Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
I, WILLIAM ALLEN MCCOOL of Beaver Falls in the County of Beaver and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Machinist, 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 :-
Great difficulty is experienced in the manufacture of rods, shafting and similar
articles of metal, by their becoming warped, twisted or otherwise distorted or bent
out of shape, which prevents their being used until subjected to some straightening
process.
The object of my invention is to provide a suitable machine or organization of
mechanical devices whereby such rods, shafting or similar articles of ductile metal
may be straightened and rendered permanently straight and true without cutting or
injuring the surface; and my invention consists in general terms, in a straightening
machine composed of two grooved supporting rollers and a friction roller which
presses upon the rod, shafting or similar material to be straightened over the space
formed by the grooves of said grooved rollers and mechanism for rotating the said
grooved rollers.
In carrying out my invention 1 provide two grooved rollers having supporting
flanges or other suitable and equivalent arrangement of supporting wheels for
supporting the rod, shafting or similar article at two places along its length leaving it
unsupported between the said wheels or supporting flanges of said grooved rollers.
The rollers or wheels are rotated in the same direction so as to slowly rotate the rod,
shafting or similar article resting upon them; and while being so rotated, the said
rod, shafting or similar article is slowly moved or drawn longitudinally over such
supporting rollers or wheels. Simultaneously with this treatment of the rod, shafting
or similar article, a pressure is brought to bear upon it through the mediation of a
pressure roller acting in a direction toward the grooved supporting rollers or wheels,
so as to bend or tend to bend the rod, shafting or similar articlo down on toward a
point intermediate between its point of support on the rollers or wheels. The
combined pressure of said roller with the rotary and longitudinal movement of the
rod, shafting or similar article being acted upon straightens or renders it true. The
operation is continuous and regular and does not abrade or otherwise injure the rod or
shafting.

page_text: It is evident that any article capable of being rotated and fed longitudinally in this
manner can be treated in this machine, and it is also evident that in place of feeding
the rod or shafting longitudinally the supporting rollers and pressure or siraightening
roller may be made to move longitudinally over the rod or shafting. A relative
movement is all that is required.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a rod or shaft straightening machine embodying my
invention; and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of same.
The main frame of the machine may be made as desired and as shown is lettered F
and constitutes a pedestal adapted to rest upon the ground or floor. Supported
thereon by suitable journals are two parallel rollers CC having the raised parts or
flanges and the depresses or grooved parts c. This presents four supporting points
or parts for the rod or shafting I), while that portion of which that comes over the
grooved or recessed parts c. of the rollers, is unsupported. In place of making the
two rollers as shown with the grooves c, it is clear that four wheels corresponding to
the parts C¹ secured in pairs to two shafts, A, may be used. The shafts A which
support the rollers or wheels are provided with worm wheels B and with these worm
wheels worms J on a shaft i mesh for the purpose of rotating the rollers or wheels all
in the same direction as indicated by arrows. The shaft i, of the worms is provided
with a band wheel I and is supported in suitable bearings / h. And suitable means
may be employed to give notion to the shaft i, or, in fact, any well known mechanical
equivalent such as spur gearing may be employed to make the rollers CC rotate in
the same direction in place of the worm and worm wheels shown. D is the rod or
shaft being treated and is pressed down upon the supporting rollers or wheels by
the pressure or straightening roller E, which is of less width than the distance
between the flanges C of one of the rollers C, and preferably somewhat convex on its
periphery as shown in figure 2. This convexity is also desirable on the flanges or
wheels C to prevent injury to the rod or shaft and facilitate its longitudinal move-
ment. This pressure or straightening roller E, is carried in a frame or head L,
having a vertical guide stem 7, working through a bearing S, secured to the main
frame B of the machine, and which head is prevented from turning by means of the
feather or other equivalent device. K is an extended portion of the main frame
and has a threaded portion K' for receiving a powerful screw m, having an operating
handle M, for causing rotation when it is desired to feed the screw up or down. The
lower end of the screw m, acts upon the stem l, of the hoad L, carrying the roller E,
and by means of this screw the roller E, may be adjusted to produce a greater or less
action upon the rotating rod or shaft D. This rod or shaft D is drawn along
between the rollers by any suitable means, for instance, the vise and traction chain d,
shown.
