Improvements in Appliances for Fitting to Machines Used for Making Spiral Springs and Wire Armour for Flexible Hose . Piping.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 1889-Accepted 19th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Fitting to Machines Used for
Making Spiral Springs and Wire Armour for Flexible Hose .
Piping.
I JOSEPH ALLEN COULTAUS of The Sphincter Grip Armoured Hose Company
Limited, 63 Fore Street, city of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction and method of application of certain
appliances for use with machines by which spiral springs and what is known as
Sphincter Grip Armour for Flexible Hose piping can be produced.
The invention is based upon two previous Patents granted to Lewis Roberts,
George Clinton Scofield and Joseph Allen Coultaus and to Lewis Roberts and
George Clinton Scofield, dated 27th December 1887 Numbers 17796 and 17797
respectively.
In the Specifications of the Patents referred to, the art of making spiral springs and
a method of forcing wire through spirally grooved templates, formed the subject
matter of the two inventions. All the features of the machine described in the
Specifications of those two Patents are retained with the following exceptions.
1. Instead of fitting the reels on which the plain hose is delivered to the machine
and also the reel which takes up the armoured hose with a spring, a cone, or other
cushioned collar is employed with a grip nut working upon and over a key fitted in a
feather groove of the axle to prevent the hose being given off too rapidly from one
reel and also to prevent the hose escaping from the other reel when armoured, the
cone or other cushioned collar being so tightened by the nut that it will yield when
an unusual strain is put upon it from any cause and yet have sufficient pressure to hold
the hose when being given off and while being taken up.
According to the second improvement, the die or template in which the spiral
groove is formed instead of being made with its working face in the body of the tem-
plate or die, the template or die is so made that it can receive a strip of brass, gun-
metal or other body in which the working face is formed, the die or template having
a notch or recess near its delivery end, into which a kinked or bent portion of the
metal strip finds a lodgment and in which it is held to resist the strain put upon
the strip while the wire from which the spring is made or the wire used for
armouring the hose is being forced into the groove of the strip, said strip being of
spiral formation corresponding to the spiral of the die or template.
The die or template is formed from a separate piece of metal capable of adjust-
ment vertically and longitudinally to allow for different thicknesses of metal strips
to be placed therein for enabling the same die or template to be used for different
diameters of spiral springs or hose armouring to be readily effected.
According to the third improvement, the die or template is made with a series
of notches or apertures through it for the reception of tapered or inclined pegs, so
that the inclined surfaces of the pegs may be caused to bear upon the strip of
metal in order to reduce its diameter when smaller springs than the die was
originally intended for, have, to be made or to suit the wire armouring of a flexible
hose if of smaller diameter.
The removable strips are many in number and those having a wider and deeper
groove for the reception of corresponding wire can be fitted in the same die plate.
According to another improvement, the reels can be dispensed with, such as when
very long lengths of hose piping have to be armoured on the Sphincter Grip system.

page_text: For this purpose long angled troughs are employed as guides to the pipe both into
and from the machine, or only into or from the machine as desired in either of
the latter cases, the unwired hose could be led from a drum or reel to the machine
or from the machine in an armoured state on to a drum or reel. The trough or
troughs is or are provided at intervals with wire or other ribs or projections to
reduce the friction while being fed to or on leaving the machine and said trough or
troughs are set at an angle, so that the unarmoured hose has a tendency to push
itself from the reel to the machine at a speed proportionate to the wiring or to
slide down the opposite trough at a corresponding proportionate speed. The
descending end of the armoured hose may have a sphere or roll attached to its
end so that the ball in rolling down the inclined trough would draw the hose along
at a speed proportionate to the armouring. The sphere can be readily attached to the
end of the hose by a clip or grip.
According to another improvement I employ a slotted collar with part of same over
a key, said collar being encircled by a pinch strap, so that when the collar is adjusted
a screwing up of the pinch strap or nut locks it in position.
According to another improvement, the wire feeding rollers are made with many
grooves on their periphery and of different shapes to suit the various gauges of wire
used for making spiral springs or the making of Sphincter Grip Armoured Hose, said
feed rollers being adjustable and fixable lengthwise on their shafts, so that the proper
portion of said rollers can be set to suit the gauge of wire to be used.
