Apparatus and method for automatically producing a ring net

Abstract

A machine for automatically producing a net (R) comprising rings (A) made of metal wire (1) which are connected to each other, comprising a bending station (120), to which a metal wire (1) which can be curved in coils is supplied in order to form a ring (A). The bending station (120) comprises a support member (8) which defines a plane (P) in which the ring (A) being formed is supported. The bending station also comprises a blocking / unblocking member (9) which is movable from an operating blocking configuration, in which it retains the ring (A) on the support member (8) in a position in which the ring is formed by connecting it to two other preformed rings, to a release configuration, in which the ring (A) formed is released by gravitational force so as to be supported by the other two preformed rings.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCING A RING NET

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of containment ring nets which are used in the field of civil engineering for carrying out works in the geotechnical field or equivalent works , for example , but in a non-limiting manner, in order to construct rockfall or avalanche barriers or to brake and block flows of mud or falls of debris which are carried along by a water course in flood or during landslides and landslips as well as for other works for containment of this type , including similar barrier and / or protection works .

[0004] The present invention has been developed with particular regard for an apparatus and a method for automatically producing a ring net .

[0005] Technological background

[0006] The production of metal ring nets , such as , for example , the nets described in DE 1296151 , EP 0370945 , ES 1040741 U, JP H1088527 A, is still mainly carried out manually with an operator who produces by winding each individual ring of the metal net by forming coils of metal wire on a suitable spool then closing the ends of the wire which is thereby wound by means of one or more closure clips .

[0007] This manual production method for a ring net has the substantial disadvantage of being extremely laborious , it is long and complicated to carry out and requires many workers with high production costs .

[0008] US 5597017 describes a method and apparatus for producing a metal ring net which is constituted by rings of metal wire which are produced gradually by this apparatus so as to be connected to other rings of wire which are prefabricated by the same apparatus . The connection rings are formed by passing a metal wire through a bending tool in order to form on a support di f ferent coils which are connected to at least two prefabricated rings which are held by suspension elements so that the rings which are gradually formed extend in a transverse plane relative to the prefabricated rings . When a row of connection rings is formed, the production of a subsequent row of other connection rings which are connected to those of the preceding row is carried out , and so on until the ring net is complete .

[0009] The apparatus described in US 5597017 has the disadvantage that , once a connection ring is formed, it has to be raised from the support thereof , manually or by a suitable li fting mechanism, in order to be engaged in the slots of a suspension element so as not to be an impediment when the process continues with the formation of another connection ring for the two successive prefabricated rings . The necessity of gradually raising the connection rings from the support thereof in order to engage them with the suspension element is extremely onerous when it is carried out manually and in any case greatly slows down the production of the ring net even in the case in which there is available a suitable li fting mechanism, of which, moreover, US 5597017 does not give any exemplary embodiment .

[0010] Another disadvantage of the apparatus described in US 5597017 is being able to produce rings having a diameter which is limited by the dimensions of the support which, for reasons of spatial requirement , weight and cost , cannot have a freely selectable si ze .

[0011] Statement of invention An obj ect of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the prior art and to provide an apparatus and a method for automatically producing a ring net in an optimum manner and within reduced production times so as to allow a reduction of the production costs with respect to the apparatus of the prior art .

[0012] Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing ring nets which also have a great extent and with rings which also have great dimensions .

[0013] Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which is simple to use and rapid to set up for producing ring nets as well as being relatively economical and reliable over time .

[0014] Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically producing metal nets which does not require the use of specialist operators and which in any case reduces to a minimum the number of operators for production .

[0015] In order to achieve one or more obj ects among those indicated above , the invention relates to a machine and a method for automatically producing a net comprising rings made of metal wire having the features indicated in the appended claims .

[0016] According to a first aspect , there is described a machine for automatically producing a ring net whose rings are made of metal wire and which are connected to each other . The machine comprises a bending station or group, to which a metal wire which is curved in coils is supplied, for example , from three to five coils , in order to form a ring of the ring net . The bending station comprises a support member which defines a plane in which the ring is supported while it is being formed . The bending station further comprises a blocking / unblocking member which is movable from an operating blocking configuration, in which it retains the ring on the support member in a position in which the ring is formed by connecting it to two other preformed rings , to a release configuration, in which the ring formed is released by gravitational force so as to be supported by the other two preformed rings . By using such a blocking and unblocking member, it is possible to retain the ring in the plane of the support member for the time necessary to form it, and which then allows the ring to leave the bending station as a result of gravitational force once it has been formed so that it can remain suspended on and connected to the other rings of the net , there is obtained a simple system which does not require additional handling or collecting operations for the ring which is formed by other devices in order to allow the bending group to carry out the formation of the successive ring of the net .

[0017] According to a particular aspect , the support member may comprise a plane movable from a position substantially aligned with a fixed portion, for example , hori zontal , in the operating support configuration of the ring, to a non-aligned position, in the release configuration . When the movable portion is aligned with the fixed portion, the plane is hori zontal , the wire ring is advantageously formed by bending the wire in coils which remain positioned in the plane . When the forming of the ring is finished, the movable plane is inclined in such a manner that the ring can be released by gravitational force , but while remaining engaged with the net as a result of having been constructed in a state connected to other rings . According to an alternative , the support member generally defines a plane which is inclined with respect to the hori zontal and in which the ring being formed is retained until the formation thereof is finished . Preferably, the plane of the support member is inclined by an angle less than 60 ° with respect to the hori zontal , more preferably it is inclined by an angle less than or equal to 45 ° with respect to the hori zontal . By way of clari fication, the terms " inclination" or " inclined plane" with respect to the hori zontal are intended to be understood to mean that the plane in any case has an inclination less than 90 ° , that is to say - in other words - that it is not a vertical plane .

[0018] According to another particular aspect , the support member may comprise two fins which define a support plane for the ring and which, in the operating support position of the ring, are each introduced into one of the two preformed rings , being disengaged from the preformed rings in the release position . The fins contribute to maintaining in the close-together connection position the other two rings of the net , into which the bent metal wire which gradually forms the ring in the bending station is introduced . When the forming operation of the ring is finished, the fins are moved apart and disengaged from the rings to which the ring formed thereby is connected, for example , by lowering them .

[0019] According to another particular aspect , the bending group comprises bending members for the metal wire which are mounted on carriage members which can move in steps with alternating movement in a direction parallel with a wire supply direction .

[0020] Another particular aspect is that the bending group further comprises support members for retaining and maintaining the rings in position as well as blocking / unblocking members for the rings which are capable of moving away from and towards the bending group in a direction which is substantially transverse relative to the support plane of the ring being formed .

[0021] According to another particular aspect , the bending group comprises cutting members which are capable of carrying out the cutting of one end of the metal wire so as to complete the formation of each of the rings .

[0022] Another particular aspect of the machine is that the preformed rings are supported directly or indirectly by hooklike members which are defined by an assembly of spring clips which are supported at the end of respective wires . It is possible to engage , during use , a respective ring with each of the spring clips in order to form a sequence of the rings which are arranged adj acent to each other and which define rows of rings of the ring net . In particular, the rings of a first row, the upper row, of the ring net are engaged with the spring clips . As the formation of successive rows of the ring net is carried out , the net is raised via such spring clips or in any case via a similar li fting system, with which a support system of the ring net is provided .

[0023] There is also described a method for automatically producing a net comprising rings made of wire which comprises the steps of :

[0024] - supplying a metal wire in an advance direction,

[0025] - bending the metal wire in a ring-like manner in order to sequentially produce a plurality of rings in order to form rows of rings which are connected to each other and to progressively form the ring net , sequentially supporting each ring being formed on a support member,

[0026] - sequentially releasing each ring formed by gravitational force so that it is supported by the other preformed rings , that is to say which are already formed beforehand, of the ring net to which the ring previously formed is connected .

[0027] Brief description of the drawings

[0028] Additional obj ectives , features and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the appended drawings which are given merely by way of non-limiting example and in which :

[0029] - Figure 1 is a perspective front view of an apparatus for automatically producing a ring net incorporating aspects of the present invention;

[0030] - Figures 2 to 5 are schematic plan views of the apparatus of Figure 1 in successive production steps for a ring net ;

[0031] - Figure 6 is a cross-section along the line VI-VI of Figure 5 ;

[0032] - Figures 7 and 8 are views similar to Figures 2 to 5 which illustrate additional steps , with respect to Figures 2 to 5 , for the production of the ring net ; and

[0033] - Figure 9 is a cross-section along the line IX- IX of Figure 7 .

[0034] Detailed description

[0035] Now with reference to the Figures , there is generally designated 100 a machine for automatically producing a net R made of rings A which are connected to each other in accordance with a generally known configuration . In the Figures , reference is made to a net which is formed by rows 16i+ l of staggered rings A which are connected to each other with two rings of a row 16i above and two rings of the row below (which is not illustrated in the Figures and which in general terms may be indicated 16i+2 considering that the index i varies from 1 to n-2 , where n is the total number of rows of rings of the net R) . Naturally, the edge rings of the net R are an exception and are connected to a lower number of other rings ; for example , the rings of the first upper row 16i of the net R are all connected to only two rings of the row 16i+ l below with the exception of the corner rings which are connected to only one other ring A.

[0036] Normally, the rings A are substantially circular and are made from a metal wire 1 which is wound about itsel f in order to form a number of coils , for example , though in a non-limiting manner, from three to five coils .

[0037] The net R is of the bent type , for example , in the field of civil engineering for carrying out works in the geotechnical field or equivalent works , by way of non-limiting example for protection from rockfalls or for the other applications mentioned in the preamble of the description .

[0038] The machine 100 comprises a supply station 110 which provides for supplying the metal wire 1 to a bending station 120 . The metal wire 1 is supplied in an advance direction K . In the bending station 120 , the metal wire 1 is bent with a predefined radius of curvature so as to form by bending the rings A of bent metal wire of the net R one after the other, also providing for them to be connected to each other .

[0039] A support station 130 is provided to support the net R during the entire formation thereof from the formation of the first row 16i of rings A as new rows 16i+ l , 16i + 2 and so on are added . The machine 100 further comprises a command and control station 140 which is configured to command and control the functionality of the machine 100 , in particular with reference to the operation and coordination of the operating supply station 110 , bending station 120 and support station 130 . The supply station 110 comprises pulling members for the metal wire 1 which unwind it from a reel 3 and which urge it in order to make it advance in the advance direction K towards the bending station 120 . The pulling members illustrated by way of example in the Figures are constituted by pairs of opposite motori zed rollers 5 which tension the metal wire 1 and which, by rotating, urge it in the advance direction K towards the bending station 120 . In particular, it is simply necessary for a single one of the rollers of the pairs of rollers 5 to be motori zed while the other opposite roller is free to rotate in an idle manner and is caused to rotate by the friction applied to the metal wire 1 .

[0040] In the example of the Figures , three pairs of rollers 5 which generally allow the metal wire 1 which is unwound from the reel 3 to be straightened are illustrated, before it is again subj ected to the predetermined radius bending in the bending station 120 where the metal wire 1 is bent ( in the counterclockwise direction in the Figures ) in order to form one after the other the rings A of the net E . In fact , it is advantageous for the metal wire 1 not to retain any memory of the preceding bending about the reel 3 which could lead to non-uni form bending of the metal wire 1 for constructing the rings A.

[0041] A bending guide 4 in the bending station 120 allows the metal wire 1 to be bent over downstream of the supply station 110 , deforming it in accordance with a predefined bending radius by the formation of the bending guide 4 .

[0042] The bending station 120 also comprises downstream of the pulling members a cutting member 6 which carries out , under the command and control of the station 140 , the cutting of the metal wire 1 so as to form an end 7 ( see Figure 6 ) so as to complete the formation of each individual ring A.

[0043] The machine 100 further comprises , in the region of the bending station 120 , a support 8 which defines a support plane P, on which the ring A remains supported during the formation thereof . In order to fix the ring A in position during the formation thereof , there are provided blocking / unblocking members 9 which are configured so as to be moved under the urging action of a known motori zed group (not illustrated) under the control and command of the command station 140 , being raised and lowered with respect to the support plane P of the support 8 in a direction Z perpendicular to the plane P ( see Figure 9 ) . The raising of the blocking / unblocking members 9 allows the release of the ring A which is formed and thereby allows it to be removed from the bending station 120 . The blocking / unblocking members 9 comprise columns 9a, about which the coils of the ring A which is formed in the bending station 120 develop .

