Belt shearline having metering roller

• US 3,906,825 A
• Filed: 01/17/1975
• Issued: 09/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frank W. Senft, George E. Schenck, Robert L. Schenck
• Original Assignee: Frank W. Senft, George E. Schenck, Robert L. Schenck
• Inventors: Schenck, George E., Schenck, Robert L., Senft, Frank W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abercrombie, Willie G.
• Application Number:
  US05/542,009
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• Field of Search: 83/155,155.1,157,208,268
• US Class Current: 83/155.1
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/20 with interrelated action between the cutting member and work feed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2194 And means to remove product therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2198 Tiltable or withdrawable support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/4455 Operation initiated by work-driven detector means to measure work length
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/461 With abutment to position work being fed with respect to cutter

Abstract

A shearline having an endless conveyor belt, frame and roller apparatus for supporting and driving the belt in conventional fashion and means for tilting the entire frame assembly to discharge cut material from the belt surface. A shear is mounted a known distance from the inlet end of the shearline. A measuring apparatus at the inlet end includes a metering roller extending transversely of the belt and an abutment plate downstream of the metering roller. The roller and plate are mounted on a pivoting mechanism having a pivot point between the plate and roller so that only one of those two articles is adjacent the surface of the belt at any one time. An idle lift roller raises the ends of plural rods as they are fed onto the belt to protect the belt surface. The abutment plate stops and squares the ends of the rods fed onto the inlet end of the belt. The plate establishes an initial distance from the shear. The pivot mechanism is then operated to lift the plate and lower the measuring and lift rollers after which the belt is driven to run the material toward the outlet end. After the metering roller has measured a predetermined amount of stock, the shear is actuated, cutting the stock as desired. The belt is then further moved to a discharge point at which the entire mechanism is tilted to discharge the cut bar into a receiving bin. The metering roller is provided with a pulse producing device and a control unit receives therefrom to control the operation of the belt drive, the tilting mechanism and the shear drive. In a further embodiment a separate metering roller in contact with the surface of the belt is provided, the pulse producing unit being driven by the separate metering roller. The separate roller is mounted on the machine frame and does not tilt with the belt and its associated equipment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring and cutting elongated stock comprising the combination of an elongated frame;

an endless conveyor belt;

means for mounting said belt for movement on said frame to form a conveyor;

means for driving said belt in a direction to carry articles from an inlet end toward an outlet end of said conveyor;

an abutment plate;

a work-holding roller having an axis of rotation;

bracket means for supporting said plate and said roller;

means for pivotally mounting said bracket means on said frame with said plate and the axis of said roller perpendicular to the direction of motion of said belt;

means for pivoting said bracket means between a first position in which said plate is adjacent to said belt and said roller is spaced from said belt a distance sufficient to permit the passage of stock on said belt, and a second position in which said plate is spaced from said belt a distance sufficient to permit the passage of stock and said roller is spaced from said belt by a distance determined by the thickness of stock placed thereon so that said roller is rotated by contact with stock carried by said belt;

means for producing signals representative of the amount of longitudinal motion of the stock carried by said belt when said bracket means is in said second position; and

shear means mounted a predetermined distance from said plate and spaced from the inlet end of said conveyor to cut said stock.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising second conveyor means for delivEring elongated stock to said shear and the inlet end of said conveyor.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for producing signals comprises means attached to said roller for producing electrical pulses representative of increments of rotary motion thereof as said roller is rotated in contact with moving stock

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 and further comprising control means connected to said means for producing pulses, said shear, said means for driving said belt and said means for pivoting said bracket means, for controlling the operation of said apparatus to measure and cut pieces of stock.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising hinge means for supporting said frame along one side for limited pivotal movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the direction of movement of said belt;

and means for vertically moving the side of said frame opposite said one side of dump cut stock from said belt.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprises first and second end plates bearing means in each of said end plates for rotatably supporting said roller between said plates;

an axle extending between said plates and defining a pivot axis for said bracket means;

said abutment plate being connected between said end plates so that said axle lies between said abutment plate and said bearing means in each plate; and

wherein said means for pivotally mounting said bracket means includes first and second mounting blocks attached to said frame and having journal openings for said axle spaced from said belt so that only one of said roller and said abutment plate can be adjacent said belt at a time.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said means for pivoting said bracket means includes a crank arm attached to said axle;

and fluid actuated piston means for moving said crank arm and said bracket means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 and further comprising roller means for maintaining the end segments of oncoming stock spaced above the surface of said belt at said inlet end, said roller means comprising a passive roller mounted for free rotation about an axis parallel with the axis of said metering roller;

and means for moving said passive roller between an upper position in which the uppermost portion of said passive roller lies in a plane above the upper surface of said belt and a lower position in which said roller is below the upper surface of said belt.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for moving said passive roller is attached to said means for pivoting said bracket means and moves synchronously therewith.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising roller means for maintaining the end segments of oncoming stock spaced above the surface of said belt at said inlet end, said roller means comprising a passive roller mounted for free rotation about an axis parallel with the axis of said work-holding roller;

and means for moving said passive roller between an upper position in which the uppermost portion of said passive roller lies in a plane above the upper surface of said belt and a lower position in which said roller is below the upper surface of said belt.