Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing Wire.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing Wire.
A communication from JEAN MARIE BUISSON, of Villieu, in the Republic of
France, Wire-drawer.
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:-
This machine is composed essentially of a series of draw-plates placed one after
the other and pierced with holes which become smaller and smaller. The metallic
wire which is intended to be drawn passes successively and without interruption
through all these draw-plates from the head of the machine and is only rolled up
on one drum (or on a roller if the wire is thick enough) at the other extremity of
the machine. After each draw-plate there is a cooling-pulley, round which the
wire makes one or more turns before it passes through the following draw-plate.
It is important that the speed at the circumference of the pulleys be exactly equal
to the speed of the wire in order to avoid friction between the wire and the pulley
and the strain which would in consequence be put upon the wire. The exact
regulation of the different degrees of speed is obtained in these machines by the
different degrees of pressure exercised on the belts or cords driving the shafts of
the cooling pulleys. This pressure can be regulated automatically by the tension
of the wire that is being worked or by hand. In both cases an increase of pressure
on the belts produces an increase of speed, and a diminution of pressure a slackening
in the speed or even a complete stoppage of the corresponding pulleys.
The accompanying description will make the working of this machine clearly
understood;-
A horizontal driving shaft carries pulleys driving by belts or endless cords other
pulleys fixed on short horizontal shafts carrying the cooling pulleys. As the speed
at the circumference of these pulleys ought to increase in proportion as the size of
the wire diminishes the driving pulleys increase, and the driven pulleys decrease in
diameter from the head to the tail of the machine for the purpose of obtaining for
the cooling pulleys degrees of speed augmenting approximately as the speed of the
wire and in order to reduce the work of the regulators to a minimum. The wire to
be drawn which is carried on a drum passes round a guide pulley to the draw-plate
then to the cooling pulley and a regulating friction roller to pass from there in
the same order through successive series of similar devices. At the other end of
the machine the drawn wire is rolled round a drum or roller which receives its
movement from a pulley on the driving shaft.
Let us now describe the play of the regulator;-When the tension of the wire
increases in one part thus risking its breakage at that place, the regulating friction
roller corresponding to that part and fixed on a suitable lever changes its position
(being drawn over by the tightened wire) pressing thus more strongly on the belt
or cord driving the pulleys. As the cooling-pulley increases in speed it opposes
less resistance to the passage of the wire on it, and the tension at the part
instantaneously diminishes. The reverse effect is produced when the part is too
slack; a spring brings the lever back again and the speed of the pulley diminishes
and the tension is brought back to its normal value. It will therefore appear that
the lever and friction roller will perform several oscillations and soon take up its
position of stable equilibrium. Each of the regulators operates in the same manner
and a uniform tension is obtained constantly in the whole length of the wire thus
almost completely avoiding the breakage of the wire which is under operation.
When the wire is very regular and especially in the case of fine wire the oscilla-
tions of the regulators become almost nominal, and a regulation by hand can be

page_text: substituted for the automatic regulators which are operated when the machine is set
in motion or during the work in the same manner, that is to say, in bringing the
pressure on the belts or cords to the required degree by the management of a
simple screw-nut operating on a lever which presses on the belts. In this case
the regulating friction rollers are suppressed and replaced by simple guide
pulleys.
Without changing the system of these wire-drawing machines the arrangement
of the machine can be modified the draw-plates being placed in perpendicular
planes to the longitudinal axis of the machine and the pulleys parallel to the same
axis. The guide pulleys are not required in this case. The regulating friction
rollers are placed according to the principle described above and operate in this
arrangement of the machine on crossed belts. These regulating friction rollers can
be omitted in certain cases as above described and be replaced by a hand regulator
based on the same principle.
Dated this 20th day of September 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing Wire.
A communication from JEAN MARIE BUISSON, Wire-drawer, of Villieu, in the
Republic of France.
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 :-
This machine is composed essentially of a series of draw-plates placed one after
the other and pierced with holes which become smaller and smaller. The metallic
wire which is intended to be drawn passes successively and without interruption
through all these draw-plates from the head of the machine and is only rolled up
on one drum (or on a roller if the wire is thick enough) at the other extremity of
the machine. After each draw-plate there is a cooling-pulley round which the
wire makes one or more turns before it passes through the following draw-plate.
