US3181191A

US3181191A - Piston cleaning tool

Info

Publication number: US3181191A
Application number: US285007A
Authority: US
Inventors: William A Coninx
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-06-03
Filing date: 1963-06-03
Publication date: 1965-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-04

Description

May 4, 1965 w. A. CONINX PISTON CLEANING TOOL Filed June 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM A. Co/v/xvx BY v\% ORNEY y 1965 w. A. CONINX 3,181,191

PISTON CLEANING TOOL Filed June a, 1963 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Office 3,181,191 Patented May 4, 1965 3,181,191 PISTON L1EANKNG TGGL William A. Coninx, 273 W. 5th St, St. Paul, Minn. Filed June 3, 1963, Ser. No. 285,607 16 Claims. (Cl. 15lil4.0l)

This invention relates to a piston cleaning tool and in particular to a tool adapted for use in cleaning the grooves of a piston or threaded cylinder, the tool being slidably and pivotally mounted in relation to the piston or cylinder so as to be readily and continuously aligned with the grooves to be cleaned, and having means whereby a plurality of cleaning blades of difierent cleaning widths may be detachably secured to the tool so as to be selectively utilized.

In common practice internal combustion engines and particularly internal combustion engines such as are used in the automotive trade have their pistons cleaned when the engines are being overhauled. The cleaning operation includes the cleaning of the ring grooves in order that replacement rings may be fitted in the grooves to control oil consumption and provide a better fitting piston within the bore of the engine. Cleaning of the pistons and their ring grooves for many garages and for the individual mechanic is a particularly time consuming procedure due to the hardness of the carbon which has become attached to the piston grooves, head, and wall. Whereas brushes may clean the piston skirts with some success, the brushes are generally inefficient in removing carbon from the piston grooves, and the operator or mechanic performing the cleaning operation is required to give particular care, time, and attention to his task if any reasonable degree of professional workmanlike cleaning is to be done.

It is a common practice to clean piston grooves with brushes, scrapers, and the like both by hand and by brushing and scraping the pistons which are generally mounted on a lathe or other turning device or which are rotated in a piston cleaning machine such as my US. Patent 2,690,577. Quite commonly, various liquids are used to help clean the loosened carbon from the piston. The efficiency of these methods of cleaning the piston grooves particularly for the relatively unskilled workman is unsatisfactory because of the time consumed in the close attention which is required if the cleaning is to be well done. Small garages and even large agencies have found removing carbon from pistons to be such a time consuming, laborious task, that in general such work has been sent to machine shops who make a specialty of such cleaning operations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool including a cleaning blade having a cleaning edge portion adapted to reside within the groove of a piston or other threaded cylinder to scrape the accumulated carbon or undesired residue from the walls and bottom of the groove which may be effectively used by a relatively unskilled workman. It is a further object to provide a cleaning tool having a plurality of replaceable cleaning blades exactly fitting the width of the grooves to be cleaned and being selectively available as desired by the operator.

As will be understood pistons and other cylinders may vary greatly both in diameter and in the width of the grooves and in addition in the angular relationship of the grooves or threads to the axis of the piston or cylinder. The rapidity with which the groove may be cleaned efiiciently is obviously greatly increased by selecting a properly fitting blade which will cleaningly engage in the groove and loosen and remove the deposits therein.

The invention includes a head detachably secured to a lever shaft handle. An intermediate portion of the lever shaft handle is rotatably supported by a block which is pivotally secured to a second block, the second block being supported in slidable relation on a support bar which is in generally akial alignment with the piston to be cleaned. The cleaning head is secured to one end of the lever handle with the opposed end of the lever handle being enlarged to provide a gripping surface and a counterweight to the head. The head includes a pair of outwardly opposed channels in which cleaning blades are adapted to reside. Each channel includes a pin transversely secured in the Walls of the channel adapted to engage a registrable recess in the blade member. As will be understood, rotation oi the handle results in a similar rotation of the head whereby the mechanic may choose the blade desired for the cleaning operation.

