Grinding machine with controlled grinding force

Claim 1

A grinding machine for forming a surface of revolution on a workpiece, comprising a. a base, b. a workhead mounted on the base for supporting the workpiece for rotation about the axis of the surface of revolution, the workhead including a support which engages the workpiece and which receives substantially the entire grinding force, the said support being provided with a flexible element that distorts slightly under the grinding force, c. a wheelhead mounted on the base and rotatably supporting a spindle on which an abrasive wheel is mounted, d. feed means for bringing about relative movement between the wheelhead and the workhead to cause the wheel to engage the workpiece for a grinding operation, e. a transducer mounted on the said support and generating a signal indicative of the force between the wheel and the workpiece, the transducer being a strain gage and being mounted on the flexible element, and f. a control receiving a signal from the transducer and transmitting a command signal to the feed means to adjust the said movement to maintain the said force at a predetermined value, the support consisting of a hardened-metal shoe mounted on one end of an arm, the other end of the arm being connected by two relatively flexible elements to support elements that are fixed to the workhead, the flexible elements extending from the end of the arm and each having a strain gage mounted on its surface.