US2938724A - Sheet piling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

y 1950 D. BUCCICONE SHEET FILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1958 .0 7 k v I 5 6 [tl lm l1 mm L mmmm l wmm m Ill Hz 0 INVENTOR. m fimz'ome BY WMAM 16. YISL May 31, 1960 D. BUCCICONE SHEET FILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1958 lllrl/l/l/lll/ll /Al? 75% United States Fatent O 2,938,724 SHEET PILING APPARATUS Dario Buccicone, Gary, Inch, assignor to Bncciconi Englneering (30., Inc., Gary, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Apr. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 728,001 7 Claims. (Cl. 271-68} This invention relates to the handling of metal sheets and is more particularly concerned with improvements in apparatus for receiving successive metal sheets from a high speed processing line and for stopping the sheets in position for deposit in a pile.

Modern equipment for the processing of metal sheets is operated at relatively high speed and is capable of delivering cut sheets at speeds of 1,000 feet per minute or more but such equipment is seldom run at maximum speed because of inadquate apparatus for bringing sheets traveling at such speeds to a stop and depositing them in a pile without damage. One arrangement which has heretofore been employed for stopping and piling the rapidly moving sheets involves lapping successive sheets on each other as they emerge from the high speed line by means of magnetic endless belt conveyors which support the sheets and carry them to a piler, for example, as shown in my Patent No. 2,527,911, dated October 31, 1950. However, when the sheets are lapped they must move across each other and their surfaces can become damaged. Consequently, it is more deirable to provide apparatus which will stop the sheets and deposit them in a pile without lapping. When a belt type magnetic conveyor is employed for handling the sheets without lapping the speed of operation is limited. Also, difficulty is experienced with the belt type conveyor in handling some types of materials because the motion of the belts is imparted to the sheet when it is released and the sheet will hit the end stop with nearly its full forward momentum. With very thin sheets the material is not stiff enough to take the shock of stopping but will buckle or bend out of shape if the high speed operation is maintained.

Efforts have been made to provide equipment for stopping and piling sheets traveling at high speed which does not involve lapping the sheets and which does not employ traveling belts but which will retard the movement of the sheet as it leaves the shear and reduce the force with which it strikes the end stop at the piler. Apparatus has been provided for this purpose, as shown in my Patent No. 2,779,594, dated January 29, 1957, which employs a piling conveyor having electromagnets and smooth faced, non-magnetic skids extending below the same for frictionally engaging the surface of the sheet and adapted, in conjunction with the magnets, to stop the sheets which are delivered to the underside of the conveyor. While the skids slow down the sheet considerably and materially reduce the chances of damage due to striking the end stop at too high a speed, the apparatus has limitations in use. The sheet must slide against the skids and the possibility of damage to the surface of certain types of sheet material cannot always be entirely eliminated even with the use of the best possible materials for the skid. Also, with very thin sheets difliculty may be encountered in moving the sheets forward without bending even though the power on the magnets is reduced to the bare minimum necessary to hold the sheets against the skids.

It is a general object, therefor, of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for conveying and stopping cut metal sheets received in single line succession from high speed processing equipment which apparatus will stop and pile the sheets without lapping and with a minimum of frictional contact with the surface of the sheets, so as to avoid scratching or other surface damage.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a non-lapping sheet conveying apparatus which will bring the rapdily moving sheets to a stop at a predetermined location by combined frictional resistance and magnetic braking action and drop the sheets onto a pile without the sheets scraping across each other and with a minimum of frictional contact between the sheets and the apparatus, thereby adapting the apparatus for high quality piling of relatively thin sheets.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sheet conveying and stopping apparatus which employs a conveyor having electromagnets and a series of spaced friction rollers which extend below the magnets and which are adapted to frictionally retard the movement of sheets held against the undersurface of the conveyor by the magnets.

It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet stopping and piling apparatus which comprises a nonlapping electromagnetic conveyor arranged over a piler box and an end stop which is mounted for reciprocating movement in a horizontal. path with sheet actuated switches controlling the circuit for energizing of the magnets and for reciprocating the end stop whereby while the sheet is delivered to the conveyor the end stop moves to a retracted position and thereafter the sheet is dropped and the end stop is returned to normal sheet engaging position to move the sheet into proper position as it drops onto the pile.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the apparatus which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a conveying apparatus which embodies the principal features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of the apparatus in another position of operation;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1, to an enlarged scale;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the rail section shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 66 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 77 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 88 of Figure 5 to a still larger scale; and

Figure 9 is a partial side elevation of a modification of the apparatus.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, there is illustrated a conveying apparatus having incorporated therein the principal features of the invention. The apparatus comprises a magnetic rail unit 10 supported at opposite ends on cross beams 11 and 12 and upright end supports or stands 13 and 14. While only one magnetic rail unit 10 is shown in the apparatus, two or more such rail units may be supported side-by-side on the same beams.

