US2120313A - Crop end deflecting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

June 14, 1938.

J. AHSMITMANS CROP END DEFLECTING APPARATUS s sneets sneet Filed May 10, 1935 INVENTOR.

*ZJATTORNEYSY June 1938. J. A. SMITMANS CROP END DEFLECTING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTCR.

BY ATTCRNEYJ zaix-w-v WITNESSES June 14, 1%38 J. A. SMITMANS CROP END DEFLEGTING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

WITNQSSELS ATTORNEYJ Patented June 14, 1 938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE United Engineering & Foundry Company,

Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 10, 1935, Serial No. 20,818

16 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for use with a flying shear for disposing of the damaged, or short, crop end cuts as they are severed from the ends of a moving strip bythe shear.

In the manufacture of metal strip in connection with which this invention is more particularly intended for use, although it is not necessarily so limited, it is usually found that the ends of the strip are damaged or irregular in shape when they leave the rolling mill, and that it is necessary to remove them before'the strips can be used or sold. When such ends are removed by a flying shear, as they usually are, a problem of separating them from the rest of the strip is presented and it is usually desirable, if not essential, that they be so separated.

With this in mind, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which is adapted to separate the crop ends from the rest of the strip 20 as they are severed therefrom by a flying shear,

and in such a way as to prevent them from interfering with'the subsequent piling or handling of the strip.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character which is automatically operative, sturdy and dependable in structure, and capable of being operated at high speeds.

A further object is to provide for rendering the operation of the apparatus responsive under certain conditions to the strip, and under other conditions to both the strip and the shear with which it is used.

These and various other objects, as well as the various other novel features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent when the-following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprise a series of schematic views illustrating the mode of operation of a crop-end deflecting apparatus such as is contemplated by the invention; Fig. 5 a plan view of a flying shear and crop-end deflecting apparatus assembled in accordance with the invention; Fig. 6 a sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a front view of the deflector elements and their operating mechanism showing a portion of the housing for the latter removed; and Fig. 8 a schematic wiring diagram.

of a control system for automatically controlling 50 the operation of the deflector and shear.

For an understanding of the general details ,and mode of operation of the invention reference may be had to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, wherein the numeral 1 designates the blade carriers of a flying shear, the numeral 2, a conveyor for passing a strip 3 through the shear, and the numeral 4, a deflector element'for deflecting the crop and short ends, as they are severed from the ends of the strip by the shear, out of the way of the rest of the strip. As a rule, as previously stated, these crop ends have to be removed before the strip can be sold or used. Where the strip is to be used without being cut into lengths the shear is, of course, adapted to only remove, these crop ends. Ordinarily, however, it is cut into prescribed lengths, and in such case the shear is adapted to not only automatically produce cuts of selected lengths, but to also automatically make a front end cropping cut, and in some instances a trailing crop end cut. In all cases, it is desirable to dispose of the front and rear cuts separately from the rest of the. strip so that they will not in any way foul it or require its being rehandled to separate them from it.

For disposing of these crop ends in accordance with this invention, a space sumcient for such purpose isprovided between the discharge side of the shear and the adjacent end of the run-out conveyor 2 to permit their being dropped therethrough out of the way of the rest of the strip. To insure their being so removed and the rest of the strip being carried away from the shear by the run-out conveyor 2 the deflector element 4 is mounted in this space and adapted to function both as a deflector and a guide. To remove the front end crop it is adjusted before the strip is delivered to it to the position shown in Fig. 1 and retained in such position until after the end of the strip is under it. As soon as this occurs and before the front end of the strip following the first cut can-reach it, it is actuated to the position shown in Fig. 2. In this way, the front end crop is deflected under the conveyor out of the way of the rest of the strip and the deflector 4 is adapted to function as a guide, causing the succeeding portion of the strip to be properly delivered onto the conveyor 2 and thereby carried away from the shear as intended.

To dispose of the crop or short cut removed from the trailing end of the strip the deflector 4 is lifted upwardly inthe manner shown in Fig. 4 as soon as the last regular cut or the trailing crop end cut is made.

