Improvements in Machinery for Making Tubing and Cord of India Rubber, and other Materials in a Plastic State, and for Covering Telegraphic and other Wires with such Materials.PH OTHER WI WITH
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Making Tubing and Cord of
India Rubber, and other Materials in a Plastic State, and for
Covering Telegraphic and other Wires with such Materials.
I ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's
Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
TUBING AND CORD OF INDIA RUBBER AND OTHER MATERIALS IN A PLASTIC
STATE AND FOR COVERING TELEGRAPHIC AND OTHER WIRES WITH SUCH MATERIALS,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The invention relates more particularly to machines for making tubing of india
rubber, gutta percha or other materials of a plastic nature or capable of reduction
to a plastic condition; but machines in most respects resembling those for making
tubing of the kind above mentioned and embodying parts of this invention may be
used for the manufacture of cord or rope of similar materials and for covering
telegraphic and other wires with similar materials.
The principal essential parts of a machine embodying this invention are generally
a trunk or cylinder to which the plastic material is supplied, a presser consisting of
a screw or ram fitted to the said trunk or cylinder for forcing the plastic material
through and from the said trunk or cylinder with the requisite pressure, and a die
in the head of the said trunk or cylinder through which the material is forced, and
which gives form to the exterior of the tubing, cord or wire covering to be
produced. A core also is employed to give form to the interior of the tube in a
machine for making tubing, and to steady and centre the wire in a machine for
covering wire, but such core is omitted in a machine for making cord.
There is also a delivery apron for receiving the formed product of the die.
The invention consists in certain novel means of heating and regulating the
heat of the body, trunk or cylinder and the head thereof which contains the die
and forming devices, whereby the several parts of the machine are brought to a
DC1

page_text: proper temperature, and the plastic material under operation is kept properly,
tempered for obtaining the best results.
The invention also consists in certain provisions for the adjustment of the core
when one is used in the machine whereby its concentricity to the die is assured.
It also consists in certain means of receiving the end thrust of the pressure screw
and of adjusting the said screw in its proper relation to the die and core of the
machine.
It also consists in certain means of driving the delivery apron whereby provision
is afforded for varying and controlling the speed thereof that it may always
correspond with the speed of the delivery of the tubing or other fabric from the
die in its plastic state, so that the said fabric may be delivered without being
stretched as it would be if the apron were too fast and without being caused to
become serpentine or wrinkled as it would if the apron were too slow.
It also consists in certain details of construction hereinafter described and
claimed.
I will now proceed to describe the invention in detail in its application to a
machine for making tubing and afterwards to briefly describe some modifications
which are necessary to adapt it to other purposes.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine for making tubing, the delivery apron
and its appurtenances being omitted; Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of
the trunk and its appurtenances; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the head in the
plane indicated by the line y y in Fig. 2; Fig. 3* is a front view of the trunk, its
head being removed; Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of the valve chest for controlling
the admission of steam and water to the jacket of the trunk for tempering the
same; Fig. 5 is a face view of the adjustable core-bridge; Fig. 6 exhibits an
elevation of the machine viewed from the opposite side to Fig. 1, the lower part of
the trunk standard being omitted Fig. 7 is a plan, mostly in section, of the means
of adjusting and driving the delivery apron; Fig. 8 is a side view of part of the
details of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is an elevation of the upper parts of the machine viewed
from the right of Fig. 1, or left of Fig. 6; Fig. 10 is a central longitudinal section
of a portion of the trunk and pressure screw showing also a section of the die and
the core as constructed for covering wire; Figs. 1, 3, 3*, 6 and 9 are on one scale.
The other figures are on a slightly larger scale.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
B is a standard upon the top of which is constructed or firmly secured the
trunk A A which consists of a truly bored horizontal cylinder A' surrounded by
a jacket A. To one end of this trunk is bolted the annular head D in which is
secured the nozzle 6 or as it may be termed, the die, for giving form to the
. exterior of the tubing made by the machine and which contains the core b¹ for
giving form to the interior of the said tubing and also contains the adjustable
bridge b which holds the said core.
In the cylinder A' is placed the presser which, as shown in Fig. 2, consists of a
screw a having a solid centre, and having the outer circumference of its thread
fitting snugly to the bore of said cylinder, a portion of the stock of the said screw
being left plain as shown at a¹ to close the end of the cylinder A furthest from the
head D. A feed opening E is provided in the top of the cylinder near that end.
To the end of the stock of the screw a which projects beyond that end of the
cylinder last mentioned, is firmly secured a worm wheel c through which the screw
is capable of receiving a slow rotary motion from an endless screw d' of
the machine which works in bearings d* d* on brackets provided on the
standards B. To the same end of the cylinder is secured by strong bolts of
rods f¹, one on each side, a yoke or fixed crosshead f into the centre of which
is screwed the adjustable bearing screw el which is exactly in line with the
pressure screw, a, and which serves as an abutment for the pressure screw to
sustain the latter in its operation of forcing the material through the cylinder
and the die, by its rotary motion within the cylinder. The opposite end of the
pressure screw a is about flush with the corresponding end of the cylinder A and

page_text: as close as practicable to the core bridge b; the thread being continued to the said
end and the spiral cavity of the thread being open to the said end. A jam nut e
is applied on the bearing screw e' at the back of the yoke f for the purpose of
securing the said screw against turning when properly adjusted in relation to the
trunk or cylinder and the core bridge and die. Between the inner end of the
abutment screw e¹ and the corresponding end of the pressure screw a there is a
broad headed thrust pin e which is fitted to the yoke f and prevented from turning
therein by a feather e³ the said pin receiving and transmitting to the said screw e¹
the thrust of the pressure screw a, when the latter is in operation.
The adjustable core bridge b before mentioned is in the form of a flat circular
disc having a solid centre which is drilled and tapped for the reception of the
core band into which the core is screwed firmly, and around this solid centre are
openings, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, for the passage through it of the material
of which the pipe is to be formed. This bridge is received in a circular cavity of
larger circumference that its own exterior, provided in the inner face of the head, D,
which abuts against the end of the trunk A A', and the said bridge is fitted snugly
but movably, as by a ground joint, between the face of said cavity and the end of
the cylinder A so that it may be adjusted by means of radially arranged adjusting
screwshh h³, screwing through the sides of the head D for the purpose of
adjusting it and the core to bring the latter perfectly concentric with the die b²
which is screwed into the central opening provided in the head D. This central
opening and the adjacent back part of the interior of the die are tapered as
shown in Fig. 2 to render easy the passage of the plastic material from the pressure
cylinder to the die, the outer portion or end of which, in which the exterior of the
tubing is formed, is bored cylindrically.
The die being screwed into the head, is easily removable to provide for the use
of dies of different sizes according to the external size of the tubing to be made,
and the core being screwed into the core bridge can also be removed and another of
different size substituted.
The head D, the construction of which is fully illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 has
within it an annular cavity whereby is constituted a jacket for the reception of
steam or water for tempering the die and core and surrounding plastic material,
independently of the cylinder A¹ and its contents.
On the top of the jacket A of the trunk there is a steam and water chest C which
is divided longitudinally by a central partition, as shown in the inverted plan
Fig. 4, into two compartments one of which is always kept supplied with steam by
a pipe i and the other with cool water by a pipe for the purpose of supplying
either steam or water to the interior of the jacket A of the pressure cylinder or to
the annular jacket formed in the head D or to both of the said jackets as may be
desired.
To provide for the distribution of the steam and water there are fitted into the
partition in the steam and water chest C, two valves or cocks the former to
form communication between either compartment of the chest and the jacket of the
cylinder and the latter 1 to form communication between either compartment
of the said chest and the jacket in the head D.
These cocks or valves may be of any suitable kind. Those represented are cocks
having hollow plugs which are closed at the top and open at the bottom.