[0044] The support plane P is partially defined by a fixed portion 8 ' of the support 8 ( see Figures 6 and 9 ) which can be hori zontal or, more preferably, inclined with respect to the hori zontal by an angle which is preferably less than 60 ° , more preferably less than or equal to 45 ° . The inclination of the fixed portion 8 ' of the support 8 therefore brings about a corresponding inclination of the support plane P on which each ring A rests during the formation thereof . When the plane P is inclined, the blocking / unblocking members 9 define the predetermined formation position of the ring A when they are lowered while the li fting action thereof releases the formed ring A, allowing them to slide on the inclined plane P . Further to the fixed portion 8 ' , the support 8 also comprises a movable portion 8 ' ' which is arranged in the front region of the machine 100 and preferably formed by two fins 8a and 8b which are hinged to the fixed portion 8 ' of the support 8 . During formation of the ring A, the fins 8a and 8b are each inserted inside one of the two rings to which the ring A being formed will be connected . The movable portion 8 ' ' of the support 8 , in particular the fins 8a, 8b, can be inclined downwards by rotating in a controlled manner in the direction of the arrow J in Figure 9 when the formation of each ring A is completed so as to release each completed ring A as a result of gravitational force in the region of the release station 130 . The rotation downwards of the fins 8a and 8b releases them from the rings to which the ring A which is formed is connected, allowing the ring A to fall by gravitational force and at the same time to remain suspended, in a state connected to the two rings previously engaged with the fins 8a and 8b .

[0045] The machine 100 also comprises carriage members 10 with a work platform 11 which supports all the formation groups for the rings A and in particular the pulling rollers 5 for the metal wire 1 , the cutting members 6 and the support 8 , and for the blocking / unblocking members 9 of the ring A. The carriage members 10 can be moved under the command and control of the control station 140 in a direction X parallel with the alignment of the rings A in the net R (which, in the non-limiting embodiment of the Figures , is also parallel with the pulling and unrolling direction K of the metal wire 1 from the reel 3 ) . The carriage members 10 subsequently allow the completion and release of a ring A, the bending station 120 to be advanced in the direction X until being brought into the correct and predetermined position in order to start the formation of a subsequent ring A made of metal wire 1 in the row 16i + l of rings being formed . The movement of the carriage member 10 is therefore brought about over a distance corresponding to the pitch between one ring and another in each row of rings of the net R which substantially depends on the dimensions of the rings A. It may be noted that the carriage member 10 takes up staggered positions for each row of rings , that is to say that in alternating rows the carriage member 10 starts the travel thereof in a state moved by hal f a pitch with respect to the preceding row so as to form the rings A in the correct positions which allow them to be connected to two rings of the preceding row .

[0046] The support station 130 allows the net R to be supported during the progressive formation thereof and allows it to be li fted gradually as new rows of rings A are added . In the support station 130 there are provided engaging members G, for example , spring clips 13 , which are fixed at the end of respective wires 14 ( only five of which are shown in Figure 1 ) . During use , there is engaged with each spring clip 13 a respective ring A made of wire 1 which belongs to the sequence 15 of rings A which define the upper row of the net R, below which the successive rows of rings A which are connected to the rings A of the row above are gradually formed . By raising the rings of the upper row of the net R, the entire net to which the rows of rings A are progressively added is raised uni formly .

[0047] During the formation process of the net R, the carriage members 10 are moved into such a position that the two fins 8a and 8b can be raised in order each to be inserted between two adj acent rings A of a row 16i of rings A of the net , above the row 16i+ l of rings A below, which are being formed . In Figure 1 , the row 16i corresponds to the row of upper rings of the net R but , with the formation of the net gradually continuing, the fins 8a and 8b involve the rings A of the last row 16i which is completely formed, above the row 16i + l of other rings being formed . In this manner, each new ring A made of metal wire 1 being formed of the row 16i + l below is capable of being connected to two mutually adj acent rings A of the row 16i above . As the rows of rings A are gradually completed, the support station 130 provides for raising the net R by a pitch, that is to say, the distance which vertically separates one row of rings A from another, for example , by simultaneously moving the wires 14 which thereby progressively raise the net R in the vertical direction Y .

[0048] The machine is actuated as follows . Initially, the machine 100 is activated, under the command and control of the station 140 , in order to carry out by means of the bending station 120 the bending and cutting of the metal wire 1 , which is followed by the release of every single ring A which has been completed . The first rings which are formed are gradually engaged with the spring clips 13 of the support station 130 , manually or with an automatic engaging system, in order to define a first row of rings A adj acent to each other . The first row of rings A is then raised into the position illustrated in Figure 1 and the process of forming the row below of rings A which are connected to the rings of the first row of rings is actuated, continuing gradually, by means of the movement of the carriage members 10 in order to form the individual rings A which are sometimes connected to the rings A of the first row of rings above .

[0049] At the end of each row of rings A, the net R formed up to this point is raised vertically by one pitch by actuating the support station 130 in order to then repeat the preceding forming steps for a row of rings A which are connected to the rings of the row above , for the predetermined number of times necessary in order to complete the net R .

[0050] The raising of the net R vertically at the end of each row of rings A can be actuated automatically or controlled manually by an operator responsible for the machine 100 .

[0051] Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same , the forms of embodiment and details of construction may be varied widely without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention .

Claims

1. A machine for automatically producing a ring net (R) whose rings (A) are made of metal wire (1) and which are connected to each other, comprising a bending station (120) , to which a metal wire (1) which can be curved in coils is supplied in order to form a ring (A) , the bending station (120) comprising a support member (8) which defines a plane (P) in which the ring (A) being formed is supported and a blocking / unblocking member (9) which is movable from an operating blocking configuration, in which it retains the ring (A) on the support member (8) in a position in which the ring is formed by connecting it to two other preformed rings, to a release configuration, in which the ring (A) formed is released by gravitational force so as to be supported by the other two preformed rings.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the support member (8) comprises a fixed portion (8' ) and a movable portion (8' ’ ; 8a, 8b) which is selectively movable from a position substantially aligned with the fixed portion (8' ) in the operating support configuration, to a non-aligned and lowered position with respect to the fixed portion (8' ) , in the release configuration.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the movable portion (8, f) of the support member (8) comprises two fins (8a, 8b) which, in the operating support position, are each introduced into one of the two preformed rings, the fins (8a, 8b) being disengaged from the preformed rings in the release position of the ring (A) which is formed by the bending station (120) .

4. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bending station (120) comprises bending members (4) for the metal wire (1) which are mounted on carriage members (10) which can move in steps with alternating movement in a direction (X) parallel with the rows of rings (A) of the net (R) .

5. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blocking / unblocking members (9) for the rings (A) which are movable away from and towards the support member (8) in a direction (Z) which is substantially transverse relative to the support plane (P) of the ring (A) being formed .

6. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bending group (120) further comprises cutting members (6) which are capable of carrying out the cutting of one end of the metal wire (1) so as to complete the formation of each of the rings (A) .

7. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the preformed rings are supported directly or indirectly by hook-like members (G) which are defined by an assembly of spring clips (13) which are supported at the end of respective wires (14) , it being possible to engage, during use, a respective ring (A) with each of the spring clips (13) in order to form a sequence of rings which are arranged adjacent to each other and which define rows (16i) of rings of the ring net.

8. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support plane (P) of the rings (A) on the bending station is inclined by an angle with respect to thehorizontal, the inclination angle preferably being less than60°, more preferably less than or equal to 45°.

9. A method for automatically producing a net comprising rings made of wire, comprising the steps of:- supplying a metal wire (1) in an advance direction (K) ,- bending the metal wire (1) in a ring-like manner in order to sequentially produce a plurality of rings (A) in order to form rows (16i) of rings which are connected to each other and to progressively form the ring net, sequentially supporting each ring (A) being formed on a support member (8) , sequentially releasing each ring (A) formed by gravitational force so that it is supported by other preformed rings of the ring net to which the ring (A) is connected .

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