Each cleaning blade includes an edge portion adapted to engage in the groove of the piston or cylinder to be cleaned. In order to eifectively clean the groove it is necessary that the blade edge engage along a sufficient length of its edge in order to efiiciently perform its cleaning function. The preferred blade shape includes a relatively fiat blade having an edge portion adapted to be engaged by the pin in the channel recess and having a cleaning edge which includes a straight portion and a curved portion depending from one end of the straight edge portion. Because of the wide variation in the diameter of cylinders such as pistons, the combination of a straight edge portion and a curved edge portion enables the cleaning blade to engage within a groove to be cleaned throughout a substantial portion of the annular groove. Teeth means having a beveled cutting edge are provided in spaced relation along the edge of the blade, and at least one drag tooth is provided in the curved edge of the blade to cause the cleaning edge of the blade to more quickly seat into the groove to be cleaned and to efficiently remove loosened carbon from the groove. As will be understood, the cleaning edge of the blade will cleanly engage within the groove along a greater portion of its length as the groove is cleaned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning blade for the annular grooves of a piston or other cylinder having an edge including spaced apart planar teeth adapted to cleaningly engage in the groove, the edge including a straight portion and a curved portion depending from one end of the straight edge portion to efliciently clean the groove of a cylinder without concern as to its diameter.

As has been mentioned, a horizontal support bar is provided parallel to the axis of rotation of the piston to be cleaned. The horizontal bar is supported at its ends by a pair of legs which may be mounted to a bed or to the machine rotating the piston. The second block is slidable upon the horizontal support bar to enable the cleaning tool to be moved to successive grooves during the cleaning operation. In addition, when the tool is used to clean the threads of a cylinder such as a pipe, the tool may continuously clean the threads because of the ability of the tool to move laterally in supported relation upon the horizontal bar. The first block is pivotally secured in overlying relation to the second block by a pivot pin thereby making the tool both pivotal and slidable in relation to the horizontal support bar and the rotated piston. As previously indicated, the cleaning head may be rotated on the lever shaft thereby permitting the operator to choose the particular cleaning edge desired and also to permit the tool to follow in cleaning relation a groove having an angled Wall. Because of the ability of the cleaning tool to move slidably and pivotally on the support bar, the leverable relation of the head and handle shaft to the support bar, the pivotal relation of the first and second mounting blocks, and the rotational mounting of the lever handle in the first block, the tool i may be described as being mounted in a full floating relation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool adapted to cleaningly engage the grooves or threads of a cylinder and to be self aligning in its relation to the said groove or threads.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool for cylinders such as pistons wherein the tool may be used by a relatively unskilled operator without the likelihood of damage to the tool or to the grooves of the cylinder being cleaned. The head includes a stop member engageable against an outer surface of the cylinder whereby the depth to which the cleaning edge of the blade may be inserted in the groove can be controlled. Generally, the stop enables an inexperienced machinist to operate with a greater degree of confidence that he will not urge the teeth of the cleaning edge against the bottom of the groove when such urging is not necessary. The cleaning tool operator accordingly may set the stop which includes a bar pivotally mounted in 'parallel relation to the blade to the head of the tool and having a thumb screw to urge the stop downwardly to engage a surface of the piston adjacent to the groove being cleaned. The operator lowers the blade into the piston groove until the blade has cut and cleaned the groove to a point where the stop engages against the piston. At this point, the blade can no longer be urged into the groove and the operator knows that he has cleaned to the desired depth.

Normally in cleaning automotive pistons for example, the operator will place all the pistons to be cleaned by his machine. He next selects the proper cleaning blades and places them in the cleaning end. As previously mentioned, the blades are engaged in a pair of outwardly opposed channels with the head being secured to the rotatable shaft so as to enable the operator to select the cleaning blade he wishes to use. Generally, the grooves of a piston are of no more than two dilferent widths. Accordingly, the operator places the piston in the device rotating the pistons such as my previously mentioned piston cleaning machine and causes the piston to be rotated. He then leverably urges the selected blade into the groove to be cleaned and cleans until the stock engages the piston. He then cleans the remaining grooves in the piston in the same manner and continues with the other pistons to be cleaned. It has been found that an operator is able to clean a set of six or eight pistons from an automobile engine within a relatively few minutes. It has been further found that the unskilled operator can do an effective and efficient cleaning of the grooves without the necessity of an extended period of training.

