US4949456A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making ring gear and ring gear therefrom
Assignee: Eaton Corp
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Filing: 1989-11-08
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Granted: 1990-08-21
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Expires: 2009-11-08
Abstract
Abstract An improved method is provided for finish machining forged and/or rough-cut teeth (8) of a ring gear (40) by which a rotary tool such as a rotary carbide milling tool (24) is rotated about a rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersects a bottom surface (12) of tooth (8) as it tracks along a predetermined tool path enabling the rotary tool to be in close proximity to sidewalls (14 and 14') of teeth (8) and thereby eliminating the practice of having to normalize the ring gear microstructure prior to machining teeth (8).
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph A. Kovach
- 👤 Dale B. McCartney
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 00:36
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23F; B23F9/00; B23F9/08; B23F9/02; B23P; B23P15/00; B23P15/14; F; F16; F16H; F16H48/00; F16H48/38; F16H2048/385; F16H48/42; F16H2048/423; F16H2048/426; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S29/00; Y10S29/026; Y10S29/049; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49462; Y10T29/49467; Y10T29/49476; Y10T29/4948; Y10T409/00; Y10T409/10; Y10T409/107791; Y10T409/10795; Y10T409/108109
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
An improved method for machining a forged or ring-cut metallic ring gear tooth having a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls respectively extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said method including the step of machining said tooth by a rotary tool rotating about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersects the bottom surface whilst following the curved tool path therealong.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
An improved method for machining a forged or ring-cut metallic ring gear tooth having a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls respectively extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said method including the step of machining said tooth by a rotary tool rotating about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersects the bottom surface whilst following the curved tool path therealong.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls are substantially straight and extend from the bottom surface angularly away from each other in a plane substantially transverse to said tool path providing the tooth with a substantially Gleason Formate type geometry.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the ring gear is made from a metal that has not been normalized at least prior to the machining thereof by the rotary tool.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the forged ring gear is a near-net forged ring gear.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for providing a metallic ring gear of the type having a plurality of teeth wherein each tooth has a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said method including the steps of: (a) forging the ring gear teeth; (b) machining the forged teeth of step (a) by means of a rotary tool rotating about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersects the bottom surface while following the curved tool path therealong; and (c) at least one of (i) grinding or (ii) lapping the teeth of step (b).
Claim 7
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for providing a metallic ring gear of the type having a plurality of teeth wherein each tooth has a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said method including the steps of: (a) forging the ring gear teeth; (b) machining the forged teeth of step (a) by means of a rotary tool rotating about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersects the bottom surface while following the curved tool path therealong; and (c) at least one of (i) grinding or (ii) lapping the teeth of step (b).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 5 including the step of shot-peening the teeth before or after step (c).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the forging of step (a) is near-net forging.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the ring gear is made from a metal that is not normalized between the forging of step (a) and the machining of step (b).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the rotary tool of step (b) is adapted to provide the sidewalls with a substantially straight configuration extending from the bottom surface angularly away from each other in a plane substantially transverse to each tool path providing the teeth with a Gleason Formate type geometry.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 or 5 wherein the rotary tool is a rotary milling tool.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 or 5 wherein the rotary tool is a rotary grinding tool.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the rotary milling tool is a rotary carbide milling tool.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
76 words
A ring gear having teeth respectively having spaced-apart sidewalls respectively extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said teeth having been respectively machined by a rotary tool that rotated about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersected the bottom surface whilst having followed the curved tool path therealong.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
76 words
A ring gear having teeth respectively having spaced-apart sidewalls respectively extending from opposite edges of a bottom surface extending therebetween and defining a curved tool path extending therealong having a median radius of curvature "R" in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface, said teeth having been respectively machined by a rotary tool that rotated about a central rotational axis "r" that projectionally intersected the bottom surface whilst having followed the curved tool path therealong.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The ring gear of claim 13 wherein the forged teeth are near-net forged teeth.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
The ring gear of claim 13 wherein the ring gear is made from a metal that has not been normalized at least prior to being machined by the rotary tool.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The ring gear of claim 13 wherein the sidewalls are substantially straight and extend from the bottom surface angularly away from each other in a plane substantially transverse to the tool path providing the teeth with a Gleason Formate type geometry.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ring gear of claim 13 wherein the rotary tool is a rotary milling tool.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ring gear of claim 13 wherein the rotary tool is a rotary grinding tool.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The ring gear of claim 17 wherein the rotary milling tool is a rotary carbide milling tool.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-08-20 | 1994-02-19 | 1994-08-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-08-20 | 1998-02-19 | 1998-08-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-08-20 | 2002-02-19 | 2002-08-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |