Field of Search:
29/180,183,190,120,121 15/179,180,181,182,183 300/21
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In brush roll means utilizing a cylindrical core surface upon which a brush strip member, having a U-section base member and filaments retained and extending outwardly from the base member, is helically wound, various prior proposed means have been used to secure the brush strip member to the core member for the purpose of preventing relative movement between the brush strip member and the cylindrical core surface. Such relative movement was sometimes characterized by the formation of radially outwardly displaced bulges of the brush strip member where the turns of the helically wound member became loose and were not in tight frictional engagement with the core surface and also when circumferential displacement or creeping of the helically wound brush strip member occurred because of the forces acting upon the brush filaments which were transmitted to the brush strip member during rotation of the brush roll. Such loosening and relative movement of the brush strip member with respect to the core member could produce a dynamic unbalance in the brush roll which would increase wear on the brush and the brush driving means, and which would decrease the working efficiency of the brush roll on the surface being brushed. In some instances, vibration of the brush strip under such loose conditions would cause breakage of the strip.
Some prior proposed securement means included a tang member clamped on the end of the brush strip member and then secured by various means, such as a cable, to the core structure (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,866). Other securement arrangements included welding, riveting, or drive screwing a tang member to a core member or using J-bolts in which the J-shaped end of such a bolt overlay and received the brush strip member. In another prior proposed securement arrangement, an annular ring was provided with teeth lying in a plane passing longitudinally through the axis of the core and positioned to overlie and bear against the outer peripheral edges of the brush strip member, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,559.
In each of the prior proposed securement means for the end of a brush strip member, one or more intermediary elements were employed to secure the brush strip end to the core and required additional separate assembly steps; thereby increasing cost and expense of material and labor. In operation of the brush roll means, such intermediary elements often became loose, required adjustment, and resulted in equipment lost time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention contemplates a novel core construction which avoids the disadvantages of the prior proposed securement arrangements for ends of a brush strip member on a core member. The invention relates to a core member provided with a novel construction of integral tang means and a plurality of brush roll means of relatively short length and embodying the novel core construction.
A main object of the present invention is to disclose a novel core construction having integral tang means for securing opposite ends of a brush strip member coiled thereupon.
Another object of the present invention is to disclose a blank of sheet metal stock material which may be stamped for providing a core member with integral tang means.
Another object of the present invention is to disclose a novel core member for a brush roll means wherein the tang means thereon are selectively referenced to a core member supporting mandrel or shaft.
A still further object of the present invention is to disclose and provide a core member which is capable of being inexpensively and rapidly manufactured.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a broken fragmentary view of a sheet metal blank stamped to provide a core member embodying the present invention, the other side of said blank being identical to the side shown;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a core member embodying the invention, the view being partly in section to show the partition wall construction;
FIG. 3 is an end view taken from the plane indicated by line III--III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of three core members arranged on a mandrel shaft to illustrate the angular displacement of each core member with respect to the other for continuous winding of a brush strip member on said core members;
FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of two core members with a brush strip member represented thereon and partially wound on one of the core members; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line VI--VI of FIG. 5.
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a blank generally indicated at 10 of sheet metal stock of any suitable gauge or thickness. Approximately a longitudinal half of blank 10 is shown, the other longitudinal half being similarly configured and is not shown for purposes of brevity.
Blank 10 comprises an intermediate blank portion 11 of uniform width and extending between end portions 12 and 14, said end portions terminating in transverse end edges 15 and 16.
Tang means may be stamped from each end portion 12 and 14 at side edges of the end portions. Tangs or tang teeth 18 stamped from end portion 12 include tang points 19 which lie along a line in prolongation of side edge 20 of intermediate portion 11. Tang teeth cavities 21 lie generally slightly inwardly of a longitudinal side fold line 22 about which side margins 23 of the intermediate portion are infolded as shown in FIG. 2 to reinforce ends of the completed formed core member generally indicated at 25, FIG. 2. In this example, the number of tang teeth 18 formed in end portion 12 may be three.
Opposite end portion 14 may be stamped with tang means comprising a pair of tangs 26 having tang points 27 lying approximately on the projection of a longitudinal line passing through the middle portion of tangs 18 at the opposite end, said line being identified at 28. Tang teeth cavities 29 generally extend inwardly a distance from side edge 20 less than twice the width of side margins 23 as shown in FIG. 2. Tangs 26 in this example comprise two tang teeth and are offset inwardly or inboardly of the tang teeth 18 at the opposite end of the blank.
Blank 10 is provided with a selected length depending upon the diameter of the core member 25 to be formed so that when the blank 10 is rolled into cylindrical form, end portion 14 may overlap end portion 12 in such manner that when the tangs 18 and 26 are bent radially outwardly and outstanding, the tang points 27 will lie opposite and transverse to the tang cavities 21 on the outer tang teeth 18. Thus as best shown in FIG. 2, overlapping of end portion 14 with respect to end portion 12 and with upstanding teeth 18 and 26 in juxtaposed relation, recesses 30 are formed by the tangs 18 and 26 for reception of ends of a brush strip member 32.
Core member 25 may also include a centrally positioned transverse stiffening or reinforcing partition wall 34 of circular form and having peripheral axially extending flange means 35 secured to the inner surface of intermediate portion 11 as by suitable means such as spaced spot welding indicated at 36. Partition wall 34 includes an axially aligned polygonal, or in this example, hexagonal opening 37, one of the vertices 38 lying on a diameter 39 which passes through center tang tooth 18 of the outer tang means. The partition wall 34 and the particular polygonal opening 37 is thus referenced in its position to the tang means carried by the core member for a purpose later described.
