US3871223A

US3871223A - Swaging machine

Info

Publication number: US3871223A
Application number: US429687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruno Kralowetz; Gottfried Blaimschein
Original assignee: GFM Gesellschaft fuer Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau AG
Current assignee: GFM Gesellschaft fuer Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau AG
Priority date: 1973-01-10
Filing date: 1973-12-28
Publication date: 1975-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-03-18
Also published as: JPS5332782B2; FR2213117A1; DE2361521B2; GB1398699A; DE2361521C3; DD108916A5; FR2213117B1; DE2361521A1; AT318353B; JPS49109249A

Abstract

The machine serves for a continuous swaging of elongated workpieces moving along a predetermined path and comprises a machine housing surrounding said path, a plurality of hammers which are similar to connecting rods and mounted in said housing, a plurality of eccentrics, each of which is operatively connected to one of said hammers and rotatable to impart to said hammers a reciprocating motion toward and away from said path in a direction which is radial to said path, and an oscillating motion, and a plurality of slide bearings associated with respective ones of said hammers and permitting of said reciprocating and oscillating motions of said hammers relative to said housing. Each of said slide bearings comprises a sliding member forming a bearing shell, guide means mounted in said housing and adapted to guide said sliding member in its longitudinal direction toward and away from said path, and a bearing member which is rigid with the associated hammer and has a curved bearing surface extending in and in bearing contact with said bearing shell to permit of said oscillating motion of said hammer relative to said sliding member.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Kralowetz et al.

[ Mar. 18, 1975 SWAGING MACHINE [75] Inventors: Bruno Kralowetz; Gottfried Blaimschein, both of Steyr, Austria [73] Assignee: GFM Gesellschaft fur Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft, Steyr, Austria 221 Filed: Dec. 28, 1973 21 Appl. 110.; 429,687

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 10, 1973 Austria 175/73 [52] US. Cl 72/402, 308/72, 72/406, 72/189 [51] Int. Cl B2ld 43/02, 8213' 7/14, B2lj 7/20 [58] Field of Search 72/189, 402, 403, 406, 72/407, 408, 452, 373376; 308/2 R, 72

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,643 7/1951 Saxer 72/402 2,932,197 4/1960 Appel 72/402 3,596,497 8/1971 Kralowetz et al.... 72/402 3,670,556 6/1972 Kralowetz 72/402 3,690,!42 9/1972 Blaimschein 72/406 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 435,241 9 1935 UnitedKingdom 308/72 Primary Examiner-C. W. Lanham Assistant ExaminerD. M. Gurley [57] ABSTRACT The machine serves for a continuous swaging of elongated workpieces moving along a predetermined path and comprises a machine housing surrounding said path, a plurality of hammers which are similar to connecting rods and mounted in said housing, a plurality of eccentrics, each of which is operatively connected to one of said hammers and rotatable to impart to said hammers a reciprocating motion toward and away from said path in a direction which is radial to said path, and an oscillating motion, and a plurality of slide bearings associated with respective ones of said hammers and permitting of said reciprocating and oscillating motions of said hammers relative to said housing. Each of said slide bearings comprises a sliding member forming a bearing shell, guide means mounted in said housing and adapted to guide said sliding member in its longitudinal direction toward and away from said .path, and a bearing member which is rigid with the associated hammer and has a curved bearing surface extending in and in bearing contact with said bearing shell to permit of said oscillating motion of said hammer relative to said sliding member.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 3,871,223 SHEET 1 [IF 2 PATENTED HART 8197 1 SWAGING MACHINE This invention relates to a swaging machine for a continuous swaging of continuous elongated or rodshaped workpieces with hammers which are similar to connecting rods, driven by eccentricsand guided in slide bearings and which in addition to the radial swaging motion toward and away from the workpiece perform an oscillating motion.

The hammers of such swaging machine are used not only for the actual work of deformation but also to feed the workpiece. For this reason, they perform an oscillating motion, which is superimposed on the linear reciprocating motion and which in eccentric-driven machines is most favorably obtained in that each hammer forms the spider of an elliptic chuck, in which a link which is mounted on the eccentric shaft is slidable to perform a reciprocating movement transversely to the bearing bushing or the like of the machine housing and axis of the hammers and said link is positively connected to the spider by meshing helical teeth. In such an arrangement, a rotation of the eccentric shaft does not only impart to the hammer an up-and-down motion but owing to the meshing helical teeth also an oscillating motion. A slide bearing for the hammer is secured to the housing and ensures that the axis about which the hammer oscillates extends through the axis of the workpiece and the hammer as a result of its oscillation advances the workpiece to be swaged.

