672 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1914. 



New Machines and Appliances. 



STEVENS' BEAD FORMING MACHINE. 



THE drawings herewith show a side view, partly in section, 

 and a top view of a new bead forming machine, designed 

 by William C. Stevens, of the Firestone Tire & Rubber 

 Co., of Akron, Ohio. The machine forms four beads simul- 

 taneously from narrow strips of impregnated fabric. 



The fabric used in this process is made in a sheet 44 inches 

 wide, being composed mostly of strong, longitu- 

 dinal threads and comparatively few weft threads, 

 of less strength, so that the fabric may be easily 

 sHt into strips. The fabric A is unwound from 

 a supply roll B, and is passed under a guide roller 

 C. The liner sheet D is wound up on a reel E. 

 The fabric passes over a series of knives F, 175 

 in number, and is slit back for a distance of 

 about 2 feet, into strips J4 of an inch in width. 

 The ends of these strips are passed between 

 presscr rolls G and then, alternately, one above 

 the roller H, and the other below the roller /. 

 After being thus separated the strips are led into 

 bunching dies /, four in number, where they are 

 gathered into four groups and passed into V- 

 shaped grooves in the fillet-forming wheels K. 

 The rubber with which the fabric is impreg 

 nated is unvulcanized and still tacky and helps 

 hold the beads in shape after leaving the grooved 

 wheels K. The four beads then pass between grooved rollers L 

 and presser rollers M, which give them their final shape. 

 The speed of this last set of rollers is greater than that of the 

 wheels K, so that in addition to being compressed, the beads are 

 subjected to a tension to remove the slack from the warp 



with the fabric, which is then slit by the rollers H and 1. The 

 forming rollers and bunching dies are mounted on splined shafts, 

 so that they may be adjusted longitudinally in case more tir less 

 tlian 44 strips are to be used in forming the beads. Between each 

 of the grooved wheels A' and their common shaft T, is a ratchet 

 connection, by means of which the operator may turn any of the 

 wheels independent of the others, in order to maintain a uniform 

 tension in all of the four groups of strips. 



Side View of Stevens' Bead Forming M.^chine. 



ANOTHER SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR THE RUBBER 

 MILL. 





Plan View of Stevens' Bead Forming Machine. 



threads. The completed beads are wound up on reels N , mounted 

 on a car S. When the reels are full the shaft is disengaged from 

 the driving mechanism, and the car is run from under the ma- 

 chine frame. 



When the fabric is first led from the supply roll and slit by 

 means of the knives F, these knives are lowered out of contact 



■ I 'HE present campaign for "safety first" being waged by public 

 •^ service corporation and manufacturers generally has led to 

 the introduction of many devices intended to 

 aid the operator in the prevention of accidents. 

 The wide-awake executives of rubber goods 

 factories have not been slow to appreciate the 

 advantages of such devices as applied to their 

 special needs. These columns have, from time 

 to time, set forth the advantages of the differ- 

 ent types of safety devices applicable to the 

 rubber mill. 



As another example of a quick operating, 

 safety throw-out device which has been devel- 

 oped for this work, we illustrate herewith the 

 Dodge split friction clutch and gravity brake. 

 In this device the clutch is located on the line 

 shaft supplying power to the machines, and is 

 placed under the control of the operator by 

 means of a bar or cord suspended over each 

 machine. A slight pull on this bar or cord 

 automatically releases the clutch and cuts off 

 the power. 



Because of the kinetic energy possessed by 

 the rotating parts of the mills and shafting, 

 the machines do not come instantly to rest and 

 the danger to the operator, though greatly re- 

 duced, is not entirely eliminated. To secure a 

 complete stoppage of the machines in a short 

 time, a simple type of band brake, automatical- 

 ly released and applied by the force of gravity, is placed on the 

 driven line. 



Reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a side 

 elevation and an end view of the clutch and brake, will give a 

 good idea of its construction and operation. One part A of the 

 clutch is keyed to the power shaft B, while the other part C of 



