Method and apparatus for continuously electroplating heavy wire and similar strip material

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF PLATING WIRE HAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL AREA AT LEAST EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF A ROUND WIRE OF 75 MLS DIAMETER TO CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCE A PLATED WIRE WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEING DRAWN AFTER PLATING WITHOUT RUPTURING OF REMOVING THE PLATE, THE STEPS COMPRISING PROVIDING A WIRE HAVING A LARGE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST THAT OF A ROUND WIRE OF M5 MLS DIAMETER WITH A WORK HARDENED SURFACE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE WIRE TO RETAIN THE LINEAR SHAPE WHICH IS FORCEFULLY IMPARTED THERETO, APPLYING A PROPELLING FORCE TO SAID WIRE TO MOVE A STRAND OF THE WIRE AXIALLY IN A STRAIGHT DIRECTION, SUBJECTING THE PROPELLED STRAND OF WIRE TO A PLURALITY OF LINEARLY ARRANGED OPPOSED FORCES PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID WIRE TO STRAIGHTEN THE SAME, IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER CURVING THE PROPELLED STRAND OF WIRE IN A DIRECTION WHICH IS A GENERALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION BUT INCLINED SLIGHTLY FROM THE TRUE VERTICAL SO AS TO FORM THE WIRE INTO A HELIX OF UNIFORM SIZE AND PITCH, THE ENERGY FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CURVING SAID STRAND OF WIRE BEING APPLIED BY SAID PROPELLING FORCE, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPORTING AND APPLYING A ROTATING FORCE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF ADJACENT COILS OF SAID HELIX AS THEY ARE FORMED SO AS TO FEED SAID HELIX ALONG A HELICAL PATH HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SYNCHRONIZING THE SAID