Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WINDING TUBE
Field of the Invention
[0001] The invention relates to a winding tube for web-shaped materials having
an
elongated hollow cylinder tube body and at least one adapter, the adapter
contacting a casing
surface of the tube body substantially over the entire circumference along an
axial portion of
the tube body to fix the adapter against relative rotation, the adapter having
an exterior
diameter that does not exceed that of the tube body.
Background of the Invention
[0002] Winding tubes are employed in the paper and printing industries, for
example, for
receiving webs of paper. A winding tube includes an elongated hollow cylinder
tube body
made of paper or cardboard. Recently, tube bodies extruded from thermoplastic
materials
have also been used.
[0003] To wind the web material onto the winding tube, and unwind it
therefrom, the
tube is mounted in a winding machine on chucks that engage the ends of the
tube body from
th.e inside and permit torque transfer through clamping means or via
interlocking elements. It
is known to equip the ends of the tube body with adapters, such as metal end
caps placed on
th.e open ends of the tube body, to permit the damage-free clamping of the
relatively soft tube
body.
[0004] DE 44 13 810 of Sonoco Products Co. describes a ring-shaped adapter
glued to a
tube body made of paper. The adapter includes a truncated conical outer
surface received by
a correspondingly comically designed interior surface of the tube body end.
The adapter
reinforces the ends of the winding tube to better resist the clamping forces
of a winding
machine and also permits the use of a tube body whose interior diameter is
greater than the
chuck of the winding machine.
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[0005] Even with paper or cardboard tube bodies, which are relatively cheap to
produce,
there is an increasing desire to limit waste by designing the tube bodies for
multiple uses.
Costs for producing the tube body and adapter disclosed in DE 44 13 810,
however, are
increased by the inclusion of the conical seat. Furthermore, the gluing of the
adapter into the
tube body prevents the further use of an adapter from a damaged tube body.
[0006] Plastic winding tubes are typically produced from simple materials for
reasons of
cost. Such plastic tubes, however, are generally not able to withstand the
high loads applied
by the chucks. The production of winding tubes using high quality wear-
resistant plastics
capable of repeated usage is not feasible because of material costs.
Summary of the Invention
[0007] In one aspect the invention provides a winding tube that can be
repeatedly
used, is cost-effective to produce and is variable in use. This aspect is
attained by providing
an adapter for a tube body that can be removed from the tube body without
being destroyed.
Two functions of the winding tube, namely holding the web material and
transferring torque
from the winding machine, are separated in a simple manner by making the
adapter
removable. Suitable materials can be selected for the tube body and adapter to
provide the
respective functions. If one component fails, it is not necessary to replace
the entire winding
tube. Moreover, use of chucks of different sizes, or with different
interlocking elements, is
possible in the course of winding and unwinding (i.e., producing and using)
the same roll of
web-shaped material.
[0008] The adapter may be interlockingly connected to the tube body in a
simple manner,
particularly when a plastic material is used, by providing meshing grooves and
teeth on the
contacting surfaces. Even when using paper tube bodies, axial teeth arranged
on a plastic
adapter can be pressed into the relatively soft material of the tube body to
provide
interlocking torque transfer. The interlocked connection between the adapter
and the tube
body is particularly advantageous with respect to the removal capability.
[0009] A frictional connection between the adapter and tube body
advantageously
reduces manufacturing outlay. Such a connection can be accomplished with a
cylindrical
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contact face by inserting a cooled adapter into a tube body, which has been
heated if required,
to generate a shrink pressure in the area of the contact face and fix the tube
body and adapter
against relative rotation. In cases where only limited torque transfer is
demanded, the fixation
against relative rotation may be assured by roughened surfaces in the manner
of a micro-
interlocked connection. In case of special demands made on the winding tube,
interlocked
and frictional connections could be combined with each other and could be
reinforced using
roughened surfaces.
[0010] Means for preventing axial displacement between the adapter and tube
body are
also provided in addition to the clamping effect between the contact faces. In
this manner, it
is possible to apply axial forces via the adapter, to position the winding in
a machine for
example. Preferably, a radially protruding collar is provided for this
purpose.
[0011] By matching the exterior diameter of the collar to the exterior
diameter of the tube
body, the exterior casing surface of the collar may be used as a winding
surface. When
transporting a winding designed in this way, the wound-on web material
additionally
contributes to the axial fixation of the adapter on the tube body. Recesses
may be cut in the
front of the collar for affecting the cooling properties of the latter.
