US2064993A - Expanding and guiding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1936-. p, A SPERRY l l l 2,064,993

EXPANDING AND GUIDING APPARATUS Filed Oct, 18, 1934 fav/IA IN/V EN TOR.

lawns,

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an apparatus for handling Webs of material particularly in cloth finishing processes, and has for one of its objects the provision of an apparatus whereby a single unit may be made to both stretch and guide a web of material passing therethrough.

Another object of the invention is the provision of automatic means for moving expanding bars whereby these bars may be used for guiding a web of material passing through them.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for moving both ends of a set of a plurality of bars in order to minimize the amount of movement necessary to accomplish a guiding action by manipulation of the bars.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a web guider which will turn out doubled-in edges of the web.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is an elevation showing a face View of my apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with theA cloth omitted;

Fig. 3 is a` horizontal sectional view through one of the bars;

..0` Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the cylinder and piston for operating one of the supporting posts to which the bars are connected;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View through the control valve;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the control.

valve at right angles to the showing of Figure 5 and illustrating the feeler member as contacting therewith for movement thereof.

In the handling of webs of material such as are frequent in cloth finishing processes, an expander consisting of several bentor curved bars is used for stretching the cloth widthwise and taking out any folds from the edges thereof while a guider comprising a separate unit is used for directing the cloth into certain machinery for processing. My apparatus combines the function of an expander and a guider in a single unit by manipulating the curved bars of the expander so that they serve to guide the cloth in the direction of travel which it is desired the same shall take; and I arrange to manipulate these expander bars in response to a feeler member so positioned as to be engaged and moved by the edge of the traveling web when in engagement with the f eeler and exerting a certain amount of friction thereon whereby to operate a controlling mechanism for accomplishing this manipulation; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means 5 by which these advantageous results may beaccomplished:

With reference to the drawing, I0 designates the base or standards l l which extend vertically upwardly and are secured together by a suitable 10 I beam l2. Together these standards and their connecting braces serve as supports for the manipulating mechanism which I use. A post I4 is vertically slidably mounted in guides l5 and I6 upon one standard l I, while a similar 15' post l? is slidably mounted in guides IB and I9V on the other standard H. A series of expander bars 2G, 2l and 22 are mounted upon and extend between the posts le and Il, each being pivoted as at 23 to the post Hl and resting upon a suit- 26: able projection such as a pin 24 extending through the post Il, which pin may be provided with a roller or other anti-friction means if desired, so that as one post moves to a different elevation than the other, each of the bars will swing about its pivot 23 and slide longitudinally of itself along or with reference to the pin 24.

The expander bars are curved downwardly in a Vertical plane in a known manner, as illustrated in the drawing, so that portions at either side of the center extend substantially at an angle to each other from the center, and as a web of material tends to run at right angles to the longitudinal axis of a bar or roll with which it contacts, the opposite edges of the material 35'. tend to move apart to expand it to such an extent that should any folds or creases occur these will be stretched out of the material while passing between these bars. I have here shown three bars so that the cloth passes over two and under 401 one, but the exact number of bars is immaterial so long as the cloth is caused to frictionally contact therewith sufficiently to cause the expanding action.

Each of these bars is provided with a rubber 45- Sleeve 25 which has a plurality of graphite bushings 26 driven therein to contact with the bar, there being about a sixteenth of an inch clearance between the bushing and the bar so` that an easy rolling contact is provided as the 50: cloth turns the sleeve which rotates on the bar.

Each end of the bar is provided with a mounti ing member 27 which is bifurcated as at 28 to extend along opposite sides of the post l@ where it is pivoted by a pin 23 passing through the 55` vtrolled by Valve 58.

opposite ears and the post. The opposite end member 29 is similarly constructed and extends along the sides of the bar l1, but at this end it rests upon a projection or pin 24 provided with opposite heads 30 and which pins may or may not turn in the bar I1 or be provided with antifriction means.

The web of material 3| is passed over the bars 29 and 22 and beneath the bar 2l and as the centers of, these bars are all in alignment or in` the same-plane, this weaving of the web through the bars will cause it to firmly contact all of these bars as it is drawn over them. The web,4

may extend about a guide roll 32 suitably mounted on shaft 33 supported in bearings 34 mounted upon the standard Il, and from this point extends to the machine where it is to be` processed or to a packaging apparatus towhi;ch

it is to be delivered.