Referring now to the particular embodiment veyor 6 is mounted in front of it, and for carrying the strip away from it a run-out conveyor 6a is provided. For disposing of the crop end cuts, as described hereinbefore, a space I0 is provided between the discharge side of the shear and the adjacent end of the run-out conveyor, and in such space a deflector 8 is arranged.

As shown, this deflector 8 consists of a. plurality of spaced arms equipped with suitable rollers II at their free ends for preventing the strip from being scratched when it is passed over them. At their opposite ends they are secured to a manipulating shaft l2 which is mounted in a pair of suitable bearing supports l3 and connected by a coupling I4 to a drive shaft I5.

The latter shaft I 5 is mounted in suitable bearings in a housing l6 and equipped with a crank l1 which is flexibly connected by a link i 8 to a power-actuated slide head l9 arranged for guided movement in an opening 2| provided therefor in the rear wall of the housing l6. At the opposite end of such head there is attached a drive rod 22 which is slidably mounted in a cylindrical sleeve 23 attached for reciprocation to the piston 26 of a hydraulic-motor 24.

This motor, which is of the double action type, is used for compressing a pair of coil type pressure springs 21 and 28 that are in turn used to impart a very rapid action to the crank i1 and hence the deflector 8 whenever either one of them is released after being compressed by the motor 24. One of these springs is mounted on the drive rod 22 with one of its ends bearing against the head l8 to which the front end of the rod 22 is connected and the other against the adjacent end of the sleeve 23 surrounding the drive rod and to which the piston 26 of the motor is connected. The other one is mounted in a similar fashion on the drive rod 22 at the opposite side of the motor 24 with its one end bearing against the rear end of the sleeve 23 attached to the piston 26 of the motor 24', and the other against a collar 29 adjustably secured to the outer end of the rod by an adjusting nut 3|.

For controlling the operation of these deflector actuating springs 21 and 28, a pair of latches 36 and 31 is pivotally mounted in the housing 16 to engage a pair of cams 34 and 35 provided on a pair of upwardly projecting arms 32 and 33 secured to the drive shaft l5 at the two sides of the crank l1. For in turn controlling the operation of these latches they are connected at their outer ends by a pair of rods 38 and 39 to the armatures 4| and 42 of a pair of electromagnets 43 and 44 equipped with suitable actuating solenoids 45 and 46 which are mounted on top of the housing l6.

To elevate the deflector 8 to its upper position, shown in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 6,.

the motor 24 is first operated to place the spring 28 under compression. During such operation the piston 26 and sleeve 23 are actuated to the left, and the spring 28 compressed. The solenoid 46 is then energized and the latch 31 lifted out of contact with cam 35. This permits the spring 28 to rapidly move the drive rod 22 and crank 11 in the forward direction, carrying the deflector to its upper position shown in Fig. 6. When moved to such position the latch 36 drops by gravity into engagement with the forward end of the adjacent cam 34, the solenoid 45 being deenergized at such time. The motor 24 is then operated to move the piston 26 and sleeve 23 to the right and thereby place the spring 21 under compression in readiness to actuate the drive rod 22 in the reverse direction. When it is (16- sired to lower the deflector, the solenoid 46 isv deenergized and the solenoid 45 energized. This lifts the latch 36 and releases spring 21, causingthe deflector to move to its lower position. When it reaches such position the latch 31 again drops into engagement with the rear end of the cam 35, the piston 26' of the motor is then again operated to its rearward position, and the spring 28 once more placed under compression in readiness to return the deflector back to its upper position.

While the motor 24 may be operated manually, it is preferably operated automatically. For this reason the valve 41 for controlling its supply of fluid under pressure which is furnished by a supply line 48 is mounted on top of the drive housing 16 and equipped with an actuating lever '49 that is arranged to be actuated by upwardly projecting ends provided on the rods 38 and 39 connected to the armatures 4| and 42 of the magnets 43 and 44 which are extended upwardly through the tops of the magnets 43 and 44, being equipped with springs 5i and 52 to adapt them to reverse the valve only when the latches 36 and 31 drop into their cam-engaging positions.

