Improvements in Machinery to be Employed in connection with Bevelling, Drilling, and otherwise Operating upon Glass.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery to be Employed in connection with
Bevelling, Drilling, and otherwise Operating upon Glass.
I, ALFRED GRIFFITHS of 374 Green Lanes, Small Heath, in the City of
Birmingham, Foreman of Works, 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 pertains to machinery to be employed in connection with the
grinding, smoothing and polishing of the bevel edgings of glass objects, such as
circles ellipses, lenses and the like, which said machinery is also applicable to the
drilling of glass plates and objects for various purposes.
The invention has for its object to impart a steady rotatory movement to the
glass holders or clamps by which the glasses are held and presented to the grinding
surface.
The machine consists primarily of plate holders or chucks, which are rotated
and advanced in order to make the edgings being bevelled follow up the grinding
surface. The rotatory motion is produced by a wound-up coiled spring and is
regulated by reduction gear and governor.
Figure of the accompanying drawings represents, partly in horizontal section
and partly in plan, a circular glass-bevelling machine arranged and constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 2 represents an end elevation of the same.
Figure 3 represents a section of a part of the machine showing the shaft upon
which the framing carrying the holders for the glasses under process of bevelling,
is mounted.
Figure 4 represents a further section of the machine taken at right angles to
Figure 3, showing the stop arm which limits the advancing movement of the holders
on the glasses being presented to the periphery of the grinding stones.
Figure 5 represents, in section and in elevation, one of the glass holders with a
glass disc to be bevelled clamped between them.
Figure 6 represents a bevelled glass disc in position upon the stones prior to the
same being picked up.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 6 of
the drawings.
a, a¹ and a² are shafts or axes, working through sleeves b', of a frame b and with
a back tubular part or barrel end 63, of it, partly rotating upon an outstanding
and fixed bracket shaft c¹, of a slide bracket c, which rises and falls upon an
upright stand c², having a bed c3, which slide and arm are raised and lowered by a
screw d', operated by a hand wheel d², with the stem passing through a screw
box c', in the said slide bracket c.
The fore ends of the axes a, a', a², which are coupled together by the gearing
wheels a³, a, a, carry fixed discs a, which have presented to them, retiring
discs a, a, a, carried in common by a cross end a10, made fast to end sliding
rods a", passing through bossed eyes 61, 613, of the carrying frame b, and with the
said rods a", surrounded by coiled springs a¹, coming between the bossed eyes 619
and adjustable collars a¹³, carried on the rods a". These springs are for the
purpose of bringing the movable discs back to their normal positions after the
lever a, having a handle a and fulcrumed at as and which is depressed in

page_text: the direction of the dotted arrow, Figure 1, for separating the clamping discs, is
released. The lever a", is connected by means of a link a to the bar a having
clearances a¹8 for the axes a, a', and a2, and attached at its ends to the rods a¹¹, and
through which the motion of the lever is communicated to the movable discs.
The dotted lines represent the position which the bar and movable clamping
discs take when drawn back.
The principal shaft a, is upwardly terminated by a pinion e, intergearing with a
toothed wheel f, carried by the drum or casing g, having enclosed within it a
spring i, whose outer end is fast to the casing whilst its inner end is connected to
the shaft, which also carries a ratchet wheel j, with which a pawl k, jointed at ³,
to a part of the general framing &, which turns bodily upon the bracket shaft o' as
a fixed fulcrum. The said shaft h, is terminated by a hand wheel m, for winding
up the spring.
Also made fast upon the axis a, is a toothed wheel n, which engages with a
pinion w, made fast on a counter-shaft or spindle n', which also carries a toothed
wheel, engaging with a pinion n', on a second counter-shaft n, carrying a
tangent wheel, driving a worm n', on a fly axis n, on which is mounted a governor
fly nº.
The face of the drum is made alike unto a box cam, which gives the necessary
movement for picking up the whole of the framing, which turns upon the bracket
shaft. Thus the face, has an annular channel, with a hole f³, within its
path, into which the stud end o', of a pawl o, carried at the end of the rod o³,
connected to a jointed arm lever o, pivoted or fulcrumed at o, engages through
being pressed inwards by the spring o, so that as the drum is rotated the same is
periodically arrested by the said stud end of the pawl engaging with the hole f³,
the clamps carrying the plates under bevelling being at the same time removed
from the grinding stones.
Connected to one of the corners of the angle lever o³, is a rod o, whose other
end is connected to the upper end p³, of an arm p, made fast on the bracket
shaft c', which has at its lower end a stop p², against which an adjustable pin q,
passing through a part , of the framing b, and locked by a jamb nut q', comes
and forms a stop for limiting the extent to which the glasses are to fall onto the
mill stones, hence it adjusts the angle of bevelling.
Passing through an eye ", of the arm p is a rod r, made fast to a part , of
the general framing b, and having located between a stop end r, and the said
arm p, a spring, which forms a cushion or buffer for partially counterpoising the
weight of the frame on the stones, which, with its clamps, falls into position for
grinding by gravity.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the spring i, has been wound up by the rotation of the wheel m
from right to left, and that the end, of the pawl o, is lying within the hole,
and that the lever end a", has been pulled in the direction of the arrow and the
front clamping dises removed from the back ones a', and a glass disc or discs
placed within them as in Figure 5 and the said lever released and the parts taken
back into their normal positions and gripping the said glasses, then take hold of
the handle end of the pawl o, and withdraw its stud end from out of the hole, when
the drum rotates in the direction of the arrow upon the drum and carries with
it the toothed wheel, which imparts motion to the pinion e, and the shaft a, which,
through the coupling wheel a³ of it, communicates rotatory motion to the
spindle a', a² and at the same time rotates in unison the whole of the clamping
dises and the glasses being bevelled are allowed to fall upon the periphery of a
grinding stones, by the swing mounting of the frame. Thus, as the edges of the
glasses between the holders are gradually ground to the required bevel, the said
holders lend themselves to the stone and follow the bevelling and when the
hole, is brought again in front of the pawl o', and as the grinding is timed so
as to produce the required bevel during one rotation of the drum, the pawl drops

