Wire pay-off cap assembly for wire spools

Abstract

A wire pay-off cap assembly for use with wire-filled, flanged spools for controlling the unreeling of wire past the ends thereof, comprising a support member carried by the spool, a stationary circular tension brush mounted on the support member, and a freely rotatable wheel carried by a ball bearing assemblage on the member. The wheel is constituted as two separate pieces, one piece comprising a disk-like body mounted at its center on the bearing, and the other piece comprising an annular wheel flange having a concave cross-section providing a curved exterior surface for sliding contact with a strand of the wire being unreeled. Co-operable means are provided on the body and flange for releasably securing the two together such that the flange, when worn or damaged, can be readily replaced without removing the body from the support member. The body is preferably constituted of molded plastic to keep the overall weight down, with the flange being constituted of anodized aluminum to provide a light-weight, abrasion resistant surface for engagement with the wire being unreeled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.