Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Straightening Continuous and other Lengths of Steel Wire for Cards, Piano- fortes, and other Suitable Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Straightening
Continuous and other Lengths of Steel Wire for Cards, Piano-
fortes, and other Suitable Purposes.
We JOSEPH HORTON, and WILLIAM HORTON, both of Copley near Halifax, in the
County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to straighten hard drawn steel wire in continuous or
other lengths for cards, pianofortes or for other suitable purposes, in a cold state and
without injuring either the temper, coat or tensile strain of the wire, the process of
hardening and tempering being dispensed with.
I employ one or more shafts of steel hardened at each end, or each of the shafts
may have a hardened steel roller at each end, the two hardened steel ends or rollers
each run in hardened steel concave bearings, to suit the diameter of the rollers or
shafts, the wire to be straightened passes from the wincel under the hardened ends of
the shafts or rollers between them and their concaves, and after being straightened
passes to a second wince!..
Two motions are imparted to the shafts or rollers at the same time, one a recipro-
cating or backwards and forwards motion, and the other a rotary motion; the rotary
motion assists the feed of the wire upon which it revolves, the reciprocating motion
rolls the wire backwards and forwards, straightening it.
The shafts are weighted according to the nature and size of the wire being operated
upon the rotary and reciprocating motions being obtained by any suitable mechanical
gearing.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Waterhouse Chambers,
Crossley Street, Halifax,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a plan of our apparatus for straightening continuous and other lengths of
steel wire for cards, pianofortes, and other suitable purposes, with the wincels above
the machine.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section of Fig. 1 through the line Y. Z.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly in section of our apparatus for straightening
wire, with the wincels fixed on a level with the concaves upon the table of the
machine.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation in section of Fig. 3.
Figs. 1 and 2. Upon a suitable frame A we employ one or more shafts B, of steel,
having a hardened collar or roller C at one end of the shaft B, the hardened steel
collar runs in a hardened concave bearing D, to suit the diameter of the collar or
roller C. Upon a second shaft E is a driving pulley F, which rotates a large pinion
wheel F gearing with a small pinion wheel G upon a shaft G²; the pulley F also
operates by means of a strap H, and pulleys H1, H2 and H³, the shaft B, the shaft B
being weighted by means of the lever B' and weight B³.
Upon the shaft G* is an eccentric J connected to a forked lever K which works in
a recess K' in the shaft B, for the purpose of giving a reciprocating motion to the
shaft B and collar or roller C, so that when the pulley F revolves, it operates
the pulley H and pinion wheel F, rotating the shaft B and collar C; and assisting the
feed of the wire upon which it revolves; the pinion wheel F¹ drives the shaft G³ and
eccentric J, and operates the forked lever K, in the recess K¹, of the shaft B, rolling
the wire backwards and forwards, so perfectly straightening it.
Figs. 3 and 4. Upon a suitable frame A, we fix a shaft B of steel hardened at each
end, or it may have a hardened collar C at each end, the two hardened collars C each
work in hardened steel concave bearing D to suit the diameter of the collars or
rollers between the collar C and concave D passes the wire to be straightened from
j

page_text: the wincel D¹ to the wincel D³, the necessary pressure on the wire being put on by
means of compound levers E, E, and weights F F; a lifting bar or lever G for setting
the shaft B in position within the concave D, is employed, and is adjusted by means of
the screw G¹ and nut G².
Upon the shaft B is a large pinion wheel B' which gears with a smaller pinion
wheel H on a shaft J; upon the shaft J is an eccentric K connected to a forked
lever L, which works within a recess or neck of the shaft B: the shaft J being driven
by a pulley M.
When the shaft J is operated, it operates the pinion wheel H which rotates the
pinion wheel B¹, so giving a rotary motion to the shaft B and collars C, for the
purpose of assisting the feed of the wire to and from the wincels D2 and D¹; at the
same time, the shaft J rotates and operates the eccentric Ķ which in turn operates the
forked lever in the recess or neck of the shaft B, giving the shaft B a reciprocating or
backwards and forwards motion, so rolling the wire between the collars C and
concaves D reciprocally, and perfectly straightening it, as it is passing from the
wincel D' to the wincel D'.
The shafts B are weighted according to the nature and thickness of the wire being
operated upon.
Or the collars or rollers C may revolve, and the concaves, or other bearing D
may have a reciprocating motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Straightening wire by passing it between a collar or roller, and a concave or
other bearing, such collar and bearing having imparted to them a rotary and recipro-
cating motion, or the equivalent as shown and described.
2. Straightening wire by passing it between collars or rollers, and concave or
other bearings, such collars or rollers and bearings having imparted to them a rotary
and reciprocating motion, or the equivalent, as shown and described.
Dated this Twenty fourth day of December 1888.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Crossley Street, Halifax,
Agent for the Applicants.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Crossley Street, Halifax,
Agent for the Applicants.