CA1165297A - Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones - Google Patents
Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end conesInfo
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- CA1165297A CA1165297A CA000426468A CA426468A CA1165297A CA 1165297 A CA1165297 A CA 1165297A CA 000426468 A CA000426468 A CA 000426468A CA 426468 A CA426468 A CA 426468A CA 1165297 A CA1165297 A CA 1165297A
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- body portion
- spool
- heavy
- conical
- end cone
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
A composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones, consisting of a cylindrical spool body of thick, rigid, heavy cardboard having open ends, and a pair of plastic end cones. When dismantled, the end cones can nest in each other so as to occupy little space. Each end cone comprises a truncated, conical body portion all parts of which are essentially of uniform thickness. At its small base part, each body portion has a transverse wall that is apertured to receive a draft bolt, and has a plurality of integral strengthening ribs each of which is disposed both on the conical exterior and on the transverse wall exterior. The ribs lie in planes which pass through the axis of the body portion, and are shaped to effect a lead-in formation at the aperture of the transverse wall, to guide a draft bolt to the aperture.
The advantage of the present construction over the devices of the prior art are that the spool is rust-resistant, light-weight and yet sturdy, and the individual parts readily lend themselves to quick assembly so as to keep the manufacturing and storage costs low.
A composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones, consisting of a cylindrical spool body of thick, rigid, heavy cardboard having open ends, and a pair of plastic end cones. When dismantled, the end cones can nest in each other so as to occupy little space. Each end cone comprises a truncated, conical body portion all parts of which are essentially of uniform thickness. At its small base part, each body portion has a transverse wall that is apertured to receive a draft bolt, and has a plurality of integral strengthening ribs each of which is disposed both on the conical exterior and on the transverse wall exterior. The ribs lie in planes which pass through the axis of the body portion, and are shaped to effect a lead-in formation at the aperture of the transverse wall, to guide a draft bolt to the aperture.
The advantage of the present construction over the devices of the prior art are that the spool is rust-resistant, light-weight and yet sturdy, and the individual parts readily lend themselves to quick assembly so as to keep the manufacturing and storage costs low.
Description
~16S29~
COMPOSITE, HEAVY-DUTY SPOOL WITH PLASTIC END CONES
This invention relates generally to composite, dis-mantleable spools of heavy-duty construction, adapted to carry substantial quantities and weights of metal wire.
More particularly, the invention relates to spools of the above type, which are capable of low-cost fabrica-tion and assemblage while at the same time being par-ticularly sturdy and resistant to damage.
In the past a number of different spool construc-tions for holding large, heavy quantities of wire have been proposed and produced. Most prior spools consisted of a number of sheet-metal sections which were assembled to one another by welding. Generally, the cost of pro-ducing such ~pools was excessive, due to the relatively heavy gauge metal which was required, in addition to the cost of labor involved with the different welding pro-cedures .
Various spool constructions of the take-apart vari-ety have also been developed over the years. U. S. Pat-ent No. 2,295,222 dated September 8, 1942, issued to G.
W. Xrentler, and entitled "SPOOL FOR INDUSTRIAL THREAD", discloses one such spool, having a central body po_tion and single conical end flanges releasably secured there-to. The bore of the body portion is threaded, and a cor-responding threaded portion on the end flange is re-ceived therein. While this construction was considered ;satisfactory under certain circumstances, it can be ap-preciated that the costs involved with providing mating thread formations on multiple sheet-metal parts tended to be rather high, resulting in a product which was pro-hibitively expensive for many applications or installa-tions.
,'' 1 ~
_ 1.~6SZ~7 Another prior spool construction is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 1,786,366 dated December 23, 1930, issued to J. Rath, and entitled "CABLE TRANSPORT DRUMN.
~he device disclosed therein involves a pair of disk-like end flanges which are fitted to a central spool body that is constituted as an iron pipe. Annular bead formations on one side of each flange are employed for keying the flanges to the body. Multiple bolts are util-ized, located off-center with respect to the axis of the spool for securing the flanges together.
While this earlier patented device operated in a generally satisfactory manner, there were still a number of disadvantages inherent in the construction. First, it was found to be quite difficult to assemble the end flanges to the spool body, since there is a tendency for the parts to shift with respect to one another as the bolts are being installed. Second, due to the small rad-ius of curvature of the beads on the end flanges, there is encountered difficulty in effecting a proper seating thereof. Moreover, further problems are experienced in determining the proper torque to be applied to the nuts, in order to achieve a balanced or uniform pressure about the spool periphery. In addition, over-tightening of one or more of the nuts results in deformation of either or both of the end flanges, causing them to weaken and as-sume a somewhat concave shape. Accordingly, in the above respects the disclosed patented constructions did not prove to be satisfactory from the standpoint of either strength or low manufacturing cost.
Yet another take-apart spool is disclosed in U. S.
Patent No. 1,987,990 dated January 15, 1935, issued to :~ ' :;, ., . . , H. D. Clinton, and entitled "TEXTILE SPOOL". Here again, one of the disadvantages found is that multiple parts are involved, having unusual configurations, such as internal stop shoulders and the like, requiring special metal stampings which are costly to produce.
In my U. S. Patent No. 4,140,289 issued on February 20, 1979 and entitled "LOW-COST, DISPOSABLE, WIRE-STOR-AGE AND PAY-OUT SPOOL" there is disclosed a spool con-struction wherein conical end flanges constituted of stamped and pressed sheet metal are assembled to a cylindrical spool body and held in place by a single draft bolt having at one end an eyelet to enable the spool to be handled by mechanical equipment. This construction of my copending application successfully solves most of the problems encountered in prior spool devices. However, there was required a thorough and costly surface protection of the end cones, failing which these would rust and become unserviceable particularly if subjected to moisture and/or outdoor weather conditions. If pre-plated or pre-finished metal stock was used prior to the formation of the end cones, the surfaces suffered abrasion and damage, resulting in a product of poor quality. Further, the storage of the end cones had to be in a dry, protected space since outdoor storage was not feasible or practical.
The above disadvantages and drawbacks of prior spool constructions are obviated by the present inven-tion, which provides a low-cost, plastic end cone for a heavy-duty dismantleable spool construction adapted to carry a substantial quantity and weight of metal wire, comprising a truncated, conical body portion all parts ~i529~
of which are essentially of a uniform thickness of plas-tic to insure quick and uniform curing of the plastic material, said conical body portion having large and small base parts and having a strengthened peripheral rim encircling its large base part, said body portion at its small base part having a transverse wall provided with an aperture to receive a draft bolt, said body por-tion having a plurality of integral strengthening ribs each of which is disposed both on its exterior and on the exterior of said transverse wall, said ribs lying in planes which pass through the axis of the body portion.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the spool con-struction, showing a pair of conical end cones secured to a central, sub6tantially cylindrical spool body.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of one of the end cones in the vicinity of an annular groove therein, showing a portion of the end of the spool body fitted thereto.
Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of a pair of end cones which have been dismantled and placed in nested relation, for storing in a relatively small space.
Referring first particularly to Fig. l, the present spool construction comprises a pair of molded, plastic end cones 10, 12 and a cylindrical spool body 14, the latter being advantageously constituted of thick and heavy cardboard whereby its cost is extremely low while 65~
at the same time it has excellent resistance to damage or breakage. The spool body 14, for example, can have a thickness of 1/4 inch or more whereby it is rigid and resistant to deformation to a considerable degree.
Referring to Figs. 2-5, the end cones 10-12 are seen to be identical in construction, each cone compris-ing a truncated conical body portion 16 all parts of which are essentially of a uniform thickness of plastic to insure quick and uniform curing of the material. Var-ious types of impact-resistant plastic can be utilized, in the molding of the end cones 10, 12. Materials sold under the Tradenames LEXAN and VALOX are suitable, in-cluding materials formed of thermoplastic resin, poly-carbonate, and A. B. S. plastics. The plastic materials, further, can include glass fibers or other strong fi-brous substances to provide additional strength.
The conical body portions 16 have large and small base parts 18, 20 respectively, and have strengthening peripheral rims designated generally by the numerals 22, encircling the large base parts 18. The rims 22 are of U-shaped cross section and define annular grooves 24 which face axially away from the body portions 16.
Each rim 22 is constituted of a web portion 26 which spans the bottom of the groove 24 and is integral with inner and outer flange portions 28, 30. A bead 32 on the outer flange portion 30 can constitute the part-ing line of the mold in which the end cones are fabri-cated.
