US3512611A - Device for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine - Google Patents

Description

May 19, 1970 w. H. HULAK 3,512,611

DEVICE FOR LUBRICATING THE STRANDING CORE IN A FAST STRANDING MACHINE Filed April 10. 1968 v United States Patent 3,512,611 DEVICE FOR LUBRICATING THE STRANDING CORE IN A FAST STRANDING MACHINE Werner Heinz Hulak, Rheinberg, Germany, assignor t0 Fried. Krupp Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Essen, Germany Filed Apr. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 720,109 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 11, 1967, 1,685,827 Int. Cl. F16n 27/00 US. Cl. 18415 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine having a stranding rotor with a wire incoming end and a wire outgoing end, in which said rotor near its wire outgoing end is equipped with a transverse spray head to spray lubricant onto a stranding core passing through said spray head means, lubricant being conveyed to said spray head means in a continuous manner by a pump outside said rotor.

The present invention relates to a device for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine.

When producing metallic wire strands on stranding machines, it is frequently necessary that the core wire, and when a plurality of wire layers are employed, also the inner layer wires, are lubricated with an anti-corrosion grease whereas the cover layer wires must remain dry.

With steel-aluminum overhead stranded wires, which consist of a steel wire as stranding core and of six or seven aluminum wires as cover layer, and which, as a rule, are produced on fast stranding machines, heretofore two methods of lubricating the stranding core have been known.

According to the first method, the stranding core is lubricated already when applying, the core wire to the core wire spool. This has the drawback that the core Wire spool itself as well as all machine elements which the core wire has withdrawn from said spool passes to the stranding or twisting point, for instance, guiding nipple, and a roller straightening device, are soiled in operation within a short time and to a considerable extent.

According to the second method, the stranding core is only shortly prior to the application of the cover layer wires lubricated by being passed through a heatable lubricant containing vessel which is arranged at the corresponding end of the stranding rotor. This method is disadvantageous because the mounting, heating, and refilling of the lubricant containing vessel requires considerable time and effort. First of all, the said container requires in the stranding rotor a space which is approximately equal to the space required by a core or layer spool. The heating can be effected only electrically while the electric energy has to be supplied through two collector rings which, in conformity with safety regulations have to be covered in operation. Finally, it can hardly be avoided that when refilling the vessel, grease is splashed against the walls of the stranding rotor and soils the same. Solidifying grease lumps on the stranding rotor furthermore cause imbalances in operation which can result in disturbing vibrations and even in damage to the stranding rotor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine, which will overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph which will make it possible to cover the stranding core directly prior to the application of the cover layer wires with a lubricant layer of a uniform thickness variable at will without soiling the stranding rotor of the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing diagrammatically illustrating a lubricant device according to the invention installed in a fast stranding machine.

The objects outlined above have been realized according to the present invention by providing a transverse spray head at the end of the stranding rotor through which spray head the stranding core passes. The spray head receives the lubricant in a continuous way from a delivery pump arranged outside the stranding rotor and through the intervention of a slide ring seal and a conduit.

According to a further development of the invention, the delivery pump is adapted to be driven from the stranding rotor of the fast stranding machine through an infinitely variable transmission. In this way, it will be possible to cover the stranding core which may, incidentally, consist of a stranded Wire or stranded hemgp, directly prior to applying the cover layer wires with a layer of lubricant of uniform thickness and of a thickness which may be varied at will, without running the risk of soiling the stranding rotor of the machine and without the necessity of having to lengthen the stranding rotor of the machine by the length of a spool field in order to make space for a lubricant containing vessel. If it is necessary to straighten or align the stranding core, this can be ef' fected prior to covering the stranding core with the lubricant so that the lubricant will not be stripped off by the alignment. rollers.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be noted that in the interior of a tubular stranding rotor 1, which may be rotatably supported by supporting rollers, e.g. of the type of the supporting rollers of the high speed stranding machine of US. Pat. No. 2,147,065, there are provided five spools 2 which in the direction of the axis of said stranding rotor 1 are arranged one behind the other in spaced relationship to each other. The layer wires 3 which are withdrawn from the spools 2 are passed along the same to the tapering end portion 4. A further blind wire 5 which forms the stranding core is withdrawn from a spool (not shown) which is located on the lefthand side and outside of the stranding rotor 1, is passed through the hollow bearing stud or trunnion of the stranding body 1 and passed first into the interior of the stranding body 1 and from there to the outer wall and along the same. The said wire 5 is then by means of a deviating roller 6 arranged near the last layer spool 2 again introduced into the interior of the stranding rotor 1 and passes along the axis of rotation of said rotor 1 through a roller straightening or aligning device 7 and through a transverse spray head 8. It is within this spray head 8 that said stranding core forming wire 5 is covered with a lubricating layer of uniform thickness. After the wire 5 has left the right-hand end 4 of the stranding rotor 1, it is in a manner known per se (not shown) stranded with the layer wires 3 and is then conveyed through a withdrawing device to a winding-up bobbin or reel.

The transverse spray head 8 receives the lubricant from a delivery pump 9 which is stationarily located outside the stranding rotor 1 near the left-hand end thereof and is driven from the stranding rotor through a chain drive 10 and an infinitely variable transmission 11. The delivery pump 9 imparts to the lubricant a pressure of approximately 12 kg. per cm. gage overpressure or above atmospheric pressure and delivers a quantity of lubricant which corresponds to the stranding speed and can be adjusted by correspondingly adjusting transmission 11. The lubricant is passed through a slide ring seal in the bearing 12 of the stranding rotor 1 into a conduit 13 which extends along the wall of the stranding rotor up to the transverse spraying head 8.

The wire forming the stranding core may instead of being withdrawn from a spool outside the strand rotor also be withdrawn from one of the spools within the stranding rotor. In this instance, that spool which is closest to the stranding point serves as core spool whereas the remaining spools receive the layer wires.

As will be evident from the above, the device according to the present invention also makes it possible instead of covering the stranding core with a layer of lubricant, to cover the stranding core with a layer of other plastic materials as far as such materials, if necessary in heated condition, can be conveyed through conduits and the transverse spraying head.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular embodiment shown in the drawing, but also comprises any modification within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A stranding rotor having a wire incoming end and a wire outgoing end for use in a fast stranding machine relative to which a wire stranding cores passes, which includes: spray head means arragned near said wire outgoing end and including passage means for conveying the stranding core therethrough, and means communicating with said spray head means for continuously conveying a lubricant to said spray head means for dosing lubricant to said stranding core exclusively corresponding to the feed rate of the core commensurate to the stranding speed of said stranding rotor, said spray head means being operable to apply lubricant selectively only internally with respect to said stranding core moving through said passage means.

2. A stranding rotor according to claim 1, in which said means communicating with said spray head means includes a lubricant forwarding pump outside said rotor and also includes slide ring sealing means and tube means supported by said rotor.

3. A stranding rotor according to claim 2, which includes infinitely variable transmission means interposed between and driving connected to said stranding rotor and said lubricant forwarding pump.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,426 12/1938 Hodson 184-15 2,180,875 11/1939 Kinder 57-35 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 360,213 9/ 1922 Germany. 1,206,332 12/1965 Germany.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 57-35

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