page_text: into the hole and is kept there by the spring and as the force of the spring
still expends itself in rotating the drum and other parts, the said pawl is for a
short distance carried with the drum and so pulls the rod o², from left to right
turns the angle lever upon its pivot and by the rod o, pulling against the end
of the arm p, which is fast or remains stationary with the slide bracket c, the
framing, clamps and mechanism of the machine are bodily picked up and the
mechanism stopped and the edges of the circular glasses being bevelled taken from
out of contact with the grinding stones.
It is understood that at the same time that the frame falls and takes the glasses
up to the grinding surface, it is limited in its falling movement by the end of the
pin 9, which is carried by the end framing making an abutment against the
extension p², of the fixed arm p.
The positions which the frame and other parts take when the glasses and
holders have fallen to the lowest limit are shown in Figure 4 and it will be seen
that by changing the position of the end of the pin q, relative to the arm p, the
angle of the bevel can be correspondingly changed.
By again pulling down the lever a¹, into the position represented in the dotted
lines, the clamps are opened, the bevelled glasses removed and fresh unoperated-
upon ones placed in their stead. Now release the lever and withdraw the pawl
end from the hole, when the operation proceeds again as before and is governed
by the multiplying gear driving the fan which may be stopped by an arm placed
within its path or by other means.
The application of my invention to the smoothing and polishing of the edges of
glass plates differs in no essential respect from its application to the grinding of
the same as herein described.
Instead of grinding in series, the glasses may be ground one at a time.
To adapt the machine herein described for drilling glass it is only necessary to
remove the clamping arrangements and substitute for them a drill (or drills)
chucked to the main axis and provided with suitable feeding forward gear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In machinery for bevelling the edges of circular glass plates or discs,
carrying the clamps upon axes mounted within a frame which is made to follow
up the bevelling as it proceeds, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly. In machinery for bevelling, grinding, smoothing and polishing the
edges of circular glass plates or discs, communicating motion to the main axis
through the medium of spring driven and regulated mechanism, substantially as
described and set forth.
Thirdly. In machinery for bevelling, grinding, smoothing or polishing the edges
of circular glass plates or discs, the means for stopping the mechanism and
picking up the framing, clamps and glasses, substantially as described and set
forth.
Fourthly. In machinery for bevelling the edges of circular glass plates or discs,
the method of mounting the frame so as to admit of the same following up the
bevelling substantially as described and set forth.
Fifthly. In machinery for bevelling, grinding smoothing and polishing the edges
of circular glass plates or discs, the construction and arrangement of the glass
holding clamps, combined with the means for opening the same, substantially as
described and set forth.
Sixthly. In machinery for bevelling, grinding, snoothing and polishing the
edges of circular glass plates or discs, the general construction, arrangement and
combination of the parts, less the driving gear and stand, substantially as described
and set forth.
Seventhly. In machinery for bevelling, grinding, smoothing and polishing
the edges of circular glass plates or discs, the general construction, arrangement

page_text: and combination of the parts, less the stand, substantially as described and set
forth.
Eighthly. The general construction, arrangement and combination of the parts
of machinery for bevelling, grinding, smoothing and polishing the edges of circular
glass plates, discs and the like, substantially as herein described and set forth in the
several figures of the drawings.
Ninthly. A machine for drilling glass, constructed, arranged and combined,
substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 12th day of March 1896.
ALFRED GRIFFITHS.
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.