The sheets S are fed beneath the magnetic rail 10 by a feeding mechanism which comprises a pair of pinch rolls 15 and 16 journaled on the upper portion of the stand 13 at the one end of the magnetic rail unit 10 with the rolls being geared together as indicated at 17 and with at least one of the pinch roll-s being power driven. The sheets S are delivered to the pinch rolls 15 and 16 by a conveyor belt 18 which is supported at the delivery end by a pulley 19 journaled in the end frame 13.

The sheets S are delivered to the bottom surface of the magnetic rail unit 10 and dropped onto the top of a pile 20 which may be supported on skids 21 or other supporting structure between the two upright stands 13 and 14 beneath the rail unit 10.

. magnetic unit.

includes a core or pole piece 27 and a coil or winding 28..

Each electromagnetic unit 25 is held in position in the housing 24 by a socket head bolt 29 extending through the core or pole piece 27, and having a securing nut 39 at the upper end so that each individual unit may be readily removed and replaced, Thebolt 29 also supports an elongate'bar member 31 which'extends between the magnet-unit to which it is secured and the next adjacent Each bar member 31 is held clamped at one end by the bolt 29 which extends through the end thereof, to a steel plate 32 on the bottom of the core 27 and forms an angular extension or continuationof the same. Each bar 31 is provided with an elongate vertically extending slot 33 in which there is mounted a roller 34 on a small cross pin or shaft 35, the pin 35 being positioned so thatthe roller projects slightly below thelower surface 36 of the bar 31,

The housing 24 also supports a plurality of relatively small rollers 37 which are mounted on the vertically extending opposed flanges 38 and 39. Eachof the rollers 37 ismouuted on a small pin or shaft 40, the axis of which is parallel with the axis of the pin 35 supporting the roller 34. The rollers 37 are the same diameter as the rollers 34 and the axis of their supporting pins 4%) are the same elevation as the axis of the roller-supporting pins 35 so that the rollers 37 project below the bottom edges. of the flanges 38 and 39 withtheir lower edges in the. same horizontal plane as the lowermostiedges of the rollers 34.

The rollers 37 are arranged in paired relation on opposite sides of each of the magnet coils 2?.

Each of the rollers 34 and 37 is preferably mounted on its supporting pin by means of a bronze. bushing 41 (Figure 8). Each roller may have a protective material 42 on its surface such as rubber, nylon, fibre, or other similar material which will not damage the surface of the sheet as it is carried along beneath the same. While the rollers are shown mounted on the supporting pins by meansof a bronze bushing, they may be supported on their pins by ball bearings or the like where less rolling friction is required. g V

b The apparatus is provided with an end stop unit 45 which is supported for longitudinal adjustment on the top of the magnetic rail unit 10 and which comprises an inverted L-shaped bracket 46 having pivotally mounted on opposite sides of its base 47 at 48 and 49 pairs of depending parallel support links 50 and 51 which are pivoted at their lower ends at 52 and 53 to a horizontally extending frame 54 having mounted on its front end a stop plate member 55' which is arranged in a. transverse plane extending vertically across the magnetic rail unit 10. The links 51 of one pair thereof are connected at their upper ends to arms 56 which carry a cross bar 57 at their free ends, the latter being pivotally connected to the lower end of a piston 58 of an hydraulic cylinder 59, which cylinder 59 is pivotally mounted at 69 on the upper end of the supporting bracket 46. The cylinder 59 is connected at 61 and 62 to a suitable source of hydraulic fluid, and movement of the piston 58 is controlled in a manner which will be described.

