US2838165A - Device for holding coils of strip metal - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1958 A. F. GROLL 2,838,165

DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS OF STRIP METAL" Filed June 21, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AL l //V G/POLL ATTORNEYS June 10, 1958 A. F. GROLL 2,838,165

DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS 0F STRIP METAL Filed June 21, 1956 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

6L W/V F GROLL z WM ATTORNEYS June 10, 1958 Filed June 21. 1956 v A. F. iou. DEVICE FOR aoLnIzgdcolLs OF STRIP METAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 35 A "J G; l: 36

39 25 9 [26 j f 30L INVENTOR. 4/. V//\/ F GROLL ATTORNEYS United St21tS Pata t 2,838,165 DEVICE FOR HOLDING COILS F STRIP METAL Alvin Frank Groll, Napoleon, Ohio Application June 21, 1956, Serial No. 592,974

8 Claims. (Cl. 198-221) Strip metal usually steel from which shapes are to be cut by power presses is supplied in coils the outside di- I taken for replacing coils that have become exhausted be kept at a minimum. A fresh coil should be in place,

aligned and ready to roll into such position that the fresh "strip can'be threaded through the processing mechanism closely after thetail'of the strip that is being used up.

"The device of thisinvent-ion has utility for holding coils in readiness to be shifted into the mechanism of presses of various types, e. g. hydraulic presses, screw presses and toggle presses, but it has its highest utility when employed with high production presses such as power upresses in which'slides are actuated by cranksl it is an object of this invention to providemeans for holding coils of strip metal inposition to be promptly 6 introduced into press mechanism.

.it isfa further object of the invention to provide imfcproved means for properly aligning and guiding such coils to prevent them from going into the press mechanism askew. T

' "Still a further object of the invention is to provide a strip metal coil holder-having aligning and guiding means i which are easily and simply adjustable to accommodate coils of strip stock of varying widths.

And itis a further object of the invention to provide a coil holder having easily adjustable aligning and guid- "ing means and cooperating devices to initiate rolling movement of the heavy coils and thus cause them to travel along the guides and thence into the press mechanism.

Other objects and many advantages of the invention will appear upon perusal of the following description illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

'Fig. I is a view in perspective of a holder for coils of strip steel embodying this invention;

' Fig. 11 is a vertical transverse section taken as indicated by the line lL-JI of Fig. III;

Fig. 111 isa vertical longitudinal section taken as indicated by the line Ill-III of Fig. 11;

Fig. 1V is a side elevational view of a coil aligning and guiding structure which is a feature of the invention; and i is a similar view of a modified form of aligning and guiding structure.

. These drawings and the descripton that follows illus- V trate and describe a preferred form of the invention but theyare not intended to limit its scope.

The holder for strip steel coils of this invention comprises a fiat table (which may be level or slightly in- 2,838,165 Patented June 10, 1958 ice 7 clined) the table having parallel slots through which inclined pushers emerge and swing forwardly to engage coils of strip steel and set such coils into movement. The pushers are actuated by fluid pressure which an operator can apply at will. Horizontal guide rails extend above the table and are adjustable toward or away from each other to accommodate coils of strip stock of various .widths. The guide rails remain parallel in all adjustments, being mounted on arms which are pivoted at the sides of the table and being counterbalanced for easy manipulation.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the frame 1 of the machine is in the form of a rectangular box, the sides 2 of which have outwardly extending upper flanges 3 and lower flanges 4 along their edges surmounting the sides 2 and secured, preferably, by welding, to the upper outwardly extending flanges 3 is a table 5 reinforced by depending ribs 6, 7, 8 and 9, there being parallel slots 10, 11 and 12 extending longitudinally through the mid portion of the table.

Underlying the sides 2 and secured to the lower flanges 4 are transversely extending base bars 13 and 14 and fixed to the base bars 13 and 14 and alsoto the flanges 4 and 3 of the sides 2 are upright brackets 15, 16, 17 and Thebrackets 15, 16, 17 and 18 are provided with circular openings to receive the ends of stub shafts one of and 23. T he'collars closely surround the shafts on which they are mounted.