In each
hollow plug there is a single lateral opening as shown in Fig. 2 and in the plug
seat of each there are two opposite openings i³, or i, ³, as shown in Fig. 4,
ranging with the lateral opening in its plug and communicating one with the steam
compartment and the other with the water compartment of the chest C. Under
the cavity of the plug there is a downward passage * (see Fig. 2) directly into
the jacket A; and under the cavity of the plug of is a downward passage m*
branching off horizontally through the end of the jacket where it communicates
with an opening m (see Figs. 2, 3 and 3*) provided in the jacket portion of the
head D. By turning the cock, l, by its handle, 13, to bring the lateral opening of
its plug into communication with the opening or ³ either steam or water as the

page_text: case may be will be admitted through the said plug and passage * to the cylinder
jacket. In like manner by turning the cock by its handle to bring the lateral
opening of its plug into communication with the opening it or either steam or
water will be admitted through m* and m to the jacket of the head. In this way
the trunk with its contents and the head with its contents including the die and.
core, may be separately tempered to that degree which is found best for the working
of the plastic material of which the tubing is being made, and which is delivered in
the required tubular form from the die b through which it is forced by the
pressure screw.
At the bottom of the trunk A near the head D is an escape pipe k (see Figs. 1
and 3) for the escape of the cooling water and the water of condensation from the
jacket of the cylinder, and near the pipe k is another pipe k¹ (see Figs. 2 and 3*) for
the escape of the cooling water and water of condensation from the jacket of the
head D. In order to provide for the removal of the head D without disturbing thee
connection of the escape pipe k¹, the said pipe is attached to the trunk as shown in
Figures 2, 3* and 10 and a passage m¹ is drilled into the jacket of the head from
the inner face and a corresponding passage m² is drilled from the end of the
cylinder to communicate with the said pipe k' as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 3*.
In like manner the removal of the head D without disturbing any other connec-
tion with the chest C is provided for by the passages m and m* hereinabove
described.
The main shaft d¹ of the machine which works in a long bearing secured to the
standard B is arranged transversely to the axis of the pressure screw a. It is
provided with fast and loose pulleys F F and besides being furnished with the end-
less screw d, herein above mentioned gearing with the worm wheel, c, on the said
screw, a, the said shaft is furnished with another endless screw n (see Figs. 6 and 9)
for the purpose of giving motion to the delivery apron v³ as will be hereinafter
described.
The said delivery apron, ³, which is horizontally arranged in front of the trunk
and the die 6 has that part of its upper surface next the trunk as much lower than
the axis of the die as the semi-diameter of the exterior of the tubing to be formed.
In order to provide for the adjustment of said apron to the proper height
according to the varying sizes of the tubing, and also to permit the lowering of the
part of said apron next the trunk entirely out of the way of the head as may be
required for the removal of the latter to take out the core bridge and change the
core, or for any other purpose, the shaft v' of the drum v2 which supports that
part of the apron, and which receives the motion for driving the said apron, is
supported in a bearing box u* on the end of a long adjustable bracket u, shown
in Figs. 6 and 7.
This bracket u is made with a hub u³ which fits as shown in Fig. 7, to the
cylindrical exterior of a projection u on a box t' (see also Fig. 9) which contains
the bearings for a shaft t¹ which carries a pulley ts for driving the delivery apron v³
by a band to (shown in Fig. 6) running on the said pulley and on a pulley v on the
shaft of the apron v³ (see Figs. 6, 7 and 9) This box t which extends nearly
through the standard B is provided with a flange t7 (see Figs. 7 and 9) through
which it is bolted to the exterior of the said standard.
To provide for adjusting and securing the bracket and dropping it down to
remove the apron out of the way without disturbing the band to or disarranging
the driving mechanism, the hub us of the bracket is constructed to serve as a
clamp by being slit in a direction parallel with its axis and having on opposite
sides of the said slit as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, lugs which are fitted with a screw u¹
which serves the purpose of drawing the said lugs towards each other, and so
effecting the tightening of the said clamp upon the projection u³ of the stationary
box and thereby securing the bracket in any position in which it may be placed
by turning it on the said projection and box; the said hub when the screw u¹ is
unscrewed fitting the said projection easily enough to permit the bracket to be
turned thereon by hand. The said screw u¹ is made with a long shank which.

page_text: extends beyond or to a point near the box u* on the extremity of the bracket u.
where it is furnished with a handle u² so that the said screw can be conveniently
worked by the attendant who is adjusting the apron to the proper height.
To provide for giving to the pulley t on the shaft t¹ the necessary motion for
driving the delivery apron there is secured to the said pulley and its shaft a friction
disc t against the face of which works the periphery of a friction wheel r, 8, on a
horizontal shaft n² which is arranged transversely to the driving shaft d¹ and the
shaft t in bearings n³ n' bolted to the standard B and which is furnished with a
worm wheel n¹ through which it receives from the endless screw n herein before
mentioned on the driving shaft, the motion which it imparts to the disc t and
pulley to for driving the apron v³ at the slow rate of motion necessary to it.
In order that the speed of the apron may be varied and regulated to make it
agree exactly with the speed of the delivery of the tube y¹ from the die 6* that it
will not by being too slow cause the plastic tubing to be projected upon it in
serpentine form or by being too fast, cause the tubing to be stretched, the friction
wheel r, a is fitted to the shaft n' with a feather o in such manner that though it
must turn with the said shaft it may slide lengthwise thereon for the purpose of
presenting its periphery nearer to or further from the centre of the disc t. For
the purpose of so sliding the said wheel on the said shaft the hub of the said
wheel is fitted as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 with a loose sleeve p which is confined
longitudinally by a nut or collar but within which the said hub turns freely
and the said sleeve is connected by a rod g³ (see Fig. 6) with the arm g' which is
fast on the fulcrum shaft g of a hand lever g (see also Fig 1.) by the movement
of which the friction wheel is moved on its shaft. To secure the adjustment of
the said wheel there is secured to the standard B a stationary slotted sector
plate g to which the hand lever g may be secured in its adjusted position by a
clamping screw g³. This clamping screw will however generally be left loose and
the attendant holding the lever in his hand will watch the delivery of the
tubing on the apron and move the lever as may be necessary to increase or
diminish the speed of the apron relatively to the speed of the driving shaft and
pressure screw or presser according to the speed of delivery which will vary
considerably according to the size of the tube produced and will also vary in some
degree with the very slight variations which are unavoidable in the speed of
delivery from the die.
The friction wheel r, 8, may have its peripherical surface constructed in any
suitable manner. It is represented as having the said surface composed of the
edges of a series of discs 8, of india rubber or other suitable material clamped
together. In order to insure a proper degree of friction between the said wheel.
and the face of the disc t, an adjusting screw t is screwed into the back end of the
box, as shown in Fig. 7 for the purpose of pressing against the rear end of the
shaft t, and a jam nut t³ is applied to the said screw outside of the said box.
The method of supporting and adjusting the outermost part of the apron v³, or
that part thereof furthest from the trunk A A¹, and of collecting the tubing from
said apron is illustrated in Fig. 6 and will now be described.
G is a movable standard having a broad base and heavy enough to stand in any
position in which it may be placed on a floor. To this standard a cross head or
rigid arm w is adjustably secured by a screw clamp w¹ which permits the said
crosshead to be secured at any suitable height. To one end of the said cross head
is attached a bracket w³ which contains or carries the bearing for the shaft of the
drum which supports the outer part of the apron. On the top of the said
standard is placed a circular pan H which is so concentrically fitted to the said
standard as to be capable of turning freely thereon, the said pan being so placed
relatively to the said apron as to be capable of receiving the tubing from the said
apron and to enable the tubing so received to be coiled up within it by the rotation
of the said pan which may be produced by the hand of an attendant who stands
by with a brush with which he dusts upon the exterior of the tubing soap-stone
powder or other material for the prevention of the sticking together of the coils of

page_text: .
the tubing. The bracket w³ is adjustable on or by the pin w* which connects it
with the cross head w' in such manner as to provide for setting the drum v* as
close as possible to the pan without touching it. This adjustment is desirable- as
the pans for different sizes of tubing will be of different sizes. The cross head w
is adjustable in the direction of its length or horizontally by the clamp w³ for the
same purpose.
