A high speed mechanical-electric-hydraulic system for synchronizing the indexing and dwell of a multi-pocketed article aligning turret and the operation of an operating station with the forward and reverse strokes of a hydraulically actuated reciprocable feed slide which transfers successive articles into and out of the operating station from and to the turret, wherein during separate angular portions of a single rotational cycle of a rotating drive means of the system, a primary electrical command signal is generated by the mechanical-electrical components of the system to control the metering of fluid in the hydraulic component to initiate each forward and reverse stroke of the slide, the motion of the slide thereby generating a secondary electrical signal which is impressed on the primary electrical signal to produce a modified electrical signal which controls the metering of hydraulic fluid to the slide to control the slide during the balance of each stroke, and during other separate angular portions of the single rotational cycle of the rotating drive means, the turret is indexed and the station is operated by the drive means.
Work pieces, particularly thin-walled shells of can dimension, are transferred from a magazine at a supply station to another station by a reciprocal shuttle having a pocket for receiving the shells in ready position at the supply station; at the other station, a reciprocal loader transfers the shell laterally from the shuttle to a work station where the work product is produced. The shuttle incorporates a second pocket to receive the work product and includes a surface for gating the supply magazine as an incident to shuttle travel. By locating the path of the shuttle above the path of the loader, it is possible to coordinate shuttle and loader movement for maximum utilization of time. Shells fed to the magazine are constantly aligned inside the magazine to assure effective bottom feed from the magazine to the shuttle.
The apparatus includes a spindle unit having a horizontal axis, an annular cutter element secured to the spindle unit, means for supporting a can with the open end thereof disposed over the annular cutter element, and a stationary cutter element. The spindle unit is rotated on its horizontal axis while it is revolved in a circular path whereby the annular and stationary cutter elements cooperate for shearing an end portion from the open end of a can disposed over the annular cutter element.
Braces for bracing objects in structures against forces due to earthquakes are tested by subjecting components of the braces for attaching the braces to the object or structure to cyclic loading of approximately 15 cycles. The cyclic forces are applied to different samples of the components at differing angles, and a load rating is determined for each angle. Prior to cyclic testing, forces are applied monotonically to the components in both tension and compression, the flexible loading direction of the component is determined from the monotonic testing, and the deformation that the component can resist when a load is applied in cycles is estimated from the monotonic testing.
