Patent Publication Number: US-10766060-B2

Title: Grooved wire and system and method for manufacturing grooved wire

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/299,690, filed Feb. 25, 2016, entitled “Grooved Wire and System and Method for Manufacturing Grooved Wire,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to grooved wire and the fabrication of grooved wire. In particular, various aspects of the disclosure relate to apparatuses, systems, and methods for transforming standard round wire into grooved wire. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the metallurgical industry, there is a need for improved apparatuses, systems, and methods for the processing of conventional round wire into alternative, resource-conscious and mechanically viable shapes. 
     The production of round wire has been a staple in metal manufacturing for centuries. Round wire lends itself advantageously to a spectrum of industries spanning from telecommunications to construction, in part because the symmetric shape exhibits uniform mechanical and electrical properties as the wire is traversed along an axial direction. 
     However, there is a considerable need for advancement in the apparatuses, systems, and methods dedicated to the manufacture of grooved wire. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. The summary is not an exhaustive overview of the disclosure. It is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit or constrain the detailed description. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below. 
     Aspects of the disclosure relate to improved apparatuses, systems, and methods for the processing of conventional round wire into alternative, resource-conscious and mechanically viable shapes. 
     In at least some examples described herein, a cassette comprising a set of rollers may be used to transform a standard round wire into a grooved wire. The set of rollers comprised within the cassette may include a first roller and a second roller. The first and second rollers, respectively, may comprise a groove-fabricating portion aligned circumferentially along an outer radial face of each roller. The groove-fabricating portions of the first and second rollers may further comprise a plurality of groove-forming protrusions for forming grooves on an outermost face of the standard round wire. The grooves formed on the standard round wire may be symmetric and may span the length of the wire as traversed along an axial direction of the wire. 
     In other embodiments, the cassette may include multiple sets of rollers wherein a first set of rollers forms grooves on the wire and a second set of rollers finishes or smooths the grooves formed by the first set of rollers. In still other embodiments, the cassette may include multiple sets of rollers wherein a first set of rollers forms grooves on the wire and a second set of rollers deepens the grooves formed by the first set of rollers 
     The details of these and other aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and descriptions below. Other features and advantages of aspects of the disclosure may be apparent from the descriptions and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description, claims, and drawings. The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not limited by, the accompanying figures in which like numerals indicate similar elements. 
         FIG. 1A  is a side view of an embodiment of a cassette utilized during the manufacture of grooved wire according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 1B  is a front view of an embodiment of a cassette utilized during the manufacture of grooved wire according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 1C  is a top view of an embodiment of a cassette utilized during the manufacture of grooved wire according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional view of a roller utilized during the manufacture of grooved wire according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 2B  is an enlarged view of section V of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view of a wire engaged by a set of upstream rollers according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of a wire engaged by a set of downstream rollers according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a wire before engaging with a cassette and rollers comprised therein according to aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a wire after engaging with a cassette and rollers comprised therein according to aspects of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail exemplary embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural and functional modifications may be made, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. 
     In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments of the disclosure that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized. 
     In the following description of various example structures according to the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,” “upward,” “downward,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use. Additionally, the term “plurality,” as used herein, indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also, the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Further, when the same reference number appears in more than one drawing, that reference number is used consistently in this specification and the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts throughout. 
     The following, in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, provides apparatuses, systems, and methods for transforming standard round wire into grooved wire. 
       FIGS. 1A-1C  illustrate various perspective views of an embodiment of a cassette utilized herein for the manufacture of grooved wire. Cassette  100  includes an upstream entry point  102  through which standard round wire enters, and a downstream exit point  104  through which transformed grooved wire exits. In certain embodiments, upstream entry point  102  and downstream exit point  104  can be interchangeable depending on the orientation of cassette  100 . Furthermore cassette  100 , via upstream entry point  102  and downstream exit point  104 , can accommodate and process a variety of wire types and wire dimensions. For instance, wire types may include iron, steel, titanium, aluminum, copper, brass, and the like, as well as combinations thereof, and wire dimensions may include a variety of wire diameters, lengths, and shapes. 
