US1684872A

US1684872A - Gear-lapping machine

Info

Publication number: US1684872A
Application number: US41298A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles H Logue
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-07-03
Filing date: 1925-07-03
Publication date: 1928-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 1945-09-18

Description

Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,872

c. H. LOGUE GEAR LAPP I NG MACHINE Filed July 5, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. H. LOGUE GEAR LAPPING MACHINE Sept. 18, 1928.

Filed July 5, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet If? Tzvzss Sept. 18, 1928.

C. H. LOGUE GEAR LAPPI NG MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet I/v z/vroR 6, flTTo lvys Filed July 5, 1925 W/TA ?aientecl Sept. 1'8 3.928.

ssmcusn, NEW 2033.

iEAB-LAPPING HACHINE.

itgspiicatlon filed July 3,

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for truing surfaces of gear teeth which have become more or less deformed 1n the process of hardening or other heat treatment and involves the use of an abrasive element and a gear supporting element in combination with means for rolling the gear with one face of one of its teeth against the abrasive element and additional means for imparting to one of the elements a compound motion lengthwise and transversely of the axis of the gear for the purpose of finishm all portions of said surface to the degree 0 nicety required for noiseless and efficient operation when placed in running mesh with a companion gear for power transmission, it being understood that the surfaces of all the teeth of the gear will be similarly treated.

The main object is to provide an expeditious, economical and efficient method of lapping the gear teeth surfaces to the required accuracy of form byrendering the operation upon each tooth surface entirely automatic. 7

One of the specific objects is to position the abrasive surface of the lap at the proper angle of obliquity of the tooth surface to be operated upon so as to form a companion abrasive rack against which the gear is adapted to be rolled and at the same time to impart to the abrasive rack a rectilinear motion lengthwise of the surface of the teeth and additional motion transversely of said surface so that the abrasive element may act upon all portions of the toothed surface during each complete run-out of said surface due to the rollin motion of the gear.

Another speci 0 object is to provide means for adjusting the abrasive lap to conform to different angles of obliquity of the surfaces of the teeth to be operated upon.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gear lapping machine for carrying out the objects stated.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same machine except that portions thereof are broken away to show the interior parts.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of line 3-3, Figure 1.

2925. Serial m. 41,298.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse detail sectional view of the abrasive tool and its support and operatin means.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of line 5-5, Figure 2, portions of the frame being broken away and certain parts of the clutch shifting mechamsm being shown in section.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are-diagrammatic views of portions of the grinding lap and gear in different positions during the run-out of one of the toothed surfaces with the lap and also showing the different movements of the lap during said run-out together with the eccentrics 1n different positions for producmg such movements.

As illustrated this machine comprises a base 1 having an upright bracket 2- extendlng upwardly-from its rear portion, the base -lbeing provided on its upper face with forwardl and rearwardly extendng horizontal gui e ways -3 for receivmg and supporting a horizontally movable work-supporting carriage 4. The upper bracket -2- is provided on its front face with a vertical guide we 5- for receiving and supportin a vert1- cally movable carriage 6- whic is provlded on its front face with a curved guide way 7 havin its center at approximately the point 0 contact between the abrasive lap and surface of the gear tooth engaged thereby when at thestarting position of the grinding operation.

The guide 7- is adapted to receive and support a segmental frame 8 which is movable to different angles about the? center of the curvature of the ide 7 as may be required to bring the lap to the desired angle of obliquity to the surface of the gear tooth to be operated upon in a manner hereinafter more fully explained.

The segment 8 is provided on its front face with a dove-tailed uide way 9 extending transversely of and above the guldeway 3 at right angles thereto for receiving and supporting a transversely movable toolsupporting carriage lO- A ear supporting mandrel 11- is rotatab y mounted or journaled in axially spaced bearings 12- on the carriage 4- and is provided intermediate the bearings with a cylindrical drum -'-13- for receiving two or more steelor equivalent tapes or hands 14 Wound thereon in reverse directions and havin one end attached thereto and their opposlte ends attached to relatively fixed members 1'5- on the main supporting frame whereby the rotation of the Any suitable means may be employed for effecting either one'of these movements but in the present instance I have shown suitable means for rotating the mandrel to effect the longitudinal movement of the carriage and consequent rolling action of the gear against the abrasive tool, said'means consisting in this instance of a worm gear segment -16-' .meshing'with a Worm -17 which together with the segment 16- are suitably mounted in a gear case -18- which also forms a bearing for the front end of the mandrel 11.

The object of employing the worm and segment drive for the mandrel 11 is to produce a'relatively slowrotation and bodily reciprocation of the mandrel relatively to the abrasive tool but it is evident that other driving means may be substituted if desired.

The worm -17 is mounted on a suitable shaft -17 which is journaled in the lower side of the gear case 18 and adjacent portion of the frame -'1- and is operatively connected by beveled gears l9- to a counter shaft --20-, the latter being also journaled in suitable hearings on the main frame '-1 as shown more clearly in Figure 5. i

The shaft 20. is connected by beveled gears 21 to a cross shaft -22- which is also journaled in suitable bearings upon the main frame --1, Figure 5, and is provided with axially spaced beveled gears 23- and -23- loose thereon but held against inwardly axial displacement by collars 24 and 24-, Figure 5.

A clutch collar 25-- is splined on the shaft 22 between the gears 2 lfor axial movement into and out of engagement with clutch faces on the adjacent ends of said ears. v

A rive shaft -26 is journaled in suit able bearings on the main frame, Figure 5, and has one end provided with a beveled gear -27 meshing with both of the beveled ars -23 and '23'; the other end ofsaid driving shaft being provided with a pulley -28 adapted to be connected to any available source of power for rotating said shaft in one direction and thereby rotating the gears -23- and -'23. in opposite directions by reason of their engagemenzt with the opposite faces of the gear 2 1 It is now evident that if the clutch collar 25- is shifted into engagement with one of the gears as -'23- the worm shaft 17- will be driven in one direction through the medium of the gears -l9 and 21-'and shaft -20' and +22- and that if the clutch is moved into engagement with the other car as 23- the direction of rotation of't e worm shaft -17- will be reversed. a i

This rotation of the worm shaft 17' in reverse directions will cause the gear-supporting mandrel 11- with the gear -athereon to be rotated .first in one direction and then in the opposite direction through the medium 'of the gear segment 16 which is secured to the gear supporting mandrel and at the same time the carriage 4 willbe also reciprocatedin reverse direction thereby producing thedesired rolling motion of the gear --a in grinding'relation through the abrasive tool.

The shifting. of the clutch collar -25 in reverse directions is preferably automatic and controlled by the movements of the carriage 4 and for this purpose is provided a shifting lever -29 pivoted -at 29-' intermediate its ends-and having one end engaged in an annular oove in the collar 25- and its other on adapted to be engaged by opposed spaced shoulders 30- and 30' mounted on one side of the carriage -4 as shown invFigure 5, one of said shoulders as '30- being. adjustable longitudinally upon the carriage 4- and is held in place by a clamping screw -31 The other shoulder -30' is adjustable lengthwise of and upon the shoulder 30- and-is held in place by clamping screws The object in making these shoulders is to permit the shifting of the clutch collar and The tool supportin carriage -10 is provided with a lengt wise and transverse guide opening 10- in which is fitted for I finished gears may be, greatly increased for r a given time by producing additional rela-v sliding movement an abrasive tool 32- having a ilat abrasive surface 32- for engagement with the toothed surface of the gear ato be operated upon, said tool being properly supported in the carriage --1t)- with its abrasive member 32 at the proper angle of obliquity to the toothed surface to be finished and constitutes a single tooth rack against which the toothed surface .is adapted to roll as the mandrel is reciprotive movements between the contact surfaces of the gear-tooth and abrasive element and for this purpose 'one of the elements,

' in this instance, the abrasive tool is given a compound reciprocal motion lengthwise and transversely of the axis of the gear simultaneously with the rollingmovement of said gear against the abrasive face.

Any suitable means may be provided for producing-this compound reciprocal motion consisting in this instance of a air of beveled gears 33. for transmitting motion from the shaft 22- to an upwardly inclined shaft --34' having its upper end connected by beveled gears 35 to a forwardly and rearwardly extending cross shaft 36 which is journaled in suitable hearings on the u right bracket --2 and segment 8, t portion of the shaft 36 between the segment-8 and upright bracket 2 being preferably flexible through the medium of universal joints 36' to allow for the relative adjustment of the segment 8- as may be required to brin 'the abrasive tool 32' into proper grin ing relation with the teeth of the gear The Shift se is provided with an eccentric 37-- connected b a pitman 38- to one end of the sli ing carriage 10- for reciprocating the abrasive tool -32-- lengthwise of and against the surfaces of the teeth of thegear 'a as they are successively presented thereto, the length of the abrasive tool being at least equal to the length of the stroke of the carriage 10- and of greater length than the gear teeth so as to maintain grinding relation with the latter throughout the longitudinal movement of the tool from one extreme position to another.

In addition to this longitudinal recipro- 47 is spline catory movement the abrasive tool is also reciprocated transversely of the gear teeth and for this purpose is provided intermediate its ends with a pair of circular openings 39-- in which are journaled rotary eccentries 40--,- on the rear ends of separate forwardly projecting parallel shafts 41.

. These shafts a i are journaied in separate rotary eccentric sleeves 42 which,

in turn, are journaled in suitable hearings concentric therewith and therefore eccentric to their respective sleeves 42 and gears A stub shaft'45 is journaled in a suitable beari in the front wall of the carriage 10- mi way between and parallel with .the shaft 41- to extend forwardly be-'.

tween" the opposite sets of gears'43 and 44'and upon this stub shaft is keyed or otherwise secured a pair of pinions 43'-- and 44'meshing respectively withthe gears ,--43 and 44-- for transmitting rotary motion thereto.-

The front end of the stub' shaft eonnected by beveled gears 46 to a cross shaft -47- which is journaled in suitable bearings on the segment 8 diametrically across the front sides of the gears 43:' and 44-- and is connected by beveled gears 48- to the shaft .36 .for receiving rotary motion therefrom, the stub 45- and cross shaft 47 be additionally ournaled in a connecting yo e 49-;

The beveled ear 46- "on the shaft thereon for axial movement relativel thereto and for movement therewit ,.thus permitting the sliding movement of the carriage --10- and parts carried thereby len hwise of the. shaft 47 without brea in the driving connections between the sha t 36 and eccentries 40- and 42- It will noted from the fore oing description and upon reference to' figures 3 and 4 that the eccentric sleeves-4% re- ,volve in their respective bear' about'parallel axes which are in fixed. re ation to the carriage. -10 while the shafts 41- carrying the eccentrics are eccentrically journaled in their respective sleeves -42 in arallel relation and'are therefore move bodily about the axes of their respective sleeves as the latter are rotated by the pinion 43-- through the medium of their corresponding gears ,--43-.

In view of the fact that the shafts ,4lare rotated eccentrically with reference to the bearings for the sleeves the teeth of the gears 44- and pinion 44' are a relatively longer radially than those of the gears .-43 and pinion 43' so as to maintain intermeshmg engagement during the eccentricimovement of the gears 44-.

The gears 43' are of substantially the same pitch while the gears 4 1: are of slightly different pitch, the object of which is to avoid repetitive travel of the contact face of the abrasive tool in the same path during successive cycles of movementof the carriage and tool and thereby to present different portions of the abrasive face to the toothed surfaceat each-cycle of move ment of,both the gear and the tool.

' The ob'ect of the two eccentric 'motions of the abrasive tool -32-. about theaxes of the eccentric sleeves -42- and shafts 41- is to cause a progressively increasing transverse movement of the tool across the face of the sired perfection of contour but upon the rein. the direction indicated by arrowsturn of the gear to its starting position after the. face of one tooth has been finished the gear may be removed from the mandrel and indexed for a similar operation upon the surface of an other tooth, "these operations being repeate until the surfaces of the teeth are properly finished;v

As shown diagrammatically in Figures 6,-

7 and 8 the gear,is set or secured upon the -mandrel in astarting position in Figure 6 with the base of'the'toothed'surface to'be ground in the lane of the abrasive surface -32'-- at which time the centers of the shaft +41%, sleeve and eccentric 40-*' will be in vertical alignment with the center of the' eccentric 40 between the center of the shaft -41 and the center oflthe shaft --42--for imparting a transverse movement to the tool -32- at the beginning of the run-out of the surface of the tooth againstthe abrasive surface.

Now as the tape drum -13 is moved rotarymotion willbe imparted thereto in tlle ail-ween indic'ated'by arrow-0- through the medium of one of the straps --.14 thereby roning the vtoothed surface .under treatmentagainst the abrasive surface 82'-, this movement being continued unthe entire toothed surface from'base to point is brought into contact with the abrasive surface thereby establishing a complete runl-out of the tooth against the abrasive too The bodily movement of the drum -13 in the direction indicated by arrow mito effect this completerun-out is limited by the action of the shoulder '-30'-'upon the clutch shifting lever f29- which causes the release of the clutch at the end of the run-out and thereby stops the further 'movement of the carriage and drum 13,

carried thereby in that direction and at the. i

same time the reversing of the shifting lever 29 under the momentum of the carriage will cause the clutch to engagethe opposite gear as 23 for reversing the mot1on of the carriage to-its starting position thereby reversing the rolling motion of the gear against the abrasive tool until the carriage returns to its starting position at which time the other'stop'--30-' will act upon the shifting gear -29' to stop the further movement of thexcarriageand drum at the starting point thus completing one cycle of operation which maybe repeated upon the same toothed surface or the gear may be shifted rotarily to bring another toothed surface into operative engagement with the.

abrasive tool, it being understoodthat each toothed surface is operated upon in thesame A manner.

During the run-out of the tooth from its starting position to the limit of its movement in one direction, theairis of-the sleeve 4;2-' will remain at a constant level but'the axis of; the shaft 41 and eccentric will be graduall changed to different levels as indicated in

iguresfi

7 and 8 in such unanncnth'at the resultant movement of the abrasive tool transverselyof the toothed surface will be gradually increased from minimum a the start; Figure 6, to the maximum at the finishof the run out, Figure 8, while on the return movement of the carriage -.4-- and drum'13 this transverse 'movement of the abrasive tool will be gradually reduced from the maximum throw at the limit of the run-out tothe minimum throw at the return'to the starting position, itbeing understood that the eccentric relation of the parts 40-', 41. and -42 will be so adjusted and that their'bperation is'so timed asto complete-one-half cycle of rotation during the run-out of the gear against the abrasive element and the remaining half of the cycleof 'rotationduring the return of the rolhng contact. of the gear abrasive element.

that the pulley 28 and i shaft -26' is driven continuously through against the its connection with a suitable source of power and that the gear -a' to be finished is set to its startin position shown in Figure 6 at which time t e eccentrics 40;, 41" d iao --- l2 in a position to efiect a minimum reciprocatory movement the abrasive element 32 transverseiy of the toothed surface to be operated upon.

Under these conditions the clutch 25- will have been shifted to cause the movement the carriage pe drum -l3-- in the direction indicated y arrow m Figures 6, 7 and 8 thereby causing the rotation of the gear in the direction indicated by arrow n, these movements continuing until the toothed surface acted upon effects a complete run-out of contact with the abrasive tool which during this run-out will be reciprocated progressively increasing distances transversely of the face of the tool and at the same time will be moved longitudinally r lengthwise of the toothed surface.

This compound lengthwise and transversely reciprocatory movement of the abrasive element will continue not only during the run-out from the startin to the finishing positions as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 but also will continue during the reverse rotation of the gear to its starting position resultin in a more eflicient and expeditious finishing of the toothed surface than has heretofore been practiced and greatly increasin the output of the work for a given perio of time.

What I claim is:

1. In"a gear lapping machine, an abrasive element, a gear supporting element means for rolling the gear with one face 0 one of its teeth a ainst the abrasive element, and means or moving one of said elements lengthwise and transversely of the axis of the gear.

2. In a gear lapping machine, an abrasive element, a gear supporting element, means for rollin the gear with one face of one of its teet I a ainst the abrasive ele ment, and means inc uding a rotary eccentrio for imparting to the abrasive element a eompound ngthwise and transverse 12c tion relatively said face. In gear tapping machine, an sive clement, a gear supporting element, means for rolling the gear a iimited disiance "'everse directions with one tace of one c its teeth in contact with the abrasive eiement, means for imparting a compound lengthwise and transverse motion to said abrasive element relatively to said face during said roiling motion.

t. in a gear Eapping machine, an abnsive element, a gear eiement and means for rolling one element relatively to the other element with one of the gear tooth surfaces and abrasive element in contact, and means for moving one of said elements transversely of the axis of the gear including a rotating eccentric and means for synchronizing the rotation of said eccentric with the movement of the movable element.

5. In a gear lapping machine, a worksupporting carriage, a mandrel journaled on the carriage for supporting the gear treated, means for reciprocating the carriage rectilinearly at right angles to the axis of the mandrel, means for causing the rotation of the mandrel during said reciprocatory movement, a tool-supporting carriage, an abrasive element mounted on the tool-supporting carriage, and o eratively engaged with one of the teeth of t e gear, and means for reciprocating the tool-supporting carriage rectilinearly and at right angles to the direction of movement of the work-supporting carriage.

6. A gear lapping machine as in claim in which means is provided for reciprocating the abrasive tool relatively to and transversely of the second-named carriage.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of June, 1925.

CHARLES H. LOGUE.