Since in the usual machine shop operation a wide variety of pistons are encountered, it is necessary that the operator be able to change his blades readily. I have provided a collar on the shaft adjacent to the head having a recess alignable with the recess of the blade channel. As previously mentioned, a blade engages in the channel recess. The blade includes a generally L-shaped opening or recess registrable with the transverse pin which is secured in the walls of the channel. The hub or collar is rotated until the channel recesses of the hub are aligned with the recesses of the channels in the head. The blade is inserted into the aligned recesses until the L-shaped blade aperture is registrable with the transverse channel pin and the pin is then urged into locking engagement within the L-shaped aperture. A portion of the L-shaped aperture is in a generally right angular relation to the edge of the blade with the face of the aperture extending rearwardly therefrom. Since the blade to be engaged on the pin must be inserted in one direction, the blade in order to be detached must be moved in the opposite direction. By rotating the hub or collar so that the recesses of the hub are no longer aligned with the channel recesses, the blades are prevented from becoming disengaged from the channel pin. A pair of springs are mounted in registrable socket aligned with the channel recesses in spaced apart rearward relation to the transverse pins to springably urge the blades out of the channel recesses. This particular construction permits the blades to be movable in the channel recesses while in cleaning engagement in the groove. A safety factor is thereby introduced which serves to protect the blade and the cylinder if the operator fails to align the cleaning edge of the blade in the groove since the blade will pivot on the transverse pin to compress the spring as it encounters the metal of the cylinder. In addition, the spring mounting continuously urges the blade into cutting relation with the carbon or other residue being removed from the groove.

In the preferred construction the blade may be comprised of a pair of members including a base portion and a blade portion having the cleaning edge. Since it will be understood, that the blades in use will gradually wear and the teeth become dull, a considerable saving can be efiected by the preferred combination described. The base portion is essentially an elongated rectangular bar including a longitudinal inset edge. The base portion includes the L-shaped aperture previously described. The blade having the cleaning edge is secured to the base by a pair of pins or other suitable means. Accordingly, when the cutting edges have been dulled, the cleaning blade edge is removed from the base and a new cleaning blade edge attached to the base.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning blade having a cleaning edge portion detachable from a base portion in order that the portion of the blade subjected to wear may be quickly and economically replaced when necessary.

In the cleaning of threads on a cylinder such as pipe where the cleaning is to be conducted along a relatively great length, the operator aligns the cleaning blade edge in the groove of the threaded pipe and leverably urges the blade into the groove until the threads are cleaned to his satisfaction It will be obvious that the tool will continuously align itself with the threads being cleaned as long as the blades are kept in engagement within the groove.

Locking screws are provided to prevent inadvertent rotation of the shaft and inadvertent pivotal movement of the blocks in relation to each other and to the support bar thereby providing the operator with complete and positive control of all possible movements of the tool.

As will be readily apparent, I have provided a cleaning tool for removing the residue such as carbon from the grooves of pistons and other cylinders which is particularly adapted for use by an unskilled operator and which will readily and efiiciently perform the desired cleaning operations. I have further provided a cleaning tool wherein the parts which are subject to the greatest wear may be readily removed for replacement. I have further provided a tool in which the blade cleaning edges are designed to universally accommodate cylinders of different diameters. In addition, I have provided a tool wherein the cleaning blade may be quickly and easily replaced, and in which the blades are mounted to protect both the blades and the cylinders being cleaned from undue wear or damage. In addition I have provided a tool which may be used in combination with present cleaning machine and which may be used in addition with the equipment normally available in small garages where a minimum of power equipment is available.

These and other particular objects and details of my invention will befurther described and detailed in the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the piston groove cleaning tool in cleaning relation to an axially rotated piston.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the cleaning blade of the piston groove cleaning tool.

FIGURE 3 is a section showing the cleaning relation of the teeth of the blade to an axially rotated piston.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the tool in cleaning relation with the groove of a piston.

