US1396585A

US1396585A - Abrading device

Info

Publication number: US1396585A
Application number: US284071A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wesley E Laird
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1919-03-21
Filing date: 1919-03-21
Publication date: 1921-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1938-11-08

Description

W. E. LAIRD.

ABRADLNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED mmznwrs.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor:

Weslea E.L alrd, 108 is torne-H W. E. LAIRD.

ABRADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2|, 1919.

1,396,585, Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Inventor:

Wesles E.Lairci,

His J ttornea UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELEC- NEW YORK.

ABRADING DEVICE.

Application filed March 21,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVnsLEY E. LAIRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, in the county of Berkshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Abrading Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention comprises an apparatus for cleaning the surface of sheet metal, particularly the edges, preparatory for welding, or any other desired purpose.

lVhen sheets of metal are welded to each other it is desirable to remove surface oxid and scale from the parts to be welded to bring clean metal surfaces into direct contact. The apparatu described herein is particularly adapted to remove the surface layer from the edges of metal sheets preparatory to producing a seam weld not substantially greater in thickness than the rest of the sheet metal. my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims.

The following description is to be taken in connection with the appended drawings in which Figure 1 is a top view of an apparatus embodying my invention; Fig, 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a side elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 2; Fig. 4 illus trates a preferred form of abrading device and Fig. 5 illustrates smoothing rolls engaging the edges of sheet metal in one form of my invention.

The apparatus embodying my invention comprises a framework 1 consisting of upright and transverse members best shown in Fig. 2. The horizontal bars 2, 2' and the connecting strips 3 (Fig. 1) constitute a table or platform for the reception of a sheet 4. For convenienceof working, a pack of sheets 5 (Fig. 2) may be placed by a crane or other convenient means on a bridge 6 which overhangs the platform. The bridge 6 has not been shown in Fig. 1 as it would hide other parts of the apparatus but the broken brackets indicate the location of the support 6 in Fig. 1. Individual sheets are pulled from this pack upon the

shelves

7, 7 and then placed by the operator upon the table in a flexed position with the edges Specification of Letters Patent.

The novel features of- Patented N 0v. 8, 1921. 1919. Serial No. 234,071.

inserted in the guides 8, 9, located on opposite edges of the frame-work. The sheet is inserted beneath the presser bars 10, 11, supported by the

brackets

12, 12, which are in turn carried by the cross bar 13. The bars 10, 11 hold the sheet 4 in position to be engaged by projecting lugs 14 on the chain 15. Four sets of chains 15 are provided, each passing over sprocket wheels 16 mounted on the shafts 17, 18, which are in turn driven by a motor 19 through suitable worm 20 upon the shaft 21, engaging with a gear 22 on the shaft 17. The travel of the chains. 15 thus propels the sheet over the platform, the flexed position of the sheet pressing the edges outwardly into contact with the lateral guides 8, 9, and causing it to be pressed into contact with abrading devices which grind the surfaces of a strip along the respective edges of the sheet. As best shown in Fig. 4, the particular form of abrading devices illustrated in the drawing comprise

belts

23, 24 and 23, 24 surfaced with abra: sive material, such as emery. The

belts

23, 24 pass respectively over paired

pulleys

25, 26 and 27, 28 driven by belt 29 from the motor shaft 21 as best shown in Fig. 1. The belt 29, for example, passes under a pulley 30 mounted on a common shaft 31 with the pulley 25 and passes over a pulley 32 mounted on a shaft 33 in common with the pulley 27 to rotate in opposite directions and drive ing the

belts

23, 24 as indicated by arrows in Fig. 4 in opposite directions, in each case toward the outer edge of the sheet so as to exert traction to hold the sheet in place while cleaning the surface. The belt 29 is held in frictional engagement with the

pulleys

30, 32 by a tightener 34. The tension of the

abrading belts

23, 24 may be varied by adjusting the position of the blocks 35, 36 on the supporting

arms

37, 38, by means of suitable screws 39. The arms 37 38 may be held fixedly in a desired position by thumb screws 40 engaging with an upright member 41 constituting part of the frame of the apparatus. The driving members for the abrading belts on the opposite side of the apparatus are similarly arranged, the belt 42 being crossed to reverse the rotation of the belts 23', 24 so as to cause them to move I from the center toward the edge of metal sheet 4. Although I have shown a preferred form of abrading device in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, I desire it to be understood that variou modifications ma be used advantageously in some cases epending on the character of the work. In some cases it may be desirable to use but one of the abrading belts or their equivalent to grind sheets upon one side onl u some cases it is desirable to provide pressure rolls engaging with the edges of the sheets to smooth out irregularities. As shown in Fig. 5 the

rolls

44, 45 engage the sheet 4 between them, the roll 45 being mountedon a shaft 46 driven by a chain 47 engaging with sprocket wheels 48, 49 mounted respectively on the shafts-46 and 47. The roll 44 is mounted directly on the upright 41 of the frame of the apparatus.

After the sheets 4 have been pro elled past the abrading devices they are s oved over the horizontal guides 50 and piled in a stack at the end of the apparatus. The

guides 51, 52 located at the extremities of the sheets hold u until the center the edges of the sheets as begun to fall so as to obviate damage to the corners. The upright post 53 prevents displacement of the sheets and enables them to be piled one above the other in a pack so as to be readily picked up by a crane or handle or'in any other desired manner. I

What Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

position, an abrading device acting on an edge of said sheet and means for causing relative traversing motion between said sheet and said abrading device.

2. An abrading apparatus comprising a framework having a platform, guides spaced apart on said platform and adapted to receive the edges of sheet metal while in a flexed position, paired abrading devices acting upon opposite sides of said sheet metal, and means for traversing said sheet metal with respect to said abrading devices.

3. An abrading apparatus comprising a framework having parallel guides spaced apart, means for propelling sheet material over said framework with edges in contact with said guides, and abrasive means positioned to engage with a predetermined part of the sheet material propelled over said framework while the edges of the sheet material are held in position by said guides.

4. An abrading apparatus comprising a framework having parallel guides spaced apart, means for propelling sheet material over said framework with edges in engagement with said guides, and a revolving abrasive device mounted on said framework in 6. An apparatus for abrading the edges of I sheets of material, comprising guiding means adapted to determine the path of travel of. each sheet through the apparatus, a pair of adjacent traveling belts arranged transversely of the path of travel to the sheets provided with abrading surfaces respectively arranged in position to abrade top and bottom surfaces near an edge'of each sheet.

7. An abrading apparatus, comprising a pair of adjacent traveling belts provided with abrading surfaces, respectively arranged in position to abrade top and bottom surfaces at the edge of an article to be abraded, said belts being arranged transversely to the edge of the article to be abraded and driven in the proper directions to exert traction on said article to hold it against said abrading surfaces.

8. An abrading apparatus for sheets of flexible material, comprising guiding means for the edges of said sheets located so as to require said sheets to take a flexed position in passing through said apparatus, whereby the edges of said sheets are forced against said guiding means, and means for simultaneously abrading top and bottom surfaces of two edges of said sheets, comprising a pair of traveling abrading belts, located adjacent each of said edges, said belts being driven in the proper directions to exert traction on said sheets to hold the sheets against said abrading surfaces and in line with said guiding means.

9. An abrading apparatus for sheets of flexible material adapted to be passed through said apparatus, comprising guiding means for the edges of said sheets located to require said sheets to take a flexed position in passing through said apparatus whereby the edges of saidsheets are \forced against said guiding means, and means adapted to press upon said sheets at points between s aid appa tus, comprising guiding means for the edges of said sheets. located to require said sheets to take a flexed position in passing through said apparatus whereby the edges of said sheets are forced against said guiding means, and means adapted to press upon said sheets at points between the center and edges thereof, so that the portions of the sheets between said pressing means and said guiding means are substantially flat, where- 10 by a series of similar sheets passed through the machine will have their path of travel definitely determined.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of March, 1919.

WESLEY E. LAIRD.