US3299691A - Switch arm grooving and flaring machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 24, 1967 PAHL ET AL SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec.

4 Sheets-Sheet l fig 6 3O 23 9% 1 INVENTORS 1& JOHN 6i, PAHL BY iM/L F, PIHL zdwdfiwm Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAHL ET AL 3,299,691

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAH]. ET AL 3,299,991

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 24, 1967 J. G. PAHL. ET AL 3,299,691

SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,299,691 SWITCH ARM GROOVING AND FLARING MACHINE John G. Pahl, 1624 E. Alpine Ave., Stockton, Calif.

95204, and Emil F. Pahl, 1025 lidan Ave, Stockton,

Calif. 95207 Filed Dec. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 416,788 10 Claims. (Ci. 72464) This invention relates in general to the machine finishing of one end portion of switch arms such as are used in pole-top disconnect switches, and which arms are formed of initially exteriorly smooth metallic tubing.

As a component of a switch of the kind described, a switch arm is assembled in rigid relation with a disc type insulator having a central socket; one end portion of the arm-hereinafter called an arm-endbeing immovably secured in such socket by means of a cementitious material.

While the cementitious material readily adheres or bonds to the socket, said arm-end must first be deformed from its initially exteriorly smooth condition and in a manner to assure that the cementitious material will properly hold the arm-end in the socket and against relative movement.

It is, therefore, the major object of this invention to provide a novel machine operative to so deform the related arm-end before a switch arm is assembled with the insulator; the deformation including sets of tangential grooves formed in spaced relation about the circumference of the arm-end and which grooves produce oflFset areas into which the cementitious material will pass to lock said arm-end in the insulator socket.

The machine includes opposed groove cutting chisels arranged to cut sets of tangential grooves 180 degrees apart in the arm-end, and another object of the invention is to removably mount the switch arm on the machine in such a manner that by a simple adjustment of said switch arm other sets of opposed tangential grooves can be cut in the arm-end 90 degrees apart from the sets of grooves first cut.

An additional object of the invention is to provide the machine with mechanism, operable in conjunction with the groove cutting chisels, by means of which the open end of said arm-end may be swaged to a flare as is desirable to further assure of retention of the arm-end in the socket by the cementitious material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch arm grooving and flaring machine which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture, and for ready and convenient operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable, and durable switch arm grooving and flaring machine and one which is exceedingly eflective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the; drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the switch arm grooving and flaring machine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the machine, with the working parts thereof in their initial retracted positions, and taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

3,299,691 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the machine, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the machine, taken on line 44 of FIG. 2, but showing the working parts as advanced and acting on the arm-end to groove and flare the same.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but fragmentary and showing the working parts as retracted following a grooving and flaring operation; the finished arm-end being in a retracted and removable position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation of an insulator, showing the grooved and flared arm-end as secured in the socket of such insulator.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the machine to side groove and end flare the arm-end 1 of a switch arm 1a of metallic tubing comprises the following:

A supporting structure 2, on which a rigid base 3 of rectangular form is mounted, rests on and upstands from the floor. Corner posts 4 extend upward from the base 3 and support a rigid head block 5 parallel to the base; the working parts of the machine being disposed between the base 3 and head block 5.

Secured on the underside of the head block 5 is a horizontal plate 6 which provides the support for a longitudinally extending horizontal power cylinder 7 of the double-acting type. A piston 8 is slidable in the cylinder and is rigid with a forwardly projecting piston rod 9. The piston rod 9 is allowed a very short stroke only; the length of such stroke being limited by the engagement of a collar 10 on the piston rod 9at the forward end of the piston 8with the adjacent end of the head 11 of the cylinder. Secured on and projecting forwardly from the piston rod 9 is a head 12 guided in a sleeve 13 fixed with the plate 6.

