US2992520A

US2992520A - Air floated grinder

Info

Publication number: US2992520A
Application number: US739203A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kish Paul
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-06-02
Filing date: 1958-06-02
Publication date: 1961-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1978-07-18

Description

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2,992,520 AIR FLOATED GRINDER Paul Kish, San Fernando, Calif. (6735 Elmer St., North Hollywood, Calif.) Filed June 2, 1958, Ser'. No. 739,203 1 Claim. (Cl. 51-166) This invention relates to an air floated grinder and has for one of its principal objects the provision of a device of the class described which, while being portable, is at the same time capable of accurately performing a great variety of diflicult grinding and similar operations.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide a grinding machine which is driven by compressed air and wherein the exhaust air is employed to maintain the grinder in a position for portable manual operation and an actual elimination of the weight of the same.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a portable air supported grinding apparatus which will be adjustable in several dimensions, thereby making the same available for very accurate work without, in any way, interring with the resultant efliciency.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of a machine tool which can be employed for purposes other than grinding and which will, during all operational periods, be supported on a cushion or a layer of air, thereby providing considerable mobility and eliminating any possibility of tiring the operator, even over long periods of working time.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and following specification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, substantially wholly in section, showing the improved air floated grinder of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section, taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is a reduced plane view, partly broken away, taken on the horizontal line 3-3 of 'FIGURE 1, looking downwardly.

FIGURE 4 is a partial vertical section on the line 44 of FIGURE 1, illustrating additional details.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section on the plane of the line 55 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction indicated.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view, partly in section, illustrating a portion of the structure shown in FIGURE 1, but with a slight modification.

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line 77 of FIGURE 6.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates a base plate upon which the upright or supporting standard 12 of the improved grinder of this invention is mounted by means of bolts or the like 14.

Beneath the plate 10 and in spaced relation thereto over practically all of its area, is a perforated plate 16 which also forms part of the supporting base and which is fastened to the plate It} about their juxtaposed peripheries by machine screws or the like 18. It will be noted that the plate 16 is internally recessed, as best shown at 20 in FIGURES 1 and 3, with a number of perforations 22 all over and through the recessed area.

The motive power for the grinder is furnished by means of an air driven turbine 24 of any preferred or representative type. Compressed air for operating the same is brought in through a hose 26, control valve 28 and pipe 30. The air is exhausted from the turbine 24 and through a pipe 32 which leads downwardly through the supporting Patented July 18, 1961 stand 12 and exits through an opening in the plate 10, all as best shown in FIGURE 1.

This exhaust air enters the space 20 between the plates 10 and 16, diffuses itself throughout and exits through the numerous, evenly spaced and properly distributed openings 22. This results in raising the supporting base Ill-16 slightly above the surface 34 which may be a plane table, bench, part of a machine or anything similar. This elevation of the entire apparatus: is very, very slight, usually measuring in tens of thousandths of inches which, therefore, will in no way detract from the accuracy of the work performed by the grinding tool or some similar device, as indicated at 36. Alternatively, the grinder may be used to smooth the surface of a piece of work 38, and this element 38 may comprise an integral extension of the support 34.

A housing 40 is provided for the turbine 24, and suitable bearings support a driving shaft 42 which extends through an extension 41 of the housing 40 being supported by another bearing 44 in a secondary housing 46. This housing 46 includes a tubular extension '48 which projects into the open end of the housing 40, allowing for relative sliding motion therebetween. This is adjusted by means of a thumb screw or the like 50, supported in integral extensions 52 of the housing 40 and operating through a threaded element 54 which is fastened to the inner end of the sleeve 48, all as best shown in FIGURE 1.

It will be noted that the shaft 42 is splined at 56 to slidably interfit with a similar internally splined tubular shaft 58. This is in turn supported in the bearing 44 and by an auxiliary bearing 60 in the end of the tubular extension 48.

A bevelled gear 62 is fitted onto the end of the tubular shaft 58, and this is in mesh with a similar bevelled gear 64 mounted on a vertical shaft 66, the upper end of which is in a bearing 68 supported by the housing 46.

This shaft 66 is splined at 70 and interfits with an internally splined shaft 72 mounted in a cylindrical housing 74 which can be moved up or down in the lower end of the housing 46.

One means of accomplishing this adjustment is shown in FIGURE 4, wherein a knurled adjusting screw 76 is fitted into an extension 78 of the housing 46 with an internally screw-threaded element 80 riding on the screw and contacted to the cylinder 74.

The lower end of the shaft 72 is recessed for the reception of a holding chuck or similar device 82, whereby the tool 36 is adequately supported for proper operation.

Cover plates

84 and 86 are provided for the

housings

40 and 46, respectively, and a sleeve 88 is interposed between the tubular extension of the housing 40, and the extension 48 for better and more accurate operation, all as best shown in FIGURE 6. This figure also illustrates a modified form of adjusting the relationship between the tubular elements which consists of a gear 90 operating on a rack 92, which rack is in turn fastened to the sleeve 48. The gear 90 is turned by means of a knurled knob or the like 94, as best shown in FIGURE 7.

It will be evident that herein is provided a grinding tool which is capable of an almost infinite number of adjustments, both outwardly from the source of power and also in a complete circle about the center of outward movement, it being obvious that the housing 86 can be readily rotated through 360 about the longitudinal center of

shafts

42 and 58. Also, the tool can be locked in this adjusted position by means of the set screw 96 which is in a boss 98 in the tubular extension 40 of the turbine housing.

It will also be evident that, due to the infinitesimal layer of exhaust air which supports the entire apparatus, the same can be readily moved over and about any supporting surface 34, regardless of whether this supporting surface is merely a support or whether it actually is part of the work itself. This condition, of course, prevails only when a suitable level and plane surface. is employed, as indicated by the reference numeral 34.

A very great ease of operation with considerable accuracy results while at the same time the adjustability enables satisfactory operation under almost all circumstances and conditions Which might be encountered in work of this type.

I am aware that many changes may be made and nuerous details of construction varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention; and I, therefore, do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

An air floated grinder including a supporting base, said base comprising two plates joined at their edges but spaced apart over a large percentage of their interior area, a stand on the upper base plate, an air-turbine at the top of the stand, intake and exhaust lines for compressed air in the stand, a splined driving shaft driven by the air turbine, a beveled gear at the outer end of said shaft, a telescopic housing for the splined shaft extending from the air-turbine, another housing at the end of the telescopic housing, a beveled gear in the last named housing in mesh with the first named gear, a second splined shaft connected to the second beveled gear and extending through the second housing, a grinding tool at the end of the second splined shaft, bearings for the shafts in the respective housings, the operate face of said grinding tool being substantially the same plane as the outer face of the lower base plate, the compressed air outlet comprising a tube terminating in the space between the two plates, the lower plate having a series of perforations therein for exit of air therethrough, the lower plate being confined to a single plane with a minimum variation and said base adapted to be moved over a similar substantial flat platform without actually contacting the same in operation, said compressed air turbine furnishing the motive power for the grinder through the splined shafts, said compressed air outlet tube conveying exiting air from the turbine to the space between the base plates and out through the perforations to contact the platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,278 Patch Dec. 19, 1899 691,740 Birkenstock Jan. 28, 1902 2,288,646 Ragsdale July 7, 1942 2,301,164 Mall Nov. 3, 1942 2,316,886 Pascucci Apr. 20, 1943 2,423,826 Cardone et al. July 15, 1947 2,671,700 Seyffert Mar. 9, 1954 2,780,826 Coons Feb. 12, 1957 2,832,986 Seck May 6, 1958 2,869,933 Bessinger Jan. 20, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Air Lubricated Bearings by P. M. Mueller, published in Product Engineering, August 1951; pages referred to 112 to 115, inclusive. (Copy in Scientific Library and Div. 45.)