Electrolytic shaping apparatus and feed rate control therefor, based on field changes across the gap caused by a moving electrode

Claim 1

IN A APPARATUS FOR ELECTROLYTICALLY SHAPING A METALLIC WORKPIECE, THE APPARATUS INCLUDING MEANS FOR HOLDING THE WORKPIECE, AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKING ELECTRODE HAVING AN ENDLESS SURFACE, MEANS FOR MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID WORKING ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR CAUSING CONVERGING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND THE WORKPIECE INTO CONFRONTING RELATION TO ESTABLISH A GAP BETWEEN SAID WORKPIECE AND A POINT ON SAID ENDLESS SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID WORKPIECE, THEREBY DEFINING A WORKING SPACE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID WORKING ELECTRODE SO THAT SAID POINT ON SAID ENDLESS SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID WORKPIECE IS MAINTAINED AT A CONSTANT DISTANCE AND DIRECTION FROM ANY PREDETERMINED POINT ON SAID MEANS FOR MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID WORKING ELECTRODE, MEANS EXTERNALLY OF SAID WORKING ELECTRODE FOR COTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING ELECTROLYTE TO SAID WORKING SPACE AT THE SIDE OF SAID WORKING ELECTRODE WHERE SAID ENDLESS SURFACE APPROACHES SAID WORKING SPACE, A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT CONNECTED ACROSS SAID WORKPIECE AND SAID WORKING ELECTRODE TO MAKE SAID WORKPIECE PREDOMINANTLY ANODIC AND CAUSE AN ELECTRIC FIELD TO BE PRODUCED ACROSS SAID GAP, AND MEANS UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG THE ENDLESS SURFACE OF SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND MOVABLE THROUGH SAID FIELD FOR CAUSING INTERMITTENT UNIFORM CHANGES IN SAID FIELD WHICH IN TURN PRODUCE A CONTINUOUS CHAIN OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS HAVING AN AMPLITUDE DETERMINED BY THE WIDTH OF SAID, GAP; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID MEANS FOR CAUSING CONVERGING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND SAID SAID WORKPIECE INCLUDES MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNALS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF SAID RELATIVE CONVERGING MOVEMENT IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY SHAPING A METALLIC WORKPIECE COMPRISING SUPPORTING SAID WORKPIECE AND AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKING ELECTRODE HAVING AN ENDLESS SURFACE, EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND CONVERGING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE WORKING ELECTRODE AND WORKPIECE TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A GAP BETWEEN THEM HAVING A PREDETERMINED WIDTH THEREBY TO DEFINE A WORKING SPACE AND SO THAT SAID ENDLESS SURFACE CONTINUALLY MOVES THROUGH THE POINTS ON SAID ELECTRODE MOST PROXIMATE TO SAID WORKPIECE, SUPPLYING ELECTROLYTE TO SAID WORKING SPACE AT THE SIDE OF THE ELECTRODE WHERE SAID ENDLESS SURFACE APPROACHES SAID WORKING SPACE, CONNECTING SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND WORKPIECE IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE ELECTROLYTE SUCH THAT THE WORKPIECE IS PREDOMINANTLY ANODIC AND CAUSE AN ELECTRIC FIELD TO BE PRODUCED ACROSS SAID GAP, IMPOSING ON THE FIELD, BY MEANS UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG THE ENDLESS SURFACE OF THE WORKING ELECTRODE WHICH MOVES THROUGH THE FIELD, INTERMITTENT UNIFORM CHANGES IN SAID FIELD WHICH CONSTITUTE ELECTRIC SIGNALS HAVING AN AMPLITUDE WHICH VARIES INVERSELY WITH THE WIDTH OF THE GAP AND EMPLOYING SAID SIGNALS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF SAID RELATIVE CONVERGING MOVEMENT IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS.

Claim 5

THE METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY SHAPING A METALLIC WORKPIECE COMPRISING SUPPORTING SAID WORKPIECE AND AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKING ELECTRODE HAVING AN ENDLESS SURFACE, EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND CONVERGING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE WORKING ELECTRODE AND WORKPIECE TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A GAP BETWEEN THEM HAVING A PREDETERMINED WIDTH THEREBY TO DEFINE A WORKING SPACE AND SO THAT SAID ENDLESS SURFACE CONTINUALLY MOVES THROUGH THE POINTS ON SAID ELECTRODE MOST PROXIMATE TO SAID WORKPIECE, SUPPLYING ELECTROLYTE TO SAID WORKING SPACE AT THE SIDE OF THE ELECTRODE WHERE SAID ENDLESS SURFACE APPROACHES SAID WORKING SPACE, CONNECTING SAID WORKING ELECTRODE AND WORKPIECE IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE ELECTROLYTE SUCH THAT THE WORKPIECE IS PREDOMINANTLY ANODIC AND CAUSE AN ELECTRIC FIELD TO BE PRODUCED ACROSS SAID GAP, IMPOSING ON THE FIELD, BY MEANS UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG THE ENDLESS SURFACE OF THE WORKING ELECTRODE WHICH MOVES THROUGH THE FIELD, INTERMITTENT UNIFORM CHANGES IN SAID FIELD WHICH CONSTITUTE ELECTRIC SIGNALS HAVING AN AMPLITUDE WHICH VARIES INVERSELY WITH THE WIDTH OF THE GAP AND EMPLOYING SAID SIGNALS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF SAID RELATIVE CONVERGING MOVEMENT IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS.