Apparatus for controlling the tension in tapes

Claim 1

FOR CONTROLLING THE TENSION IN TAPE BEING DRAWN OFF FROM A PAD HELD IN A PAD CARRIER SUPPORTED IN BEARINGS IN A LAPPING MACHINE HEAD WHICH REVOLVES AROUND THE MACHINE AXIS AND BEING LAPPED HELICALLY UPON A CORE, A TENSION CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MEMBER INCORPORATING BEARINGS WHICH IS ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS, AND IS ADAPTED TO BE ROTATABLY DRIVEN BY THE PAD ABOUT ITS AXIS AT A SPEED PROPORTIONAL TO THE LINEAR SPEED AT WHICH TAPE IS DRAWN OFF FROM THE PAD, MEANS FOR APPLYING TO THE PAD THROUGH THE ROTATABLY DRIVEN MEMBER A CONTROLLED BRAKING TORQUE, SAID LAST MEANS COMPRISING TWO RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBERS URGED TOWARDS EACH OTHER TO DEFORM ELASTICALLY SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF A SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING DRIVEN BY SAID ROTATABLY DRIVEN MEMBER AND BEING RETARDED BY THE FORCE REQUIRED TO DEFORM SAID SURFACE, AND IN COMBINATION WITH SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING A CONTROLLED BRAKING TORQUE, A BODY WHICH IS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING CONTROLLED BRAKING TORQUE AND WHICH IS MOVABLE UNDER CENTRIFUGAL ACTION CAUSED BY ROTATION OF THE LAPPING MACHINE HEAD AND WHICH IS OF SUCH MASS THAT UPON ROTATION OF THE HEAD IT GENERATES A CENTRIFUGAL FORCE WHICH REDUCES THE CONTROLLED BRAKING TORQUE BY AN AMOUNT APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE INCREASE IN BRAKING TORQUE DUE TO THE EFFECT OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ON THE PAD CARRIER BEARINGS AND ON BEARINGS INCORPORATED IN THE TENSION REGULATING DEVICE ITSELF AND MEANS FOR APPLYING THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE GENERATED BY SAID BODY TO SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING A CONTROLLED BRAKING TORQUE.