US3410126A - Machine for straightening tubes and rods - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 12, 1968 E. L. BAKER MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING TUBES AND RODS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 29, 1965 lN\ ENTOR,

ELLERY L. BAKER BY Nov. 12, 1968 E. 1.. BAKER MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING TUBES AND RODS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR.

L. BAKER ELLERY ATTORNEYS Nov. 12, 1968 E. L. BAKER 3,410,126

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING TUBES AND RODS Filed Dec. 29, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ELLERY L. BAKER ATTORNEYS FIG.4

United States Patent 3,410,126 MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING TUBES AND RODS Ellery L. Baker, Warwick, R.I., assignor to United Wire & Supply Corporation, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Dec. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 517,221 6 Claims. (Cl. 72-164) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for straightening tubes and rods by passing them through driven rolls engaging the tube or rod in staggered relation on opposite sides, the driving of the rolls on opposite sides being through gear means with the rolls on one side swingable about the axis of the rolls on the other side.

This invention relates to a machine for straightening tubes and rods.

Machines of this general type commonly comprise two groups of rolls, there usually being six in each group alternately opposed to contact the tube or rod in order to permanently upset the metal as it passes between the rolls in a controlled manner. One of the groups of rolls has the axes of the rolls horizontal While the other group of rolls has the axes of the rolls vertical so as to insure straightness of the tube or rod in two different planes. The last roll in each plane bends the material to its final degree of straightness.

The rolls in each group usually consist of three rolls on one side and three rolls on the other side so located that the rolls on one side are staggered with relation to the rolls on the other side. The rolls on one side of the rod or tube are adjustable relative to the rolls on the other side of the rod or tube. All of the rolls are driven and the driving of the adjustable rolls is usually done by coupling the roll shafts to an adjacent gear box with a universal joint in the shaft. The fixed rolls are also connected to the same gear box because at this point through gearing the necessary clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the roller shafts can be obtained. All of this is bulky and of expensive construction.

The straightener of this invention eliminates the need for the gear boxes, the universal jointed shafts and the slides in the conventional machines that the adjustable shafts are mounted in. Each adjustable shaft that alternately opposes a fixed shaft is mounted in a housing that pivots around the center of the fixed shaft. In this way they can be driven from the fixed shafts through simple gears on each shaft in a counter rotation to each other regardless of the position of adjustment. The fixed shafts can be driven in any conventional manner.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify the construction of a machine for straightening tubes and rods.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the need for a universal joint in a shaft and the slides and adjustable shafts heretofore used.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the need for gear boxes by mounting the gears to be used on the axes of the two shafts to be driven,

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple interchangeable roll for engagement with the different diameter tubes or rods which are to be straightened.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the need for accurate line-up of the shafts which needs highly skilled labor to accomplish.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will 3,410,126 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 be more full described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the machine of this invention showing the horizontal and vertically arranged units for engaging the work;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the showing in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation partly broken away of one of the units on a somewhat larger scale showing the gearing for driving one roll from another roll; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on substantially line 44 of FIG. 3.

With reference to the drawings, the machine comprises a framework having a base 10 with upright supports 11 and 12 and a supporting table 14. Two units 15 and 16 are supported on this table 14 which are driven from a common motor 17. The motor 17 drives a countershaft 18 by means of belt 19 and from this countershaft the unit 16 is driven by a belt 20 while unit 15 is driven by means of belt 22 through a right angle gear device 21 such as by a vertical shaft to the unit 15. The units 15 and 16 are substantially the same except that the axes of the driven rolls are at right angles, the axes of the rolls 15 being generally vertical while the axes of the rolls in the unit 16 are substantially horizontal. These units being substantially the same, only unit 16 will be described in detail.

The unit 16 comprises a body portion 25 flanged as at 26 to rest upon the table 14. A frame comprising space parallel plates 27 and 28 are secured by means of bolts 29 and 29' to the body 25.

Housings 30, there being three shown in each unit in the present embodiment, comprise a pair of cylindrical sleeves 31 and 32 rigidly connected together by the welding of a strut 33 to each of them and extending between them. The sleeve 31 is reduced at its ends for extension into the plates 27 and 28 where the reduced ends find bearings 34 and 35 in the plates 27 and 28 so as to swingably mount the housing 30.

The cylindrical sleeve 31 mounts a shaft co-axial with the axis of the bearings 34 and 35 by means of antifriction roller bearings 41 and ball bearings 42. This shaft mounts a pulley 43 fixedly thereon which is driven by belt 20 from the source of power. A straightening roll 45 is also mounted on shaft 40 in a detachable manner which will be hereinafter described.

In the cylindrical sleeve 32 a shaft is rotatably mounted by means of anti-friction bearings such as the roller bearing 51 and ball bearing 52. This shaft carries an interchangeable roll 53 in the same plane as the roll 45.

A gear 55 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 40 and a gear 56 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 50. These gears mesh one with the other as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and are also in the same plane. Thus, the roll 53 is driven from the shaft 40 by means of gears 55, 56 in time with the rotation of the roll 45 as will be readily apparent.

As will be seen in FIG. 3, a spring 60 fixed at 61 to the housing and fixed at the other end 62 to some part of the frame comprising the plates 27 and 28 is under tension tending to swing the housing to lift the roll 53 from the work designated generally 65 in FIG. 3 so as to cause less pressure thereon, Whereas a screw 66 threaded through the part 67 of the frame and engaging the housing at 68 may be rotated by the handle portion 69 so as to sping the housing clockwise as seen in FIG. 3 to cause the roll to have a greater pressure on the work 65 from the top as shown in FIG. 3. It will of course be apparent that the first two of these rolls from the left in FIG. 3 will apply pressure on the work as it is supported by the lower rolls 45- having fixed axes and thus apply pressure between the first and second and the second and third lower rolls as seen in FIG. 3. The last upper roll, however, is adjusted so as to apply pressure to bend the material to its final degree of straightness.

The middle lower roll 45 and its shaft 40 as seen in unit 16 is driven by belt'20 and the lower fixed rolls of each group may be driven from the shaft 40 by means of pulleys 70 and 71 from the center middle roll of each group by belts 72, 73 (FIG. 3) to the corresponding lower shafts such as 40 of each of the pairs of rolls, and a single direct line belt may be used from the center roll of each roll and the proper rotation secured.

Different size or diameter work will require different size rolls 45 and 53 and thus I have made these rolls readily detachable by providing these rolls to fit upon a drum 80 fixed on the end of the drive shaft on the inner surface of each of the rolls is recessed as at 81 partially through its width to form a shoulder 82, while in the drum 80 there are mounted plungers 83 slidably radially in recesses in opposed relation and pressed apart by a spring 84, each plunger having end portions 85 to engage the recesses 81 in each of the rollers and by means of the shoulders 82 prevent axial movement of the rollers. A plate 86 held by screws 87 secures the plungers in their slideways. Handles 88 may be utilized for urging the plungers together to disengage the portions 85 from the recesses 81, thus allowing the rolls to be readily removed from the drums 80. This arrangement also serves as a key for causing the rolls to rotate with their shafts 40 and 50 when engaging the work.

I claim:

1. In a machine for straightening tubes and rods, a unit comprising a plurality of rolls having fixed parallel axes, a housing swingable about the fixed axis of at least one of said rolls, and carrying a rotatable roll on an axis a fixed distance from said fixed axis, said distance being sufiicient to position the roll in contact with the work between the points of contact of the work with the rolls on the parallel fixed axes and gear means driving the swingable roll from the fixed axis roll about which it is swingable.

2. In a machine for straightening tubes and rods as in claim 1 wherein there is a housing swingable about each fixed roll axis.

3. In a machine for straightening tubes and rods as in claim 1 wherein said housing carries a movable roll, said housing being of a dimension to swing the movable roll between said fixed axis rolls, and gear means driving the movable roll 'from the fixed roll about which it is swingable.

4. In a machine as in claim 1 wherein the said gear means comprises a gear whose axis is on the axis of said fixed roll and a gear meshing therewith whose axis is on the axis of the movable roll.

5. In a machine as in claim 3 wherein the said gear means comprises a gear whose axis is on the axis of said fixed roll and a gear meshing therewith whose axis is on the axis of the movable roll.

6. In a machine as in claim 1 wherein the rolls are detachably connected to an axle rotatable with said gear means for changing the sizes of rolls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,564,696 12/1925 Locke 72164 2,092,840 9/ 1937 Greene 72162 2,293,156 8/1942 Mason 72164 2,350,274 5/1944 Duclos 72-164 2,517,309 8/1950 Heller 72-164 3,253,445 5/ 1966 Franck 72--205 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

K. C. DECKER, Assistant Examiner.

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