FIGURE 5 is .a side elevation partly in section showing the manner in which the cleaning blade is engaged in the channel recess of the head.

FIGURE 6 is a rear elevation of the frame supporting structure in relation to the horizontal tool supporting bar with the mounting block in slidable relation.

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal section through the cleaning head showing the relationship of the blade receiving channel to the spring retaining sockets.

FIGURE 8 is a cross section through the head illustrating the preferred relation of the gauge stops to the cleaning blades.

FIGURE 9 is a section taken along the lines 99 of FIGURE 4 showing the means whereby the cleaning head is secured in detachable relation to the lever handle shaft.

The drawings disclose a groove cleaning tool generally numbered A for use in cleaning the grooves of an axially rotated cylinder such as the piston 10 shown in FIG- URE 1.

The preferred construction of the tool comprises four basic elements for the purposes of description consisting of a cleaning head generally numbered 12 having a body 14 including a pair of outwardly disposed opposed cleaning blades 16 and 18 which will be further described for cleaning engagement in a groove such as 19 of an axially rotated cylinder such as the piston 10.

The body 14 has a centrally located rear recess such as a socket 20 into which one end of a shaft generally numbered 22 is engaged as shown at 24. The shaft 22 serves as a lever handle to urge the cleaning head 12 into cleaning engagement in the groove to be cleaned. The handle shaft 22 is an elongated rod, in preferred form being cylindrical, having one end 24 engaged in the socket 20 of the head 12 and the other end of the shaft 22 including an enlarged end which may be integral with the shaft and which is numbered 26 to provide a handle grip and to further serve as a counterweight for the head 12.

The shaft handle 22 in preferred construction is supported intermediate its ends by a pair of superposed mounting

blocks

28 and 30 as may be seen in FIGURE 1, the

blocks

28 and 30 being held in pivotal relationship by a pivot pin 32 as may be seen in FIGURE 4.

In preferred construction the upper block 28 has an aperture which extends longitudinally through the block 28 and in the shaft 22 resides in rotatable relation to the block 23 for a purpose which will be further described.

The lower block 30 has a lateral opening through the block through which a generally horizontal support alignment arm 34 extends to provide a fulcrum for the pivotally

related blocks

28 and 30, the ends 36 and 38 of the generally cylindrical support rod which serves as the arm 34 being engaged by a pair of vertical frame members 40 and 42. The lower or second block member 30 is pivotally and slidably secured on the arm 34. Pivotal or slidable movement of the block 30 causes related movement of the other cooperable portions of the tool A.

As previously pointed out, the tool A has the elements of a cleaning head, lever handle, mounting blocks, and supporting frame structure which will be separately described in some further detail.

It will be understood that a cylinder such as the piston 10 may be axially rotated in many ways such as in a lathe, on a powered shaft, or in a piston cleaning machine such as my US. Patent 2,690,577 for the purpose of my cleaning tool. It is preferably desired that the cylinder be rotated without wobbling; however, my cleaning tool does not require that the piston or other cylinder be rotated around a horizontal axis. The tool A will align itself or may be aligned by the operator with the groove to be cleaned because of the full floating mounting.

The usual grooved cylinders such as the piston 10 has external parallel annular grooves such as the groove 19 which are generally of the same width or in the case of internal combustion engines such as an .automobile, the ring grooves may be of two different widths. In the threading of pipes or other similar cylinders, the grooves maintain a constant angular relationship throughout the length of the pipe, and the tool A is particularly adapted for cleaning such grooves.

The cleaning head 12 has a generally elongated rectangular body 14 including in preferred construction a pair of outwardly facing opposed channels such as the channel 44 illustrated in FIGURE 5. Each channel such as 44 is coextensive with the side of the body 14 in which it is found, the channel providing a generally elongated rectangular slot or recess in the body 14 in which a cleaning blade may be removably engaged. As may be seen in FIGURE 5 and FIGURE 7, each channel includes a pin means such as 46 and 48 which extends transversely across the recess or slot of the channel and has its ends engaged in the channel slot enclosing portions of the body 14, the pin being located adjacent the forward end of the channel slot and intermediate the bottom and top of the channel slot to provide a means of pivotal engagement for a cleaning blade.

