US3148483A

US3148483A - van fossen etal

Info

Publication number: US3148483A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-15

Description

Sept- 15, 1954 H. G* vAN FossEN ETAL 3,148,483

CONTINUOUS VIBRATOR FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF PARTS Filed Deo. 14, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 cx S Sept. 15, 1964 H. G. vAN FossEN ETAL 3,148,433

CONTINUOUS VTBRAToR RoR SURFACE: TREATMENT oF PARTS Filed Deo. 14, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

FIG. `6'

INVENToRs Harvey G-.Vanfosselz BY and Fra/Lk D. Hau k@ I W @ama 7J/M mf Sept. 15, 1964 H. G. vAN Fossl-:N ETAL 3,148,483

CONTINUOUS VIBRATOR FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF PARTS Filed Dec. 14, 1961 s sheets-sheet s Hm fm Ffa, 7

INVENTORS Howe G( VonFoen Y an Hank D HQZZ @om MMM Hijs United States Patent O 3,148,4S3 CNTHNUUS VEBRATGR FOR SURFACE TREATMENT @F PARTS Harvey G. Van Fossen, Red Lion, and Frank D. Hail,

York, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Wheelahrator Corporation, Mishawaka, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 159,245 9 Claims. (Cl. 51-7) This invention relates to a machine for the surface treatment of work by reaction with media in vibratory movement and it relates more particularly to a vibratory means for cleaning or abrading surfaces of parts in a continuous operation.

This invention is addressed to an improvement in the devices of the type described in the issued Patents No. 2,997,813 and No. 2,997,814, and in the copending applications Ser. No. 124,846, led July 18, 1961 and entitled Bowl for Vibratory Machine, and Ser. No. 124,969, filed luly 18, 1961 and entitled Corrugated Bowl Lining for Vibrators. The basic concept described in the aforementioned issued patents and copending applications resides in a bowl, in the form of an elongate trough, which is resiliently supported on a frame, as by means of springs or other cushioning or resilient means, whereby the bowl is capable of vibratory movement relative to its supporting frame. In the issued patents, the bowl is resiliently supported in a cradle mounted for rocking movement from an upright or operating position to a tilted or dumping position. The copending applications are addressed to devices wherein the bowl is directly supported on the frame by the resilient means.

The bowl is displaced in vibratory movement relative to its support by means of an elongate shaft suspended from the bottom side of the bowl and eccentrically mounted for rotational movement about an axis which is in alignment with the lengthwise horizontal axis of the bowl whereby rotational movement of the shaft imparts a type of elliptical movement to the bowl crosswise of its axis to cause the material and media to flow up one side, across the top and down the other side of the bowl.

It is an object of this invention to provide a vibratory device of the type described in which, in addition to the displacement of the material in a plane crosswise of the bowl, the material and media are concurrently displaced axially in one direction during vibratory movement of the bowl, and it is a related object to produce a device of the type described in which the axial displacement of the material and media is uniform substantially throughout the length of the bowl; in which the rate of axial displacement can be varied without variation in the amplitude or magnitude or speed of vibrational movement; which is capable of continuous or batch operation for the treatment of parts and material; which is capable of automatic separation of media and material for displacement of the material for use and recycling the media through the device; which is capable of treatment of material with minimum impacts therebetween thereby to avoid surface damaging of the material or parts; in which self-damage in polishing operations is avoided; in which differential material can be processed through the machine without change in media or conditions and without interrupting the operation of the machine, which can be operated with minimum labor or media thereby markedly to reduce the cost of surface treatment, and which can be operated at maximum efiiciency and without shutdown for removal or replacement of material and media thereby markedly to increase the output of the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustra- 3,li8,483 Patented Sept. 15., 1964 ICC tion, but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. l is a schematic side elevational view of a vibratory device embodying the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view from the right end of the device shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the forces developed by the practice of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a curve which relates axial displacement of the material and media in relation to the angle of inclination of the eccentric;

FIG. 5 is a sketch showing one arrangement of the eccentric cylinder;

FIG. 6 is a sketch showing a modification in the arrangement of the eccentric cylinder,

FIG. 7 is a schematic elevational view showing a modiiication in the device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a detailed plan View of the foraminous separating plate of FIG. 1.

In its simplest form, the vibratory machine is illustrated as being formed with a rigid base lo and an elongate trough lZ having vertically disposed side walls 14- and lo and a curvilinear bottom wall 18 The trough is secured onto a horizontally disposed flat table Ztl as by means of bosses 22 rigid with the trough and secured, as by means of hold-down bolts 24, to the top side of the table. The table 2i? is in turn resiliently supported for vibratory movement relative to the base by means of a plurality of pairs of longitudinally spaced apart coil springs 26 and 23 interposed between the lateral edge portions of the table Ztl and the base i0. Instead of coil springs, other resilient cushioning means such as air springs, air bellows, cushioning material and the like can be employed resiliently to support the trough for vibratory movement relative to the base.

In the aforementioned patents and patent applications, vibratory movement is imparted to the trough by means of an eccentric supported from the underside of the trough for rotational movement about an axis which is parallel with the lengthwise axis of the trough. The eccentric can be in the form of a cylinder 30 eccentrically mounted on a shaft rotatable about an axis or it can be in the form of a cylindrical member which is overbalanced by or weighted more on one side than the other to develop the desired vibratory motion in response to rotational movement about its axis. lt has been the practice to mount the eccentric for rotational movement about an axis which is parallel with the axis of the trough. Under such circumstances, the material ilows in a plane crosswise of the trough in a more or less elliptical path. It has been found, in accordance with the practice of this invention, that when the axis of rotation of the eccentric 3d is tilted or inclined with reference to the lengthwise axis of the trough, the movement of the material and media flows in a path which adds a linear component to the elliptical or circumferential movement to define a helical path in which the pitch of the helix is somewhat proportional to the angle of inclination, as indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Thus the material and media flow axially or linearly in the direction of the downward incline of the eccentric as well as in a circumferential or elliptical path whereby the material and media can be caused to move at a uniform pace from the feed inlet 32, at one end of the trough, to the outlet 33, at the other end of the trough, which is in the direction of the lowermost point of the inclined eccentric.

It has been found further that, in the combination which makes use of a horizontally disposed vibratory bowl or trough and an inclined eccentric for imparting vibratory movement, the material and media maintain their relative position within the trough during movement from the inlet end to the outlet end. Thus it becomes possible, in a system of the type described, to maintain a desired separation between parts and media whereby physical contact between the parts can be avoided to militate against surface imperfections; whereby one type of part can follow another through the machine without intermingling of the parts thereby enabling continuous use to be made of the vibratory machine in a continuous operation. With the continuous flow of the material and media in vibratory movement from the inlet end to the outlet end, it becomes possible to include a separating means as a part of the machine in communication with the outlet end for sifting the media from the material whereby the media can be recycled continuously or otherwise from the inlet to the outlet and the finished parts delivered cleanly from the machine.

Referring now to the drawings, the eccentric is illustrated as an elongate cylindrical member 3i) supported at its opposite ends in

journals

34 and 35. The journal at the inlet end portion of the machine is pivotally mounted on the spaced supports 36 depending from the bottom side of the table for rocking movement of the cylinder about a horizontal axis which extends crosswise of the trough so that the cylindrical member can be adjusted to variable angles of inclination in a vertical plane which preferably passes through the central axis of the trough. The end of the cylinder is connected through a fiexihle coupling 3S to a shaft 40 supported for free rotational movement between uprights 42 and 44 rigid with the frame lill. A sheave or gear 46 is mounted for rotational movement with the shaft 4@ and the gear is, in turn, adapted to be driven as by means of a drive belt 48, connected to a power source for rotational movement. It will be understood that other conventional means for imparting rotational movement to the shaft or cylinder 40 may be employed.

The journal 35 at the other end is mounted between laterally spaced apart supports t? and 52 for relative movement in the vertical direction to increase or decrease the angle of inclination of the cylinder. Vertical adjustment of the journal can be effected as by screw means 54 including a vertically disposed shaft which is mounted for free rotational movement between supports 55 and 58 and is threaded substantially throughout its length for threaded engagement with a threaded bore rigid with the journal to effect vertical displacement along the threaded shaft responsive to turning movement of the shaft in one direction or the other. A wheel dtl or other means may be provided for engagement with one end of the shaft to effect such turning movement and the wheel or other means may be employed for rocking the shaft in the adjusted position. An inlet chute or hopper 62 is provided at the head end of the trough. The outlet end portion of the trough leads onto a foraminous platform 64 in which the openings in the platform are dimensioned to be greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the media but less than the size of the parts so that the media will sift through the platform while the parts will continue to be displaced over the platform for delivery. The media which is thus separated from the parts can be continuously recycled to the inlet or it can be collected in a suitable reservoir for re-use. When continuously recycled or otherwise, additives can be incorporated into the media for use in surface treatment of the parts.

As illustrated in FlG. 4, the magnitude of axial movement is somewhat proportional to the angle of inclination even within the range of from 010 to 20. While these desired angle movements can be achieved at the slightest angle of inclination, it is undesirable to malte use of an angle of inclination which exceeds The preferred angle is within the range of from 1-10.

While use can be made of an eccentric dimensioned to have a length considerably less than the length of the trough, best use is made of an eccentric dimensioned to extend substantially throughout the length of the trough.

When the trough is of substantial length, the eccentric cylindrical member can be subdivided into two or more units. The units may be arranged in endwise alignment, as illustrated by the sketch showing the arrangement of eccentric cylinders '70 and 72 in FIG. 5, or they can be offset one from the other to minimize the height occupied by the eccentric member, as illustrated in the sketch in FIG. 6 with the adjacent ends of the eccentric cylinders '74 and 76 being interconnected by a universal joint 78.

It has been found that the concepts described will result in a vibratory finishing machine having a number of distinct advantages over machines which have heretofore been employed:

(1) The machine will be capable of continuous operation thereby to permit increased output per machine.

(2) The device avoids the consumption of time required for loading and unloading. This is of extreme importance, especially in the processing of materials over a short time cycle since otherwise the use of machines heretofore employed would consume a larger proportion of time for the loading and unloading cycles as compared to the processing cycle.

(3) The continuous vibratory machine of the type dcscribed and claimed permits the parts to be maintained in a separated state thereby to avoid the necessity for making use of fixtures of the type heretofore required to insure the separation of parts during surface treatment.

(4) A machine of the type described is capable of considerable variation in the cycle of operation since the time that the material remains in contact with the media in vibratory movement can be effectively adjusted merely by variation in the angle of inclination of the eccentric.

(5) The machine eliminates the need for baflles to insure the desired surface contacts between parts and media.

(6) r'Che machine is capable of maximum fiexibility in operation since use can be made thereof in the treatment of the parts of various dimensions and of various shapes without material modification in the construction or in the settings of the machine.

(7) The machine is capable of classification to separate the media from the parts thereby to permit delivery of the parts as a finished product and return of the media by recycle to the processing steps.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A vibratory machine for the surface treatment of parts in contact with media in vibratory movement comprising an elongate, substantially horizontally disposed container having an inlet at one end portion and an outlet at the other end portion, means resiliently mounting the container for vibratory movement, a cylindrical eccentric, means mounting the eccentric on the container in substantially parallel relation with the lengthwise axis of the container for rotational movement about an axis which is substantially parallel with the axis of the container but with an angle of inclination to the axis of the container in which an end portion of the eccentric adjacent the inlet of the container is at a higher level than the other end portion of the eccentric adjacent the outlet of the container, and means for imparting rotational movement to the eccentric for rotational movement about its axis whereby the parts and media within the container travel about the container in a continuous helical path having its pitch in the direction towards the outlet end of the container.

2. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the container comprises an elongate trough having an open top.

3. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the container comprises an elongate trough having a round bottom.

4. A vibratory machine for the surface treatment of parts while in engagement with media in vibratory movement comprising a base, an elongate, substantially horizontally disposed trough having an inlet at one end portion and an outlet at the other end portion, means resiliently mounting the trough for vibratory movement on said base, an eccentric, means mounting the eccentric on the trough substantially parallel with the lengthwise axis of the trough for rotational movement about an axis which is substantially parallel with the axis of the trough and with an angle of inclination to the axis of the trough in which an end portion of the eccentric adjacent the inlet of the trough is at a higher level than the other end portion of the eccentric adjacent the outlet end of the trough, and means for operation of said eccentric to impart vibrational movement to the trough whereby the parts and media Within the trough travel about the trough in a continuous helical path having its pitch in the direction towards the outlet end of the trough.

5. A vibratory machine for the surface treatment of parts by media in vibratory movement comprising an elongate, substantially horizontally disposed trough having an inlet at one end portion and an outlet portion at the other end portion, means resiliently mounting the trough for vibratory movement, a cylindrical member eccentrically mounted on the trough for rotational movement about an eccentric axis of the cylindrical member, means mounting the cylindrical member with its eccentric axis parallel with the axis of the trough but inclined relative thereto for rotational movement about an axis which is substantially parallel With the axis of the trough, and means for imparting rotational movement to the cylindrical member whereby the parts and media within the trough travel about the trough in a continuous helical path having its pitch in the direction towards the outlet end of the trough.

6. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 5, in which the eccentric axis of the cylindrical member is mounted at an angle of inclination which is greater than l degree.

7. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 5, in Which the eccentric axis of the cylindrical member is mounted at an angle of inclination greater than 1 degree but less than 15 degrees.

8. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 5, which includes means for adjusting the angle of inclination of the eccentric axis ofthe cylindrical member.

9. A vibratory machine as claimed in claim 5, which includes means in communication with the outlet of the trough for classifying to eiect separation of the parts from the media.

Behrens July 1, 1958 Brandt Aug. 29, 1961

Claims

1. A VIBRATORY MACHINE FOR THE SURFACE TREATMENT OF PARTS IN CONTACT WITH MEDIA IN VIBRATORY MOVEMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATE, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CONTAINER HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END PORTION AND AN OUTLET AT THE OTHER END PORTION, MEANS RESILIENTLY MOUNTING THE CONTAINER FOR VIBRATORY MOVEMENT, A CYLINDRICAL ECCENTRIC, MEANS MOUNTING THE ECCENTRIC ON THE CONTAINER IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION WITH THE LENGTHWISE AXIS OF THE CONTAINER FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF THE CONTAINER BUT WITH AN ANGLE OF INCLINATION TO THE AXIS OF THE CONTAINER IN WHICH AN END PORTION OF THE ECCENTRIC ADJACENT THE INLET OF THE CONTAINER IS AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THE OTHER END PORTION OF THE ECCENTRIC ADJACENT THE OUT-