US2752998A - Portable cutting machines - Google Patents

Description

y $3511 1956 R. s. FERGUSON PORTABLE CUTTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 20, 1955 INVENTOR REESER S. FERGUSON FIG. I

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ATTORNEYS July Li 1956 R. s. FERGUSON PORTABLE CUTTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1955 INVENTOR REESER S. FERGUSON MWWM ATTORNEYS PORTABLE CUTTING MACHINES Reeser S. Ferguson, Spring Hill, La.

Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,463

Claims. (Cl. 164-56) This invention relates to cutting apparatus and has more particular reference to a cutting machine particularly adapted to cut the layers of paper web which wrap around the drying drums upon breakage of the elongated sheet of paper web passing over the drying drums during the process of making paper.

In the process of making paper, after the web of paper has been formed, it is fed through a succession of drums or rollers to produce the finished product. The first group of drums are employed for drying the paper web and are heated to a high temperature by being filled with steam. As the paper web does not have much tensile strength, breakage of the paper web frequently occurs while passing over the drying drums. As the drying drums are rotated at a high rate of speed, when a breakage in the paper web does occur, several layers thereof are wrapped around the drying drum adjacent the breakage point before the drums can be stopped. Due to the size and high temperature of the drums, the quick and eficient removal of the layers of wrapped around paper web is quite difiicult and dangerous, due to the possibility of the workmen being seriously burned while removing the wrapped around layers.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved cutting machine which is particularly adapted for slitting the wrapped around layers of paper web from the drying drums so that they can be removed therefrom quickly and safely.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved cutting machine, as characterized above, including a portable carrier having a power oper ated cutting device mounted thereon and projecting outwardly therefrom, said carrier being capable of being moved into position adjacent the ends of the drying drums and provided with means for raising or lowering the cutting device into proper position to cut the wrapped around layers of paper web on the drying drums.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved power operated cutting device comprising a cylinder adapted to be mounted on a portable carrier for vertical translation thereon and including a reciprocable piston and piston rod projecting outwardly from the front end of the cylinder, a cutting blade angularly adjustably mounted on the outer end of the piston rod, and fluid pressure operating means for reciprocating the piston.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved power operated cutting device, as characterized above, which is simple and durable in construction, efiicient in operation, and easy to operate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a cutting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention and the manner in which it is employed to cut wrapped around layers of paper web from drying drums;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical view taken on the line States Patent 0 2-2 of Fig. l, and showing the upper and lower felt aprons;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of the cutting apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the valve for controlling the flow of fluid for operating the cutting device.

The present invention provides a novel and improved cutting machine for cutting wrapped around layers of paper Web from drying drums employed in making paper and, in general, comprises a portable carrier having a vertically extending lift mast mounted thereon and provided with a carriage assembly mounted for vertical translation thereon; and a power operated cutting device including a cylinder mounted on the carriage assembly for up and down movement therewith, said cylinder including a reciprocable piston and piston rod projecting outwardly from the front end of the cylinder, a cutting member angularly adjustably mounted on the outer end portion of the piston rod and fluid pressure operating means for reciprocating the piston including a control valve and conduits connecting the valve to a source of fluid under pressure and to the opposite ends of the cylinder, the construction and arrangement being such that the portable carrier may be moved into position adjacent one end of a drying drum with the cutting device projecting in a direction parallel to the drum and then lowered or raised into proper position to cut the wrapped around layers of paper web on the drum.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated, in Figs. 1 and 3, one embodiment of a cutting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention. As there shown, the machine comprises a portable carrier, indicated generally at 10, having a power operated cutting device, indicated generally at 11, mounted. thereon.

While the portable carrier 10 may be of any suitable construction provided with means for elevatingand lowering the cutting device mounted thereon to proper working position, preferably, and as shown in Fig. 1, the portable carrier is in the form of an industrial truck of the type made by the Towmotor Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, and shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,625,285. The portable carrier 10, as shown, is identical in construction to the industrial truck shown in the aforesaid patent and comprises a chassis or frame structure, indicated generally at C, upon which are mounted the driving engine, the steering controls, and, at the front end, a vertical lift mast M having a carriage F mounted thereon for vertical translation. The construction and arrangement of all of the various parts are as described in the aforesaid patent, except that the carriage assembly has been modified by removing the material handling fork therefrom and mounting the power operated cutting device thereon, in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The power operated cutting device, indicated generally at 11, is shown as comprising a cylinder 12 having a rear end cap 13 and a front end cap 14 suitably secured thereto; a piston 15 mounted for reciprocation within the cylinder and secured to the end of a piston rod 16 which extends through the front end cap 14 and a stuffing gland 17 carried thereby, and a cutting member, indicated generally at 18, adjustably mounted on the outer end of the piston rod.

The piston rod 16 is square in cross section, except for its outer end portion, on which the cutting member 18 is mounted, which is made octagonal in cross section by cutting off the four corners of the square piston rod, the four shoulders thus left forming an abutment against which the cutting member rests when mounted on the piston rod.

