Shafting having flats and method of producing such flats and shafting

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRODUCING HIGHLY ACCURATE AND UNIFORM MINUTE FLAT SURFACES BY COMPRESSION ALONE ON AN INITIALLY CYLINDRICAL SHAFT WHICH IS FORMED OF METAL HAVING A HARDNESS RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 20 C TO 48 C ROCKWELL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING ARRANGING THE CYLINDRICAL SHAFT BETWEEN A PAIR OF OPPOSED PARALLEL FLAT-FACED PRESSURE-APPLYING ELEMENTS, MOVING SAID ELEMENTS RELATIVELY TOWARD EACH OTHER AND THEREBY COMPRESSING THE SHAFT DIAMETRICALLY BETWEEN THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS SO THAT THE METAL OF THE SHAFT IN THE LOCAL REGIONS THEREOF ENGAGED BY THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS IS STRESSED SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE ELASTIC LIMIT OF THE METAL BUT WELL BELOW ITS YIELD POINT, THE REMAINDER OF THE SHAFT THEN BEING SUBJECT TO MODEST STRESSING ONLY WELL BELOW THE ELASTIC LIMIT OF THE METAL, POSITIVELY LIMITING SAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS TOWARD EACH OTHER SO THAT THE STRESS IN SAID LOCAL REGIONS WILL NOT GREATLY EXCEED SAID ELASTIC LIMIT AND SO THAT THE DEGREE OF STRESS MAY BE CONTROLLED WITH HIGH ACCURACY, AND THEN RELEASING SAID SHAFT, THE RELEASED SHAFT HAVING PERMANENT MINUTE FLAT SURFACES THEREON AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND THE REMAINDER OF THE SHAFT RETAINING ITS ORIGINAL CYLINDRICAL SHAPE AND BEING UNDEFORMED.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PRODUCING HIGHLY ACCURATE AND UNIFORM MINUTE FLAT SURFACES BY COMPRESSION ALONE ON AN INITIALLY CYLINDRICAL SHAFT WHICH IS FORMED OF METAL HAVING A HARDNESS RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 20 C TO 48 C ROCKWELL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING ARRANGING THE CYLINDRICAL SHAFT BETWEEN A PAIR OF OPPOSED PARALLEL FLAT-FACED PRESSURE-APPLYING ELEMENTS, MOVING SAID ELEMENTS RELATIVELY TOWARD EACH OTHER AND THEREBY COMPRESSING THE SHAFT DIAMETRICALLY BETWEEN THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS SO THAT THE METAL OF THE SHAFT IN THE LOCAL REGIONS THEREOF ENGAGED BY THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS IS STRESSED SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE ELASTIC LIMIT OF THE METAL BUT WELL BELOW ITS YIELD POINT, THE REMAINDER OF THE SHAFT THEN BEING SUBJECT TO MODEST STRESSING ONLY WELL BELOW THE ELASTIC LIMIT OF THE METAL, POSITIVELY LIMITING SAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE FLAT-FACED ELEMENTS TOWARD EACH OTHER SO THAT THE STRESS IN SAID LOCAL REGIONS WILL NOT GREATLY EXCEED SAID ELASTIC LIMIT AND SO THAT THE DEGREE OF STRESS MAY BE CONTROLLED WITH HIGH ACCURACY, AND THEN RELEASING SAID SHAFT, THE RELEASED SHAFT HAVING PERMANENT MINUTE FLAT SURFACES THEREON AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND THE REMAINDER OF THE SHAFT RETAINING ITS ORIGINAL CYLINDRICAL SHAPE AND BEING UNDEFORMED.