Patent GB-275559-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in crankshaft balancing machines
IPC: G01M1/04
Filed: 1927-04-20
Abstract: 275,559. General Motors Research Corporation, (Assignees of Summers, C. E., and Degrift, T. C. van). Aug. 6, 1926, [Convention date]. Testing balance of rotary apparatus.-Comprises a method of locating unbalance which consists in permitting displacement of the whole of the body in response to the unbalanced forces and measuring a characteristic of the displacement. A pillar 4, Fig. 1, is supported on a base 2 upon which is mounted a motor 8 which rotates the crankshaft s to be tested through gearing in boxes 12, 14 at the bottom and top of the pillar, the gearings being connected by a shaft 16, the crank shaft being suspended by a coupling 18 from a universally jointed shaft 20. Indicating mechanisms I, I<1> are provided as well as guiding mechanisms at the same level as the indicating devices. A lever 22 is connected to control devices in the box 12. A clutch and brake under the control of the lever 22 are located in the gear box 12. Coupling device. The crankshaft is suspended by a coupling which ensures that it will occupy a fixed angular relation to the drive mechanism. The member 18 has a pivoted hanging arm 51, Fig. 13, having a projection 52 which is forced into a key-way on the end of the crankshaft by turning a ring 5 on the inside of which are cam surfaces 56 which engage the outer part of the arm 51. For turning the crank shaft to any position a hand wheel 62 is provided carrying a graduated ring 64 reading against a fixed index 66. Jack device. For mounting the shaft in the machine, the flanged end of the shaft is placed on guideways 68 and the shaft is slid into place above a plunger 70 which is then raised by a pedal 78 trough a pinion 74 and rack teeth 72. When the coupling 18 is connected, the pedal is released and the lower end of the shaft is free. Guiding devices. The devices at the upper and lower ends of the shaft are identical except that their controlling cams are out of phase so that when one end of the shaft is held, the other end is free. Three levers 88, 90, 92, Fig. 8, are mounted on pivot pins on a frame member secured to the pillar 4 and each carries a roller 87 adapted to engage the shaft. To the other end of the lever is secured a spring 94 tending to force the roller end into engagement with the shaft. A bellows and spring damping device 95, 102 is provided for each lever. The levers 88, 90, 92 are provided with studs 110, 112, 114 projecting upwardly through elongated guide slots formed in the member 82. Pivoted on the same centre as the levers are rocker members 116, 118, 120 to co-operate with the levers, the rocker members being connected by intermeshing teeth 122, 124 on members 116, 118 and teeth 126, 128 on members 118, 120. Each rocker member is provided with a bifurcated portion 130 straddling the stud carried by the underlying lever. In the bifurcation are received adjustment stops 132, 134. The rocker member 116 is provided with an arm 136 having a bifurcated end 138 provided with rollers 140, 142 for engaging cams 144, 146 mounted on the control shaft 147. Control. In the starting position of the operating lever 22, the stops 132 engage the studs 110, 112, 114 thus holding the rollers out of engagement with the crank shaft in which position a crank shaft may be inserted in the device. The initial movement of the control lever swings the rockers 116, 118, 120, withdrawing stops 132 and causing the stops 134 to engage the studs so that both ends of the shaft are locked. The clutch is next engaged and the crank shaft is rotated. The stops 134 at the upper end of the crank shaft are withdrawn. In the next position of the lever 22, the stops at the top hold the studs and the bottom of the shaft is released. In the final position, the shaft is yieldingly held both top and bottom. Indicating means. An octagonal mirror 148 rotated by gearing is arranged to reflect light on to a screen 149. Light from a source 152 is reflected on to a mirror 156 secured to an inclined rock shaft 158 journaled in a frame 160 carried by a slide 162 mounted on a bracket 164. The mirror may be adjusted by manipulating the set screw 166. To the lower end of the rock shaft is secured an arm 108 which bears against the end 104 of the lever 92. The screen may be photo sensitive if a record is desired. Operation. The upper end is free and the lower end held by the rollers, the indicated unbalance being OB<1>, Fig. 15. Now the upper end is held and the lower end freed the indication at the lower end being OA<1>. The operation is then repeated in inverse sequence. It is now necessary to correct readings to remove from each end the effect of unbalance at the other end measured as if existing at the crank throw from which metal is to be removed. This is accomplished by resolving each of the unbalances OA<1>, OB<1> into two components A<1>A, BB<1> each being drawn parallel to OB<1>, OA<1> as an approximation. The amount is determined experimentally. The resultant sectors are OA, OB.