The rims 22, particularly the webs 26 and flanges 30 thereof, are seen to extend radially outward from the large base parts 18 of the body portions 16, and also to ~ 2 ~ ~
extend radially inward of the base parts, particularly the inner flanges 28.
At its small base part 20, each body portion 16 of an end cone has a transverse wall 34 provided with an aperture 36 to receive a draft bolt 38, all as seen in Fig. l.
The draft bolt 38 comprises a shank portion 40 hav-ing at one end threads 42 to accommodate a nut 44 which bears against the end cone 12 through the medium of a large flat washer 46. At its other end the shank 40 of the bolt 38 has a head 48 and passes through a ring 50 which is cut from a steel pipe of suitable diameter and tbickness. The ring 50 is drilled to receive the shank 40, with the head 48 abutting the ring inside. A flat washer 52 is disposed between the ring 50 and the trans-verse end wall 34 of the end cone 10 to distribute the force of the ring against the cone and minimize the likelihood of crushing of the latter.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 it is seen that the body portion 16 of each end cone has a plurality of an-nular grooves 54, 56 in its external, conical surface, said grooves being concentrically located and arranged to receive either small-diameter or larger-diameter spool bodies such as the body 14. While two such grooves are illustrated, it will be understood that three or more of the grooves 54, 56 can be provided. The groove 54 has walls 58, 60 which, when viewed in cross section as in Fig. 2, are perpendicular to each other and adapt-ed to ~nugly f it the square-cut end of the spool body 14. ~he groove 56 is similarly formed.
SZ~7 Disposed substantially radially inward of the grooves 54, 56 are annular beads 62, 64 formed in the walls of the cone body portions. The beads 62, 64 are preferably rounded, and essentially provide for a uni-form wall thickness of the plastic material of the body portions.
The end cones 10, 12 are constituted of platic and in such manner that one may be nested in another and so on, thereby to enable the cones to be stored in a rela-tively small space when the spools are dismantled. Byvirtue of the end cones being of special molded plastic substance which is impact-resistant and particularly rugged and durable, they are not subject to rusting, denting, etc. and in any circumstance need not be stored away from a moist atmosphere. Thus, the end cones can be stored outside of a building, if interior space is at a premium.
Further, the end cones 10, 12 have integral strengthening ribs 66 which are disposed both on the exterior of the conical small base part 20 and on the exterior of the transverse wall 34. As seen in Fig. 3, a total of eight such reinforcing ribs can be provided, resulting in a greatly increased strength at the small base part of each end cone. The strengthening ribs 66 lie in planes which are normal to the axis of the body portion of the end cone. As seen in Fig. 5, the strengthening ribs taper in height to a lesser dimension at their adjoining ends 68, thereby to provide a lead-in formation for guiding the draft bolt 38 to the aperture 36 during the assembly of the spool construction.
5~
Referring to Fig. 5, during the nesting of the end cones, an inner flange 28 of a strengthening rib of one cone and its annular beads 62, 64 are adapted for engage-ment with the outer conical surface on an adjoining body portion of a nesting end cone. Also, the strengthening ribs 66 of the second (nesting) end cone are adapted for engagement with the inner conical surface of the first, adjoining cone. Such engagement occurs along circular lines of contact, and provides increased strength which is important when a large number of end cones are nested in a stack.
It will now be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an improved heavy-duty, dismantleable spool construction which is adapted to carry a substantial quantity and weight of metal wire, said spool construc-; tion being readily disassembled and the end cones there-of being capable of nesting and stacking so as to occupy a relatively small storage space. Since the end cones are of molded plastic substance, they need no surface finishing operations and are not susceptible to rusting, denting, etc. With high-impact plastic substance, the end cones are essentially rugged and resistant to break-age, and they may be stored either indoors or outdoors as the occasion requires. The cost of the cones is low, as is also the cost of the spool bodies of built-up cardboard, whereby the entire manufacturing unit-cost is held to a low figure. By using spool bodies of different diameters, the spools can be adapted for smaller or larger quantities of wire, as will be readily understood.
With the above arrangement the spools, when heavy with the weight of wire, can be readily lifted and ;1.31 f~;i52~37 transported by power equipment which has a lifting cable and hook. The great strength of the assemblage of tubu-lar body 14, cone sections 20 with reinforcing ribs 66, and steel drawbolt 38 with captive eye 50 enables the spool to be readily and safely lifted and transported, simply by passing the cable hook through the eye and hauling the cable upward, as can now be understood. A
considerable factor of safety is had, particularly with the newer, recently developed high-impact plastics, or plastics that are reinforced with fibrous fillers.
Since the end cones can be substantially identical to one another, there results a still further reduced overall manufacturing cost. In addition, the cylindrical body can be advantageously constituted of cardboard which is quite inexpensive but which has excellent strength and rigidity, sufficient to provide adequate support for the substantial weights being carried.
!~ Should either of the end cones become damaged, or alter-nately if the spool body should become damaged, these can be readily replaced merely by loosening one nut, disassembling the spool, and replacing the desired part.
Accordingly, great flexibility is realized. ~n addition, should it be desired to expand the capacity of the spool, it is only necessary to remove the end cones and - substitute a cylindrical body of increased length or diameter, or both. The provision of a single tie bar or bolt disposed at the axis of the spool greatly facili-tates such a substitution. This simple replacement of parts is usually not realizeable in the spools of the prior art.
ci52~37 Due to the fact that the annular grooves in the end cones provide positive, well-defined seats for the oppo-site ends of the spool body, there exists no uncertainty as to the proper positioning of these cones during assem-bly. In addition, such assembly can be greatly simpli-fied by making the bore of the body slightly undersize, to enable the end cones to be momentarily held therein by means of a force fit, as the tie bar is installed.
Accordingly, no special tools or fixtures are required.
Variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.
COMPOSITE, HEAVY-DUTY SPOOL WITH PLASTIC END CONES
This invention relates generally to composite, dis-mantleable spools of heavy-duty construction, adapted to carry substantial quantities and weights of metal wire.
More particularly, the invention relates to spools of the above type, which are capable of low-cost fabrica-tion and assemblage while at the same time being par-ticularly sturdy and resistant to damage.
In the past a number of different spool construc-tions for holding large, heavy quantities of wire have been proposed and produced. Most prior spools consisted of a number of sheet-metal sections which were assembled to one another by welding. Generally, the cost of pro-ducing such ~pools was excessive, due to the relatively heavy gauge metal which was required, in addition to the cost of labor involved with the different welding pro-cedures .
Various spool constructions of the take-apart vari-ety have also been developed over the years. U. S. Pat-ent No. 2,295,222 dated September 8, 1942, issued to G.
W. Xrentler, and entitled "SPOOL FOR INDUSTRIAL THREAD", discloses one such spool, having a central body po_tion and single conical end flanges releasably secured there-to. The bore of the body portion is threaded, and a cor-responding threaded portion on the end flange is re-ceived therein. While this construction was considered ;satisfactory under certain circumstances, it can be ap-preciated that the costs involved with providing mating thread formations on multiple sheet-metal parts tended to be rather high, resulting in a product which was pro-hibitively expensive for many applications or installa-tions.
,'' 1 ~
_ 1.~6SZ~7 Another prior spool construction is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 1,786,366 dated December 23, 1930, issued to J. Rath, and entitled "CABLE TRANSPORT DRUMN.
~he device disclosed therein involves a pair of disk-like end flanges which are fitted to a central spool body that is constituted as an iron pipe. Annular bead formations on one side of each flange are employed for keying the flanges to the body. Multiple bolts are util-ized, located off-center with respect to the axis of the spool for securing the flanges together.
While this earlier patented device operated in a generally satisfactory manner, there were still a number of disadvantages inherent in the construction. First, it was found to be quite difficult to assemble the end flanges to the spool body, since there is a tendency for the parts to shift with respect to one another as the bolts are being installed. Second, due to the small rad-ius of curvature of the beads on the end flanges, there is encountered difficulty in effecting a proper seating thereof. Moreover, further problems are experienced in determining the proper torque to be applied to the nuts, in order to achieve a balanced or uniform pressure about the spool periphery. In addition, over-tightening of one or more of the nuts results in deformation of either or both of the end flanges, causing them to weaken and as-sume a somewhat concave shape. Accordingly, in the above respects the disclosed patented constructions did not prove to be satisfactory from the standpoint of either strength or low manufacturing cost.
Yet another take-apart spool is disclosed in U. S.
Patent No. 1,987,990 dated January 15, 1935, issued to :~ ' :;, ., . . , H. D. Clinton, and entitled "TEXTILE SPOOL". Here again, one of the disadvantages found is that multiple parts are involved, having unusual configurations, such as internal stop shoulders and the like, requiring special metal stampings which are costly to produce.