According to another improvement, the standards on which the feed rollers are
carried, are made with loose hearings for the reception of guide tubes of different
diameters to suit the gauge of wire employed for spiral spring making or Sphincter
Grip Armouring purposes.
The several detail improvements thus described can with certain modifications be
fitted in or to the machine described and shown in one of the before mentioned Speci-
fications namely No. 17796 of 1887 but they are applicable to other machines in which
wire forced into dies is manufactured into spiral springs or as Sphincter Grip
Armouring for flexible hose.
The Sphincter Grip Armouring of flexible hose is equally applicable for wire lined
or wire embedded hose as for plain hose having no wire as a lining or embedded such
as in some kinds of rubber sheathed hose.
Dated this 4th day of December 1888.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said J. A. Coultaus.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Fitting to Machines Used for
Making Spiral Springs and Wire Armour for Flexible Hose
Piping.
JOSEPH ALLEN COULTAUS of the Sphincter Grip Armoured Hose Company
Limited, 63 Fore Street, city of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-.
This invention relates to the construction and method of application of certain
appliances for use with Machines by which spiral springs and what is known as
Sphincter Grip Armour for Flexible Hose Piping can be produced.
The invention is based upon two previous. patents granted to Lewis Roberts,
George Clinton Scofield and Joseph Allen Coultaus and to Lewis Roberts and
George Clinton Scofield dated 27th December 1887, Nos. 17796 and 17797
respectively.
In the specifications of the Patents referred to, the art of making spiral springs
and a method of forcing wire through spirally grooved templates formed the subject

page_text: matter of the two inventions. All the features of the machine described in the
specifications of those two patents are retained with the following exceptions.
1. Instead of fitting the reels on which the plain hose is delivered to the machine,
and also the reel which takes up the armoured hose with a spring, a cone or other
cushioned collar is employed with a grip nut working upon and over a key fitted in a
feather groove of the axle to prevent the hose being given off too rapidly from one
reel, and also to prevent the hose escaping from the other reel, when armoured, the
cone or other cushioned collar being so tightened by the nut that it will yield when an
unusual strain is put upon it from any cause and yet have sufficient pressure to hold
the hose when being given off and while being taken up.
According to the second improvement the die or template in which the spiral groove
is formed, instead of being made with its working face in the body of the template or
die, the template or die is so made that it can receive a strip of brass, gun-metal, or
other body, in which the working face is formed, the die or template having a notch or
recess near its delivery end into which a kinked or bent portion of the metal strip finds a
lodgment and in which it is held to resist the strain put upon the strip, while the wire
from which the spring is made, or the wire used for armouring the hose is being
forced into the groove of the strip, said strip being of spiral formation corresponding
to the spiral of the die or template.
The die or template is formed from a separate piece of metal capable of adjustment
vertically and longitudinally to allow for different thicknesses of metal strips to be
placed therein for enabling the same die or template to be used for different diameters
of spiral springs or hose armouring to be readily effected.
According to the third improvement, the die or template is made with a series of
notches or apertures through it for the reception of tapered or inclined pegs so that
the inclined surfaces of the pegs may be caused to bear upon the strip of metal in
order to reduce its diameter when smaller springs than the die was originally
intended for, have to be made or to suit the wire armouring of a flexible hose, if of
smaller diameter.
The removable strips are many in number and those having a wider and deeper
groove for the reception of corresponding wire can be fitted in the same die
plate.
According to another improvement the reels can be dispensed with such as when
very long lengths of hose piping have to be armoured on the Sphincter Grip
system.
For this purpose long angled troughs are employed as guides to the pipe both
into and from the machine or only into or from the machine as desired in either of
the latter cases the unwired hose could be led from a drum or reel to the machine or
from the machine in an armoured state on to a drum or reel.