Acontrol switch 63 is mounted for. longitudinal adjust-. ment along the top of the magnetic rail unit It) and has a depending pivoted operating. arm 64 which opens the switch when turned counter-clockwise. The switch 63 is in.the circuit controlling the current to the electromagnets 2 and when the switch is closed, the magnetsare energized and sheets cling to the underside of the magnetic fail due to the action of the flux through the pole piecesand the bars 31, the sheets being carried on the projects 4 ing portions of the rollers 34 and 37. The switch 63 is mounted just ahead of the end stop plate 55 with the arm 64 in the path of the sheets. When the leading edge of a sheet advanced by the pinch rolls 15 and 16 engages the arm 64, the switch is opened and the magnets are deenergized. The sheet is released approximately at the same time its front edge hits the :endistop plate 55, the position of the switch 63 being adjusted so thatthe trailing end of the sheet leaves the pinch rolls 15 and 16-as the leading edge strikes the switch arm 64. A second switch 65 is arranged at the receiving end of the magnetic rail umt 10 adjacent the pinch rolls 15 and 16 and is connected into the circuit for theelectromagnets so that when the leading end of a sheet S engages the depending operating arm 66, the electromagnets are energized to hold the sheet against the surface of the magnetic rail unit 10 as it is advanced by the pinch rolls over the pile 20.

The operation of the piston 58 of the hydraulic cylinder 59 which controls the horizontal movement of the end stop plate 55 is timed with the movement of the sheet so that the end stop plate 55 moves horizontally away from the pile 2t) as theleading edge of the sheet strikes the stop plate 55. The stop plate 55 is then moved inthe direction toward the pile 20 as the sheet settles onto the pile, thus allowing the sheet clearance to fall freely and bepushed into position against the back stop 67.

In using the apparatus disclosed, the sheets S are fed by the pinch rolls 15 and 16 beneath the lower surface of the magnetic unit 19 and are carried on therollers 34 and 37 as the sheets advance along the unit 10, being held by the magnetic flux in the horizontal pole pieces 31. When the leading end of a sheet S strikes the switch arm 62 thetrailing end is leaving the pinch rollers 15 and 16, the electromagnets 25 are deenergized to drop the sheet, and the sheet has sufficient momentum to carry it forward and. strike the end stop plate 55, thelatter being retracted by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 59. As the sheet settles onto the pile 20, the end stop plate 55 is moved forward by the hydraulic cylinder 59 and the sheet is settled onto the pile 20 against the back stop 67. By carrying the sheet forward beneath the magnetic unit It) on the rollers 34 and 3?, the forward motion is cut down to a minimum without damage to the surface of the sheet. The friction in the rollers may, of course, be varied by employing different mountings. The magnetic conveyor 10- does-not require any driving power and only the pinch rolls are driven, thus effecting economy in the use of power.

The invention maybe embodied in apparatus employed for direct piling of sheets of magnetic material as they are cut by the shear. In Figure 9, a pilingfapparatus is shown which closely corresponds to the apparatus of Figures 1 to 8 but which is positioned immediately adjacent the delivery side of the shear so that the sheets S are received by the apparatus directly from theshear 79. The. magnetic rail unit and the associated apparatus which is identical with that shown in Figures 1 to 8 is indicated by the same numerals and doesnot require further description. In this arrangement the switch at the entrance end of the magnetic conveyor unit 10 is omitted and the switch 63 is connected into the circuit controlling the operation of the shear 7:) so that the latter is operated to cut off the sheet 3 when the front edgethereof hits the switch' arm 64 and the electromagnets 25 are de energized-to drop the sheet. The sheet has enough momentum after the operationof the knife 70 to'carry'it forward and strike the end of the stop plate 55. Step plate 55 is retracted by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 59'which cylinder 59'istinied to operate as described inconnection with the form of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3. The knife 70 operates at a high speed and does not stop; the forward motion of the sheet.

'In both forms of the apparatus disclosed there is no driving force operative on the sheet afterfit is delivered to theunderside of the conveyor unites and only the momentum of the sheet remains to be overcome to stop the sheet. The driving force applied to the sheet is not effective beyond the pinch rolls 15, 16 or the shear 70 and the need for critical adjustment of the magnets which is required with a driven belt conveyor to prevent the sheet from being shot forward is eliminated.

While particular materials and specific details of construction have been referred to in describing the form of the apparatus illustrated, it will be understood that other materials and different details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for stopping and piling rapidly moving sheets of magnetic material, comprising a magnetic rail unit which has a downwardly facing housing and a plurality of normally energized electromagnets depending therein, each of said electromagnets having a core with a bottom angular extension, a roller mounted on said core extension, a plurality of rollers carried on said housing in spaced relation to said electromagnets, said rollers being supported in position to engage with the uppermost surface of a sheet fed to the under surface of said rail unit, means to feed successive sheets to the underside of said rail unit adjacent one end thereof, said electromagnets and said rollers being adapted to resist the forward movement of sheets fed thereto and to stop each successive sheet when the trailing end thereof reaches a predetermined point, an electric switch controlling the circuit to said electromagnets, operating means for said switch positioned so as to be actuated by each successive sheet as it advances a distance approximately a sheet length in advance of said feeding means to deenergize the electromagnets as the sheet stops, and means for accumulating a stack of sheets dropped from the rail unit.

