Improvements in Machines for Straightening and Cutting Wire and Metal Rods to Uniform Lengths.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Straightening and Cutting Wire and
Metal Rods to Uniform Lengths.
I, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH, of 8 King Street, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates chiefly to that class of machines in which wire is straightened
by being drawn through a revolving frame which carries suitable dies combined with
apparatus for cutting the wire into given lengths the object of my invention being to
improve the construction and driving mechanism of the machine and to make the
measuring and cutting off apparatus more accurate and easy to adjust.
It has hitherto been customary to drive the revolving straightener by one belt
and the cutting off apparatus by an independent train of gearing from a counter or
other shaft.
According to my invention I arrange the revolving frame and the cutting off
apparatus on a solid bed or frame and mount on the hollow trunnion of the former
a cone pulley and gears which gear into other gears on the draw through tappet
shaft the gearing imparts a slow motion to the tappet shaft and is preferably
arranged as treble gearing in order to be very strong; by this means the whole
machine is driven by a single belt the position of which can be changed on the cone
pulleys to vary the speed both of the straightening and cutting off mechanism. The
wire from the straightener can be fed forward by tappets as usual and in order to
make the measuring and cutting off apparatus more accurate and easy to adjust I
dispense with the usual train of change wheels and in their stead I employ a pinion
keyed on the tappet shaft near the cutting off cam; this pinion is in gear with an
index wheel mounted loose on a stud the side of this wheel is drilled with a number
of holes to receive a stud (or studs) which as the wheel revolves come under and raise
a weighted lever connected to a link pivoted to the cutting off lever mounted on a
slide and moves the lever so that it is struck by the cam and actuates the slide thus
cutting off the length of wire which has been drawn forward the weighted lever
then falls immediately and withdraws the cutting off lever until raised by the next
stud on the index wheel.
In order to regulate the traverse of the nippers I propose to make a graduated
scale for each nipper on one of the guide bars and in connection with each scale I
employ a set collar to facilitate the setting and movement of the nipper slides.
By adjusting the movement of a pair of nippers actuated by tappets of 74 inch
traverse and the employment of a single driving pinion and index wheel it is possible
to cut any length of wire say from 15 inch up to 20 feet long; for cutting lengths
of 15 inch and below the index wheel is not required.
The cutting off cam is preferably made solid with a single striking portion at one
end and two at the other fitted on a feather key so that it can be readily moved to
bring either end in line with the cutting off lever.
Dated this 17th day of September 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Straightening and Cutting Wire and
Metal Rods to Uniform Lengths.
I, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH, of S King Street, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
DQ17

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates chiefly to that class of machines in which wire is straightened
by being drawn through a revolving frame which carries suitable dies combined with
apparatus for cutting the wire into given lengths the object of my invention being
to improve the construction and driving mechanism of the machine and to make the
measuring and cutting off apparatus more accurate and easy to adjust.
It has hitherto been customary to drive the revolving straightener by one belt
and the cutting off apparatus by an independent train of gearing from a counter
or other shaft.
According to my invention 1 arrange the revolving frame and the cutting off
apparatus on a solid bed or frame and mount on the hollow trunnion of the former
a cone pulley and gears which gear into other gears on the draw through tappet
shaft, the gearing imparts a slow motion to the tappet shaft and is preferably
arranged as treble gearing in order to be very strong; by this means the whole
machine is driven by a single belt the position of which can be changed on the cone
pulleys to vary the speed both of the straightening and cutting off mechanism. The
wire from the straightener can be fed forward by tappets as usual and in order to
make the measuring and cutting off apparatus more accurate and easy to adjust I
dispense with the usual train of change wheels and in their stead I employ a pinion
keyed on the tappet shaft near the cutting off cam; this pinion is in gear with an
index wheel mounted loose on a stud the side of this wheel is drilled with a number
of holes to receive a stud (or studs) which as the wheel revolves come under and raise
a weighted lever connected to a link pivoted to the cutting off lever mounted on a
slide and moves the lever so that it is struck by the cam and actuates the slide
thus cutting off the length of wire which has been drawn forward; the weighted
lever then falls immediately and withdraws the cutting off lever until raised by
the next stud on the index wheel.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of my improved machine for
straightening and cutting wire and metal-rods to uniform lengths, and Figs. 3 and 4
are elevations of the said machine.
