Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
William D. Grimshaw residing in New York, United States of America) and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This machine is designed to take a flat strip of unvulcanized rubber or other
material of any desired length and of a width equal or a little greater than the
circumference of the desired tube to be made or the particular wire to be covered
and the machine will bend or curve said strip into the form of a tube and unite the
edges together and trim off the joint smoothly. In this way continuous tubes may
be made of strips of rubber, lead or other material, or these tubes may be formed
around wires fed in with said strips, thereby covering the wires with a complete
insulating coating.
The present invention relates to that class of machines in which the covering
strip is guided with the wire through a tapering guide tube or trough; and thence
into a pair of feed rollers whereby the flat strip is first curved up around the wire
and thence compressed thereon by the rolls which unite the edges of the strip
about the wire and cut off the excess at the joint.
These improvements lie chiefly in the particular construction of the rollers and
their cutting and guiding devices, and also in the adjusting devices of the rollers
and in the means for preparing the wire before its entrance to the guide trough
and rollers as hereinafter fully set forth.
t
In the annexed drawings Figure 1 presents a general side elevation of the
compléte machine. Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through
the centre of the guide trough and through the junction of the roller Figure 3 is

page_text: an enlarged plan view of the guiding trough and rollers with their adjuncts.
Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section on line x x of Figure 1 showing a front view
of the rollers with their adjuncts and their adjusting and driving mechanism
Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section at the junction of the rollers showing
the covering and cutting action thereof and Figure 6 is a similar view in elevation.
Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the rollers with one of its
guides Figure 8 is a plan view of the drum on which the covered wire is wound
with the friction driving wheel which turns the drum. Figure 9 is a fragmentary
longitudinal section similar to Figure 2 showing the stationary core or mandrel to
adapt the machine to form tubes. Figure 10 is a sectional plan of the rollers with
the stationary mandrel in the grasp thereof for forming tubes.
Referring to the drawings the machine consists briefly of the following chief
elements. First; a trough a through which the flat strip b of rubber or other
material with the overlying wire e is guided, and which trough is slightly curved
up at the end to help in curving up the flat strip about the wire. Second; a deeply
flanged guide roller c at the end of the trough which bends up the strip in U-form
about the wire and makes a rolling contact therewith. Third; a pair of grooved
feed-rollers d d' which next seize the bent strip and its enclosed wire e which rollers
draw in the strip and the wire and feed the same forward and thus completely.
curve the strip around the wire and press the edges in contact thereby forming a
complete tubular coating about the wire. Fourth a pair of cutting or trimming
rollers or cutting discs ff¹ which trim off the surplus at the joint of the strip.
Referring to figures 1. 2. 3. 4 it will be seen that the rollers d d and the
trough a are mounted over the top of the table g of the machine. The trough a is
embraced between fixed flanges h on the table and held and adjusted in place by
the screws has seen best in Figures 3 and 4 the trough being thus removable so
that troughs of different widths and sizes may be put in place according to the
width of the covering strip and size of wire to be covered as will be understood.
On the end of the trough furthest from the rolls d d is a flat guide-roller i over
which the covering strip b is guided into the trough from the drum k on which a
suitable tension kacts. Over the end of the trough nearest the rollers is placed a
cap or bridge-piece 7 which prevents the rising up of the curved strip. The front
end of the trough rests on a base m which is held by screws m to the table g and
may therefore be adjusted up or down to adjust it in relation with the rolls. The
deeply flanged guide-roller c is hung in ears on the front end of the trough, as close
as possible to the rolls d d as shown best in Figures 2, 3, and 4. The rolls d d¹
are fixed as shown best in Figure 4 to the tops of vertical shafts n n which project
above the table g.
'
These shafts are supported in the bearings or boxes n¹ below the table which
boxes are mounted on the horizontal guide rods o secured in the fixed frame ? so
that by this means the boxes are capable of being slid or adjusted to or from each
other on the said guide rods and may be held in place by tlie binding screws o¹
thus enabling the rollers to be adjusted to or from each other. On the roller shafts
are fixed the gear wheels n² which mesh together and on one of the shafts is fixed
the driving pulley n³. The pulley n³ is driven by a belt 3 as seen in Figure 1 from
a pulley 5 on driving shaft 6 which is driven by a belt 7 on the pulley 8.
Referring to Figure 4 it will be seen that collars 10 are fixed to the roll-shafts n
above and below the gears n² and these collars are provided with adjusting
screws 11 whose heads rest on the gears, so that by adjusting the said screws
on either set of collars the rolls d d may be set bigher or lower or adjusted
vertically with relation to each other. The rolls d d are held on the shafts n
between the collars and nuts 12, 13, and the countersunk top ends of the shafts
abut and revolve against the centre screws 14, which project from fixed over-
hanging brackets on the table g thereby steadying the top ends of the shafts.
Referring again to Figure 1 the naked wire e is drawn from a drum.15 on which
a tension 16 acts, and the wire thence passes around a sheave 17 and through a

