US949912A - Ball-grinding machine. - Google Patents

Description

A. F. ROCKWELL.

BALL GRINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY z3. 190s.

Patented Feb. 22,' 1910.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATE@ PATENT lHTTQE.

ALBERT F. ROCKWELL, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW DEPAR- TURE MANUFACTURING COIVIPANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

BALL-GRINDING MACHINE.

Specifica-tion of Letters Patent.

Patented lFeb. 22, llQllO.

Application filed July 23, 1908. Serialy No. 4453006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. RooK- `i WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new act description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to grinding machines, and is particularly applicable to machines for grinding balls. ln machines of this class it has been customary to employ grinding disks having a plurality of concentric grooves in which the balls are received and ground, the balls, after traversing any groove, being deposited promiseuously upon a table where they mix with the balls from all other grooves and then roll into any groove into which chance may direct them for further grinding. In such a construction a ball traversing only some grooves does not receive the same grinding which is received by other balls which have traversed other grooves. Furthermore, the balls loosely spread upon the table have a tendency to roll together at the entrances to the grooves and thus clo such entrances and thereby interfere witg the; continuous and uniform operation of the machine.

One object of my invention is to provide means whereby each rball is definitely fed from one grinding grooveto another denite-grinding groove, thus positively causing each ball to traverse exactly the same path through the machine, the/result being uniform l.grinding for each ball and consequent uniformity in the completed product.

A further obj ect is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby the vballs are transferred from groove to groove without jamming. or clogging.

Tothese ends, and also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated, mypk invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In -the accompanying drawings Figure l is'a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention, certain of the parts' Ybeing broken away; F ig. 2 is a face view of the 'grinding disk which serves as a base plate for the articles being ground; 'Fig'. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on about the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are. respectively, sectional elevations on t about the lines Ll-i and of Fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, 25 -indicates a stationary grinding member, usually of metal, which serves as a bed-plate for the balls, and 15 represents the cooperating, rotating grinding disk of abrasive material. The concentric grinding grooves 27 in the said bed or guide disk 25 produce grinding channels in which the.

balls are received. A transfer groove or passage, 28, connectsV the delivery end `of each grinding groove with the receiving end of the next such groove. Thus, all of the grinding grooves are definitely connected to produce a continuous raceway through the machine and each ball, upon leaving one grinding groove, is definitely directed to another definite groove. Theresult is that each ball is forced to traverst the one denite path through the machine and thus receives the same grinding action received by every other ball, whereby a uniform product is transfer grooves 28 are of approximately the size ofthe balls; that is to sa they are large enough to permit each ,all t0 readily pass but are too small to permit two or more balls to jam to ether. Thus all clo ging or jamming is o viated and7 the bal s traverse the entlre raceway in a steady stream. As shown particularly in Fig. fi, each transfer groove, in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, is atf substantially thelevel of a grinding groove at the receiving endof the transfer groove, then extends in what may be termed a downward or backward direction and then rises to. join the next grinding groove. Thus the balls are transferred in a simple manner and with out interfering `with the grinding action. To insure ready passage of the balls, the transfer grooves 'incline in the direction of rotation of the disk l5. For convenience in manufacture, I prefer to form the transfer o'oves ina block 29 which is received in a suitable radial recess 30 in'the said disk 25, thereb permitting the transfer grooves to be .rea ily bored and also permittlng the block to be easily slipped/into and out of position as occasion may require, the grooves obtained. Preferably the thus being included between the faces of the disk 25 and obviating objectionable eX- tensions. 'Ihe portions 6 of the block which extend across the grooves 27` serveas pro# jections to deflect the balls into the transfer grooves. I have found it best to introduce the balls into the inner channel (embodying the groove 33) and to then let them pass to the other grooves. yAs eachv outer groove is of greater circumference than the said,

Iinner groove or channel, the balls received in such outer grooves from the innerone have a chance to become spaced from each other and to thus have greater freedom to present all points of their ysurfaces tothe grinding action. A convenient means for introducing the balls is the supply channel 0r duct 3l formed in said disk 25 and exi tending from the edge of said disk to said inner grinding groove 33. Preferably, a

slot 2 is cut obliquely across the edge of the said disk 25, as particularly shown in Fig. 1, the last grinding groove, 32, delivering to said slot or passage and the said supply channel also opening thereinto. Balls can be d elivered tosaid supply channel 31 in any suitable manner, as through a pipe 35 from a reservoir. If it be desired to have'the balls pass only oncethrou h the machine, a suitable deiiector 37 can e placed in the discharge passage 2 to lead the ground balls `away. If, however,.it be desired to subject Ythe balls to lrepeated operations of the machine, the defiector is not -used and the supply from the reservoir is cut od after the machine is filled with the desired number' of balls,.in which event the ground ballsdischarging from the last groove 32 enter the passage 2 and are return to the supply channel 31. and inexpensive structure, I provide a machinefin which each bal1\is lcoi'npe'lled-to traverse just the path traversed by each other ball and all tendency ofthe balls to jam together is'obviated. Smooth ,and 'uninterrupted operation of the machine is assured and I ,secure great uniformity of the ground product.- c Y The particularmachine here illustrated Thus, by a simp e vembodies a bed 10 upon legs 11, standands' 12 sup orting the shaft 13 which has a driving-pu ey 14 and carries the' abrasive disk 15, a standard 16 whose hubl? receives the adjusting screw 18, said standard having guide rods-20, and the holding plate- 21 to Awhich the disk 25 is secured by the screws 26, lsaid holdin plate being ided upon said -rods 20 an having the co lar.22 (provided with a beveled face 23) which secures said holding plate to the head 19 of said screw but permits the latter to yrotate to adjust the grinding member 25 toward and away from the grinding member 15, 24 indicating holes.

member having a p grooves with another recess and having ed by said'passa ey `member having a plurality of means for -feedin arranged @essie Having thus described my invention, what lI claim as new anddesire to'- secure by Letters Patent is: c A

1. In a grinding tniachiifie, a grinding member having a plurality of grooyea and means for directing each article acted upon through the same path through said grooves; substantially asdescribed.

2. In a Agrindin machine, Ia grindinfy member having a p urality of grooves, an a transfer passage denitely connecting each of said grooves with another 4definite one thereof; substantially as described.

3. In a grinding machine, a grindin member ,having a plurality of grooves, an a transfer passagedeiinitely connecting each of said grooves with another definite one thereof and being of approximately the same size as the articles acted upon, whereby said articles do not jam upon each other in the transfer passage; substantially as described.

4. In a grinding machine, a grinding 2lurality of grooves, and a transfer passage definitely connecting' each of said grooves with another definite one thereof and' inclined from onegroove to the other in the direction of grinding rotation; substantially as described.

5. In a grindin machine, a 'grinding member having a p urality of grooves, and a transfer passage connecting` one of said thereof and included between the faces of said grinding member; substantially as described,-

`6. In a grinding machine a grindin member having a plurality of grooves an provided with a recess, and a block in'said a transferpassage connectin one of said grooves with another thereof; substantially as described.

7.In a grinding machine, a., grindin rooves and providedwith a recess, and a b ock in said reess andihaving a transfer passage connei thereof, said blockhavinga portion obstructing the delivery end of a groove to deflect the articles being acted upon; substantially 4as described.

8. In a grinding machine, a grinding member haying a grinding raceway Whose diameter increases asv said raceway progresses from the center of revblution, and means for feeding articles to said'raceway at its inner portion; substantially yas described. j

,l 9.l In a grinding machine, a grinding member havin concentric grooves, a transfer passageY einitely connecting each of saidv grooves-with another one thereof, and articles to the inner groove; substantial y as described. i

v10. Two members coperatively supported for grinding'operation, a lseries of grooves upon 'one lof the members, com

,ting 'one v of said4 grooves with another A respect to the grinder and eaaaia municating passages between each o f the adjacent grooves, and a communicating pas-- sage extending between the two grooves lo cated-at each side of the series.

l1. T wo members cooperatively supported for grinding operation, one of said members having grooves concentrically arranged and with passages between the adjacent grooves similarly located with respect to a radial line, and with a passage between the outerand inner grooves arranged with respect to the same radial line, and means forcausing grinding movement of one member with re spect to the4 other.

"12. A grinder with means for rotating it, a ball holder cooperatively supportedl with having a series of concentrically arranged grooves in' its surface with communicating passages having their outlets inclined in the direction of rotation of the grinder and extending be- -tween each of the adjacent grooves, and a passage inclined in the direction of rotation o f the grinder and extending between the E .y outer and inner grooves, and means for causing travel of a ball in a lpredetermined manner through said communicating passages.- j 13. 'A grinder with means for rotating'it, a ball holder coperativelysupported with hrespect to thegrinder and having a series of grooves concentrically arranged in its surface,

between each of the adjacent grooves, a communicating-passa e arranged with respect to the same radial ine and extending between the outer and inner grooves,

extending and means for causing travel of a ball in a;

predetermined path between all of the grooves.

14. A grinder with means for rotating 1t,

and a ball holder having grooves concentric' ALBERT kF. ROCKW ELL.

Witnesses: 4

PETER A. CAWLEY, JosnrHD.- BROWN.

direction of rotation communicating passages all similarly` varranged with respect to al radial line and of rotation of theA the outer and inner"

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