As may be seen in FIGURE 2, a cleaning blade such as 16 or 18 is comprised preferably of a base member 50 and a blade member 52 which may be detached from the base member 50 to which it is secured by pins 54 and 56 such as rivets, pins, and the like when the cleaning edge of the blade member 52 has become unduly worn or dulled.

The blade base member is a generally elongated rectangular flat bar of a length to coextend with the channel slots such as 44 in which it engages. One longitudinal edge of the base 50 includes a generally inverted Lshaped opening adjacent the forward end of the base member, the L-shaped opening being generally numbered 58 and including a portion of the opening extending inwardly in a generally perpendicular relation to the edge 66 as shown at 62 and having a further portion of the opening extending rearwardly from the perpendicular portion as is shown at 64, the rearwardly extending portion being in generally parallel relation to the edge 64 of the base 50. The spacing of the L-shaped opening 50 is such as to cause the opening 58 to be registrable with the pin such as 46 in the channel recess in order to enable the base 59 to be engaged on the pin 46. The opposed longitudinal edge 66 of the base Stl includes a recessed longitudinal portion coextensive with the base length and of sufiicient depth to accommodate the thickness of the cleaning blade 52. The longitudinal recess enables the exposed side of the cleaning blade 52 to be coplanar with the side of the base 50. The blade 52 is secured in the recessed portion of the base 50 by a pair of pins 54 and 56 as previously mentioned.

The generally flat blade 52 includes the engaged portion 68 which is secured to the base 50 in the longitudinal recess of the base 50, and a cleaning edge portion generally numbered 70 which will be further described. The outward edge of the cleaning edge portion '70 includes a straight portion 72 extending rearwardly from the forward end 74 of the blade and a curved portion 74 which curves outwardly from the straight edge portion 72. In the operating position of the blade in relation to a piston groove, the curved portion of the edge depends from the straight edge portion 72. The combination of the curved edge 74 and the straight edge 72 enables the blade to universally adapt itself to the diameter of the cylinder whose grooves are being cleaned.

As will be understood, the diameter of the cylinders may vary considerably. For a cylinder of a diameter providing a grooved circumference corresponding to the curvature of the blade will result in a continuous cleaning contact throughout the length of the curved edge within the cylinder groove. Where the cylinder is of a diameter such that its grooved circumference does not correspond to the curved edge 74, a segment of the curved blade edge 74 will cleaningly engage in the piston groove. Where the cylinder is of a diameter to exceed the curvature of the edge 74, the cleaning edge 70 will engage the groove of the cylinder along at least a portion of the straight edge 72 and the curved edge 74, the amount of cleaning engagement of the blade edge 79 depending on the cylinder diameter and the depth of the groove.

The edge 70 of the cleaning blade includes spaced aligned teeth such as 76, 80, 82, and 84. The cleaning edges of the teeth are beveled as may be clearly seen in FIGURE 3 to provide an angled cleaning edge such as 86. The

teeth

76, 80, 82, and 84 extend from the straight edge portion 72 in spaced relation to at least a portion of the curved edge 74. As is obvious, the cleaning edge beveled angle of each tooth will vary according to its position on the cleaning edge.

A drag tooth 88 is provided adjacent the rearward end of the curved cleaning edge 74, the tooth 83 being a recess or slot extending at approximately right angles to the curved edge portion in which it is located and including an enlarged terminal portion of the slot or recess 90.

As may be seen in the various drawings such as FIG- URES 1 and 3, the portions of the blade edge 70 adjacent to and intermediate the teeth 76, 8t), 82 are sloped outwardly from the teeth and the enlarged terminal end 90 of the drag tooth 88 is disposed outwardly of the groove in which the drag tooth is engaged to cause residue such as scrapings of carbon from the cylinder groove to collect in the spaced recesses and to be urged therefrom by further scrapings. As the scrapings are urged out of the spaces between the teeth and the aperture 90 they are displaced to one side of the cleaning blade.