, Fixed to the upper ends of thearms and 26 are aligning and guide rail sections 31 and 32 and similar aligning and guide rail sections 33 and 34 are fixed to the upper ends of the arms 27 and 28. The guide rails preferably are tubular and their ends preferably are closed by plugs such as those indicated by the numerals 35 and 36, the plugs 36 being frusto-conical in shape to avoid damage to strip stock which might occur if the edge of. the strip stock should strike a sharp corner at the end of a rail section. The weights of the arms and the aligning and guide rails are counterbalanced by solid cylindrical counterweights 37 and .38, so that the center of mass of each structure consisting of a pair of arms,

guiding rail sections and a cylindrical counterweight and ous positions toembrace, align and guide coils of strip 1 steel of various widths.

To achieve great strength and rigidity, struts 39, 40, 41 and are interposed between the inner ends of the rail sections 31 and 32 and 33 and 34 and the solid cylindrical counterweights 37 and 38, ribs 43 are secured to the rail sections 31 and 32 and gussets 44 are placed in the corners where the arms 25 and 26 meet the rail sections 31 and 32. With a rail section, an arm, astrut, a rib and a gusset welded together and the arm and the strut welded to the solid cylindrical counterweight the structure is stronger and more rigid than the structure illustrated in Fig. V having a rail which is continuous but unbraced at its center. By dividing the rail, stronger ,welds can be made, simpler and less expensive fixtures may be used to clamp the parts in position to be welded together and s't'iains 'r'esiilting frorh' f ordible alignment of joints are slots such as designated by the numeral 45 and formed ona'rn'is and 26, 2;7and 2 are'sectors such "asdesignated by thehumeral' 46 from {which studssuch as are 'de'signatedby the numeral '47 project in the arcuat e slots. Cljainpin'g'nuts such as are designated by the numeral 48 are threadedonto the studs and served to lock the arms in adjusted position. Thus whenever the operator desires to move the'a'ligning and guiderail sections closer together or further apart, he simply loosens the clamping nutsandswings the rail sections to their new positions table 5 by means of'a shop crane or rolled upon the table from a truck it is important that the movement of the coil onto the table be not impeded by projections and it is also important that the coil be prevented from rolling too far along the table. For this reason the pushers for initiating the rolling movement of coils when they are to be shifted from the coil holder of this invention to the processing mechanism, are designed to be capable of withdrawal through the slots 10, 11 and 12 and chocks are so designed as to emerge from the slots when the pushers are withdrawn. The pushers 50, 51 and 52 are formed integrally with the chocks 53, and with a sleeve 56 which is rotatably mounted upon a spindle 57 which is supported by the ribs 6 and 7 thatdepend from the table 5. Thus the pushers and chocks can pivot as a unit about the axis of the spindle 57.

' Integral with the sleeve 56 and extending downwardly therefrom is a crank arm 58 which is connected by means of a crank pin 59 and a yoke 60 to a plunger rod 61 that extends into a cylinder 70. The cylinder 70 is hingedly connected to an end plate 71 of the box-like frame 1. The hinge connection 72 between the cylinder 70 and the end plate 71 permits the plunger rod 61 to move endwise without binding notwithstanding the arcuate path of the crank pin 59.

When fluid such as air or oil is admitted under pressure to the cylinder 70 and acts upon a plunger 73 to force the plunger rod 61 outwardly the pushers 50 are swung counterclockwise (as seen in Fig. III) to initiate rolling movement of the coil into the processing mechanism of the punch press. Conversely when the plunger rod 61 is drawn inwardly the pushers 50 are withdrawn into the slots 10, 11 and 12 and the chocks 53, 54 and 55 emerge from the slots to prevent a coil from rolling prematurely into the processing mechanism. If the plunger rod 61 be only partially drawn into the cylinder, the pushers 50 and the chocks 53 will all project sufliciently above the table to prevent the coil from rolling too far in either direction.