The cutting member 18 is shown as comprising a hollow sleeve-like member l? having a bore octagonal in cross section and of a size to slidingly fit on the octagonal in cross section outer end portion of the piston rod, and carrying a depending kn e member Zll extending down wardly and inwardly fr its outer end portion. The upper edge 21 of the knife member is sharpened to provide a cutting edge and its free end portion is inclined downwardly to a point as indicated at 552. The bottom edge of the knife member is fiat. The sleevedike member 19 may be removed from the end of the piston rod and turned and replaced on the rod in a dilterent angular position. The sleeve is held on the piston rod against the abutment caused by cutting otf the four corners of the square rod, as by means of a cotter pin 23 mounted in a hole formed in the end of the piston rod.

If desired, the sleeve member may be formed with :1 depending ridge 24 along its botto edge, e: ending from the inner end of the sleeve to the knife member 2d and having its bottom end sharpened to provide a cutting edge, as indicated at 25.

The cylinder 12 may be mounted on the carriage assembly of the industrial truck in any suitable manner. In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated, the cylinder is shown as being clamped a mounting support member, indicated generally at 26 and comprising an open'ended tubular member 27 having a longitudinal split formed in its upper wall with flanges 2d, 29 extending upwardly along the split and provided with bolts Bill to clamp the flanges together to thereby clamp the cylinder 12 in the split tubular member 27. The tubular member 27 has an integral depending supporting plate 3i formed on its inner end which is bolted to the bottom vertical board 32 on the carriage assembly of the industrial truck intermediate its ends. Additional support for the tubular member is provided as by means of an integral reinforcing rib 33 projecting outwardly from the plate anc secured to the bottom of the tubular member 27. The reciprocating movement of the pisto. l and the cutting blade is controlled as by means of any suitable type of control valve 3 which may be mounted in any suitable position on the industrial truck in position to be controlled by the truck operator or an assistant.

A flexible conduit 35 connected to the valve 31 is adapted to be connected to a source of lluid under pressure, preferably compressed air, and a flexible conduit 36 extends from the valve 34 to a forward union connection 37 mounted in the forward end portion of the cylinder 12 and a flexible conduit 3% extends from the valve 34 to an after union connection 39 mounted in the after Wall of the cylinder and positioned to extend through a suitable opening formed in the board 32 of the carriage assembly when the cylinder is mounted and clamped within the tubular member 27. The exhaust fluid from the cylinder passes from the valve 34 through conduit All which exhausts to the atmosphere when compressed air is employed as the driving fluid or back to the hydraulic cylinder when a hydraulic fluid such as oil is employed.

While the cutting machine, as above described, may be employed for many purposes, it is particularly adapted for use in paper mills for clearing the drying drums of the layers of the web of paper which wrap around the drying drums whenever a breakage occurs. As above pointed out, the web of paper, after it has been formed, passes over a series of drying drums, which are large, hollow drums heated by live steam. These drums are quite large, ranging up to 2l3" in length and 60 in diameter, and are heated by live steam to temperatures above 200 F. When in operation, these drying drums are rotated at a high rate of speed and whenever the web of paper breaks, the drum adjacent the break point is wrapped around by several layers of the paper web before the drums can be stopped. It is extremely difficult and dangerous to remove these wrapped around layers of web paper from the drum, due to the high temperature and size of the drum and great care must be taken to prevent the workmen from getting seriously burned. With the cutting machine of the present invention, the removal of wrapped around paper web from the drying drum has been made easy and safe.

The manner in which the cutting machine is employed to cut away the wrapped around paper web from a drying drum is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 2 there is shown diagrammatically and in side elevation, the usual arrangement of three drying drums D1, D2, and D3; the upper felt apron A1, which passes over the large upper drying drum Dr, the small drum d, and the large upper drying drum D2, and the lower felt apron A2 which passes over the small drum (12, under the lower drying drum D3 and over the small drum dz. The Web of paper l after it has been formed, is threaded over the upper drying drum D1 beneath the felt apron A1, then around the lower drying drum D3 beneath the lower felt apron A2 and then up over the drying drum D2 beneath the upper felt apron A1. With the drying drums rotating at high speed, whenever a breakage occurs in the paper web, the web will be wrapped several layers deep around the drum closest to the break in the direction opposite to the direction of travel of the paper web. Thus, if a break occurs between drying drums D1 and D2, drum D1 will be wrapped, it between drums D2 and D3, drum D2 will be wrapped, if after the web has passed over drum D2, drum D2 will be wrapped.

