Apparatus and a method for final assembling of dynamoelectric machines

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 in which said securing step includes the tightening of threaded fasteners, said spinning step occurring during the tightening of said fasteners.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 in which said end plates are provided with a plurality of aligned openings for receiving said threaded fasteners, said threaded fasteners including threaded tie-bolts having heads on one end and threads on the other end and nuts therefor, said securing step including inserting said tie-bolts into said aligned openings with the heads thereof engaging one end plate and the threads emerging from the other end plate, engaging said nuts with the respective threaded ends of said bolts, tightening said nuts on said threaded ends to a predetermined torque, the spinning of said shaft occurring during the tightening of said nuts.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3 in which the tightening of said nuts occurs simultaneously.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 in which the end plates are assembled onto said housing with said rotor in place and the shafts fitting said bearings, positioning this assembly in a predetermined location, and inserting said tie-bolts into said aligned openings while the assembly is in said location.

Claim 7

The method of claim 5 in which said end plates, housing, rotor and tie-bolts are assembled on a supporting surface, clamping said assembly onto said supporting surface, holding said tie-bolts against rotation, and then performing the tightening of said nuts while said assembly is thus clamped and said tie-bolts held.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 in which said supporting means comprises a base having a supporting surface that includes an opening therethrough, and a perforated platen being mounted onto said supporting surface with the perforation of said platen registering with said opening.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 in which said securing mechanism comprises a multiple nut-runner attached to said supporting means.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 7 in which said shaft-rotating means comprises a motor, a drive spindle, and a coupling operatively attached to said supporting means.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 7 in which said supporting means comprises: a. a base having a supporting surface that includes an opening, and a perforated platen mounted onto said supporting surface of said base with the perforations of said platen registering with said opening; b. said securing mechanism comprises a multiple nut-runner operatively attached to said platen; c. said shaft-rotating means comprises a motor, a drive spindle, and a coupling operatively attached to said platen; and d. a clamping mechanism operatively attached to said base for clamping said assembly of parts to said platen.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 in which said apparatus includes a loading station wherein said assembly is placed onto said platen, and a working station spaced therefrom wherein said securing of said threaded fasteners is performed; said platen mounting comprising a slide mechanism operatively attached to sAid platen and to said supporting surface and providing for movement of said platen in a plane substantially parallel to said supporting surface between said loading and working stations.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 in which said supporting means includes a plurality of nesting buttons each being mounted onto said platen, and each having a slot therethrough which registers with said opening of said supporting surface and which receives one drive socket of said multiple nut-runner.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 11 in which said clamping mechanism comprises a plurality of resilient pads disposed in a plane which is parallel to said supporting surface and which is spaced from said supporting surface, said pads being angularly spaced to engage the head portions of a plurality of threaded fasteners.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 7 in which said apparatus includes a loading station wherein said assembly is loaded and a working station spaced therefrom wherein said securing of said fasteners is performed, said apparatus being adjustable for the securing of assemblies having different fastener-location patterns, and said fasteners including tie-bolts and nuts, the apparatus which further comprises: a. said assembly supporting means comprises a base having a horizontally disposed supporting surface on the top thereof and a transversely disposed platen opening therethrough, a horizontally disposed and perforated platen for receiving one of said end plates of said assembly with said shafts thereof vertically disposed, a horizontally disposed slide mechanism being attached to said mounting surface and to said platen and providing guided movement of said platen from said loading station to said working station, and four nesting buttons each being mounted to said platen to radially and rotationally align said end plate and each having a slot therethrough which registeres with one of said perforations; b. said securing mechanism comprises four vertically disposed guide rods having the upper ends thereof attached to said platen, a horizontally disposed lower frame being attached to the lower end of the guide rods, a guide bushing being slidably fitted over each of said guide rods, a horizontally disposed feed-plate being attached to the upper end of each of said guide bushings and having vertically disposed holes therethrough spaced to correspond generally to said fastener-location patterns, four nut-runner mounting adaptors each being slidably mounted to the lower surface of said feed plate and all cooperating to provide mounting sockets for four nut-runners and to provide guided movement of said nut-runners from one of said fastener-location patterns to another fastener-location pattern, four nut-runners each being mounted into one of said mounting sockets and each being vertically disposed with a drive socket thereof extending upwardly toward said platen, and first and second feed cylinders each being mounted to said lower frame at equally spaced distances from a pair of said supporting rods and each having a vertically disposed piston rod being attached to the lower surface of said feed plate; c. said shaft-rotating means comprises a lower shaft-driving mechanism which includes an air motor having a vertically disposed power shaft and being mounted to the bottom side of said lower frame with said power shaft aligned with the shaft location of said assembly, a vertically disposed drive spindle having both a collet in the upper end thereof and a vertically slidable collet-actuating bobbin on the lower end thereof and being rotatably mounted to said lower frame and to said platen in alignment with said power shaft, a coupling drivably connecting said drive spindle to said power shaft, a horizontally disposed actuating fork having one end thereof pivotally connected to said lower frame and engaging said actuating sleeve intermediate the ends of said actuating fork, a collet-actuating cylinder being trunnion-mounted to said lower frame with the piston rod thereof extending upwarDly and with said piston rod pivotally attached to the other end of said actuating fork; d. an assembly clamping mechanism which comprises a vertically disposed supporting column being attached to said base, a vertically disposed dovetail being attached to said column adjacent to said platen, a dovetail slide being slidably mounted to said dovetail a clamping and driving frame being attached to said dovetail slide and including a horizontally disposed clamping plate on the bottom thereof, a plurality of resilient clamping pads being attached to the lower surface of said clamping plate and being disposed to engage the heads of said tie-bolts, a vertically disposed clamping cylinder being attached to the top of said dovetail and having a piston rod extending downwardly therefrom and connected to said dovetail slide; e. an upper shaft-driving mechanism which includes a second air motor being mounted to the upper surface of said clamping and driving frame and having a vertically disposed power shafts depending therefrom with said power shaft aligned with the shaft location of said assembly, a second vertically disposed drive spindle having both a collet in the lower end thereof and a vertically slidable collet-actuating bobbin on the upper end thereof and being rotatably mounted to said clamping and driving frame in alignment with second said power shaft, a second coupling drivably connecting second said drive spindle to second said power shaft, a second horizontally disposed actuating fork having a first end pivotally connected to said clamping and driving frame and engaging said second actuating bobbin intermediate the ends of said second actuating fork, a second collet-actuating cylinder being trunnion-mounted to said clamping and driving frame and having a piston rod extending downwardly and pivotally connected to the other end of second said actuating fork; f. a platen-sliding cylinder being horizontally mounted to said supporting surface in parallel alignment with said horizontal slide and having the piston rod thereof connected to said platen; g. a platen stop mechanism comprising first and second vertically disposed and horizontally spaced stop plates being attached to said platen adjacent to said column and normal to said horizontally disposed slide mechanism, first and second stop lugs being attached to said supporting surface between said column and said platen and having vertically disposed and horizontally spaced button-mounting surfaces registering with said stop plates, and first and second planar stop buttons being attached to said button-mounting surfaces; h. first and second fastener-location shift cylinders being horizontally mounted to opposite lower sides of said feed plate with the piston rods thereof extending inwardly toward the shaft location of said assembly, first and second links each having one end thereof pivotally connected to the piston rod of one of said shift cylinders and each having the other end thereof pivotally connected to one of said nut-runner adapters proximal to said first and second links, third and fourth links each having one end thereof pivotally connected to the piston rod of the other of said shift cylinders and each having the other end thereof pivotally connected to one of said nut-runner slides proximal to said third and fourth links; i. a first solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to said platen-sliding cylinder, a second solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to said clamping cylinder, a third solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to said feed cylinders, a fourth solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to said fastener-location shift cylinders, a fifth solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to first said collet-actuating cylinder, a sixth solenoid-actuated air valve being connected to said second collet-actuating cylinder, and an electrical circuit being connected to said solenoid-actuated air valves and including manually actuated push buttons for cycling said apparatus.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said nut-runner means includes a feed plate mounted on said frame for movement selectively toward and away from said platen means, said rotary drive means including a motor and collet mounted on said support frame, said nut-runner means including at least one nut-runner mounted on said feed plate for movement therewith, said nut-runner having a fastener-engaging element adjacent to said platen means for engaging a threaded fastener of said assembly.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 17 in which said platen means includes a horizontally disposed plate having an opening for receiving a shaft of said assembly therethrough, a plurality of access openings in said platen plate arranged in a predetermined pattern about said shaft opening, said access openings being aligned with the fastener-engaging elements of a plurality of said nut-runners mounted on said feed plate, said feed plate extending horizontally and being movable to insert said fastener-engaging elements selectively through the respective access openings.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 18 in which said feed plate is mounted for vertical movement on a plurality of spaced upright guide rods operatively mounted on said supporting frame, and a hydraulic cylinder device operatively connected between said feed plate and said supporting frame for moving said feed plate vertically.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the plate of said platen means is mounted for reciprocal horizontal movement on said supporting frame between first and second predetermined positions, said guide rods being rigidly suspended from said platen plate and said feed plate being disposed in spaced relation therebelow.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 20 including a clamping mechanism carried by said supporting frame for vertical movement toward and away from and in registry with the second position of said platen plate, said clamping mechanism including fastener-engaging elements for engaging threaded fasteners of said assembly.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said clamping mechanism includes a rotary drive motor and vertically aligned collet adapted to receive and engage selectively an upstanding shaft of said assembly when said platen plate is in said second position.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 22 in which said fastener-engaging elements of said clamping mechanism are vertically aligned with the fastener-engaging elements of said nut-runners when said platen plate is in said second position, the fastener-engaging element of said clamping mechanism being in the form of pliable plastic pads adapted to engage and hold against rotation the head portions of said threaded fasteners, the fastener-engaging elements of said nut-runners being sockets adapted to receive nuts of said threaded fasteners.