Improvements relating to Machines for Making Fencing and like Wire Fabrics.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application 22nd May., 1899
(in United States),
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Machines for Making Fencing and like Wire
Fabrics.
I, CHARLES MOREHOUSE LAMB, of Adrian, County of Lenawee, State of
Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates particularly to an improvement in the automatically acting
clamping means heretofore in use in fence-making machines for preventing
slipping of the warp-wires of the fence on the rotatory feed-and-measuring drum
or member, about which said wires pass from the supply-spools in their course
through the machine.
My object is to supply a substitute automatically acting clamp for the purpose,
preferably in the form of a positively driven endless chain or belt passing, under
tension, about said feed-and-measuring member and over a suitable gear or
pulley and bearing upon the warp wire throughout a portion of a circumference
as the wire passes about said feed-and-measuring member.
In the accompanying drawing, the improved clamping means is shown in con-
nection with the feed-and-measuring drum of a fence-making machine, and in
the form of a sprocket-chain which is driven at the same speed as the surface of
said drum. It is understood, of course, that a chain is supplied for each warp-
wire, and that the feed-and-measuring member may take other form than that
of a drum.
In the drawing-
Figure 1 is a broken vertical section parallel to a side of the machine frame,
and showing the drum in end elevation and equipped with my improvements,
the section being taken as indicated at line 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan view of
the drum, and showing fragments of the side-frames of the machine and of the
clamping equipment of the drum; and Fig. 3, a view in perspective of a link
of one of the clamping-chains.
A A¹ represent portions of the side frames of the machine; B, the feed-and-
measuring drum journaled therein; C C, the sprocket-driven clamping-chains
employed; D, a shaft on which are fixed a series of sprocket-wheels E; F, a

page_text: cross-piece of the frame supplied with standards a on which are pivoted a series
of levers F, each provided at one end with a yoke in which is journaled. an
idler 12 and at the opposite end with an adjustable counterweight F3; and G G¹
are intermeshing gears concentric and rigid with the drum B and shaft 1),
respectively. Motion may be imparted to the system at the drunior at the shaft,
as desired. In any case, the gears bear the same ratio of diameters as do the
sprocket-wheels E and drum B, so that the chains are positively driven at the
speed of the surface of the drum.
The chains or belts C are spaced to correspond with the warp-wires 6 of the
fence. Each chain preferably encircles the drum and is in contact for more than
a half-circumference with the warp-wire which it 'clamps to the drum. At the
upper side of the drum the chains depart from its surface and pass over the
idlers F and in engagement with the sprocket wheels E. Each warp-wire prefer-
ably passes to the drum on one side of its appropriate clamping-chain and leaves
it at the opposite side thereof.
In the drawing, the wires are represented as coming from the supply-spools
(not shown), which are supposed to be located above and in the rear of the
drum B. From the drum the wires pass to the mechanism for fixing the woof-
wires in place, and thence to the take-up drum, as is well understood. The wires
are properly guided through the machine, and may be guided in their course
about the drum by grooves at the inner surface of each link, as indicated at
Fig. 3, or by circumferential grooves in the drum-surface, or by both these means.
The grooves should not be of sufficient depth, however, to relieve the wires from
pressure.
:
It is readily understood that since the shaft 1) and drum B are geared together
and the parts properly proportioned to give the same speed to the chains as is
possessed by the drum-surface, and since the chains are positively driven, there
can be no possible slipping of the chains upon the drum surface. Tests have
shown, that a moderate slightly yielding tension on the chains, such as may be
applied by the counterweights shown, develops sufficient friction to prevent the
wires from slipping beneath their chains, even under a much greater force than
is ordinarily applied in fence-making. Thus it appears that each chain is
virtually a self-acting clamp practically continuous throughout the arc to which
it is applied; without motion relative to the surface beneath its are of action, and
peculiarly simple and effective in operation.
As indicated, the rotatory member B may take other form than that of a
drum, and the endless chains or belts C may be arranged in any suitable manner,
the essential feature being that of clamping contact with the warp-wires through
à certain arc. Certain of the parts may be duplicated, if desired.
The operation is apparent from the above description. The warp-wires pass
about the drum B in the manner explained in my United States Patent, with
J. W. Page, No. 414,844, dated November 12, 1889. The chain-belts C move
at the same speed as the drum-surface and clamp the wires against slipping on
said surface, as already described. The tension of the chains is readily adjusted
by means of the counter-weights on the fulcrumed levers in which are journaled
the idlers F2. The chains, in passing about the idlers pass also through the
bifurcated heads of the levers in which the idlers are journaled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1 In a machine of the character mentioned, the combination with a rotatory
feed member about which the warp-wires pass in their course through the machine,
of an endless belt passing about an arc of said rotatory member, and means for
holding said belt in firm contact with the warp-wire to which it is applied to
clamp the wire to said feed-member, substantially as and for the purpose, set
forth.

page_text: 2-In a machine of the character mentioned, the combination with a rotatory
feed member about which the warp-wires pass in their course through the machine,
of an endless belt passing about an arc of said rotatory member, and yielding
tension means for said belt, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3 In a machine of the character mentioned, the combination with a rotatory
feed member about which the warp-wires pass in their course through the machine,
of an endless belt passing about an arc of said rotatory member, a gear engaging
said belt, a lever in which said gear is journaled, and means connected with the
lever for applying tension to the belt, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4-The combination with the rotatory feed member of a wire-fabric machine,
of positively driven belts for clamping the warp-wires to said member, at the
arc of action of the belts, and means for applying tension to said belts, substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth.
5-The combination with the rotatory feed member of a wire-fabric machine,
of a shaft geared thereto, a sprocket-wheel on said shaft, a clampingly-acting
sprocket-chain engaging said sprocket-wheel and passing about an arc of the
surface of said feed member, and means for applying tension to said chain, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6-The combination with the rotatory feed-and-measuring drum of a wire-
fence machine, of a shaft geared thereto, sprocket-wheels on said shaft, clamp-
ingly acting chains in engagement with said sprocket-wheels and passing about
an arc of the surface of said drum, to bear on the warp-wires of the fence, pivoted
levers, idlers journaled in said levers, and counterweights, or the like, connected
with the levers for applying tension, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
7 The combination with the rotatory feed-and-measuring member of a wire-
fence machine, of clampingly-acting sprocket-chains passing about an arc of
its circumference, pivoted levers provided with yokes through which said chains
pass, idlers journaled in said yokes, and counterweights, or the like, for apply-
ing tension through the medium of the levers, substantially as and for the pur-
pose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1899.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.