It will thus be apparent that core member 25 is reinforced in its cylindrical shape by partition wall 34 and the overfolded end margins 23 and the overlapping of end portions 14 and 12, said end portions being secured as by spaced spot welding 40 and provides a rigid core member of selected length provided with integral tang means for securing a brush strip member.
Wall 34 may also include a plurality of spaced holes 38 for mounting a hub (not shown) on the core member for attachment of core member to a brush driving shaft (not shown) in well-known manner.
Brush strip member 32 may be of well-known form and generally comprises a brush strip U-section or channel formed base member 42 provided with a wire retainer member 43 for securing a plurality of suitable brush filaments 44 within the base member 42 in well-known manner. Brush strip member 32 may be coiled or wound on a core member 25 in a manner now described.
In FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of core members 25 are shown in coaxial relation. When assembling such a plurality of core members on a mandrel for winding thereon of a brush strip member 32, a mandrel shaft 46 of corresponding polygonal shape is passed through the hexagonal opening 37 in the partition walls of the core members. Since the vertices 38 in each partition wall 34 is in registration with the tang means, each core member 25 may be positioned on mandrel shaft 46 with the tang means in 120° spaced relation from the tang means on the adjacent core member. The spacing of 120° is related to the lead of the brush strip member 32 to be coiled in a helical fashion on the core members.
In addition to angular spacing of the successive core members 25, spacer members 55 may be interposed between adjacent ends of the core members 25 to accommodate the selected pitch of helical coil. Each member 55 may include a pair of peripherally flanged circular walls 56 similar to wall 34, arranged with flanges 57 facing each other and provided with corresponding polygonal openings 58 to receive the mandrel shaft. At circularly spaced intervals, radially outwardly directed pins 59 are secured as by welding to the flange edges. The flanges 57 are receivable within open ends of the core members to support ends of the core members during the coiling operation and to prevent tilt of the cores about wall 34. The pins 59 of selected size serve to axially space the core members in accordance with the selected pitch of the coil.
Thus as illustrated in FIG. 5, a brush strip member 32 may be started at one end of the plurality of core members 25 as indicated at 47 and the end thereof secured by bending over the points 19 and 27 of the tang means. As the core members are rotated by the mandrel shaft 46 through suitable driving means (not shown) and advanced axially from the point of feed of the brush strip 32, the brush strip is wound tightly and snugly on the cylindrical surface of the core member 25. When the brush strip 32 reaches the opposite end of the first core member 25, the lead of the helix being wound causes the brush strip member to pass into the tang recess 30 and between the tang teeth 18 and 26.
The brush strip 32 is thus received in successive tang recesses in adjacent core members without interruption of the winding operation. After the brush strip member 32 has been continuously wound over the plurality of core members 25 and the winding stopped, tang teeth 18 and 26 at each tang recess may be bent over as by hammering (FIG. 6) to firmly secure the brush strip member on the core members. Spacer members 55 provide a support and backup for the hammering operation since the spacer walls 56 will be positioned substantially beneath the tang means.
It will be understood that the method of winding brush strip member 32 on core members 25 may include the method described in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,193,865.
The core members 25 and the rotary brush means thereby formed may be readily separated from each other by cutting the brush strip member at ends of the core members as at 50 and intermediate and approximately centrally between the tang means on the adjacent core members. Spacer members 55 support the ends of the core members during the cutting and resist deformation of the core end. An arcuate brush strip tail 51 is thereby formed which extends beyond the tang means of core member 25 and in this example subtends an angle of approximately 60°. After cutting, during which tail 51 may be slightly bent from its original curved position, the tail 51 may be reshaped into conformity with the cylindrical surface of the core member 25.
In the event a rotary brush requires positioning of core members 25 in adjacent relation, it will be readily apparent that the end faces of tails 51 may approximately abut each other when the core members are positioned coaxially adjacent each other and angularly displaced 120°. Thus in such instance, complete continuity of a rotary brush means is provided. It has been found that the length of tail 51 is sufficiently stiff or dimensionally stable so as to maintain its position with relation to the core 25 during operative rotation of the brush means.
In the present example of the invention in which blank 10 is formed of a rectangular blank of sheet stock, it will be readily apparent that the ends of the formed core member 25 will lie in a plane normal to the axis of the core member 25. The invention also contemplates that a blank of sheet stock material may be provided of nonrectangular form, such as a parallelogram configuration whereby the end portions are overlapped along a joint line or means generally parallel to the axis of the core member and in which the ends of the core member may be of helical configuration corresponding to the lead of the brush strip coil. In this example, the tang means of adjacent cores may be positioned in approximate contiguous relation so that continuity of winding of the brush strip member upon a plurality of cores may be accomplished and continuity of rotary brush means so formed may also be provided. Such construction obviates a tail 51 of substantial length.
It will be understood that blank 10 may be stamped of slightly different configuration in order to provide integral tangs while minimizing waste material and facilitating rapid production of a plurality of core members. The overlapping and securement by spot welding of end portions 12 and 14 of blank 10 provides a joint means at which the tang means are located and readily formed, however it will be understood that the joint means may be other than parallel to the longitudinal axis of the core member, that the end edges 15 and 16 may be cut upon a bias so that the tang means at opposite ends of the core member may be angularly offset from one another depending upon preselected lead and pitch of the brush strip member which is to be wound upon the core member.
It will be understood that while the exemplary illustration of the invention shows a core member having tangs arranged for a tight brush strip coil of selected pitch, the tangs may be punched from the core blank to accommodate a coil of very loose or long pitch or lead. For example, in some vacuum cleaner brushes, the coil strip may complete only one turn in the length of the core.
Thus, the present invention contemplates various variations in the shape of the blank means 10 which may result in integral tang means being located and positioned other than directly longitudinally opposite as illustrated in the present example. All such changes and modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.