Improvements in Buffing Rolls.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Buffing Rolls.
I, HAROLD ARTHUR WEBSTER, of the City of Haverhill, in the County of
Essex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 has for its object to provide a buffing-roll or cylinder, having an
abrasive periphery yieldingly supported by a constantly-maintained air-cushion ;
and it consists in a buffing-roll or cylinder, composed of a rotary shaft having an
internal air-passage and peripheral rings or collars, and a yielding covering supported
by said collars, the said covering and the end-collars constituting an air-chamber,
which receives compressed air from an air-pump or forcing apparatus, and keeps
the yielding covering suitably distended and yieldingly supported, the yielding
covering having a facing or coating of a suitable abrasive material, such as sand-
paper.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification:
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a buffing-roll embodying my
invention, showing the bearings which support the shaft of the roll.
Figure 2 represents a section on line 2-2, Figure 1, looking toward the right.
Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3, Figure 1.
Figure represents a side elevation of an organized machine embodying my
invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
a represents a rotary shaft, which is journalled in suitable bearings bb, and is
provided with a longitudinal air-channel 6. which may be connected in any
suitable way with an air-pump or forcing apparatus. I have here shown a pipe c,
communicating with a chamber 62 in one of the bearings b, said chamber communi-
cating with the air-passage 61. The pipe e extends from a suitable air-pump, not
shown. Said pump may be driven by the power that rotates the shaft a, so that,
when the shaft and cylinder are in operation, there will be a constant supply of air
to keep the buffing-surface of the cylinder properly supported.
d'd represent collars or heads, preferably of rigid material, affixed to the shaft,
and d' represents a flexible covering, which is affixed to said heads and held by the
latter in cylindrical form surrounding the shaft, the heads d and covering d¹
constituting an air-chamber, which receives air from the passage b' through one or
more outlets-6. I prefer to make the flexible covering d¹ in two parts or
thicknesses 2 3, the inner part being of canvas or other suitable textile or flexible
material and permanently secured to the heads dd, while the outer thickness d¹ is
of some suitable abrasive material, such as sand-paper. Means are provided for
detachably securing the abrasive sheet or layer 3, said means, as here shown, being
a wedge-shaped bar e, extending lengthwise of the cylinder and formed to fit in

page_text: notches formed in the heads d. The inner thickness 2 of the flexible covering is
permanently pressed into the notches f, the portion thus displaced constituting a
V-shaped trough, extending lengthwise of the roll. In securing the outer abrasive
layer 3, the bar e is first removed and the sheet of abrasive material is wrapped
around the permanent inner layer 2, and then tightened and secured by forcing
the bar into the said trough, portions of the abrasive sheet being forced into the
trough with the bar, as indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The ends of the bar are
offset and provided with ears or lugs e¹ e¹, which are engaged with cams e³, which
are adapted to rotate on collars e formed on the heads d. By turning said cams
in one direction, the bar e is drawn inwardly, while by turning said cams in the
opposite direction the bar is released and its removal is permitted.
It will be seen that, when air under pressure is forced into the air-chamber thus
formed, it presses outwardly on the flexible covering, and thus constitutes a yielding
and constantly-maintained cushion supporting the abrasive material.
When the roll is of considerable length, so that the pressure of the article to be
buffed or treated upon the yielding periphery of the roll would tend to unduly sink
or displace said periphery, I provide one or more yielding supports for the said
periphery, at points between the end-collars or heads d d. Said yielding supports
are preferably disks i i, of felt or other similar material, secured to the shaft a by
means of flanged collars, and clamping-plates secured by bolts 3. The
yielding disks i are of such diameter that they do not extend out to the inner
surface of the yielding covering when the latter is in its normal position, and
particularly when it is distended by the internal air-pressure, the object of said
disks being to furnish a yielding support for the abrasive material in the event of
extreme displacement of the latter by external pressure.
It will be seen that, by providing a buffing-roll with an air-cushion which-is
constantly maintained when the roll is in operation, I greatly simplify the con-
struction of the roll and make it more durable and effective for buffing purposes
than rolls made as heretofore in which the abrasive material is cushioned wholly by
felt or other like material.
In Figure-4, I show the improved buffing-rolls mounted upon a central shaft,
which is journalled in bearings in a supporting-frame j. The air-pump which
supplies the internal pressure in the buffing-rolls may be affixed to said frame, if
desired.
I do not limit myself to the described details of construction, and may vary the
same without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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 :
1st. A buffing-roll, comprising a rotary shaft having an air-passage, heads or
collars affixed to said shaft, and a yielding or flexible cylindrical covering affixed
to said heads and provided with an abrasive coating, said heads and flexible
covering enclosing an air-space communicating with the air-passage in the shaft,
combined with means whereby air under pressure may be admitted into said passage
to press outwardly and yieldingly support the flexible covering, as set forth.
2nd. A buffing-roll, comprising a rotary shaft having an air-passage, heads or
collars affixed to said shaft, a yielding cylindrical covering affixed to said heads, said
covering and heads constituting an air-chamber communicating with the passage
the shaft, and one or more yielding supports affixed to the shaft within said
chamber, as set forth.
in
3rd. A buffing-roll, comprising a rotary shaft having an air-passage, heads or
collars affixed to said shaft, an inner flexible covering permanently attached to said
head, and means for detachably securing an abrasive covering to said inner covering,
as set forth.
4th. A buffing-roll, comprising a rotary shaft, heads or collars affixed thereto
and provided with notches, a flexible covering affixed to said heads and entering

page_text: said notches, a wedge-shaped bar formed to enter said notches as a means for
detachably securing an abrasive covering, and rotatable cams engaged with the
ends of said bar, as set forth.
Dated this 12th day of April 1893
HAROLD ARTHUR WEBSTER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.