US2747810A - Coiling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

y 1956 R. F. HERR comm; APPARATUS F1? led Sept. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n L b INVENTOR. Rzcumw E Helm H ff'omey May 29, 1956 R. F. HERR COILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F21 led Sept. 25, 1952 ONE WAY CLUTCHES INV EN TOR. RICHHRD E HERR BY ZML/W H #0 rney United States ,Patent O COILING APPARATUS Richard F. Herr, Warren, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Herr Equipment Corporation, Warren, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 25, 1952, Serial No. 311,491

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-80) My invention relates to coiling apparatus, more particularly to apparatus for use in coiling strip material and the like, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved apparatus of the character described.

Modern economical production of strip material requires that equipment such as rolling mills, slitters, edgers, paint lines and the like operate at continuous high speeds for protracted periods of time. In accordance with the foregoing, the coiling apparatus employed to absorb the output of such equipment must also be capable of operating at high speeds; it must be rugged and dependable because coiling apparatus breakdowns are extremely expensive since such failures require the entire line to be shut down; and the coiling apparatus must provide for a minimum time lag between the completion of one coil and the start of another.

Some prior art designs, in attempting to provide suitable coiling apparatus, have employed double reel coilers having separate drive motors for each reel. Others have employed a single drive motor but have used clutches for controlling the application of power to one reel or the other. However, these constructions have been unsatisfactory because of their high initial cost and subsequent maintenance' cost and because their complexity of construction resulted in frequent production-disrupting breakdowns.

My invention differs from prior art apparatus in that it meets all of the previously mentioned requirements, and at the same time is simpler to operate and construct, more economical to manufacture, and more reliable in operation than those known heretofore. These and other advantages will become apparent from a study of the description which follows and of the drawings appended thereto.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application there is shown, for purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume, and in these drawings:

Figure l is a front elevational view of an embodiment of my improved coiling apparatus,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with certain parts removed to show interior construction, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged, broken, sectional view generally corresponding to the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, my coiling apparatus comprises a pair of spaced-apart reels carried by respective shafts 11 that are rotatably supported by a casing 12. Each reel 10 is adapted to receive the strip material which is to be wound thereon and each may take the form shown in my co-pending application for Letters Patent Serial Number 302,209, or any other suitable reel may be employed.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the strip S is illustrated as being fed to my coiling apparatus from an elevated posi- 2,747,8 l0 Patented May 29,- 1956 tion; however, it is to be understood that such feeding position is illustrative only and that the strip S could easily be fed from below or from either side. Additionally, it is presently preferred to wind the strip upon the respective reels by driving them in opposite directions as indicated by the arrow. However, it will be clear that the direction of rotation of the reels is immaterial and that if desired, my apparatus may be arranged to drive the reels in the same direction.

Both shafts 11 are adapted to be driven by a single source of power, and as shown in Figure 3, the source of power illustrated comprises a reversible electric motor 13. The motor 13 has a sprocket 14 secured to its output shaft and the sprocket 14 engages with a chain 15 engageable with a sprocket 16 secured to the input shaft of a reducer unit 17.

The output shaft of the reducer unit 17 extends rear wardly (with reference to the disposition of parts as shown in Figure 3) and co-axially with the input shaft, and a sprocket 18 is secured to such output shaft. The sprocket 18 is engageable with a chain 19, and the chain 19 extends over sprockets 20 carried by respective reel shafts 11 and around an idler sprocket 21.

With the construction thus far described, it will be clear that the motor 13 will effect rotation of the reducer unit 17 and consequent rotation of each of the sprockets 20.

Referring to Figure 4 wherein one of the two similarly arranged shafts 11 is shown, it will be seen that each shaft 11 is rotatable in bearings 22 supported by the housing 12. Mounted on each Shaft 11 is a clutch unit 23, and each sprocket 20 is secured to a respective clutch unit 23 by means of capscrews 24. A detailed description of clutch unit 23 is believed to be unnecessary since this unit may be of any well-known, commercially available type. It will be explained however, that each unit 23 is a one-way or free wheeling clutch which provides for relative rotation between the shaft and the clutch but in only one direction. Any attempt at rotation in the opposite direction will lock the clutch and the shaft together for unitary rotation.

A clutch unit 25, similar to unit 23, is mounted on each shaft 11, each unit 25 being secured by capscrews 26 to a bracket 27 which is in turn secured to the housing 12. It will be clear that since clutch unit 25 is secured to bracket 27, the clutch will permit rotation of shaft 11 in one direction but will lock the shaft against rotation in the other direction.

In the present embodiment, both sprockets 20 are adapted to be driven together in the same direction by the motor 13 through the speed reducer 17 and chain 19. However, the clutches 23 are arranged so that as the sprockets 20 are rotated in one direction by the motor 13, one clutch 23 will engage its shaft 11 to effect rotation thereof while the other clutch 23 will free-wheel about its shaft 11.

Referring to Figure 3, and assuming that the motor 13 is rotating so as to drive both sprockets 20 in the direction of the arrows, the clutch 23 on the left hand shaft 11 is arranged to grip the shaft and effect rotation thereof. Additionally, clutch 25 on the left hand shaft is arranged to permit the shaft to free-wheel in this direction of rotation. With respect to the right hand shaft 11, the clutch 23 is arranged to free-wheel about the shaft while the clutch 25 is arranged to engage the shaft and prevent its rotation.

From the foregoing it will be clear that when the motor 13 rotates in one direction, the left hand shaft 11 will be driven while the right hand shaft 11 remains stationary. It will also be clear that when the motor rotation is reversed, the right hand shaft 11 will be driven while the left hand shaft 11 remains stationary.

While clutches 25 have been shown in this embodiment, it is to be understood that they may be omitted without effecting operation of my apparatus. The use of clutches 25 is warranted only because under certain conditions there may be a slight tendency for a clutch 23 to drag when it is free-wheeling. Clearly, the use of clutches 25 completely eliminates this possibility.

Referring again to Figure 1, the use of my apparatus in coiling strip material will now be described: The strip material S that is to be coiled may first be secured to one of the reels 10, for example the left hand reel 10, by any suitable means. The drive motor 13 may then be energized to effect rotation of the left hand reel in the direction of the arrow and to thus cause the strip 10 to be wound upon the reel. (It will be recalled that the right hand reel 10 will remain stationary because of the action of the clutches 23, mounted on the right hand shaft 11.) I

When a coil of sufiicient size has been built up on the left hand reel 10, the motor 13 may be de-energizcd and the strip material S may then be severed from the built up coil and secured to the right hand reel 10. The motor 13 may then be energized to rotate in a direction opposite to its previous direction and this will effect rotation of the right hand reel 10 in the direction of the arrow while the left hand reel 10 remains stationary as before described.

While the strip material S is being wound upon the right hand reel 10, the operator may remove the completed coil from the stationary left hand reel 10 so that by the time a coil of sufficient size has been built up on the right hand reel 10, the left hand reel 10 will be unloaded and ready to receive the strip material once again.

It will be clear that with my apparatus very little coiling time will be lost since it is necessary to interrupt the coiling operation only long enough to sever the strip material and transfer the uncoiled end to the empty reel.

Furthermore, since a completed coil may be removed from one reel during the time strip is wound on another reel, coiling time ordinarily lost in removing a coil is entirely eliminated.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal object of my invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described, hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

Coiling apparatus comprising a pair of rotatably supported, spaced-apart shafts, a reel carried by each of said shafts, drive means connected to each of said shafts for effecting rotation thereof, said drive means being selectively rotatable in either direction, a first one-way clutch means interposed between said drive means and each of said shafts, said first clutch means providing for driving engagement between said drive means and one or the other of said shafts depending upon the direction of rotation of said drive means, and a second one-way clutch means for each of said shafts, each second clutch means being secured to a non-rotatable portion of the apparatus for restraining rotation of its respective shaft in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation effected by said driving engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 416,940 Morgan Dec. 10, 1889 1,812,433 Duncan et a1 a- June 30, 1931 1,846,894 Morgan Feb. 23, 1932 2,673,041 Hittle Mar. 23, 1954 2,685,415 Wittel et a1 Aug. 3, 1954

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