In the modification shown in Fig. 10, to adapt the machine to the covering of
wire, the pressure screw a instead of being solid has a central bore large enough
to allow the wire z to be covered to pass through it and the core b' is also bored
centrally to allow the wire to pass through it, the said core being tapered to its
extremity which terminates at the entrance to the cylindrical portion of the die.
A machine for making cord needs not to differ in any other respect from that
for making tubing except that the core is required in the former.
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 Correspondents, I declare that what I claim is
1. The combination with the pressure cylinder, presser and die of a machine
for making tubing or covering wire, of a core made separate from the presser,
and a core bridge supporting the core at the inner end and adjustable transversely
to the axis of the core and die for the purpose of adjusting the core concentric
with the die, substantially as herein described.
2. The combination with the pressure cylinder and head and pressure screw of
a machine for making tubing or covering wire and the die and core within said
head, of an adjustable core bridge arranged within said head and supporting the
core at its inner end, and set screws arranged in said head transversely to the 'axis
of the die and core and serving to adjust said core-bridge from the exterior of said
head, substantially as herein described.
3. The combination with the body of the pressure cylinder and its removable
head, containing a die, of the core arranged within the die and a core bridge
supporting the core at its inner end and arranged and held in place in a concavity
between the inner face of said cylinder and head and adjustable in a direction
transverse to the axis of the cylinder, substantially as herein described.
4. The combination in a machine for making tubing or cord, or covering wire,
of a pressure cylinder and a hollow head attached to the end of said cylinder and
containing the forming die, of separate jackets to the said cylinder and head and
cocks for introducing steam or cooling water to each of the two jackets independently
of the other substantially as herein described.
5. The combination with the jacketed pressure cylinder of a chest C divided by
a partition into two compartments one for steam and the other for cooling water,
a valve, seat having passages communicating with the jacket and with both
compartments of the chest, and a cock or valve for bringing the passage from
either compartment into communication with the said jacket, whereby provision is
afforded for supplying steam or water to the jacket, substantially as herein described.
6. The combination with the pressure cylinder and its head having separate
jackets, a chest divided by a partition into two compartments, one for steam and
the other for cooling water and each common to both jackets, and two valves or
cocks in the said chest each having a communication with the two compartments
and one having a communication with the jacket, of the head for controlling the
supply of either steam or water to either jacket from one chest, substantially as
herein described.
7. The combination with the jacketed pressure cylinder having on it a steam
and water chest from which a passage m* runs to the end of the cylinder, and the
separately jacketed head D having an opening m to the jacket arranged to
communicate with the passage m*, whereby provision is afforded for the removal
of the said head without disturbing any other connection with the chest D,
substantially as herein described.

page_text: 8. The combination with the pressure cylinder and its jacketed head D, of the
escape pipe k¹ communicating with a passage m through the end of the cylinder
corresponding with an opening m¹ in the jacket of the head to provide for the
removal of the head without disturbing its escape pipe, substantially as herein
described.
9. The combination with a pressure apparatus and die for forming pipe or cord
of plastic material, of a delivery apron the speed of which is variable at will
relatively to the speed of the pressure apparatus during the operation of the
machine, substantially as herein described.
10. The combination with the main shaft d¹ of the machine and the apron
driving pulley to and its shaft t¹, of the shaft n³ geared with said driving shaft, the
friction wheel r, s, movable lengthwise on said shaft, and the friction disc t on the
shaft tall substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
11. The combination with one of the drums and drum shafts, of the delivery
apron and a shaft for transmitting motion to the said drum shaft, of a bracket for
carrying the bearing of the said drum shaft adjustable around said driving shaft
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
12. The combination of the delivery apron drum * its shaft v¹ and pulley to
its shaft t and the box t for said shaft, of the removable bracket u adjustably
clamped around said box and containing the bearing for the said shaft v¹
substantially as herein described.
13. The combination of a movable stand for supporting the outer drum shaft, of
the delivery apron and a pan or receptacle for the pipe or cord as it is delivered
from the said apron, of an adjustable support on said stand for supporting the said
drum-shaft and permitting its adjustment relatively to said receptacle substantially
as and for the purpose herein described.