Claims
- 1. Apparatus for deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said apparatus comprising:
- a die having an entry wall at one end thereof, and having first and second apertures extending longitudinally therethrough with an entrance end of each aperture located along said entry wall;
- said entry wall including first and second entry surfaces, the first entry surface being positioned laterally adjacent to the entrance end of the second aperture while sloping past the entrance end of the second aperture and toward the entrance end of the first aperture, and the second entry surface being positioned laterally adjacent to the entrance end of the first aperture while sloping past the entrance end of the first aperture and toward the entrance end of the second aperture, such that a substantial part of the flow of the metallic material in a single metallic workpiece, forced against the entry wall, will be directed along two neighboring flow paths following said first and second entry surfaces, with the first entry surface directing a first portion of the metallic material past the second aperture and into the first aperture, and with the second entry surface directing a second portion of the metallic material past the first aperture and into the second aperture, so as to introduce a pattern of cross-shear stresses into the metallic material as said single metallic workpiece is forced against said entry wall; and
- means for forcing the single metallic workpiece against said entry wall with sufficient pressure to cause said first and second portions of the metallic workpiece to pass, respectively, through the first and second apertures simultaneously as the metallic material of the workpiece separates under the influence of said cross-shear stresses, such that a plurality of elongated, metallic members are formed.
- 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second apertures are spaced from one another, said die further including longitudinally extending wall means for separating said first and second entry surfaces between said first and second apertures.
- 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second apertures has a rectangular configuration, with adjacent rectangular apertures substantially abutting one another along adjacent corners thereof.
- 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said first and second apertures has a square configuration.
- 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said die further comprises:
- at least one additional first aperture and at least one additional second aperture, said additional first and additional second apertures extending longitudinally through the die with each additional first or additional second aperture having an entrance end thereof located along said entry wall;
- the entrance ends of said first aperture and of each said additional first aperture being arrayed along a first row, and the entrance ends of said second aperture and of each said additional second aperture being arrayed along a second row adjacent to said first row, with the apertures having the entrance ends thereof arrayed along said second row being so offset into positions opposite the apertures having the entrance ends thereof arrayed along said first row as to establish a staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures; and
- a plurality of additional entry surfaces, each associated with a different one of said additional first and additional second apertures, with each of said first entry surface, said second entry surface and said additional entry surfaces sloping toward the entrance end, respectively, of said first aperture, said second aperture, or said associated one of said additional first and additional second apertures, while sloping past the entrance end of at least one of said first, second, additional first, and additional second apertures, laterally adjacent thereto.
- 6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein:
- said first entry surface, and each said additional entry surface associated with one of said additional first apertures, are all substantially coplanar; and
- said second entry surface, and each said additional entry surface associated with one of said additional second apertures, are all substantially coplanar.
- 7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first aperture, said second aperture, each of said additional first apertures, and each of said additional second apertures, all have rectangular configurations, with adjacent rectangular apertures substantially abutting one another along adjacent corners thereof.
- 8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first aperture, said second aperture, each of said additional first apertures and each of said additional second apertures, all have square configurations, with adjacent square apertures substantially abutting one another along adjacent corners thereof.
- 9. Apparatus for deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said apparatus comprising:
- a die having an entry wall at one end thereof, and having first and second pluralities of closely spaced apertures extending longitudinally therethrough with an entrance end of each aperture located along said entry wall, the entrance ends of said first and second pluralities of apertures being arrayed along respective first and second, transversely extending rows located adjacent to one another, the apertures of said second plurality being so offset into positions opposite the spaces between the apertures of said first plurality as to establish a staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures;
- said entry wall tapering inwardly past said entrance ends of said apertures along first and second, intersecting entry surfaces which include said second and first rows, respectively, such that the flow of the metallic material in a single metallic workpiece, forced against said entry wall, will be generally directed along two intersecting flow paths, following said first and second entry surfaces while flowing across said respective second and first rows, with said first entry surface directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of said second plurality into the apertures of said first plurality, and with said second entry surface simultaneously directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of the first plurality into the apertures of the second plurality, so as to introduce a pattern of cross-shear stresses into the metallic material as the metallic material traverses said staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures, as said single metallic workpiece is forced against said entry wall; and
- means for forcing the single metallic workpiece against said entry wall with sufficient pressure to cause different portions of the metallic workpiece to pass through each of the apertures of said first and second pluralities of apertures simultaneously as the metallic material of the workpiece separates under the influence of said cross-shear stresses, such that a plurality of elongated, metallic members are produced.
- 10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein each of said apertures is round.
- 11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein each of said apertures has a rectangular configuration, with adjacent rectangular apertures substantially abutting one another along adjacent corners thereof, substantially on a line of intersection between said first and second entry surfaces.
- 12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein each of said rectangularly configured apertures has a square configuration.
