US2539502A

US2539502A - Electroplating anode and mount

Info

Publication number: US2539502A
Application number: US678179A
Authority: US
Inventors: Zanetti Angelo; Leonce C Testut
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-06-21
Filing date: 1946-06-21
Publication date: 1951-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1968-01-30

Description

Jan. 30, 1951 A. ZANETTI ET AL 2,539,502

ELECTROPLATING ANODE AND MQUNT Filed June 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 30, 1951 A. ZANETTl ET AL 2,539,502

ELECTROPLATING ANODE AND MOUNT Filed June 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Jan. 30, 1951 OFFICE ELECTROPLATING ANDDE AND MOUNT Angelo Zanetti and Leonce C. Testut, New York, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1946, Serial No. 678,179

1 Claim.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

This invention relates to electroplating and in particular to an anode for use in plating both main and crank-throw journals of crankshafts.

In numerous instances it is desirable and neces sary to maintain machine parts and the like at substantially predetermined dimensions by periodic coating or plating thereof. For example, when crankshaft journals are worn until they no longer meet the minimum specified tolerances, the journals are chrome plated to increase their diameters.

For uniform plating, the anode must be below the surface to be plated; therefore in plating a crankshaft the crankshaft must be rotating so that the plating is concentric with the surface of the journal. The anode must also be held close to the journal to be plated. Crankshaft journals have been creme plated previously with a roller type anode but occasionally short circuits occurred causing the surface of the journal to be burned. Also the plating was sometimes uneven and was not always deposited on the fillets of the shafts. With use of the new anode of this invention the percentage of shorts and burns is greatly reduced; the plating is much more even; and the plating is readily deposited on the fillets and cheeks of the shafts.

An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for the plating of journals of crankshafts.

Another object is to provide an anode and anode holder for use in plating worn main and crank-throw journals of crankshafts.

Further objects and advantages of this invention, as well its construction, arrangement and operation, will be apparent from the following description and claim in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the anode according to one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the anode shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier of the anode shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line Fig. i is a cross-sectional View of the anode shown in Fig. 1, taken along the line 4-4.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a crank-- shaft supported in a rack with the anodes attached.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the anode generally designated 20 consists of a lead anode member I i suspended from a cross arm i2, which is welded to a guide rod 53 and a carrier it. The carrier I4 is attached to, but insulated from, guide rod amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 75"!) 53 by means of insulating material 2| and carrier it rides on, but is insulated from, the journal to be plated by means of glass pins l5 and I6. The glass pins to and it keep the anode member ll centrally located with respect to the cheeks of the crankshaft l8 and at a fixed clearance from the cheeks and the surface of the journal to be plated. The four pins I5 are normal to the surface of the journal and maintain the radial clearance between anode member H and the journal. The four pins it are at a 45 angle to the diameter of the journal, as shown in Fig. 3, and maintain axial clearance between the anode member I I and the checks of the crankshaft 3..

As shown in Fig. 4, the lead anode member II has a number of vent holes I! drilled through it to permit free passage of the plating solution and the gases formed during the plating process. The carr er is has large vent holes Ila in it, as shown in Fig. 2.

Because the shape of the anode is important in connection with the securing of uniform deposits, the anodes are carefully formed over accurate dies, the anodes that are to be used for journals of the same shape and size being formed on the same die. In this way similar journals of a single crankshaft is when plated from anodes so made, have deposited thereon equal amounts of plating.

In chrome plating the journals of a worn crankshaft is, the entire surface except the journals to be plated is painted with a chrome-resistance paint; then crankshaft i8 is suspended by its extremities in a rack !9, as shown in Fig. 5. The anodes 2e are then clamped around the journals to be plated and a tank (not shown), surrounding the crankshaft i8, is filled with the plating solution so that the surfaces of the solution is above the crankthrow journals at their highest position. The guide rods :3 of the anodes 20 ride in a slot in a wooden beam 22 so that the anodes are insulated from the rack i9 and are held upright as the crankshaft it rotates. Braided copper leads 23 are attached to the upper ends of the guide rods it of anodes 29. These leads connect to the rheostat (not shown) that controls the current to the anodes. To cause the crankshaft to rotate during the plating operation, an electric motor 24 mounted on rack it drives a sprocket-drive unit 25 through a reduction gear 26, the other end of this sprocket drive being connected to crankshaft It is to be understood that various modifications and changes can be made in this invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

An electroplating device comprising a carrier having'a surface exposed to an axis, a plurality of vitreous insulating anti-friction locating elements extending toward the axis from said surface and terminating at radially-equal distances from the axis, some of said pins extending radially and some extending at about a 45 angle to the axis, an insulating member on said carrier remote from said surface, a conductive support mounted on said member and insulated from said carrier, said support having spaced port-ions extending on opposite sides of the axis, and an electrode fastened to said spaced support portions, said electrode being on the opposite side of the axis from 20 said carrier and below the axis, said electrode between said portions having a surface exposed to the axis, the intersection of said electrode surface and a plane normal to the axis forming an are about the axis as a center of less than 180 and concave toward the axis, the intersection of said electrode surface and a plane including the axis forming an arc concave toward the axis.

ANGELO ZANETTI. LEONCE C. TESTUT.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,772,074 Engelhardt Aug. 5, 1930 1,861,272 Hildorf May 31, 1932 1,880,382 Garling Oct. 4, 1932 1,904,432 Fink Apr. 18, 1933 2,072,170 Herzog Mar. 2, 1937 2,422,242 Kaufman June 17, 1947 2,473,290 Millard June 14, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1 8,643 Great Britain of 1899 877,169 France Sept. 1, 1942 OTHER REFERENCES Metal Cleaning and Finishing, June 1933 pages 235 and 238.