Patent GB-715911-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for building belts
IPC: B29D29/06
Filed: 1952-02-04
Abstract: 715,911. Cord fabrics; compound sheet materials. WINGFOOT CORPORATION. Feb. 4, 1952 [June 23, 1951], No. 2865/52. Class 140 In building flat conveyer belts comprising a number of parallel tension elements such as cords or wires, the elements are divided into groups in each of which the elements, suitably spaced, are clamped at substantially the same longitudinal position, the free portions of the elements are aligned, e.g. by a comb, a tensionproducing device, e.g. a weight, is attached to each element to tension it to the same degree, and then, while so aligned and tensioned, the group is further clamped at a point remote from the first clamped portion. When all the groups in a belt section have been thus treated a layer of rubber or rubber-like material, or fabric, or both, is applied to the aligned and tensioned elements. Tension elements 4, Fig. 5, which may be wire cables, textile cords, or both, fed from a creel, are led as shown by the dotted lines under rollers 7, over a roll 17, beneath a roll 9, through a comb 24, through a clamp 11 in the open position, and on to an elongated horizontal table 12. The ends of all the elements are clamped in a second clamp mounted on a carriage which straddles table 12 and can be moved from one end to the other of it. The second clamp is then moved from its initial position close to clamp 11 to the remote end of the table, drawing the tension elements through clamp 11 and comb 24. The movable clamp is anchored at the remote end of the table and is lowered until the tension elements rest on the table. The elements in a group selected for tensioning are transferred from roller 17 to rollers 8 as shown by the solid lines and identical weights 18 are clamped on to the vertical portion of each element between the rollers 7 and 8. Clamp 11 is subdivided laterally to provide a separate pair of jaws for each group of cords, and the pair of jaws corresponding to the group just tensioned is now operated to clamp the equally-tensioned elements. The elements of this group are removed from rollers 8, and the process is repeated for the remaining groups until all the elements have been tensioned. The tensioning process using weights may be omitted for textile yarns acting merely as fillers. The rubber or rubber-like layer is then laid on the tensioned wires &c. being unwound from a roll 51, Fig. 3, mounted on a carriage 47 which is propelled from one end of the table 12 to the other. The rubber is deposited on the wires 4 and pressed thereon by a roller 54 mounted on the carriage. The carriage may be provided with heating lamps 58 and 59 to heat the rubber &c. or the wires which may be precoated with coumaroneindene resin. An adhesion-preventing liner used to separate the coils of the rubber sheet is wound on a roll 52. A layer of fabric may be similarly applied on top of the rubber, with the lamps 58 and 59 inoperative. The movable clamps are released, the carriage carrying the clamps is moved back to its initial position near clamps 11, the movable clamps are operated to grip the tension elements, clamps 11 are opened, and the process of treating the next section of tension elements commences with the first treated section being wound up on a roll at the remote. end of the table while the movable clamp draws a fresh set of tension elements through comb 24, open clamp 11, and over table 12.