Apparatus for Sorting or Gauging Balls (or Bullets) of Different Dimensions.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4'h Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1896-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Sorting or Gauging Balls (or Bullets) of Different
Dimensions.
I, WILHELM RACKE, of Gauting, near Munich, Bavaria, in the Empire of
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In sorting balls (or bullets) of steel or other metal according to size, it has been
customary hitherto to employ two straight bars or rails arranged horizontally, in
juxtaposition, and in such a manner that their respective longitudinal sides, facing
each other, were somewhat removed from one another, the intermediate space
gradually increasing from one end of each of the rails towards the opposite end.
The balls or bullets to be sorted are introduced one by one, in succession, between
those ends of the rails at which the intervening space is narrowest, so that they
are supported by the rails on either side, and as each ball, in being thus inserted,
has a certain impulse or "push" imparted to it, it moves along the rails while it is
laterally supported by them, and is, at a given point of its progress, arrested by
slipping between the rails, and becoming fast therein. At that juncture, a knife-
edge, arranged to reciprocate between the rails, strikes the ball gently as it
performs its upward movement; thereby pushing it further along, until the bullet
reaches that portion of the space between the rails, at which it can drop through
freely. According as the bullet or ball is of a greater or less size, it has as will
be understood, a greater or less distance to travel between the rails, before it
reaches the point at which it can slip through, and, accordingly, it drops at an
earlier or later period, as the case may be. The balls, as they drop, are collected
in suitable receptacles or boxes, arranged below and at right angles to the rails and
parallel to each other.
Now these ball-sorting rails are attended with the drawback that they have to
be removed from their supports from time to time, whenever their gauging edges
begin to show signs of wear, in order to be readjusted by a suitable grinding
process. The necessity for such readjustment, along with the ensuing inconvenience,
is avoided by the improvements forming the subject of the present invention.
The main feature of this invention is the substitution of perfectly round and
true-faced rollers or cylindrical rods for the sorting bars or rails heretofore used.
When it so happens that these rollers become worn out at the surfaces which serve
as measuring or gauging lines, it is only necessary to give them a slight turn, to
instantly readjust the gauge.
The improved apparatus comprises an oblong frame supported in a horizontal
position by standards or legs, its longitudinal sides being connected by a cross-
beam, upon which and upon one of the narrow sides, of the frame, there are placed
the ends of the two sorting or gauging rollers. These rollers are retained in the
required position by means of screw bolts having conical heads, and screwed into
the cross and into the narrow frame side. Of these screw bolts, some are adapted
to act (after the manner of set screws) upon the outside of the rollers; while the
others are arranged between the rollers. The conical head of one of the latter
screws is of a less diameter than the head of the other screw, the difference between
them varying between say you and 1; the heads thus affording a direct means
for determining the distance between the gauging rollers according to requirements.

page_text: If preferred, however, the heads of all the screws or screw-bolts may be alike in
size; in which case, the space between the gauging rollers has to be adjusted by
either screwing further home or correspondingly unscrewing the said bolts, an
exceedingly nice and accurate adjustment being feasible by such means; and when
it is desired to slightly turn the gauging rollers, as they begin to wear, this may
be readily accomplished upon loosening the screw bolts.
In front of the gauging-roller ends, where the space between them is narrowest
there rests upon the frame a receptacle or box containing the balls or bullets to be
sorted. The bottom of such box is inclined rearwardly and from the longitudinal
sides towards the longitudinal middle line or axis; whilst the transverse rear wall
assumes the shape of a roof the blunted ridge or point whereof is directed towards
the sorting rollers. In this rear wall there is provided an aperture of a size
sufficient to allow one ball at a time to pass through. Immediately behind this
aperture between the said transverse rear wall of the bullet, and the front end of
the rollers a raising rod or bolt is arranged to reciprocate. When, in thus
reciprocating, it arrives at the extremity of its downward stroke, a ball will roll
along its front side which presents a slight gradient in the rearward direction, and
is grooved longitudinally not unlike a moulding. As the said rod rises, it elevates
such ball as far as the uppermost line or upper edge of each of the pair of rollers,
whereupon the ball leaves the said rod and commences its course between the
rollers. It then travels along such rollers until it reaches the point where the
distance between them approximately equals their diameter. The ball, in the mean-
time, has advanced and descended lower and lower between the rollers owing to the
space between the latter having become gradually wider; the consequence being,
that it meets with a steadily increasing friction, until (at the point above referred
to) it is positively caught or held fast between the rollers. By this time, the
raising rod which has been able to re-descend has taken up a fresh ball, and is now
elevating it in its turn. Simultaneously with this elevating rod, a knife-edge
connected therewith in a vertical position and being of rather considerable length,
is also caused to rise. It extends between the rollers and its movement is so
regulated that when in its lowermost position it is situated below the rollers, while,
at the highest point of its movement, it protrudes beyond the centre of the rollers.
Now this knife-edge.--when the ball becomes caught between the rollers as stated,
--imparts to it a slight upward push, thereby releasing it, and permitting it to
travel a little distance further i.e. as far as it requires to go in order to drop down
from between the rollers as soon as the knife edge descends. According to its
diameter such ball will drop into either one or the other of the receptacles placed
underneath the rollers.
The necessary reciprocating motion of the elevating rod and knife-edge may be
produced in various ways. One form of mechanism, might consist of a cam driven
by means of a cord-pulley, and so arranged that its pin engages with a cam groove
formed in a vertically movable bar connected with the beam carrying the elevated
rod or bolt and knife-edge.
As before stated, the main feature of this invention resides in the provision of
gauging rollers. These, however, instead of being of circular section, may be oval
or polygonal, and instead of whole or single rollers, half rollers may be combined
so as to be precisely adjustable by means of set screws; so, for example, that the
roller halves turn their curved sides towards each other; for even in this case, if
the lines of their surfaces which for the time being serve as guiding or gauging
lines, should happen to be worn out, it would still be possible by slightly turning
such roller halves, to bring other generatrices of their curved surfaces up (or down)
to the gauging level upon simply loosening the screws.
Dated this 4th day of October 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Apparatus for Sorting or Gauging Balls (or Bullets) of Different
Dimensions.
I, WILHELM RACKE, of Gauting, near Munich, Bavaria, in the Empire of
Germany, 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 :-
In sorting balls (or bullets) of steel or other metal according to size, it has
been customary hitherto to employ two straight bars or rails arranged hori-
zontally, in juxtaposition, and in such a manner that their respective longitudinal
sides, facing each other, were somewhat removed from one another, the inter-
mediate space gradually increasing from one end of each of the rails towards the
opposite end.
This is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which
66
Figure 1 is a cross section of a pair of such rails, taken near those ends at which
the space between the rails is at its minimum; the figure showing, moreover a
ball in its initial position between the rails, in which it is supported by the opposite
longitudinal edges of the rails. The balls or bullets to be sorted are introduced
one by one, in succession, between those ends of the rails at which the intervening
space is narrowest, so that they are supported by the rails on either side; and as
each ball, in being thus inserted, has a certain impulse or push" imparted to it,
it moves along the rails while it is laterally supported by them, and is, at a given
point of its progress, arrested by slipping between the rails, and becoming fast
therein. At that juncture, a knife-edge, arranged to reciprocate between the rails,
strikes the ball gently, as it performs its upward movement; thereby pushing it
further along, until the bullet reaches that portion of the space between the rails,
at which it can drop through freely. According as the bullet or ball is of a
greater or less size, it has, as will be understood, a greater or less distance to
travel between the rails, before it reaches the point at which it can slip through,
and, accordingly, it drops at an earlier or later period, as the case may be. The
balls, as they drop, are collected in suitable receptacles or boxes, arranged below
and at right angles to the rails and parallel to each other.
Now these ball-sorting rails are attended with the drawback that they have to
be removed from their supports from time to time, whenever their gauging
a suitable
edges begin to show signs of wear, in order to be readjusted by
grinding process. The necessity for such readjustment, along with the ensuing
inconvenience, is avoided by the improvements forming the subject of the present
invention.
The main feature of this invention is the substitution of perfectly round and
true-faced rollers or cylindrical rods for the sorting bars or rails heretofore used.
When it so happens that these rollers become worn out at the surfaces which
serve as measuring or gauging lines, it is only necessary to give them a slight turn,
to instantly readjust the gauge.
Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings represent this new gauging or sorting
arrangement, Figure 2 being a sectional side elevation thereof, the section
following the broken line x-x, Figure 3; while Figure 3 is a top view or plan
of the arrangement, and Figure 4, a cross section on line y-y Figure 3, viewed
from right to left.
In these figures, the numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 designate an oblong frame supported
in a horizontal position by standards or legs, its longitudinal sides 1 and 3 being
connected by a cross-beam at 4*. Upon this cross beam 4* and upon one of the
narrow sides 2, of the frame, on the right, there are placed the ends of the two

page_text: sorting or gauging rollers 5. 5. These rollers are retained in the required position
by means of six screw-bolts 6, 6, 6, 6, 7 and 8, having conical heads, and screwed
into the cross-beam 4* and into the narrow frame side 2. Of these six screw
bolts, those four which are designated by the numeral 6, are adapted to act (after
the manner of set screws) upon the outside of the rollers; while the two remaining
screws, referred to as 7 and 8, are arranged between the rollers. The conical
head of screw 7 is of a less diameter than the head of the screw 8, the difference
between the two varying between, say, Too and the heads thus affording a
direct means for determining the distance between the gauging rollers according
to requirements. If preferred, however, the heads of all the screws or screw-
bolts may be alike in size; in which case, the space between the gauging rollers
has to be adjusted by either screwing further home or correspondingly unscrewing
the said bolts, an exceedingly nice and accurate adjustment being feasible by such
means; and when it is desired to slightly turn the gauging rollers, as they begin
to wear, this may be readily accomplished upon loosening the screw bolts.
In front of the gauging-roller ends, where the space between them is narrowest
(this, in the drawings, is supposed to be the case on the left hand side), there rests
upon the frame 1 2, 3, 4, a receptacle or box 9, containing the balls or bullets to
be sorted. The bottom of such box is inclined rearwardly, and from the longi-
tudinal sides towards the longitudinal middle line or axis; whilst the transverse
rear wall assumes the shape of a roof, the blunted ridge or point whereof is
directed towards the sorting rollers. In this rear wall there is provided an
aperture 10, of a size sufficient to allow one ball at a time to pass through.
Immediately behind this aperture, between the said transverse rear wall of the
bullet, and the front end of the rollers a raising rod or bolt 11, is arranged to
reciprocate. When, in thus reciprocating, it arrives at the extremity of its
downward stroke, (as illustrated in Figure 2) a ball will roll along its front side
which presents a slight gradient in the rearward direction, and is grooved longi-
tudinally not unlike a moulding. As the said rod 11, rises, it elevates such ball
as far as the uppermost line or upper edge of each of the pair of rollers 5, 5,
whereupon the ball leaves the said rod 11, and commences its course between the
rollers. It then travels along such rollers until it reaches the point where the
distance between them approximately equals their diameter. The ball, in
the meantime, has advanced and descended lower and lower between the rollers,
owing to the space between the latter having become gradually wider; the
consequence being, that it meets with a steadily increasing friction, until (at the
point above referred to) it is positively caught or held fast between the rollers.
By this time, the raising rod, 11 which bas been able to redescend has taken up
fresh ball, and is now elevating it in its turn. Simultaneously with this elevating
rod, a knife-edge 12, connected therewith in a vertical position, and being of
rather considerable length, is also caused to rise. It extends between the
rollers 5, 5, and its movement is so regulated that when in its lowermost position
(Figure 2) it is situated below the rollers, while, at the highest point of its
movement, it protrudes beyond the centre of the rollers. Now this knife-edge,-
when the ball becomes caught between the rollers as stated,-imparts to it a slight
upward push, thereby releasing it, and permitting it to travel a little distance
further i.e. as far as it requires to go in order to drop down from between the
rollers as soon as the knife edge descends. According to its diameter such ball
will drop into either one or the other of the receptacles 13 placed underneath the
rollers 5 at right angles to the same.
a
The necessary reciprocating motion of the elevating rod and knife-edge may be
produced in various ways. One form of mechanism, shown in the drawings by
way of example, might consist of a cam 15 (Figure 4) driven by means of a cord-
pulley, and so arranged that its pin 16 engages with the cam groove 17 formed in
a vertically movable Lar 18, connected with the beam 19 carrying the elevated
rod or bolt 11 and knife-edge 12.
As before stated, the main feature of this invention resides in the provision of

page_text: gauging rollers. These, however, instead of being of circular section, may be
oval or polygonal, and instead of whole or single rollers, half rollers may be
combined so as to be precisely adjustable by means of set-screws, so, for example,
that the roller halves turn their curved sides towards each other; for even in this
case, if the lines of their surfaces which for the time being serve as guiding or
gauging lines, should happen to be worn out, it would still be possible by slightly
turning such roller halves, to bring other generatrices of their curved surfaces up
(or down) to the gauging level, upon simply loosening the screws.
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. A device for sorting or gauging balls or bullets substantially comprising two
complete or half rollers (55) arranged horizontally side by side, which are so
secured in their position required for gauging or sorting the balls or bullets, that
after the rollers have become worn along those generatrices, which previously
served as gauge-lines, they can be slightly displaced by rotary motion, in
order to bring new generating lines (generatrices) into the place of the gauge-
lines.
2. A device of the kind described in the first claim, having this characteristic
feature that the complete or half rollers are fixed by means of pressing pins, of
which some are arranged between the rollers, whilst the others act upon those
sides of the rollers which do not face each other, in such a manner that the
distance between the rollers can be adjusted at will by screwing the said pins up
or down and that the rollers can be displaced relatively to each other by loosening
some or all of the said pins.
3. A device of the kind described in the first claim, having this characteristic
feature that a knife 12 extends centrally between the rollers (55), said knife
being moved up and down for the purpose of imparting an upward blow or push
to those balls which have been retained between the rollers.
Dated this 18th day of June 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.