Improvements in Wire-flattening Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: +
· Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wire-flattening Machines.
A communication from JEAN MARIE BUISSON, of Villieu, in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct and operate an improved automatic
wire flattening machine.
The wire is fed or unwound from a bobbin or spool and passes between two
tightly compressed cylinders or rollers between which the wire is flattened as it
passes on to another bobbin or spool on which spool it is wound up again.
Guide rollers serve to control the tension of the wire before and after the
flattening or pressure rollers. A roller supported by the wire serves for arresting
the machine by falling down in case the wire should break. Another roller leads
the flattened wire to a further roller which, in performing. its horizontal recipro-
cating motion, distributes or equalizes the wire upon the receiving spool.
As regards the operating mechanism, the operation of its various parts is as
follows:-
The lower pressure roller receives motion preferably from a driving pulley.
The upper pressure roller, (the pressure of which upon the lower roller is adjust-
able) only mores through frictional contact. Upon the shaft of the lower pressure
roller are secured two pulleys operating driving belts which through the medium
of two conical belt pulleys or drums transmit motion to the unwinding or feeding
spool and to the winding or receiving spool respectively.
If during the operation of the machine, the tension of the wire should become
too great behind the pressure or flattening rollers, a roller fixed to the end of a
lever tilts over this lever about its pivot, a cord is then drawn so as to act upon a
bell crank lever and thereby causes this lever to shift the strap upon the two
conical pulleys or drums. It may thus be seen that the speed at which the wire is
nawound or fed from the spool will increase, while the tension of the wire is
reduced to its normal degree. Should however the tension of the wire become
insufficient the inverse controlling or adjusting effect is produced.
An identical controlling device is arranged to act upon the side of the winding
or receiving spool.
The reciprocating motion by which, through the medium of a roller, the wire is
wound evenly on to the receiving spool may be more fully described as follows:-
Where the said receiving or winding spool is formed with straight flanges the
amplitude or extent of the up and down strokes is constant so that it is only
necessary to adjust this extent of motion once when setting the machine in motion.
But in the case where the receiving spool has bevelled flanges the extent of the
reciprocating movements should vary in proportion as the spool becomes more and
more filled with wire. A simple arrangement adapted to accomplish this result
may be constructed as follows:-
A rail or rod which is to reciprocate, terminates in a pair of guiding checks.
Between these two cheeks passes a lever receiving a reciprocating motion of
uniform extent. This lever which is recessed at its upper part comprised between
the two checks carries a screw adapted to turn about its own axis. This screw fits
into a nut retained at its sides by the cheeks and capable of sliding in a direction
parallel to the axis of the screw. This nut is the only connection between the
lever and the cheeks. If at each stroke the screw completes one or more revolu-

page_text: tions or part of one revolution, the nut is thereby shifted and consequently the
extent of the reciprocating motion is adjusted accordingly.
For this purpose a screw at its upper part carries a toothed wheel which by
engaging a pawl at each stroke, turns a given distance and carries the screw around
with it. It will thus be seen that by adjusting the pawl or the number of teeth on
the wheel the operation of the screw and consequently the amplitude of the
reciprocating motion may be controlled as desired.
The same arrangement may serve for adjusting the extent of motion by hand.
The before mentioned nut may be provided with a small projection which at a
given moment meets a tappet, raises it, and thus throws the machine out of gear
through the medium of a series of levers. In this manner the receiving spools
will at all times carry a predetermined quantity of wire, the said discou-
necting tappet being the means of determining this quantity by its position in
each case.
To arrest the machine if the wire should break a roller is arranged to rest or
bear upon the wire as it travels through the machine. When the wire breaks
this roller falls down and in so doing actuates a series of levers by which the
machine is at once thrown out of gear, this series of levers may be similar to or
the same as that employed for stopping the machine when the spools are full of
wire as explained above.
In order to obtain a maximum pressure between the two flattening rollers, the
upper roller has a bulging surface owing to which contact takes place at one point
only. To prevent the pressure-rollers however from wearing too rapidly the point
of contact may be changed by inclining the axis of the upper roller. To obtain
this result without overstraining the bearings of the upper roller, these bearings
are preferably arranged in such a manner that contact with the bearing-cap is
only obtained through the medium of a sphere or ball located within two recesses
so as to allow the bearing to be deflected in any direction or at any given angle
while retaining it in the same position.
Dated this 21st day of January 1892.
ALFRED J. BOULI,
Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wire-flattening Machines.
A communication from JEAN MARIE BUISSON, of Villieu, in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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:-
The object of this invention is to construct and operate an improved automatic
wire flattening inachine.
The invention will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevation, end elevation and a plan of
a machine constructed according to this invention; the other figures represent
details of various parts of the machine.
The wire is fed or unwound from a bobbin or spool A (Figure 1) in the direction
of the arrows, and passes between two tightly compressed cylinders or rollers M M',
between which the wire is flattened as it passes on to another bobbin or spool B,
on which spool it is wound up again.
Guide-rollers serve to control the tension of the wire before and after the
flattening or pressure rollers. A roller supported by the wire serves for
arresting the machine by falling down in case the wire should break. Another

