Working of strip metal

Claim 2

A machine for winding metal strip for use in the manufacture of annular rings and part-annular components, said machine comprising a frame, strip end-retaining means supported by said frame for rotation about an axis, drive means for driving said strip end-retaining means in rotation about said axis, a mandrel arranged with its axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the strip end-retaining means, support means mounting a pressure face in opposed relationship to said strip end-retaining means, and means for resiliently resisting relative movement apart of said strip end-retaining means and pressure face support means; said pressure face including an entry section leading in to an arcuate section which extends around said axis through part of one turn of a helix the pitch of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the strip to be coiled, said pressure face including a sizing zone profiled to effect flow of metal from one side to the other of the neutral axis of strip drawn across said sizing zone under pressure transmitted through a coil built up on said mandrel from said means resisting relative movement apart of said strip-end retaining means and said pressure face support means.

Claim 3

A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said strip end-retaining means is a drive ring having a radial slot in a support surface which forms a turn of a helix, the pitch of which corresponds to that of the arcuate section of said pressure face.

Claim 4

A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sizing zone is disposed in the entry section of said pressure face.

Claim 5

A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sizing zone includes a drawing face having an upstream surface meeting a downstream surface in an obtuse angle so as to provide a space for trapping and redistributing the metal of the strip.

Claim 6

A machine as claimed in claim 1, including a pair of opposed surfaces defining a path for strip about to enter said entry zone, said surface being adapted to prevent the formation of a ripple in strip ahead of said entry zone.

Claim 7

A machine as claimed in claim 1, including a scoring tool movable in the direction axially of said mandrel so as to score a groove in a coil supported on said mandrel.

Claim 8

A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein, for the manufacture of dished rings, the drive ring has a conical face and the arcuate section of the pressure face has a complementary conical surface.

Claim 9

In a process for the manufacture of annular metal rings, in which thin strip metal is wound edgewise into a helical coil and compensation is made for distortion of the strip produced by the winding thereof, said cOil being severed to separate the turns, the improvement consisting of compacting said coil under axial pressure so as to trap a portion of the strip between a stationary die and a previously wound section of the strip, preventing the formation of a ripple along one edge of the said portion of strip, and flowing the metal which would otherwise form said ripple across said strip towards the other edge thereof.

Claim 10

In a process for the manufacture of annular metal rings, in which thin strip metal is wound edgewise into a helical coil and compensation is made for distortion of the strip produced by the winding thereof, said cOil being severed to separate the turns, the improvement consisting of compacting said coil under axial pressure so as to trap a portion of the strip between a stationary die and a previously wound section of the strip, preventing the formation of a ripple along one edge of the said portion of strip, and flowing the metal which would otherwise form said ripple across said strip towards the other edge thereof.

Claim 11

A process for the manufacture of annular metal rings comprising: connecting one end of a length of thin metal strip to a drive ring so that said length extends substantially tangentially of a mandrel disposed coaxially of said drive ring, rotating the drive ring to wind said strip edgewise into a helical coil on said mandrel, causing at least the portion of strip about to be wound into said coil to contact a stationary die face, applying pressure axially of said coil to compact said coil and to cause the said portion of strip to be gripped tightly between said die face and a portion of strip already wound into said coil, a flow of metal being produced in said portion as it is drawn across the die face, said flow of metal being such as to compensate for distortion of the strip produced by edgewise bending, whereby the faces of the strip wound to form turns of the coil are substantially parallel, relaxing said pressure, removing said coil from the mandrel, severing the coil to separate the individual turns, and securing together the ends of each of at least some of said severed turns

Claim 12

A process for the manufacture of annular metal rings comprising: connecting one end of a length of thin metal strip to a drive ring so that said length extends substantially tangentially of a mandrel disposed coaxially of said drive ring, rotating the drive ring to wind said strip edgewise into a helical coil on said mandrel, causing at least the portion of strip about to be wound into said coil to contact a stationary die face, applying pressure axially of said coil to compact said coil and to cause the said portion of strip to be gripped tightly between said die face and a portion of strip already wound into said coil, a flow of metal being produced in said portion as it is drawn across the die face, said flow of metal being such as to compensate for distortion of the strip produced by edgewise bending, whereby the faces of the strip wound to form turns of the coil are substantially parallel, relaxing said pressure, removing said coil from the mandrel, severing the coil to separate the individual turns, and securing together the ends of each of at least some of said severed turns

Claim 13

In a process for the manufacture of annular rings and part-annular components, the steps of: providing a continuous length of metal strip, the width of said strip being much greater than its thickness, providing a guide path for said strip, said guide path having a substantially straight entry section followed by an arcuate section which extends through part of one turn of a helix about an axis., causing one end of said strip to follow a path about said axis so as to draw said strip continuously along said entry section and said arcuate section and form a turn of a helix, the strip bending about a first edge as it enters the arcuate section, continuing to draw strip through the entry and arcuate sections of said path so as to form successive turns of a helix and thereby build up a helical coil, applying pressure to said coil during said last-mentioned step so as to compact the coil in the axial direction, causing displacement of metal from the region of said strip adjacent said first edge to a region adjacent the opposite edge as said strip passes through a sizing zone between a stationary surface and a continuously changing face provided by previously wound strip, said displacement resulting from a change in profile of the guide path within said sizing zone and taking place against reaction provided by said continuously changing face, said displacement compensating at least partially for distortion of the cross-section of the strip during bending, discontinuing the rotation of said coil, relaxing said pressure, and severing the coil to separate the turns thereof.

Claim 14

In a process for the manufacture of annular rings and part-annular components, the steps of: providing a continuous length of metal strip, the width of said strip being much greater than its thickness, providing a guide path for said strip, said guide path having a substantially straight entry section followed by an arcuate section which extends through part of one turn of a helix about an axis., causing one end of said strip to follow a path about said axis so as to draw said strip continuously along said entry section and said arcuate section and form a turn of a helix, the strip bending about a first edge as it enters the arcuate section, continuing to draw strip through the entry and arcuate sections of said path so as to form successive turns of a helix and thereby build up a helical coil, applying pressure to said coil during said last-mentioned step so as to compact the coil in the axial direction, causing displacement of metal from the region of said strip adjacent said first edge to a region adjacent the opposite edge as said strip passes through a sizing zone between a stationary surface and a continuously changing face provided by previously wound strip, said displacement resulting from a change in profile of the guide path within said sizing zone and taking place against reaction provided by said continuously changing face, said displacement compensating at least partially for distortion of the cross-section of the strip during bending, discontinuing the rotation of said coil, relaxing said pressure, and severing the coil to separate the turns thereof.

Claim 15

A process as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sizing zone is disposed in said entry section, strip therein being shaped against a reaction surface constituted by the portion of strip instantaneously leaving the end of the arcuate section so as to ride over the strip in the entry section.

Claim 16

A process as claimed in claim 10, wherein, when winding of the coil has been completed, rotation of the coil is stopped and the stationary coil is scored along a line parallel to the coil axis to produce a series of equally spaced notches in the outer edge of the strip, the coil is allowed to slacken and the strip fed lengthwise through a station at which each notch is sensed and the strip severed in response to such sensing.