When the punch press operator is ready to replace an exhausted coil, he has only to admit fluid to the cylinder 70 whereupon the chocks 53 will move out of the way and the pushers '50 will start the coil to rolling along the table between the aligning and guiding rails that have been adjusted to prevent the coil from going askew. The operator then can immediately thread the new strip into the processing mechanism and while that strip is being unwound another coil can be loaded onto the coil holder.

The coil holder above described has a capacity of one coilbut by merely lengthening the table and extending or duplicating some elements of the mechanism I "be sufficiently rigid and strong the rails 31a may be continuous and struts may be'omitted.

It is to be understood that the device described in the A foregoing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is exemplary only and that it is subject to modification and change within-the spirit-andscope of the subjoined claims. e I claim:

- 1. A device for holding coils of strip metal compris ing, in combination, a table having openings in its upper surface, chocks pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from positions in Which they project upwardly through certain parts of said openings to positions in which'theyare non-projecting, pushers pivotaziy mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from non-projecting positions to positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings to engage and impart rolling movements to coils of rip metal supported on said table, said chocks and pushers being rigidly fixed together, fluid pressure means for swinging said chocks and pushers into and out of nonprojecting positions, parallel cylindrical tubular rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means comprising studs fixedly connected to said arms and positionable along arcuate slots in said brackets for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

2. A device for-holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table having openings in its upper surface, pushers pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from non-projecting positions to positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings to engage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metal supported on said table, fluid pressure means for swinging said pushers into and out of non-projecting positions, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various Widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment. of said arms and means comprising studs fixedly connected to said arms and positionable along arcuate slots in said brackets for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

3. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table, parallel cylindrical tubular rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means comprising studs fixedly connected to said arms and positionable along arcuate slots in said brackets-for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

4. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table having openings in its upper surface, chocks pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from positions in which they project upwardly through certain parts of said openings to positions in which they are non-projecting, pushers pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from non-projecting positions to positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings to engage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metal supported on said table, said chocks and pushers being rigidly fixed together, fluid pressure means for swinging said checks and pushers into and out of non-projecting positions, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counter-balances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

5. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table having openings in its upper surface, chocks pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be swung from positions in which they project upwardly through certain parts of said openings to positi-ons in which they are non-projecting, pushers pivotally mounted beneath said table and adapted to be' swung from non-projecting positions to positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings to' engage and impart rolling movements to coils of strip metal supported on said table, said chocks and pushers being rigidly fixed together, fluid pressure means for swinging said checks and pushers into and out of nonprojecting positions, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, arms carrying said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of'said arms and means comprising studs fixedly connected to said arms .and positionable along arcuate slotsin said brackets for locking said arms in the rails carried thereby in adjusted positions. I

6. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising,

positions in which they project upwardly through other parts of said openings to engage and impart rolling move ments to coils of strip metal supported on said table, fluid pressure means for swinging said pushers into and out of non-projecting positions, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew when said pushers impart rolling movement thereto, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

7. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew, said rails being divided into sections, arms carrying the sections of said rails, brackets extending outwardly at each side of said table, said arms being mounted on said brackets for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths, counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the centers of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and the sections of rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

8. A device for holding coils of strip metal comprising, in combination, a table, parallel rails extending above said table in position to lie along the sides of and align and guide coils of strip metal supported on said table and thus prevent such coils from becoming askew, arms carrying said rails, said arms being mounted for pivotal adjustment to space said rails for the accommodation of coils of strip metal of various widths,

counterbalances also carried by said arms whereby the in combination, a table having openings in its upper surcenters of mass of said arms and the parts carried thereby are in proximity to the axes of pivotal adjustment of said arms and means for locking said arms and the rails carried thereby in adjusted positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark et a1. Nov. 20,

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