The trough or troughs is or are provided at intervals with wire or other ribs or pro-
jections to reduce the friction while being fed to or on leaving the machine and said
trough or troughs are set at an angle so that the unarmoured hose has a tendency to
push itself from the reel to the machine at a speed proportionate to the wiring or to
slide down the opposite trough at a corresponding proportionate speed.
The descending end of the armoured hose may have a sphere or roll attached to its
end so that the ball, in rolling down the inclined trough, would draw the hose along
at a speed proportionate to the armouring. The sphere can be readily attached to the
end of the hose by a clip or grip.
According to another improvement I employ a slotted collar with part of same over
a key, said collar being encircled by a pinch strap so that when the collar is adjusted,
a screwing up of the pinch strap or nut locks it in position.
According to another improvement the wire feeding rollers are made with many
grooves on their periphery and of different shapes to suit the various gauges of wire
used for making spiral springs or the making of Sphincter Grip Armoured Hose, said
feed rollers being adjustable and fixable lengthwise on their shafts so that the proper
portion of said rollers can be set to suit the gauge of wire to be used.

page_text: According to another improvement, the standards, on which the feed rollers are
carried, are made with loose bearings for the reception of guide tubes of different
diameters to suit the gauge of wire employed for spiral spring making, or Sphincter
Grip Armouring purposes.
The several detail improvements thus described can with, certain modifications be
fitted in or to the machine described and shewn in one of the before mentioned
patents viz. No. 17796 of 1887 but they are applicable to other machines in which
wire forced into dies is manufactured into spiral springs or as Sphincter Grip
Armouring for Flexible Hose.
The Sphincter Grip Armouring of flexible hose is equally applicable for wire lined
or wire embedded hose as for plain hose having no wire as a lining or embedded such
as in some kinds of rubber sheathed hose.
My invention is represented in the annexed drawings, Figure 1 being a view in
section of a wheel A on a shaft B on which a reel C is mounted and by which wheel
said reel C is driven, if such a reel be required for giving off the hose to be armoured
and also that on which the armoured hose is received.
The shaft B passes through the side frames of the reel carrier D and in order to obtain
the necessary grip on the reel while rotating I employ two cone surfaces F, E, between
which I place leather washers F which can be put into gripping action by tightening
up the nut G more or less and thus obtain sufficient bite to cause the reel C to rotate,
but having a freedom to remain stationary, the cones E, E, then slipping on the
wheel A should there be any hitch in the wire feeding mechanism. The cones E, E,
are feathered on the shaft to permit of their necessary movement for giving the grip
on the wheel A.
To prevent the nut G working loose, I employ a threaded collar H to be screwed on
to the shaft B. This collar has a handle I to enable it to be easily turned on the shaft.
This handle I is at one end and the other end J is split and capable of being gripped
by a bolt passing through the split end J to fix it and the nut G rigidly in
position.
The position which the above parts occupy are represented in the plan and front
elevation, Figures 2 and 3 of a machine in which flexible hose as at K can be
passed through a tube L rotated by gear M from the band or driving wheel N, said
gear M also driving through the gear P the wire feeding rollers Q, Q, wire S
being led by a guide pipe R from a reel S¹ into a spirally grooved die T, see
Figure 4, into which it is forced by the feed rollers Q, Q, there being another
guide pipe U which terminates at the entrance V of the die groove, the angle or
pitch of the spiral groove determining the pitch or spiral armouring placed upon
the hose.
The flexible hose K while being fed into the machine is rotated to receive the
wire armouring as it passes through the machine, the armoured hose being shown
at W.
If a reel be used for feeding the flexible hose into the machine or.a reel be used
for taking the armoured hose out of the machine they rotate in proportion to the
travel of the hose through the machine, so that the wire armouring is laid on in
regular order, the reel frames D being rotated through the pinions X, the reels
receiving their motion by worm gear Y from the motion at Z.
The wire feeding rollers Q, Q, which feed by forcing the wire onto the hose have
any required number of grooves according to the thickness or gauge of wire being
used and to facilitate that operation the guide pipes R, U, are carried on arms
which are adjustable in the bearings b, the plate c by which the spiral shaped
die T is carried being also adjustable to coincide with the adjustment of the pipe
guides R, U.
