Patent GB-205231-A (GB)
Title: Machines for making wire link fabrics
IPC: B21F27/12
Filed: 1922-07-20
Abstract: 205,231. Richardson, H. July 20, 1922. Making chains and metal fabrics; bending-formers; shearing-adjuncts.- In a machine for making wire-chain fabrics, particularly for couch and bad bottoms the chains are formed as successive independent lengths, each composed of a predetermined number of endwise interlocked links, and the links of one chain are connected laterally to the links of a successive chain. The links are made by bending a length of wire intb hair-pin form, then forming eyes a, Fig. 33, on the ends of the wire by bending round a second length of wire and round a mandrel parallel therewith, and immediately thereafter bending down one end as shown at c, then forming a lateral loop d on one end and bending one or both the extremities under the body members as shown in Fig. 34, and then flattening the loop d and clinching one or both extremities as shown in Fig. 35. In making a series of unconnected chain fabrics of the type shown in Fig. 56, and described in Specification 13417/14, [Class 45 Fencing &c.], the links forming the first chain of each fabric, and the last link of each chain are of the form shown in Fig. 35, but the remaining links have longer cross-connecting members c which serve to connect them to the corresponding links of the preceding chain. The apparatus comprises a wire feed, link and chain forming elements, a chain feed and fabric assembling means. Wire feed. The wire is fed from a reel through straightening rolls and passes thence through guides across a channel 81 in the table and into an open-ended slot 127, Fig. 14 in the first banding member. The feed is effected by a pair of pawls 32, Fig. 4, pivoted at 33 to a slide 31 and pressed against the wire by a spring 35. This slide is traversed by a link 42, Fig. 11, connected to an elbow lever 39, which is oscillated by an extensible pitman 46, 43 operated by gearing 15, 14 from a cam shaft 13 driven by spur gearing from a pulley loosely mounted on the shaft 3. The part 46 of the pitman has pins 49 which are normally held by a spring 48 in contact with blocks 45, 44 on the part 43, but which may be moved relatively thereto as shown in Fig. 11, when effecting a short feed for forming links without cross-connecting members. To obtain a short feed for the last link of each chain, a lug 92 on a disc 91, carried by a shaft 82, at the end of one revolution thereof engages a lever 93 on a rock shaft 94 so as to raise an adjustable stop 98 on an arm 97 into the path of the slide 31 to limit its outward movement. The shaft 82 carries a disc 86 to which is secured a ratchet wheel 87, Fig. 28, having one more teeth than the number of links in a chain and rotated by a pawl 88 carried by a slide 61 which is operated in one direction by a cam 58 on a transverse shaft 18 driven by bevel gear from the shaft 13. In order to obtain a short feed when making the first chain of each fabric, the lever 93, Fig. 27, has a pin 108 which is engaged by a lug 107 on a disc 106 secured to a ratchet wheel 105 which is loosely mounted on the shaft 82 and is rotated by a pawl lever 104 carried by an arm 103 loosely mounted on the shaft 94. The arm 103 carries a lug 102 which is engaged by a pin 101, Fig. 11 on the back of the disc 91 so as to operate the pawl lever 104. The feed of the wire is disengaged for one stroke of the carriage, when a chain of desired length has been obtained, by a pin 119, Fig. 5 on the disc 91, which engages a vertical arm 116 on a horizontal lever 113 and through a pivoted link 117 rocks a pivoted bar 109 so as to strike members 112 projecting from the feed pawls 32 to remove them from the wire. In order that the final link of each chain mav be bent to proper shape a dummy wire is used to replace a wire which normally forms the next link. This wire is carried by a sliding block having a flexible rod 31, Fig. 4, with an adjustable collar attached by a spring to a stationary bracket. The rod 311 is bent by the movement of the lever 113 so as to bring a second adjustable collar thereon into the path of the carriage. The lengths of wire to form successive links are severed by the oscillation of a pivoted guide 51, Fig. 28, through which the wire passes, against an adjustable fixed cutter. Link and chain forming. The cut blank is bent into hairpin form by the pawl 128, Fig. 31 of a series of spring- pressed pawls 128, 131, 132, 133, 264 &c. which project over the channel 81 and are carried by a reciprocating feed bar 129. The ends of the limbs are first bent to form the eyes a bv the notched arc-shaped end 144, Fig. 14 of a slotted member 124 which is rotatably mounted on a slotted core 122 in a spring-retracted slide 121 which is moved into the path of the work by a cam 146 on tha shaft 13. A clamp 143 on the second slide, Fig. 31 holds the limbs of the body member. The core has an eccentric mandrel 145 over which and also over a second wire which has now been fed into place, the eyes are formed. The member 124 is toothed at 125 and is oscillated by an adjustable reciprocated rack 152. The part c is then bent down as shown in Fig. 33 by a cam-operated lever 164 with an oblique groove in its face. On the next forward movement of the feed bar 129 the link is brought to the second bending member and the second link bent into hairpin form This member consists of a slide 184, Figs. 18 and 21 containing a member 193 surrounding and connected to a rod 192 by a pin and slot so as to allow limited relative rotary motion. The rod has an eccentric mandrel 197 and the member 193 a grooved eccentric spur 198. The member 193 carries an elongated pinion 194 which is driven by a cam-operated reciprocating rack 201. The member 193 first moves to bring the wire into contact with the mandral, whereupon both parts are rotated to the position shown in Fig. 18 to form the loop d, the end of the wire being guided by an inclined member 211. The body members are clamped by the part 212 during bending, the eyes a are held by a tapered finger 214. The wire projecting beyond the loop d and also the end of the part c of links without cross-connecting elements are bent under the body members respectively, by inclined and recessed portions on the toe of a lever 222 which is pivoted to a member 219 adjustable on a camoperated lever 218. The cross-connecting elements of the other links are pushed aside by engagement with the lever 222 and are left unbent. The link is now engaged by the pawl 131, Fig. 31 to bring it to the third bending member. This consists of a cam-operated slide 235, Fig. 23 carrying a spur 246 for entering the eye a and a pivoted arm 245 for flattening the loop d. The forward end of the slide is wedge-shapad to engage a spring plate 252 under the link to clinch the ends of the wire. The cross-arm and the body member of the link are held in position by clamps during these operations. Chain feed. The chain is fed off the third bender by the pawl 132, Fig. 31, and fed up an inclined groove 81<1> by a pawl 133 having a pivoted nose piece 133<1> and a projecting finger 133<a> to prevent flying up of the advance end of the first link. A further series of pawls 264 pressed by springs 266 against stops 267 serve to feed the chain forward. The guide channel 81 is covered by a series of pivoted spring guards which are pushed out of the way by the pawls in their forward movement. The chain is held after each advance movement of the feed bar 129 by a series of transversely reciprocating rods 287, having fingers 292, for engaging the eyes a and projecting fingers 293. These rods are connected by pins 297, to slotted arms 296 which are keyed to a shaft 295 rocked in the forward direction by a cam 298 through arms 301 and retracted by another cam on the shaft 13 through a link connected at one end to an arm on the rock shaft and at the other end to an arm loose on the shaft 423. The first rod 287<1>, Fig. 26, has an upwardly turned forward edge and a shorter finger and is separately operated by arms 344, 345 connected by a link 347. When the complete chain has run into the channel the rods 287 ara given a greater movement to transfer the chains to the groove 316 which is formed with notches containing projecting tongues. This is effected by a pin on the disc 86, Fig. 11, which lifts a lever carrying at its other end a pin engaging a hole in a crank arm on a shaft 323, Fig. 26, which is normally held in position by a combined torsion and compression spring. This shaft has a crank arm 324 with a pin 325 engaging a link 326 pivoted to a loosa disc 327 having a notch 331. When the shaft 323 is rocked the notch 331 is brought into alignment with a notch 329 on a disc 328 fixed to the shaft 295 so that a pawl lever 334 engaged by a cam 332 on the shaft 113 may slip into the notch 329 and thus oscillate the shaft 295. The pawl lever is normally held out of action by a roller 336 engaging the disc 327. A spring-pressed bar 348, Fig. 46 with lugs 349 retains the chain in the channel 316 during withdrawal of the rods 287. Fabric assembling. The cross members of the chain project over mandrels 354, Fig. 46 on the edge of the table and are bent down by notched arms 358 on a shaft 357 rocked by a cam 361, Fig. 26 on a shaft 25 through a link 363 connected to arms 364 and 367. The arm 364 may be extended' to form a hand lever 370 and may have a stop for limiting its movement. Notched slides 374, Fig. 46, are now operated by cams 377, Fig. 43 through arms 382 to hold the members at the bend, these slides carrying also spring clamping feet 376. A pivoted frame 386, Fig. 46 is now raised to pass the cross members through the lateral loops d of the previous chain which is carried in grooves in the end of a series of members 389 pivoted at 388 in laterally tapered grooves 387 with inclined lower surfaces covered by a guard plate 390. The wires are guided through funnel shaped open-ended slots 395 in arms 394 which are pivoted to the members 3