US2864138A - Unloading means for centrifugal casting chuck - Google Patents

Description

A. D. PIERCE ETAL UNLOADING MEANSEQR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Dec. 16, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1952 fldere'cZ' .17. Wayne?" A. D. PIERCE ET AL UNLOADING MEANS FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Filed Feb. 8, 1952 Dec. 16, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 5 w e 6 n W r WV n P r w m m n #6 2% J 5 e M e x WSW NI mum cl:

gm ms. NS X 3 .,4.......... fi Q I l l A. D. PIERCE EI'AL Dec.- 16, 1958 UNLOADING MEANS FOR CENTRIF Filed Feb. 8, 1952 UGAL CASTING CHUCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 In z/en ions Fr derz'cl' United States Patent C UNLOADING MEANS FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Albert D. Pierce and Fredrick A. Wagner, Lansing, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Textron American, lnc., Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode Island Application February 8, 1952, Serial No. 270,654

1 Claim. (Cl. 22-585) This invention relates to unloading means for centrifugal casting chucks. The invention has to do with the manufacture of the well known centrifuse brake drum. The centrifuse brake drum includes a cylindrical steel shell in which a cast iron brake lining is cast by centrifugal force.

The mechanism for holding and spinning the shell for casting a predetermined amount of molten cast iron into the shell and for distributing such iron about the periphcry of the shell by centrifugal force is well known. It has heretofore been customary, after the molten iron had hardened and while the shell and its iron lining were still at redheat, the spinning chuck having been brought to rest, to open the chuck so that the operator can lift the red. hot drum out of the chuck. by hand and move it over to and hang it on a conveyor which. carries it away. This'is a hot, difficult task. Sometimes the drums weigh as much as several hundred pounds. Cast drums are continuously presented tothe workman, theconveyor is always in motion, the work is hard, hot, unpleasant and very trying.

This invention has. to do with automatic. mechanical means which will take a drum of any size out of its chuck as the chuck goes by and will convey that drum over to and place it on a conveyor and do it in such wise that it is not necessary to too accurately synchronize the movement of the chuck and the conveyor.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of theassociated elements of the entire mechanism with parts omitted;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a section along the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

1 is a turntable rotating about a vertical axis. On it are a plurality of spinner housings 2. Each housing carries a motor 201 which through gear train 202 drives through a hollow shaft 102, a chuck spider 203. The chuck spider 203 carries a conical chuck seat 204. This assembly of shaft, spider and seat rotates but is held against longitudinal displacement. 205 is a plunger shaft slidable in a hollow shaft 206 which in turn is slidable in the shaft 102. 207 indicates a hydraulic cylinder which may reciprocate the shaft 205. On the hollow shaft 206 is a reciprocating chuck spider 209 on which are pivoted a plurality of chuck jaws 210. These chuck jaws have arms 211 extending inwardly and those arms may be contacted by a chuck releasing plate 212 on the shaft 205. In the position shown in Figure 2, the shaft 205 has been moved to the left, carrying with it the "ice shaft 206 until that shaft is stopped in its movement by means not herein shown. The plate 212 has moved' fur= ther forward asthe outer conical peripheries. 213 of the chuck jaws. 210 slide outwardly along the seat 204. The

5 plate 212 thus forces the chuck jaws outwardly so as to release the drum 4. Since this-inclines the lower chuck jaws on which the shell now rests, the shell tilts' out?- wardly from the bottom' as indicated in full lines.

The details of this'chuck mechanism form no part of the present invention and are not further shown. Suffice it tosay that when closed, they hold the drum for rota tion in a plane perpendicular to: the axis of rotation of the shafts 102, 205, 206, so that molten metal may be cast into the shell. When the chuck is opened, the drum is' released but remains standing on the lower chuck jaws in the outer tilted position.

Each chuck housing has a door 5. Means for opening the door as the chuck travels with the turntable are not illustrated as-they formno part of the present invention.

The door 5 having been opened, the opening of the chuck causes the drum, which previously had been held by;the chuck jaws in a vertical plane, to tilt outwardly, resting uponthe lower chuck jaw only so that the upper portion of the drum projects forwardly beyond the chuck which in this position extends in part outwardly from the front of the housing 2.

9' is a pedestal which supports a rotating frame 10, driven by the shaft 11 extending below the pedestal 9 and terminating in a miter gear 12 in mesh with a miter gear 13 on the horizontal shaft 14, which in turn carries a gear 15 (-see- Figure l), meshing'with a gear 16 driven by the turntable so that the frame 10 rotates at a fixed rate of speed in consonance' with" the rotation of the turntable 1*. In the particular example shown, there are twel've'chuck son theturntablean'd the fi'ame 10 iscaused to. make three revolutions while the turntable makes one.