The spirally grooved die shown at Figure 4 is a fixture in its frame c by the
plate d but by removing said plate a spirally grooved die of another gauge to suit a
thicker or thinner wire can be substituted when desired.
The spirally grooved die as just explained is only suitable for one diameter of

page_text: The
flexible hose but by making the die plate as seen at Figure 5 with slots and fitting
wedge pieces e, e, in them, the spiral die T can be reduced in diameter by forcing the
wedges e, e, forward by means of keys placed into the slots for that
purpose.
wedges e, e, are guided between two plates 9, one being on each side of the plate cand
to prevent the tail h of the die T springing out of its place during the contraction of
the die T the tail is made with a catch to lock under one of the bolts which fixes the
two plates g, g, together: by this means a spiral grooved die T can be altered to suit
different diameters of hose piping, it boing only necessary to have the groove of the
die to correspond to the gauge of the wire being employed.
If no reels be required, such as when large diameter of flexible hose has to be
armoured the reels C are removed from their frames D, the flexible hose to be fed
may be laid lengthwise in an angle trough said trough having wire strips at intervals
for the hose to bear upon to reduce friction as the hose is being drawn to and through
the machine and being armoured, the armoured end of the hose gliding down another
trough similarly fitted, the weight of the armoured end being sufficient to draw the
hose through the machine.
The flexible hose or tubing wire armoured in the manner before described has the
wire embedded slightly into the outer surface of the tube by the force exerted by
the feed rollers Q, Q, the pressure of the wire against the die while moving in the
groove preventing the wire being abraided or roughened on its outer edge, the wire
being forced into itself during the process whereby it retains the form given to it
without having a tendency to spring back as a wire would do if simply wound round
a tube. I therefore designate iny armoured flexible hose as the Sphincter Grip Wire
Armour.
I may remark that by. my system of wire armouring of flexible hose I use no
mandril or other appliance within the hose while being armoured.
If Sphincter Grip Wire Springs have to be made, I pass the wire S direct from the
reel S through the guide pipe R and force it into the spiral groove die T by the feed
rollers Q, Q, the wire spring as made being received by and wound on the reel C, C,
which reel and its frame D rotates at a speed proportionate to that of making the
spring. I do not purpose using a mandril in the making of Sphincter Grip Spiral
Springs but one may be employed of a length corresponding to that of the spiral in
the die T, the mandril being slightly tapered, so that the spring as made relieves itself
as the work progresses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In combination with a Sphincter Grip Wire Armouring of flexible hose machine,
the leather cushioned surfaces E, E, for giving frictional bite to reels between the
revolving surfaces with a slip action beyond a given strain, as described with reference
to Figure 1 of the annexed drawings.
2. In a machine for Sphincter Grip Wire Armouring of flexible hose, the split
collar H for locking the adjustable nut G in a fixed position, as described.
3. In a machine for Sphincter Grip .Wire Armouring of flexible hose the affixable
plate to the die carrying frame to permit of different gauge of spirally shaped
dies being fitted to said plate d as described with reference to Figure 4 of the
annexed drawings.
4. In a machine for Sphincter Grip Wire Armouring of flexible Hose, arranging
in or to the die plate c the appliances by which the grooved die T can be adjusted
to suit different diameters of flexible hose as described with reference to Figure 5 of
the annexed drawings.
5. In connection with Machines for Sphincter Grip Wire Armouring of flexible
Hose, the angled troughs provided with wire ribs on which the flexible hose of large
diameter can be freely moved forward and turned round for the feeding of said hose
to, and armoured hose from such machine, and without a mandril or internal appliance
as described.

page_text: 6. In a machine for Sphincter Grip Wire Armouring of flexible Hose, the means by
which the guide pipes R. U, can be adjusted to suit the diameter of wire passing
between the pressure feeding rollers Q, Q, as described and when used in combination
with the many grooved feed rollers QQ.
7. The manufacture of Sphincter Grip Wire Springs by the means or appliances
described.
The 4th day of Santamber 1880
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said J. A. Coultaus.