US1188143A - Pneumatically-actuated tool. - Google Patents

Description

A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL. APPLICATION F|LED-0CL 21. 1901. RENEWED AUG. 29, 1912.

Patented J 11110 20, 1916.

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A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21. I907- RENEWED AUG- 29. i9l2.

Patented June 20, 1916.

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A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1907. REVNEWED AUG-29. x912.

Patented June 20, 1916.

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ALBERT BALL, 0F CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A.

CORPORATION OF MASSAGHUSETTS.

PNEUMATICALLY-AGTUATED TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1907, Serial No. 398,365. Renewed August 29, 1912. Serial No. 717,786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BALL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Pneumatically-Actuated Tools, of which. the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to tool-actuating devices, being more particularly concerned with tool-actuating devices of the type where reciprocations of a primary driving member, such as a piston, are followed by corresponding reciprocations of a driven member or working piston with the assistance of an intervening body of air.

The invention is here illustrated as applied to a plurality of cooperatively arranged units, which are shown provided with suitable controlling devices for maintaining them in the desired working relation, the specific application made herein of the invention being that of a stone channeling machine to which it is particularly adapted, although by no means limited.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1. shows in end elevation, and by way of illustration, a channeling machine embodying one form of the invention; Fig. 2 shows a front elevation, partially broken away, of the standard and channeling units of the channeling machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 shows a detail of the air reservoir check valves; Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing on an enlarged scale, the channeling units and the driving cylinder; Fig. 41 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line lin Fig. 3, showing the arrangement of connecting passages; and Fig. 5 is a section, on a somewhat reduced scale, taken on the line in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, wherein one form of my invention is presented and shown as applied to a quarrying machine, herein represented as a track channeler, the body or frame of the channeler is indicated at 1, being supported upon suitable wheels 2, which are adapted to run upon the rails 3 customarily laid upon the quarry bottom. Power may be applied to said wheels in any suitable manner, as for example, by means of a separate motor 4: mounted upon the base of the machine and connected to said wheels through pairs of worms 5, and worm gears 6 and axles 7, the direction of feeding movement being controlled by any of the usual clutch devices between the motor and the gears, but not here in shown.

'In order to increase the working capacity of the channeler there are provided, in place of the single channeling unit now generally employed, two (or more) channeling units each provided with a tool gang of the ordinary size, said units being so associated with each other and with the machine that they may be readilyhandled and controlled while greatly increasing the capacity of the machine. lVhile these channeling units may be carried upon the truck in any suitable manner, there is here shown for that purpose the swing-plate or standard 8 swiveled about the shaft 9, the latter supported in bearings along one side of the machine. The swing-plate is mounted for longitudinal adjustment, as is usual, lengthwise the shaft 9 and may also be given angular adjustment for corner cutting away from the vertical plane, an adjustable brace-rod 10, connected at one end to the truck frame and at the other to the swing-plate, being provided to stay the standard in its upright or inclined positions.

Referring now to the channeling units,

the latter are two in number, although more vmay be employed if desired. The channeling units are provided with working cylinders 11 and 12, which, together with the cross-head guides 13 and 14, the latter acting to guide the tool-carrying cross heads 15 and 16, form a frame work gibbedto slide upon longitudinal finished ways 17 upon the standard 8. Any suitable means may be employed to move or adjust the working cylinders vertically as the work progresses, but herein for this purpose the upper end of the frame has threaded engagement with sating piston, which latter is caused to pulsate 'or reciprocate in correspondence to the reciprocations of a driving piston working in a driving cylinder, the latter connected to the working or tool cylinder.

In order that the two sets of tools may work together in some measure of synchronism, the channeling units are so associated withrelation to each other and to the source of power that, while in normal operation,

the movements of the tool gangs are synchronous and preferably in opposed step, while on the other hand either tool gang may be driven while the other is held inactive.

Referring first to the driving unit or pulsator, as it may be termed, the cylinder for which is shown at23 (Fig. 5), a single pulsator common to both channeling units is employed, although a separate pulsator for each channeling unit, may be used,'if desiredl While the pulsator cylinder 23 might be arranged in any desired. location upon the j channeleiyas a matter of simplicity and also to redu ce'the clearance spaces in the connecting passages as much as possible, the cylinder-is'preferably attachedto or formed integrally with the Working cylinders 11 and 12and with them adjusted vertically along the standard or plate 8 by means of the feeding screw. The cylinder 23, which preferably,though not necessarily, has a capacity notless than the combined capacitiesof the two working cylinders, is provided (Fig@ 5) with a driving piston 24 connected to the piston rod 25. The latter is attached to the cross-head 26 working in the depending cross-head guides 27 and driven by means of theconnecting rod 28-, crank 29 and crank shaft30. The crankshaft may be driven ,in any suitable-manner, but it is here shown 1 1),which may have a sprocket chain connection tothe driving sprocket 32, the latter driven by the preferably electriclmotor 33, V which is preferably adjustably clamped asprovided'with the sprocket wheel 31 (Fig.

upon the shaft 9 at. the end of the machine opposite to that at which the standard happens tobe fastened. Current may besupplied to theelectric motors 4 and 33 by any 1 ordinary cable connections, not shown; As

the driving'piston 24' is depressed vair is forced from the driving cylinder into the bottom of the left-hand working cylinder 12, through passages to be described, forcing the left-hand working piston 34 upward. The top of the left-hand working cylinder 12 is connected to the top of the right-hand working cylinder 11, sothat as the piston of the former is forced upward the piston 35 of the latter is forced down, causing its tool to strike the work, the air at the bottom of the right-hand working piston passing through a passage to the top of the driving cylinder 23, and being drawn into the driving cylinder by the simultaneous descent of the driving piston. In other words, in order that the two working units may operate synchronously, the opposite ends of the pulsator are connected with the lower ends of the working cylinders respectively, and the upper ends of the latter are connected together, so that the two cylinders are virtually worked in tandem or series relation to the driving cylinder or pulsator.

'Referring more particularly to the details of the connecting passages, the lower end ofthe pulsator cylinder has open communication with the horizontal passage 36 (Figs. 4 and 5) leading to the valve-plate 37 at the front of the machine. Thence it passes upward and is connected by the passage 38 (Fig. 4), in the controlling valve 39, with the passage 40, which latter leads to the bottom of the left-hand working cylinder 12. In a like manner the top of the pulsator cylinder has communication with the passage 41 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), which leads downwardly and thence outwardly to the valve blockwhere it is connected, through the connecting passage 42 in the controlling valve 43, with the passage 44, the latter leading to the bottom of the right-hand working cylinder 11.

The upper end of the left-hand working cylinder has free communication with the passage45, which, in the position of the controlling valve shown, is caused to communicate with the short cross-passage 46 between the two valves, which connecting passage at the valve 43 communicates with the passage 47, the latter leading to the upper end of the right-hand working cylinder 11.

1 It therefore follows that, with the controlling valves positioned as shown, the air is forced by the pulsator into the bottom of each working cylinder alternately, and by that cylinder into the top of the remaining one. The two units are therefore caused to make their working strokes in alternation, and this condition will hold so long as the controlling valves are in the position represented by full lines in Fig. 4. As the machine is traversed to one end of the out there will, however, be left a short portion of the cut over which one gang only has passed. To cut this portion down to its proper level it is necessary to traverse the machine back and forth once or twice, a distance equal to, or possibly a little greater than, the distance between the centers of the gangs. While this operation is taking place and the forward gang cutting, the remaining gang should preferably not strike the rock. It therefore becomes desirable at times to operate both gangs simultaneously and at other times, for the above or other reasons, to operate one or the other alone, the remaining one being idle or inoperative. Any suitable means for effecting this control may be employed, but in the described embodiment of the invention the controlling valves 39 and 43 are such that they may be turned to throw out of operation one or both of the working cylinders.

The stem of the valve 39 is provided with a hand lever 48, and that of the valve 43 with a hand lever 49. If the hand-lever 48 is turned to the left of the position represented in Fig. 2, the ports of the valve 39 will be turned to a position represented by dotted lines in Fig. 4, where the pulsator passage 36 connects with the cross passage 46, so that the pulsator is connected directly and solely to the right-hand working cylinder 11, thereby rendering inoperative the left-hand cylinder, While the right-hand gang continues to reciprocate. On the other hand, if the valve 43 is turned to the right of the position represented in the drawings, its ports will assume the position represented in dotted lines, and the right-hand cylinder be cut out of communication with the pulsator, which latter continues to drive the left-hand working piston.

In order to lift the working piston to the top of the cylinder when inactive and to lift the too] gang out of the bottom of the out, there is preferably provided some means for effecting this in conjunction with the controlling devices, which cuts off the power from the pulsator; In the present instance, as an illustration of such an arrangement, I have provided means, set into operation by the movement of the controlling valve for either cylinder, for admitting stored pressure to the bottom of the corresponding pis ton and opening the opposite side of the pis ton to the atmosphere, so that it will be elevated to the top of its cylinder, and there re main until the controlling valve is again turned to connect it with the pulsator. This may be accomplished in any desired way, but as here shown there is provided a reservoir 50 (Figs. 1 and 3), which, although it may be located at any desired position upon the channeler, for the sake of convenience, here carried by the pulsator cylinder 23. Pressure may be admitted to the reservoir from any suitable source, but in the present instance it is connected to-each side of the pulsating system so as to be fed thereby.

piston passes the port 41.

For this purpose the pulsator passages 36 and 41 have communication respectively with the pipes 51 and 52, which pass out at the front of the valve block 37. The two pipes are )rovided with check valves at 53 and 54 which open outwardly away from the valve block and permit air under pressure to pass from either side of the pulsator through the check valves to the connecting pipe 55, which pipe enters the reservoir 50. The pipe 55 also has communication through the pipe 58 2) with the pipes 59 and (30, which enter the valve block (Fig. 5) and have open communication respectively with the passages 61 and 62 (Fig. 4). When the valve 39 is turned to the left, as described, the passage 61, which, it will be seen, is directly connected to the pressure of the reservoir 50, is placed in communication with the passage 40 leading to the under side of the working piston 34 in the left-hand working cylinder. At the same time, the passage 45 leading to the upper end of the left-hand working cylinder is placed in communication with the radial valve duct 63 connected to an axial air passage 64 which opens into the external atmosphere, so that, so long as the valve remains in the left-hand position, the piston and its connected tool are lifted to the upper extremity of movement. In a like manner the movement of the controlling valve to a right-handed position connects the lower passage 44 of the working cylinder with the pressure passage 62 and the upper passage 47 of the working cylinder with the atmosphere through the valve duct 65 and air passage 66.

It is preferable to drive the working piston from the pulsator piston by means of air pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and, in order to build up the pressure of the system and to replace leakage, I have so con structed the pulsator that it will supply to the system at each stroke an increment of air. For this purpose the passage 41, lead ing from the upper end of the pulsator cylinder, enters the latter a short distance from the upper end (Fig. 5) so that it is covered by the piston near the close of the latters stroke. The air trapped in the end of the cylinder is then expelled to the opposite side of the piston through the passageway 67 therein, controlled by the ball check-valve G8,the air in passing through said piston passage 67 escaping through the run-around port 69 in the cylinder walls to the lower end of the cylinder. The run-around port is preferably so located that it does not re lease the air at the top of the piston until the latter has covered the passage 41. On the downward stroke of the piston air is drawn in from the external atmosphere through the induction valve 70 until the This results in an increment of air being admitted to the system at each stroke of the working piston,

and the latter, therefore, builds up andniaintains the pressure of the system.

In order that the pressure may be increased uniformlyon opposite'sides of the piston, means are preferably provided for effecting a gradual transference or interchange of air between opposite sides thereof. Any suitable means may be employed,- but 7 I have herein shown a receiver 71 (shown only in Figs. 1 and 5) communicating with the pulsator cylinder at a point 1 intermediate its ends, so that it is alternately placed in communication with opposite sides of the piston '24:, thereby preventing the "buildingaip of an excessive pressure on or other suitable devices maybe employed,

one side of the'piston at the expense of pressure on the opposite side. 7 t 7 Obviously other means for the preservation of the working relation between the Working cylinders, such as the provision of separate pulsators synchronously associated and are all within the spirit of this inven- While I have herein shown and described one form of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited to the details of construction or the form or relait valve-controlled passage in the piston adapt- T ed to' place the runf-around port in com:

piston, I p

3. Ina channelingjmachine, the combina- 7 tion with a truck, of a plurality of working'units, means for operating the same in 1 out-of-step relation by reciprocating col-r V tive arrangement of parts, but that exten-v sive modifications maybe made in construc- I tional details, as well as the application herein made of'the invention, without departing from the spirit thereof.

Cla1ms: V -1. The combinationwith a plurality of working'cylinders, each with its pistonoperated by reciprocating columns of air, means for maintaining a reserve supply of pressure fluid, and means for opening an end of either cylinder: to said reserve supply and the opposite'end of said cylinder to theatmosphere.

2; The combination withra toolfcylinder, of a pulsator cylinder, an induction valve for oneend thereof, a pulsator piston, a runaround port 'in the cylinder walls, and a munication'withthe opposite side of the umnsofair,supportingmeans for said units 7 upon; which the'same are carried at theside H of the truck in closely adjacent relation for;

working in thesame cut,rand means for cut- .;ting out of operation one of said units and for lifting the corresponding tool from the bottom of the cut.

4. Theicombinationwith a fluid pulsator "f havin'gla cylinder and piston', a plurality of" a, -tools each} with its working cylinder, and

piston, conduits connecting the same sides of the tool pistons with the opposite sides of the pressor piston and conduits connecting the other corresponding sides of the tool pistons with each other, the capacity of the pulsating cylinder being at least as great as the combined capacity of said tool cylinders.

5. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, a plurality of reciprocatory tool actuating devices adapted to be operated by reciprocating columns of air disposed in tandem relation and positioned on said support to strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each of said tool actuating devices, pulsating means on said truck with connections to said cylinders for causing the pistons therein to move in an opposed step relation, and means for cutting out of operation one of said tool units while continuing the operation of the other to complete the cut.

6. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, a plurality of reciprocatory tool actuating devices adapted to be operated by reciprocating columns of air and positioned on said support to strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each of said tool actuating devices, pulsating means on said truck with connections to said cylinders for causing the pistonstherein to move in an opposed step relation, and means for cutting out of operation one of said units at will and for elevating the same to withdraw it from the work.

7. ;In a channeling machine, the combination with a truck, a support at the side thereof, a plurality of tool units positioned on said support to strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each of said units, said pistons being adapted to be operated by reciprocating columns of air, a pulsator on said truck, conduits connecting the same sides of the different tool pistons with the opposite side of the pulsator piston, con- "duits connecting the other corresponding sides of the tool pistons with each other whereby the tools are driven simultaneously in opposite directions by the operation of 1 the pulsator, and means for cutting out-of operation one of said units at will.

8. In a channeling machine,'the combination with a truck, a support at the side thereof, a plurality of tool units positioned on said support to strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each of said units, said pistons being adapted to be operated by reciprocating columns of air, a pulsator on said track, conduits connecting the same sides of the different tool pistons with the opposite side of the pulsator piston, conduits connecting the other corresponding sides of the tool pistons with each other whereby the tools are driven simultaneously in opposite directions'by the operation of lli the pulsator and means for cutting out of operation one of said units at will, and for forcing the working piston thereof toward the upper end of its cylinder to withdraw its tool unit from the work.

9. In a pulsating system, the combination with a pulsating cylinder, a pulsating piston, said cylinder having a passage leading therefrom adapted to be covered by the piston by its movement in one direction, an induction valve for the cylinder, said piston having a passage opening on the side of said piston Where said induction valve is located, a checkvalve controlling said passage and opening away from the side of said piston on which said induction valve is located, and a passage for transferring pressure fluid through said valve to the opposite side of said piston when said first-named passage is covered, whereby pressure fluid compressed at the end of the piston stroke may be transferred to the opposite side of the piston.

10. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, a pair of Working cylinders disposed in tandem relation side by side on said support, pistons for said cylinders, a pair of channeling units operated one by each piston, a pulsating cylinder and piston on said truck, connections between the pulsating cylinder and the working cylinders to cause said channeling units to be operated in opposed step by reciprocating columns of air, and a valve for each working cylinder adapted when moved to throw out of operation its channeling unit while permitting the other to continue its operation to complete the cut.

11. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, a pair of Working cylinders side by side positioned on said support, pistons for said cylinders, a pair of channeling units operated one by each piston, a pulsating cylinder and piston on said truck, connections between the pulsating cylinder and the working cylinders to cause said channeling units to be operated in opposed step by reciprocating columns of air, and a valve for each working cylinder adapted when moved to throw out of operation its channeling unit while permitting the other to continue its operation, said valve when turned also admitting pressure fluid to the bottom of said cylinder to withdraw the channeling unit from the work.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALBERT BALL.

Witnesses:

LEE A. KNIGHTS, E. A. TRACY.

opilea at this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addreeeing the Gommimiioner at E atenta, Mhinmon, M. 0.

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