Improved Method of and Apparatus for Testing the Truth of Spherical Bodies.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Testing the Truth of
Spherical Bodies.
I, HEINRICH MELTZER, of Ratibor, Upper Silesia, Germany, Manufactory-
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of steel balls a considerable number of them are found not
to have perfectly spherical or round surfaces. It is usual to neglect small
inaccuracies in this respect, and for many purposes small inaccuracies up to
0.01 mm. are not harmful. But the case is different with greater inaccuracies of
diameter but even then it is very difficult to detect faulty balls with certainty,
because a ball, while not being perfectly round, has a very large number of equal
diameters, and repeated measurements must be made in order to discover the fault.
Heretofore the examination of balls in respect of these faults has been effected
in a very tedious and difficult manner, the balls having been placed on a board
and held against a strong light, and then been carefully examined along their
surfaces exposed to the light. The board has then been repeatedly shaken with the
object of causing the balls to assume different positions, so as to bring fresh sur-
faces of the balls into the light. It is obvious that for such examinations,
excellent eye-sight is required in order to note even comparatively considerable
differences, and the results of examinations of large quantities by different persons
have varied very widely.
These difficulties and inaccuracies are completely obviated by the employ-
ment for the purpose of examining balls with respect to their perfect roundness,
of the method of the present invention, which constitutes the principle of
construction of the apparatus hereinafter described.
This method is based on the principle that a perfectly round ball when placed
on a perfectly smooth inclined surface, will, under similar conditions, always roll
down the same path. Consequently, the balls are conducted to smooth inclined
surfaces and are allowed to roll down repeatedly over the same. Every perfectly
round ball always maintains the direction imparted to it by a feeding-device, and
will pass into a collecting-box provided at the lower end of the rolling-surface,
whereas an imperfectly round ball will, in its first, second, or subsequent passage
along the rolling-surface diverge from the proper part and fall down on one side
over the rather narrow rolling-bars. By allowing the balls to roll down the
inclined rolling-surfaces repeatedly, it will be ensured, with a considerable degree
of certainty, that each time a different periphery of the ball will run along the
rolling-surface, which will give a result sufficiently accurate for practical
purposes.
The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus that may be employed for
carrying out the method herein described.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are respectively a side elevation, a front end elevation, and a
plan of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 represents a detail thereof.
On a standard A is arranged a hall-receptacle B in or under the slotted bottom

page_text: of which there is mounted a feed-wheel C that is provided with recesses c corres-
ponding to the size of the balls, and is rotated by means of pulleys X, Y and Z.
Under the feed-wheel C there is arranged a guide-channel D up to which fits a
first rolling-bar E¹ having a perfectly smooth surface. This is connected by means
of a semi-annular piece F', which is also formed with a guide-groove f, with the
next bar E; E2 is connected with F2; F2 with E3; E3 with F3; F3 with E; and
E' with F. These bars terminate in a box G which is divided by a partition g
into two compartments G¹ and G³.
The mode of operation of the machine is as follows:-
The balls fall first into the holes c of the feed-wheel C, and are then brought by
the latter upon the guide-channel D. From there, the balls roll over the bar Ei,
the arc-shaped piece F¹, and so forth, into the compartment G¹ of the box G.
This, however, will be the case only if the balls be perfectly round, because then
they will not diverge from their straight path and they will always run along the
centre of the rolling-bars. Now an imperfectly round ball on the contrary will
be deflected from, its path, and since the width of the bars E is but slightly greater
than the diameter of the ball, the ball will fall over the bars E into the box G³.
This operation may be repeated several times.
The machine is further provided with an apparatus which serves to indicate
any obstructions or irregularities that may occur, and also to indicate when the
last ball is taken by the feed-wheel C. This is effected by means of a stud H
which projects into a recess c that has been left unoccupied in such cases, and
thereby causes an alarm device to sound or ring.
The arrangement of apparatus herein described, which may be variously
modified, enables the balls to be tested very accurately in respect of the trueness
of their spherical surfaces and the results thus produced are not dependent upon the
judgment of the observer as is the case in the apparatus at present in use.
Dated this 26th day of November 1896
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Testing the Truth of
Spherical Bodies.
I, HEINRICH MELTZER, of Ratibor, Upper Silesia, Germany, Manufactory-
manager, 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:-
In the manufacture of steel balls a considerable number of them are found not
to have perfectly spherical or round surfaces. It is usual to neglect small
inaccuracies in this respect, and for many purposes small inaccuracies up to
0.01 mm. are not harmful. The case is however different with greater
inaccuracies of diameter but even then it is very difficult to detect faulty balls
with certainty, because a ball, while not perfectly round, may have a very large
number of equal diameters, and repeated measurements must be made in order to
discover the fault.
Heretofore the examination of balls in respect of these faults has been effected in
a very tedious and difficult manner i.e., the balls having been placed on a board and

page_text: held against a strong light, and then been carefully examined along their surfaces
exposed to the light. The board has then been repeatedly shaken with the object
of causing the balls to assume different positions, so as to bring fresh surfaces into
the light. It is obvious that for such examination, excellent eye-sight is required
in order to note even comparatively considerable differences, and the results of
examinations of large quantities by different persons have varied very widely.
These difficulties and inaccuracies are completely obviated by the employment,
for the purpose of examining balls with respect to their perfect roundness, of the
method of the present invention, which constitutes the principle of construction of
the apparatus hereinafter described.
This method is based on the principle that a perfectly round ball when placed
on a perfectly smooth inclined surface, will, under similar conditions, always roll
down the same path. Consequently according to this invention, the balls are
conducted to smooth inclined surfaces and are allowed to roll down repeatedly
over the same. Every perfectly round ball always maintains the direction
imparted to it by a feeding-device, and will pass into a collecting-box provided at
the lower end of the rolling-surface, whereas an imperfectly round ball will, in
its first, second, or subsequent passage along the rolling surface, diverge from the
proper path and fall down on one side over the rather narrow rolling-surfaces.
By allowing the balls to roll down the inclined rolling-surfaces repeatedly, it will
be ensured, with a considerable degree of certainty, that a different periphery of
the ball will each time run along the rolling-surface, which will give a result
sufficiently accurate for practical purposes.
The drawings filed with my Provisional Specification illustrate an apparatus
that may be employed for carrying out the method herein described.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are respectively a side elevation a front elevation (both partly
in section); and a part plan of the apparatus and Fig. 4 represents a detail thereof.
On a standard A'is arranged a ball-receptacle B in or under the slotted bottom of
which there is mounted a feed-wheel C that is provided with recesses c corres-
ponding to the size of the balls, and is rotated by means of pulleys X, Y, and Z.
Under the feed-wheel C there is arranged a guide-channel D up to which fits a
first rolling-bar E having a perfectly smooth surface. This is connected by
means of a semi-annular piece F, which is formed with a guide-groove f, with
the next har E; E is connected with F; F with E³; E3 with F3; F3 with E';
and E with F. These bars terminate in a box G which is divided by a
partition into two compartments G and G.
The mode of operation of the machine is as follows:-
The balls fall first into the holes c of the feed-wheel C, and are then brought
by the latter upon the guide-channel D. From there, the balls roll over the
bar E' the arc-shaped piece F', and so forth, into the compartment G¹ of the box G.
This, however, will be the case only if the halls be perfectly round, because
then they will not diverge from their straight path and they will always run along
the centre of the rolling-bars. But an imperfectly round ball on the contrary will
be deflected from its path, and since the width of the bars E is but slightly
greater than the diameter of the ball, the ball will fall over the bars E into the
box G².
This operation may be repeated several times. The machine is further pro-
vided with an apparatus which serves to indicate any obstructions or irregularities
that may occur, and also to indicate when the last ball is taken by the feed-
wheel C. This is effected by means of a stud H which projects into a recess c
that has been left unoccupied in such cases, and thereby causes an alarm device
to sound or ring.
The arrangement of apparatus herein described, which may be variously
modified enables the balls to be tested very accurately in respect of the trueness
of their spherical surfaces and the results thus produced are not dependent upon the
judgment of the observer as is the case in the apparatus at present in use.
As will be obvious the invention may he variously modified, for instance

page_text: instead of the ball feeding arrangement above described any other suitable means
for delivering the balls to the rolling bars may be adopted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim. is:
1. The herein described method of examining balls as to their exact sphericity,
according to which the balls are caused to roll repeatedly down along a perfectly
smooth incline plane, the arrangement being such that the round balls run down
the inclined plane into a collecting box, whilst the balls which are not round, fall
down laterally of the inclined plane.
2. For carrying out the method referred to in Claim 1, apparatus in which the
balls are conveyed by means of a wheel C provided with recesses c, onto a guide-
channel D and thence on to perfectly smooth rolling bars E1 E2 etc., which are
connected together by means of curved guides F F1 F2, &c., so that the perfectly
round balls roll down over the said bars into a box G', whilst the balls that are not
round, fall down laterally from the rolling bars E¹ E &c., and are collected in a
box G².
3. In an apparatus of the kind referred to in Claim 2 a pin H adapted to snap
into a vacant uole c in the wheel C and thereby cause a signalling device to sound
for the purpose specified.
this 10th day of August 1807
F. WISE HOWORTH,
4G Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.