     Cassette  100  may also include a plurality of sets of rollers (e.g.,  112  &amp;  114 ,  122  &amp;  124 ). The sets of rollers may include upstream rollers ( 112 ,  114 ) positioned towards upstream entry point  102  and downstream rollers ( 122 ,  124 ) positioned towards downstream exit point  104 . In some instances, the upstream and downstream rollers may be interchangeable and not dependent on location relative to upstream entry point  102  or downstream exit point  104 . In other embodiments, cassette  100  may be operable with only one set of rollers (i.e., upstream rollers or downstream rollers). In such embodiments, the upstream or downstream rollers may be a single set of grooving rollers described in further detail below, and may function to transform the round wire into grooved wire in the manner as discussed herein. However, the upstream rollers and downstream rollers may also be operable in tandem to transform the round wire into grooved wire. When operated in tandem, the upstream rollers and downstream rollers may be grooving rollers and finishing rollers, respectively. In some embodiments the rollers  112 ,  114  may force wire through the cassette while in other embodiments the wire may be forced through the cassette by another mechanism. 
     The upstream set of rollers ( 112 ,  114 ) may be a set of grooving rollers and may include a first grooving roller  112  and a second grooving roller  114 . The first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114  may be radially spaced 180 degrees apart and may be separated by a first distance corresponding to a length of a groove formed on the round wire. In other embodiments, the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114  may not be separated by a first distance, and may instead be positioned relatively flush with each other. 
     The first grooving roller  112  may be configured to rotate in a first direction (e.g. clockwise, counterclockwise), and the second grooving roller  114  may be configured to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction (e.g., counterclockwise, clockwise). The respective rotation of the first and second grooving rollers may draw, pull, and/or otherwise force the round wire into cassette  100  via upstream entry point  102 . 
     The downstream set of rollers ( 122 ,  124 ) may be a finishing set of rollers and may include a first finishing roller  122  and a second finishing roller  124 . Like the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114 , the first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124  may be radially spaced 180 degrees apart. Additionally, the first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124  may be offset by 90 degrees from the radial positioning of the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114 . For example, if the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114  occupy the 0 and 180 degree marks, the first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124  may occupy the 90 and 270 degree marks. In some embodiments, the radial offset between the set of grooving rollers and the set of finishing rollers may be greater or less than 90 degrees. Like the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114 , the first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124  may be spaced apart by the first distance, or may be positioned relatively flush with each other. 
     Furthermore, the first finishing roller  122  may be configured to rotate in a first direction (e.g. clockwise, counterclockwise), and the second finishing roller  124  may be configured to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction (e.g., counterclockwise, clockwise). The rotation of the first and second finishing rollers may push, expel, and/or otherwise force the round wire out of cassette  100  via downstream exit point  104 . The first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124  may be configured to rotate in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114 , respectively. For example, if the first grooving roller  112  is rotating counterclockwise, the first finishing roller  122  may also rotate counterclockwise. 
     As stated above, in certain embodiments, the set of upstream rollers (e.g., the set of grooving rollers) and the set of downstream rollers (e.g., the set of finishing rollers) may be implemented in cassette  100  in tandem, or independently. In such an embodiment where only a single set of rollers is used, the set of rollers may be configured as grooving rollers and function to form grooves on the round wire. 
     As described in further detail below, each of the rollers comprised within cassette  100  (e.g., first grooving roller  112 , second grooving roller  114 , first finishing roller  122 , second finishing roller  124 ) may include a groove-fabricating and/or wire-finishing portion depending on the function of the roller. For example, first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  may include a first groove-fabricating portion and a second groove-fabricating portion, respectively, for forming grooves on an outermost surface of the round wire as it is drawn, pulled, and/or otherwise forced into cassette  100 . Similarly, first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124  may include a first wire-finishing portion and a second wire-finishing portion, respectively, for smoothing and/or finishing the grooves made by the first and second grooving rollers on the outermost surface of the round wire as it is pushed, expelled, and/or otherwise forced out of cassette  100 . 