2. An apparatus for stopping and piling rapidly moving sheets of magnetic material, comprising a magnetic rail which has a plurality of downwardly facing normally energized electromagnets, each of said electromagnets having an angular core with a vertically extending leg and a horizontally extending leg, the horizontally extending legs being aligned longitudinally of the rail below the coils, a roller mounted in a recess in the horizontal leg of each of said cores, and a purality of rollers positioned along said rail in laterally spaced relation to the horizontal legs of the cores of said electromagnets, said rollers being arranged to engage with the uppermost surface of a sheet fed in a plane which is a predetermined distance below said electromagnets, means to feed successive sheets in a generally horizontal plane to the underside of said rail adjacent one end thereof, said electromagnets and said rollers being adapted to resist the forward movement of sheets fed thereto and means to deenergize the electromagnets and drop each successive sheet when the trailing end thereof reaches a predetermined point.

3. A sheet handling apparatus comprising an overhead magnetic rail unit having an elongate downwardly facing housing, and a plurality of electromagnets secured in depending longitudinally aligned relation therein, each of said electromagnets having a vertically extending core member on which one or more magnetic coils are mounted and a lateral extension secured to the bottom end thereof, said electromagnets being arranged in longitudinal alignment with the core extensions positioned in longitudinal alignment between said electromagnets, said core extensions each having a downwardly opening vertical recess and a roller mounted therein on a transverse axis with the lower edge of the roller extending below the lower face of the core extension.

4. A sheet handling apparatus comprising an overhead magnetic rail unit having an elongate downwardly facing channel-shaped housing, and a plurality of electromagnets secured in depending long y aligned relation therein, each of said electromagnets having a vertically extending core member on which one or more coils are mounted and a lateral core extension secured to the bottom end thereof, the core extensions being arranged in longitudinal alignment so as to extend between said electromagnets, each said core extension having a downwardly opening recess and a sheet engaging roller mounted therein on a transverse axis with the lower edge of the roller extending below the lower face of said core extension whereby to magnetically hold a sheet against the extending edge of the roller as it is delivered to the under side of said rail unit.

5. In an apparatus for handling sheets of magnetic material, a magnetic rail unit having a channel-shaped downwardly opening housing and a plurality of downwardly facing normally energized electromagnets, each of said electromagnets having a vertical pole piece and a horizontal core extension on the bottom end thereof which extends in the longitudinal direction of the rail unit, said core extension having a friction roller mounted thereon on a transverse axis with the lower edge extending below the bottom face of said core extension, and a plurality of spaced friction rollers mounted along the bottom side edges of said housing in spaced relation on opposite sides of said horizontal core extension and having their lowermost edges in the same plane as the bottom edges of the rollers on said core extensions.

6. In a sheet handling apparatus, means for rapidly feeding sheets of magnetic materials, an overhead magnetic rail unit having an elongate downwardly facing housing beneath which successive sheets are fed, and a plurality of electromagnets secured in longitudinally aligned relation therein, each of said electromagnets having a vertically extending core member and a lateral core extension secured to the bottom end thereof and arranged in longitudinal alignment between said electromagnet and the next adjacent electromagnet in the line, said core extension having a vertical recess and a roller mounted therein on a transverse axis with the lower edge of the roller extending below the lower face of said core extension, and sheet actuated switches mounted on said apparatus in spaced longitudinal relation to energize and deenergize said electromagnets whereby to bring a sheet advanced beneath said rail unit to a stop for deposit on a pile beneath said apparatus.

7. In a sheet handling apparatus having means for rapidly advancing successive sheets of magnetic material, a sheet piler for stopping and piling the sheets, said piler comprising an overhead magnetic rail unit having an elongate housing with a downwardly opening recess and a plurality of electromagnets secured in longitudinally spaced relation in said recess, each of said electromagnets having a vertically extending core memher and a core extension on the bottom end thereof which extends longitudinally of the housing between said electromagnet and the next adjacent electromagnet in said recess, said core extension having a recessed opening on its lower face and a roller mounted therein on a transverse axis with the periphery of the roller extending below the lower face of said core extension, and control switches for energizing and deenergizing said electromagnets, which control switches are spaced longitudinally of the housing and actuated by the moving sheet as it is advanced so that each successive sheet is brought to a stop and deposited on a pile beneath the rail unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Clauss July 16, 1935 Carter Mar. 12, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES

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