Patent Application
20230372989
The present invention relates to a method of treating wire, and to a method of storing treated wire, and to apparatus for the same.
The present invention is defined in the attached independent claims, to which reference should now be made. Further, preferred features may be found in the sub-claims appended thereto.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing wire into a wire article, the method comprising heat-treating the wire and allowing it to cool before forming the article.
The method preferably comprises storing the wire for a period of time between the heat-treatment and the forming of the article.
Preferably the method includes introducing the heat-treated wire in loops into a container having at least one sidewall. The container preferably includes at least a part of a wire carrier. The method may include withdrawing the looped wire from the container on the carrier. Preferably the method includes at least partly completing the assembly of the carrier while the wire is in the container, and then preferably withdrawing the wire from the container using the assembled carrier.
The wire may be metal wire, such as steel wire and the method may comprise forming the wire into an article comprising a spring.
The method may include straightening the wire before introducing the wire to the container.
The method preferably comprises introducing the wire into a container comprising a drum, box or cage.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided carrier apparatus for supporting wire, the apparatus comprising a first end-stop, one or more frame members releasably connectable to the first end-stop, and a second end-stop releasably connectable to the or each frame member.
Preferably, the first and/or second end-stop comprises a plurality of limb members, more preferably cross-members, which may preferably be releasably connected together.
In a particularly preferred arrangement, the first and/or second end-stop is generally cruciform in shape and preferably comprises at least two cross-members that are preferably releasably connectable.
The, or each, frame member may be substantially elongate and, more preferably, generally rod-like or tubular.
The frame members are preferably arranged to releasably engage the first and/or second end-stops by locating a portion of the frame member in a socket or aperture of the end-stop. In a preferred arrangement, at least one of the end-stops includes an aperture that has first and second portions of different sizes, so that a locating member of the frame member may be received in one portion and retained in the other, smaller portion. The aperture in the end-stop may comprise a substantially key-hole shape.
A locking fixture may be used for securing at least one of the end-stops to the frame member. The locking fixture may comprise a threaded nut and bolt arrangement or a quick release handle/thumb wheel/lever.
The carrier apparatus may be assembled by engaging the locating portion at one end of the frame member in the aperture of the first end-stop and engaging the locating portion at the opposed end of the frame member with the aperture in the second end-stop.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of loading wire onto a carrier, the method comprising the steps of: heat treating the wire, introducing the heat-treated wire in loops into a container having at least one sidewall, and onto a part of a carrier, at least partly completing the assembly of the carrier while the wire is in the container, and withdrawing the wire from the container on the assembled carrier.
The invention also includes a method of assembling a carrier for looped wire, the method comprising engaging a locating portion at one end of a frame member in an aperture of a first end-stop and engaging a locating portion at the opposed end of the frame member with an aperture in a second end-stop, so that the loops of wire become retained on the carrier and rest upon the lower end stop.
The invention also includes a carrier apparatus according to any statement herein, when loaded with wire. Preferably, the apparatus is loaded with pre-heat-treated wire.
The invention may include any combination of the features or limitations referred to herein, except such a combination of features as are mutually exclusive, or mutually inconsistent.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
Turning to
Only a few loops of wire W are shown schematically in
The end-stops 110 and 120 are of hollow box-section steel and are generally cruciform in shape. Four frame members connect the upper and lower end-stops by engagement between male and female connecting parts, as will be described below.
Referring to
When the frame member is to be attached to the upper end-stop 120, the threaded portion 132 at the upper end 130a is made to pass through the slot 164 of the upper end-stop 120, before being retained securely there using the bolt 134. Other fixings may be used to secure the upper end, such as quick-release threaded handle, thumb-wheel or lever (not shown).
In use, the lower end-stop 110—without the rest of the carrier 100—is first placed inside the loop-forming container 140 at its base. Wire that has preferably been heat-treated and has preferably been pre-straightened, is then introduced into the container so that it forms loops around the inside of the container's cylindrical wall, while resting on the lower end-stop.
When all the wire has been loaded into the container, the frame members are connected to the lower end-stop, and then the upper end-stop is connected to the frame members, as explained above. The wire load can then be lifted from the container and may be stored on the carrier indefinitely. When the wire is to be used, for example when it is to be processed into articles, such as coil springs, it can simply be pulled or played out from the carrier. When all the wire has been taken from the carrier, the carrier may be dis-assembled for easy transportation or storage, thereby taking up less room than a permanent—or fixed—drum or cage.
Optional pre-straightening of the wire, before storage on the carrier, means that the later processing steps do not require bulky straightening apparatus, such as straightening rollers. Optionally pre-treating the wire with heat, prior to storage on the carrier, means that the later processing steps do not require heating apparatus.
The wire may be heat-treated/tempered, for example by passing an electrical current through it, prior (optionally immediately prior) to feeding the wire into the container. A typical temperature suitable for heating the wire would be 280 degrees Celsius, for example. Preferably the wire is allowed to cool, more preferably to cool naturally, prior to introducing the wire into the container. The wire may be straightened before the heat-treatment. Alternatively, the wire may be straightened after heat-treatment and prior to loading the wire into the container.
Heat-treating the wire increases its tensile strength and when the wire is formed into coil springs, for example, the springs are more resilient and better able to retain their shape. This means that a coil spring formed from heat-treated wire requires less material than one formed from wire which has not been heat-treated for substantially the same characteristics.
Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance, it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features referred to herein, and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015520.6 | Sep 2020 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2021/052530 | 9/30/2021 | WO |
