APPARATUS FOR EMBEDDING FLEXIBLE CONDUITS IN MOLDED ARTICLES

Abstract: Wires (28), (30) and other conduits are placed accurately within a molded product by attaching them to rods (34) which extend into a mold (20). The rods have notches (42) on their sides; each wire is held in a notch by a cord (44) which loops around the wire and is fastened at the top end of the rod. After the article is molded the cords are released and withdrawn. Then each rod is twisted to free it from its wires and the rod is also withdrawn. Further settling of the molded material fills the small spaces previously occupied by the cords and rods.

Description: Apparatus for Embedding Flexible Conduits in Molded Articles Technical Field The present invention involves the manufacture of molded products, particularly ceramic products having placed therein flexible conduits such as heater wires. Background The present invention is related to Inter- national Patent Application No. PCT/US81/01101, filed in France, United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany and Japan. The prior application describes how flexible wires and their surrounding conduits are held in place during the casting or molding of a contoured ceramic heater. Essentially, the wires are held in notches at the extremities of rods which extend into the mold. The rods are hollow and a cord runs along the interior of the rod to hold the wire in the notch. The prior art apparatus is suitable for holding conduit at fixed distances from a molded surface, where the rods extend transverse thereto, but it is not suitable for holding a plurality of conduits one above the other transverse to said molded surface. The present invention is an improvement on the prior apparatus. It is suited for making a cylindrical heater where it is desired to have the wires run in a helical pattern with respect to the OMPI longitudinal axis, either near the bore or cir¬ cumferential exterior surface. While there are many known means for supporting conduits and the like in . place within objects being molded, very few of them are at the same time simple in construction, low in cost, and easily removable from the mold after the cast material has filled it. And it is quite desirable to remove the support means of the conduit after molding in order to obtain an entirely homogenous interior ceramic structure. In the absence of such, the conductivity of the structure will not be uniform and the resultant discontinuities can create structural flaws which may cause premature failure. Thus, it is an object of the present invention that the support means be suited to precisely position conduit within a mold, where the conduits are arrayed in serial fashion along an axis. It is a further object that the support means be withdrawable after molding but before setting. Disclosure of the Invention According to the invention, wires or other flexible conduits are held in place in a mold by use of a plurality of fixed rods which extend into the mold, Each rod has one or more transverse notches along its length; the notches are suitable to receive wires. Associated with each wire in a notch is a cord which loops around the rod and presses the wire perpendicular to the rod length to hold it in place during the C ϊFI molding of the article. When the article is formed, as by casting a ceramic slurry, the wires are essentially captured in place and the cords can be released and withdrawn from the mold. Each rod is then rotated about its length to move the notch away from the wire, whereupon each rod can be withdrawn longitudinally from the molded article. The molded material is then caused to settle into the hole created at each rod location. Upon hardening of the material the wires will be found to be accurately placed. Since as many notches as desired can be placed along the length of the rod, many wires can be positioned vertically close together. As such, the apparatus is par- ti.cularly suited for making helical or circumferential windings in a hollow cylinder molded article. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of pre- ferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. Brief Description of Drawings Figure 1 shows a partial cross section of a mold usable for making a hollow cylindrical article. Rods extend into the mold to support flexible wires therein. Figure 2 is a view of the lower end of a rod like that shown in Figure 1, showing how one of the wires is held in place with a looping cord. O PI Figure 3 is a more detail view of the rod and cord of Figure 2. Figure 4 shows an alternate shape of notch. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The present invention is described in terms of the embedding of heater wires within the body of a hollow cylindrical ceramic heater which is made in a vertical open-top mold. However, it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention are usable with other configurations of molds and they will be suitable for embedding other flexible conduits within other moldable articles. Figure 1 shows in partial sectional view a mold 20 having a bottom plate 22, an inner cylindrical wall 24 and an outer cylindrical wall 26, both attached to the plate. Two flexible insulated wire conduits 28, 30 are shown suspended within the annular space 32 of the mold. The wires 28, 30 are suspended off rods 34, one of which 38 is principally viewable at the front of the Figure. Each rod is fixed with respect to the mold by being attached to a crossbar 36 or the like. Figures 2 and 3 show the rod 38 in detail, but holding only a single wire 28. The rod 38 has a plurality of notches 42 along its lengthwise side near the end that projects into the interior of the mold. The wire 28 rests in the lower notch 42a and it is held in place by cord 44 which makes a looping path from the upper or exterior end of the rod, down O PI over the wire 28 and around the rear side of the strut 38; then back to the front and passing under the wire; and,, then running together with the first end of the cord to the top of the rod. Both ends are pulled tight and fastened securely at the ex¬ terior end of the rod; this tends to draw the conduit into the notch. For each flexible wire conduit there is a cord, as shown in Figure 1. The cords are individually or collectively clamped at the top end of the rod, as by an elastic band. In use, molded material which is to comprise the article, such as a ceramic slurry, is poured into the cavity 32 of the mold and essentially allowed to fill it after the wires have been secured. Vibration and other means of getting a good fill free of air bubbles are used. When the mold product material has been sufficiently settled, the cords which retain each of the wires in their respective notches are released, and ' by pulling on one end of the cord, the cord may be pulled along its path and out of the mold cavity. When all the cords relating to a particular rod are released, the rod can be rotated about 90 degrees or more, sufficient to disengage the notches from the wires which are essentially captured in the mold product material. This causes a slight lateral motion of the wires at each rod location into the still unhardened material. The rod can then be withdrawn vertically upward and out of the ceramic material. A slight amount of further vibration after all the rods are withdrawn causes -fURE O PI the material to settle further and fill the cavity where each rod previously was. Since the rods are relatively small in diameter with respect to the volume of the mold interior and since they are relatively spaced apart, the subsequent filling of the cavities created by the rod withdrawals does not substantially affect the placement of the wire in the molded article. Figure 3 shows the part-circular shape which is preferred for the notch. Figure 4 shows an angular shape notch 46 which is also usable. Other shaped notches will also be useful so long as the upwardly directed force component is resisted. Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

Claims: I claim: 1. Apparatus for suspending a conduit within a molded product, comprising a mold for defining the shape of the molded product and a plurality of fixed rods, the lengths thereof extending from the exterior into the interior of the mold, the conduit releasably fastened to the rods in the desired suspended position, characterized by the rods each having at least one notch on a lengthwise side thereof, the conduit resting in the notch and being held therein by a tensioned flexible member which runs along the length of the rod and which is releasable from the exterior end of the rod. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 characterized in that the flexible member is a looping cord which extends as an open loop from the exterior end of the rod along the length thereof, to the vicinity of the conduit where it passes over the conduit and loops around the rod, to then return to the exterior end of the rod, the loop being fastened at the exterior rod end so that the tension on the loop causes the conduit to be forced into the notch. 3. The method of suspending a conduit within a' molded product characterized by using the apparatus of claim 1 and releasing the looping cord after filling the mold with material, and then withdrawing the rods from the molded product. 4. The method of suspending a conduit within a molded product characterized by using the apparatus of claim 2 and releasing the looping cord after the . mold has been filled with molded product material, pulling the looping cord from the mold; rotating each rod about is lengthwise axis so that the conduit is no longer contained within the notch; withdrawing the rod along its lengthwise axis, and then causing the molded product material to fill the hole created by the withdrawal of the rod. __ O P * Yr.r

Inventors: DILLNER JAMES R, DILLNER, JAMES, R.
Applicants: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP, UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B28B23
IPC codes: B28B23, B29C70