Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Ropes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1896-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1896
INOVIDIUNAL DIEVITTUALION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Ropes.
I JOHANN TEODOR HAASE, of 4 Langestrasse, Diechshausen, Oldenburg,
Germany, Rope Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of wire ropes and has for its object to
produce ropes which are equal in strength to but are lighter, more flexible and more
elastic than such ropes as now made.
My invention consists in plaiting or braiding twisted wires or strands of wire
twisted together about a core of cork which may be either in short lengths or
granulated, the cork being encased with the wire simultaneously with the plaiting
of the latter. The twisting of the wires necessary to impart to the rope its
elasticity and tensile strength may either be effected by the machine itself during
the course of plaiting or the wires may be supplied to the plaiting or braiding
machine in the twisted state, as many wires or. strands being used as may be
necessary to forin a rope having the required strength, the interlacement of the
said wires being sufficiently loose or open to ensure the desired degree of pliancy.
The uniform introduction of the cork to form the core within the outside covering
of wire is effected by providing the braiding machine with means of supplying the
cork to the point where the strands of the enclosing sheath of wires are braided or
plaited, the cork being maintained in position to receive the braiding about it and
being supplied as fast as the braiding progresses. When granulated cork is used
it is first encased within hemp or other fibrous yarns but when short lengths of
cork are used such covering may be dispensed with if desired.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Ropes.
I, JOHANN TEODOR HAASE of 4, Langestrasse, Deichshausen, Oldenburg,
Germany, Rope Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of wire ropes and has for its object to
produce ropes which are equal in strength to, but are lighter more flexible and more
elastic than, such ropes as now made.
My invention consists in plaiting or braiding strands of twisted wire about a core
of cork, the twisting of the wires to form the strands being either effected by the
machine itself during the course of plaiting or the strands being supplied to the
plaiting or braiding machine in the twisted state, the interlacement of the strands
by the plaiting operation being so performed as to ensure the desired degree of
pliancy.

page_text: The core may consist either of granulated cork or of cylindrical lengths of solid
cork and for convenience of manufacture is (in the latter case preferably but in the
former case necessarily) first encased in a covering of thinner wire strands or of
hemp or other fibrous yarn braided about the cork which is continuously supplied
to the plaiting point during the braiding operation as described in the specification
of a previous application for Letters Patent dated the 22nd day of June 1895
No. 12,169.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification I have illustrated
in Figure 8 a specimen of rope made according to my present improvement in
which the strands a are each composed of a number of wires twisted together to
form the strand at the same time that the strands are braided about a core
formed of lengths of cork c previously encased in a braided covering of hemp
yarns b.
For this purpose the braiding machine is generally arranged as described in the
specification of the aforesaid previous application for Letters Patent but the means
whereby the twisting of the wire strands is effected by the braiding machine itself
simultaneously with the braiding operation form the subject of another application
for Letters Patent dated the 8th day of October 1895 No. 18,883 of which I will
bere repeat so much of the description as is necessary to enable the invention to
be carried into effect, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating the improvements in the bobbin driver
and one arrangement of the bobbins. Figures 23 4 5 6 7 shew other arrangements
of the bobbins.
The bobbin drivers of which A represents one, are mounted between the plates
of a braiding or plaiting machine as used for making ropes by braiding wire or
hemp strands about a core of cork. Each bobbin driver is formed of top and
bottom discs ab in one with each other and fast on the cog wheel B the discs a b
of the driver having notches a¹ bin both of which the racer spindles C engage,
the spindle C being provided with disc collars c¹ c which embrace the upper and
lower sides of the upper disc a of the driver A which supports the whole weight of
the bobbin holder so that the only rubbing friction is a lateral one of the racer d
in the guide slot e the lower disc b of the driver both driving and guiding the
bobbin holder, the lower end of the spindle being held in the notch of disc b by a
fixed guard flange f concentric with the driver which resists the pull of the wire
passing off from the bobbin to the plaiting point.
The bobbin holder comprises an outer frame G carried by the racer in which an
inner frame H is mounted to revolve upon vertical pivots h h revolution being
imparted to said frame H by a toothed wheel .c fixed to the base of said frame
gearing with a toothed rack alongside the bobbin course and fixed on the machine
frame, a spring pawl g mounted on the frame G engaging with the teeth of a
wheel in one with wheel as shewn at in Figure 2 and being disengaged
(just before the wheel a engages with the rack) by a projection on the rack acting
on an incline on the pawl to throw the latter out of engagement whilst the bobbin
holder is being turned by the engagement of the wheel with the rack.
