Articles from Slotted Sheet Metal.
Year: 1887

page_text: Articles from Slotted Sheet Metal.
I, ALBRECHT EDWARD BARTHEL of the City of New York in the United States of
America, Engineer, at present residing at No. 34 Deich Strasse, Hamburg, Germany,
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 an improved method of and the construction of the thereto
pertaining machine for manufacturing lattice work products from slotted sheet metal,
which said articles can be applied to various purposes for instance for fencings,
railings, scrapers, gratings, roof pallisades, sand sieves, spark catchers, tree protectors,
walls for cement buildings and many other purposes.
The sheet metal is provided with elongated slots arranged in rows so that the slots
of the one row are not in line with the slots in the next row (Figure 5). Such said
slotted sheets of metal are now stretched, in cold, warm or red hot condition in a
direction transverse to the slots so that the latter are widened and a lattice like
material with sharp cornered meshes is produced from the sheet. If the basket like
lattice work is to be produced the rows of slots are arranged in concentric circles,
then the edge of the sheet of metal gripped and the said metal either drawn out free
or over a form.
The edge of the slotted sheet metal dise can be fixed to a ring and the form guided
in the same normally to the surface of the ring so as to cause the formation of the
meshes in the disc.
When such cold, warm or glowing slotted metallic discs are drawn out or stretched
a basket like product with sharp cornered meshes is produced. The size and distance
of the slots from each other and the thickness of the metal and the strength of the
material (precious or ordinary metal) is chosen according to the article to be produced
from the same.
Baskets from such lattice sheet metal can be inade in various forms.
The accompanying drawing represents a machine by means of which slotted sheet

page_text: metal can be drawn out and stretched for producing the meshes and lattice like form
of the same.
Figure 1 is a side view and part vertical section through the machine.
Figure 2 is the plan of the same. Figure 3 represents the details of the gripper
hook on an enlarged scale.
Figure 4 represents the hook and the hook rail in side view and section. Figure 5
is a view of the sheet metal with the slots before the stretching. Figure 6 is an
elevation of the lattice like sheet metal. Figure 7 is a section of the same.
The machine consists of a frame A on which the bearings a a for two strong spring
spindles, B B', are screwed which are from their center towards the ends, each
provided with right and left hand screw threads. In order to prevent the frame from
bending the same is provided as shown in the drawing with a standard A¹.
The driving shaft E for the screw spindles is carried in a standard A², outside the
frame and carries the fly wheel F with hand crank. The movement of the shaft E
is transferred through the bevil wheels G G', on the shaft E and the gear wheels G² G³
on the screw spindles B B to the latter. Each of the screw spindles B B¹ carries on
the right and left hand threads thereof a muff or nut CCD D which carry plates
on which the horizontal flat rails H H are fixed. On these flat rails are arranged a
row of draw hooks W the number of which depend on the breadth of the sheet metal
or the number of meshes. The draw hooks of the one row are pointed upwards, those
of the other row downwards and catch or gear in the slots of the sheet metal_and
stretch the same as soon as the screw spindles B B' are turned and thereby the rails HH'
which carry the drawing or stretching hooks W are moved away from each other.
The stretchers or hooks W consist of two flat bars or rails rs, Figure 4, which are
cranked at their forward end and rivetted together, the rail or bar s being provided at
its forward end with a hook s. A pin runs through the rear ends of the rails
and carries a roller t or a ball in order to facilitate the movement of the hooks
on their rails H H and without causing too much friction. The rollers t run on the
small side or edge of the rails H H so that when the stretching of the slotted sheet
metal is commenced the single hooks will move nearer to each other according to the
reduction in breadth of the slotted sheet metal. It will be evident from the foregoing
that the hooks follow the movement of the meshes so that meshes of equal size are
always formed. As soon as the slotted sheet metal has been sufficiently stretched for
forming the desired meshes the driving shaft E is rotated in the opposite direction and
the rows of hooks caused to approach each other so that the same can be removed
from the meshes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I desire it to be understood
that what I claim is :
-
1. The manufacture of lattice like plates or other forms from slotted sheet metal by
stretching the said sheet metal in a direction rectangular to the slots in cold, warm or
red glowing condition, substantially as described in the foregoing specification and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. A machine for stretching slotted sheet metal consisting of the rotary spindles B B¹
with their right and left hand screw-threads on which the nuts or sleeves C C D D¹
provided with female threads move, said nuts or sleeves C C D D' carrying flat
rails H H¹ on which hooks are arranged which grip into the meshes of the sheet metal
in such manner that the rollers which run on the small side or edge of the rails H H¹
permit a lateral movement of the hooks towards each other according to the formation
of the meshes and the alteration in breadth of the sheet metal, substantially as
described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a machine for forming meshes from slotted sheet metal the rotary right and
left hand threaded screw spindles B B' carrying corresponding nuts or sleeves CDC'D'
with female screw threads connected by flat rails H H on which the automatically
moving hooks or stretchers Ware caused to approach each other in lateral direction
according to the formation of the meshes and the alteration in the breadth of the sheet

page_text: metal whilst at the same time the flat rails H H and the hooks or standards W are
moved away from each other, substantially as described in the foregoing specification
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
4. The use of self-regulating drawing hooks or stretchers W which grip the slotted
metal to be drawn out on the one hand from below whilst the opposite row of hooks
or stretchers W grip the slotted metal from above so that the sheet metal takes a like
inclined position throughout as shown in Figure 7 and all tearing of the meshes
through unequally applied force is avoided, substantially as described in the foregoing
specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 92nd day of Drasubion 1887