Improvements in the Manufacture of Wads for Cartridges, and in Machinery therefor
Year: 1897

page_text: 66
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wads for Cartridges, and in
Machinery therefor."
I, JAMES PINFOLD, of 233 Park Road, Aston near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:→→
My invention relates to that class of cartridges having a metal base or head formed
separately from the body and attached thereto by means of a wad or block of paper
or similar material compressed within it and consists firstly of an improved method
of formning the wad or block and secondly of a machine for carrying the same into
effect.
According to my said invention I employ a strip of paper or other suitable material
of sufficient length and width to form one block or wad when coiled into cylindrical
form and compressed as hereinafter set forth.
These strips are placed in a machine which consists essentially of a mandril or
spindle for coiling the strips, a plunger or punch and a die for compressing the wad
or block and an extracting device for removing the completed wad from the said die.
I may mount the coiling mandrel or spindle in bearings in a headstock which may
also serve as a support for the compressing punch. The said punch is stationary in
this instance and is advantageously arranged so as to be concentric with the coiling
mandril and provided with a hole through which the end of the said mandril may
normally project.
The mandril is capable of longitudinal movement so that it may be pushed
backwards within the punch and below the face thereof but is retained in its normal
position by a spring.
The compressing die may be mounted in suitable guides and provided with cams,
cranks or other mechanism upon the shaft of the machine whereby a reciprocatory
motion may be imparted to it.
The said die is preferably formed somewhat deeper than is required for receiving
the paper coil so as to provide room for the extractor head.
Through the said extractor may project a central pin for forming the hole for the
cap chamber in the wad, the said pin being fixed in relation to the die and extending
to a level with the face of the same.
The coiling mandril or spindle may be formed with or without a slit at its end for
receiving the end of the paper strip and by the rotation of the mandril the strip
will be coiled around it in cylindrical form, being pressed at the same time by.a
suitable spring presser or other device so as to coil the paper tightly without the use
of paste or other mucilage if so desired. The compressing die is then brought
forward by means of its reciprocating mechanism for the purpose of compressing the
coiled cylinder into the required form and as the die moves forward the central pin
within it will force the coiling mandril backward out of the cylinder and enter the
samme so as to form the hole for the cap chamber. The spring presser may be so
arranged as to be simultaneously moved out of the way by the forward motion of
the die.

page_text: In order to remove the wad from the die when the desired degree of pressure has
been applied, I may so arrange the extracting device that the end of the extracting
rod shall be brought against a fixed stop by the backward movement of the
compressor die and thereby caused to force out the completed wad.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the special forn of 5
machine above described but may employ any suitable machinery for the purpose
of coiling the paper strip and compressing the same into the desired shape and size.
Dated this 19th day of January 1897.
66
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wads for Cartridges, and in
Machinery therefor."
I, JAMES PINFOLD, of 233 Park Road, Aston, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manuer the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of cartridges having a metal base or head
formed separately from the body and attached thereto by means of a wad or block of
paper or similar material compressed within the said body, and the said invention
comprises an improved method of manufacturing the wads or blocks and a machine
for carrying the same into practise.
The chief object of my invention is to enable wads to be formed from a length or
strip of paper or other suitable material of a width approximately equal to that of
the wad, wound into a roll or block and compressed so as to reduce it to the
required dimensions and cause it to retain its shape without the use of paste or other
adhesive material.
In the machine which I prefer to employ for the purpose, the strip of paper is
wound on a suitable mandrel or spindle arranged axially within a suitable compressing
punch or die, and this latter is surrounded by a winding cylinder. The mandrel and
cylinder are capable of sliding longitudinally together, but the hollow die is fixed.
A second or auxiliary mandrel and cylinder are arranged in line with those
already mentioned, a movable compressing die being arranged between them.
The arrangement is such that after the paper is wound into a roll on the winding
mandrel, the auxiliary mandrel and its cylinder advance and receive the said roll
from the winding mandrel and cylinder after which the auxiliary compressing die
advances and compresses the roll against the fixed die, the pressure thus coming
upon the edges of the coils of paper. This machine differs somewhat in its
constructional details from that described in my provisional specification, especially
as regards the employment of the auxiliary mandrel and cylinder, which serve also
to extract or eject the finished cartridge. In its operation however the said machine
is substantially the same in principle as that referred to in my said provisional
specification.
The winding mandrel is of a diameter that will when withdrawn from the roll,
leave a hole of the size the cap chamber is required to be, and the auxiliary mandrel
serves to keep this hole from being distorted during the compressing operation.
The pressure to which the roll is subjected is such as to crush it sufficiently to
prevent any tendency that it might have to unwind, and the wads when finished are
practically as solid and firin as ordinary wads.

