Improvements in Machines for Straightening and Polishing Shafting, Tubes, Rods, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Straightening and Polishing
Shafting, Tubes, Rods, and the like.
I, PHILIP MEDART, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 1729
Missouri Avenue in the City of St. Louis, in the County of St. Louis and State of
Missouri, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
In carrying out my invention, I employ two short thick rolls, arranged on
opposite sides of the shaft or other object to be straightened and polished and two
guides, one above and the other below the shaft, between the rolls. One of the
rolls is very slightly concaved, while the other is straight or very slightly
convexed. The guides are arranged longitudinally between the rolls, and their
inner sides are grooved to conform to the shaft which lies between them.
Improved mechanism is employed for supporting, actuating and adjusting the rolls
and guides, the latter being so formed as to be rendily removed and replaced.
The accompanying drawings show my improvements embodied in a machine
which has worked efficiently to straighten and polish shafting with great rapidity.
Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the machine;
Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows a transverse section, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a roller with straight sides, which may be used in place
of the convex roller shown in Fig. 2
Fig. 4 shows, in longitudinal section, guides and the means for actuating them;
Fig. 5 shows an end view of that end of the machine where the rolls are
mounted.
Fig. 6 shows a view of that end of the machine where the gearing is located.
The bed plate A, is provided with suitable standards B, and at one end supports
the straightening mechanism, while at the other end it supports the gearing for
driving the straightening mechanism.
The straightening and polishing rolls X and Y are mounted in suitable bearings
above the bed plate. The roll X is a short thick roll, of comparatively large
diameter, and is slightly concave longitudinally, from near one end to the other,
a narrow, annular space z, being left at each end to facilitate the entrance and
exit of the shaft. The roll is provided with stud axles mounted in bearings c, in a
yoke C, which is pivotally connected at c', with the upwardly projecting plate d, on
the slide D. The connection is preferably made by means of a bolt E, which
extends through a perforation in the plate d, and screws into the yoke C, the
arrangement boing such that the bolt may be loosened to adjust the yoke and the
roll carried thereby to the desired angle, and, when tightened, will hold the yoke
firmly in place. The roll Y, which is slightly convex, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
or straight, as shown in Fig. 34, is in like manner connected to a yoke F, which is
adjustably connected by means of the bolt G to an upright H, on the bed plate.
The yoke F is showu as arranged to have only a pivotal adjustment; it has no
adjustment towards and from the roll X. The slide D is arranged in guides I, and
it is connected with two parallel adjusting screws J, which extend through female
screws J, in the frame J, rising from the bed plate, and carry on their outer ends
cog wheels j, which mesh with a long pinion ;', on a shaft, which carries a hand

page_text: wheel J. By this means, the roll X may be adjusted towards and from the
roll Y, to accommodate shafts of different diameters.
The shaft, of the roll X, is connected by flexible connections &, with a driving
shaft K, which, in turn, is connected by flexible connections 4, with a shaft K,
having its bearings in a frame L, which supports the gearing.
The shaft y, of the roll Y, is connected by flexible connections m, with a driving
shaft M, which is flexibly connected at m', with a shaft M, mounted in bearings
in the frame L. The flexible connections of the shafts K and M permit the
shafts of the rolls X and Y to he adjusted to any desired augle.
Suitable gearing connects the shafts K' and M', with a pinion N, on the inain
driving shaft O, which carries fast and loose belt pulleys P, Q. The gearing is
such as to drive the rolls X and Y. at the same speed, and in such direction as to
rotate the shaft Z, and, as the rolls are inclined relatively to each other, the shaft Z
is.fed forward in the direction indicatel by the arrow, while being rotated.
The guides R and S are arranged between the rolls X and Y, on opposite sides
of the shaft Z. The adjacent edges and s, of the guides are curved to conform
to the shaft against which they bear. The upper guide R is bolted to a frame R',
which is connected by bolts r, with another frame R, above it. The frame R' is
slotted transversely at the bolts which extend through these slots being
transversely adjustable therein, so as to allow the frame R', and the guide R,
carried thereby, to be adjusted transversely to conform to the adjustment of the
roll X, in order that the edgo r, of the guide may be located directly above the
centre of the shaft Z.
The frame R', is supported by yokes T, which are providel with guides t, in
which the guide frames move vertically when adjusted by the adjusting screws t¹,
which have band wheels (".
The lower guide S, is mounted in a frame S', which has lugs, transversely
slotted to receive bolts s, which extend through the slots, and are secured to a
beam S. By means of these connections the guide S may be adjusted transversely
of the machine, correspondingly with the adjustment of the guide R. The
beam S', is formed with inclines, on its under sides, corresponding in shape to
the wedges or frustum-shaped blocks U, U', located beneath them. These blocks
or wedges bear upon blocks V, having inclined inner faces conforming to the
inclined faces of the wedges, which are provided with oppositely formed screw-
threads engaging with the right and left hand threads on the shaft or rod W,
mounted in suitable bearings and provided with a haud wheel W. By this
mechanism the guide S, may be raised and lowered. The mechanism is strong
and powerful and economizes space, the hand wheel being located at the side of
the machine, within convenient reach of the operator, instead of beneath the
machine as would be necessary if adjusting mechanism were used such as employed
for adjusting the upper guide.
The rolls X and Y are preferably chilled iron castings, but they may be made
of any suitable material. The guides R and S, are preferably made of hardened
steel, when the machine is used for straightening a round bar, and of wood or
other suitable material, when used for polishing.
Iu operation, the shaft Z, as it passes through the rolls, is bent positively and
all crooks aud irregularities are thereby removed and obliterated, the shaft, as it
comes through the rolls being true, even and perfectly straight.
While the machine is intended especially for straightening and polishing cold
shafting, it may be employed for polishing and straightening rods or bars of any
kind, while either hot or cold, and also for straightening and polishing pipes or
other analogous articles which are circular in cross section.
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,-
1. In a machine for straightening shafting, tubes, rods and the like, two feeding

page_text: and straightening rolls, one of which is concave and the other straight or slightly
convex, and arranged on opposite sides of two guide bars between which a shaft or
the like is fed by the rolls, while being straightened.
2. In a machine for straightoning and polishing shafting and the like, two
combined feeding and straightening rolls, one of which is straight or slightly
convex and the other concave, and having means for adjusting its angle and
position relatively to the other roll, and guides interposed between the rolls and
between which the shaft or the like is fed by the rolls while being straightened.
and polished.
3. In a machine for straightening shafting, the combination of the two feeding
and straightening rolls, one of which is concive and the other straight or slightly
convex, means for supporting and rotating said rolls and for adjusting the augles.
thereof relatively to each other, and the guide bars interposed between said rolls,
the organization being such that the guide bars support and guide the shaft to bo
straightened on two opposite sides while the rolls bear against the remaining sides
thereof.
4. In a machine for straightening shafting, the combination of the two combined
feeding and straightening rolls, one of which is concave and the other straight or
slightly convex, yokes in which the rolls have bearings, means for adjusting the
yokes, and the combined guiding and polishing bars interposed between the rolls.
6. The combination of the rolls, the upper and lower guides, means for adjusting
the upper guide, the frame in which the lower guide is supported and which has
inclines on its under side, the wedges on which the incliues bear, the inclined
blocks below the wedges, and a right and left hand screw for moving the wedges to
raise and lower the guide.
6. The machine for straightening and polishing shafting, tubes, rods and the like,
substantially such as shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of March 1898.
PHILIP MEDART.