US2504347A

US2504347A - Power hammer ram guide

Info

Publication number: US2504347A
Application number: US686582A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W O'donnell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-07-26
Filing date: 1946-07-26
Publication date: 1950-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1967-04-18

Description

April 18, 1950 J. w. ODONNELL POWER HAMMER RAM GUIDE Filed July 26, 1946 m w m m HTTYS.

Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POW'ER HAMMER RAM GUIDE John W. ODonnell, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 26, 1946, Serial No. 686,582

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a power hammer ram guide and more particularly to, a ram guide construction for a steam forging hammer.

Conventional power hammers include a ram, usually having a die attached to the lower surface thereof, which is movable vertically between guide columns. To guide the ram, solid guide members are positioned along the inner sides of the guide columns, and these guide members have ribs thereon which mate with corresponding ribs on the ram thereby maintaining the ram against transverse movement. In these constructions, and taking a steam actuated forging hammer as an example, the solid guides are. not readily removable because the ram blocks their removal and hence it is not possible to remove the ram from between the guide columns without extensive work which usually involves dismantling the cylinder into which the steam actuated piston extends. This piston, of course, is connected to the ram and moves it.

Despite the fact that it is laborious to remove the ram from betweenthe guide columns, it is frequently necessary to remove the ram in order to dress the die seat and to make other adjustments and repairs. In order to overcome the disadvantage .of conventional constructions, wherein solid guide members are provided and the ram can only be removed from between the guide columns after extensive dismantling, I provide a ram guide construction which is readily detachable from the guide columns even when the ram is in position between these columns thereby greatly facilitating the task of removing the ram from between these columns. My invention contemplates forming each ram guide into parts or sections with one section locking another other section in position against the guide column. When the ram is moved to one position, saylowered, the first, or looking, section is uncovered, that is, is free from engagement with the ram, and hence the first section can be unbolted and removed from "the guide column. When this is accomplished, the ram can be moved to another position, say raisedto IIIICDVGI or free the other -i section from engagement with the ram, follow ing which the other section can be unbolted and removed from the guide column. In this mannor the ram can be freed from engagement with the guides to permit it to be removed from between the guide columns. This ls'zin contrast to conventional constructions wherein solid ram guides are provided and it is not possible, innorvrnal movement of the ram, to move theiramout of engagement with the ram guide to permit the guide to be removed from the guide column. In other words, the-solid ram guides are so long thatthey are always engaged :by the ram even when it is in its extreme upper position or lowered position oi. normal movement and hence they are always blocked from movement away from the guide columns by the ram. vIt is only by moving the ram, to an abnormal position, as by dismantling the steam cylinder, that the solid guides can be removed. Naturally, this is a time consuming operation and, with my construction, the ram can be removed in a fraction of the time that it now takes.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power hammer ram guide which is quickly and easily removed from the guide columns to permit the ram to be removed from between these columns.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power hammer ram guide which is seated in a guide column and which is formed in "parts or sections, each of which is readily removable from the guide columns to permit the ram to be moved from between the guide columns.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power hammer ram guide which is adapted to be seated in a guide column and which is formed in parts, or sections, which are positioned in alignment and in which adjacent sections contact each other throughout a non planar area of contact.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power hammer ram guide which is formed in parts or sections, said parts or sections being readily removable from a guide column, and in which the parts or sections are positioned in alignment with adjacent sections contacting each other through a non-planar area of contact, one of said sections locking the other against movement outward from the guide column.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power hammer ram guide which is formed in sections, said sections being positioned in alignment, with adjacent sections contacting each other throughout a non-planar area, of contact, and wherein each section has a plurality of guide ribs formed thereon, the guide ribs in one section being positioned in alignment with the guide ribs an adjacent section.

These and other obiectsand advantages of my invention will become apparent from the followram guide formed according to the teaching ofv my invention.

The embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings is illustrated as being used in connection with a steam forging hammer.

is provided which supports a work die I I and upon which is mounted a pair of upstanding guide columns I2 and I 3. A ram I4 is movable vertically between guide columns I2 and I3 and a die I5 ;is secured to the lower surface'of the ram. The ram I4 is moved in response to movement of a steam-actuated piston I6. To guide the ram I4 for up and down movement between the guide columns I2 and I3, a pair of ram guides I! and 18 are provided.

Each of the guide members I! and I8 is seated in a guide column as can be observed in Figure 2. Thus, the guide member I1 is seated in guide column I2 and the guide member I8 is seated in the guide column I3. Each guide member is detachably secured to its respective guide column. To illustrate this, the guide member I7 is detachably secured within the recess or seat I9 of guide column I2 by means such as bolts and 2I.

The tapered spacing blocks 22 and 23 are provided for the purpose of adjusting the distance between the ram guides I! and I8 in order to maintain these guides in proper guiding'engage- I ment with the ram I4.

As both of the ram guides I1 and I8 are identical only one, guide II, will be described in detail. This ram guide is shown in isometric view in Figure 3, where it will be noted that the guide includes two

guide sections

24 and 25. When these sections are seated in guide column I2,

guide section 24 is the upper section and is considerably shorter than guide section 25 which is {the lower section. Guide section 25 has a shoulder surface 26 formed on its upper surface and guide section 24 has a shoulder surface 2'1 formed on its lower surface. When the two guide sec- .tions are seated in guide column I2, with guide section 24 being above guide section 25, the shoulder surfaces 26 and 21 are in contact with each other. The result is that the two

guide sections

24 and 25 are positioned in alignment, being in continuation of each other, and the shoulder surface 21 looks the lower guide section 25 against movement away from the guide column I2. I refer to the area of contact between the

guide sections

24 and 25, i. e., the area of contact which includes the shoulder surfaces 26 and 21 and the lower

horizontal surfaces

34 and 35 on guide section 24 which contact the upper horizontal surfaces, not shown exposed, on guide section 25, as a non-planar area of contact. This is so because the shoulder surfaces cause part of the area of contact to be offset with respect to another part i. e. surface 35 is offset with respect to surface 34. The shoulder surfaces 26 and 21 are of even height so that there is a'continuous area of contact between the

guide sections

24 and 25.

A plurality of guide ribs- 28 are formed on the As is con ventional in such a type of hammer, a base I ll guide section 25 and these guide ribs are in alignment with a plurality of guide ribs 29 which are formed on guide section 24. The guide ribs 28 and 29 are in guiding engagement with cooperating 'ribs 31 formed on the ram I 4. A similar construction is provided at the other Side of the ram, i. e., the side that is guided by guide member I8.

Each guide section is provided with a bolt opening, the rim of which is adapted to be engaged by a bolt head. Thus when the bolt shank is passed through the bolt opening and the bolt head engages the guide section, the bolt is tightened at its opposite end and the bolt head will draw the guide section tightly against its associated spacing "block to hold the guide section firmly within the guide column. As an illustration, the guide section 24 has a bolt opening 30 therein and the annular rim 3| of this bolt opening 30 is engageable by a bolt head, such as the bolt head on bolt 20, to hold guide section 24 securely against spacing block 22 within the recess or seat portion I9 of guide column I2. It will be noted that the bolt opening 30 is closely adjacent to the shoulder surface 21 which is formed on guide section 24. With this positioning of the bolt opening, when bolt 20 is drawn tight, pressure is applied to guide section 24 closely adjacent to the junction between this section and guide section 25 so that the shoulder surface 2! firmly and securely holds guide section 25 against movement. Similarly, the bolt member 2| securely holds the lower end of guide section 25 against movement, by virtue of the engagement of the bolt head with the annular rim portion 36, so that the effect is to have a two-part guide member as rigid and efl'ective as if it were a one-piece or solid guide member.

