Patent GB-542657-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines organised for exerting a thickness measuring action on articles of sheet material and for dealing with said articles in accordance with measured thickness thereof
IPC: A43D1/08
Filed: 1940-06-12
Abstract: 542,657. Gauging linear dimensions. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO., Ltd., GOULDBORN, J., and HEATHER, C. H. June 12, 1940, No. 10198. [Class 106 (ii)] [Also in Group VIII] A machine for measuring, marking and splitting boot or shoe parts or other articles of sheet material of the general type set out in Specifications 17808/09 and 244,529, [both in Class 106 (ii)], comprises an upper roll 1 and a lower knurled feeler roll 3 supported so that it can yield bodily and tilt, this roll terminating in short spindles 23, 35 carried in end bearings 25, 37 which are slidable up and down in guides 51, 47. Roll 3 is hollow and is driven from a gear 45 by a driving rod 33 connected to the gear by a universal coupling 41 and centrally to the roller by another universal coupling 29. The roll bearings 25, 37 are bolted to a carrier bar 55 provided at the centre with an inverted cup 59 engaged by a vertical rod 61 bearing in a hollow at the end of a pivoted lever 63 having two other arms 83, 69 the latter of which is connected to a spring 71 whicH thus acts to support the roll 3 at the centre in a resilient manner ; the tension of the spring is adjustable by a screw 77 in a pivoted arm 73. The transverse bar 55 has a groove 57 in its under face engaged by the ends of two vertical rods 85 guided in openings in a pair of arms 87 movable together and apart along a supporting shaft 89 by a right and left screw 97 geared to another right and left screw 105 which at the same time adjusts workpiece edge guides 107 to locate the rods 85 just inwards of the guides 107. Cylindrical portions 109 at the lower ends of the rods 85 are seated in rounded grooves 111 in a pair of measuring arms 113 pivoted on a shaft 115 and having rounded recesses 117 at the ends engaged by round headed projections 119 on a triangular frame 121 terminating in a V edge 125 supported by a link 127 with V recess engaging a V-shaped stud 129 on a pressure lever 131 pivotally connected at 133 to a spring plunger 135 and at the other end to a link 141 connected to an arm 143 of a lever 145 pivoted on the shaft 115 which lever 145 has a forked lower end 147 located between collars on an adjustment screw 151 engaging a threaded hole in a lug on a downwardly extending lever 149 pivoted on the shaft 115. A feeler arm 153 is secured on the shaft 115 between the measuring arms 113 and has projections 155 engaging the upper faces of the measuring arms. The action of the spring plunger 135 is to press the left hand end of pressure lever 131 upwardly this through link 127 and tiltable member 121 holding rods 85 in contact with cross bar 55 and to pull the right hand end of pressure lever 131 downwards and through link 141 to urge the feeler arm projections 155 downwardly towards the measuring arms 113. Lever 149 is connected to a rod 159 controlling a lever 163 operating an auxiliary valve rod 173 of a main valve 183 of a fluid pressure device comprising a cylinder 245 and piston 247 carrying a rack bar which actuates setting device for the splitting rolls and knife at the rear of the machine as described in Specification 244,529, [Class 106 (ii)]. The valve. device operates in similar manner to that described in Specification 153,938, [Class 17 (i)]. Pressure fluid is raised from a sump and delivered by a pump 219 through a pipe 217 to the centre space 213 between the main valve plunger 183 and its surrounding bushing 185 and thence by parts 249, 251 controlled by valve ports 207, 205 to either of the passages 241, 243 leading to the front or rear of the piston 247 ; other spaces 211, 215 around the valve plunger serve to exhaust fluid from the ports 251, 249 to exhaust ports 273, 275 and back through pipe 227 to the sump. Fluid also passes through ports 277 to the hollow interior of the valve plunger 183 and may thus influence the auxiliary valve rod 173 to admit fluid between a reduced part 191 and a bushing 181 and through ports 193, 195 to a chamber 197 around the front of the valve plunger 183. Movement of the lever 149 to the right consequent on a reduction in thickness of the workpiece passing between the feeler rolls thus moves auxiliary valve rod 173 inward causing more fluid to pass to the chamber 197 and push the main valve plunger 183 to the right so that fluid passes to the front of the piston 247 and is exhausted from the rear thereof which moves the splitting &c. adjustment rack to the right until a spring 231 at the back of the valve plunger restores the latter to its normal position. The spring 231 may be dispensed with by admitting fluid through a port at the rear end of the main valve plunger controlled by an extension of the auxiliary valve rod. One workpiece may be measured by the 'feeler rolls at the front of the machine while another workpiece previously fed into the machine and measured by the feeler rolls is being evened by the splitting mechanism and marked. A spring 167 around the rod 159 urges lever 163 to the right and screw stud 169 into contact with the head 171 of the auxiliary valve rod, the nut 253 on rod 159 being set usually such a distance away from block 161 that it does not engage it until the feeler roll 3 has moved down 1/24 inch. Adjustment by screw 151 to vary the distance of nut 253 from block 161 provides for removing more or less material by the splitting knife from a workpiece of measured thickness. Soon after the leading end of the workpiece has passed the feeler rolls locking means as follows prevents forward movement of lever 149 in response to increases of thickness of the workpiece but allows rearward movement in response to a decrease, this means comprising a bar 259 pivoted at 260 to lever 149 and coacting with a pivoted wedge member 261 having a pin 265 engaging a slot 267 with lower end of a rod 269 connected by lever arms 271, 275 on a shaft 273 to a slidable bar 277 having a lug 279 engaged by an arm 281 on a shaft 283 carrying a rod 285 having an adjustable shoe 287 raised by the leading end of the workpiece, the arrangement being such that the wedge member 261 engages the bar 259 when the thinned work which the machine is capable of operating upon passes beneath the shoe 287 and when thicker work passes beneath the shoe the slot 267 in rod 269 allows the latter to move downwardly. Rearward movement of the lever 149 is prevented when the rear end of the workpiece leaves the feeler rolls thus allowing the gate 84 pivoted on shaft 315 to drop by a pawl 301 pivoted to the lower end of lever 149 and normally held out of engagement with a fixed rack 305 by a rod 311 pivoted to an arm 313 on the shaft 315 ; gate 84 is normally held in raised position by a bar 297 but downward movement of the roll 3 when a workpiece enters the feeler rolls causes arm 83 to rock downwards which pulls bar 295 away from bar 297 allowing the latter to fall and release the gate which falls on to the workpiece. The mechanism at the rear of the machine for evening and marking the workpiece operates in the same manner as that described in Specification 244,529, [Class 106 (ii)], the maximum thickness of the workpiece measured by the feeler rolls being transferred to the mechanism by the fluid-pressure device and the workpiece evened to this measurement. Specification 542,692 also is referred to.