An Improved Machine for Grinding Metallic Balls.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CLEVELAND MACHINE SCREW Co., of
Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.]
An Improved Machine for Grinding Metallic Balls.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:
My invention relates to that class of machines designed to grind to a true sphere
or nearly so, metallic balls which have previously been turned approximately
spherical in a turning machine. In coming from the turning machine, the balls
vary two and one-half one-thousandths from a true sphere, and my machine is
designed to reduce this variation to a minimum by means of special features of
construction which are hereinafter pointed out.
One of the special features of my machine is the rapidity of turning out work,
which is due to an improved method of loading and unloading the machine, herein-
after described; another is, that the driving ring which revolves in a horizontal
plane and drives the balls in the race over the emery wheel is stationary vertically,
and is thus held more accurately and firmly than is possible when it is capable of
being raised and lowered.
Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein like letters represent like
parts,
Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of my improved grinding machine.
Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of same through axes of spindles, looking
from side.
Fig. 3 is a detail of indicating apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section, through upper spindle, looking from the front.
Fig. 5 shows a plan of mechanism used in unloading the machine and disposing
of the balls when ground.
.are .idle
In Fig. 1, A is the casting forming the frame of the macliine; B and C
pulleys over which run the belts.b, c, respectively turning the pulleys.b¹ c¹, and by
them the emery wheel and the driving ring. D is a bracket bolted to the frame
and supporting the ways upon which the unloading apparatus works.
The emery wheel E rests on, and is secured to, the flat disk d, which forms a
hub on the upper end of the spindle e, revolving in the bearings/f. The thrust
of at the lower bearing is supported by the spherical bearing g', as shown in the
drawings. The bearings form part of the bracket F which slides up and down
on vertical ways secured to the frame of the machine.
It will thus be seen that the emery wheel may be raised or lowered by moving
the bracket up and down on the vertical ways. This is accomplished by the
screw G turning in the bearings H' and H, said bearings being projections on the
frame of the machine. The lower bearing forms a step for the screw, and a set
screw working in a circular slot in the end of the screw as shown in Fig. 2, prevents
its being withdrawn from the step.
The screw passes through the lug I, secured to the sliding bracket F; thus as the
screw revolves on its axis, the bracket F is moved up or down. The screw G has
at its upper end the bevel gear g, meshing with the gear i on the short shaft j,
carrying at its outer end the hand wheel J (Fig. 3). By means of the train K

page_text: driven by the shaft j, the pointer k is revolved over a suitably graduated dial
plate, showing by its position on said dial, the exact height to which the emery
wheel is raised.
This is a very important point in a grinding machine, as it makes it possible to
grind any number of balls to exactly the same size without calipering each lot
until the desired size is reached. It will be seen that this is the only adjustment
necessary as the driving ring T is stationary vertically, the distance between the
surface of the emery wheel E and the edge of the driving ring, shown by the
position of the pointer on the dial plate, being the diameter of the balls.
The spindle e, carrying the emery wheel E at its upper end and capable of being
raised and lowered as herein before described, is driven by means of the pulley b
This pulley is secured to a quill which revolves in two bearings L³, L' in the
bracket L rigidly attached to the frame of the machine and projecting through a
vertical slot in the sliding piece F between the upper and lower ends.
The pulley 6 revolves between these two bearings L', L' and the spindle e slides
up and down through the quill 1, but is made to revolve with it by means of the
key M, secured to the spindle and sliding in the key-way m on the inside of the
quill. The assembly of these parts is clearly shown by the section in Fig. 2.
The balls to be ground are held over the emery wheel in a circular race N of
the form of an inverted truncated conical annulus, its axis being eccentric with the
axis of the emery wheel. The outer wall of this race is formed by the ring n
bolted to the arms of the spider which is secured to the lower end of the
sleeve o sliding in the sleeve P which forms part of the frame of the machine.
The inner wall of the race N is formed by the cone Q. This is fixed to the
lower end of the spindle a working in the sleeve o, and capable of being lowered by
the lever, at its upper end, pivotted on the sleeve o. It will be seen by the
drawings that although the spindle carrying the cone may be lowered as shown in
Fig. 4, it cannot be raised in the sleeve o beyond the position shown in Fig. 2, on
account of the collar q' fixed on the lower end of a and bearing against the under
side of spider O.
The collar q is pressed up against by means of the spring g³ compressed
between the bushing 92 resting on the shoulder on the inside of the sleeve o, and
the nut q* on the upper end of the spindle g. The compression of the spring 9
may be varied by screwing the nut q' up or down on the spindle q which is of
smaller diameter at the upper end as shown, to allow room for the bushing,
spring, etc.
g
The collar q is adjusted on the spindle by means of a set screw so that in the
highest position of the cone, its lower edge forming the race is in the same
horizontal plane as the lower edge of the ring n. It will thus be seen that moving
the sleeve o moves the whole race, without changing the relative position of the
cone and ring; this relative position being altered only by pressing down the
handle Q.
The whole sleeve o and consequently the race consisting of the cone and ring
may be raised or lowered within the outer sleeve P by means of the rack p on the
back of sleeve o, meshing with the pinion R on the short shaft bearing in the
frame of the machine. On the outer end of shaft r is the lever by which
the pinion is revolved in order to raise or lower the race. This lever has the latching
arrangement so that it can be secured in any position.
The race is also. constantly urged upward against the stationary driving
ring T by means of the rack s gearing with the pinion R, diametrically opposite
to rack p, and pressed down by the springs. The compression of this spring is
varied by the plunger which is screwed up or down by turning the hand
wheel S.
The driving ring T which has the form of a hollow cylinder, has at its upper
end a flange or hoop having gear teeth t on its periphery. This meshes with the
pinion U on the spindle u, which carries on its upper end the pulley C¹ driven as
herein before described by the belt C. The driving ring T is supported by the

