Machine for winding containers

A machine for winding a body such as containers, tubular members and the like with a tension cable which is tensioned with an adjustable force, comprising a machine carriage movable at a predetermined speed about the body to be wound, said carriage having at least one drive shaft, a main drive motor for driving said drive shaft, a clamping wheel mounted for rotation on said carriage for tensioning the cable, and a mechanism for maintaining substantially constant the force in the cable, said mechanism incorporating braking means driven by said clamping wheel and mounted to pivot in one direction about a fixed pivot axis upon being driven by said clamping wheel, at least one auxiliary motor for auxiliary drive of said carriage, said braking means being connected to said at least one auxiliary motor to transmit the energy taken-up during braking from said braking means to said at least one auxiliary motor, a spring resisting pivotal movement of said braking means in said one direction about said fixed pivot axis whereby said braking means assume a pivotal position about the pivot axis dependent on the rotational moment transmitted to said braking means by said clamping wheel, and control means for regulating as a function of the pivotal position of the braking means about the pivot axis the energy transmitted from said braking means to said at least one auxiliary motor so as to change the relationship of the speed of the machine carriage to the rotational speed of the clamping wheel in such a manner that the force in the tension cable strives to approach a desired value.