GB2035863A

GB2035863A - Grinding method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2035863A
Application number: GB7846716A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-11-30
Filing date: 1978-11-30
Publication date: 1980-06-25
Also published as: GB2035863B; DE2851919A1

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a tank 1 containing grinding material and shafts 8 which are fixed to or rotatably formed on a main shaft plate 2 provided rotatably above the tank and to which workpieces are fitted. The workpieces are held by being fitted to or suspended from the shafts by any means, and either or both of the grinding tank and main shaft plate is or are moved up and down so that the workpieces may be ground by the grinding material. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Grinding method and apparatus The present invention relates to a grinding method and apparatus wherein mostly parts of industrial machines and tools, and particularly deformed mechanical parts so far unable to be ground such as, for example, large parts more than one meter long e.g. mufflers of motorcycles, can be ground.

A large article such as a muffler has so far been substantially manually ground with buffs. For example, even if an automatic buffer is utilized, since the grinding has a direction and grinding shade, it will be very difficult uniformly to grind the entire surface of a deformed or large article. Even if many buffer units are utilized, sufficient grinding will not be obtained, high costs will be incurred for the units and jigs, and further manual buffing will have to be finally applied.

An object of the present invention is to provide a grinding method and apparatus wherein such conventional problems are mitigated and a grinding material is pressed into contact with workpieces along their shapes and figures so that the workpieces may be uniformly ground within a short time by the slide and frictional flow with the grinding material.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a grinding method wherein a vertically arranged grinding tank and shafts which are provided on a main shaft plate provided rotatably above the grinding tank and to which workpieces are made to be fitted are provided, wherein the grinding tank is charged with a grinding material and the workpieces are held by the shafts and are submerged and moved into the grinding material and the main shaft plate is rotated.

The invention also provides a grinding apparatus comprising a vertically arranged grinding tank filled with a grinding material, a main shaft column having a main shaft plate above the grinding tank, a frame rotatably holding the main shaft column, shafts provided to fit workpieces to the main shaft plate, means for moving the main shaft plate up and down, and means for rotating the main shaft column and shafts.

Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partly sectioned elevational view of a grinding apparatus showing an embodiment for working the method of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a grinding apparatus of another embodiment.

In the drawings, 1 is a vertically arranged circular or polygonal grinding tank formed to be doughnut-shaped (ring-shaped) and provided on a mounting body 7. The grinding tank 1 is charged with a grinding material such as hone grains, a medium or chips depending on the object. It is supported with guides (not illustrated) and shaft column 3 are fixed to be integral and are incorporated into a bearing provided in the mounting body). A bearing is provided also in an arch frame 6 and the main shaft column 3 is borne with these upper and lower bearings so as to be rotatable through a main shaft motor 4 and its driving devices 4'. As required, a structure wherein the main shaft plate 2 formed on the main shaft column 3 is made movable up and down instead of the grinding tank may be also used.

Then, shafts 9 to which workpieces 8 are to be fitted are fixed to or rotatably formed on the main shaft plate 2 and the workpieces 8 are fitted to the tips of the shafts 9. Then, when the grinding tank 1 charged with the grinding material in advance is moved upward with the hydraulic cylinders 5, the workpieces 8 will move and submerge into the grinding tank charged with the grinding material.

When the main shaft motor 4 is rotated to rotate the main shaft column 3 and main shaft plate 2 through the main shaft motor pulleys 4' and power transmitting belts, the workpiece 8 will be pressed into contact with the grinding material within the grinding tank by this parallel rotary motion and will be ground by the friction and sliding flow by the rotation. At this time, if any rotation is given to the workpieces 8, for example, by the power of a motor 13 fitted to the arch frame 6 through power transmitting pulleys 11 and belts 12 by fixing pulleys 10 to the workpiece fitting shafts 9 made rotatable as a device for giving a rotation, deformed angle or movement to the workpieces depending on the object of grinding the workpieces, a grinding high in the effect will be able to be made.

By the way, if, as another method, for example, the power transmitting pulleys 11 are formed to be stopped as fixed to the arch frame 6 without using the motor 13 and power transmitting belts 12, then power transmitting pulleys 11 fixed to the arch frame 6 will be stationary and therefore will rotate in the reverse direction when the main shaft plate 2 makes one rotation. Therefore, by the rotary movement of the main shaft plate 2, the pulleys 10 fixed to the shafts 9 will be rotated through the power transmitting belts 12 without using any particular power transmitter and the workpiece will be able to be rotated.

In case the numbers of revolutions of the main shaft plate 2 and shafts 9 must be made different, increased or decreased, any difference in the number of revolutions will be able to be made by making the diameters of the power transmitting pulleys 11 and 1 0 differ ent to be large or small.

Further, particularly, in the case of grinding at a high speed rotation, the grinding material or the like within the tank will spring out of the tank. Therefore, in order to prevent it, the main shaft plate 2 or main shaft column 3 is provided with a lid for the grinding tank 1 so that the lid may be so close to the surface of the tank to prevent the grinding material or the like from springing out. Particularly, at the time of a number of revolutions at which a strong centrifugal force is generated within the tank, when the flow of the grinding material is pressed with the lid, the pressure will become high, the density of such grinding material as hone grains will be elevated and a high grinding will be obtained.

Fig. 3 is of a grinding apparatus showing another embodiment of the grinding method of the present invention. It is of a multi-tank type wherein a plurality of grinding tanks shown in Fig. 1 are used as a first grinding tank 17, second grinding tank 18 and third grinding tank 19 so that a coarse finish to precise finish may be made and a bed body having these grinding tanks is made movable in a parallel or peripheral direction (a peripherally moving type is shown in the drawing) and a workpiece-fitting and removing service station 20 is provided so that an entire automation may be possible. Needless to say, in such case, if the supporting shaft column 3 is made movable up and down or the arch frame 6 is made movable up and down, for example, with hydraulic cylinders, the grinding effect will be higher.By the way, the grinding operation will be the same as in the above mentioned embodiment.

As explained above, according to the method of the present invention, a grinding tank having shafts for fitting workpieces provided in a main shaft plate, having workpieces fitted to or suspended from the shafts and charged with a grinding material in advance is moved upward with hydraulic cylinders while rotating the main shaft plate within the grinding tank so that the workpieces may be submerged into the grinding material and may be rotated within the grinding tank by the rotation of the main shaft plate through an electric driving device so as to be slid, rotated, submerged and flowed to-be uniformly frictionally ground within a short time. By the way, the rotation can be made a high speed rotation, low speed rotation, normal rotation or reverse rotation depending on the required object.

The workpieces can be rotated or can be changed in the direction or angle in the grinding material. Therefore, the grinding is possible in a wide multipurpose range.

Claims

1. A grinding method wherein a vertically arranged grinding tank and shafts which are provided on a main shaft plate provided rotatably above the grinding tank and to which workpieces are made to be fitted are provided, wherein the grinding tank is charged with a grinding material and the workpieces are held by the shafts and are submerged and moved into the grinding material and the main shaft plate is rotated.

2. A grinding method is claimed in claim 1 wherein the workpiece and the grinding material are, in addition, moved up and down relative to each other.

3. A grinding method is claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the shafts are also rotated.

4. A grinding method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A grinding apparatus comprising a vertically arranged grinding tank filled with a grinding material, a main shaft column having a main shaft plate above the grinding tank, a frame rotatably holding the main shaft column, shafts provided to fit workpieces to the main shaft plate, means for moving the main shaft plate up and down, and means for rotating the main shaft column and shafts.

6. A grinding apparatus is claimed in claim 5 wherein the grinding tank is circular.

7. A grinding apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the grinding tank is polygonal.

8. A grinding apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein means for moving the grinding tank up and down is also provided.

9. A grinding apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein the shafts of the main shaft plate are rotatable.

10. A grinding apparatus comprising a movable head, a plurality of grinding tanks arranged on a bed and filled respectively with different grinding materials, a main shaft column having a main shaft plate above the grinding tank, an arch frame rotatably holding the main shaft column, shafts provided to fit workpieces to the main shaft plate, means for moving the main shaft plate up and down, means for rotating the main shaft column and shafts, and means for sliding and frictionally flowing the workpieces in turn in each of the grinding tanks.

11. A grinding apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein means for moving the grinding tank up and down is also provided.

12. A grinding apparatus as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the shafts of the main shaft plate are rotatable.

13. A grinding apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

14. A workpiece when ground in accordance with a method or by an apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claim.