       FIGS. 2A &amp; 2B  illustrate a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a roller and an enlarged section of a specific portion of the roller, respectively. Roller  200 , as described in regards to  FIGS. 2A &amp; 2B , may be any of the first grooving roller  112 , second grooving roller  114 , first finishing roller  122 , and second finishing roller  124 , and may include any of the above mentioned features and functionality as the first grooving roller  112 , second grooving roller  114 , first finishing roller  122 , and second finishing roller  124 . Furthermore, first grooving roller  112 , second grooving roller  114 , first finishing roller  122 , and second finishing roller  124  may include any of the features and functionality described herein with regards to roller  200 . 
     Roller  200  may be fabricated in a variety of materials and dimensions. For example, roller  200  may be made out of steel, tungsten carbide, or any material of the like, and may come in a variety of dimensions in order to accommodate the transformation of the round wire into grooved wire. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , roller  200  may include a groove-fabricating or wire-finishing portion  230  aligned circumferentially around a radial face of the roller. When roller  200  is a first grooving roller  112  or a second grooving roller  114 , portion  230  is a groove-fabricating portion  230 . When roller  230  is a first finishing roller  122  or a second finishing roller  124 , portion  230  is a wire-finishing portion  230 . In certain embodiments, the groove-fabricating portion and wire-finishing portion may be substantially similar. For example, the groove-fabricating portion  230  of first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  may be identical in size and shape to that of the wire-finishing portion  230  of first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124 . In other embodiments, the groove-fabricating portion and wire-finishing portion may be different. For example, the groove-fabricating portion  230  of first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  may be larger or smaller than the wire-finishing portion  230  of first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124 . Such embodiments may serve to deepen or otherwise change the shape of grooves in the wire which may also act to further elongate the wire as it passes through the cassette. 
     The groove-fabricating or wire-finishing portion  230  may be oriented so as to engage the round wire W perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire. In such a configuration, the groove-fabricating portion  230  may be able to form grooves  302  and ridges  304  on an outermost surface of the wire along the axial or longitudinal direction of the wire. Furthermore, groove-fabricating portion  230  may elongate the round wire as grooves are formed. 
     Similarly, wire-finishing portion  230  may be able to finish, smooth, make symmetric, or change the shape of the grooves  302  and ridges  304  formed on the outermost surface of the wire along the axial or longitudinal direction of the wire. Such finishing as caused by wire-finishing portion  230  may also elongate the grooved wire. 
     As shown in greater detail in  FIG. 2B , groove-fabricating or wire-finishing portion  230  may comprise a plurality of groove-forming projections  232  and groove-forming depressions  234 . In certain embodiments, the groove-forming projections  232  and groove-forming depressions  234  may be disposed in a sinusoidal shape around the circumference of groove-fabricating or wire-finishing portion  230 . As shown in  FIG. 2B , the groove-forming projections  232  may have convex shape and the groove-forming depressions  234  may have a concave shape. In embodiments, there may be at least four groove-forming projections (e.g., peaks) and at least three groove-forming depressions (e.g., troughs). Although the groove-forming projections  232  and groove-forming depressions  234  may have differing sizes based on the diameter of the wire being grooved and the desired sizes of the grooves, one exemplary wire cross-section is shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . In one embodiment, the groove-forming depressions  234  may have a radius of about 0.038 in. or may be in the range of about 0.026 in. to about 0.050 in. And in an embodiment, the groove-forming projections  232  may have a radius of about 0.076 in. or may be in the range of about 0.052 in. to about 1.00 in. The size of the groove-forming projections  232  and the groove-forming depressions  234  may be the same or similar to the size of the grooves  302  and ridges  304  of the wire, the sizes of which are discussed in more detail below. 
