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US 5,205,877 AGranted
Process for making wire mesh screens
AssigneeBison Steel, Inc.
InventorsJohn D. Collier, James W. Scheeler
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBison Steel, Inc.
InventorsJohn D. Collier, James W. Scheeler
Estimating the term…
Making wire screens using high carbon steel wire. A first array of wires are placed in a longitudinal configuration and a second array of wires are placed transversely of said first array. The junctions where the wires meet are heated to a temperature of from about 700.degree. F. to about 1000.degree. F. for a time sufficient to disperse heat to adjacent wire areas but insufficient to cause wire fusion. A current is then applied to these junctions sufficient to cause fusion or welding of the junctions. Subsequently, a post weld heat of at least 1575.degree. F. is applied to the wires sufficient to form pearlite in substantial amounts.
A process for making non-woven steel wire screens from high carbon steel wires which comprises providing steel wires having a carbon content of at least 0.5% by weight, providing a first planar array of said wires in a longitudinal configuration, providing a second planar array of said wires in a transverse configuration extending transversely of said first planar array, all of said wires having relatively large diameters, heating at least one junction where a longitudinal and a transverse wire cross to a temperature of from about 700.degree. F. to about 1000.degree. F. for a sufficient period of time to allow heat to disperse to adjacent wire areas but insufficient to cause wire fusion, applying a pulse of electrical current to said junction sufficient to cause fusion or welding of said junction and subsequently heating the resulting welded portion to a post weld temperature of from at least about 1575.degree. F. to result in the formation of pearlite in substantial amounts by controlled cooling through the continuing controlled use of welding contacts or electrodes.
A welding process for making non-woven steel wire screens from high carbon steel wires which comprises placing a first array of longitudinally positioned wires in contact with a second array of transversely positioned wires extending transversely of said first planar array, all of said wires having at least 0.5% carbon content and having relatively large diameters, heating at least one junction of said wires at a location where they are in contact to a temperature of from about 700.degree. F. to about 1000.degree. F. for a sufficient period of time to allow heat to disperse to adjacent wire areas but insufficient to cause wire fusion, applying a pulse of electrical current to said junction sufficient to cause fusion or welding of said junction, and heating the resulting welded portion to a post weld temperature of from at least about 1575.degree. F. to form thereby a dispersion of pearlite in a resulting wire mesh screen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Specially adapted for particular articles or work: manufacturing of metallic grids or mats by spot welding
With additional connecting elements or material at crossings: with soldered or welded crossings
Resistance welding; Severing by resistance heating: taking account of the properties of the material to be welded
Heat treatment, e.g. annealing, hardening, quenching or tempering, adapted for particular articles; Furnaces therefor: for welded joints
Term ended 28 Mar 2011 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates to a process for manufacturing wire mesh screens and, more particularly, to a process for making non-woven screens having a high carbon content.
Various processes have been known for the production of wire mesh screens. The use of strong high carbon steel mesh screens is particularly desirable for use in mining, quarry, sand and gravel, steel milling, coal coking and slag operations. Also, the use of such mesh screens is important for security barriers in high security areas. High carbon steel screens or mesh are generally made by processes involving weaving pre-crimped wires into a mesh by the use of a loom or the like. The weaving machines and techniques used are substantially the same as in textile machine usage. This method, however, is not particularly suitable in making steel mesh screens using wires with a substantially large diameter. The use of weaving methods therefore has been utilized generally in the manufacture of steel screens with wires of relatively small diameters. When it was necessary to construct wire mesh screens from wires having large diameters (over about 0.03 inches) usually this was accomplished manually.
In earlier filed U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,342 (Collier et al) which is commonly owned with the present invention, a method for making steel wire mesh screens from high carbon steel wires was disclosed and claimed. Collier et al disclosed a process whereby an oil quench was required at the conclusion of the process. In addition, Collier et at required the formation only of martensite in the welded mesh by an elevated heating post weld step. During continued development of this process which resulted in the present invention, it was found that not only was the time consuming oil quenching not required, but also the formation of martensite by itself was not optimum.
The single FIGURE of the drawing is a flow chart illustrating the process according to the present invention.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a process for making high carbon steel mesh screens devoid of the above-noted disadvantages.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved welding process used in the manufacturing of mesh screens from high carbon steel wires.
Another still further object of this invention is to provide an efficient and reliable automatic method for the production of steel wire screens wherein the diameter of the wire is substantially larger than heretofore possible in prior art automatic weaving methods.