Polishing system and tool

A rotary tool used with a pneumatic or an electric drill, for polishing truck wheels, adjacent the in-situ nuts, has a chuck mounted on a driving shaft, the chuck including an outer cylindrical housing, a centre housing with a replaceable guide bushing, and an annular interior passage containing a projecting flexible, fabric polishing sleeve. The guide bushing slides in centering relation over a wheel nut. The annular fabric sleeve protrudes beyond the front of the tool, and radially outwardly, to engage and polish the skirt of the nut and a surrounding portion of the wheel, with pre-applied polishing compound.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable (N/A)

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention is directed to a polishing system for polishing surfaces having protruberant items projecting therefrom, and located in space-restricted environments, and in particular to a tool and system for polishing in-situ the wheels of vehicles in close proximity to their wheelnuts.

The legal requirement to provide daily inspection and checking of the secured condition of the wheel nuts of highway tractors and their trailers has placed great emphesis on the desirability of maintaining the surfaces of the wheels, particularly in proximity to their wheel nuts, in a clean and polished condition. Also, the owners and operators of such ‘rigs’ like to maintain them to a high standard of appearance, with highly polished aluminum wheels to impede corrosion and to show up any defects in the wheel.

Prior to the present invention, the areas of the wheel surface adjacent the wheel nuts were usually polished by hand, using cloths and cleaning and polishing compounds. Quite apart from being labour-intensive and time-consuming, this process was also extremely hard on the hands of those doing the cleaning and polishing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a rotary tool for use with a powered machine such as a pneumatic (air driven) or an electric drill, the tool having a chuck portion rotatably mounted on a polar-oriented driving shaft, the chuck portion including an outer cylindrical sleeve that serves as a containment housing, a centre housing containing a replaceable guide bushing, and an annular aperture between the bushing and the housing to receive a flexible, fabric polishing sleeve in entered relation therein.

In use, the guide bushing is sized diametrically to slide in centering relation over a wheel nut, to serve as a journal bearing, running on the apices of the wheel nut flats.

This guide sleeve may be of nylon or other suitable, hard-wearing plastic.

The annular space between the removable sleeve and the centre housing is sized to receive a fabric sleeve in substantially contained relation therein, having the axially outer end of the sleeve protruding a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the containment housing. This outer end portion of the sleeve is formed as a protruding annular roll, extending radially outwardly beyond the tool, to contact the surrounding wheel surface. The fabric sleeve may be of non-abrasive or of abrasive material.

The chuck portion is mounted by screw threads to the driving shaft, and may be provided with locking means to secure it.

The centering guide bushing is mounted coaxially within the chuck portion, being a push fit within its recess, for purposes of ready replacement.

In use, with the protective domed nut covers removed, a polishing compound is applied to the wheel areas surrounding the nuts, or to the outer end of the polishing sleeve, and with the tool mounted in the chuck of a power tool such as an air driven or an electric drill, the guide bushing is applied over a selected nut and the polishing sleeve brought into rotating, polishing relation with the area surrounding the nut, and the nut skirt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosure is directed primarily to specific embodiments of the present invention, and that the subject invention is susceptible of reduction to practice in other embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a polishing tool10in accordance with the present invention has a chuck portion12threadedly attached to a driving shaft14, being illustrated inFIG. 1with a locking nut16, and a threaded housing with a grub screw18, as alternative locking means, shown inFIG. 2.

The driving shaft14has three end flats15, for engagement with the chuck of a driving tool such as a pneumatic or electric drill (not shown), which power tool does not form a part of the present invention.

The tool chuck12has a cylindrical end portion17of reduced diameter, with an interior recess20containing a replaceable plastic guide bushing22. The central bore24of the bushing22is diametrically sized to revolve about the edges26of a truck wheelnut28. These wheelnuts28have a bevelled annular flange portion30to engage an aluminum truck wheel, of which a portion31is shown inFIG. 1.

The cylindrical containment housing, sleeve32is illustrated with slots34,34at its upper edge, to receive driving pins36, which extend radially outwardly from the chuck12.

A fabric sleeve38of material, such as a selected grade of “Scotchbrite” (T.M.), or buffing cloth, which includes both abrasive and non-abrasive fabrics, is located within the sleeve32and serves to retain the sleeve32coaxially upon the chuck end portion17.

The sleeve38extends beyond the front of the tool10, being compressed and wadded at40so as to extend radially primarily outwardly into polishing relation with the flange portion30of wheelnut28, and the surrounding annular surface of the wheel.

In use, a polishing compound may be applied to the wadded portion of sleeve38, or to the wheel surface surrounding the nut28, and the tool12energized by switching on the associated drive drill, and the tool12then slid into engagement with the nut28, in polishing engagement with the nut flange portion30and its immediate surrounding wheel area.

It has been found that a mirror polished finish may be readily achieved, such that any defect or imperfection of the wheel adjacent a nut28is readily apparent. Also, the formation of corrosion or oxidation is impeded. The remaining surface of the wheel is readily polished, using well-known materials and methods.

It is contemplated that the illustrated driving pins36by which the sleeve32is positively driven may not prove to be essential for the satisfactory operation of the tool10.

The use of an elasticated buffing cloth, or of an elastic band, is contemplated, the elasticated cloth being stretched in fitting relation over the chuck portion of the machine, or the elastic band being applied in compressive relation about the fabric sleeve38, to secure it in driven relation with the chuck end portion17, in place of the outer sleeve32.