US2543525A - Conductor guide in insulating machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 27, 1951 I w. c. EWALDSON 2,543,525

CONDUCTOR GUIDE IN INSULATING MACHINE Filed April 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

' lNl/EN 7'09 k W.C.WALD50!V BY i: T TO ENE) Feb. 27, 1951 w. c. EWALDSON CONDUCTOR GUIDE IN INSULATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 1947 INVEN TOR w. c.m41.0so-

A T TORNEY Feb. 27, 1951 w. c. EWALDSON 2,543,525

CONDUCTOR GUIDE IN INSULATING mum's Filed April 16, 1947 ii Sheets-Sheet 3 29 & 30 1/ I INVENTOR 5% W. a. EWALDSON A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 2?, 1951 CONDUCTOR GUIDE IN INSULATING MACHINE Waldemar C. Ewaldson, Millington, N. J assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 16, 1947, Serial No. 741,921

3 Claims.

This invention relates to conductor guides in insulating machines, and more particularly to guides for a plurality of electrical conductors in a pulp insulating machine.

Pulp insulating machines have been employed to insulate large groups of wires simultaneously as they are advanced longitudinally with a Fourdrinier wire to which pulpous material is continuously applied. The uniform formation of the insulating coverings on the electrical conductors depends greatly upon the accurate guiding of the conductors with respect to the plane in which the portion of the Fourdrinier wire, to which the pulp is applied, travels. The location of the plane, through which the conductors travel, with respect to the plane of the Fourdrinier wire receiving the supply pulpous material may vary depending upon the gages of the conductors in each group which are to be insulated in the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a conductor guide in a pulp machine which is readily variable, with respect to a Fourdrinier wire to which pulp material is applied to cover the electrical conductor, with variations in the gage of the conductor.

With this and other objects in view, the invention broadly comprises a conductor guide in a pulp insulating machine having a Fourdrinier wire to whic pulpous material is applied, the conductor guide including a sheave to receive an electrical conductor during its advancement longitudinally relative to the wire, a bracket to rotatably support the sheave above the wire and means to vary the position of the sheave relative to the wire to vary the position of the conductor in the pulpous material to be formed on the conductor.

More specifically, the invention includes a mechanism for guiding electrical conductors in a selected plane, in a pulp insulating machine having a driven continuous Fourdrinier wire extending around supporting rollers, as the conductors are advanced longitudinally with the upper portion of the wire between the supporting rollers and within a quantity of pulpous material continuously supplied to the said upper portion of the wire. The guiding mechanism comprises a plurality of like sheaves rotatably supported by like brackets mounted freely on a rotatable shaft having end portions with axes coincident with each other and eccentric with the central bracket supporting portion of the shaft. Spring pressed lungers are provided for the brackets to individually hold them in either operative or inoperative positions, they being effective to hold their respective brackets against rotation with the shaft when the shaft is rocked from one position to another by the aid of a hand crank to vary the positions of the sheaves simultaneously relative to the wire for variations in the sizes of electrical conductors to be guided through the machine. The hand crank performs two additional functions, (1) serving as a pointer relative to a dial having indications representing the location of the crank or pointer for the diiferent gages of electrical conductors and (2) embodying a spring pressed plunger, the leading end of which is receivable in any of a plurality of apertures in the dial adjacent the indications thereon to lock the crank at any one of these positions.

The shaft supporting the brackets with their sheaves, as well as the hand crank and the dial is in the form of a carriage movable longitudinally of the wire to vary the positions of the sheaves with respect to the inlets of channels to which the supply of pulpous material is fed for the individual electrical conductors. The carriage is positioned to ride upon spaced parallel tracks provided with teeth, in the form of a rack in each of their upper surfaces, to be engaged by pinion like ends of an adjusting rod, mounted for rotation in the carriage and by the aid of which the carriage may be adjusted longitudinally of Fourdrinier wire on its tracks and locked in adjusted position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when consirlered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a pulp insulating machine, embodying the invention, portions thereof being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the control mechanism indicated generally at I0 is made a part of a pulp insulating machine which includes a Fourdrinier wire ll, of the endless type, mounted on supporting rollers l2 and I4, one or both of which are driven to cause the upper portion of the wire between the supporting rollers to travel in the direction of the arrow. Tensioning means indicated generally at 15 to create a selected variable tension in the wire is the subject matter of the applicants copending application Serial No. 741,920, filed April 16, 1947, now Patent No. 2,475,426. Pulpous material I6 is fed continuously to the wire H from a supply tank II provided for electrical conductors 2| and individual supplies of the pulpous material l5 as they are advanced longitudinally with the upper portion of the wire II. The conductors 2| are received from individual supplies (not shown) and directed to the unit H! by individual guide rollers 22.

