackets and 112 by bolting them in slots in these last named numbers.

Referring to Figures 5 and (3, it will be seen that the furnace 70 is divided horizontally and longitudinally and that the upper section is provided with eye bolts 116, by means of which the section may be lifted away from its corresponding halt, through the medium of a ditlerential hoist or the like. 7 This gives ready access to the lower lining in case it is desired to renew it or to the tubes 68 when they become burnt out. At the outlet end of the furnace are a series of hoods 124, each having a cylindrical portion 126 sleeved over one of the tubes 68, said cylindrical portion opening into a chamber having flat parallel sides 128 to keep the rollers in alignment. The top'oi the chamber is curved at 130 to make room for the rollers to tilt preparatory to sliding down the inclined bottom 132 into a bath 13d of liquid. To allow ready inspection of the work each hood is provided with a peep hole 136 on a level with the furnace tube 68, the hole being closed by a hinged cover 138. lVhen the rollers drop endwise the liquid is enabled to enter the core or inside as fast as it mounts on the outside and hence the rollers are quenched uniformly. The furnace is heated by liquid fuel supplied through a supply pipe 122 having at intervals suitable valves and burners extending towards the furnace. lVhen the last rollers oi? a batch have been conducted through the inclined tubes 02 to the "feed discs, the lower ends of the tubes 2 can be uncoupled and turned to one side on the axis of the upper coupling, thus permitting a long rod to be thrust through the -furnace tubes to push out the remaining rollers.

Although the invention has been described by referring to a specific apparatus it should be understood that in its broader aspects the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific structure selected for illustration.

1 claim:

1. ln a lparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a tube for guiding a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and having a slot, a feed disc projecting through said slot into contact with said work pieces, and means for rotating said disc to push the work pieces along in a stream, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a tube for guiding a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and having a slot, a feed disc projecting through said slot into contact with one of said work pieces, means for pressing said disc "against said work piece, and means for rotatingsaid disc to push the work pieces along in a stream, substantially as described.

In apparatus for treating work pieces, in (xmibination, a tube for guiding a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and having opposite slots, feed discs projecting through said slots into contact with opposite sides of said work pieces, and means for rotating said discs to regulate the feed of the work pieces, substantially as described.

1-. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a tube for guiding a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and having opposite slots, feed discs projecting through said slots into contact with opposite sides of said work pieces, means for yieldingly pressing one of the said discs towards the other to grip said work between them, and means for rotating said discs, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for treating rollers, in combination, a series of tubes for guiding streams of rollers in end-to-end relation and having slots parallel to the axes of the tubes, a shaft, feed discs secured to said shaft and having yielding peripheries entering said slots for equalizing contact with rollers of different diameters, and means for rotating said shaft, substantially as described.

6. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a tube for guiding a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and having a slot, a feed disc projecting through said slot into contact with said work pieces, a pivoted support for said disc, means for swinging said pivoted support in a direction to press the disc against the work pieces, and means for rotating said disc; substantially as described.

7. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a hopper having an upwardly open channel in the bottom face to cause the work pieces to align by gravity, said channel having a longitudinal slot in, its base, an endless chain supported below the hopper and a series of fingers having con nection to the chain and arranged to project through the slot in the channel, and means for driving the chain to push the aligned pieces along in end-toend relation; substantially as described.

S. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in con'ibination, a hopper having an upwardly open channel in the bottom face to cause the work pieces to align by gravity, an endless chain. supported below the hopper, a series of fingers having connection to the chain and arranged to successively traverse the channel to push the aligned pieces along in end-to-end relation, and means for guiding the fingers in a path at a slight angle to the length of the channel to cause the fingers to successively leave the channel and transfer the pushing action to the following fingers substantially as described.

9. In apparatus forttreating work pieces, in combination, a hopper having upwardly open channels in the bottom face to cause the work pieces to align by gravity, an endless attached to each bar and each projecting into one of the channels to push the aligned pieces along in end-to-end relation, means for guiding the bars and fingers at a slight angle to the length of the channel to cause the fingers to successively leave the channel and transfer the pushing action to the following fingers, and means to drive the chains substantially as described.

11. In apparatus for treating rollers, in combination, a hopper having an upwardly open channel in the bottom face to cause the work pieces to align by gravity, a series of fingers projecting through the bottom of the hopper and arranged to enter each channel, driving means for moving the fingers lengthwise of the channel to pick up and feed a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation, and a slip connection in said driving means; substantially as described.

12. In apparatus for treating Work pieces, in combination, a guide for receiving a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and inclined to the horizontal to feed the work pieces by gravity, feed discs engaging the workpieces for regulating the speed of the work pieces through the guide and for controlling their subsequent. traverse, and

means for directing a supply of work pieces to the entrance end of the guide; substantially as described. I

13. In apparatus for treating work pieces, in combination, a guide for receiving a stream of work pieces in end-to-end relation and inclined to the horizontal to feed the work pieces by gravity, driven rollers ongaging the work-pieces for regulating the speed of the work pieces through the guide, a hopper, means for raising the work pieces from the hopper and feeding them to the entrance end of the guide at a greater speed than they pass through the guide, and means for returning the excess pieces to the hopper; substantially as described.

14. Inapparatus fortreatlng work pieces,

in combination, a guide for receiving a and means for pushing the work pieces in stream of Work pieces in end-to-end relation a stream to the open end of the second guide 10 and inclined to the horizontal to feed the to drop them into the entrance end of the Work pieces by gravity, means engaging the first guide; substantially as described. Work-pieces for regulating the speed of the In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my Work pieces through the guide, a second signature.

guide comprising a tube extending to a point above the entrance end of the first guide, v CONRAD KNOTH.

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