With such an arrangement, it will be readily appreciated that the manipulation of the deflector 8 may be effected in any manner desired by merely providing'the necessary control for the electromagnets 43 and 44, and which may be widely varied in design. To automatically carry out the operation described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, however, the electrical control system illustrated schematically in Fig. 8 is provided. To operate such system a source of current supply L1 and L2 is provided and connected by a switch 53 to a pair of line conductors M1 and M2 which comprise a part of the system proper. To these latter conductors M1 and M2 the solenoids 45 and 46 of the electromagnets 43 and 44 are connected by an electromagnetic switch 54. The circuit. for the solenoid 45 is traced from the line conductor M1 by way of a conductor 55, through the solenoid to a pair of bridging contacts 540. on the switch 54 and thence to the line conductor M2. The circuit for the other solenoid 46 is traced from line conductor M1 by way of a conductor 56 through the solenoid to a pair of bridging contacts 5412 on the switch 54 and thence to the line conductor m. To make and break these circuits the switch 54 is provided with a normally open bridging member 540 for bridging the contacts 54a and a normally closed bridging member 54d which bridges the contacts 54b. With this arrangement the solenoid 46 is normally energized with the result that the latch 31 is normally held in its released position and the driveshaft l5 normally actuated as a result to a position holding the deflector to line conductor M2.

When the leading end of a strip 20 approaching the shear strikes the switch 58, it causes it to close, and in doingso closes the circuit 51, thereby closing the switch 54. With the closing of the the interlock 54 on the switch 54. On this drum latter, the circuit 58 for the solenoid is opened and the circuit 55 for the solenoid 45 closed. This deenergizes the solenoid 48 and energizes the solenoid 45. The energizing of the latter lifts the latch 38 and causes the shaft I5 to be actuated by the spring 21 in the forward direction, moving the deflector to its lower position. As soon as it reaches such position the latch 81 falls to its cam-engaging position and the valve 41 is actuated as previously described to operate the hydraulic motor 24 and compress the spring 28.

In order that the deflector 8 will be actuated in such a way that the' front end crop will be deflected downwardly and the remainder of the strip passed onto the run-out conveyor 8a, an adjustable relay 58 is employed whichcan be adjusted according to the speed of the strip to cause the deflector to be operated at just the proper instant. Time relay relays of this character are so well known that it is deemed unnecessary to describe the relay in detail. erably it is adjusted so that the deflector is operated downwardly as soon as the trailing end of the strip gets under thedeflec'tor and before the first cut is made by the shear.

The flag 58 may be also adapted to keep the switch 54 energized until after the trailing .end of the strip is out of the shear under which circumstances the trailing end crop is passed through the shear with the rest of the strip. It

may be also adapted to open the actuating circuit 51 for the switch 54 as soon as the trailing end of the stock passes over it. Under these circumstances a second flag switch 58 is employed to regulate the operation of the switch 54 so that the last out, if below a selected length shorter than the regular cuts, will be deflected under the run-out conveyor 8a by the deflector. To accomplish such end the switch 59 is located between the switch 58 and the shear and at a distance from the latter which is less than the length 'of the regular cuts, and is connected by a circuit 8i across the coil 54s of the switch 54 in shunt relation to the flag switch 58. To prevent the flag 59 from closing the switch 54 before it is closed by the switch 58, the circuit 8| is traced through an interlock 54) on the switch 54. Hence the circuit 81 cannot be completed until after both switches 58 and 54 have been closed.

With this latter arrangement, the switch 54 is held closed until the trailing end of the strip passes over the flag 59, at which time it opens. When it opens, the circuit 55 to the solenoid 45 is broken and the circuit 58 to the solenoid 48 is closed. The latter releases the latch 81 and hence the spring 28 which tends to lift the deflector to its upper position, but is prevented from doing so until the last out is made. Should the pressure of the spring 28 be so great as to cause the deflector to bear too strongly against the strip under these circumstances, the nut 8| may be adjusted to relieve the pressure on such spring.