page_text: roller leads the flattened wire to a further roller which in performing its
horizontal reciprocating motion equally distributes the wire upon the receiving
spool B.
As regards the operating mechanism the operation of its various parts is as
follows:-
The lower pressure-roller M receives motion preferably from the fast driving
pulley P (the other pulley P₁ being loose). The upper pressure-roller M' (the
pressure of which upon the lower roller is adjustable) only moves preferably
through frictional contact. Upon the shaft of the lower pressure roller M are
secured two pulleys ppl operating driving belts which through the medium of two
conical belt pulleys or druns transmit motion to the unwinding or feeding spool A,
and to the winding or receiving spool B respectively.
If, during the operation of the machine, the tension of the wire should become
too great at say a, i.e. behind the pressure or flattening rollers, the roller b, fixed to
the end of a lever L, tilts over this lever about its pivot o; a cord c is then drawn
in the direction of the arrows so as to act upon a bell-crank lever g g', composed of
two horizontal lever arms at preferably a right angle to each other and connected
by a vertical shaft, and thereby causes this lever to shift the strap upon the two
conical pulleys or drums in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3.
may thus be seen that the speed at which the wire is unwound or fed from the
spool A will increase, while the tension of the wire is reduced to its normal degree.
Should however, the tension of the wire become insufficient, the inverse controlling
or adjusting effect is produced.
An identical controlling device is arranged to act upon the operating gear of the
winding or receiving spool B.
The reciprocating motion by which, through the medium of the roller , the
wire is wound evenly on to the receiving spool B, may be more fully described as
follows:-
Where the shape of the said receiving or winding spool B is as shown in
Figure 4, i.e. with straight flanges, the amplitude or extent of the up and down
strokes is constant, so that it is only necessary to adjust this extent of motion once
when setting the machine in motion. But in the case where the receiving spool
has bevelled flanges, as shown in Figure 5, the extent of the reciprocating move-
ments should vary in proportion as the spool becomes more and more filled with
wire. Figures 6 and 7 show a simple arrangement adapted to accomplish this
result. The rail or rod R which is to reciprocate, terminates in a pair of guiding
checks F. Between these two checks F passes a lever H pivotted at O and
receiving at O a reciprocating motion of uniform extent. This lever H which is
recessed at its upper part, comprised between the two cheeks F carries a screw S¹
adapted to turn about its own axis. This screw fits into a nut E capable of sliding
in slots in the checks in a direction parallel to the axis of the screw.
This mut
is the only connection between the lever H and the checks F. If at each stroke
the screw S completes one or more revolutions, or part of one revolution, the nut
is thereby shifted and consequently the extent of the reciprocating motion of the
rod R is adjusted accordingly.
For this purpose the screw St at its upper part carries a toothed wheel C which,
by engaging a pawl at each stroke, turus a given distance and carries the screw
around with it. it will thus be seen that by adjusting the pawl to turn the
wheel C to a greater or smaller extent the operation of the screw, and consequently
the amplitude of the reciprocating motion, may be controlled as desired.
The same arrangement may serve for adjusting the extent of motion by hand.
The nut E may be provided with a small projection S2 which at a given moment
meets a tappet, raises it, and thus throws the machine out of gear through the
medium of a series of levers. In this manner the receiving spools will at all times
carry a predetermined quantity of wire, the said disconnecting tappet being the
means of determining this quantity by its position in each case.
To arrest the machine, if the wire should break, the roller
(Figs. 1 and 2) is

page_text: arranged to rest or bear upon the wire as it travels through the machine. When
'the wire breaks, this roller falls down, and in so doing actuates a series of levers
by which the machine is at once thrown out of gear; this series of levers may be
similar to or the same as that employed for stopping the machine when the spools
are full of wire, as explained above.
In order to obtain a maximum pressure between the two flattening rollers, the
upper roller has a bulging surface owing to which, contact takes place at one point,
only. To prevent the pressure-rollers, however, from wearing too rapidly, the
point of contact may be changed by inclining the axis of the upper roller. To
obtain this result without overstraining the bearings of the upper roller, these
bearings are preferably arranged (as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9) in such a
manner that contact with the bearing-cap D is only obtained through the medium
of a sphere or ball $ located within two recesses so as to allow the bearing to be
-deflected in any direction or at any given angle while retaining it in the same
*position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
* :same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the new wire
flattening machine arranged for the automatic rolling and unrolling of the wire as
it is flattened.
2. The employment in wire flattening machines of oscillating ball bearings such
as above described.
3. In a wire flattening machine reciprocating mechanism such as described above
enabling the amplitude or extent of motion to be determined or varied at will
during the operation of the machine.
4. The employment in wire flattening machines of automatically operating
devices for regulating the tension of the wire, substantially as described.
5. The employment in wire flattening machines of the arrangement of mechanism
for instantly arresting the machine upon the breaking of the wire or the receiving-
spool being filled to the predetermined extent.
6. In a wire flattening machine the combination with a wire-supply or receiving
spool and a pair of conical pulleys or drums for driving it of a roller-carrying lever
such as L cord c and lever such as for shifting the driving belt on the drums
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
C
Dated this 25th day of February 1892
,1 B00 . ע י
Chartered Patent Agent.