The frame 10 has four pairs of outwardly projecting arms 17. Each pair of arms 17 carries a pivot pin 18 and on each pivot pin is rotatably mounted a bell crank lever 19. The shorter arm 20 of the bell crank lever 19 terminates in a roller 21 engaging a fixed cam 22 on the pedestal 9. The longer arm of the bell crank lever 19 carries at its end an adjustable removable upright drum engaging finger 23.

Since the frame 10 travels at a higher angular and linear speed than the turntable, each finger 23 will, as a chuck passes by, travel across the face of the chuck and penetrate the inclined drum. The finger having penetrated the inclined drum, roller 21 will engage the high spot on the cam 22 to rotate arm 19 upwardly and lift the drum off its support on the lower side of the chuck. When this happens, since the finger 22 contacts the drum near its outer edge, the drum being no longer supported by the chuck, swings outwardly into the dotted line position shown in Figure 2, thus clearing the chuck. As the frame 10 continues to rotate, the chuck also moving with the rotation of the turntable, the drum is carried away from the turntable and out of register with the chuck.

As the frame 10 continues its rotation, it carries the drum around until it is suspended above the drum trough 24. There the roller 21 engages the lower portion of the cam 22 and the finger 23 is lowered permitting the drum to engage the trough. As the lower movement continues, the drum will be entirely supported on the trough .and since the trough is downwardly inclined, the drum can roll down along the trough when continued rotation of frame 10 disengages the finger 23 and the bell crank lever 19 from the drum,

The drum travels along the trough until it reaches the movable cradle 25, being stopped thereon by the abut.-

- 3 ment 26. 27 is a conveyor chain carried by rollers 28 traveling along the track 29 with spaced conveyor hooks 30 downwardly depending and passing above the cradle 25. 31 is a plunger traveling in the guides 32, carrying the cradle 25. 33 is a solenoid adapted when activated to raise the plunger 31. This moves the cradle 25 upwardly so that the drum 4 on the cradle is presented to a conveyor hook 30 and as the conveyor travels along it can thus pick up the drum and carry it away. 34 is an abutment extending downwardly from the cradle 25 on the side toward the trough so that successive drums traveling down the trough 24 are arrested by the abutment when the cradle is in the raised position.

As soon as the solenoid is deenergized, the cradle descends to receive the next drum. 35 is a switch adapted to be engaged by successive or selected conveyor hooks to cause upward movement of the cradle in consonance with the presentation of such hooks. 36 indicates an adjustable member carried by the hook which may be placed in or out of position to contact the switch so that each hook or only selected hooks may pick up a drum.

Because the trough 24 has room to hold a number of drums, the position and movement of the hooks on the conveyor do not need to be exactly in spaced relationship with respect to the turntable. It is merely necessary that the conveyor move fast enough or pick up drums frequently enough so as to keep the trough 24 from being overfilled with drums.

Since the size of the shells into which molten metal is cast may vary widely, chucks of different size may be used on the turntable. Therefore, the finger 23 is removable or adjustable. A short finger for a small diameter drum, a longer finger for a larger drum, so that a wide range of size of drum may be handled without any change in the apparatus except the substitution of a longer or shorter drum engaging finger, as the case may be.

It is ordinarily not necessary to change the over all length of the long portion of the bell crank lever 19 to compensate for drums of diiferent widths. It is suflicient that in every case the finger contact the upper outer edge of the drum beyond its center of gravity so that the completed drum or shell will swing outwardly when it is lifted by the finger.

I claim:

In combination, a fixed vertically disposed column, a turntable mounted for rotation on the column about the vertical axis thereof, a work engaging finger carried by the turntable and means for moving it vertically as the turntable rotates, a chuck mounted for movement along a path adjacent to but outside the path of the work engaging finger, the chuck being adapted to hold and sup port an annular drum and means associated with the chuck for supporting the drum on its lower periphery only and tilting it outwardly until the upper portion of the ring overlies the path of the finger, means for raising the finger when it is beneath the upper, inner periphery of the drum adjacent the face thereof furthest from the chuck and cause it to swing gravitally until the lower periphery of the drum is out of register with the chuck as the finger is carried away from the point at which it first contacted the drum by the rotation of the turntable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 407,161 Brooks July 16, 1889 1,479,809 Headley et al Jan. 8, 1924 1,899,595 Snyder et a1 Feb. 28, 1933 1,917,872 Campbell July 11, 1933 1,977,220 Wyant Oct. 16, 1934 2,206,267 Schutz et a1 July 2, 1940 2,207,179 Schreiber July 9, 1940 2,362,132 Haub Nov. 7, 1944 2,451,975 Rayburn et a1 Oct. 19, 1948 2,499,209 Balasquide Feb. 28, 1950 2,507,753 Blackhurst May 16, 1950 2,556,382 Williams et a1 June 12, 1951 2,657,440 Myers Nov. 3, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Pages 32 and 33 The Foundry, March 1, 1932.

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