US2409549A - Blasting cap crimper - Google Patents

Description

Gat. i5, 1946. v A. DJlDlCs 2,409,549

BLASTING CAP CRIMPER Filed April 2l, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l lll - Oct. 15, 1946.v A, DJlDlcs 2,409,549

BLASTING CAP GRIMPER Filed April 2l, 1944 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6/ :El E D g/ Z D INVENTOR. .721; eafanaeT-jz' [J7/fc5,

K mlm-mmm 0M 771 t Patented Oct. 15, 1946 BLASTING CAI CRIMPER Alexander Djidics, Tamaqua, Pa., assignor to Atlas Powder Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application April 21, 1944, Serial No. 532,201

8 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device for crimping blasting caps upon the safety fuses so largely used in blasting operations.

As this description proceeds it will be seen that the device of the present invention will so constrict the upper end of the blasting cap about the fuse that the resultant crimp will be absolutely smooth, uniform and water-tight.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 isa composite view of the whole assembly with the parts illustrated in separated relation;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crimping jaws disposed in assembled relation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view'upon line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a magniiied view of the contacting and working surfaces of one of the jaws;

Fig. 5 is an edge View of the parts illustrated in Fig. l, showing the same in assembled relation;

Fig. 6 is a side. view of the structure of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modification of the invention which adapts they crimper for bench use; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal, sectional view of the structure of Fig. "I, taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 6v of the drawings, 5 designates a ring-like head to which a handle 6 is secured by the screws l. The center of the ring is spanned by a web 8, the body of the ring being materially thicker than the web. Guide slots 9 and Iii are formed in the opposite faces of the web 8, said slots being disposed at right angles to each other. These slots are of such depth that at their points of crossing they actually intersect and form the opening I I, through the web. A pair of crimping jaws is disposed in each of the guide slots, these jaws being clearly illustrated in Figures 2 to 4. Each jaw comprises. the body portion I2 having the crimping recess I 3 formed in its forward edge, each jawV carrying an outstanding pin Ilt. The .arcs i5 of the -recesses I3 (see the magnied Fig. 4) are upon the radius of the shell before crimping, lwhile the arcs I5 define the radius of they nal crimp. The jaws are placed in the guide slots in .the assembled. relation illustrated'in Fig. Zand the pins I4. are engaged in the arcuate eccentric slots Il and I8 of cam plates IS. The cam plates IE are dimensioned to t in the circular recesses Ell created by thesuperiorthickness of the ring 5- with respectto the thickness of the weht.- Cap 2 plates 2l secured in position by screws 2lil cover the cam plates I9 and hold the whole in assembled relation. The cap plates are provided with central openings 22 and the cam plates are provided with central openings 23 to permit the passage oftheblasting cap to the point where the outer end portion of said blasting cap will lie in the path of movement of the working surfaces of the jaws I 2. It will be observed that while the pairs of jaws lie in di'erent planes, their working surfaces lie in substantially the same plane due to the fact that thev jaws are inverted with respect to each other and have their working edges X disposed toward their confronting surfaces. The result is that, in practice, the inal crimp is found to be smooth, neat and uniform entirely around the cap. The cam plates I9 carry handles 2li. These handlesare tied together at their outer ends, by a bolt or screw 25 which passes through said handles and through a relatively thick spacing washer` 26. Consequently the handles 24 move together as a unit `and when they are forced toward the handle 6 the cam slots I'I act upon pins ifi, to move jaws I2 forcibly, uniformly and in unison toward the center of the ring 5. A spring 2'? is engaged at 28 with that portion of the handle 6 that is secured to the ring 5. The outer end of this spring is secured at 2'9 to the handles 24; Thus, the spring tends to move the handles 2d away from handles 6 or to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 6. A hook 3i) pivoted at 3l to the handles 6 and engageable over the washer 26 holds the handles together, or in the full line position of Fig. 6, when the device is not being used. A stop 32 is carried by the handles 2li and limits the movement of these handles toward handle 6. This limits the pressure which may be imposed upon the blasting` cap in the crimping operation. This pressure may be varied at will by adjusting the stop 32 along the handles 2i?. The stop is carried by a stud which passes between the handles 24 and is engaged by a nut 33 which bears upon the top of said handles. By loosening this nut the stop may be adjusted along these handles. The material of the ring 5 is cut away at one point upon each side of the web 8 to provide passageways 36 through which the handles 24 may project' and in which said'handles may have thenecessary swinging movement towardand from the handle 6. The structure illustrated in'FigsxT and 8 is very similar to that heretofore described and the same reference characters have been applied insofar as they are properly applicable. Here a base 35, adapted to he scure-dtd abench., carries. a xture se, cerresponding to the ring of Fig. 1. This ring is spanned by a web 8a corresponding to the web 8. Cap plates 2 I b hold cam plates IS* in place and the handles Zita move in the cutaway portion 36a of the fixture 5a and are limited by a stop 32a. rThe jaws are the same as those heretofore described andare actuated in the same manner by the cam plates of the handles 24a.

By disposing the pairs of crimping jaws in different planes and by mounting the jaws in such manner that the jaws of one pair travelin a different plane from the jaws of the other pair, a more continuous crimp can be had than if all the jaws were mounted in the same plane. In known devices having all the jaws traveling in the same plane the abutting of the inner ends of the jaws against each other, as they move toward the work, either prevents the jaws from indenting the metal of the cap deeply enough to giveV a water-tight joint or prevents the contacting surfaces of the jaws from completely embracing the cap. The mounting of the jaws as herein shown and described permits such overlapping action of the jaws as to completely embrace the cap and yet permits inward movement of the jaws to the extent necessary to indent the cap metal to the degree necessary to insure a water-tight result.