The strands or wires may be wound on one or several spools which may be
mounted on horizontal or vertical axes in their holders, the construction of the
revolving spool holder and the arrangement of the tension devices being modified
according to circumstances.
In Figure 1 there are three spools I' 13 13 mounted to rotate on horizontal axes
supported one above the other by the uprights of the frame H. The strands or
wires from the spools are led around guide rollers 2 3 through the upper
tubular pivot h of the frame H and over the guide roller to the plaiting point,
all the guide rollers being supported by the frame H except the guide roller
which is mounted in the tension weight J which is fitted to slide up and down upon
the uprights of the frame H. The spools 1 1 1 are geared together by eulless
cords which are crossed between the spools so as to embrace the grooved flanges
of the spools and ensure equal rotation of the spools under the control of a singlo

page_text: letting off motion whilst permitting of a spool slipping to rectify any inequality in
winding off consequent on unequal winding or other difference in the spools. The
letting off motion is a spring pressed detent / controlled by the weight J the detent
engaging the ratchet toothed flange L of the lowermost spool and being carried by
slides M movable on the uprights of the frame H by the contact of the slides of
the weight J when the pull on the strands or wires raises the weight and causes it
to raise the detent out of engagement with the ratchet teeth. This letting off
motion is more clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 in which there is only one
spool I the construction and operation being otherwise substantially the same.
In this case there are two detents each pivoted to a bracket on the inner
frame H and raised out of engagement by the weight J striking the slides M
movable on the uprights of frame H which in turn engage with projections on the
detents.
In order to prevent undue rotation of the bobbin a brake is provided consisting
of a friction ring n carried by a disc n¹ sliding on four guide studs, two o o of which
are fixed in the upright of the frame H (the slide M being slotted to clear them) as
shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3, and they have a plate O attached to their outer
ends to which plate are attached the two other studs o¹ o' which pass at either side
of the frame H and have spiral springs on them which abut against the plate O and
press the friction ring against the end of the spool.
The bobbin driver although not shewn in these figures would be exactly the
same as previously described in respect of Figure 1.
In Figures 4 and 5 there is a single upright spool I which in Figure 5 is divided
by intermediate flanges ii whilst in Figure 6 there are three independent
spools I 12 13 with intervening washers the spool or spools being in each case
mounted upon the tubular upright member H2 of a frame carried by the tubular
spindle H which takes the place of the frame H in Figure 1, said spindle H being
mounted in the outer frame G and receiving rotary motion in that frame by the
action of the toothed wheel a and of the rack or racks with which said wheel gears
as above described.
Within a guide formed by the tubes H¹ H2 is suspended the tension weight J
the strands or wires from the different parts of the bobbin or from the different
bobbins passing round guide rollers on the other member H³ of the frame
carried by spindle H¹ thence over a guide roller on the detent down through
the tubular member H2 under a guide roller on the tension weight and up and
out through the guide aperture at the top. The detent is pivoted at and
engages with ratchet teeth L on the top of the spool or on the uppermost spool
and is released when raised by the weight J.
In the case of several strands unwinding from a single spool (whether divided
by intermediate flanges or not) separate weights J1 J2 J3 would be provided as in
Figure 7 to rectify any inequality in the winding of the different strands, whereas
in Figure 6 the independence of the spools enables this inequality to be rectified,
the friction of the washers being sufficient to enable all three to be controlled by a
single letting off motion as in Figure 1.
I have described the foregoing only as examples of means which may be adopted
for the purpose and do not limit myself thereto, the present invention consisting in
the product, the improved rope as shewn in Figure 8.
It will be seen by this figure that the braiding of the strands is very open and
that each strand crosses alternately over and under two adjacent strands in
succession, the effect of which is to very greatly increase the pliability of the rope,
the bobbins being suitably arranged around the machine to produce this result.
The pliability of the strands and consequently of the rope may be further
increased by forming each strand with a core of hempen or other yarn about which
the wires are twisted.
It will be obvious that in cases wherein the core consists of granulated cork the
mesh of the hempen or other inner sheath would require to be of a fineness
proportionate to the size of the grains which they enclose.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A wire rope made by plaiting or braiding twisted strands of wire about a
core of cork the twisting of the wires to form the strands being effected
simultaneously with the braiding of the strands about the core substantially as
described.
2. A wire rope made of twisted strands of wire plaited or braided about a core
of cork as described.
Dated this 1st day of July 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.