Wire drawing method and apparatus
AssigneeMarshall Richards Barcro Limited
InventorsJohn W. Pamplin, Brian R. Astbury, Richard Shillito
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for drawing wire which uses a partial turn of wire wedged in an endless groove in a rotating wheel to generate the necessary drafting tension and wherein the drawn wire is cooled by direct contact with a liquid coolant as it leaves the die and while it is wedged in the groove. In a multi-stage apparatus, the coolant is removed from the wire downstream of the wheel and upstream of the next sizing opening by an air wipe.
Claims26
In a method of drawing ferrous wire employing a plurality of drawing stages for continuously drawing the ferrous wire to successively smaller sizes, with each stage comprising a wire drawing die for reducing the size of the wire, a soap box upstream of the die having a dry wire lubricant for lubricating the ferrous wire for drawing the wire to a smaller size and a rotatable drawing wheel downstream of the die operable to draw the wire through the die, the improvement wherein said method comprises, at each of a plurality of successive drawing stages, drawing the ferrous wire through the respective die with the respective drawing wheel by wedging the wire within a peripheral circular wedging groove of the drawing wheel for less than one turn therearound, the circular wedging groove being coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drawing wheel, and continuously conducting a water based, liquid coolant into contact with the ferrous wire along the wire path from the die to the drawing wheel and while the wire is within the wedging groove of the drawing wheel, and drying the wire between each upstream drawing wheel and downstream soap box of said plurality of successive drawing stages.
A wire drawing method comprising at least one drawing stage having the steps of drawing a wire through a die with a rotating drawing wheel mounted downstream of the die by drawing the wire with the wheel by wedging the wire in an arc of less than 360.degree. of an endless wedging groove of the rotating drawing wheel, and directly cooling the wire between the die and the wheel and while the wire is in the wedging groove of the wheel with a flow of liquid coolant in contact with the wire including feeding the coolant into a moving column of liquid to surround the wire as it leaves the die and to remain around the wire at least until it enters the groove, and employing the liquid coolant forming said column for cooling the die and feeding the liquid coolant to form said column with the coolant turning helically around the wire along the wire path between the die and drawing wheel.
In a method of drawing wire employing a plurality of drawing stages for continuously drawing the wire to successively smaller sizes, with each stage comprising a wire drawing die for reducing the size of the wire, a soap box upstream of the die having a dry wire lubricant for lubricating the wire for drawing the wire to a smaller size and a rotatable drawing wheel downstream of the die operable to draw the wire through the die, the improvement wherein said method comprises, at each of a plurality of successive drawing stages, drawing the wire through the respective die with the respective drawing wheel by wedging the wire within a peripheral circular wedging groove of the drawing wheel for less than one turn therearound, the circular wedging groove being coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drawing wheel, and continuously cooling the wire by continuously conducting a water based liquid coolant into contact with the wire along the wire path from the die to the drawing wheel and into the wedging groove into contact with both the drawing wheel and the wire along the path of the wire within the wedging groove, and drying the wire between each upstream drawing wheel and downstream soap box of said plurality of successive drawing stages.
In a wire drawing apparatus having a plurality of drawing stages for continuously drawing wire to successively smaller sizes respectively, with each drawing stage comprising a wire drawing die for reducing the size of the wire, a soap box upstream of the die having a dry wire lubricant for lubricating the wire for drawing the wire to a smaller size and a rotatable drawing wheel downstream of the die operable to draw the wire through the die, the improvement wherein in each of a plurality of successive drawing stages of the drawing apparatus, the drawing wheel comprises a peripheral circular wedging groove, coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drawing wheel, for wedging the wire within less than one turn around the wheel for drawing the wire with the drawing wheel through the respective die, and wire cooling means for continuously conducting a water based coolant into contact with the wire along the wire path from the die to the drawing wheel and while the wire is within the wedging groove of the drawing wheel, and wherein the apparatus comprises an air wipe for drying the wire between each upstream drawing wheel and downstream soap box of said plurality of successive drawing stages.
In a wire drawing apparatus comprising at least one wire drawing stage having a wire drawing die for reducing the cross-section of the wire, a soap box upstream of the die having a dry wire lubricant for lubricating the wire for drawing the wire to a smaller size and a rotatable drawing wheel downstream of the die operable to draw a wire forwardly along a wire transport path extending through the soap box and die, the improvement wherein the drawing wheel has a single peripheral circular wedging groove, coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drawing wheel, with opposed wedging surfaces for wedging the wire therebetween for drawing the wire with the drawing wheel forwardly along the wire transport path through the soap box and die and partly around the drawing wheel, guide roll means for guiding the wire from the wedging groove of the drawing wheel and so that the wire transport path extends less than 360.degree. therearound, and liquid cooling means for directly and continuously conducting a liquid coolant into contact with the wire along its transport path from the die to the drawing wheel and while the wire is within the wedging groove, the die and drawing wheel being aligned to draw the wire forwardly along a substantially linear path through the die in generally the plane of the peripheral wedging groove and directly onto the drawing wheel, and the guide means guiding the wire from the wedging groove of the drawing wheel to cross the wire transport path upstream of the die and slightly offset from the path and then forwardly generally in the plane of the peripheral wedging groove of the drawing wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.