page_text: bath 18 of pure rubber cement, and thence over a dryer 19 and finally into the
trough a with the underlying strip b. The dryer is sufficiently long so that the
wire passes through the warm air a sufficient distance to render the cement film.
sufficiently dry to be tenacious on the wire, yet tacky or adhesive when it reaches.
the rubber strip 6 so as to adhere firmly thereto. The dryer 19 is preferably a.
jacketed trough shaped tube or semi-tube as seen at 19 in Figure 1 and is heated.
by steam admitted through pipe 20 and exhausted at pipe 21. The covered:
wire e b in issuing from the rollers passes forward and upward over the sheaves 22,
23 and 24 and thence, back to the front of the machine over the sheave 25 and
downward to the winding drum 26 on which it is reeled up preparatory to
being placed in the vulcanizers for vulcanizing the coating on the wire in the
usual way. The winding drum 26 is driven by a belt 27 on the large pulley 28
which pulley 28 is loose on the shaft of the drum but has a friction-rim which
presses against friction springs 29 fastened to the shaft, while a hand wheel 30
screwing on a thread on the end of the shaft will enable the pulley to be pressed
against the friction springs with any desired pressure. In this way the winding
drum is driven in a yielding or frictional manner so that any desired tension may
be put upon the wire to wind it up taut without keeping a positive or undue
strain on the wire. It will also be seen that by having the winding drum at the
entering end of the machine and carrying the wire back from the issuing to the.
entering end the operator at one end is enabled to closely watch all the operations
of the machine at one point of observation or nearly so.
Referring now to figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, the special construction of the rollers with
their cutting and guiding devices in which the most important novelty of this
invention lies, will be now more fully described Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6.
it will be seen that the rollers proper & dare but little or no thicker than the
diameter of the forming grooves in their peripheries so that the rollers meet
together on very narrow edges as best seen in Figures 5 and 6, which are however.
dulled so as not to be cutting in their action. On the top of the roller d is fixed a
cutting or shearing plate f which is a little larger in diameter than the roller & and
is formed with an acute cutting edge to trim off any excess at the joint of the
strip b when pressed around the wire in passing between the rollers as shown in
figures 3 and 5. Against the bottom of the roller is fixed a guard plate v which
is larger in diameter than the roller so that the edge of said plate which is dull
and smooth projects out below the junction line of the rollers as seen best in
Figures 5 and 6 and thus not only supports the narrow edges of the grooved
rollers d d¹ but also forms a smooth base or abutment over which the bent or
curved side of the strip 6 can easily glide in entering the grasp of the rollers with-
out being liable to be cut or marred as will be readily understood from Figures 3,
5 and 6. In order to still better guide the under or curved side of the strip into
the rollers, an additional guide-plate y, best shown in Figure 3 is employed one edge
of which underlies the roller d while the other edge is concavely curved to fit close
to the edge of the guard plate v and on the front end of the guide-plate are formed
converging V-shaped lips or flanges y¹ (see Figures 3 and 7) which closely approach
the entrance of the rollers spanning the space between the flanged roller c and the
entrance of the rollers d d and thus guiding the curved strip with its enclosed
wire smoothly from the roller c into the grasp of the rollers d d as well shown in
Figure 3.
In order to enable the cutter f to cut or trim off the joint of the strip effectually
it acts in conjunction with a small cutting roller f¹ which has a bevelled or cutting
edge which is pressed up against the cutter f and down against the roller å
and revolves by frictional contact with said cutter as will be understood from
Figures 3, 4, and 5. This small roller f¹ revolves on a stud j depending from a
bracket arm q which is adjustably fixed to a post ql on the table g so that the
roller may be adjusted up properly to the cutter f¹ as will be understood from
Figures 3 and 4.