In order that the expander may also serve asY a guider, I have arranged to move the'guide bars; 20,, 2l `and 22 which are curved downwardly ina vertical plane so as to perform this guiding actionand for this purpose I have illustrated compressed air actuated cylinders 35 and 36 which areV of identical construction, although electric or other means may be used;- In Figure 4, Ihave shown one of these cylinders includingga'cylindricaflshell 31 with a piston 38 and piston rod 39 therein, which piston rod through a suitable bracket 49 is connected to the movable post I4v so ythat as-the piston 38 is raised to movethe rod 39 Vthe post I4 will also be raised in response thereto. The bottom 4I of this cylinder isprovided with a threaded opening 4i. to which the pressure pipe leads. The actuating cylinder `36'is of 'duplicate construction and is similarly connected to the postv l1.

A controlvalve designated generally 44, see Figures 5 and 6, consists of a casing 45 having threfnolts 46, 41 and 49;l Arplunger 49 is equipped with heads 59 and 5I which may obstructcertain of the ports while the space betweenA the heads may serve to direct the flow of'airfrom the middle port to another port, as desired;r This slide is weighted as at 52 so as to fall by, gravity-when no pressure is exerted thereon bythe airand is unsupported by a feeler 53;-whch is pivoted at 54 and bifurcated at 55 .to receive the marginal edge of the work or web sure through the hose. 5lto the middle port 41' of the control valve. A connecting hose 65 connects the port 46 with the tube 59 on the opposite. side. of the obstruction 62 so that pressure may be conveyedffrom the port 46 through the hose 65"through tube 59 and'then through hose 66fto the opening 42 at the bottom of the cylinder 35.' 'Ihe port 48 is connected by hose`i1 directly tothe opening 42'in the bottom of cylinder 36. y

The operation of the mechanism is as follows:

When a web of cloth is running in its desired path of travel, there will be just sufficient friction or contact on the feeler 53 to balance the weight of the plunger 49, and the air pressure which is delivered to port 41 will exert a balanced eiect on the plunger by there being equal areas on the heads 50 and 5l with which it contacts. Consequently, any pressure of air will not tend to move the plunger 49. Assuming that this cloth should tend to travel to the right, as viewed in Figure 1, it would then exert a greater pressure on the feeler finger 53 and, drag it downwardly, it being understood thatv the cloth is traveling down, as shown in Figure 1.V rIhis will swing the feeler 53 about its pivot 54 and force the plunger 49 upwardly, thereby uncovering the port'48iandpermitting the ports 41 and 46 to be connected through the space 68 between the heads 50 and 5i. Thus, the. compressed air will enter, port 41 andlbe forced out through port 46 and through conduit 65, tube 59, and hose 66 so asv tol raise the piston in cylinder 35, while at thesame-time any air which might be trapped between the piston and cylinder 36 would be permitted to escape throughl hose 61, through ,port

48 and out through the vent 19 in the valve casn ing so that this Apiston will be lowered in the cylinder-36, while the piston in the opposite cylinder will be raised. This willcause the' desired tilting of the bars tof cause the cloth tot move towards the left or nearer to its desired straight line of travel, and as this occurs, the feelerA the slide so that the ports 41 and 48 would'be connected and the port 46 would be uncovered, in which Vcase the air pressure coming through port 41 will be directed through port 49and through the hose 61`-to the bottom oi the cylinder 35 beneath its piston and cause'thatjpiston to raise, while the the same time permitting exhaustof the cylinder 35 through the hose connection 66, tube 59, hose connection 65 throughr the port 46 and out through theY vent openings 1I in the top of the valve casing, thusthere would be a raising of the post l1 and a lowering of the post I4 until the cloth again engages the feeler finger with sufcient friction to drag it downwardly and push up theplunger 49, and this action would occur back and forth until an equilibrium were established and the cloth restored to traveling in its desired direction centrally of the guide and expanding bars above described.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting toy all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention beingdefined and limited only by the terms of the appended claim.

Iclaim: ,Y In an'apparatus for handling Webs of material, a plurality of bars for contactingthe web of material for expanding the same, and means for moving all of Vsaid bars forguiding the direc; tion of travel of said web ofjmaterial, saidv means comprising at one end a movable supporting post to which all of said bars are pivoted, and a movable supporting post at the other end provided with projections on whichthe other ends of Said bars rest Yfor sliding movement thereon.

PAUL A. SPERRY.

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