Ra-m guide I8 is likewise formed in two parts or sections, like

sections

24 and 25, and the sections of guide I8 are similarly retained within the recess or seat which is formed in guide column I3 by bolts like the bolts 20 and 2 I When it is desired to remove either ram guide from its seat in a guide column, the upper sec tion of the ram guide is first removed. For example, the ram I4 would first be moved down wardly enough to uncover the upper section, such as section 24. Then the bolt 20 would be loosened and withdrawn, thereby permitting the guide section 24 to be withdrawn from the seat I9 in guide column I2. After guide section 24 has been withdrawn the ram I4 is moved upward enough to uncover section 25 following which bolt 2I is loosened and withdrawn thereby permitting guide section 25 to be withdrawn from seat I9. The travel of the ram I4 up or down to uncover either of the guide sections is within the normal limits of its travel so that it is not necessary to dismantle the actuating mechanism, such as a steam cylinder and piston arrangement, in order to move the ram out of engagement with the guides.

Ordinarily, the lower guide section, such as section 25, rests against a shoulder surface, such as 33, which restrains the guide section against vertical downward movement with respect to the guide column, such as guide column I2. Also when the upper guide section, such as 24, is bolted in position it restrains the lower guide section, such as 25, against vertical movement upward with respect to the guide column, such as I2.

In the manner just described, guide members I! and I8 can both be readily removed from their respective guide columns and, when the guide members are removed, the ram I4 can be removed from between the guide columns for the purpose of replacing the die IE or for other necessary adjustments or repairs. It will thus be seen that I provide a multiple section ram guide which is easily removed from its associated guide column to permit the guided ram to be readily removed from between guide columns.

In conventional steam hammer constructions, Where solid guide members are used to guide the ram in its up and down movement, the limits of normal travel of the ram do not enable it to clear or uncover the ram guides. Accordingly, it is necessary to move the ram to an abnormal position, as by dismantling the steam cylinder and piston arrangement, in order to clear the guides and permit them to be removed from the guide columns. This entails additional manhours and expense. In my construction, each section of the ram guide can be Lmcovered, and hence removed, within the normal limits of travel of the ram, thereby eliminating the extra man-hours and expense caused by an extensive dismantling operation. Thus, each ram guide can readily be removed, following which the ram itself can be removed. With my construction I can accomplish removal of the ram from between the guide columns in approximately 4 /2 man-hours, as compared to approximately 40 man-hours for conventional structures utilizing solid ram guide members. is made in sections, these sections are firmly locked in place, with a shoulder joint therebetween which makes the whole guide structure rigid and the substantial equivalent, from a strength standpoint, of a solid guide structure.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to be restricted thereto, but that I intend to cover all modifications thereof which would be apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a power hammer or the like, an elongated vertically extending guide for a reciprocal ram comprising a pair of separable vertically aligned guide members, one of said members having a plurality of guide ribs formed in one vertical face thereof and a plane end face having a transverse Furthermore, although my ram guide internal shoulder extending thereacross, and the other of said members having a corresponding plane end face abutting the end face of the one member and having a transverse external shoulder extending therebeyond and thereacross into abutment with the internal shoulder of said one member, said other member also having a plurality of guide ribs formed in one vertical face thereof for registry with the ribs of said one member upon assembly, the cooperating shoulders of said members accommodating separation of said members upon merely vertical relative movement thereof.

2. In a power hammer, a ram having vertical guide grooves formed on opposing side faces thereof, a supporting post on each side of said ram, and a vertically extending ram guide on each of said posts for guiding reciprocal vertical movement of said ram, said guides each comprising complementary vertically aligned guide members separably secured to one of said posts, one of said members having a plurality of guide ribs formed in one vertical face thereof and a recessed transversely extending plane shoulder formed in one end face thereof, and the other of said members having a projecting transversely extending plane shoulder formed in one end face thereof for mating engagement with the recessed shoulder of said one member upon assembly, said other member also having a plurality of guide ribs formed in one vertical face thereof for registry with the ribs of said one member upon assembly, said separable members being individually removable from said posts upon movement of said ramtherebetween without disassembly of the ram from the hammer.

JOHN W. ODONNELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 585,222 McCool June 29, 1893 960,891 Gasche June '7, 1910 1,042,926 Kerchner et al. Oct. 29, 1912 1,671,516 Derby May 29, 1928