In my U. S. Patent No. 4,140,289 issued on February 20, 1979 and entitled "LOW-COST, DISPOSABLE, WIRE-STOR-AGE AND PAY-OUT SPOOL" there is disclosed a spool con-struction wherein conical end flanges constituted of stamped and pressed sheet metal are assembled to a cylindrical spool body and held in place by a single draft bolt having at one end an eyelet to enable the spool to be handled by mechanical equipment. This construction of my copending application successfully solves most of the problems encountered in prior spool devices. However, there was required a thorough and costly surface protection of the end cones, failing which these would rust and become unserviceable particularly if subjected to moisture and/or outdoor weather conditions. If pre-plated or pre-finished metal stock was used prior to the formation of the end cones, the surfaces suffered abrasion and damage, resulting in a product of poor quality. Further, the storage of the end cones had to be in a dry, protected space since outdoor storage was not feasible or practical.
The above disadvantages and drawbacks of prior spool constructions are obviated by the present inven-tion, which provides a low-cost, plastic end cone for a heavy-duty dismantleable spool construction adapted to carry a substantial quantity and weight of metal wire, comprising a truncated, conical body portion all parts ~i529~
of which are essentially of a uniform thickness of plas-tic to insure quick and uniform curing of the plastic material, said conical body portion having large and small base parts and having a strengthened peripheral rim encircling its large base part, said body portion at its small base part having a transverse wall provided with an aperture to receive a draft bolt, said body por-tion having a plurality of integral strengthening ribs each of which is disposed both on its exterior and on the exterior of said transverse wall, said ribs lying in planes which pass through the axis of the body portion.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the spool con-struction, showing a pair of conical end cones secured to a central, sub6tantially cylindrical spool body.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of one of the end cones in the vicinity of an annular groove therein, showing a portion of the end of the spool body fitted thereto.
Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of a pair of end cones which have been dismantled and placed in nested relation, for storing in a relatively small space.
Referring first particularly to Fig. l, the present spool construction comprises a pair of molded, plastic end cones 10, 12 and a cylindrical spool body 14, the latter being advantageously constituted of thick and heavy cardboard whereby its cost is extremely low while 65~
at the same time it has excellent resistance to damage or breakage. The spool body 14, for example, can have a thickness of 1/4 inch or more whereby it is rigid and resistant to deformation to a considerable degree.
Referring to Figs. 2-5, the end cones 10-12 are seen to be identical in construction, each cone compris-ing a truncated conical body portion 16 all parts of which are essentially of a uniform thickness of plastic to insure quick and uniform curing of the material. Var-ious types of impact-resistant plastic can be utilized, in the molding of the end cones 10, 12. Materials sold under the Tradenames LEXAN and VALOX are suitable, in-cluding materials formed of thermoplastic resin, poly-carbonate, and A. B. S. plastics. The plastic materials, further, can include glass fibers or other strong fi-brous substances to provide additional strength.
The conical body portions 16 have large and small base parts 18, 20 respectively, and have strengthening peripheral rims designated generally by the numerals 22, encircling the large base parts 18. The rims 22 are of U-shaped cross section and define annular grooves 24 which face axially away from the body portions 16.
Each rim 22 is constituted of a web portion 26 which spans the bottom of the groove 24 and is integral with inner and outer flange portions 28, 30. A bead 32 on the outer flange portion 30 can constitute the part-ing line of the mold in which the end cones are fabri-cated.
The rims 22, particularly the webs 26 and flanges 30 thereof, are seen to extend radially outward from the large base parts 18 of the body portions 16, and also to ~ 2 ~ ~
extend radially inward of the base parts, particularly the inner flanges 28.
At its small base part 20, each body portion 16 of an end cone has a transverse wall 34 provided with an aperture 36 to receive a draft bolt 38, all as seen in Fig. l.
