Method and apparatus for bending the overlapping edge portions of a metal shield around a cable core
AssigneeNorthern Telecom Limited
InventorAli Pan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Controlling the bending of an overlapping edge portion of a metal shield of a cable core by supporting one side of an edge portion at a position along its feed path and applying pressure against the edge portion immediately downstream of and in a direction opposite to the support. Bending of the edge portion occurs immediately it has passed the support while the support dampers resiliency in the edge portion to prevent or lessen springback. Apparatus for bending is placed immediately upstream of the overlapping die and preferably includes means to vary the applied pressure. Hence, the desired orientation of the bent edge portion is obtainable by varying the pressure dependent upon the actual orientation as the overlapped shield leaves the die.
Claims10
A method of controllably bending one edge portion of a metal strip while forming a shield of a cable core comprising bending said one edge portion about a longitudinally extending bend position while moving the strip towards an overlapping die, the bending performed by supporting one side of the one edge portion by a support surface and applying pressure to the other side of the one edge portion in a position displaced immediately downstream from the support surface to bend the one edge portion relative to adjacent parts of the strip as it becomes unsupported when it moves beyond the surface thereby to dampen resiliency in the strip, and then forming the strip into a shield surrounding the cable core with said one edge portion overlapping an opposite edge portion and with the direction of bend being towards the opposite edge portion.
Apparatus for wrapping a metal shield around a cable core comprising:
- means to partially form a metal strip towards tubular shape partly surrounding a cable core and disposed in a first station along a feed path for the core;
- edge bending means to bend one edge portion of the partially formed strip about a longitudinally edge position of the material, said bending means disposed in a second station downstream from the first station and comprising a support having a support surface for one side of the edge portion and, in a position immediately downstream from the support surface, a pressure applying means to apply pressure to the other side of the edge portion and across the feed path of the edge portion to bend the edge portion, as it becomes unsupported, inwardly of the partially formed tubular shape, the support surface serving to dampen resilience in the metal;
- and
- an overlapping die in a third station downstream from the second station to form the material into the tubular shape of a shield around the core with said edge portion overlapping an opposite edge portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.