The unit In comprises a plurality of sheaves 25 to receive their respective conductors 2| and guide them in a given plane with respect to the upper portion of the wire The sheaves are identical in structure, they being provided with central apertures 26 (Fig. 5) to receive hubs 21 carrying bearings 28 for rotation on hollow spindles 29. The spindle 29, in each sheave unit, is carried by one leg 30 of a bracket 3|, the opposing leg 32 carrying a threaded element 33 which extends into the internally threaded portion of the hol.ow spindle 29 assisted by a set screw 34 to complete the spindle structure and to secure the sheave 25 in place. Each sheave is free to rotate on its spindle during the longitudinal advancement of its respective conductor. In the present embodiment there are thirty-two sheaves and supporting brackets identical in structure, as well as a like number of channels l9 positioned longitudinally of the upper portion of the'Fourdrinier wire Each bracket 3| is provided with a central aperture 36 to receive a central portion 31 of a control shaft indicated generally at 39. A portion 39 of each bracket which surrounds the central portion 31 of the shaft 38 is of a given width whereby the sides thereof will abut the adjacent sides of the similar portions of the adjacent brackets to maintain the brackets properly positioned on the shaft leaving the shaft free to rotate in the aligned apertures 36 of the brackets. The upper portion 40 of each bracket is arcuate in general contour with outwardly projecting portions 4| and 42 serving as safety stops when any of the brackets are moved between their operative and loading positions. The projection 42 being larger than the projection 4| serves as a handle for its respective bracket to move the bracket from the operating position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3 to the loading position shown in broken lines in this figure. The bracket is moved into the loading position when a new wire is to be fed through the machine.

A spring pressed p.unger 45 is provided for each bracket, these plungers being housed in a hollow lateral member 46 of a main carriage 41 of the unit ID. A helical spring 49 for each plunger 45 normally urges it downwardly to be received in either recesses 50 or 5| in the arcuate portion 40 of its respective bracket to lock the bracket either in its operating or loading position. A knurled handle 52 mounted on the upper end of each plunger enables the operator to remove the p un;er from either recess 50 or 5| for movement of the bracket.

The shaft 38 has end portions 55 and 56 whose axes are aligned with each other and eccentric with respect to the axis of the central portion 31. The portions 55 and 56 of the shaft 38 are journalled in aligned bearings 51 and 58 of the carriage 41, a hand crank 59 being fixedly mounted on the outer end of the portion 56. The crank 59 carries a pointer 6| movable relative to a dial 62 which has indications 53 thereon representing the different gages of conductors which may be pulled through the machine and the location of the end of the crank for these various gages of conductors. A handle portion 55 for the crank 59 is connected to a spring pressed plunger 66 positioned to be received in any one of a plurality of recesses 61 disposed adjacent the indications 63 to lock the hand crank in any se.ected one of the positions. Movement of the handle 65 outwardly will remove the plunger 66 from its present recess and free the crank for movement to any one of the other positions.

The carriage 41 which supports all of the brackets 3|, together with the shaft 38, the crank 59 and the dial 62 is supported for movement on parallel rails 10, the ends of which are mounted on uprights 1| of the main frame of the machine. The upper surface of each track 10 is provided with teeth 13 in the form of a rack. An actuating element in the form of a rod 14 having pinion-like teeth 15 in each end thereof to interengage the teeth 13 of the tracks, may be rotated by the aid of a central gripping portion 11 to move the carriage toward or away from the entrance ends of the channels IS. The actuating element 14 may be locked in place by a threaded element 19 actuable by the aid of a handle and receivable in a threaded aperture 8| of the carriage 41.

When the pulp machine is being conditioned for operation and the selected set of thirty-two conductors 2| are being threaded through the machine, the sheaves 25 are in their loading position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, where they are held by their plungers 45. After the conductors 2| have been threaded through the machine, the sheaves are moved singly into engagement with their respective conductors and locked in their operating positions by the plungers 45 entering their recesses 50. The gage of the conductors now in the machine being known, the required adjustments are made therefor. If the machine had previously been set for 26 gage eonductors and it was now receiving 22 gage conductors, the handle 65 is moved outwardly to withdraw the punger 66 from the recess 61 adjacent the indication 63 for the 26 gage position on the dial, after which the crank is moved until the pointer 6| registers with the 22 gage position and the plunger enters the adjacent recess 61. The mach'ne may now be set in operation, advancing the conductors in a given plane relative to and parallel with the plane of the upper portion of the wire while the pulpous material is fed to the wire.

The position of the conductors in a given plane relative to the Fourdrinier wire is important in causing the formation of ribbons of the pulpous material centra 1y on the conductor. When the sheaves are in their correct positions for larger conductors to be positioned centrally in their ribbons of material, the sheaves would not guide smaller conductors centrally of smilar ribbons of material. The smaller conductors would be guided in a plane too great a distance from the Fourdrinier wire resu.ting in the formation of ribbons which may or may not surround the smaller conductors, and if they did surround the conductors, the conductors would not be centrally positioned in the ribbons. Through the aid of this mechansm the sheaves may be accurately adjusted to simultaneously change the positions of the sheaves to cause them to guide the conductors, of any of the gages, in a selected variable plane relative to the plane of the wire and centrally of the ribbons formed of the pulpous material in each channel after most of the water has been removed from the material.

