Improvements in and appertaining to the Method of Cleaning Rolled Wire from Scales and Oxides, and of Annealing and Drawing the same.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
QUALL ELD
Improvements in and appertaining to the Method of Cleaning
Rolled Wire from Scales and Oxides, and of Annealing and
Drawing the same.
We, PETER DELSEIT, HEINRICH FEITH and CARL KÜNNE all of 43, 45
& 47 Grosser Griechenmarkt, Cöln-on-the-Rhine in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :--
Our invention relates to an improved method of cleaning rolled wire from the
adhering scales and oxides and of annealing the wire by the aid of the electric
current. The wire may also be drawn or rolled in the same operation in order to
reduce the diameter or cross section.
It is well known that rolled iron wire on issuing from the rollers is covered by a
considerable quantity of scales and oxides, which, by the pressure of the rollers,
firmly adheres to the surface of the wire. The said scales and oxides must.be
removed before the wire is drawn or rolled down to a reduced diameter or cross-
section, as the said scales would render the drawing of the wire much more
difficult. The operation of cleaning the wire, hitherto, has been performed by
treating the wire with sulphuric acid and subsequently rinsing the same with
water and a solution of lime, to utilise the acid still adhering and prevent its
further influence on the metal. The scales and oxides, after drying the wire,
were then removed by a beating or scouring operation after which the wire
could be drawn or rolled down in a cold state to the desired diameter or cross
section. But in order to be able to draw the iron wire in a cold state it had
to be annealed, first, by heating it in a fire pan. The heating required a special
furnace and it frequently happened that by overheating the wire, the metal was
burned and thereby made useless, or, at least, considerably impaired. When
cooled down, the annealed wire could be drawn down to any desired size.
By our improved method, we entirely do away with the two principal objections
connected with the method hitherto practised in cleaning rolled iron wire, the
objectionable operations consisting, first, in the treatment with acid, which is not
only injurious to the health of the operator but also poisons the surrounding
atmosphere and especially the water into which the waste fluid was let off, and,
secondly, the heating of the wire in fire-pans, in which the metal is liable to be
overheated.
The new method, by dispensing with acid baths and a fire-place for heating or
annealing the wire, is not only much cheaper but it means a remarkable saving of
time and workmanship, and the quality of the wire is much better than that
obtained by the known methods of cleaning and annealing.
The improved method of cleaning and annealing rolled iron wire, according to
our invention, consists in making the same pass from a reel, drum or wheel to
another reel, drum or wheel placed at a suitable distance, and in bringing suitable
portions of its length, while passing from one reel or drum to the other, into
contact with the terminals of a suitable source of electricity, thereby heating the
portion between the contact points to the desired degree of heat, after which the
still heated portion of the wire passes on between suitable means for separating
the scales and oxides from the surface of the wire, said scales and oxides having
become loose by heating the wires electrically. The said means for separating the
scales may consist of any known devices, such as a set of rollers, or scraping tools,
metal brushes, grinding or emery stones and the like, suitably brought into contact
with. the passing wire. One or more sets of cleaning devices of the same or

page_text: :
different kind may be applied to the wire, as may be desired, according to the
quality and nature of the wire to be cleaned..
By electrically heating the wire, the latter will, at the same time, be annealed
and no further heating in fire-pans is required. The portion of the wire which
issues from the cleaning devices is in a state ready for being further operated on
by drawing plates or rollers to reduce the diameter or cross section to any desired
degree..
Instead of drawing or rolling the cleansed wire down to the desired size in a
separate operation, the drawing or rolling operation may be combined with the
cleaning operation, whereby a further considerable advantage will be obtained.
In this case we provide, between the cleaning devices and the reel or drum, onto
which the wire is being wound, one or more draw plates or grooved sets of
rollers, through which the wire is made to pass, as it comes from the cleaning
devices.
The wire, being still in a heated state as it enters the draw-plates or rollers, may
be drawn or rolled down to a much smaller size in one operation than it would be
if drawn or rolled in a cold state, and the metal of the wire, as also the drawplates,
will suffer less by wear and tear if the wire is operated on in a heated state.
drawing or rolling operation, if performed with a heated wire, requires considerably
less driving power than with a cold wire.
The
The tension of the electric current employed to heat the desired portion of
length of the wire, may be adjusted by any suitable well known means not only to
continue constant but also to exactly correspond to the size of wire to be operated
on, for heating the same to the desired degree. By this means, no overheating
will occur, and no attention will be required if the current be suitably adjusted.
In the accompanying drawings, a diagram serves to illustrate the means of
performing our said invention ---
Figure 1 being a side view; and
to
: Figure 2, a plan of the general arrangement of parts for performing, in one
combined operation, both the cleaning and the drawing down of the rolled
wire.
A., is a reel or drum receiving the coil of raw iron rolled wire to be operated
upon, and B a reel or drum placed at a suitable distance, on to which the wire <<
is being rolled at a constant speed. At suitable points of its length, the wire a
comes in contact with the terminals C and C¹ of a suitable source of electricity,
the current supplied being of sufficient strength and tension to heat to the desired
degree that portion of the wire which passes between the two contacts C and C'.
The circuit of the current is provided with suitable apparatus (not shown) of
any known kind, to keep the tension constant, thereby avoiding any danger of
overheating the wire. By heating the wire electrically, the scales and oxides
firmly adhering to the surface become loose and may be easily disengaged or
separated from the metal. To perform the cleaning operation, mechanical means
of any suitable kind may be applied to the wire at a portion of its length
where the wire has passed the electrical contacts. The said means for cleaning
the wire may consist of a set of rollers, D, or scrapers, E, or a worn out draw-
plate, or grinding stones, emery blocks, steel brushes and the like, one or more
of these mechanical means being applied subsequently to each other, as may be
found necessary to obtain the desired degree of cleanness.
The wire a issues from the said cleaning device or devices in a state perfectly
freed from all scales and oxides, and also annealed.
If it is desired to draw or roll down the wire in the same operation with the
cleaning, a draw-plate F, or several draw-plates of different calibres placed one
behind the other, or a pair or pairs of grooved rollers may be arranged between
the cleaning devices and the drum B, and the wire, passing through said drawing
or rolling apparatus in a still heated state, will be reduced in size to the desired
diameter or cross section before being wound on the drum B. If several draw-
plates or reducing rollers are used, the wire may be heated again, in the course of

page_text: passing through such devices, by being brought again into contact at another
portion of its length with the terminals of an electrical circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of cleaning and annealing rolled wire by applying, to the wire,.
while in continuous motion, the terminals of an electrical circuit of adjustable
tension, thereby heating the portion of length between the said terminals, and sub--
sequently passing the wire, while still in a heated state, through one or more
mechanical devices for separating the adhering scales and oxides, substantially as
described.
2. The method of cleaning, annealing and reducing the diameter or cross-section
of rolled wire in one operation, by applying, to the wire, while in continuous-
motion, the terminals of an electrical circuit of adjustable tension, thereby heating
the portion of length between the terminals, subsequently passing the wire, while
still in a heated state, through one or more mechanical devices for separating the
adhering scales and oxides, and finally passing the wire through one or more draw-
plates, rollers or apparatus for reducing the diameter or cross section, substantially
as described.
Dated this 1st day of July 1892
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.