Improved Apparatus to be employed in the Manufacture of Helical or Helicoidal Springs of Wire of the kind used for Upholstery and analogous purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13 h Aug., 1894-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus to be employed in the Manufacture of Helical
or Helicoidal Springs of Wire of the kind used for Upholstery
and analogous purposes.
We, EDWARD SAMUEL BOND, and GEORGE HENRY COOPER, of The Crown
Works, Handsworth, Birmingham, Engineers and Machinists, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to machinery for making helical or helicoidal
springs of wire, such as are used for sofas, and other upholstery work, and other
analogous purposes.
We will describe our invention thus :-
We use four rollers, on the edge of each of which is turned a semicircular groove
to receive the wire, used in the manufacture of the said springs and for it to
pass along.
We make three of these rollers to revolve on fixed axes parallel to one another.
Two of these three are geared together, and as they revolve they feed the wire
between them and through a fixed feed guide and between the end of this guide
and the third roller.
When the wire emerges from between the feed guide and the third roller it engages
with the fourth roller, which we cause to revolve on an axis which is moveable.
The position of the fourth moveable roller (afterwards called the bending roller) is
controlled by a revolving cam, or eccentric, acting upon the axis of the roller
through appropriate levers. We make the cam or eccentric circular or elliptical
or sometimes of a shape neither circular or elliptical. We alter the throw of the
cam or eccentric when so required by a screw adjustment such as is frequently
employed for the purpose of altering the throw of a cam. The bending roller acts
upon the wire emerging from between the third roller, and the feed guide in such a
manner as to bend or convolute it into the shape of a ring forming the first
convolution of a helix. We place an inclined guide close to the bending roller so
that during the process of forming the convolutions of the helix, that portion already
formed is guided to one side so as not to interfere with the action of the bending
roller upon the wire emerging from between the third roller and the feed guide.
The effect of the cam acting upon the bending roller is to control the diameter of
the convolutions of the helix, for instance, if an ordinary sofa spring is being
made, the convolutions of the helix are large at first, the bending roller being then
most distant from the third roller, they become smaller to the middle of the helix,
as the bending roller approaches the third roller, and then they enlarge again as
the bending roller is caused again to recede from the third roller.
For making certain kinds of helical springs, we provide an automatic adjustment
to the guide which acts on the helix after it has passed the bending roller.
The position of this guide affects the degree of closeness of the coils of the helix
which closeness may vary in different parts of the spring according to the position
of the guide. The shape of the helical spring is then formed by the cam and the
closeness of the convolutions by the automatic guide.
We also provide automatic means of shearing off the wire after the completion of
each helical spring.

page_text: Improved Apparatus to be employed in the Manufacture of Helical
or Helicoidal Springs of Wire of the kind used for Upholstery
and analogous purposes.
We,
EDWARD SAMUEL BOND, and GEORGE HENRY COOPER, of The Crown
Works, Handsworth, Birmingham, Engineers and Machinists, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The apparatus we employ according to our invention in the manufacture of
helical or helicoidal springs of wire, such as is used for upholstery and other like
purposes, consists substantially of four rollers the edge of each has a semi-circular
groove to receive the wire and to pass along in the forming of the spring, three
of these rollers revolve on fixed axis parallel to one another, and two of these are
geared together and in their revolution they feed the wire between them and
through a fixed "feed guide."
When the wire emerges from between the feed guide and the third roller it
engages with the fourth roller which revolves on a moveable axis, this fourth or
bending roller is controlled by a revolving cam which acts upon the axis of the
roller by levers. We alter the throw of the cam when required by a screw
adjustment. The bending roller acts upon the wire emerging from between the
third roller and "feed guide" so as to bend or convolute it into the shape of a
ring and thus form the first convolution of a helix, near to the bending roller we
place an inclined guide so that in forming the convolutions, the portion formed is
guided to one side, and avoids interference with the other part. The effect of the
cam with bending roller determines the diameter of the helix.
In constructing certain helical springs, we provide to the guide an automatic
adjustment which acts on the helix after passing the bending roller. The position
of this guide effects the degree of closeness of the coils of the helix. The spring is
formed by the cam and the closeness of the convolutions by the automatic guide.
After the completion of each helical spring the wire is cut off automatically.
And in order that our said invention may be more clearly understood we shall
now proceed to describe it by the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings
the same letters of reference denote the same parts in every figure in which
they occur.
Fig. 1 shows the plan of the machine which is the subject of our invention.
Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 shows an end elevation.
Fig. 4 shows the automatic coil adjustment in plan.
5 shows the same in elevation.
Fig
a a are two feed rollers secured to parallel shafts bb' geared together by spur
wheels c c. The shafts bb revolve in fixed bearings on the framing of the
machine and the shaft bis driven by means of a spur wheel 62 secured to it into
which gears a pinion d secured to a shaft e which is provided with fast and loose
pulleys ff is a guide roller revolving on a fixed arbor, and a fixed guide.
is the inclined guide to regulate the closeness of the convolutions of the helix
formed by the machine which can be adjusted. "k" is the moveable roller which
revolves on an arbor mounted on the bell crank lever "" which is centred on a
fulcrum at . The outer end "12" of the lever "/" is alternately raised and
depressed through the intervention of the lever "r" by the cam "m" which is
secured to the shaft "n.' The shaft "n" is driven by means of a worm ³ on
the shaft "b" gearing into a worm wheel "n" on the shaft "n" Fig. 2, o is the
"

