US2561037A - Finishing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

jufiy E 7, 1951 w. T. STANLEY FINISHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 14, 1945 Patented July 17, 1951 TED PATENT ICE FINISHING METHOD "APPARATUS William E1. S-tanlex, Gates Mills, Ohio iApplication'flugust l l, 1945;Serial'N'o. 610;741

,-2":C1aims. 01. 151-9164,)

This invention relates to the finishingiof artioles by the mechanicallaction of various I articles 'uponeach other or the interaction of such :arti =cles and other solid obj ects; such as when sub- 'jeeted "to an abrasive, 'gri-nd-i-ngor buriiishing operation.

"An object of the-invention is to provide an improved method :of abradingygrinding, burnishing and the like which -may-easi1y -be\:.performed.

Another -object --is to provide an improved method-of abrading, grinding, burnishing and the like which may be "performed With the use '01 little power.

Another object is -to provide an =-improved method of abrading, grinding, burnishing and the like which will be extremely rapid.

Another object "is te -'-provide an improved "method of *abrad-ing, grindingpburnishing and the like in which the abrasive, grinding or burnishin action may be =oon'tro1led accurately.

- Another object is lto provide an improved apparatu-s -for abrading, grinding -or burni'sl'iing which will he simple i-n=construotion.

Another object :is to provideanimproved-apparatus for =abrading, grinding or aburnishing which maybe easily manufactured.

Another object is to provide an limproved- -apparatus for abrading, grinding -:or --burnish-ing which will .be efficient in operation.

Another object is to v provide an improved: :a-pparatus for abrading, grinding or."=burnishing which may #be easily loadedt-and emptied.

Another object is to provide animproved ap- 'paratus for tabr-ading, grinding 301 'burnishing which will be economical both-in manufacture and operation.

Another object of the invention is -'to=provi-d-e an improved apparatus for abrading, grinding or burnishing in which :avariety ot materials may be used-to produce difierent results.

Other objects will :hereinatter appear.

The invention will be more apparent from the description of one practical embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is anenduelevational viewof amachine for practicing the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational .view .of the machine of Figure -1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentaryatransverse sectional view taken on. theline .III+III sO'f'l FigureLZ; and

Figure 44 is -a transverse. sectional view taken on the .linefIVlV.of Figure 3.

In the ldrawingnamachine is illustrated which .-is .intendedefor. the removalloflburrs, sharp edges, corners and ..the likefrom :metal objects,x'this operation being .what is commonly known as tumbling.

In previous tumbling operations, it haszbeen -customaryrtoeplace a number'ofuthe articles to vbe i'rfinished in a drum. tQ ether with l abrasive material, and frequentlywater and aiterclosing the drum, '-to'=rotate-the same .so that vthe articles :and i the par-ticles of abrasive lmaterial will :be carried-partially around the .drum by its rotation to a point where they will zfall-.under the influence ofgravity; the impingement :of :the articles and abrasive particles 011 :each :other serving to wear, :abrade.:ortgrindithe projecting burrs,-- sh-arpedges, etc, to produce the. desired ifini'sh.

-The force-whichWaseappliedto the articles was due solely-to grzwity .acting upon rthemiand the other materials withinrthefldrum, andeso "would be a l functionmf the .distance ytthrough which they might tall a-nd their respective weights.

-' Obviously the weightee'fv :either the :articles :or the \pieces of abrasivelmaterial were in proportion tontheir sizeand. specificdgravity. ;:If,:;the articles shad small holes or I .narrow notches or slots; small particleslsof.ltheeabrasive material would have to be used to..penetra.te ltheseeopenings, iand :ith'ese iparticles, K in :turn, due to 2 :their :small'ness- -would-1be .irelatively light. .i'Conseiquently; "their abrasive ore-similar action vroneariy given contact wwith. the article edgesuwas very slight.

:Thus, atgreat .manyscycleseof .:the drum .Were mequired i forrthe v removal of even every-small :amountsvofimaterial.

According. .toethe .presentinventiomrforces: are (introduced which, while, .of coursarare lstill proportional to the mass of articlesand 'particles, but are not ilimited xby the .force of gravityacting thereon, lasithe invention replaces .or augments :this :force with ianyidesired-oamount of centrifugal force.

v The v-mechanism illustrated -.=for ithis :;p urp0se :consists ofaaztrameworkiincluding two .tri-;.angu -1ar. frames l .conne cted by parallel vsupports ;or sills :2, :all lconveniently ibeingiformedl of :cha-nnel shaped or :similar. steel sections welded, together. :On lboth of the. frames :are carried hearings or e-j ournalszfi, supporting'iahorizontal vshaft A.

ijIlhislshaft may be .drivenafrom .a motor 5 carried upon theibasepas by a .sbelt. .6 :and stepped ;pulleys:1iand 8.

iEE'l-Xfid to t-hepashaft 4 ;are vtworspiders :19, :each \s'hownzaszhaving four; arms; in which: are trunni'oned :Jfour receptacles :tll.

rl llheucontainers H] are shown :as g.enerallyz=rec- :tangular open-topped boxes, the :tops .being closed by lids ll.,-.-;seour.ed 21101217116 ",COIltai'neIf-.gby .pivotedlbolts andrwing nuts 4.2.

Arlining I3 {may zbe, -provi,ded ,.for the container and ga gasketetd may "be interposed between the .containeratopeand the lid, Fso-that when-the lid is zclamped shut, La watertight ;-seal ,is (produced.

iGentrally, .on -:the :BIldS 10f the =,container,,. are mounted sockets A 5,, shown :to an enlarged scale in Figure 3, these sockets each .:;b,eing,;.provided 3 with a non-circular opening, illustrated as square in this figure.

Into the socket [5 at the left hand end of the container (as seen in Figure 2) projects the squared end 16 of a shaft ll journaled in one end of an arm of spider 9. The squared end of the shaft is held in the socket by a headed pin 18, which, in turn, is retained by a spring clip on split pin I9 passing through a perforation in the end of pin 18 remote from its head.

The outer end of shaft I! has fixed to it a sprocket 20, around which passes a chain 21, the chain also passin around a fixed sprocket 22 secured to a sleeve 23 fixed to bearing 3, shown at the left hand side of this figure.

Thus, there are four stationary sprockets 22 and four chains 2! connecting to the various sprockets 20 in the four-container form of device illustrated.

The socket 15 at the right hand side of Figure '2 receives the squared end of a short stub shaft 24 journaled in the end of one of the arms of the spider 9 at the right hand side of the figure, this stub shaft being secured to the socket by a headed pin 18 and split pin [9, as is the shaft IT. The stub shaft is provided with a knurled or other easily grippable head 25.

The sprocket 20 and 22 may be chosen in any desired ratio, and, dependent upon this ratio, the containers may revolve about their trunnionlike connections of'the sockets i5 and shafts l6 and 2d at any desired speed in relation to the speed of the rotation of shaft 4, while the speed of the latter, of course, will be determined by that of motor 5 and the steps of pulleys I and 8 which are engaged by the belt 6.

Thus, the containers may be given a planetary motion, revolving in circular orbits about the axis of shaft 4 at any desired predetermined speed, and rotating on the axes of shafts i7 and 24 also at any desired preselected speed.

In practice, I have found that a ratio of 1 to 1 for sprockets 20 and 22 is very satisfactory, this, of course, maintains the containers always in position with their lids uppermost, the containers traveling in the manner of the case of a Ferris wheel.

By imparting sufiicient velocity of rotation to the shaft 4, and thus to the spiders and containers, sufiicient centrifugal force is applied to the contents of the containers (these contents 26 consistin of parts to be'finished and abrasive material such, for instance, as granite chips, to which may be added water if desired) and as these materials are carried around by the container traveling through its orbit, the contents are shifted from side to side, being in the bottom when the container is in its lowermost position, against the outer side in intermediate positions, and pressing against the top when in its uppermost position.

The force with which they press against these sides, of course, depends on the speed of rotation, and may, therefore, be varied as desired. It is, consequently, independent of the specific gravity of the articles themselves, or of the abrasive material, but is dependent solely upon the mass and velocity of these substances.

In this manner a much quicker finishing operation may be performed, and it is also possible to use relatively small quantities both of articles to be worked upon and of finishing materials in each container. This is a distinct advantage, particularly in the finishing of small articles which are diflicult to separate from large masses of finishing material.

While the material for operating upon the articles is shown as abrasive, it may be a material which has a burnishing, crushing, or similar action, or the articles alone may act upon each other, in which event, with reference to any one article, the other articles constitute the workin material. Hence, the term working material will be used in the claims to define any substance capable of acting on the articles in a mechanical manner, whether by abrasion, burnishing, crushing or the like, or to other articles, and will be understood to include both solids and liquids as and well as mixtures of solids and liquids.

Also, the process and apparatus may be used when the desired product is the complete reduction of the articles toapulverized, or granulated or other finely divided state; All such operations are, therefore, to becomprehended by the terms finishing and finishing articles as used in the claims.

While I have described the illustrated embodiment of my invention in some particularity, obviously many other embodiments, variations, and modifications willv readil occur to thos skill-ed in this art, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the I precise details shown and described herein, but claim as my invention all embodiments, modifications and variation coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine comprising a base, horizontally arranged bearings carried by said base, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in the bearings, an electric motor connected to said shaft, supporting arms fixed to the shaft, stub-shafts journaled in the ends of said arms, driving connections between some of said stub shafts and the base, and a plurality of containers pivotally supported on said stub shafts and rotatable therewith, the containers and stub shafts having telescopically engaging non-circular portions.

2. The method of finishing articles which comprises confining a loose mass of articles and finishing material in a container having a volume substantially twice as great as thevolume of said loose mass, revolving said container about an axis external thereof in an orbit at such a speed as to cause centrifugal force to overcome the effect of gravitational forces acting on the mass and maintaining the container in such an angular position with respect to an axi passing therethrough and parallel to the first axis that the resultant force acting on the loose mass within the container will cause the same to rotate relative to the container about the axis passing therethrough.

W. T. STANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 895,173 'Ecaubert Aug. 4, 1908 1,491,601 Fuller Apr. 22, 1924 1,570,242 Goerz et al Jan. 19, 1926 2,387,095 Shideler'et a1. Oct. 16, 1945 2,387,136 Fruth Oct. 16, 1945 2,387,142 Fruth s Oct. 16, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 25,875 Norway May 18, 1915 1 54,540 Switzerland Jan. 25, 191-1

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