US3044244A - Lay plate for electric cable - Google Patents

Description

July 17, 1962 T. MERRITT LAY PLATE FOR ELECTRIC CABLE Filed Oct. 4, 1960 r 0 t n e U n I TJJRRITT Attorney ilnited states This invention relates to improvements in or relating to methods of manufacture of electric cable and more particularly to submarine telephone cable.

In the manufacture of telephone cable of the multiconductor variety, the lead sheathed cable is subjected to a process in which a number of strands of, for example, jute are laid helically side by side around the cable for the Whole of its length. These strands provide a bedding for and over which a hessian tape is lapped helically prior to armouring the cable with a number of strands of galvanized wire, the latter mentioned strands being laid helically side by side in a similar fashion to the aforementioned jute strands.

The roves of juteare carried on a series of pegs which are equispaced on a rotating annular plate which constitutes a carriage and through the center of which the cable passes in its passage between a supply drum and a take-up drum from and onto which respectively, the cable is unreeled and re-reeled. The helix angle of the strands of jute is determined by the speed at which the carriage rotates with respect to the throughput rate of the cable between reels.

In many armouring machines, the ends of the strands of jute are taken directly from their respective roves onto the cable and thereafter allowed to seat onto the cable during the laying process without guidance. However, in order that the required side by side closeness of lay of the strands may be consistently maintained, a means is provided by which the strands of jute are maintained in equispaced close relationship one to another around the cable. This means is commonly termed a lay-plate and derives its name from its action in assisting to maintain the lay of the strands with respect to one and another around the cable. A common type of lay-plate consists of an annular plate having a center hole through which the cable passes, andf a series of relatively small equipspaced holes disposed concentrically around the central hole through each of the small holes a strand of jute passes in its passage from its respective rove on the carriage to the cable on which it is being layed. The lay-plate is either carried by and driven in synchronism with the carriage, or driven in synchronism with the carriage by separate driving means.

It will be readily understood that in manufacturing a large variety of multi-conductor cables, the holdings of such lay-plates is considerable and represents a high capital outlay since the number of strands required for one particular cable may difier widely from the number required for a different cable.

In many cases a lay-plate having a large number of holes may be suitable for one particular cable and for a range of cables requiring numbers of strands which are sub-multiples of holes in the plate. However there are many occasions where it is required to either add or remove a strand after initial setting up to satisfy the requirements laid down for closeness of lay of the strands. In such cases it is not always possible to use, what may be considered more or less as a universal plate because the spacing between at least two strands will be unequal to the spacing between one and another of the other strands. Any attempt to lay the strands on the cables under the last mentioned conditions generally results in an uneven lay with possible gaps between some of the strands.

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the T atent r 3,044,244 Patented July 17, 1962 holdings of lay-plates by providing one which is readily and easily adaptable to cater to a given number of strands over a relatively large range of numbers.

According to one aspect of the present invention therefore there is provided a lay-plate assembly comprising inner and outer rotatable members and a plurality of strand carriers, said strand carriers being adjustably.

the lay-plate assembly shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an inner rotatable member 1 is constituted by an annular metal plate which has four holes 2 therethrough and which are equispaced one with respect to another. These holes are utilized to bolt the rotatable member 1 concentrically and directly onto a jute rove carriage or to a separate driving means so that it will rotate in synchronism and concentrically with the carriage. An outer rotatable member 3 is also constituted by an annular metal plate which has a chamfer 3 cut at 45 to the outer periphery. The thickness of the rotatable members are substantially the same and the outer and inner diameters of the inner and outer rotatable members respectively are such that when the former is, at a later time, assembled to the latter an annular space exists between them. A strand carrier 5 comprises a forked portion 6 and a guide lug 7 extending from one side thereof, the guide lug 7 having a tapped hole 8 extending thereinto. A number of such strand carriers are utilized in the lay-plate assembly and each has a strand guide 9 rigidly fitted thereto by Way of the forked portion 6 as shown in 'FIGS. 2 and 3. The strand guides 9 may be made of metal or a ceramic material (which is easily replaceable in the event of breakage or wear) and which are cylindrical in form having a tubular body and concentric circular end checks, and with a longitudinal slot 10 extending from the outer peripheries of the body and end checks into the central hole 11 therethrough of a width suitable to cater to a range of strands, and by which means the strand is located in the hole. For the purpose of this invention a strand may be defined as a textile thread or metal wire made up of a single filament or a number of filaments. If, for example, it is desired to lay twenty-four jute strands helically around a cable side-by-side, twenty-four strand carriers, each with a strand guide rigidly fitted thereto, are assembled to the inner and outer rotatable members 1 and 3 respectively. Three such carriers are shown assembled to the rotatable members 1 and 3 in FIG. 2. For the sake of simplicity the other twenty-one have been omitted. The outer rotatable member 3 is disposed concentrically around the inner rotatable member 1 and the requisite number of strand carriers are assembled so that their extending guide lugs 7 are disposed within the annular space 12 between the rotatable members in equispaced relationship. The method of assembly is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The strand carriers 5 and inner and outer rotatable members 1 and 3 are held in rigid relationship to each other by a cap headed screw 13 which extends through washers 14 in to the tapped holes in the guide lugs 7 in each of the strand carriers 5 incorporated in the assembly. The length-s ot the lugs are a little less than the widths of the inner and outer rotatable members and thus when the screws 13 are tightened the rotatable members are lightly gripped on their sides by the adjacent side faces of the strand carriers on one side and the adjacent side faces of the washers 14 on the other side. The thicknesses of the guide lug 7 disposed withinthe annular spaces between rotatable members 1 and 3 are such that the outer rotatable member is held in concentric relationship to the inner rotatable member. In order to facilitate the spacing and assembly of diiferent numbers of strand carriers, reference markings, such as 15, may be engraved or otherwise marked on the outer periphery of the outer rotatable member, or on one side of the inner rotatable member and'suitably coded by numeralsor. letters to indicate the positions'of'the strand carriers 5 for a particular number of carriers. 7

In setting up the armouring machine for operation, the ends of the strands, from the rove of jute are taken into the holes of the strand guides 9 of their respective carriers 5 by way of the slots 10,'after which they are affixed to the cable in aiconvenient manner before the laying operation commences.

The lay-plate described herein may well be utilized with materials other than jute, for example, it may be used 1. A lay-plate assembly comprising inner and outerrotatable members having an annular space therebetween 4 and a plurality of strand carriers, said strand carriers being adjustably positioned around said rotatable members in said annular space and being adapted to maintain said rotatable members in fixed concentric relationship one to another. V

2. A lay-plate assembly comprising an annular inner rotatable member, an annular outer rotatable member and a plurality of strand carriers each of which has a guide lug extending from one side thereof, a strand guide supportedby each strand carrier, the said inner rotatable member being maintained in fixed and concentric relationship with said outer rotatable member by said strand carriers disposed on one side of said rotatable members and by fixing means extending from the other side into the guide lugs which are disposed within an annular space between said rotatable members.

3. A lay-plate as claimed in claim 2 in which each rand carrier comprises a forked portion and a strand guide supported in said forked portion.

4. A lay-plate assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which said strand guides each comprise a tubular body and concentric circular end checks having an axial hole through said tubular body and a radial slot extending into said axial hole along its length from exterior peripheral surfaces of said end checks, said tubular body and said end checks being adapted to engage said forked portion.

5. A 1ay-plate assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which said strand guides are of a ceramic material.

1,042,684 Germany Nov. 6, 1958 Brainard Feb. 2-8, 1888

Images