page_text: The plates forming the roller d and the cutter f and the roller d¹ and the guard
plate vare simply placed one over the other and secured firmly on the roller
shafts n by being clamped between the collars 12 and nuts 13 which arrangement
thus admits of easy displacement or replacement to change the rollers for different
sizes of wire. It may therefore now be seen that by the described manner of
constructing the rollers the grooved part of the rollers and the cutting part are
formed in separate plates and hence the same cutter plate may be used with
different roller plates having grooves of different sizes for different wires and this
will be much simpler and less expensive than would be the case if a separate cutter
had to be employed for every grooved size of roller. Furthermore as the cutter is
separate from the rollers and of somewhat greater diameter to overlap the junction
of the rollers it will be seen that the cutter has a considerable range for wear or
regrinding before it will be worn out and furthermore if any injury occurs to any
part of the edge of the cutter it may be repaired by being trued or turned down
which range of use or wear would not be possible if the cutting edges were of the
same diameter as the edge. of the rollers and junctioned directly together as has
been the case heretofore in machines of this class. For the same reason it will be
seen that in case the grooved roller-plates become in any way injured they may
be trued by turning off and they will still operate perfectly with the separate
overlapping cutter plate whereas if the cutter and roller were formed in one piece
any injury to either part would necessitate in most cases the abandonment of the
piece, so that the construction described is of the greatest importance for the
purpose of this machine.
It will therefore be now understood that after the wire issues from the rollers as
seen in Figures 3 and 1 it will be provided with a perfectly smooth and uniform
tubular coating and the trimmings b¹ see Figure 3 cut from the joint will be guided
to one side off the top of the roller b and allowed to fall off one side of the table
into a suitable receptacle to receive them.
g
The strip b with which the wire is covered may be formed of rubber, gutta
perclia, sheet lead or any other suitable or desirable material as the machine will
act similarly and efficiently with either material. In some cases the wire after
being covered with rubber and vulcanized may be put a second time through the
machine and covered the second time with an outer envelope of lead by feeding
a flat strip of lead in with the wire which lead will become curved around the
wire and united at the joint in the same manner as was the first rubber coat, as
already described. In other cases a strip of sheet lead and a strip of rubber one
under the other may be fed in together with the wire so as to cover the wire at
the same time with an inner coat of rubber and an outer sheath of lead.
.
Not only will this machine cover wires in continuous lengths, as described, but
it will also make tubes of lead rubber or other suitable material in continuous
lengths without any modification or alteration except to substitute for the pro-
gressive wire a stationary core or mandrel tongue held in advance of the trough
in the entrance or grasping part of the rollers in which the will be progressively
formed. This is illustrated in figures 9 and 10 where w indicates a small mandrel
or core which projects from the bridge piece at the mouth of the trough and
extends centrally into the grooved part in the rollers at their junction or grasping
part. This mandrel is, at the middle, or junction of the rollers of the same
diameter as the bore of the proposed tube, sufficient free space being left. between
the sides of the mandrel and the walls of the roller grooves admit the curved strip
which forms the walls of the tubes. The mandrel tapers from the middle part
toward each end and is sustained on a slender or blade like tongue w screwed
to the bridge. It will therefore be seen that when the strip is fed through the
trough into the rollers as before described the mandrel w will act as a stationary
wire or core about which the strip, will be curved and united and the united part
will be progressively advanced off, the core thus forming a perfect tube which will
be delivered from the rolls in continuous length. In this case the cutters ff will

page_text: trim off the excess at the joint of the tube in exactly the same manner as in
covering wire thus forming a tube with a perfectly smooth joint. In this way.
continuous tubes of rubber, lead or other material may be made in a very simple
and rapid manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The grooved cutting rollers having the grooved part and the cutting part
made in separate overlying plates secured together, the grooved plates being of the
same width only as the groove therein and meeting together at the diameter of
the groove in acute-angled edges of no appreciable thickness while the edge of the
cutter plate overlaps the said acute junction.
2. The combination with grooved rollers of the cutter plate f and auxiliary
cutter roller f¹ arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
3. The combination with the grooved feed rollers d d' of the guard plate v
underlying one of the rollers and overlapping the junction of the rollers substan-
tially as set forth.
4. The combination with narrow grooved rollers d d made of the same width
as their grooves or nearly so with the overlapping plate v on one side and the
overlapping plate f on the other side of the rollers, substantially as shown and
described.
5. The combination with the grooved rollers d d of the guard plate v cutter
plate and cutter roller f¹ arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
6. In a wire covering or tube forming machine the combination with a pair of
grooved feed rollers of the deeply flanged guide roller c arranged at the entrance
of the rollers substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. In a wire covering or tube forming machine the combination with a pair of
grooved feed rollers, of a guiding trough arranged at and directed towards the
entrance of the rollers and a deeply flanged guide roller between the mouth of
said trough and the entrance of the rollers substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
8. The combination with the grooved feed rollers of the convergent guide y¹
and flanged roller c arranged and operating substantially as set forth.
9. The combination with the grooved feed rollers of the convergent guide y¹
roller cand trough a arranged and operating substantially as shown and
described.
10. The combination with grooved feed rollers and the cutter f of the cutter
roller fand its adjusting or swinging arın q arranged and operating substantially
as shown and described.
11. The combination with a pair of grooved feed rollers of the fixed mandrel
tongue w arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
12. The combination with a pair of grooved feed rollers of the fixed mandrel
tongue w and guide roller c arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
13. The combination with a pair of grooved feed rollers of a guiding trough
directed to the entrance of the rollers and the fixed mandrel tongue w projecting
from the mouth of the trough into the entrance of the rollers substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
14. The combination with a pair of grooved feed rollers of the guiding trough a
guide roller c and fixed mandrel tongue w arranged and operating substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
15. The combination with the grooved feed rollers d d¹ and cutters ƒ ƒ¹ of
the fixed mandrel tongue w arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.

page_text: 16. The combination with the grooved feed rollers d d' of the fixed mandrel
tongue w guide trough a and cutters ff' substantially as shown and described.
17. The combination with the grooved feed rollers & d¹ of the fixed mandrel
tongue w guide trough a guide roller c and cutter ff1 arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.