To control the deflector so that the spring 28 will positively not be released until after the last out is made, which may be desirable in certain circumstances, a second shunt circuit 82 is provided and arranged in shunt relation to both the flag switches 58and 58, and is adapted to control the operation of the switch 54 thereafter in timed relation with the shear after the switch 58 opens. As shown, this circuit is traced like the circuit 8| from the Mr side of the switch 58 through a drum type switch 88 to the coil 54c by way of Pref-,

switch 88, which is driven in timed relation with the shear, there are provided a continuous conductor 88a and an interrupted conductor 83b connected together by a conductor 88c and both I connected to the circuit 82 by suitable brushes 88d and 886. The interrupted conductor 88b is broken at only one place and this arranged to pass under the brush 88a in timed relation with the movement of the cutting blades into cutting of the cutting blade that the circuit through the coil 54e will be broken to energize the circuit 58. and release the latch.81 at the instant the last cut is made.

Where the shear is adapted to make a cut with each rotation a direct drive may be used on the drum switch 88. If, however, the shear is of the typewhich may be adjusted to miss cuts or is designed to produce cuts on only selected multi- 'ples of rotation, an adjustable drive, such as indicated at 84, may be employed, being adjusted in each instant to cause the switch 88 to have the same period of operation'as the shear.

As a further feature,,the control system shown is also provided with means for automatically starting and stopping the shear 5 in response to the strip. This means comprises a flag 85 which is arranged in the delivery conveyor 8 in front of the flag 58 and connected in a circuit 88 which closes a relay 81 when it is itself closed by the strip. This relay is in turn arranged in a circuit 88 which connects the driving motor 89 for the shear to the line conductors M1 and M2 and starts that motor as soon as the flag switch 85 is closed. To keep the shear moving after the trailing end of the strip passes over the flag 85 and until it In practicing the invention the flag switch 58 is first adjusted in accordance with the delivery speed of the strip so that the deflector will properly dispose of the front end-crop. The flag 58 is then adjustedto select the length of the trailing out which it will be deflected away from the run-out conveyor 8a by the deflector, the flag 59 being adjustably mounted for such purpose. The. switch 58 is then closed and the. strip delivered to the shear.

When the front end of the strip strikes the flag 85 the relay 81 is closed and the shear started. Next the flag 58 is struck and the circuit 8| closed as soon as the end of the strip passes under the deflector 8. With the closing of this circuit the switch 54 is closed and the solenoids 48 and 45 deenergized and energized respectively. This causes the latch 88 to be raised and the spring 21 to be released. The deflector 8 is thereby operated downwardly to its lower position, carrying the front end crop with it. As soon as the deflector reaches its lower position and the cams 84 and 85 their forward positions, the latch 81 drops into engagement with the cam 85 and the rod 88 operates the valve 41 causing the motor 24 10 opposition or at such a point in the movement to compress the spring 28 and places it in readiness to raise the deflector when the latch 81 is made and causing the last length to pass undertrol of the shear motor. When the trailing end of the strip passes over the flag 58, the switch 54 is either held closed by delayed operation of this flag as previously described, or by the flag 59, or by both'it and the drum switch 63 if both are used. If only the flag 59 is used, the switch 54 is opened as soon as the trailing end of the strip passes such switch. This causes the solenoid 45 to be deenergized and the solenoid 46 to be reenergized. When such occurs the latch 31 is lifted, the spring 28 released, and the deflector raised against the strip, lifting the latter up as the last out is If the drum switch 63 is used along with the flag switch 59, the switch 54 is held closed after the strip passes over the flag 59 until the interruption in the conductor band 63b passes under the brush 639 which it does in timed relation with the movement of the shear blades and causes the latch 36 to be released at the instant the last regular cut is made.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, and as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this invention provides a very effective way for separating the crop ends from the rest of the strip and greatly facilitates their disposal, It will also be obvious that it can be practiced in various ways and by various other means than that illustrated, and such is contemplated by the appended claims.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention, and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflector arranged in the delivery path of said conveying means for deflecting the stock away,from it, means independent of the shear for actuating said deflecting means, and means responsive to the stock for controlling the operation of said actuating means. l

2. In combination with a strip working device, means for conveying therefrom the strip being worked, means actuated independently of the work device for deflecting. selected portions of the strip out of the path of said conveying means, and electrical means responsive to the strip for controlling the operation of said deflecting means.

3. In combination with a work device, means for conveying away-from said work device the stock which is passed through it, means disposed in said conveying means for selectively deflecting the stock operated upon by the work device out means, and means set in motion by each piece of.

stock entering the work device for automatically controlling the operation of the deflecting means.

4. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, a deflector element arranged at the discharge side of the shear for deflecting .the crop end cuts out of the path of said conveyor, means for actuating said deflector element, means set in motion by the front end of a piece of stock entering the shear for controlling said actuating means to dispose of the first cut, and means responsive to the trailing end of the stock for controlling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of the last out.

5. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflector disposed at the discharge side of the shear to deflect the strip out of the path of. the conveyor when in one position and to guide it onto said conveyor when in another position, means for actuating said deflector, means responsive to the leading end of the stock entering the shear for controlling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of the first cut, and means jointly responsive to the trailing end of the stockand the movement of the shear for controlling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of the last out.

6. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflector arranged at the discharge side of the shear for deflecting the stock away from said conveyor, means for actuating said deflecting means, a time delay relay disposed to be set in motion by the leading end of the stock entering the shear for controlling the actuation of said actuating means.

7. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock passed through it, means for deflecting selected portions of the strip out of the path of said conveying means, means for actuating said deflecting means, means responsive to the leading end of the stock entering the shear for controlling said actuating means to dispose of the first cut, additional means responsive to the trailing end of the stock passing through the shear for controlling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of the last cut, and means operated by the shear for supplementing the last mentioned means to efiect an adjustment of said deflecting means in timed relation with the shear.

8. In combination with a flying shear, a. conveyor for carrying the stock being worked in the shear away from it, a pivotally mounted deflector element arranged between said shear and conveyor, means for elevating said deflector to deflect selected lengths of the stock under the conveyor as it issues from the shear or lower it to guide the strip onto the conveyor, spring means for actuating said deflector, power means for placing said spring means under tension, releasable latching means for controlling the operation of said deflector by said springs, and means responsive to the strip for controlling the operation of said latching means.

' 9. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, means disposed at the discharge side of the shear ior selectively deflecting portions'of the stock operated upon out of the path of the conveyor, spring means for actuating said deflector means, power means for placing said springs under tension, latching means for controlling the release of said spring means and means operated with said latching means for automatically controlling the operation of said power means.

10.' In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock said actuating means to dispose of the first and last cuts respectively.

11. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflector disposed at the discharge side of the shear to deflect selected cuts of the strip out of the path of the conveyor, means independent of the shear for actuating said deflector, means responsive to the stock entering the shear for controlling the starting and stopping of the shear, and means also responsive to the stock for controlling the operation of said deflector actuating means.

12. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying from said shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflector arranged at the discharge side of the shear for defleeting the stock under or onto said conveying means, means'for actuating said deflecting means, means responsive to the stock for controlling the operation of said actuating means in one direction, and means jointly responsive to the stock and shear for controlling the operation of said actuating means in the other direction.

13. In combination with a flying shear, a conveyor for carrying stock from said shear, a deflector element located at the discharge side of the shear for guiding cuts of the stock under or onto said conveyor, a shaft for pivotally supporting said deflector, a crank connected to said shaft, a drive rod connected to said rod, a pair of coil springs mounted on the ends of said rod, an element for selectively subjecting said springs to pressure for operating said rod in different directions, a motor for actuating said latter element, means connected to said shaft for locking the shaft in selected positions, latch means associated therewith and means for actuating said latches to thereby selectively operate said deflector by releasing said springs.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 provided with means operated by said latch means for automatically operating said motor.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 which includes means responsive to the strip entering the shear for controlling the operation of said latch means. I i

16. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away from said shear the stock which is passed through it, means disposedat the discharge side of the shear for selectively deflecting portions of the stock operated upon out of the path 01' the conveyor, spring means for actuating said deflector means in one direction, other spring means for actuating said deflector in the other direction, power means operative to place both of said spring means under tension, latchlog means for controlling the operation of said spring means, and means operated by said latching means ior automatically controlling the operation of said power means.

JOHN A. S'MITMANS.

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