In the Drawings, a represents the bed of the machine, the ordinary revolving
frame carrying dies for straightening the wire and c the hollow shaft or trunnion upon
which I mount according to my present improvements a cone pulley d and the fast
pinion e which gears into a spur wheel loose on the tappet shaft i. The wheel bas
fast with it a pinion f¹ which gears into a spur wheel g fast with a pinion g¹ both loose
upon the hollow shaft and the pinion g gears into a spur wheel h fixed upon the
tappet shaft i.
Any other suitable arrangement of gearing for driving the tappet shaft i from the
cone pulley shaft might be employed; but I prefer to employ the arrangement of
triple gearing shown and described for the reasons hereinbefore stated.
The nippers or gripping bars, which feed forward the wire from the straightener b
to the cutting off meclianism, are actuated as usual in one direction by the tappets or
cams and in the other by the chains and, weights m
In order to regulate the traverse of the nippers or gripping bars I propose to
make a graduated scale, not shown, for each nipper on one of the guide bars and
in connection with each scale I employ a set collar o to act as an adjustable stop and
to facilitate the setting and regulate the movement of the nipper slides.
To drive the cutting off mechanism according to my improvements I have fixed
on the tappet-shaft near the cutting off cam pa pinion r gearing into a spur wheels
on the boss of which is a pinion s gearing into an index wheel mounted loose on a
stud carried by the frame a. The ordinary cutting off lever is fulcrumed on the
stud and pivoted to a slide block e which carries the movable die which acts as

page_text: When in
a guide for the wire to be cut off. The stud u is carried by a lever w which is con-
nected by a link to to a weighted elbow lever a which is fulcrumed on a stud z¹.
A number of holes are drilled around the side face of the index wheel and a stud
(not shown) is inserted into one of these holes and as the index wheel t revolves this
stud raises the weighted end of the elbow lever a thereby through the link w' pushing
the lever w up an incline on to the raised surface or step a¹, and so raising the
cutting off lever u and its fulcrum into the position shown in Fig. 4.
this position the free end of the cutting off lever u is raised by the rotation of the
cutting off camp which has the effect of raising the slide block v and die v¹ and cutting
off the length of wire fed forward by the nippers or gripping bars actuated by the
tappets k. As soon as this has been done the stud on the index wheel & leaving
the weighted lever allows it to fall thereby drawing the lever w off the step a
and withdrawing the free end of the cutting off lever from the path of the
cam p until the weighted end of the elbow lever is again raised by the stud on the
index wheel t.
cam p
More than one stud may be employed on the index wheel t and the cutting off
preferably mounted on a feather key on the tappet shaft i and formed with a
single striking surface at one end and two striking surfaces at the other end and when
the index wheel is used the single portion of the cam p is employed to raise the
cutting off lever and cut off the wire as described.
For cutting short lengths of wire the index wheel is not required and the cam p
would be moved along the feather key to bring either its single or double portion into
position for actuating the cutting off lever u, the fulcrum of which is in this case
kept constantly raised in the position shown in Fig. 4 by means of a catch or stop
which holds up the weighted end of the lever .c.
By moving the set collar o and adjusting the movement of the pair of nippers or
gripping bars actuated by tappets of seven and a half inches traverse and by the
employment of a single driving pinion and index wheel instead of the usual train
of change wheels it is possible to cut any length of wire say from fifteen inches up to
twenty feet long.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
In a machine for straightening and cutting off wire-
1. The improved arrangement of driving mechanism substantially as herein
described and as shown whereby the straightening mechanism and the cutting off
mechanism are both driven by a single belt and cone pulleys instead of separately as
heretofore customary.
2. The use and application of the index wheel provided with a stud or studs,
in combination with the cutting off lever substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
3. The use and application of a graduated scale and the set collar o, in combination
with the nippers or gripping bars as and for the purposes described.
4. Forming the cutting off camp with a double as well as a single striking surface
and mounting it upon a feather key on the tappet shaft substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
5. The general combination and arrangement of parts embodying the several
improvements herein described with reference to the Drawings annexed.
Dated this 17th day of June 1890.
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.