     In other embodiments, there may be greater or fewer groove-forming projections  232  and groove-forming depressions  234 . The groove-forming projections  232  and groove-forming depressions  234  may be in a rounded, square, or triangular shape and may serve to form grooves of a similar shape on the round wire. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , wire W may be transformed into grooved wire through engagement with the set of upstream/grooving rollers (e.g., first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114 ) and the set of downstream/finishing rollers (e.g., first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124 ). In such an embodiment, wire W may first engage with the set of upstream/grooving rollers  112 ,  114  as shown in  FIG. 3A . The first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  may be a pair of identical rollers  200  radially spaced 180 degrees apart and separated by a distance corresponding to a length of a groove formed on wire W. The first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  may be configured to form grooves on wire W via a first and second groove-fabricating portions  230 . The grooves formed on wire W by the first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114  via the first and second groove-fabricating portions  230 , respectively, may be radially spaced apart for a total of eight grooves. In such an instance, the first grooving roller  112  via the first groove-fabricating portion  230  may form four grooves  302  on wire W and the second grooving roller  114  via the second groove-fabricating portion  230  may also form four grooves  302  on wire W. The rollers  112 ,  114  may also form corresponding ridges  304 , two of which  304   a  and  304   b  in  FIG. 3A ) are formed between the rollers  112 ,  114 . In some embodiments the grooves  302  may be symmetrically radially spaced around the wire, as shown in  FIG. 3A , but in other embodiments, the grooves  302  may not be symmetrically spaced. In some embodiments, wire W may elongate during the groove forming process via engagement with the first grooving roller  112  and the second grooving roller  114 . 
     After engaging the set of upstream/grooving rollers  112 ,  114 , wire W may subsequently engage the set of downstream/finishing rollers  122 ,  124  as shown in  FIG. 3B . The first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124  may be a pair of identical rollers  200  radially spaced 180 degrees apart and separated by a distance corresponding to a length of a groove formed on wire W. The set of downstream/finishing rollers may be radially offset from the set of upstream/grooving rollers. The first finishing roller  122  and second finishing roller  124  may finish or smooth the grooves formed in wire W via a first and second finishing portions  230 , respectively. In some embodiments, wire W may elongate during the finishing process via engagement with the first finishing roller  122  and the second finishing roller  124 . 
     As stated above, in other embodiments, wire W may be transformed into grooved wire through engagement with only one set of rollers. In such an instance, the set of rollers may be considered to be a set of upstream/grooving rollers (e.g., first grooving roller  112  and second grooving roller  114 ). 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show the transformation of wire W from standard round wire ( FIG. 4 ) to a grooved wire ( FIG. 5 ). As shown, for example, in  FIG. 5 , grooves  302  and ridges  304  may be created by rollers  112 ,  114  and/or  122 ,  124  as described above. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the outside diameter of the wire may be about 0.2437 in. or in the range of about 0.2 in. to about 0.3 in., however, as described above, other sizes may be used. The ridges  304  may have a radius of about 0.038 in. or may be in the range of about 0.026 in. to about 0.050 in. The grooves  302  may have a radius of about 0.076 in. or may be in the range of about 0.052 in. to about 1.00 in. The grooves  302  may have a depth of about 0.011 inches or in the range of about 0.007 in. to about 0.015 in. The dimensional ranges with regard to the grooves  302  and ridges  304  may change based on the size of the diameter of the wire. Table 2 below includes ratios of dimensions that may be used on wire of other sizes. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 Ratio of Ridge Radius to Wire Diameter 
                 0.156 or about 0.095-0.203 
               
               
                 Ratio of Groove Radius to Wire Diameter 
                 0.312 or about 0.190-0.405 
               
               
                 Ratio of Groove Depth to Wire Diameter 
                 0.045 or about 0.027-0.059 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Wires W formed as described above may have certain advantages. For example, wires manufactured as described above may be about 8.6% lighter than a wire having the same outer diameter, or about 7% to about 10% lighter than a wire having the same outer diameter. This may reduce shipping costs and material costs and also may put a lower load on equipment using the wire. Additionally, arrangements discussed above may aid in reducing the complexity of wire grooving apparatuses by utilizing fewer rotational components arranged in serviceable orientations. The arrangements described herein include various mechanical components such as cassettes and rollers for forming grooves on an outermost surface of a round wire along an axial direction of the wire. The components may be added, omitted, rearranged, and/or modified without departing from the invention. Grooved wire as discussed above may have many uses including for example in shopping carts, baskets, shelving, hanging hooks, dishwasher racks, refrigerator racks, cooking racks, grills racks, coat hangers, rebar, and many other uses. 
     The foregoing descriptions of the disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not exhaustive and do not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure.