US1745571A - Composite gear - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4, 1930. T. FREDERICK 1,745,571

COMPOS ITE GEAR Filed June 17, 1927 yiimwfs.

f/v Vfw Tof? 4vPatented Feb. 4, 19.30

UNITED STATES PATENT ori-lcs LOUIST. FREDERICK, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO FIBROC'INSULATION COMPANY, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA COMPOSITE GEAR Appneatin ined :une 17,

My invention relates to composite gears conslsting of laminations of fibrous material and a binding substance such as a phenol condensation product. In laminated gears, especially in gears of the larger sizes or in gears of either large or small sizes in which the available room on the shaft is limited, and -also in lthose cases where it is desired to lighten the gear, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the central portion of vthe gear, thus producing a rim section of the full width or thickness of the gear and a central or web section which is thinner. Various methods have been attempted for producing such gears having a reduced web section. cordin to one method the surplus material is mac ined away, but this method is expensive by reason of the waste of the material which is removed. According to another construction of such gears, rings of fabric have been employed and these have been inter-leaved or alternated with the peripheral portion of complete discs, the rings thickening the rim portion and building up the gears at this part. This construction, however, is defective in that the sheets of fabric are distorted during manufacture, and it is impossible, commercially speaking at least, to produce a gear wheel in which the cross section will be uniform. If it is not uniform the gear when rotating will tend to run out of true. The gear being unbalanced will have a tendency to wobble and this will result in excessive wear at certain points, thus rendering the gear noisy and shortlived.

The object of my invention is to produce a gear having a web section which is of reduced thickness but which will lend itself to ready manufacture and will make it possible under commercial conditions to produce a gear in which the cross section on any given plane will be symmetrical and the sections on all diametral planes will be the same. An-

other obj ect is to produce such a gear in which the structure is thoroughly unied and of maximum strength for its weight.

In my gear the web section is formed from a set of sheets or layers all lying in parallel planes and the thickened rim section is 1.927. Serial No. 199,494.

formed by adding, outside of the web section, a plurality of rings arranged in parallel planes and held .under compression by suitable binding means, preferably a phenol condensation product.

I accomplish my objects in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view of a suitable type of mold shown in diametral section. In this figure the plunger or dies are shown in initial position, that is, at the beginning of their compressive action,

Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1 but shows the mold closed up, that is, with the dies in final position,

Figure 3 is a diametral section of my blank,

Figure 4 is a View of my gear partly in diametral section,

Figure 5 is a side view of the gear,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating more or less diagrammatically the arrangement of the component parts of the gear.

Like numerals denote like parts through the several views.

Generally speaking, my gear blank consists of central laminations 10, which extend clear through to the periphery of the gear, and peripheral laminations 12 which form the rim of the gear and are built up preferably on both sides of the central laminations., The laminations 10 may be either imperforate disks or rings. The peripheral laminations 12 are preferably complete rings but they may comprise segments or notched strips as disclosed in my co-pending application Serial N o. 174,688, filed March 11, 1927, and it will be understood that all of the laminations con` sist of woven fabric impregnated with unreacted condensation product serving as a binder in the well known manner. These laminations are afterward solidified and converted to a unitary structure by means of heat and pressure.

A suitable method for producing the gear blank is shown in my Patent 1,626,230, granted April 26th, 1927, and for the sake of illustration I have here shown apparatus in which it may be carried out. In this apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 there is an outer cylindrical shell 14, open top and bottom. Within this shell there is a lower ring plunger 16 andan upper ring plunger 18; Fitting within these plungers are cylindrical plungers 20 and 22, which arechamberedto receive helical compression springs 24.. The parts 14: and 16 normally rest upon any suitable support 26 and the pressure is obtained from,V

the platen 28 of any suitable type of press. Platen 28 is hollow and steam heated through a duct 30.

Vhen this apparatus isused, to charge the mold I first place in it a stack of the rings l2 then a stack of disks 10,l and then another stack of rings 12. The pressing parts of the mold are then assembled as shown in Figure 1. Pressure and heat are then applied which finally bring the parts to the position and condition shown in Fi re 2.

It is desirable that the parts of the press or mold be so designed that in the lfinal gear blank the web and rim portions will be compressed and cured to the same density throughout. This not only gives uniform wearing qualities but gives a perfectly balanced gear and one which will run true when rotating at high speed. It will be evident that in a gear built up in this'manner the laminations will be free from distortion. The gear will also have a high degree o f strength because the central laminations extend cornpletely through to the periphery thus avoidlng any possibility of imperfect union between the web portion and the rim portion.`

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A laminated gear blank composed of woven fabric treated .with phenolic condensation product, said blank comprising a stack of disks extending from the hub of the gear to the periphery so as to form the web and a part of the rim, the rim having additional rings or segmental elements superposed on each face of the peripheral portions of the disk to increase its thickness, and said web portion and rim portion being of substantially equal density.

2. A laminated gear blank composed of 4woven fabric and a phenolic condensation binder, said blank being thicker at the rim than at the centralportion, the thinner web portion consisting of fiat continuous sheets eX- y tending to the circumference of the blank, and the rim portion being composed of fiat peripheral laminations, the Whole being consolidated and hardened to form a unitary structure and said web portion and rim portion being of substantially equal density.

3. A gear composed of a plurality of layers of fibrous material, the layers all being in stack of layers of fabric material extending from the hub of the gear blank to the periphery anl providing a disc forming the web and a part of the rim, additional layers of fabric forming a ring of fabric superposedon a face of the peripheral portions of the disc to increase its thickness, said layers being treated wit-h a suitable resinous binder and compacted vto form a unitary gear blank having web and rim portions of substantially equal density. v

5. A gear composed of a plurality of layers of woven fibrous material in superimposed relation, the layers all lying in planes paralleling the plane of the gear, certain of the intermediate layers of the rim extending inwardly to the center of the gear to form the web and a part of the thickness of the rim section, said layers being treated with a suitable resinous binder and being consolidated into a single unitary mass without any planes of cleavage and having web and rim portions of substantially equal density.

In witness Lvl1ereof,I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK.

planes parallel to the plane of the gear, the.

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