The straightening is caused by the re-adjustment of the particles of metal due to
the shifting of their positions, and this takes place without injuring their cohesive or
tensile strength.
It is evident that while I have shown a preferred construction, that the details may
be modified without departing from my invention.
Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by
Letters Patent, is:-
1st. The combination of rotary supports for a shaft, rod &c., to be straightened,
arranged at a distance apart, with a pressure roller arranged to act upon the rod or
shaft at a point between its rotary support and on the opposite side, and adjusting
devices to adjust the rotary supports and pressure roller to or from each other.
2nd. The combination of two rotary supports for a shaft, rod, &c., to be straightened,
arranged at a distance apart, with a pressure roller arranged to act upon the rod or
shaft at a point between its rotary support and on the opposite side, and adjusting
devices to adjust the rotary supports and pressure roller to or from cach other, and
means to rotate said rotary supports with a uniform speed.

page_text: 3rd. The combination of two grooved supporting rollers having supporting parts
arranged at a distance apart and upon which the rod or shaft to be straightened rests,
mechanism to rotate said grooved rollers, and a pressure roller arranged above said
grooved rollers and adapted to press upon the rod or shaft in a direction corresponding
to the grooved portions of said supporting rollers.
4th. The combination of two grooved supporting rollers having supporting parts
arranged at a distance apart and upon which the rod or shaft to be straightened rests,
mechanism to rotate said grooved rollers, and a pressure roller arranged above said
grooved rollers and adapted to press upon the rod or shaft in a direction corresponding
to the grooved portions of said supporting rollers, and means for adjusting said
pressure roller to or from the grooved rollers.
5th. The combination of two grooved supporting rollers having supporting parts
arranged at a distance apart and upon which the rod or shaft to be straightened rests,
mechanism to rotate said grooved rollers, and a pressure roller arranged above said
grooved rollers and adapted to press upon the rod or shaft in a direction corresponding
to the grooved portions of said supporting rollers, and means for adjusting said
pressure roller to or from the grooved rollers, and means for pulling the rod or shaft
longitudinally between the rollers.
6th. In a machine for straightening rods, shafts, &c., the combination of supports
for the rod, shaft, &c., arranged at a distance apart and adapted to support the rod,
shafts, &c., at different places along its length, ineans to rotate the rod, shaft, &c., and
a pressure roller bearing upon the rod, shaft, &c., at a point in its length intermediate
to the supports therefor.
7th. In a machine for straightening rods, shafts, &c., the combination of supports
for the rod, shaft, &c., arranged at a distance apart and adapted to support the rod,
shafts, &c., at different places along its length, means to rotate the rod, shaft, &c., a
pressure roller hearing upon the rod, shaft, &c., at a point in its length intermediate
to the supports therefor, an adjustable head for said roller movable to or from said
supports, and a screw feed for said head to adjust it with reference to the supporting
the rods, shaft, &c., being acted upon.
Sth. In a machine for straightening rods, shafts, &c., the combination of a main
frame, two parallel grooved supporting rollers adapted to support the rod, shaft, &c.,
at two places along its length, gearing connecting said rollers to make them rotate in
the same direction, power mechanism to rotate said rollers, a pressure roller arranged
above said supporting rollers and above the grooved portions thereof, and adjusting
devices to adjust the pressure roller to or from the supporting rollers.
9th. A straightening machine which consists of two grooved rollers and a friction
roller, which bears upon the shaft or other material to be straightoned over the space
formed by the grooves of said grooved rollers and mechanism for rotating said grooved
rollers.
10th. A straightening machine which consists of two grooved supporting rollers
and a smaller solid friction roller which presses upon the shaft or other inaterial to be
straightened down into the space left by the grooves of said grooved rollers, and
mechanism for rotating said grooved rollers.
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