Patent GB-608509-A (GB)
Title: Wringers
IPC: D06F45/18
Filed: 1945-12-20
Abstract: 608,509. Wringers. LOVELL MANUFACTURING CO. Dec. 20, 1945, No. 34530. Convention date, Dec. 26, 1944. [Class 138(ii)] A wringer comprises upper and lower frame members 75, 71, Figs. 6 and 7, hinged together at one end for movement about an axis transverse to the two rolls 72, 68 which are disposed in the respective frame members, and spring means exerting a torque urging the frame members together about said axis. The lower roll 68 is carried in bearings 69 in side stiles 70, 70a, at the opposite ends of the lower frame member 71 which is fixed to the head 51. The upper roll 72 is carried in bearings 73 slidably received in side stile 74, 74a, fixed to the upper frame member 75, which is hinged at 80 to the head 51. The bearings 73 are held by straps 76 at opposite ends of an equalizer bar 77 pivoted centrally within the upper frame member 75. The rollpressure mechanism consists of a toggle, of which one link 81 is'of channel cross-section and is mounted at one end on pivot pins 84, 85 journalled in ears 86 on the head 51. The second link of the toggle comprises a compression spring 97 which engages between a member 93 pivoted on a pin 94 fixed between the sides 95 of a bracket 96 on the side stile 74 and a cross-member 87 which is pivoted on pins 89 at the upper end of the link 81. A bolt 91, which is in slidable engagement with an opening 90 in the cross-member 87, has screw-threaded connection at its lower end with a projection 92 on the member 93. Roll pressure is applied by manually swinging the upper frame towards the lower frame, the arrangement being such that, when the upper roll is just short of contact with the lower roll, the pin 94 is slightly below a line joining the centres of the hinge 80 and pivot pins 84, 85 so that the spring 97 then tends to pivot the toggle link 81 in a clockwise direction. This swinging movement of the link 81 is limited by one of a series of stops 98 depending upon the pressure desired. In this position, the toggle is held against counter-clockwise movement, which might occur as the pin 94 moves relatively to the pins 84, 85 when the rolls separate during wringing, by a pawl 99 maintained by a tension spring 100 in engagement with one of a series of ratchet teeth on the link 81. A handle 102, Fig. 7, mounted on the pin 84 is provided with an arm 103 which operates, when the handle is rotated first to disengage the pawl and then, if necessary, to move the link 81 to pressure-release position. When released, the link 81 turns so that it rests on the wringer head and the spring 97 then tends to pivot the upper frame away from the lower frame. The mechanism for driving the rolls comprises a gear 64, Fig. 6, on a shaft 65 which is coupled to the lower roll shaft 67 and adapted to be driven in either direction, under the control of a clutch member 61, from a driving shaft 59 through gearing 57, 58, 63. The wringer head 51 has a depending sleeve 52, which fits into a tubular post 53 surrounding the shaft 59 and is held in the desired angular position therein by a pin 54 co-operating with one of a series of holes 55 in a collar 56 on the post. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the toggle mechanism similarly comprises a link 25 mounted on pivot pins 26a and a compression spring 38, the arrangement in this case being such that in the pressureapplying position the spring tends to pivot the link towards the pressure-release position. This movement is prevented by the engagement of a tooth 41 on a twoarmed pivoted latch with one of a series of ratchet teeth 42 on the link. Downward pressure on either arm of the latch releases this engagement, and the spring 38 moves the toggle to release position. Roll pressure is applied by a handle which is pivoted on an index member fixed to one of the pivoted pins 26a; when the handle is rotated, a shoulder thereon engages the index member and turns the pin 26a and link 25. In the further modification shown in Fig. 22, the side stiles 110, 111 for slidably receiving the bearing blocks for the upper and lower rolls 112, 113 are fixed to the bottom frame member 109. The bearing blocks 114 for the lower roll are rigidly carried in seats 115, and the bearing blocks 116 for the upper roll are pivoted at 117 on carriers 117a positioned by adjusting screws 117b on a top bar 118 hinged at 119 on the wringer head. The toggle mechanism comprises a link 120 pivoted at 121 on the side stile 111 and a link 122 which is pivoted at 123 on the side stile 111 and carries a pin 24 slidably received in slots 125 in the side walls 126 of the link 120. A compression spring 127 mounted between the link 124 and the bottom wall 128 of the link 120 urges the link to released position. , The toggle is held in set position by the engagement of a latch 129 on a pivoted release bar 130 with a hook 131 on the link 122. Instead of using a pressure-equalizing bar to even out the pressure variation from one end of the rollers to the other, the spacing of the roll bearings may be adjusted so that the rolls converge towards the toggle end and are initially less compressed at the hinged end where the pressure caused by the toggle mechanism is the greater. The same effect could be obtained by varying the stiffness of the rubber rolls throughout their length, with the softest rubber at the hinged end; in such an arrangement, the both rubber rolls may be of truncatedconical core of hard rubber and an outer covering of soft rubber. Alternatively, both rubber rolls may be of truncated conical form and arranged with their axes in parallel relation, the rolls being squeezed together so that the line of contact between them is parallel to their axes. Instead of setting the roll bearings to compensate for the variation in roll pressure due to the toggle, they may be arranged to accentuate the pressure variation, wringing pressure being then least at the toggle end of the rolls.