In these swaging machines, the slide bearings for the hammers similar to connecting rods are very important because they must permit not only of a linear reciprocating motion but also of a pivotal movement of the hammer stem guided by them. Such bearings have previously been provided with a bearing member having a spherical bearing surface, which rests in a bearing shell which is firmly inserted in the machine housing. The reciprocating hammer stem slides in a central bore of the bearing member and because the latter is rotatable the hammer stem can perform an oscillating motion relative to the bearing shell although said oscillating motion can be performed only about the center of the bearing. This results in the serious disadvantage that the radius of the oscillating motion continually changes as a result of the up-and-down motion so that it is not sufficient to provide the'link of the elliptic chuck with plain cylindrical guiding surfaces but the link must be divided to compensate the movement of the center of oscillation relative to the hammer. It will be understood that such link is much more complicated and more expensive in manufacture than an integral link and considerably adds to the expenditure of the entire machine.

Another disadvantage of the previously used slide bearings is due to the fact that they can be sealed only with difficulty because the requirement for several freedoms of movement of the bearing involves sealing problems which have not yet been satisfactory solved.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and to provide a swaging machine which is of the kind defined first hereinbefore and provided with slide bearings which permit of the use of elliptic chucks having a link which is as simple as possible and which bearings can be sufficiently sealed without difficulty and without a particularly high expenditure.

This object is essentially accomplished according to the invention in that each slide bearing comprises a sliding member, which is longitudinally slidable in a which forms a bearing shell, which receives a cylindrical or spherical bearing member, which is rigidly connected to the hammer. Owing to the design of this sliding member the-two movements are separated from each other and are respectively guided by the pivot bearing formed by the bearing member and the sliding member, and by the linear guide bearing formed by the sliding member and the bearing bushing. Instead of a single bearing for guiding both motions of the hammer, separate bearings are provided for the respective motions. This results in the advantage that the center of the oscillating motion always has a fixed relation to the hammer so that the link of the elliptic chuck need no longer be divided. The division of the slide bearing also enables aksolution to the sealing problem because the linear guide bearing and the pivot bearing can be sealed independently of each other.

An advantageous possibility of providing a good seal of the bearing is afforded by the invention by the provision of a bellows seal between the sliding member and the hammer and of an annular seal between the sliding member and the machine housing.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which FIGS. 1 and 2 are sectional views showing part of a swaging machine and respectively taken on line I I of FIG. 2 and line IIII of FIG. 1.

A machine housing 1 contains hammers 2, which are .similar to connecting rods and extendradially to the axis of the workpiece and are driven by eccentric shafts 3 which are parallel to the axis of the workpiece The eccentric shafts 3 are eccentrically mounted in adjusting housings 4, which are rotatable to change the distance from the axes of the eccentric shafts to the axis of the workpiece so that the stroke position of the ham mer is changed. Each hammer 2 constitutes the spider 5 of an elliptic chuck. This spider is provided with cylindrical guiding

surfaces

6, 7. In this spider, links 9 carried by an eccentric 8 are slidable along cylindrical guiding

surfaces

6, 7. The spider 5 and the link 9 of the elliptic chuck have meshing helical teeth 10. Each hammer 2 has a guide extension 11, which cooperates with a rail 12, which is fixed to the housing. Spacing rings 19 are provided to prevent a yielding of the link 9 in the direction of the axis of the eccentric 8. As aresult of a rotation of the eccentric shaft 3, the eccentric 8 reciprocates the link 9 in the spider 5 so that the hammer 2 is reciprocated toward and away from the workpiece and, owing to the helical teeth connecting the link. and the spider and the fact that the hammer is guided by the rail 12, the hammer is caused to oscillate in a plane which is defined by the axis of the workpiece and the axis of the rail 12. A slide bearing is required which permits the hammer to perform these combined linear and oscillating motions. According to the invention this slide bearing comprises a bearing bushing 13, which is inserted in the machine housing 1 and in which a sliding member 14 is longitudinally slidable. The sliding member 14 forms a bearing shell 15, which receives a spherical surface of a bearing member 16, which is rigidly connected to the hammer 2. A bellows seal 17 is provided between the sliding member 14 and the hammer 2. An annular seal 18 is provided between the sliding member and the machine housing 1. The bearing member and the sliding member constitute a pivot bearing for the hammer. The sliding member and the bearing bushing forma linear guide bearing. It is appar ent that there is a separate bearing for each of the two motions'of the hammers so that each bearing can be sealed in a simple manner. The main advantage afforded by the separation of the bearings resides in the design of the bearing member which is fixed to the hammer and together with the sliding member constitutes the pivot bearing. This ensures that the distance between the center of the oscillating motion of the hammer and the cylindrical guiding surfaces of the spider and link of the elliptic chuck remains constant so that a simple integral link will be sufficient.

What is claimed is:

l. A swaging machine for a continuous swaging of elongated workpieces moving along a predetermined path, which comprises a machine housing surrounding said path,

a plurality of hammers, which are similar to connecting rods and mounted in said housing,

a plurality of eccentrics, each of which is operatively connected to one of said hammers and rotatable to impart to said hammers a reciprocating motion toward and away from said path in a direction which is radial to said path, and an oscillating motion, and

a plurality of slide bearings associated with respective ones of said hammers and permitting of said reciprocating and oscillating motions of said hammers relative to said housing, each of said slide bearings comprising a sliding member forming a bearing shell,

guide means mounted in said housing and adapted to guide said sliding member in its longitudinal direction toward and away from said path, and a bearing member which is rigid with the associated hammer and has a curved bearing surface extending in and in bearing contact with said bearing shell to permit of said oscillating motion of said hammer relative to said sliding member. 2. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which 5 each of said guide means comprises a bearing bushing in which said sliding member is guided in its longitudinaldirection.

3. A swaging machine as set forth'in claim 1, inwhich saidcurved surface is spherical. 4

4. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, which comprises a plurality of bellows seals, each of which is disposed between the sliding member of one of said bearings and the hammer associated therewith, and a plurality of annular seals, each of which is disposed between one of said sliding members and said housmg. 5. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which each of said hammers constitutes a spider of an elliptic chuck, each ofsaid eccentrics is non-rotatably connected to an eccentric shaft, which extends parallel to said path, each of said elliptic chucks comprises an integral link member, which is mounted on one ofsaid eccentric shafts and longitudinally slidable along the same,

and the link and spider of each of said elliptic chucks have meshing helical teeth, whereby upon a rotation of said eccentric shafts said eccentrics impart to said hammers said reciprocating motion and said links and meshing teeth impart to said hammers said-oscillating motion.

Claims

1. A swaging machine for a continuous swaging of elongated workpieces moving along a predetermined path, which comprises a machine housing surrounding said path, a plurality of hammers, which are similar to connecting rods and mounted in said housing, a plurality of eccentrics, each of which is operatively connected to one of said hammers and rotatable to impart to said hammers a reciprocating motion toward and away from said path in a direction which is radial to said path, and an oscillating motion, and a plurality of slide bearings associated with respective ones of said hammers and permitting of said reciprocating and oscillating motions of said hammers relative to said housing, each of said slide bearings comprising a sliding member forming a bearing shell, guide means mounted in said housing and adapted to guide said sliding member in its longitudinal direction toward and away from said path, and a bearing member which is rigid with the associated hammer and has a curved bearing surface extending in and in bearing contact with said bearing shell to permit of said oscillating motion of said hammer relative to said sliding member.

2. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which each of said guide means comprises a bearing bushing in which said sliding member is guided in its longitudinal direction.

3. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said curved surface is spherical.

4. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, which comprises a plurality of bellows seals, each of which is disposed between the sliding member of one of said bearings and the hammer associated therewith, and a plurality of annular seals, each of which is disposed between one of said sliding members and said housing.

5. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which each of said hammers constitutes a spider of an elliptic chuck, each of said eccentrics is non-rotatably connected to an eccentric shaft, which extends parallel to said path, each of said elliptic chucks comprises an integral link member, which is mounted on one of said eccentric shafts and longitudinally slidable along the same, and the link and spider of each of said elliptic chucks have meshing helical teeth, whereby upon a rotation of said eccentric shafts said eccentrics impart to said hammers said reciprocating motion and said links and meshing teeth impart to said hammers said oscillating motion.