Rigid with and projecting centrally and forwardly from the head 12 is a relatively small diameter combination arm-end guide pin 14 which is disposed mainly ahead of the sleeve 13. The pin 14 is of a size to fit somewhat snugly into the arm-end 1 of a switch arm In, as shown in FIG. 2, so as to guide such arm-end and to locate the same in position for side grooving and end flaring. To facilitate the guiding operation, the outer end of the pin 14 is tapered as shown at 15. The inner or base end of the pin 14 is formed with an outward flare 16 which limits the initial advance of the arm-end onto the pin when the piston 8 and connected parts are in a retracted position; such flare 16 having a further vital function as will hereinafter be described.

Mounted on and upstanding from the base 3 is a power cylinder 17 whose axis, in the longitudinal plane of the machine, is disposed beyond or forwardly of the the sleeve 13 thereabove, as well as being in transverse alinement with the pin 14, as shown in FIG. 3. The piston 18 of power cylinder 17 has a stroke greater than the diameter of the arm-end 1; the piston rod 19 projecting upwardly through the head of the cylinder and being secured on its upper end to a block or head 20.

Secured to and upstanding from the head 2 are transversely spaced grooving chisels 21 formed on their facing sides with a number of vertical and parallel relief grooves 22.

The chisels 21 are disposed lengthwise of the machine to engage that portion of the arm-end 1 into which the pin 14 projects, while the spacing of the facing or adjacent sides of said chisels is somewhat less than the outside diameter of said arm-end but greater than the inside diameter thereof.

As the chisels 21 are symmetrically disposed relative to the pin 14 and the arm-end 1 supported thereon, upward movement of the chiselsfrorn their initial lowered position and by power cylinder 17-will cause them to cut sets of spaced, tangential notches or grooves 23 in the armend 1 on opposite sides thereof; i.e. 180 degrees apart. In order to brace the chisels 21 against lateral spreading, they are backed by rigid guide plates 24, as shown in FIG. 3, and which guide plates are suitably and rigidly supported from the head block 5.

The pin 14 prevents the arm-end 1 from being buckled inwardly while the grooves 23 are being cut. Also, to prevent an excessive pressure being placed on the arm end 1 and on said pin 14 during the groove cutting operation, a backing saddle 25 engages the pin-engaged extent of the arm-end 1 on the top. Said backing saddle, which is narrower than the arm-end 1 so as not to interfere with the full upward movement of the chisels, is slidably supported on and guided by the plate 6 for forward movement away from the sleeve 13 for the purpose which will appear hereinafter.

It is desirable that sets of the grooves 23 shall be cut in the arm-end 1 in 90 degree spaced relation thereabout. In order to enable additional grooving to be carried out with accurate spacing of all of the sets of the grooves about the arm-end, the switch arm 1awhich beyond the arm-end 1 is formed with a somewhat largeradius bend which disposes the other end of the arm substantially parallel to but spaced widely from said arm-end 1is alternately engaged by upper and lower stops 26 projecting from the same side of the block and base 3, respectively (see FIG. 1). These stops 26 are located, relative to the axis of rotation of the switch arm 1a about the guide and locating pin 14, to position the arm-end 1 in rotative positons 90 degrees apart. In this manner-after opposed sets of grooves 23 have been initially cut in the arm-end 1 with the switch arm 1:: engaged with one or the other of the stops 26rotation of the switch arm through 90 degrees will cause it to engage the other stop, enabling other sets of opposed grooves to be cut in the arm-end in 90 degree spaced relation to the sets of grooves first cut. It will be appreciated that after the initial sets of opposed grooves have been cut, it is necessary to lower the chisels 21 so as to clear the arm-end and in order that the switch arm as a whole may be rotated to the other position preparatory to cutting said other sets of opposed grooves.

After the grooving operations have been effected, and before the chisels 21 have been lowered, the head 12 is advanced by power cylinder 7 to cause the flare 16 of the pin 14 to swage a corresponding flare 27 on the terminal part of arm-end 1. The adjacent vertical edges of the chisels 21 and saddle 25 are beveled off, as shown at 28, so as not to interfere with the above flare swaging operation.

When both the side grooving and end flaring operations have been effected, head 12 is retracted, the chisels 21 are lowered, and the switch arm 1a is pulled forward to disengage the arm-end 1 from the pin 14. This movement of the switch arm also causes the saddle 25 to be pulled forward by the flare 27 which engages the adjacent end of said saddle. This pulling-forward movement is continued until the saddle 25 abuts against a stop 29 depending from the block 5, as shown in FIG. 5. When the saddle 25 is thus engaged with said stop 29, the armend 1 is entirely clear of the pin 14 and the chisels 21 below, and may then be lowered and disengaged from the saddle, and from the machine as a whole. Thence,

upon the saddle being shifted back to its initial position...

in engagement with the adjacent end of the sleeve 13,

4; and with the pin 14 retracted to its initial position, the machine is in condition to receive another arm-end for grooving and flaring.

As shown in FIG. 6, the arm-end 1grooved and flared as describedis secured in the oversize circular socket 30 of a disc type insulator 31 by means of a suitable cementitious material 32, which fills all the space between the arm-end and socket and bonds to the latter. The material 32 also, of course, fills the grooves 23, thus preventing the arm-end from rotating in or escaping from the socket after such material has set. Additionally, the flare 27 on the arm-end assists in preventing said armend from pulling out through the material 32, besides generally centrallylocating said arm-end in the socket 30.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a machineas substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set. forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the machine, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A machine, for tangentially grooving a tubular armend of a switch arm, comprising supporting and locating means for such arm-end, grooving chisels disposed in parallel relation on opposite sides of the supported armend tangential thereto and normally spaced therefrom, and means connected to the chisels to move the same tangentially of the arm-end into and out of groove-cutting relation with the outer face of said arm-end.

2. A machine, as in claim 1, in which the chisel moving means comprises a power cylinder spaced from and axially alined with the axis of the supported arm-end, a piston rod projecting from the cylinder toward said arm-end, and a head on the outer end of the piston rod on which the chisels, at their base ends are fixed in laterally spaced and facing relation.

3. A machine, as in claim 2, with fixed guide members backing the chisels opposite the arm-end and preventing lateral spreading of said chisels.

4. A machine, as in claim 2, with a rigid saddle engaging the arm-end on the face thereof opposite the cylinder.

5. A machine, as in claim 1, in which the tubular armend is turnable on the supporting and locating means, and the switch arm back from said arm-end is formed with a portion lying in the radial plane of such arm-end but spaced therefrom; there being stop means on the machine to alternately engage said switch arm portion and limiting the rotation of the arm-end to an arc of degrees.

6. A machine, for tangentially grooving a tubular armend of a switch arm, comprising a rigid pin adapted to project into said tubular arm-end in slidably fitting relation, upstanding chisels normally disposed below said armend when pin supported, the chisels being spaced apart a distance relative to the diameter of said arm-end so as to cut tangential grooves in opposite sides thereof when the chisels are raised from their normal position, and a power actuated, vertically movable block supporting the chisels at their lower ends for such raising movement,

7. A machine, as in claim 6, with means included in part with the pin for end flare swaging the arm-end while said arm-end and normally engaging the upper surface of the same, and means mounting the saddle on the machine for horizontal movement to a position clear of the outer end of the pin.

9. A machine, for end flaring a tubular arm-end of a switch arm, comprising a pin disposed to receive the armend in slidably fitting relation, means to removably maintain the arm-end in a stationary position, a swaging element on the base end of the pin to end flare the pin supported arm-end, and power means supporting and connected to the pin to advance the same a predetermined distance against said arm-end.

10. A machine, as in claim 9, in which the first named means comprises spaced chisels operative to cut tangential grooves in opposite sides of the pin supported arm-end, and means mounting the chisels for movement into and out of a groove-cutting position; said mounting means including a power cylinder to impart such movement to the chisels.

No references cited.

WILLIAM W. DYER, 111., Primary Examiner.

HARRISON L. HINSON, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A MACHINE, FOR TANGENTIALLY GROOVING A TUBULAR ARMEND OF A SWITCH ARM, COMPRISING SUPPORTING AND LOCATING MEANS FOR SUCH ARM-END, GROOVING CHISELS DISPOSED IN PARALLEL RELATION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SUPPORTED ARMEND TANGENTIAL THERETO AND NORMALLY SPACED THEREFROM, AND

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