- 13. A die for use in deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said die comprising:
- a die body having an entry wall at one end thereof, and having first and second apertures extending longitudinally therethrough with an entrance end of each aperture located along said entry wall;
- said entry wall including first and second entry surfaces, the first entry surface being positioned laterally adjacent to the entrance end of the second aperture while sloping past the entrance end of the second aperture and toward the entrance end of the first aperture, and the second entry surface being positioned laterally adjacent to the entrance end of the first aperture while sloping past the entrance end of the first aperture and toward the entrance end of the second aperture, such that a substantial part of the flow of the metallic material in a single metallic workpiece, forced against the entry wall, will be directed along two neighboring flow paths following said first and second entry surfaces, with the first entry surface directing a first portion of the metallic material past the second aperture and into the first aperture, and with the second entry surface directing a second portion of the metallic material past the first aperture and into the second aperture, so as to introduce a pattern of cross-shear stresses into the metallic material as said single metallic workpiece is forced against said entry wall.
- 14. A die for use in deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said die comprising:
- a die body having an entry wall at one end thereof, and having first and second pluralities of closely spaced apertures extending longitudinally therethrough with an entrance end of each aperture located along said entry wall, the entrance ends of said first and second pluralities of apertures being arrayed along respective first and second, transversely extending rows located adjacent to one another, the apertures of said second plurality being so offset into positions opposite the spaces between the apertures of said first plurality as to establish a staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures;
- said entry wall tapering inwardly past said entrance ends of said apertures along first and second, intersecting entry surfaces which include said second and first rows, respectively, such that the flow of the metallic material in a single metallic workpiece, forced against said entry wall, will be generally directed along two intersecting flow paths, following said first and second entry surfaces while flowing across said respective second and first rows, with said first entry surface directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of the second plurality into the apertures of the first plurality, and with said second entry surface simultaneously directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of the first plurality into the apertures of the second plurality, so as to introduce a pattern of cross-shear stresses into the metallic material as the metallic material traverses said staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures as said single metallic workpiece is forced against said entry wall.
- 15. A die as set forth in claim 14, wherein each of said apertures has a rectangular configuration, with adjacent rectangular apertures substantially abutting one another along adjacent corners thereof, substantially on a line of intersection between said first and second entry surfaces.
- 16. A method of deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said method comprising:
- a. forcing the single metallic workpiece against an entry wall of a die, which die has a first aperture and a second aperture extending longitudinally therethrough, said die entry wall sloping past an entrance end of said second aperture and toward an entrance end of said first aperture along a first entry surface, and sloping past said entrance end of said first aperture and toward said entrance end of said second aperture along a second entry surface differing from said first entry surface; thereby simultaneously
- b. guiding the flow of the metallic material of the single metallic workpiece such that a substantial part of said flow is directed along two neighboring flow paths, one of the two neighboring flow paths following said first entry surface while extending past said entrance end of the second aperture and into said entrance end of the first aperture, and the other of the two neighboring flow paths following said second entry surface while extending past said entrance end of the first aperture and into said entrance end of the second aperture.
- 17. A method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said die has a number of additional apertures extending longitudinally therethrough, arranged with entrance ends thereof arrayed intersecting said first entry surface along a first row, said first row including the entrance end of said first aperture, and intersecting said second entry surface along a second row, said second row including the entrance end of said second aperture, the apertures with entrance ends thereof intersecting said second entry surface along said second row being so offset into positions opposite spaces between the apertures with entrance ends thereof intersecting said first entry surface along said first row as to establish a staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures, the method further comprising:
- c. guiding the flow of the metallic material of the single metallic workpiece, with respect to each pair of adjacent, closely proximate apertures, in the manner of step (b).
- 18. A method of deforming a single metallic workpiece to produce simultaneously a plurality of elongated, metallic members, said method comprising:
- a. aligning the single metallic workpiece with a die having an entry wall at one end thereof, and having first and second pluralities of closely spaced apertures extending longitudinally therethrough with an entrance end of each aperture located along said entry wall, the entrance ends of said first and second pluralities of apertures being arrayed along respective first and second, transversely extending rows located adjacent to one another, the apertures of said second plurality being so offset into positions opposite the spaces between the apertures of said first plurality as to establish a staggered relationship of closely proximate apertures, said entry wall tapering inwardly past the entrance ends of the apertures along first and second, intersecting entry surfaces which include said second and first rows, respectively; and
- b. forcing the single metallic workpiece against said entry wall with sufficient pressure to cause the flow of metallic material in the workpiece to be generally directed along two intersecting flow paths, following said first and second entry surfaces while flowing across said respective second and first rows, with said first entry surface directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of the second plurality into the apertures of the first plurality, and with said second entry surface simultaneously directing those elements of the metallic material which traverse the spaces between the apertures of the first plurality into the apertures of the second plurality, as the metallic material of the workpiece separates under the influence of cross-shear stresses, such that a plurality of elongated, metallic members are produced.
RELATED APPLICATION
This patent application is a continuation-in-part of a copending application, Ser. No. 638,495, filed Dec. 8, 1975, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
937,383 |
Mar 1948 |
FR |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
638495 |
Dec 1975 |
|