Southwire Company, LLC

O Leon Thomas

Irv Baston

J Orbie Lowery

Bobby A Rowland

R Emory Starnes

James O Lowery

Jerry W Lanier

Darrell L Smith

Dwight H Durham

Eddie S Baughn

Nathan I Baston

Walter K Jiles

Apparatus and method for detecting and locating insulation faults in lengths of electrical conductive cable and plexing those lengths of cable into multiplex cable in one operation, wherein the multiplex cable includes either a bare cable and a plurality of insulated cables stranded together or a plurality of insulated cables stranded together.

Cable plexer fault locator

Apparatus and method for constructing a corrosion resistant multistrand electrical power cable or wire rope comprising a uniformly greased core wire with at least one outer wire helically applied thereover wherein corrosion inhibitor is and accurately applied to the core wire in a uniform coat immediately prior to stranding of the wires into a cable or rope.

Core wire coating strander

Disclosed is an improved system for annealing strand of the type comprising at least two sheaves across which the strand passes and becomes electrically annealed, the improvement comprising a first flange member, a second flange member concentric with the first flange member and adjacent thereto, a wide annealing band positioned between the first and second flange members and forming the bottom of a sheave groove, and means for guiding the strand being annealed traversely across a traverse zone of the band to increase longevity of the band while substantially eliminating detrimental arcing by providing an insulating air gap between the strand and either of the flange members.

Traverse annealer

Disclosed is a snap in wire guide housing constructed of an elastomer material for use in securing a conventional metallic wire guide to a metal housing.

Snap in wire guide housing

A device for continuously stripping the insulation off of electrical wires, particularly solid conductors as opposed to stranded conductors, for the re-cycling thereof in the manufacturing process, including an initial cutting section and a subsequent stripping or insulation removal section. The cutting section utilizes two opposed, interdigitated sets of dual rotary 'cutters,' each having two juxtaposed cutting edges or blades, only one of which however is used to cut at any one time. One 'cutter' is used to form a 'V' section to laterally hold the wire in position, while the other opposed cutter has one of its blades located centrally within the 'V' section of the other holding 'cutter' (note FIG. 4). When the insulated wire is passed through the device, the cutting blade cuts through the insulation continuously down along the longitudinal length of the wire, and the wire with the cut insulation is then passed through a stripping orifice in a conical 'extruder' section to remove the insulation on a continuous basis. The cutting pressure is adjustable by a spring biased T-handle mechanism which includes two opposed, pivoting arms carrying the upper set of rotary blades which allows them to be pivoted in a generally perpendicular direction with respect to the lower rotary blades. The four cutter blades are also laterally adjustable in position on threaded shafts so that each of the four blades can be utilized in turn as the actual cutting blade. After being stripped, the bare conductor is wound onto an automatic coiler which pulls the wire through the device.

Insulated wire stripping method

A fault locator system for multiplex cable, which includes a bare wire and three insulated wires stranded together. The system includes the separation of the bare conductor from the insulated conductors on a rewind line and the applying of an electric field (electromagnetic field) or dielectric field around the insulated conductors so that one can, by a signal or a bell, alarm, buzzer or the like, locate the fault and stop the rewind line at the fault location. The apparatus of the system includes a rotating disc structure which contains electrical conducting guides through which each insulated strand of the multiplex cable passes and is tested for insulation holes or faults. A high voltage signal is placed on the electrical conducting guides for the insulated strands by means of a brush electrode, which sets up an electrical field surrounding the portion of the insulated strand in the guide. By means of a spark tester connected to each insulated strand, a fault in the insulation is detected as it passes through the surrounding electromagnetic field. The rotating disc, which is synchronized with the cable pull-out capstan or take-up machine, untwists the cable on the entry side and retwists it on the exit side. The apparatus of the present invention thus separates the insulated, plexed cables, checks continuously for faults as the cable passes through it, and then puts the cable back into its plexed state. In one embodiment (FIGS. 1-3) the rotating wheel or disc is free floating and is driven by the cable as the cable is drawn through it, while in the second embodiment (FIGS. 4 and 5), the disc structure is positively driven by an internal drive mechanism.

Multiplex cable insulation fault locator system with electrical

A device for continuously stripping the insulation off of electrical wires, particularly solid conductors as opposed to stranded conductors, for the re-cycling thereof in the manufacturing process, including an initial cutting section and a subsequent stripping or insulation removal section. The cutting section utilizes two opposed, interdigitated sets of dual rotary 'cutters,' each having two juxtaposed cutting edges or blades, only one of which however is used to cut at any one time. One 'cutter' is used to form a V-section to laterally hold the wire in position, while the other opposed cutter has one of its blades located centrally within the V-section of the other holding 'cutter' (note FIG. 4). When the insulated wire is passed through the device, the cutting blade cuts through the insulation continuously down along the longitudinal length of the wire, and the wire with the cut insulation is then passed through a stripping orifice in a conical 'extruder' section to remove the insulation on a continuous basis. The cutting pressure is adjustable by a spring biased T-handle mechanism which includes two opposed, pivoting arms carrying the upper set of rotary blades which allows them to be pivoted in a generally perpendicular direction with respect to the lower rotary blades. The four cutter blades are also laterally adjustable in position on threaded shafts so that each of the four blades can be utilized in turn as the actual cutting blade. After being stripped, the bare conductor is wound onto an automatic coiler which pulls the wire through the device.

Insulated wire stripper

This disclosure relates to a trailer hitch for coupling a draft vehicle to a drawn vehicle wherein the eye portion of the hitch includes a molded insert of flexible material having an axial bore extending therethrough adapted to receive the pintle portion of the hitch in coupling relation. The flexible insert completely surrounds the pintle and thus maintains the pintle in spaced relation from the eye for yieldingly restraining relative radial movement between the pintle and the eye during all phases of operation, including flexing in the vertical plane when the trailer is negotiating inclined ramps or the like.

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Carrollton, GA, United States of America

O Leon Thomas