page_text: I
may
also provide for adjusting the various parts of the machine and for operating
the portion thereof which effects the winding of the paper strips, either by hand or
power. may also provide for feeding the strips automatically to the machines and
for balancing or supporting the stresses to which the machine is subject while the
compression is being effected, as well as for throwing the machine out of action
instantaneously.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully by aid of the accompanying
drawings, in which :-
Figures 1 and 2 are views at right angles to each other showing my improved wad
to an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a machine such as referred to for making my
improved wads.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a longitudinal section and a plan of the essential
part of an automatic arrangement for feeding the strips of paper into the machine.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 2, it will be seen that my improved
wad consists of a single strip or coil of paper A, the edges of which lie at the sides of
the wad. These edges are caused to lock firmly into one another, by subjecting the
wad to powerful compressing or crushing strains acting in the direction of the arrows
Figure 2. Such a wad therefore does not require to have its parts or coils secured
together by paste or other adhesive substance, and this constitutes an important
advantage of my invention.
-
The compression referred to moreover leaves the wads with their end surfaces
smooth, in spite of the aforesaid crushing and locking together of the edges, so that
my improved wads when finished have practically the same qualities as regards
hardness and solidity as ordinary wads have.
Referring now to Figures 3 to 6 which, as stated, illustrate a machine for
manufacturing my improved wads, a is the bed or table, a¹ the flywheel and a² the
main shaft of the said machine. The portion of the machine by which the winding
of the paper strips into rolls is directly effected, is mounted on a head stock a³ and
comprises the winding mandrel, b, the winding cylinder c and the fixed tubular
compressing punch or die d.
The aforesaid auxiliary parts which co-operate with those just mentioned to
compress the roll into a finished wad are carried by a headstock a* and comprise the
mandrel b1, the cylinder c and the movable punch or die d'.
Each mandrel 6 and 6¹ is rigidly connected to and works in unison with its
corresponding cylinder c and c¹ the ends of the mandrels being level with the ends
of the cylinders.
The winding mandrel is carried by a rod or stem 62 one extremity of which
projects beyond the headstock a³ and is connected with a rod g by means of an arm 63
adjustably secured to said rod. The winding cylinder c is provided with a collar c
having an arm c³ which is also connected to the rod g. By this means the winding
mandrel and cylinder are enabled to move endwise in unison without interference
from the fixed punch or die d which latter is screwed into a bush d² the said bush
being in turn screwed into the headstock a³.
Rotary motion
imparted to the winding mandrel by means of a toothed wheel h
engaging a pinion h¹ mounted on a sleeve h² adapted to rotate in the headstock a³
and having a square axial perforation in which a square portion 64 on the mandrel
can slide freely to and fro, whilst preserving the rotary connection therewith. The
toothed wheel h may be driven either by hand or from the main shaft a² through the
medium of an automatic clutch 3 hereinafter referred to, and a train of
wheels h h h h the last mentioned being mounted on the extremity of a shaft hs
carrying the said wheel h.
In the case of the auxiliary mandrel b¹ it is necessary to provide such a connection
with the cylinder c¹ as will permit the movable punch to operate freely. For this
purpose the mandrel b¹ is secured in a rod or stem b working inside a mandrel d³

page_text: carrying the punch d². The cylinder c¹ is secured in a tube or sleeve c¹ working
outside the said mandrel. The parts b and c are connected by a transverse pin 65
which passes through slot d in the mandrel d³ thus permitting the required relative
movements.
The cylinder c¹ is connected by a collar c and arın c with the rod g to which as
already stated the winding cylinder and mandrel are connected, and by this means
both the mandrels and the cylinders move endwise together.
The means whereby such endwise movement is effected comprise a pair of cams i i¹
on the main shaft a², the former of which acts upon a truck 22 and the latter upon a
truck which trucks are carried by a rod it having an opening to enable it to clear
the shaft a². The said rod it has its opposite extremity supported in the headstock a*
and carries a forked piece i having a pin and groove connection with a collar on
the tube or sleeve c¹. By this arrangement when the cam i acts on the truck the
tube c¹ is moved to the left and carries with it the mandrels b b and cylinders c c¹
which are rigidly connected with the said tube or sleeve and with each other in the
manner before described. Conversely when the cam acts on its truck is the
mandrels are moved to the right into their original position again.
The movable die d¹ is operated by means of cams on the shaft a². The
compression stroke is given by the cam k which acts upon a roller, k² carried by a
forked piece rigidly secured on end of the said die. The die is drawn back when
the compression stroke is finished by the cam k¹ which acts upon a truck k carried
by a rod k which rod has an opening ko to clear the boss of the cam.
The opposite
end of the rod is mounted in the head stock, and an adjustable block or finger k' on
the rod is adapted to engage an adjustable collar on the die and draw back the
latter.
I will now proceed to describe the operation of the machine.
The mandrels and cylinders being moved back into their extreme right-hand
position, which is the opposite to that shown in the drawings, and the die d¹ being
drawn back, the end of a strip of paper is passed through a slot cx (see Figure 5) in
the winding cylinder and is inserted into a slit 6x in the winding mandrel. The
latter is then revolved through the medium of the toothed wheel h and the strip is
wound up around the mandrel into a roll which completely fills the cylinder c, the
strip being of the proper length to bring this about without any of it being left
protruding from the slit cx.
When the roll is completed, the mandrels and cylinders are moved to the left by
the cams aforesaid into the position shown in Figure 4, wherein the winding mandrel
and cylinder (b, c) have receded from the roll A and the auxiliary mandrel and
cylinder (b, c) have taken their place, the die d¹ is then moved to the left by the
cain and caused to compress the wad as shown against the end of the stationary
die d. The degree of such compression can be adjusted, either by screwing the die d
slightly out of or into the bush 2 or by screwing the said bush into or out of the
headstock a³.
'
When the compression is finished the mandrels and cylinders and die d' are moved
over to the right and in this movement the wad, being considerably reduced in
thickness, falls off the end of the die d¹ since the mandrel b¹ recedes into the said
die before the mandrel b enters the wad.
Obviously by suitably shaping the ends of the dies the wads may be formed with
dished or concave sides. For example in the drawings the end of the die d is rounded
to produce a concavity on that side of the wad on which it acts.
The automatic clutch h³ above referred to comprises a stationary and a sliding
portion having notched edges as is usual in clutches, the engagement being controlled
by a face cam h on the movable part of the clutch, which cam bears against a
stationary roller h¹º. This cam is so arranged that it draws the movable part of the
clutch out of gear as in Figure 4 at the time the cam is effecting the compression
stroke of the die d¹. When however in the continued revolution of the shaft a², the
cam ho allows the clutch to come into operation through the medium of a spring h",
the wheel h is driven therefrom through the aforesaid train of gear wheels, which

page_text: latter are as will be seen from the drawings, adapted to drive the said wheel at a
much higher speed than that at which the shaft a² is driven.
For rapidly throwing the machine into and out of gear I may employ a device
such as that shown in the drawing comprising the movable or pivotted rod m
having a wedge-shaped extremity m¹ adapted to engage a correspondingly shaped
projection m² on the end of a sliding key m³ which serves to couple a boss m*
on the shaft a² with the pulley a¹. The key is normally kept in engagement by a
spring ring or washer mo, and a spring me tends to keep the rod m in the position
wherein its extremity will engage the projection m² as the latter revolves, and
so will throw the machine out of gear after each revolution. The machine is
put into gear again by drawing back the rod m through the medium of a chain m³
connected with a suitable handle or treadle, thus allowing the key m³ to again
engage with the wheel a¹.
The device for feeding the paper automatically may conveniently comprise, as
shown in Figures 5 and 6, a hopper n in which the strips are arranged in a
pile, and a pair of rocking arms n' n², the latter of which has pins n³ adapted
to catch in and raise the end of the topmost strip. These arms, carry segmental
end pieces n n which push the topmost strip forward into the slit in the
winding cylinder and are provided with cranks n' which are connected to
corresponding cranks n' on a pair of rocking shafts no n'. The pile of strips is
fed upward by spring pressers 10 and the shafts n° n' are operated at the proper
times by face cams n acting on rollers n" carried by cranks on the ends of
said shafts.
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. A cartridge wad composed of a strip of paper or other suitable material
which is rolled up and compressed into the form of a cylinder with an axial
opening for the purpose specified.
2. In a machine for forming the aforesaid cartridge wads the provision of a
compression die arranged between a winding mandrel and cylinder substantially
as described and for the purpose specified.
3. A machine for making cartridge wads constructed and operating substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10til 08v 01 October 1097.
eu Lois 10th day o Uctober 1097.
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C. Agents for the Applicant.