It is important that the speed at the circumference of the pulleys be exactly equal
to the speed of the wire in order to avoid friction between the wire and the pulley
and the strain which would in consequence be put upon the wire. The exact
regulation of the different degrees of speed is obtained in these machines by the
different degrees of pressure exercised on the belts or cords driving the shafts of
the cooling-pulleys. This pressure can be regulated automatically by the tension
of the wire that is being worked, or by hand. In both cases an increase of
pressure on the belts produces an increase of speed and a diminution of pressure
a slackening in the speed or even a complete stoppage of the corresponding
pulleys.
The accompanying drawings will make the working of this machine clearly
understood ;-
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine, and
Fig. 2 a transverse section on the line ab of Fig. 1.
A horizontal driving shaft A carries pulleys R R R and so on, driving
by belts or endless cords other pulleys P P P fixed on short horizontal
shafts B B B¹¹. carrying the cooling pulleys C C¹ C".
As the speed
at the circumference of these pulleys ought to increase in proportion as the size
of the wire diminishes the driving pulleys R R R increase, and the driven
pulleys P P P decrease in diameter from the head to the tail of the machine
for the purpose of obtaining for the cooling pulleys C C C degrees of speed
augmenting approximately as the speed of the wire and in order to reduce the

page_text: work of the regulators to a minimum. The wire X X X X
to be
drawn which is carried on a drum T passes round a guide pulley H to the draw-
plate F, then to the cooling pulley C and a regulating friction roller G to pass
from there in the same order through successive series of similar devices H'F' C₁G¹
and so on.
At the other end of the machine the drawn wire is rolled round a
drum or roller Y which receives its movement from a pulley Z on the driving
shaft A.
201
Let us now describe the play of the regulator. When the tension of the wire
increases for example in one part X" thus risking its breakage at that place, the
regulating friction roller G₁ corresponding to that part and fixed on a suitable
lever L' changes its position to G, (being drawn over by the tightened wire) so
that the lever L' comes into the dotted position L', and E' into the dotted
position E', pressing thus more strongly on the belt or cord driving the pulleys P1
and C. As the cooling pulley C¹ increases in speed it opposes less resistance to
the passage of the wire on it, and the tension at the part X" X" instantaneously
diminishes. The reverse effect is produced when the part X" X is too slack; a
spring bringing the lever L' E back again, and the speed of the pulley C
diminishes and the tension of X X is brought back to its normal value. It
will therefore appear that the lever L' E' and friction roller G₁ will perform
several oscillations and soon take up their position of stable equilibrium.
Each of
the regulators G G G operates in the same manner, and a uniform tension is
obtained constantly in the whole length of the wire thus almost completely avoiding
the breakage of the wire which is under operation. When the wire is very regular
and especially in the case of fine wire the oscillations of the regulators become
almost nominal and a regulation by hand can be substituted for the automatic
regulators which are operated when the machine is set in motion in the same
manner that is to say in bringing the pressure on the belts or cords to the required
degree by the management of a simple screw-nut operating on a lever which presses
on the belts. In this case the regulating friction rollers G G G are
suppressed and replaced by simple guide pulleys as H H¹ H"¹.
Without changing the system of these wire-drawing machines the arrangement
of the machine can be modified as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this case the draw-
plates F F F are placed in perpendicular planes to the longitudinal axis of the
machine and the pulleys P P P and C C₁ Care parallel to the same axis. The
guide pulleys H H H are not required. The regulating friction rollers G G¹ G"
(which are not shown on Figs. 3 and 4 in order to make the drawing clearer) are
placed according to the principle described above and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and
operate in this arrangement of the machine on crossed belts. These regulating
friction rollers can be omitted in certain cases as in Figs. 1 and 2 and be replaced
by a hand regulator based on the same principle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to ine by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is ;--
1. A machine for drawing wire in which the wire is continuously drawn through
a series of draw-plates and passes alternately through a draw-plate and on to a
cooling-pulley the speed of which is regulated either automatically by the tension
of the wire that is being drawn or by hand by means of a more or less high
pressure on the belts or cords operating these pulleys in such a manner as to obtain
a peripheral speed exactly equal to the speed of the wire at every point, substan-
tially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete wire-
drawing machine substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete wire-
drawing machine substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of
the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. In apparatus for drawing wire the combination with the draw plate of a cooling
pulley such as C a regulation friction roller such as G carried on a lever such as LE
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of June 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.