Improvements in Machines for Bevelling and otherwise Cutting or Grinding Glass.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1888
Specification Accepted, 31st Dec., 1888
Improvements in Machines for Bevelling and otherwise Cutting or
Grinding Glass.
I, PAUL AUGUSTIN MARIE DOMINIQUE OLIVIER DE FLEURY, of 120, Rue de la
Pompe, Paris-Passy, France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:~
This invention relates to machines for bevelling and otherwise cutting or grinding
glass.
In machines heretofore designed for this purpose many difficulties have been
experienced in practice which have endeavoured to obviate in the construction of
my improved machine.
The following are the conditions which it is desirable to fulfil, viz.
To enable
workmen who have no knowledge of mechanical devices to make use of the machine
with facility.
To obtain mechanical accuracy without disregarding the inflexibility of such a
brittle material as glass.
To obviate any shocks or vibrations in the mechanical motions, as glass never bears
them without danger.
The said difficulties are overcome in the machine devised in accordance with the
present invention.
This machine for bevelling and chamfering glass comprises a carriage A which is
arranged to be moved to and fro upon two connected parallel rails (, C. These
rails are fixed to cast iron chairs O¹ 0", with India-rubber cushions inserted between
them in rectangular pieces E¹ E" which form a kind of box having the rail for its
cover and the chair for its bottom. These rectangular pieces are kept in place by the
pressure exerted through the medium of the India-rubber cushions by nuts on bolts
that pass through the said cushions and connect the rails and chairs with each other.
The said pressure provides for obtaining very smooth rolling motion of the carriage.
The carriage is arranged to be moved to and fro by means of a rack B secured
longitudinally to the underside in the middle of the carriage. The rack is operated
by a toothed pinion G fitted upon a shaft H which is set in motion through the

page_text: medium of a rast pulley I having a loose pulley (I* 1") on either side.
travelling in opposite directions and acting successively upon the fast pulley effect the
to-and-fro motion.
At
The carriage comprising an iron frame a is supported by four rollers b
having cast steel axles which turn in copper bearings a plate arranged in front of the
axles protecting the said rollers from water and sand projected by the wheel.
the middle part and in front of the carriage is secured a tappet C by means of which
the motion of the carriage is reversed. To obviate any shock, the reversing gear is
mounted upon independent chairs 11, upon which its rod K is fitted to slide. Two.
helical springs el e¹¹ lessen or deaden the shock resulting from the change of motion.
The said rod K determines the movement of a lever which actuates a bar or rod K"
provided with a double fork by which the belts are shifted either for the forward
movement or for the backward movement of the carriage, Figure 7. Two slides n¹n"
are connected with each other by a rod K₁ which enables the motion of the carriage
to be controlled by changing the distance between the slides by hand, these slides
being then fixed through the medium of the screw v. For this purpose the slide n¹
which is remote from the point where the workman operates the machine is secured
to the said rod and slides freely upon the rod K of the reversing gear, whereas the
other slide can be adjusted upon the two rods K K by means of two screws
and enables the movement to be regulated at will without any displacement and
without loss of time. Helical springs el ell placed between the slides of the reversing
gear and the fixed tappet of the carriage lessen or deaden the shock resulting from
the change of motion which is caused by their aid.
Upon the carriage to which to-and-fro motion is imparted is an inclined plane
which turns upon and parallelly with a shaft fixed to the carriage, which, as the
glass is arranged far beyond the centre of the motion, enables the necessary inclina-
tion to be rapidly obtained and provides for a slight displacement of the point of
operation upon the wheel, which displacement is useful for very accentuated
chamfering. The inclination of this plane is obtained through the medium of a very
simple mechanism. Upon the carriage are fixed two guides pl p" in which can be
displaced two slides at a right angle to the movement of the said carriage. These
slides are set in motion by the rotation of two screws with which they engage
and which are simultaneously actuated by an endless screw T. These two slides are
connected with the frame for providing the inclined plane by two steel rods jointed to
the said frame and slide and serve to change the inclination by varying the angle with
the carriage, which is obtained by their motion. By a hand wheel U on the right
hand side of the carriage the endless screw is set in motion and the workman enabled
to change the inclination even during the motion of the machine. Two slotted
sectors VV having their radius determined by the centre of motion of the inclined
plane are firmly fixed to the frame providing for this plane and are secured by bolts
and thumb nuts g so as to permit the table and carriage to be firmly connected as soon
as the table has been placed at the necessary inclination.
Upon the inclined plane is arranged a plate P of thick sheet iron upon which is
placed an India-rubber cover, and upon the latter a woollen cloil, the former being
designed to impart the elasticity necessary for cutting the glass, and the latter to
protect the glass from scratches which the particles of sand that are projected by the
wheel would otherwise cause.
At the two extremities of the sheet iron table facing the wheel, and at equal
distances from the operating point, are fixed two screws, Figures 3 and 5.
When the glass is put in its place an adjusting device, comprising a piece of wood y
which is arranged on a plate L, Figures 4 and 5 is placed on the top. This piece of
wood terminates at each extremity in a fork-shaped part m¹m" which receives the
aforesaid screws fixed to the table and provided with thumb nuts, so that the glass
plate can be secured upon the table with the necessary pressure. The plate L which
protrudes to the front of the piece of wood serves to secure the glass plate, and
constitutes with the said piece a good adjusting device for the work. At the front
edge of the aforesaid plate L and opposite the glass plate are provided small

page_text: wedges a a a... held in the place by screws 2, which wedges serve to augment or
diminish the pressure upon such a point or points as is necessary to enable the
irregularity in the thickness of the glass to be compensated for. These small wedges
which are of a shape somewhat resembling that of a key of a piano are first covered
with India-rubber and then with wool to obviate scratches upon the glass, Figs. 4, 4ª
and 5.
When the machine is set in motion, the glass carried and accurately guided by the
same passes and repasses on a wheel which is raised and lowered by means of a lever
actuated by a pressing screw. It has not been found practical to operate it auto-
matically by reason of the inconveniences arising from the differences in the thickness
of the glass at the time of the operation. Thick glass resists a much greater pressure,
and is therefore bevelled more rapidly than thin glass. For this reason it is preferable
that the workman shall lower and raise the wheel.
By the described arrangements any delay in the operation is avoided for, as soon as
the operation has commenced, the workman, without stoppage of any kind, is able to
remedy the inconveniences arising from defects in the thickness of the glass and to
reset the latter.
When the motion has once been regulated, which is effected very quickly while the
operation takes place, another machine can be set in action. The improved arrange-
ments also admit of all the pressures being regulated according to the conditions of
the resistance offered by the glass which often varies in thickness from 0.004 to 0.012
millimetres, and it is a favourable circumstance when the same glass is of uniform
thickness, as otherwise it is necessary to vary the pressure according to the different
thicknesses of the glass in order to produce accurate work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is,
First The reversing gear which in its successive action, by means of helical springs,
and by the shifting of belts stops the movement of the carriage in one direction and
then starts it in the other direction in order to obviate the breakage of the glass
through shocks or vibrations.
Second-The chairs provided with India-rubber cushions E E E for separating
the rail from the operative part of mechanism in order to obtain
motion of the carriage and obviate vibrations.
very smooth rolling
Third The arrangement of the pressure regulator which enables the glass to be
fixed upon the carriage without any danger of breakage, the pressure upon the glass to
be expeditiously modified, and the position of the same upon the wheel to be
changed when the machine is or is not in motion, for the purposes of obtaining
a true bevelled edge.
Fourth-The machine for bevelling and otherwise cutting or grinding glass
constructed and arranged substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore
described.
DUL 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.