Patent GB-263921-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in the production of welded wire fabric and apparatus therefor
IPC: B21F27/10
Filed: 1925-10-03
Abstract: 263,921. Pilkington Bros., Ltd., and Armstrong, A. Oct. 3, 1925. Wire fabrics.-Wire fabrics are made by juxtaposing two sets of parallel wires so that each wire of each set is at an angle to each wire of the other set and to the length of the fabric and then welding together the wires of the two sets at their crossing points. The wires 5 are carried by spools 3<a> on an intermittently rotated drum 3, are passed through perforations 29, Fig. 5, in the substantially semi-cylindrical portion of a series of carriers 25 arranged in superposed rows and provided with lugs 27 engaged by screws 6, 7, so as to traverse them in an endless path round a plate 29, are welded at 8, and the fabric passed over a feed drum 10 and wound on a drum 11. The drum 3 is rotated by gearing 22, 18, change speed gear 19 and ratchet mechanism 20, 21, from a shaft 15 rotated by spiral gear 14, 13 from the main shaft 12. The screws 6, 7 are rotated by spur gears 77, 76, Fig. 9, intermittent gears 75, 74, and gears 72, 70, 69 from the main shaft and the drum 10 is operated by ratchet gearing 56, 58 from an eccentric 84 on the shaft 71. The end carriers at the opposite ends of the two rows slide over tongues 30, Fig. 5, on a pair of transfer spindles 31, Fig. 1, which are rotated from the shaft 15 by bevel gear 39, intermittent bevel gears 37, 36, and spiral gear 32, so as to transfer the end carriers to the opposite rows, the screws having slots 96 to permit of the rotation of the carriers. The wires are thus bent over selvedge wires passing through perforations 88 in the transfer-spindle tongues from fixed spools 89. Welding is effected between two stationary bars 38, Fig. 6, and two staggered series of spring-pressed dies 40 which are carried by a head 8 reciprocated by cams 78, Fig. 9, through levers 80 and rods 43. The head is provided with a bar 44, having notches into which the free crossing point of each mesh is forced by a bar 45 to ensure uniformity in the meshes. The bar 45 is operated by lugs 46 from a lever 50 connected to a rod 83 pivoted at 82 to the lever 80. The fabric is gripped between the semi-cylindrical halves 11, 11<a>, Fig. 14, of a drum by end pieces 60, 60<a>, secured by bolts and wing nuts 61. The parts 60a formed with end plates having stub shafts 62. A spring- pressed sleeve 65 is mounted on one of the stub shafts and carries a plate 64, serving as a friction clutch. The sleeve is driven by chain gear from the shaft 59 of the drum 10 so that the drum 11, when empty, tends to turn at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the drum 10, in order that the pull on the fabric is mainly effected by the drum 11. The drum 10 has two series of crossing helical grooves to receive the mesh and circumferential grooves to receive the selvedge wires. In order to make fabrics of different widths the plate 29 may be made in removable sections. In making a narrower fabric a narrower plate 29 is used, several of the carriers are removed, and the transfer spindle brackets adjusted by a right and left handed screw. In order to form two strips of fabric simultaneously a pair of selvedge wires may be passed from fixed spools through holes 103 in the plate 29 and the fabric may be severed between these wires by a pair of discs 99 on shafts geared together and driven by chain gear from the shaft 59. The selvedge wires may be crimped by rollers 80 so as to ensure their remaining in correct position.