Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Springs, and in Machinery to be used therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Springs, and in
Machinery to be used therefor.
I, GEORGE HOOкHAм of 7 and 8 New Bartholomew Street Birmingham
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In manufacturing that form of the article which consists of helices of wire
bound together with fine wire, I commence by binding a close coil of spring steel
wire upon a core of the same wire, using a machine with a bobbin and hollow
spindle, substantially the same as that described and claimed in the Complete
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and numbered 1271, 1876. I bind
the wire in lengths of about 100 ft. If the wire has the proper temper, the core
can now be drawn out. I then stretch the helix of wire to nearly double its
length, preferably by passing it through two pairs of rolls which grip it,, the
second pair having about double the circumferential speed of the first. The
distance between the gripping points being made as short as possible. Two such
stretched helices are now placed side by side and introduced into a machine in
which they are bound together with fine wire. This machine is also substantially
similar to my picture-line machine above referred to, except that the rate of feed
is now made positive, by means of a tangent wheel driven by the main spindle and
connected with the feeding wheels by means of subsidiary spindles and bevelled
wheels. The feeding gear consists of a pair of toothed wheels which advance one
tooth for every revolution of the main spindle. The pitch of the teeth is approxi-
mately equal to the pitch of the wire helices. Consequently, as the wire helices
leave the feeding gear, they are in the same phase. At this point they are at
once introduced into a channel, which has a depth equal to the diameter of the
helix, but rather less than double the width, so that two helices cannot pass
through side by side, unless they are in the same phase, and consequently fit
into one another. They are therefore delivered to the end of the channel in
the same phase. The binding point is situated immediately at the end of the
channel, and the two helices thus bound together pass through the hollow spindle
of the machine. Owing to slight inequalities of pitch, inherent in the two helices,
the double helix will be curved this way or that. I therefore straighten the
double helix by stretching it again, through rolls or on drums having different
circumferential speeds. I may bind two (or more) double helices together-in
the same way, again giving them a final stretching to set them true and straight.
If the helices of wire thus manufactured are to be used as a substitute for
whale bone in the bodies of ladies' dresses, they are now cut into lengths, and,
by preference, the ends made round and smooth by the addition of soft metal (as
an alloy of tin and lead) pressed upon them. I may also use such alloy pressed
into the strips at intervals, instead of bands. The ends of the strips may be
previously thinned by pressure. The finished strips may be flattened and reduced
in thickness by means of press tools.
Instead of or in addition to binding with wire, I may use tinned wire, and while
the helices are held in the same phase by the means above described, first mult
and then cool the tinning so that the points which touch each other may adhere.
Instead of using helices of wire, I may form a single piece of spring wire into
a close flat zig-zag, preferably only just leaving room for a needle to pass between
the corrugations. I may make this by first passing the wire between toothed
wheels, and then by a second process under two pairs of pressing rolls in succession ;
the rolls being geared together so that the second pair has a slower travel, and

page_text: gathers up the open corrugations and closes them, the wire being, kept in one plane
between the rolls by passing through a channel which loosely fits it. The second
pair of rolls flatten the wire and set it.
In another form of the article I plait fine wires side by side, the wires in some
cases being cotton-covered previously to plaiting. As the plaited wires are cut into
lengths, the ends are held, and caps fixed upon them.
Instead of making the flat zig-zag spring by bending spring wire, I may stamp
it from thin sheet-steel.
Doted thio 7th day of March 1902
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Springs, and in
Machinery to be used therefor.
I, GEORGE HOOKHAM, of 7 and 8 New Bartholomew Street, in the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to wire springs which may be made as helices or of flat
zig zag formation and my object is to produce an article which may be used as a
substitute for whalebone in the bodies of ladies dresses, and for other purposes
where whalebone and like substances are at present employed.
Referring to the five accompanying sheets of drawings:-
Figure 1 is an elevation, showing parts in section, of a machine suited for
binding together wire helices by finer wire in accordance with my invention as
hereinafter described.
Figure 2 is an end elevation corresponding to Figure 1.
Figure 2 shows respectively at x, y, plan and end view of a guide used in the
machine illustrated at Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 2B shows in plan the method of getting adjacent helices in phase for
winding.
Figure 2 illustrates in side elevation the same arrangement as is shown in plan
at Figure 2B.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of rolls suitable for stretching or straightening wire
helices either before or after binding.
Figure 4 is a side elevation corresponding to Figure 3.
Figure 5 shows part of a helix as made to carry out my invention drawn
full size.
Figure 5 shows a helix with the core upon which it is coiled.
Figure 6 is a view entirely similar to Figure 5 but drawn to a much larger
scale.
Figure 7 shows two helices bound together, drawn full size.
Figure 8 corresponds to Figure 7 but is drawn to a much larger scale in order
to show the binding more clearly.
Figure 9 shows four helices bound together having the ends united and rounded
off by soft solder.
. !
Figure 10 shows wires plaited together to form a flexible strip.
Figure 11 shows a strip of steel suitable for being stamped or cut out to form a
zig zag flexible strip as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 13 is a vertical section through a machine devised to produce a zig zag
spring such as at Figure 12 from wire.
Figure 13 shows wire as prepared to pass into the machine shown at Figure 13.
Figure 13 shows the bends collapsed together by the machine Figure 13.
In manufacturing that form of the article which consists of helices of wire
bound together with fine wire, I commence by binding a close coil of spring steel

page_text: wire upon a core of the same wire, using a machine with a bobbin and hollow
spindle, substantially the same as that described and claimed in the Complete
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and numbered 1271, 1876.
Such a machine is also shown at Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings,
and the helix is produced just as wire is wound on to bind helices together as
hereinafter described. I bind the wire in lengths of about 100 feet and I thus
produce a helix as at Figures 5 and 6, but having its coils close together. The
wire a coiled upon the core a' is shown at Figure 5ª full size.
If the wire coil or helix a has the proper temper, the core a can now be drawn
out; I then stretch the helix of wire to nearly double its length, preferably by
passing it through two pairs of rolls such as K' L' and K L Figure 13 which
grip it, the second pair K I. having about double the circumferential speed of
the first pair K¹ L'.
For this purpose the two pairs of rolls are suitably geared together. A greater
number than two pairs of rolls may be used.
The distance between the gripping points, that is, the distances between the
centre lines vw and ay being made as short as possible. Two such stretched
helices which at this stage resemble Figures 5 and 6, are now placed side by side
and introduced into a machine Figures 1 and 2, in which they are bound together
with fine wire. This machine is also substantially similar to my picture line
machine above referred to, and it consists principally of a hollow spindle A
Thaving an aperture A right through it, which spindle is rotated by belt and
pulleys F F. The spindle carries a bobbin D carrying the wire intended for
binding.
One end of the spindle carries a screw A' which actuates a worm wheel B'.
The worm wheel B' by the spindle B2 and bevil wheels rotates the spindle B and
the spindle B also by bevil wheels actuates a spindle C³. The spindle C³ carries
a feed wheel C which wheel C is firmly held against a wheel C¹ by a spring as C²,
the spindle on which C' runs being arranged to allow some freedom of movement
in order to allow the spring (2 to cause the two wheels C and C¹ to be pressed
together. The feed wheels C C₁ are toothed wheels having the same pitch of
teeth and the driving gear herein before described is arranged to advance the
feed by one tooth for every revolution of the main spindle A. The pitch of the
said teeth is approximately equal to the pitch of the wire helices. The two
parallel lengths of stretched helix are indicated at E Figures 1 and 2, and they
are fed into and pushed through the aperture or hole A³ in the spindle A being
gripped between the toothed wheels C and C and advanced by them in the
direction indicated by the arrows on the wheels.
The feeding wheels C C consisting of toothed wheels which advance one tooth
for every revolution of the main spindle and having the pitch of the teeth approxi-
mately equal to the pitch of the wire helices, and therefore gearing into the
spaces between the wires, consequently cause the wire helices as they leave the
feeding gear to assume the same phase.
Figures 2 and 2° show clearly this action. In Figure 2B ffff are teeth
shown in plan and they gear into the spaces between the coils in the adjoining
helices E and thus cause the helices to range truly in phase beside each other
so that the coils can interlock with each other and be truly bound together by the
binding wire from the bobbin D.
Figure 2 shows the action of the toothed wheels on the helices E in side
elevation.
The feed wheels C C lead at once to a channel g in a guide piece /, which
channel has a depth equal to the diameter of the helix, but rather less than double
the width, so that two helices as a a¹ Figure 7 cannot pass through side by side,
unless they are in the same phase, and consequently fit into one another. They
are therefore delivered to the end of the channel in the same phase. The channel y
in the guide piece is shown on a larger scale in plan and end view at Figure 2.
The binding point indicated at D is situated immediately at the end of the

page_text: said channel, and the two helices are bound together and pass through the said
hollow spindle of the machine.
The binding wire D¹ passes off the bobbin D guided by the grooved pulleys D' D³
and the guide piece D₁, and it is wound on the helices E at the point marked D'
and the said helices are thus bound together. The bound helices pass together
through the spindle A by the aperture A².
Owing to slight inequalities of pitch, inherent in the two helices, as a a¹
Figures 5 and 7, the double helix as a a¹ Figures 7 and 8 will be curved this way
or that. I therefore straighten the said double helix by stretching it again
through rolls as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 13, or on drums
having different circumferential speeds such as I have indicated at G and H
Figures 3 and 4. The drums G and H are mounted in any suitable framework
as II and geared together by toothed wheels as G' H'; the spindle G² of the
drum G may be actuated by driving pulley and belt (not shown in the drawing)
in any convenient manner. The circumferential speeds of the drums are caused
to be different by making the diameter of G greater than that of H.
length of bound helix is first wound on the drum H, then an end is fastened to
the drum G, the said drums are then so driven as to wind the length of helix off
the drum H on to G.
The
As the circumferential speed of the drum G is greater than that of the drum H
the helices are stretched and straightened. The amount of stretch may be
regulated by the predetermined difference between the circumferential speeds.
I may bind two or more double helices together in the same way again giving
them a final stretching to set them true and straight. If the helices of wire thus
manufactured are to be used as a substitute for whalebone in the bodies of ladies
dresses they are now cut into lengths and by preference the ends made round and
smooth by the addition of soft metal (as an alloy of tin and lead) pressed upon
them.
Such a compound helix composed of two double helices is shown full size at
Figure 9 where a a¹ are the parts of one double helix and a² as the parts of a
second; the two double helices being bound together by the wire of which the end
is shown at D. The end a rounded by a metallic alloy is shown at a Figure 9.
I may also use such alloy pressed into the strips at intervals, instead of bands.
The ends of the strips may be previously thinned by pressure. The finished strips
may be flattened and reduced in thickness by means of press tools.
Instead of or in addition to binding with wire, I may use tinned wire, and while
the helices are held in the same phase by the means above described, first melt and
then cool the tinning so that the points which touch each other may adhere.
Instead of using helices of wire I may form a single piece of spring wire into a
close flat zig zag such as drawn full size at Figure 13", preferably only just leaving
room for a needle to pass between the corrugation. I may make this by first passing
the wire between toothed wheels and so producing a zig zag wire open in
appearance as at Figure 13, and then by a second process I pass the waved wire
Figure 13ª under two pairs of pressing rolls K L K' L' in succession; the rolls
being geared together so that the second pair K¹ L' has a slower travel, and
gathers up the open corrugations and closes them, the wire being kept in one
place between the rolls by passing through a channel M which loosely fits it. The
second pair of rolls K' L' flatten the wire and set it.
it
The wire in the condition shown at Figure 134 is fed into the pair of rolls K L
by way of the guide M and the rolls KL nip it and force it into the guide M
between the two pairs of rolls faster than the said pair of rolls K' L' pass
through the corrugations are thus closed up together and the flattening by the
rolls K L fixes the wire in the form shown at Figure 138. M' M2 M3 M
and M are the parts arranged to form the guiding channel M.
In another form of the article, 1 plait fine wires as b¹² Figure 10 side by
side, the wires in some cases being cotton covered previously to plaiting. As the
plaited wires are cut into lengths, the ends are held, and caps fixed upon them.

page_text: The drawing Figure 10 is on a larger scale than ordinary full size.
Instead of making the flat zig zag spring by bending spring wire, I may stamp.
it from thin sheet steel. For this purpose a strip c Fig. 11 may be taken and
cut out or stamped out to form the flat zig zag spring d Figure 12.
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 :-
--
1. The method of manufacturing close coil spring wire helices such as herein-
before described by coiling wire over a core passed through a hollow spindle
machine carrying a bobbin with the said wire, the core being fed into the machine
by suitable feed and the said core being withdrawn from the length of helix so
made after completing the winding on, the wire so coiled being of sufficiently hard
temper to uncoil slightly so as to allow the core to be drawn out.
2. The method of stretching a close coiled wire helix to open the coils to any
required extent, by passing between pairs of rollers which nip the coil, the
following pairs in sequence being arranged to run at a greater circumferential
speed than the first pairs so as to stretch the coils; or by passing the close coiled
wire helix round drums of different increasing circumferential speed as hereinbefore
described.
3. The method of feeding adjoining spring wire helices to a wire binding
machine by means of toothed wheels or an equivalent mechanical device arranged
to advance the said helices accurately ranged beside each other in correct phase,
so that the helices fit into each other and are bound together while so engaging
each other, by binding wire substantially as herein before described.
4. The method of straightening two or more wire helices when bound together
by stretching the compound strip of bound helices by the devices claimed in
Claim 2 or by other devices.
5. Forming a flat flexible metallic spring strip by plaiting together three or
more spring wires as and for the purposes set forth.
6. Forming ends for the metallic spring strips hereinbefore described by means
of solder attached to the said ends and pressed into the desired shape or connecting
together the said wires composing the strips by soldered bands as hereinbefore
set forth.
7. A zig zag wire spring formed of metallic wire bent alternately backwards and
forwards in the same plane, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth.
8. A zig zag metallic spring cut out from sheet metal as hereinbefore described,.
with reference to Figures 11 and 12 of the drawings.
9. The method of manufacturing a zig zag wire spring claimed in Claim 7,
consisting in first bending the wire to a certain extent by passing it through
toothed wheels, and then closing up the bends so produced by means of a roller
machine in which one pair of rollers nips the wire and closes up the bends by
forcing the wire into a channel leading to a second pair of rollers rotating at a
lower circumferential speed than the first pair, the second pair being arranged to
nip the folds at the required degree of closeness to each other, substantially as
herein before described.
10. The specific detail construction of spring wires hereinbefore described as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
11. The specific machines herein before described as illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Doted thin 27th day of T
1004
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.