Patent GB-364127-A (GB)
Title: A machine for forming wire fabric
IPC: B21F27/08
Filed: 1930-06-24
Abstract: 364,127. Making metal fabrics. BLASHILL, A. E., 39, Carter Knowle Road, Sheffield. June 24, 1930, No. 19256. [Class 83 (iv).] Angular bending; twisting wires together; corrugating; dies; formers ; shearing-adjuncts; winding and reeling ; welding.-In a machine for making wire fabric of the kind comprising line wires 4 and transverse stay wires 5 held together by separate wire locks at their crossing points and having the stay wire ends coiled round the outside line wires the latter are drawn from reels and carried round a drum 42 by grippers 41 on the drum, the stay wire 5 is fed in at right-angles by a feed device 43 carrying a cutter for cutting the wire 5 into lengths which are pushed through a curved guide tube 85 and fed into position at higher speed by feed rollers 67, and the wires 25 for the locks are fed forwards, lengths are severed therefrom and bent into staples which are pushed down slots 14, Fig. 28, in pairs of dies 7a, 7b closed upon the main wire crossings, the die recesses being shaped to curl the wire locks about the crossings as the staples are pushed home, thus forming the wire locks 18, Fig. 25. The die parts are carried in carriers adjustable transversely of the machine for any desired spacing of the line wires ; each carrier is formed of a transversely disposed arm 6, Figs. 3, 3a, and an oblique arm 6a, the ends of the arms being detachably secured by keys 9 and slots 8 to bars 150 connected to the sides of the table 2. Die parts 7a are fixed to arms 6a and die parts 7b are carried by slides 19 movable in the arms 6 for opening and closing the dies by links 21 connected by breaking pins 22 to bars 20 operated by cams 177, 185. The staple forming and feeding means are carried in the oblique arms 6a and each comprises slides 11, 12, Figs. 6 and 12. Slide 11 cuts off a length of wire 10a and bends it to staple form over an anvil 13 moved into position by a bar 40 ; the anvil is then moved aside and slide 12 moved forward to punch the staple 10, Fig. 28, down the slot 14 in die part 7a. Slides 11 are toothed and operated by reciprocating toothed bars 23 ; slides 12 are operated by reciprocating bars 150a and links 150b. The wires 25 for the wire locks are drawn from reels 135, Fig. 78, by ball grip reciprocating feed devices 30, 31, 32, Fig. 31, operated by a toothed skew rack 28, Fig. 1. The line wires are drawn from reels 133, Fig. 78, which reels do not rotate, the wire being led therefrom by arms 149 rotated by the pull of the wire. The line wires 4 are waved by means of skew rolls 44, Fig. 34, the intermediate rolls of which are adjustable by toothed sectors 47. This figure also shows an oil tank 36 and rolls 35 for lubricating the wires 25 for the wire locks. Feed drum 42 is continuously rotated by a chain 107 and the movable grippers 41a, Fig. 40, are each actuated to grip and feed the line wires intermittently by means of a link 53 and rod 48 operated by a cam 50. During the formation of the wire locks the feed of the line wires is interrupted, and to permit the drum 42 to continue to rotate it is adapted to be lowered and is supported for this purpose on movable uprights 113 lowered at the proper intervals by suitable means. The stay wire 5 is fed and cut by means shown in Figs. 60 and 67, comprising endless chains 90 provided with projections 92 and grooves 91 and supported by bars 102, 93, the latter pressed down to effect gripping of the wire by a spring rod 94, arm 99 and pin 101 with a ledge engaging a corresponding opening in 93. Wire 5 is cut by a cutter 105 on one of the upper chain links. The ends of the stay wire are coiled round the outside line wires by mechanism shown in Fig. 52, comprising a rotary sleeve 70 with bore 71, 71b for passage of the line wire and having a coiling projection 74 ; the end of the stay wire being bent down to engage the coiling projection by a movable guide member 72. As shown in Fig. 1 two widths of fabric are made on the one machine and means are provided for severing the stay wires in the middle such means, shown in Fig. 58, comprising a fixed member 166b co-operating with a movable shear blade 166a operated by a link 168, slide 76 and rack 75, the severed ends being then coiled round middle line wires 4a. The finished fabric is wound on a collapsable drum 56, Fig. 45, formed of segments 57 with tapered parts 59 coacting with tapered parts 58 on a rod 63 operable by a pedal 60 for collapsing the drum. An alarm is sounded after particular lengths of fabric have been produced by a drum 118, Fig. 71, provided with a number of contacts 126 round its periphery and adapted to contact with a fixed arm 127 to close the circuit of the alarm, and the total amount of fabric fed by the drum 42 is recorded by a drum 123, Fig. 73, having a numbered periphery and driven by reduction gearing from the chain 107 which drives the drum 42. Welding apparatus 140, Fig. 78, is provided for joining up the ends of used wire reels to new ones.