page_text: ring V which forms part of the frame of the machine. The ring V is also
supported by the bolts V1 V1 passing through lugs on its periphery and hung
from the yoke P¹(Fig. 4) which forms part of the lower end of the sleeve P.
These bolts pass through brackets O' on the spider arms aud thus serve as guides
for said spider as it slides up and down.
The inside diameter of the ring V is the same as that of the inside diameter of
the Iriving ring, and its upper edge is rounded to form a hopper into which the
balls are fed. The outer edge of the ring V has a downwardly projecting
flange v which surrounds the geared flanget on the driving ring; and secured to
the lower edge of this flange is the collar which embraces the driving ring
just below the geared flange t which bears upon it. Thus as the driving ring is
driven it turns in and is supported by the collar v.
W is a frame secured to the frame of the machine by brackets DD having on
its upper side horizontal ways upon which slides a carriage X supporting a pan Y
into which the balls are unloaded from the machine. The carriage is moved back
and forth on the ways by means of the handler, and as it moves, it revolves the
disc Z on whose edge are cut gear teeth which mesh with the rack w on the inside
of one of the ways of W. Z is eccentric with the pan. The pan is conical with
a hole in the bottom which is automatically opened or closed by the disc Zas
follows: The disc has a hole z through it of the same size as the hole y, and in
such a position that as the pan is moved on the ways and the disc Z revolves over
the hole y, the two holes y and z are superimposed only when the pan is in its
position farthest away from the machine. In this position the balls which have
been unloaded from the machine into the pan, drop into a box or any other
receptacle beneath. When the pan is at the other end of the ways, in order to
receive the balls from the machine the solid part of the disc is under the hole y
which is consequently closed.
In order to unload the machine, the emery wheel is first lowered out of the way
of the pan W, which is then slid up under the race. The whole race is then
lowered away from the driving ring by the lever as hereinbefore described.
The cone Q is then further lowered by pressing down the handle Qand the
balls drop out into the pan, which is then removed, depositing the balls.
As soon as the balls are out of the race, the handle Qis released and the
spring brings the cone up again to the level of the ring n, more balls are fed
into the race through the driving ring and the race is raised against the driving
ring. These balls are then ground to the desired size indicated by the index k on
the dial plate, and the operation is repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents; I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a grinding machine, a vertically stationary driving ring T in combination
with the vertically movable race N consisting of the ring n and the cone Q, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In a grinding machine, a vertically stationary driving ring in combination
with a vertically movable race N consisting of a ring n and a cone Q having a
vertical downward motion independent of said ring, whereby the product of the
machine is discharged, substantially as described.
3. In a grinding machine, a vertically stationary driving ring and a vertically
movable race in combination with a vertically movable emery wheel eccentrio
with said race, whereby the size of the product of the machine is determined and
the said product discharged, substantially as described.
4. In a grinding machine, a vertically stationary driving ring, a vertically
movable race, an emery wheel mounted on a vertically sliding bracket F, a
screw G, a hand wheel J and dial k¹, whereby the position of the emery wheel,
relative to the driving ring is indicated, substantially as described.
5. In a grinding machine, the race N consisting of the ring n and the cone Qin

page_text: combination with the sleeve o, the rack p, the pinion R, and the lever
the race N is lowered, substantially as described.
whereby
6. In a grinding machine, the race N consisting of the ring n and the cone Q
and the sleeve o in combination with the spindle q, the spring q³, and the handle Q¹
whereby the cone is lowered independently of the ring a substantially as
described.
7. In a grinding machine, the driving ring T provided with the geared flange t,
in combination with the collar v', the rigid flanged supporting ring V, and the
pinion U, the spindle u and the pulley whereby the driving ring is supported
and driven, substantially as described.
8. In a grinding machine, a vertically stationary driving ring in combination
with a race N provided with a sleeve having a rack p, the pinion R, the racks,
the springs and the hand-wheel S whereby the pressure of the product of the
machine against the driving ring is adjusted, substantially as described.
9. In a grinding machine, a centrally perforated pan Y mounted on a rack
frame W and provided with a perforated geared disk Z whereby the pan holds or
discharges the product of the machine when under or away from the machine,
substantially as described.
10. A grinding machine consisting of a vertically stationary driving ring T, a
race N, a vertically movable emery wheel E, said driving ring being operated by
the pinion U, the shaft u, and the pulley c¹, and said emery wheel revolving in an
opposite direction from that of the driving ring operated by the shaft and pulley,
substantially as described.
11. A grinding machine consisting of the standard A provided with a vertically
stationary driving ring T, a vertically movable race N, a vertically movable
emery wheel E, a sliding shaft e, a sliding pulley 6', a sliding bracket F, a screw G,
a hand wheel J, a dial k', a hand wheel S, the racks p and s, the pinion R, the
spindle the sleeve o, two levers and Q, a frame W, a pan Y, a disk Z, and
connecting mechanism, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.