Each blade 16 and 18 is limited as to cleaning engagement in the groove being cleaned by a gauge stop means such as 92 and 94 pivotally secured to the blade by a pivot pin such as 96 and 98 to allow the stop to move pivotally in parallel relation to the blade and to engage against an exterior surface of the piston to limit the depth of engagement of the blade into the groove being cleaned. The gauge stop is a flat var in generally parallel relation to the cleaning blade and adjacent thereto and having an end portion extending forwardly beyond the end of the body 14. The stop includes an outwardly faced lip 100 engageable with the end of a threaded thumb screw 102 extending through a threaded aperture in the mounting post 104.

The mounting post 104 extends transversely through the body 14 of the head 12. A similar thumb screw is provided for each blade. The stop 100, for example, is raised or depressed to permit the blade edge to enter a groove being cleaned to a certain depth, the engagement of the screw against the stop 100 preventing the blade from being further lowered into the groove. The lip 100 permits the operator of the tool A to raise the stop to a point where it engages against the screw.

The body 14 of the head 12 includes a pair of spaced apertures 106 and 108 registrable with the channel recesses in which the cleaning blades are engaged, each aperture including a spring 1 19, 112 engageable against the base of the cleaning blades to springably urge the blades outwardly from the channel recesses. As the blades engage the grooves, the springs 110, 112 provide a continuous urging of the blade outwardly and thereby tend to keep the cleaning edges of the blade in cleaning engagement with the residue in the groove. Further, the spring actuating of the blades provides a safety factor should the blade edge be inadvertently urged against a portion of the cylinder other than within the groove being cleaned. A screw 114 such as a wing screw having a spring 116 encircling the threaded shank of the screw is threaded into an exterior channel well whereby the spring actuation of the blades outwardly may be circumvented.

The rear-ward end of the body 14 having the socket into which the end 24 of the shaft 22 engages includes a rotatable hub or collar 118 having a pair of opposed recesses which may be rotated into or out of alignment with the channel recesses in which the blade 16 and 18 engage to permit the blade to be inserted forwardly into a channel recess of the body 14 to be engaged by the pin such as 48 in the L-shaped aperture 58. The blade may be prevented from becoming disengaged from the pin 48 by rotation of the collar 1 18 to disalign the channel in the hub collar from that of the body 14.

In preferred construction a wing screw 120 is provided which extends through an aperture in the rotatable collar 118 to be engaged against the end of the shaft 22 to hold the head 12in engagement on the shaft.

The

superposed mounting blocks

28 and 30 in preferred construction include a pair of generally rectangular blocks with one surface in face contact. A pivot pin 32 is inserted through an aperture in the first block and engaged in the second block to hold the

blocks

28 and 30 in pivotal relation. A wing screw 122 is threaded through an aperture in the first block and engageable against the upper surface of the second block to hold the superposed blocks in non-pivotal or angled relation if desired. The upper block includes an aperture extending through the block from end to end intermediate the upper and lower surfaces of the block. The shaft 22 is rotatably secured in this aperture.

An aperture is provided extending therethrough the second block from side to side intermediate the upper and lower surfaces of the second mounting block through which the support arm 34 is designed to extend, the second mounting block being pivotally and slidably secured to the support arm 34. A sleeve 124 may be provided in the aperture of the block to serve as a bearing surface to reduce wear between the arm and the block.

As has been mentioned, the shaft 22 is rotational in the block 28. The shaft 22 is prevented from moving forwardly or backwardly in the block aperture by

collars

126, 128, and in preferred construction. The collars encircle the shaft 22 at each end of the mounting block 28 as may be clearly seen in FIGURES l and 4. The

collars

126, 128, and 130 are secured to the shaft by set screws such as 132, 134, and 136. The

collars

126 and 128 have a face surface of each collar in contact with an end of the block 28 and include aligned depressions such as 138 and 140 in the said contacting face surfaces. Each collar has a pair of diametrically opposed depressions on its surface. An aperture 142 including an elongated spring 144 therein having a

ball end

146, 148 thereon extends through the first block 28 in generally parallel relation through the aperture through which the shaft 22 extends. Rotation of the shaft 22 causes the ball ends 146, 148 of the spring 144 to engage and disengage in the aligned depressions such as 138 and 140 as the handle shaft is rotated thereby enabling the tool operator to know by feel when the head 12 has been rotated into cleaning relation. Where cleaning blades of two different widths are required, the operator merely rotates the shaft 22 until it clicks into position to be ready to use the other blade.

A wing screw 150 which extends through an aperture in the first block registrably with the shaft 22 is used to hold the shaft 22 in non-rotational relation in the block 28.

The

blocks

28 and 30 may be moved angularly in relation to each other by means of a screw adjusting means 152 threadably engaged in a flange 154 secured to the block 30 by any suitable means, the end of the screw adjusting means 152 being engageable against a side surface of the block 28. By means of the screw adjustment 152, the operator may angularly move the head 12 in relation to the cylinder whose grooves are being cleaned.

As previously mentioned and as may be seen in FIG- URE 6, the support arm 34 is preferably a generally cylindrical bar whose ends 36 and 38 are secured to the upper ends of a pair of frame supports for the end 42 by fastening means such as set screws, one of which is shown in FIGURE 1 and numbered 156. The lower ends 153, 160 of the frame supports may be threaded externally as shown in the enlarged view in FIGURE 1 and secured to a platform or bent surface 162 by any suitable means such as

nuts

164, 166.

The tool A as preferably manufactured is of metal with those portions subject to wear being readily accessible for lubrication. The wearing surfaces may be hardened. The blade is normally harder than the metal of the cylinder such as the piston 10.

To use the tool a piston is inserted in the piston cleaning machine or other device which serves to rotate the piston axially, the piston access being generally parallel to the support arm 34. The tool A is slid along the bar 34 until the cleaning blade is in alignment with the groove to be cleaned. The cleaning edge of the blade is leverably urged into the groove and such urging continues until the groove is cleaned or further insertion of the blade is prevented by the stop means. At this point the groove has been cleaned to the operators satisfaction because of its election of a blade having a cleaning edge of the proper width for the groove. Successive grooves of the piston are cleaned in a similar manner. If all of the grooves are of the same width, obviously only one cleaning blade edge will be used. If, however, the grooves are of two diiferent widths, the operator will clean all of the grooves of the same Width and rotate his handle shaft to place the other cleaning blade edge in position and clean the remaining grooves. It is possible for a skilled operator to easily and efficiently clean a set of six or eight positions within the matter of a few minutes.

Because of the ease with which the tool may be aligned by the operator and the continuously aligning relation of the blade in the groove to the full floating mounted tool, an operator is not able to make any errors which will result in damage to the piston or other cylinder being cleaned.

It will, of course, be obvious that it would be possible to eliminate some of the refinements which make the tool successful and still obtain results which would be satisfactory. But the preferred construction has been described. It will be further obvious that modifications may be made in the use of materials other than those which have been described.

While I have set forth the best embodiments of my invention, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A groove cleaning tool adapted for use with an axially rotated cylinder having annular grooves therein comprising:

(a) a cleaning head,

(b) an elongated blade pivotally supported by said head on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder and adapted to snugly engage in a cylinder groove,

() a shaft secured to said head,

(d) a block supporting said shaft on an axis arranged in a plane norm-a1 to the axis of rotation of the cylinder, and

(e) said block pivotally supporting said shaft on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder.

2. The structure of claim 1 including means pivotally supporting said block and in which said means pivotally supporting said block also slidably supports said block and shaft for movement parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

3. The structure of claim 1 and including spring means interposed between said head and said blade for urging said blade toward the cylinder.

4. The structure of claim 1 and including adjustable means carried by said blade and engageable with a portion of said cylinder adjacent the groove in which said blade is engaged to limit the depth to which the blade may engage in the groove.

5. The structure of claim 1 and in which the blade includes an arcuate portion engageable in the groove for a substantial arcuate distance and a straight toothed portion extending generally tangentially with respect to the base of the groove.

6. A groove cleaning tool adapted for use with an axially rotated cylinder having annular grooves comprising:

(a) a cleaning blade adapted to scrapingly engage against the sides and bottom of a groove in an axially rotated cylinder,

(b) lever means connected to said blade to leverablyurge said blade into engagement with a groove,

(c) support means including an alignment support bar adapted to slidably and pivotally support said lever means in cleaning relation to a said axially rotated cylinder, and

(d) stop means pivotally secured to said blade and engageable with a surface of a said axially rotated cylinder to limit engagement with a said axially rotated cylinder,

(e) said lever means including an elongated handle having a cylindrical bearing portion in rotatable engagement with said support bar.

7. A grooove cleaning tool adapted for use with an axially rotated cylinder having annular grooves comprismg:

(b) lever means connected to said blade to leverably urge said blade into engagement with a groove,

(0) support means including an alignment support bar adapted to slidably and pivotally support said lever means in cleaning relation to a said axially rotated cylinder, and

(e) said lever means including a block means, an

elongated handle having a cylindrical bearing portion secured in rotatable relation to said block means, and means pivotally and slidably securing said block to said support bar.

8. The structure of claim 7 and in which said block means includes a block having an axial aperture theregil'Olligh, with said handle being rotatably secured in said 1 oc 9. A cleaning tool adapted to be used to clean the grooves of an axially rotated cylinder having annular grooves therein comprising:

(a) an elongated flat blade of a width to snugly fit Within a groove of said cylinder,

(b) said blade having a curved edge portion adapted to ride in the groove through a substantial angular portion of the groove and to hold the blade on a plane normal the axis of rotation of the cylinder,

(0) said blade having a substantially straight edge adjoining said curved edge portion and adapted to extend tangentially with respect to the base of the groove,

(d) spaced cutting teeth in said straight edge,

(e) a head supporting said blade,

(f) a handle secured to said head, and

(g) means pivotally supporting said handle on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder and pivotal in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

10. The structure of claim 9 and in which said blade .E, .5. is pivotally connected to said head near the end of said straight edge on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

11. The structure of claim 10 and including resilient means carried by said head and urging the curved end of said blade toward said cylinder.

12. The structure of claim 9 and including stop means pivotally supported by said blade adjoining the free end of said straight edge and engageable with the outer surface of the cylinder to limit the extent to which this end of the blade may engage into said groove.

13. The structure of claim 9 and including notches between said teeth which are of a depth from the cutting edges of said teeth greater than the depth of said groove.

14. The structure of claim 9 and including means for slidably supporting said handle supporting means for movement parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

15. A cleaning tool adapted to be used to clean the grooves of an axially rotatable cylinder having annular grooves comprising:

(a) a head,

(11) a pair of oppositely extending elongated blades supported by said head, each blade being of a thickness to snugly fit into a groove in said cylinder,

() each said blade including an arcuate edge portion and a substantially straight adjoining edge portion adapted to extend substantially tangent to the base of the groove when engaged therein,

(d) spaced cutting teeth in said straight edge portion of each said blade,

(e) a handle secured to said head, and

(1) means pivotally supporting said handle for movement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

16. The structure of claim 15 and including pivot means connecting the blades to said head at the straight ends of said blades, and

spring means between said blades urging them apart.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,454,834 5/23 Hammett 82-44 X 1,560,441 11/25 Trosper.

2,497,228 2/50 Miller.

2,616,108 1l/52 Luft l5-104.l X 2,695,542 11/54 Ward.

2,966,819 l/61 Pealer 8293 3,073,073 1/63 Van Pelt 143-46 X CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A GROOVE CLEANING TOOL ADAPTED FOR USE WITH AN AXIALLY ROTATED CYLINDER HAVING ANNULAR GROOVES THEREIN COMPRISING: (A) A CLEANING HEAD, (B) AN ELONGATED BLADE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID HEAD ON AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO SNUGLY ENGAGE IN A CYLINDER GROOVE, (C) A SHAFT SECURED TO SAID HEAD, (D) A BLOCK SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT ON AN AXIS ARRANGED IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE CYLINDER, AND (E) SAID BLOCK PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT ON AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE CYLINDER.