page_text: oscillating cutting off blade and p, the fixed blade, between these the length of wire
is cut off.
The vibrating cutting off blade o is worked on a fixed fulcrum o' and its outer
end is raised or lowered by the connecting rod of which is actuated by the lever o³
secured to the shaft g which oscillates in fixed bearings q² under the machine.
The edges of the feed rollers a a¹ and of the fixed guide roller
moveable roller k are each furnished with a semi-circular groove as shown through
and of the
which the wire s passes.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
I
The machine is set in motion in the direction shown by the curved arrows in
Fig. and wires is fed into it in the direction of the horizontal arrow.
દ
The wire is seized by the feed rollers a a' and forced by them through the fixed
guide h, when it emerges from between this guide and the fixed guide roller "g" it
is met by the moveable roller "k" and by its action controlled through the levers l
and, and the cam "m" the wire assumes the shape of the first convolution of a
helix, it then meets the inclined guide by which the closeness of each succeeding
convolution to that which had preceded it is determined.
The guide is a metallic arm, which is adjusted to the wire as it emerges from
the bending rolls g k. It is attached to, and carried by a standard 2, which is
secured to the bed of the machine.
The guide having been once adjusted the machine will form helical coils of
uniform "pitch."
If helical coils of varying pitch are desired, the guide is removed and a
guide with its appurtenances is substituted. The position of the end of the
guide with regard to the wire as it is emerges from the bending rolls gk is
varied by means of a cam t on a revolving shaft n acting through appropriate
levers.
C
The exact shape of the guides cannot be conveniently shown on the drawing;
nor is it material, as our invention with regard to these guides consists in making
them in the manner described; that is to say, rigidly fixed to the machine bed
when helices of constant or uniform pitch are required to be made by the
machine; and moveable automatically when helices of varying pitch are required
to be made.
In Fig. 1 the wire which has been formed by the revolving rollers into a
convolution of a helix is seen emerging at s¹, it is pushed aside by the outer
end of the guide j. The more this is pushed to the left the further apart will be
the convolutions of the helix, and the converse will be the case.
When helical springs are being made by the machine with their convolutions all
at the same distance apart, the guide is adjusted or set, once for all, by the
arm and standard 2 to which the guide is attached.
When however helical springs are being made by the machine with their
convolutions at varying distances apart a guide . (Figs. 4 and 5) is used instead of
the guide as described later on.
The outer parts of the machine remain as described and illustrated.
The position of the movable roller k determines the diameter of each convolution
of the helix.
On the shafte which revolves at a quicker rate than the shaft b, b¹ is secured a
cam e¹.
The came would engage with the lever 72 at every revolution, but that the
lever q2 is held back by the rod kept in position by the spring ¹ except when the
wire has been made into the predetermined number of helical convolutions when
it is ready to be cut by the shears o p. At that time the slowly revolving
cam pressing against the arm on the rod a pushes the rod away from the
lever q2 thus allowing the free end of the lever q2 which is provided with a roller,
see Fig. 3, to follow the cam e¹ as it revolves and so to open and close the shears o p.
The spring acting through the rods and levers 02 03 and 93 keeps the roller at
the free end of the lever q2 against the cam e¹. This action is repeated until the
2

page_text: cam n² arrives at such a position as to allow of the rod z again to be forced, by the
spring 21, behind the lever g² as shown in the drawing. The rod z then holding
the lever gas before until it is released as above described.
The movement of the free end of the lever g' towards and from the shaft e causes
the shears op to open and close, and when the helix s (formed by the bending
rollers and guides acting on the wire emerging from the feeding rollers) is long
enough it reaches the shears, and the completed helical spring is then cut off by
them. The wire of the spring s which is being made then drops between the shear
blades and the shears are again closed at the next revolution of the cam e¹ thus
cutting off the completed helical spring, the shears then alternately open and close
at each revolution of the cam e' until the cam n² again allows the rod to be pushed
by the spring behind the lever when the shears are held closed.
The throw of the cam "m" may be varied by a screw in a well known manner
or a cam of any determined shape may be used, this by varying the position of the
guide roller "k" alters the diameter of the convolutions at different parts of
the helix.
The cam n² and levers o³ q² and cam e¹ for actuating the cutting off shears op,
may also have variable adjustments so as to make the wire helixes larger or shorter
as may be required.
Figs. 4 and 5 show the automatic adjustment to the guide which regulates the
distance between the convolutions of the helix.
On the end of the cross shaft "n" we secure a cam "t," when this cam revolves
it presses against the tail end of the lever " น "which works on a fulcrum "y" on
the standard "y" which is secured to the bed plate of the machine. The upper
end of the lever "u" is connected by a rod "" and a link " 20 to the
guide "x."
This guide presses against the convolution of the wire as it emerges from the
bending rolls and according to its position the closeness or openness of the coils of
the helix is regulated.
We do not limit ourselves to the exact form and configuration of parts as
shown on the drawings as we may modify them without departing from our said
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;
;-
"
"In improved apparatus to be employed in the manufacture of helical or
helicoidal springs of wire of the kind used for upholstery and analogous purposes
1st. The combination, the feed rollers a a', fixed guide h, guide roller g moveable
roller k, levers 1 and r and cam "m" the inclined guide ; as Figs. 1, 2, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2nd. The combination, the shear blades o p, connecting rod o², lever o³ secured
to q, oscillating bearings q' q', cam n², spring 73, lever q², cam e', and rod z, as
Figs. 1, 2, 3, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
3rd. The combination, the cam t, lever "u," standard y, connecting rod v
link w, and guider as Figs. 4, 5, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the drawings.
4th. The general construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially
as herein before described in the foregoing Specification and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
Dated 13th August 1894
THOS. KENDRICK,
3, Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent.