US2521838A - Wire drawing machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 12, 1950 E. w. ERTNER 2,521,838

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1948 11/11 111 II III 1 I I Patented Sept. 12,1950

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE" Edward W. Ertner, Berwyn, 111., assignor Weatern Electric Company, Incorpo ated, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1948, Serial No. 18,340 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 205- 22) This invention relates to wire drawing machines and more particularly to a capstan driving arrangement for such a machine employing a plurality of individually motor driven capstans for drawing a wire through successive wire reducin dies.

The features of this invention have been found particularly useful in machines of the above-referred-to type, during wire stringing operations, wherein the leading end of a wire to be drawn through the machine is first strung through the several reducing dies by the drawing capstans. This operation necessitates frequent starting and stopping, in unison, of the individual capstan motorswhich are connected to a common source of power until the wire has been strung through each die and thereafter the motors, when brought to full speed, operate at desired uniform speeds with the capstans in step. Due to the individual operating characteristics of the motors that do not have identical loads and which are operated from a common source of power, it has not been possible heretofore to operate the motors at the desired uniform speeds with the capstans in step, since their acceleration and deceleration is not uniform. This has resulted in a great deal of wire breakage during the wire stringing operation. This wire breakage occurred because the motors would not permit the capstans to supply the wire to successive dies as required.

An object of the invention'is the provision of a simple and efficient driving arrangement for the capstans of a wire drawing machine during the wire stringing operation which will avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, as applied to a wire drawing machine employing a plurality of feeding capstans each individually driven by an induction motor, wherein the motors, when brought to full speed, operate at approximately the same speed and are connectible to a common source of power, each capstan being operatively connected to one end of its rotor shaft and arranged in upper and lower horizontally aligned pairs, there is fixed to the the lower set of capstans ll-l 'l.

opposite end of each of the rotor shafts a sheave.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of a wire drawing machine embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and I 1 Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram showing one embodiment of connections for controlling the capstan driving motors from a single source of power.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 1, wherein there is illustrated, fragmentarily,

the upper portion of a wire drawing machine,

there is shown .one embodiment of this invention, Portions of a framework of the machine are indicated in general at Iii for supporting the various elements of the machine including wire drawing compartment i2, which includes a front wall and door (not shown), an intermediate wall i3, and a rear wall or removable panel ll.

Arranged within the compartment l2 are two pairs of stepped capstans Il-ll, disposed in upper and lower aligned sets, each capstan being provided with a plurality of wire engaging surfaces of gradually increasing diameters-in the present embodiment four different diametersthe dimension of each capstan diameter depending upon the amount of reduction in the diameter of the wire produced in drawing the wire through a plurality of drawing dies (not shown), also mounted in the compartment 12. Each capstan i1 is individually driven, in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the front of the machine, or in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, by individual three phase squirrel cage induction motors ll-IB operatively connected to the upper set of capstans and three phase squirrel cage induction motors lQ-IS operatively connected to The upper motors i8--i8 are rigidly suspended from a pair of channel-shaped supports 20, and the lower motors i9-l9 are rigidly supported upon a pair of channel-shaped supports 2|, the supports 20 and 2| being suitably carried upon the framework of the machine.

In the present application of the invention, each of the motors i8i8 and |9i9 are operated at approximately the same speed; namely, 1800 R. P. M. from a common source of power, the upper motors II-ll each having a gear head 22 whereby output shafts 24 thereof, shown at the left-hand end of the motor (Fig. 1) and arranged concentric with the rotor shaft, are driven at 367 R. P. M. Fixed to the output shafts 24 are the two upper capstans [1-4 I, which thus are rotated at the speed of the output shafts. The two lower capstans 11-" are directly connected to the lefthand ends of rotor shafts 26 (P18. 1) of the motors 18-" and thus are rotated. at the speed of the rotor shafts of their motors.

Fixed to the right hand end of each rotor shaft (Figs. 1 and 2) of the motors ll-ll and IS-ll is a sheave 26, all of the sheaves being of the same diameter and provided with V-shaped peripheral grooves 21. Encompassing the four sheaves 26 and frictionally engaged in the peripheral grooves 21 thereof is a, belt 28 of V-shaped cross-section.

In order to provide a desired constant tension on the belt 28, there is provided a roller 30 journalled on the free end of a supporting arm 3|, pivoted at 32 to a wall 33 of the compartment II. The

roller is yieldably drawn against the upper course of the belt 28 as it travels between the two upper capstans llll, by means of a tension spring 34, having its opposite ends attached to the arm 3i at 31 and at 38 to a lug 39 fixed to the framework of the machine.

In Fig. 3, a common three phase source of power for the capstan driving motors |8--l8 and 19-! is indicated at 40, the motors in the present'embodiment being illustrated as of the three phase squirrel cage induction type. The motors are simultaneously connectible to the source of power All by means of a switching means ll, which may be a three-pole single throw switch. a

The above-described arrangement for coupling the rear ends of the rotor shafts of the motors i8-i8 and 19-49 by means of the sheaves 26 and the belt 28 is of particular advantage during wire stringing operations on wire drawing machines of the above-described type. In such operations, the motors are intermittently started and stopped in unison as the leading end of the wire to be drawn through the machine is strung through the several reducing dies (not shown) in succession in preparation for regular wire drawing operation. Theoretically, the motors ll-il and I 9I 9 should each operate at the same speed, in the present example, 1800 R. P. M., but due to the individual different operating characteristics of th motors, plus the fact that the are not identically loaded, this desired uniformity in speed is not possible during intermittent starting and stopping operations. Under these conditions and without the coupling of the'rear ends of the rotor shafts of the motors together in the manner described above, the capstans il-ll will operate out of step. By coupling the rear ends of the rotor shafts of the motors 18-" and |9-|9.

i 4 together by means of the eaves fl and belt 2|, the speeds of the motors, uring th wire stringing operations, which requires intermittent starting and stopping of the motors, are substantially quired, with the result that ire breakage is eliminated.

It is to be understoodthat the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of theapplication of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A capstan drive comprising a plurality of electric motors, a capstan for each motor, means for connecting the motors to a source of power to drive them at approximately the same speed, said motors having their rotor shafts extending at opposite ends therefrom, one end of each shaft being operatively connected to its capstan, a sheave fixed to the opposite end of each shaft, and a belt frictionally engaging and encompassing said sheaves effective during intermittent starting and stopping of said motors to cause the capstans to accelerate and decelerate in step.

2. A capstan drive comprising a plurality of electric motors, a capstan for each motor, means for connecting the motors to a source of power to drive them at approximately the same speed, said motors having their rotor shafts extending at opposite ends therefrom, one end of each shaft being operatively connected to its capstan, a sheave fixed to the opposite end of each shaft, a belt frictionally engaging and encompassing said sheaves effective during intermittent starting and stopping of said motors to cause the capstans to accelerate and decelerate in step, and,means for tensioning said belt.

, EDWARD W. ERTNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES'PATENTS

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