With certain gages of conductors, it is important for them to enter the pulpous material sooner and remain therein longer than is required for other gages of conductors in the forming of the ribbons of the material on the conductors. This is accomplished by movement of the unit on its tracks 10 to move the sheaves 25 toward or away from the entrance ends of the channels [9 formed by the deckles 20. To move the carriage or unit the actuating element '14 is released by rotating the locking element 19 after which the actuating element is rotated, causing its pinion-like ends to travel along the rack-like tracks 10 until the sheaves are in the desired positions. The actuating element is again locked in place.

Although specific improvements of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanism for guiding electrical conductors in a selected plane, in a pulp insulating machine having a continuous Fourdrinier wire driven on spaced supporting rollers, as the conductors are advanced longitudinally and substantially parallel with the plane of the upper portion of the wire between the supporting rollers and within a quantity of pulp continuously supplied to the said upper portionof the wire, the guiding mechanism comprising sheaves for the conductors, like brackets for rotatably supporting the sheaves having aligned apertures therein and spaced recesses positioned radially of the apertures, a shaft, with a central portion extending through the said apertures to thereby support the brackets, having aligned end portions eccentric with the central portion, aligned bearings to support the end portions of the shaft, a retaining plunger supported at a fixed position adjacent each bracket and normally urged to enter one of the recesses thereof to hold the bracket in its operating position with its sheave adjacent the wire, and also normally urged to enter the other recess to hold its bracket and sheave in a loading position away from the wire, and a crank mounted on one of the end portions of the shaft to rock the shaft into any selected one of a plurality of positions to cause the eccentric central portion of the shaft to vary the positions of the sheaves simultaneously relative to the wire.

2. A mechanism for guiding electrical conductors in a selected plane, in a pulp. insulating machine having a continuous Fourdrinier wire driven on spaced supporting rollers, as the conductors are advanced longitudinalhr and substantially parallel with the plane of the upper portion of the wire between the supporting rollers and within a quantity of pulp continuously supplied to the said upper portion of the wire, the

shaft into any selected one of a plurality of positions to cause the eccentric central portion of the shaft to vary the positions of the sheaves simultaneously relative to the wire, and a support for the carriage whereby the carriage may be moved relative to the upper portion of the wire in a plane parallel therewith to vary the positions of the sheaves with respect to the wire.

3. A mechanism for guiding electrical conductors in a selected plane, in a pulp insulating machine having a continuous Fourdrinier wire driven on spaced supporting rollers, as the conductors are advanced longitudinally and substantially parallel with the plane of the upper portion of the wire between the supporting rollers and within a quantity of pulp continuously supplied to the said upper portion of the wire, the guiding mechanism comprising sheaves for the conductors, like brackets for rotatably supporting the sheaves having aligned apertures therein, a shaft, with a central portion extending through the said apertures to thereby support the brackets, having aligned end portions eccentric with the central portion, a carriage having aligned bearings to support the end portions of the shaft, means supported by the carriage to hold the brackets against rotation, a crank mounted on one of the end portions of the shaft to rock the shaft into any selected one of a plurality of positions to cause the eccentric central portion of the shaft to vary the positions of the sheaves simul-- taneously relative to the wire, a support for the carriage whereby the carriage may be moved relative to the upper portion of the wire in a plane parallel therewith to vary the positions of the sheaves with respect to the wire, and means to move the carriage on the support.

WALDEMAR C. EWALDSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 717,924 Reid Jan. 6, 1903 1,065,090 Werth June 17, 1913 1,115,671 Hermann Nov. 3, 1914 1,275,826 Alpine Aug. 13, 1918 1,436,240 Darby Nov. 21, 1922 1,452,098 Short Apr. 17, 1923 1,535,568 Bornschein Apr. 28, 1925 1,577,897 Danninger Mar. 23, 1926 1,627,739 Hosford May 10, 1927 1,632,398 Franks June 14, 1929 1,765,515 Whitfield June 24, 1930 1,765,533 Jesperson June 24, 1930 1,765,571 Edson et al June 24, 1930 1,827,203 Little Oct. 13, 1931 1,870,267 Stone et a1 Aug. 9, 1932 1,913,269 Edge June 6, 1933 2,046,270 Lane et a1 June 30, 1936 2,092,958 Cutler Sept. 14, 1937 2,249,959 Johannessen July 22, 1941 2,338,795 Berquist Jan. 11, 1944 2,360,773 Helin Oct. 17. 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 351,120 Germany Apr. 1, 1922 OTHER REFERENCES

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