Whenever a break occurs and one of the drying drums is Wrapped with several layers of paper web before the drums can be stopped, the drying drums are shut down and the cutting machine moved into position so that the cylinder 12 will project into the space between the three drums in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drum which is to be cleared of wrapped paper, the knife member having been previously mounted on the end of the piston rod so that it will extend in a direction to the surface of the drum when in cutting position and then the piston is extended to the end of its stroke to bring the knife into position to engage the metal surface of the drum beyond the far edge of the paper web wrapping and the cylinder is lowered or raised, as the case may be, to bring the bottom of the knife into engagement with the metal surface of the drum. When in proper cutting position, the control valve 3 3 is actuated to push the piston inwardly, resulting in the knife being pulled across the drum, severing the layers of wrapped around paper web. As the length of the drying drum is longer than the stroke of the piston rod, as soon as the knife has been pulled back to the end of the stroke of the piston, then the truck or carrier is backed away in a straight line to complete the severing of the wrapped paper.

The foregoing method of operation permits the quick removal of the wrapped paper web from the drum without disturbing the felt and without cutting off of the supply of live steam to the drum, so that the drying drums can be put back in operation in the shortest period of time. It also eliminates the possibility of workers being burned by the hot drying drums, as it is not necessary that they come sufliciently close to the drums to be burned in operating the machine.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that there has been provided a novel and improved cutting machine, one particularly adapted for cutting the wrapped around paper on drying drums employed in paper makingvvhen a breakage occurs, one which is simple and rugged in construction, efiicient in operation, and one which may be operated by a single operator without danger of being burned by the hot drying drums.

Obviously, the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A cutting machine of the character described comprising a vehicular carrier member having a vertically extending mast provided with a carriage mounted for vertical translation thereon; a power operated cutting device including a cylinder mounted on said carriage and projecting outwardly therefrcm, said cylinder including a reciprocable piston and a piston rod projecting outwardly from the outer end of the cylinder; a cutting member mounted on the outer end portion of said piston rod, said cutting member being angularly adjustable about the axis of said piston rod; and fluid pressure operating means for reciprocating said piston including a control valve and conduits connecting said valve to a source of fluid under pressure and to the opposite ends of said cylinder.

2. A cutting machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outer end portion of said piston rod is polygonal in cross section and wherein said cutting member comprises an open-ended hollow sleeve-like member having a cutting blade fixedly secured thereto and extending in a downwardly and inwardly inclined direction therefrom, said hollow sleeve-like member having a bore which is polygonal in cross section to conform to the polygonal end portion of the piston rod so that the sleeve may be slidably fitted on the end of the piston rod and adjusted to various angular positions relative thereto; and means for retaining said sleeve-like member in adjusted position on said piston rod.

3. A cutting machine of the character described comprising in combination a power propelled manually steered industrial truck having a power operated lift mast including a carriage assembly mounted for vertical translation thereon; and a power operated cutting device mounted on said carriage assembly, said cutting device including a cylinder mounted on said carriage assembly and projecting outwardly therefrom, said cylinder including a reciprocable piston and a piston rod projecting outwardly from the outer end of the cylinder, a control valve mounted on said truck in position to be operated by the operator of said truck, means operatively connecting said control valve to opposite ends of said cylinder for delivering fluid under pressure to the front and rear sides of said piston for reciprocating the same, and a cutting member mounted on the outer end portion of said piston rod, said cutting member being angularly adjustable about the axis of said piston rod.

4. A cutting machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein the outer end portion of said piston rod is polygonal in cross section and wherein said cutting member comprises an open-ended hollow sleeve-like member having a cutting blade fixedly secured thereto and extending in a downwardly and inwardly inclined direction therefrom, said hollow sleeve-like member having a bore which is polygonal in cross section to conform to the polygonal end portion of the piston rod so that the sleeve may be slidably fitted on the end of the piston rod and adjusted to various angular positions relative thereto; and means for retaining said sleeve-like member in adjusted position on said piston rod.

5. A power operated cutting device comprising a cylinder including a reciprocatable piston and a piston rod projecting outwardly from the front end of the cylinder, said piston rod having its outer end portion made polygonal in cross section; a cutting member removably and angularly adjustably mounted on the polygonal end portion of said piston rod, said cutting member including a sleeve having a bore polygonal in cross section and of a size to permit the sleeve to be slidably mounted in different angular positions on said piston rod and a cutting blade depending therefrom in a downwardly and inwardly inclined direction, said sleeve having a depending ridge along its bottom extending from the inner end of the sleeve to said cutting blade and having its bottom edge sharpened to provide a cutting edge; and fluid pressure operating means for reciprocating said piston including a control valve and conduits connecting said valve to a source of fluid under pressure and to the opposite ends of said cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 177,327 Foulis May 16, 1876 498,779 Foulis June 6, 1893 1,748,266 Wikle Feb. 25, 1930 1,838,011 St. Peter Dec. 22, 1931 2,269,835 Wallace et a1. Jan. 13, 1942 2,446,011 Johnson et a1. July 27, 1948 2,477,167 Bliss July 26, 1949 2,609,876 Bauer et al. Sept. 9, 1952 2,620,993 Jefirey Dec. 9, 1952

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