Patent GB-334168-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of flexible shafting and machines therefor
IPC: B21F17/00
Filed: 1929-02-26
Abstract: 334,168. Morin, L. H. Feb. 26, 1929. Coiling ; winding and reeling, - In making flexible shafts, a core wire is continuously fed through a number of rotary coiling heads, alternate heads of which are rotated in opposite directions so as to coil simultaneously a number of layers of wire round the core in alternately reversed directions. The core wire 4 is carried by a frictionally retarded spool 3 and passes over a spring-pressed guide 11 through four rotary coiling heads 12 provided adjacent thereto with feed devices 14 for the. core, and then through a rotary head 13 for flexing the shaft to increase its flexibility. Successive heads are rotated in opposite directions from the shaft 21 by bevel gear 24, 25, through adjustable spur gear and further bevel gear 37, 38, Fig. 5. Each head consists cf a pair of spaced discs 42, 43 secured to a flange 41 on the shaft 39 and carrying a number of, preferably, five, spools 46 for the wire to be coiled. The wires from the spools pass via friction spring guides 48 through holes in pegs 50 on a ring 49 bolted to the disc 42 and through holes drilled radially at five points spaced axially along a sleeve 51, through which the core passes. The core is fed continuously by ball clutches 63 arranged one behind the other on three reciprocating parallel shafts 62, which are mounted in radial arms 61 on a housing 60 and carry roller heads 69 pressed by springs 75 into contact with a cam 71. The cam is rotated by spur gear from a shaft 59 driven by worm gear 58 and bevel gear 53 from the shaft 21. Each ball clutch consists of balls 65 mounted in an element 66 and pressed by a spring 67 into contact with a tapered sleeve 64 which is mounted in an arm 63<a> secured to its shaft 62. The clutches thus operate in sequence during the return stroke of the shafts so as to obtain a continuous feed of the core. In starting the coiling operation the ends of the wires from each head are in turn secured to the core or to the layers already coiled thereon. After coiling is completed the work passes through the rotary flexing head which consists of three radial arms 80, each provided with a set of adjustable rollers 81 arranged at unequal distances from the core. The driving shaft 21 is controlled by a clutch 22 operated through a lever 86 by a rod 88 extending the full length of the machine. In a modification the core may be fed by the coiling head assisted, if necessary, by a single feeder unit of the kind described, mounted beyond the flexing head or between the flexing head and the final coiling head. In this form each coiling head comprises a pair of discs 109, 108, Fig. 15, the disc 109 carrying a number of spring-pressed cups 115 engaging the spools 111 so as to retard t'hem and the disc 108 carrying a central truncated cone 117 over which the wire slides during coiling so as to crowd between the end of the cone and the last convolution and thus to feed forward the core. The movement of the wires down the surface of the cone is restricted by an adjustable spring-pressed keeper 119 having an internally coned face. The shaft after passing through the last coiling head passes through spring-pressed pivoted jaws 125, 126 to hold it against the inherent feeding action of the coiling heads so as to retard the feed and thus obtain a closely wound product.