If the arc in-the concaveend of each crimping jaw that is on the radius of the crimp equals 90, the crimp will extend completely around the cap. if the jaws are entirely closed. In practice, I usually prefer to provide some overlap by making that arc about 100. However, the length of that arc may be increased anda value as great as about 120 is quite satisfactory. In general, it will usuallyr be found desirable to provide that arc approximately between 90 and 120. The remainder of the concave end of each jaw is of the radius of the uncrimped portion of the blasting cap shell. Thus, there will be a minimum distortion of the shell metal in a direction at right angles to the motion of the jaw.

The basic idea herein setforth of having a plurality of crimping jaws mounted to move toward a common center, with some jaws traveling in one plane and others in another plane, is susceptible of use in any multiple jaw structure. That is, it is not limited to a four jaw arrangement, but could be embodied in a six jaw arrangement with three jaws on one side of the support and three jaws on the other,

Since many ways of modifying the proposed structure will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the' art, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown, but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim l. Means for crimping blasting caps upon fuses, comprising a head spanned by a web, said Web having guide ways formed in its opposite faces7 said guide ways lying substantially at right angles with respect to each other, a pair of jaws mounted in each of said guide ways. .al pair otcam plates seated in said head, oneuponeach sideof shaped to ccmplementally'and cirumferentally indent a blasting cap to crimp the same upon a fuse.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1, in combination with cap plates secured to each side of the head and overlapping the cam plates to retain them in position, said cap plates and said cam plates being provided with central openings to permit the passage of a blasting cap to a position between the confronting ends of said jaws.

3. In a cap crimping device, a head in the form of a segmental ring, said segmental ring being spanned by a web and the ring being materially thicker than the web, said web being channeled upon each of its faces to provide guide ways, said guide ways lying at right angles with respect to each other and being deep enough to intersect and leave an opening through the web at their point of crossing, a pair of opposed jaws mounted to slide toward and from each other in each of said guide ways, said jaws being provided with aring recesses at their confronting ends constituting working surfaces shaped to complementally and circumferentially indent a blasting cap, a pair of cam plates seated in the ring upon opposite sides of the head, outstanding pins carried by the jaws, arcuate cam slots carried by the cam plates and engaging said pins, handlelike members carried by the cam plates and projecting outwardly from the ring and by which turning movement may be imparted to the cams to cause their cam slots to act upon the pins to move the jaws uniformly toward a common center and means for connecting said handles for causing them to move in unison, the portions of smallest diameter of the recesses constituting relatively narrow Aworking surfaces which lie toward the confronting sides of the jaws to thereby bring all of the said working surfaces into substantially the same plane.

4. A structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the working surfaces of the jaws are formed upon two diiferent arcs, the central portion being upon an arc corresponding to the radius of the final crimp, and extending at least 45 upon each side of the center, the remainder of the working surfaces being upon arcs corresponding to the outside radius of the blasting cap before crimping.

5. A crimping jaw assembly for blasting cap crimping mechanisms comprising two pairs of jaws disposed substantially at right angles to each other, the jaws of one pair lying and moving in a plane below the plane of the jaws of the other pair, each jaw being provided upon its inner end with a concave recess, dimensioned to constitute a crimping surface for blasting caps, said recesses flaring in a direction away from the confronting faces of the two pairs of jaws, so that the part of smallest diameter of said concave recesses is caused to lie at the confronting sides of the jaws of the two pairs and so that the working surfaces of the two pairs of jaws are brought into substantially the same plane,

6. A crimping -jaw assembly for blasting cap crimping mechanisms. comprising two pairs," of jaws disposed substantially at right angles to each other, and in different planes said jaws being provided with recesses at their confronting ends constituting. working surfaces shapedto complementally and circumferentially indent. a blastn in g cap, each said working surface being formed upon two different arcs, the central portion being upon an arc corresponding to the radius of the side of: the center, the remainder of each work- 'ing' surface' beingl fan-'arc' eorrespondingf'to 5 the outside radius of the blasting cap before crimping.

7. A structure as recited in claim 6, wherein the working surfaces of the jaws operate in substantially the same plane, are bevelled outwardly and wherein the inner are of each recess is suiiciently long that the working surface presented by the inner arcs of the several jaws complementally occupy more than 360 so that an Overlap of these working surfaces is provided in their action upon a blasting cap.

8. A blasting cap crimper comprising a supporting body, means for slidibly mounting and actuating two pairs of crimping jaws upon said body to move toward and from a common center, the two jaws of one pair travelling from and to- Ward each other in a diiferent plane from the two jaws of the other pair, the inner sides of the jaws of one pair closely abutting the inner sides of the jaws of the other pair, the ends of all of said jaws at their confronting sides being provided with concave and arcuate recesses which are bevelled from the confronting sides of the two pairs of jaws outwardly, the portions of smallest diameter of said recesses constituting a relatively narrow working surface, the working surfaces of al1 of the jaws operating in substantially the same plane, the configuration of said recesses being such that slightly more than one-fourth and not more than one-third of the concave recesses of each of the jaws is on the radius of the finished crimp.

ALEXANDER DJIDICS.

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