The draft bolt 38 comprises a shank portion 40 hav-ing at one end threads 42 to accommodate a nut 44 which bears against the end cone 12 through the medium of a large flat washer 46. At its other end the shank 40 of the bolt 38 has a head 48 and passes through a ring 50 which is cut from a steel pipe of suitable diameter and tbickness. The ring 50 is drilled to receive the shank 40, with the head 48 abutting the ring inside. A flat washer 52 is disposed between the ring 50 and the trans-verse end wall 34 of the end cone 10 to distribute the force of the ring against the cone and minimize the likelihood of crushing of the latter.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 it is seen that the body portion 16 of each end cone has a plurality of an-nular grooves 54, 56 in its external, conical surface, said grooves being concentrically located and arranged to receive either small-diameter or larger-diameter spool bodies such as the body 14. While two such grooves are illustrated, it will be understood that three or more of the grooves 54, 56 can be provided. The groove 54 has walls 58, 60 which, when viewed in cross section as in Fig. 2, are perpendicular to each other and adapt-ed to ~nugly f it the square-cut end of the spool body 14. ~he groove 56 is similarly formed.
SZ~7 Disposed substantially radially inward of the grooves 54, 56 are annular beads 62, 64 formed in the walls of the cone body portions. The beads 62, 64 are preferably rounded, and essentially provide for a uni-form wall thickness of the plastic material of the body portions.
The end cones 10, 12 are constituted of platic and in such manner that one may be nested in another and so on, thereby to enable the cones to be stored in a rela-tively small space when the spools are dismantled. Byvirtue of the end cones being of special molded plastic substance which is impact-resistant and particularly rugged and durable, they are not subject to rusting, denting, etc. and in any circumstance need not be stored away from a moist atmosphere. Thus, the end cones can be stored outside of a building, if interior space is at a premium.
Further, the end cones 10, 12 have integral strengthening ribs 66 which are disposed both on the exterior of the conical small base part 20 and on the exterior of the transverse wall 34. As seen in Fig. 3, a total of eight such reinforcing ribs can be provided, resulting in a greatly increased strength at the small base part of each end cone. The strengthening ribs 66 lie in planes which are normal to the axis of the body portion of the end cone. As seen in Fig. 5, the strengthening ribs taper in height to a lesser dimension at their adjoining ends 68, thereby to provide a lead-in formation for guiding the draft bolt 38 to the aperture 36 during the assembly of the spool construction.
5~
Referring to Fig. 5, during the nesting of the end cones, an inner flange 28 of a strengthening rib of one cone and its annular beads 62, 64 are adapted for engage-ment with the outer conical surface on an adjoining body portion of a nesting end cone. Also, the strengthening ribs 66 of the second (nesting) end cone are adapted for engagement with the inner conical surface of the first, adjoining cone. Such engagement occurs along circular lines of contact, and provides increased strength which is important when a large number of end cones are nested in a stack.
It will now be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an improved heavy-duty, dismantleable spool construction which is adapted to carry a substantial quantity and weight of metal wire, said spool construc-; tion being readily disassembled and the end cones there-of being capable of nesting and stacking so as to occupy a relatively small storage space. Since the end cones are of molded plastic substance, they need no surface finishing operations and are not susceptible to rusting, denting, etc. With high-impact plastic substance, the end cones are essentially rugged and resistant to break-age, and they may be stored either indoors or outdoors as the occasion requires. The cost of the cones is low, as is also the cost of the spool bodies of built-up cardboard, whereby the entire manufacturing unit-cost is held to a low figure. By using spool bodies of different diameters, the spools can be adapted for smaller or larger quantities of wire, as will be readily understood.
With the above arrangement the spools, when heavy with the weight of wire, can be readily lifted and ;1.31 f~;i52~37 transported by power equipment which has a lifting cable and hook. The great strength of the assemblage of tubu-lar body 14, cone sections 20 with reinforcing ribs 66, and steel drawbolt 38 with captive eye 50 enables the spool to be readily and safely lifted and transported, simply by passing the cable hook through the eye and hauling the cable upward, as can now be understood. A
considerable factor of safety is had, particularly with the newer, recently developed high-impact plastics, or plastics that are reinforced with fibrous fillers.
Since the end cones can be substantially identical to one another, there results a still further reduced overall manufacturing cost. In addition, the cylindrical body can be advantageously constituted of cardboard which is quite inexpensive but which has excellent strength and rigidity, sufficient to provide adequate support for the substantial weights being carried.
!~ Should either of the end cones become damaged, or alter-nately if the spool body should become damaged, these can be readily replaced merely by loosening one nut, disassembling the spool, and replacing the desired part.
