1. An apparatus for fabricating framed wire arrays for use in wire spark chamber devices to detect the position of high energy particles comprising a first unit for winding and spacing said wire array to a desired surface configuration, said first winding and spacing unit comprising: a pair of side frames, a threaded rod fixedly mounted between said side frames for supporting thereon a spool of wire arranged for rotation thereabout, said spool of wire having internal threads for engagement with said threaded rod to that as said spooL rotates it will be caused to traverse said rod, a guide screw rotatably journalled between said side frames having its longitudinal axis arranged parallel to the axis of said threaded rod and having a thread pitch equal to the thread pitch of said threaded rod for guiding the wire from said spool, a support cylinder rotatably mounted between said side frames for receiving and winding in spaced relation thereabout the wire from said spool, a pair of longitudinally extending grooves arranged on the outer surface of said cylinder being parallel to each other and to the axis of said cylinder, said grooves being spaced approximately 10* apart, means mounted on said cylinder for attaching thereto one end of said wire, a pair of lucite strips removably carried within said grooves, means connected with said cylinder for causing rotation thereof, a first sprocket wheel fixedly attached to said guide screw, a second sprocket wheel fixedly attached to said cylinder, and a sprocket chain carried between said sprocket wheels so that as said cylinder is rotated with the wire attached thereto said guide screw will be caused to rotate so that as said wire passes thereover it will be advanced therealong and wrapped about said cylinder in proper spaced relation, the ratio of diameters of said first sprocket wheel to said second sprocket wheel being such that the cylinder will make more than one full revolution for every revolution of said screw, and means for tensioning said wire comprising at least one floating roller between said spool and said cylinder, spring means for biasing said roller so as to tension said wire and a friction brake carried by said spool whereby the wire from said spool may be directed off said roller means to maintain proper tension and a substantially in line relation between said spool and said cylinder, around said guide screw and about the cylinder as said cylinder is rotated, said wire being advanced longitudinally along said guide screw as said guide screw rotates, and said spool being advanced along said threaded rod as said spool rotates, said second stretching and shaping unit comprising: first and second clamping members, each of said clamping members having upper and lower complementary jaws, and means for clamping said jaws together, the interface of said jaws forming a cross-section of the surface configuration to be imparted to said wire array, means extending between said clamping members for maintaining said members in spaced parallel relation, said members being movably mounted on said means for movement toward and away from each other; and a lead screw threaded through said clamping members for causing movement of said members toward and away from each other, whereby said lucite strips carrying the wire array therebetween after removal from said cylinder is clamped in the clamping members to shape the surface of the array and said clamping members are forced apart by said lead screw to thereby stretch the wires of said array and shape the array to the desired surface curvature.
