Patent GB-675130-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for automatically feeding successive lengths of elongated stock into a fabricating unit
IPC: B24B5/38
Filed: 1950-03-14
Abstract: 675,130. Conveyers; hopper feeds. CRUCIBLE STEEL CO. OF AMERICA. March 14, 1950. [Aug. 4, 1949] No. 6356/50. Class 78 (i). A conveyer system for feeding lengths of elongated stock to a centreless grinder includes an aligned series of driven rolls, a magazine for the stock, an ejector reciprocable by eccentric means to transfer stock lengths successively from the magazine onto the rolls, and a clutch for coupling the eccentric means to a driving shaft, the clutch being actuated responsive to passage of a stock length along the rolls and beyond the end of said rolls, and being released subsequently by means responsive to the rotation of the eccentric means. Transfer control system. In a preferred conveyer system, Fig. 3, lengths of stock 20 are fed one at a time from a magazine 1 by means of a number of ejectors 16 reciprocated by eccentrics 181 mounted on a shalt 182 on to the aligned pairs of rolls 17 which in turn feed each stock length longitudinally, while at the same time rotating it, into a centreless grinder 3. A wheel 230 rests on top of each stock length as it is fed into the grinder and this drops as the length passes beyond it so that, by means of a linkage, a switch 239 is actuated to complete a circuit through a solenoid 251 which in turn withdraws a trip lever 256 from a notch 260, Fig. 5, in a one-revolution clutch 257, 265 thus transmitting a drive from a motor 262<SP>1</SP> to the shaft 182 so as to deliver a further stock length on to the rolls 17. As shaft 182 commences to rotate a cam 270 on it actuates a switch 273 which completes a circuit, through a solenoid 248 which in turn raises the wheel 230 clear of said further stock length and at the same time opening switch 239 so that the trip lever 256 is released to stop the shaft 182 after one revolution when the notch 260 is again engaged by it. As each length passes through the grinder 3 it is received in a trough 280 beyond which it is supported by grooved rollers 281. When the whole of the length is ground, the ground length abuts a plate 345 secured to a transverse shaft having a cam 341 so as to rotate the cam and close a switch 339 This actuates a one-revolution clutch 309 which transmits a drive from a motor 304 to a shaft 303 on which are mounted a number of eccentrics 312 provided with shuffle bars 313 having fingers 314. Endless conveyers. The fingers 314, Fig. 21c, travel in an orbital path and lift the length 20 onto a shelf 325 along which it rolls until it meets a number of endless chains 321 each of which is driven from the shaft 303 and is provided with dogs 322 one of which engages the length so that the chains together lift the length up to the point 20g from which it rolls into a second magazine 5. A second transfer mechanism 6, identical to that for feeding lengths to the grinder 3, feeds the roughly ground lengths to a finishing grinder 7 from which they pass to store. Hopper feed mechanism. Each of the ejectors 16 consists of a body portion 155, Fig. 7, reciprocable horizontally in guides by the eccentric 181 which is coupled to the ejector body by means of its arm 178. The body portion 155 has two vertical longitudinal slots (not shown) in one of which is a longitudinally slidable bar 156 provided with a sloping end portion 211 and adjustable by a screw 159, and in the other of which is a three-armed lever which is provided with a pivot 165 slidable longitudinally in a slot 166 in the ejector body. One arm 157 forms a finger for receiving a stock length 20 from the magazine, while a second arm 184 is received in a longitudinal slot 185 fixed to the guide frame the front wall 218 of which is adjustable longitudinally by a screw 188. A spring 196 connects the third arm 190 to a block 194 secured to the ejector body. An adjustable screw 197 in the block 194 limits the rearward movement of the arm 190. These adjustments are suited to the diameter of the stock. The magazine comprises upper and lower members 11a and 11b and slotted plates 200 and 201 adjustable in the direction of their slots so as to restrict the passage 13 between them and the member 11b to suit the diameter of the stock. A heap of stock 2 is agitated by a shuffle bar 229 of the eccentric 181 so that a continuous stream of lengths pass transversely along the passage 13 to the finger 157. At each reciprocation of the ejector the face 210 of the body portion pushes the lowest length 209 forwards while guiding it by the finger 157 and sloping surface 211 so that it is deposited in the "V"  19 between the rollers of the pairs of rollers 17 whilst preventing the next length 219 from following, since this encounters the upper face 212 of the -body portion. Rollerway conveyers. Each pair of rollers 17 consists of a vertical lower frame 49, Fig. 18, secured to the underside of a turntable 45 and having a motor 50 and gearing 51 driving a shaft 54, and an upper frame consisting of a sleeve 38 on which are welded two flange plates 41 the lower ends of which are adjustably secured in slots 46, Fig. 14, in the turntable 45. Arms 32, 33 are secured by bolts 42 on the projecting ends of the sleeve 38. The bolt holes 44 in the arms are slotted to allow of angular movement to suit the stock size. The rollers 28, 29 have partspherical peripheries so as to engage the stock at one point only. The two rollers are driven in the same sense through chain and sprocket drives 63, from a shaft 58 mounted axially of the sleeve 38 between the plates 41, and shaft 58 is in turn driven by a belt and pulley connection 56 from the shaft 54, sleeve 38 being cut away at 39 so as to allow the belt to pass through it. The turntables 45 of the series of roll pairs are simultaneously rotatable by means of a number of interconnecting links 79, Fig. 14, which are longitudinally adjustable by a screw 83 so as to vary the ratio of longitudinal to rotational velocity imparted to the stock by the rollers. The turntables 45 rotate in annular guides 70 in plates 71 secured to a frame 73 which is laterally adjustable with respect to two supports 87, one adjacent each end, by two screws 101 simultaneously rotatable by a hand wheel 111, supports 87 being in turn vertically adjustable by means of pairs of screws 88, 89, each pair being operated by a handwheel 98 through gearing 94-96. The trough 280 for receiving the ground stock from the first grinder, together with its rollers 281, is mounted on an "I" beam 285, Fig. 21c, which is in turn mounted on two plates 282, one adjacent each end, which are movable laterally on roller or ball bearings 355 mounted on frame 351 by means of rack and pinion mechanisms, the frames 351 being separately adjustable vertically by pairs of screws 360, each pair being operated by a handwheel 368 through gearing 364-366. In addition to the rack and pinion mechanisms for laterally adjusting the trough 280, the end of the latter adjacent the grinder may be automatically adjusted in accordance with the adjustment of the grinder stones for wear, by coupling the long bar of the grinder 3 to the "I" beam 285 by a releasable latch slidably mounted on the latter and engageable with a slot in a plate depending from the long bar.