Accordingly, great flexibility is realized. ~n addition, should it be desired to expand the capacity of the spool, it is only necessary to remove the end cones and - substitute a cylindrical body of increased length or diameter, or both. The provision of a single tie bar or bolt disposed at the axis of the spool greatly facili-tates such a substitution. This simple replacement of parts is usually not realizeable in the spools of the prior art.
ci52~37 Due to the fact that the annular grooves in the end cones provide positive, well-defined seats for the oppo-site ends of the spool body, there exists no uncertainty as to the proper positioning of these cones during assem-bly. In addition, such assembly can be greatly simpli-fied by making the bore of the body slightly undersize, to enable the end cones to be momentarily held therein by means of a force fit, as the tie bar is installed.
Accordingly, no special tools or fixtures are required.
Variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Claims (10)
1. A low-cost plastic end cone for a heavy-duty dismantleable spool construction adapted to carry a sub-stantial quantity and weight of metal wire, comprising a truncated, conical body portion all parts of which are essentially of a uniform thickness of plastic to insure quick and uniform curing of the plastic material, said conical body portion having large and small base parts and having a strengthened peripheral rim encircling its large base part, said body portion at its small base part having a transverse wall provided with an aperture to receive a draft bolt, said body portion having a plu-rality of integral strengthening ribs each of which is disposed both on its exterior and on the exterior of said transverse wall, said ribs lying in planes which pass through the axis of the body portion.
2. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 1, wherein there are eight of said strengthening ribs.
3. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 1, wherein the conical body portion has an annular groove in its exterior surface, located in-termediate the large and small base parts thereof and lying in a plane which is normal to the axis of said body portion, and an annular, integral bead on the in-side of said body portion, extending coextensive to said groove and located substantially radially inward there-of.
4. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 3, wherein the body portion has an ad-ditional annular groove and integral bead spaced axially from and characterized similarly to the first-mentioned groove and bead.
5. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 1, wherein end portions of the strengthening ribs which are disposed on the transverse wall surround the aperture thereof and taper in height to a lesser dimension adjacent said aperture, thereby to effect a lead-in formation for guiding a draft bolt to the aperture.
6. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 1, wherein the concial body portion has a strengthening peripheral rim encircling its large base part, said rim projecting inwardly of the conical inner surface of the body portion, said body portion having an annular integral bead on its inside, projecting inwardly from its conical inner surface, said integral strengthen-ing ribs projecting outwardly of the conical outer sur-face of the body portion, said rim and bead being adapt-ed to engage the outer conical surface of a second end cone nested in and identical to the first-mentioned end cone, the strengthening ribs of said second end cone being adapted for engagement with the inner conical sur-face of the first-mentioned end cone during nesting of said cones for storage.
7. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim is of U-shaped cross section and defines an annular groove which faces axially away from the body portion, said rim extending radially outward from the large base part of the body portion.
8. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 7, wherein said body portion has a sec-ond annular groove in the exterior of its conical sur-face, disposed intermediate the large and small base parts thereof.
9. A plastic end cone for a heavy-duty spool as defined in claim 7, wherein the said strengthened per-ipheral rim projects both inwardly of the inner conical surface of the body portion and outwardly of the outer conical surface thereof.
10. A heavy-duty dismantleable spool construction adapted to carry a substantial quantity and weight of metal wire, comprising a pair of end cones as character-ized in claim 8, and further including a cylindrical spool body constituted of thick and heavy cardboard, said ends of said cylindrical spool body being fitted into the second-mentioned annular grooves of the end cones, and a draft bolt passing through the apertures of the end cones, for holding the same against the ends of the cardboard spool body.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000426468A CA1165297A (en) | 1980-02-29 | 1983-04-22 | Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US126,065 | 1980-02-29 | ||
| US06/126,065 US4269371A (en) | 1980-02-29 | 1980-02-29 | Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones |
| CA000369915A CA1151625A (en) | 1980-02-29 | 1981-02-02 | Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones |
| CA000426468A CA1165297A (en) | 1980-02-29 | 1983-04-22 | Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1165297A true CA1165297A (en) | 1984-04-10 |
Family
ID=27166960
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000426468A Expired CA1165297A (en) | 1980-02-29 | 1983-04-22 | Composite, heavy-duty spool with plastic end cones |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1165297A (en) |
-
1983
- 1983-04-22 CA CA000426468A patent/CA1165297A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |