Surface grinding machine including work feed, delivery, and measurement means

Claim 2

A surface grinding machine particularly for grinding workpieces having surfaces of revolution, for example rollers, comprising a guide disk having a curved peripheral surface over which the workpieces are moved, a stationary ring overlying at least a portion of said curved spherical surface and spaced therefrom by an amount to define a workpiece operational path to accommodate the workpieces therebetween, the respective opposite ends of said ring defining an inlet and an outlet with said guide disk at the respective ends, means for feeding workpieces into the space between said ring and said guide disk peripheral surface at said inlet of said ring segment, a cylindrical grinding disk on each side of said guide disk having a periphery overlapping the periphery of said guide disk on respective sides thereof so as to be in a position to contact and grind the end surfaces of the workpieces moving over the peripheral surface of said guide disk along said operational path, delivery means at said outlet end of said ring for feeding said workpieces out of said operational path, an elastic pressure element held by said ring segment and adapted to bear inwardly against the workpieces, said delivery means including a member engaging each workpiece in succession, and measuring means adjacent said delivery means for measuring the width of the workpiece, said grinding disk being movable toward and away from each other to change the spacing therebetween in accordance with the measurement obtained by said measuring means, said delivery means including an oscillatable segment member having an outer curved suRface with a recess adjacent one end of a size to accommodate a workpiece, a delivery trough connected to said operational path and having an opening therein for a workpiece overlying the curved surface of said segment, said segment being oscillatable to periodically present the recess therein below the opening in said trough to receive a workpiece and being oscillatable in a reverse direction to present the workpiece at a delivery station, said measuring means being located at said delivery station, said measuring means comprising a feeler arm on each side of the workpiece engageable with said workpiece and holding it in the recess until it is measured.

Claim 3

A surface grinding machine, according to claim 1, including nozzle means for supplying a cooling liquid to the operational path of the workpieces on each side of said guide disks.

Claim 4

A surface grinding machine, according to claim 1, including a sensing device for sensing the amount of wear of the grinding disk at the area bearing against the workpieces and adapted to be connected to the disk for shifting them relative to each other for changing the spacing therebetween in order to accommodate for the wear of said disk.

Claim 5

A surface grinding machine, according to claim 1, wherein said ring segment includes a dovetail groove extending therethrough of a generally trapezoidal cross section, said pressure element being disposed in said groove and having rounded off edges.

Claim 6

A surface grinding machine, according to claim 4, wherein said pressure element extends around said ring segment from end to the other, said pressure element at the inlet end of said ring segment extending outwardly from the outer surface of said ring segment, and an insert clamped to said ring segment overlying said elastic pressure element.

Claim 7

A surface grinding machine particularly for grinding workpieces having surfaces of revolution, for example rollers, comprising a guide disk having a curved peripheral surface over which the workpieces are moved, a stationary ring overlying at least a portion of said curved spherical surface and spaced therefrom by an amount to define a workpiece operational path to accommodate the workpieces therebetween, the respective opposite ends of said ring defining an inlet and an outlet with said guide disk at the respective ends, means for feeding workpieces into the space between said ring and said guide disk peripheral surface at said inlet of said ring segment, a cylindrical grinding disk on each side of said guide disk having a periphery overlapping the periphery of said guide disk on respective sides thereof so as to be in a position to contact and grind the end surfaces of the workpieces moving over the peripheral surface of said guide disk along said operational path, delivery means at said outlet end of said ring for feeding said workpieces out of said operational path, an elastic pressure element held by said ring segment and adapted to bear inwardly against the workpieces, said delivery means including a member engaging each workpiece in succession, and measuring means adjacent said delivery means for measuring the width of the workpiece, said grinding disk being movable toward and away from each other to change the spacing therebetween in accordance with the measurement obtained by said measuring means, said means for feeding workpieces comprising a rotatable sprocket wheel having spaced teeth around its periphery, gaps between the teeth into which the workpieces are engageable, an inclined chute adjacent the lower end of said sprocket wheel for feeding the workpieces into a location in which they may be engaged between the teeth of the sprocket wheel and advanced by rotation thereof into said operational path and a finger guide on each side of said sprocket wheel for engaging the workpieces which are fed and reflecting them downwardly onto the surface of said guide disk, said guide disk and said grinding disks being rotatable in the same rotational direction, said elastic pressure element pressinG said workpieces onto said guide disks so that the workpieces rotate in a clockwise direction as they are moved along side operational path, the flanks of said sprocket wheel teeth being oblique so that they form surfaces for pushing the workpieces in succession into the operational path.

Claim 8

A surface grinding machine particularly for grinding workpieces having surfaces of revolution, for example rollers, comprising a guide disk having a curved peripheral surface over which the workpieces are moved, a stationary ring overlying at least a portion of said curved spherical surface and spaced therefrom by an amount to define a workpiece operational path to accommodate the workpieces therebetween, the respective opposite ends of said ring defining an inlet and an outlet with said guide disk at the respective ends, means for feeding workpieces into the space between said ring and said guide disk peripheral surface at said inlet of said ring segment, a cylindrical grinding disk on each side of said guide disk having a periphery overlapping the periphery of said guide disk on respective sides thereof so as to be in a position to contact and grind the end surfaces of the workpieces moving over the peripheral surface of said guide disk along said operational path, delivery means at said outlet end of said ring for feeding said workpieces out of said operational path, an elastic pressure element held by said ring segment and adapted to bear inwardly against the workpieces, said delivery means including a member engaging each workpiece in succession, and measuring means adjacent said delivery means for measuring the width of the workpiece, said grinding disk being movable toward and away from each other to change the spacing therebetween in accordance with the measurement obtained by said measuring means, said means for feeding workpieces comprising a rotatable sprocket wheel having spaced teeth around its periphery, gaps between the teeth into which the workpieces are engageable, an inclined chute adjacent the lower end of said sprocket wheel for feeding the workpieces into a location in which they may be engaged between the teeth of the sprocket wheel and advanced by rotation thereof into said operational path and a finger guide on each side of said sprocket wheel for engaging the workpieces which are fed and reflecting them downwardly onto the surface of said guide disk, said guide disk and said grinding disks being rotatable in the same rotational direction, said elastic pressure element pressinG said workpieces onto said guide disks so that the workpieces rotate in a clockwise direction as they are moved along side operational path, the flanks of said sprocket wheel teeth being oblique so that they form surfaces for pushing the workpieces in succession into the operational path.