Improvements in or relating to Chain Making Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1897-Accepted. 20th Aug., 1898
.COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Chain Making Machines.
I, EUGÈNE FRANCOIS GIRAUD, of Doulaincourt, in the Republic of France,
Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to a machine for manufacturing chains, by means of which
the links are connected together as they are formed.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 shows a machine according to the present
invention, in plan.
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sections on the lines A-B, C-D, and E-F
respectively of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a cross-section of a detail on the line G-H of Figure 4.
Figures 6 and 7 are respectively longitudinal sections of the machine on the
lines I J and K M N P R of Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a detail-view of one of the parts of the machine.
Figures 9 to 14 are detail views relating to the link-forming parts of the
machine.
a is the frame of the machine, b b are rollers serving to guide the wire into the
machine.
c is a shaft on the end of which are keyed a fast and a loose pulley and on
which are arranged cams d e f g h h and secured to it by keys or in
any other suitable manner. k is a fly-wheel keyed on the shaft c for the purpose of
rendering the movement of the machine more uniform.
is a lever oscillating horizontally about the pin m of a shackle n supporting it,
and vertically movable about the pin o of the same shackle.
A spring p (Fig. 2) maintains the rear end of the lever in constant engage-
ment with the cam d which, owing to its shape, cooperates with the springs
p and q to impart to said lever / horizontal and vertical motion, the course of said
lever under the influence of the spring q in this direction being limited by an
adjustable screw r passing through a fixed bracket s.
The front end of the lever is bifurcated, and between the branches is arranged
a flanged roller t mounted loosely on its spindle 3 secured to a slide u which is
adapted to move in a straight line between two guides vv secured to the frame a.
Moreover the spindle is provided with a transverse hole or passage ³ (Fig. 2)
of a diameter slightly larger than that of the wire used for making the chain.
v is a lever adapted to move horizontally under the influence of the cam e, and
is pivotted about a pin x¹ secured to the pin of the adjoining bracket 93. The
horizontal movement of the lever v causes the movement of a bar y provided
with teeth at its left hand end, said teeth engaging corresponding teeth of a small
pinion z adapted to rotate together with the spindle to which it is secured, through
a quarter of a revolution in one or in the other direction at each movement of the
lever and the bar y to the right or to the left.
The spindle of the pinion z provided with a suitable notch at its rear-end, is sup-
ported in a socket or bearing a¹ in which it can slide and is constantly urged

page_text: forward or inwards by a small spring 1 abutting against a stirrup c¹ secured
to the socket al supported by a bracket d¹ of suitable shape secured to the
frame a.
The two levers e² el carrying two jaws g'g' are pivoted about pins f f secured
to the frame and have a horizontal rocking motion about said pins, communicated
by symmetrical cams h and h and the spring n'.
is a rectangular casing guided by means of its two rods j¹ and k¹ Figure 3
respectively sliding in the brackets and m¹, said casing being caused to reciprocate
horizontally by means of the cam g.
The part o¹ secured to the casing i¹ by means of screws p³ has the same motion
as the casing. At its upper end a vertical pin q¹ provided with two recesses 7.1
and 8 (Fig. 8) passes through it. With the recess 1 engages one of the ends of a
lever adapted to oscillate about a pin u¹ supported by a bracket v² (Fig. 4).
The other end of the lever t' passes under a bar x2 suitably arranged so as to
slide on its two supports y' and z¹ constituted by shouldered bolts. The combined
action of the cam i and of the spring a² connected to the bar x2 communicates to
the bar x2 a reciprocating motion, and the tappet 62 with which it is provided
towards its end strikes during this movement against the corresponding end of the
lever to which it communicates a uniform vertical oscillating motion about its
pin u¹.
A suitable arranged spring, not shown in the drawing, returns the lever {¹
after each movement to its original position.
A finger c³ secured to the bracket d¹ has its end arranged over the space
between the jaws g¹g¹. d³ is the movable branch of shears of which e³ is the
fixed part.
The branch of the shears receives its vertical motion from the cam f
which causes it to oscillate about the pin f³ supported by the bracket g³ and
carrying the pin x¹ of the lever v1.
A small branch h³ provided with a passage of a suitable diameter is arranged
between the shears and the side of the rear end of the lever e¹. The latter is also
provided with a passage 3 of the same diameter as that of the branch ³ and in
such manner that both these passages come into line when the lever e¹ is in the
position indicated by chain lines on the drawing (Figure 1).
OPERATION OF THE MACHINE.
The wire having been placed between the rollers b b, and passed through
the hole 3 and its end been brought in contact with the movable branch d³ of the
shears, if the machine is started, said branch d³ rises, the lever presses the lower
flange of the roller t against the wire and causes the latter to advance to the
extent required to form a link and to introduce its end into the passage 1 of the
lever e¹. The movable branch d³ of the shears descends and cuts the wire, then
rises, the lever causing the wire to advance to the same extent as before, the
cutter-blade is again lowered the fresh piece of wire causing the preceding one a
to move between the two jaws g' g¹ (Figs. 9 and 10). At this moment the part o¹
has advanced and the wire a³ is in the recess s¹ (Fig. 8) of the pin q¹ which has
descended (Fig. 10).
The return motion caused afterwards by the cam g causes the wire to assume the
shape as shown in Fig. 11.
Then the jaws g¹ and g¹ come nearer together under the action of the cams h h
and by means of the recesses in the jaws g¹ g¹ (Figs. 9 to 14) the ring a³ is
finally closed as shown in Fig. 15.
As soon as this closing has been effected, the bar x2 during its forward
movement strikes the end of the lever t¹ which raises the pin q¹ and the
finger ca prevents the ring from following the pin in its upward movement.
The spindle of the pinion by means of its slotted end keeps the ring in a
horizontal position. Its rotation through a quarter of a revolution places the ring
in a vertical position during the movement apart of the jaws g₁ and g¹. . . At this
moment a new portion of wire passes into the ring formed and comes into position

page_text: between the jaws. The part o¹ advances, the pin q' redescends under the influence
of the action of the lever its slotted part S¹ (Fig. 13) comes over the wire a5
and ring 65 previously formed (Fig. 10) and the operation is repeated as before
described.
It will thus be seen that at each revolution of the shaft c carrying the cams,
a link is formed and connected to the preceding one which then falls owing to
its weight. It then only remains to solder together if necessary the two ends of
each by electric or other process in order to complete the chain."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A machine for manufacturing chains, comprising a main shaft parallel to the
direction of the movement of the wire said shaft carrying cams suitably arranged
upon it and respectively actuating devices to cause the wires to advance, to cut it
to a desired length to bend it and finally to cause the link formed to make a quarter
of a revolution before releasing it, for the purpose of enabling the next link to be
connected to it; substantially as described.
2. In a machine of the character described a device for causing the wire to
advance in which a cam dat each revolution, in cooperation with a spring causes a
lever to rock horizontally about a pin m of a bracket n and also to oscillate
vertically about a pin o of the same bracket, for the purpose of gripping the
wire, to cause it to advance, between the flange of a roller, through the pin of
which it passes, and a movable slide u, the backward movement of the lever
under the action of the spring being limited by a set screw or suitable stop
substantially as described.
3. In a machine of the character described a device for cutting the wire into
pieces of desired length for forming links comprising a cam operating at each
revolution the movable branch of a cutting device to oscillate in a vertical plane
about a pin of a bracket secured to the frame for the purpose of cutting the wire
after each advance, substantially as described.
4. In a machine of the character described the arrangement of the short tube h³
for enabling the wire to be guided and caused to enter the passage made in the
lever e¹ and the jaw g¹ as soon as the two jaws move apart substantially as
described.
5. In a machine of the character described a device for bending the wire into a
ring, comprising a cam 9, a slide o¹, a pin q¹ pivotted levers e¹ e¹, jaws g¹ g¹,
cams hand spring n¹ substantially as described.
6. In a machine of the character described a device for raising and lowering
the pin comprising a cam i rods x2, brackets y¹ and 21 spring a², bracket v²
lever and its resetting spring substantially as described.
7. In a machine of the character described a finger c³ for preventing the ring
formed from being carried upward by the rising pin q¹ substantially as described.
8. In a machine of the character described a device for causing the ring formed
to make a quarter of a revolution to enable the next link to be connected to it and
comprising a cam e lever v' and pin x¹, bar y provided with teeth, pinion z, the
spindle of which is slotted at its rear end, bearing a¹, stirrup c¹, spring b¹ and
bracket substantially as described.
9. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete chain
making machine substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.