[0012] Interlocking elements may be attached to the interior casing surface of
the adapter
to provide for combination with different chucks.
[0013] When employing two adapters in accordance with the invention, a torque
can be
introduced at both ends of a winding tube. This is particularly advantageous
in connection
with very long winding tubes, such as are used in the printing industry, for
example.
[0014] The adapter is preferably made of a material of greater resistance than
the tube
body. In this manner, the use of high-quality, and therefore expensive,
materials such as
highly wear-resistant plastics like fiber-reinforced polyamide, can be limited
to relatively
small components.
[0015] The adapter can be advantageously produced by means of injection-
molding
methods. In this way several complex characteristics may be formed in one work
step
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including grooves and teeth in the contact face, recesses in the end of the
collar and
interlocking elements on the interior casing surface.
[0016] The use of paper or cardboard for the tube body keeps production costs
down and
provides a supply of recycling materials for useful purposes.
[0017] The use of higher quality thermoplastic materials, such as styrene
butadiene, for
the tube body is preferable when the contact faces of the adapter and tube
body are intended
to have grooves and teeth. These interlocking elements can be directly formed
during
extrusion of the tube bodies to extend over the entire length of the tube
body. When
produced by extrusion, the tube body can be made to any arbitrary length
depending on the
requirements.
Brief Description of the Drawings
(001$] Figure 1 is a plan view on the front face of an adapter of a winding
tube according
to the invention;
[0019] Figure 2 is an axial sectional view through one end of the winding tube
of Figure
1 showing the adapter mounted thereon; and
[0020] Figure 3 is a section perpendicular to the axis through the winding
tube of Figure
1 showing the adapter mounted thereon.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
[0021] A winding tube l, whose one end is shown by of example in the drawings,
receives a web of newspaper print (not shown) approximately 3 m in length for
a rotary
printing press (also not shown). An extruded tube body 2, made of polystyrene
having a
density of 1.05 kg/dm3, has an exterior diameter 3 of 182 mm. The tube body 2
is provided at
each of its ends with an adapter 3. The adapter 3, having an interior diameter
5 of 154 mm, is
made by injection-molding fiberglass-reinforced polyamide having a density of
1.4 kg/dm3.
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[0022] The tube body 2 has a trapezoidal interior tooth arrangement 6
extending axially
over its entire length and continuously around its circumference. The tube
body has an
exterior diameter 3 of 170 mm and an interior diameter 5 of 165 mm. The
interior tooth
arrangement 6 includes a tooth base 9 and a tooth crown 10 each having a width
11 of 5 mm
in the circumferential direction. Each of the teeth includes a profile having
an inclination 12
of 39.1°.
[0023] The interior tooth arrangement 6 of the tube body 2 engages a
correspondingly
minor-reversed exterior tooth arrangement 13 of the adapter 3 in an exact fit
having a radial
play of between 0.2 to 0.4 mm. The adapter 3 includes three trapezoidal cams
14 having a
width 15 of 46.5 mm and an interior diameter 16 of 150 mm. The cams 14 extend
in the axial
direction on the interior of the adapter 3 and are circumferentially offset
from each other by
120°. By means of the trapezoidal cams 14, the adapter 3 can be matched
to a chuck (not
shown) that is standardized to fit the printing press.
[0024] The adapter 3 further includes a circumferential collar 17, having a
length 18 of
20 mm in the axial direction, against which the end of the tube body 2 rests
directly. The
exterior diameter of the collar 17 is matched to the exterior diameter 3 of
the winding tube 1.
'Che front face 19 of the adapter 3 has twenty-six recesses 20, evenly
distributed over the
circumference. Each of the recesses 20 has a radial width 21 of 4 mm and an
axial depth 22
of 12 mm.
[0025] To facilitate mounting of the adapter 3 on the tube body 2, as well as
of the
winding tube 1 on the chuck (not shown), the tube body 2 and the adapter 3
have been
provided with conical mounting slopes 19, 24 and 25 at their respective inlet
ends.
[0026] While the present invention has been described with reference to what
are
presently considered to be the preferred examples and give by way of
illustration only, it is to
be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples. To
the contrary, the
invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent
arrangements included
within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
