Improvements in Apparatus for Grinding Balls.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Grinding Balls.
A communication by FREDERICK SCHULZE, of 6, Paris Street, Cleveland, in the
County of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, United States of America, Machinist.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester; both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
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:
The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine for
grinding balls, in which the surface of the grinding material shall be evenly worn
and the balls truly ground, and the resulting waste material conveniently removed.
The invention consists primarily of a rotary body carrying a plurality of ball races,
cach having an individual rotation, combined with a grinding surface which
contacts with the balls in such races and rotates independently of each of the prior
mentioned rotations. Another part of the invention consists in placing a casing
around the grinding and ball-rotating parts and supplying entrance and exit
orifices thereto in such position that a blast of air or a stream of water may
effectively carry away the waste products of the grinding. The combinations of
parts hereinafter described and definitely enumerated in the claims, also specify
wherein the invention consists.
The drawings clearly show the invention. Figure 1 is a side elevation partly
in section, of the same; Figures 2 and 3 are each horizontal sections on the
line of Figure 1, the former looking downward and the latter looking
upward, as indicated by the numbered arrows on said line.
Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the frame of the machine, con-
sisting of an upright standard and two horizontal arms a and a¹. Extending
vertically through these arms and journalled in the arm a¹ is the shaft B.
Loosely surrounding this shaft and rigidly secured to a boss a² on the upper side
of the arm a is a gear C. A collar D is secured to the shaft B above this gear
and prevents such shaft from descending. Beneath the arm a¹ is a pulley E which
The shaft B is thus pre-
is rigidly secured to the shaft B and drives the same.
vented from moving longitudinally through the arm a¹, but it is adapted to rotate
therein.
Secured to the shaft B above the collar D is a disk F. A plurality of smaller
disks G carrying hall races H are revolubly secured to this disk F, by means of
the shafts I, which are keyed to said disks G and journalled in said disk F. To
the lower ends of these shafts I are secured gear pinions J which mesh with the
stationary gear wheel C. It is thus apparent that a rotation of the shaft B not
only causes the disk F to rotate, but causes all of the smaller disks G to rotate
about their own centers while being carried around the shaft B by the disk F. A

page_text: flange extends downward from the periphery of the disk F, and acts as a dust
cap for the gears.
Loosely journalled in the arm a is the sleeve K which loosely surrounds the
shaft B and which carries at its lower end the disk k and is limited in its down-
ward movement by the collar M which screws onto the sleeve and is therefore
adjustably secured to it. A set screw m locks the collar M after it is adjusted.
Clamped to the lower surface of the disk k, by suitable means, is the annular
grinding ring N. This ring is made of emery or other suitable material, is of the
proper thickness to do a large amount of grinding, and is of a width (in a radial
direction across one portion of the ring) just equal to the distance from a central
point in a ball race H to a central point diametrically opposite. The ball races
are composed of two steel rings h secured to the disks G. These rings have their
opposing faces bevelled, thereby leaving an approximately V-shaped groove between
In this groove the balls roll, the drawing showing said balls at P in one
of the races.
The highest point of the outermost ball in any race is therefore
just in contact with the outer corner of the grinding ring, while the innermost
ball is in contact with the inner corner, as is shown in the left hand race in
Figure 1.
them.
Rigidly secured to the top of the sleeve K is the pulley Q, by which the same is
driven. The shaft B which projects upward above this pulley, has screwed onto
it, near its upper end, the collar R, and between this collar and the washer S,
which loosely surrounds said shaft and bears upon the upper surface of the
pulley Q, is a helical spring T. This spring which is adjusted in its force by
the said collar R (which after adjustment is locked by the set screw r) forces the
sleeve K downward and thus causes the grinding ring N to bear upon the balls
with the desired force.
A two-part casing encloses the ball-rotating and grinding parts. The lower
part of this casing, consisting of a circular plate U and a vertical cylindrical
wall, is stationarily secured to the arm a¹ of the frame and encloses the bottom
and sides of the ball-rotating parts. Co-operating with this lower part is an
upper part V, which encloses the top and sides of the grinding ring. This upper
part rests on a gasket W. on the upper edge of the wall and has a depending
flange which closely embraces the exterior of said wall. The gasket, and flange
enable the connection between the two parts of the casing to be approximately
air tight. This upper portion of the casing surrounds the sleeve K as tightly as
may be without undue friction, and has, extending along the sleeve K the short
sleeve v, in which there is an annular recess 2. A pin extends from the
sleeve K into this annular recess, whereby, if the sleeve K is elevated, the pin k¹
contacts with the upper portion of the sleeve and raises the upper portion of
the casing. This upper portion is prevented from rotating by any suitable means,
-that shown consisting of a pin 3 projecting from the vertical standard of the
frame between a pair of lugs on said upper portion.
A vertical tubular hole extends downward through the shaft B from its upper
end to a point opposite the upper surface of the balls in the races, and at this point
branches into as many horizontal pipes b₁ as there are ball races H. From the
upper end of the shaft B extends a pipe, by which a blast of air or a stream
of water may be conveyed to the tubular hole , and from thence to the balls and
grinding surface. An exit pipe u¹ is provided at or near the bottom of the casing.
A suction pump is preferably connected with this pipe, whereby the water or air
coming in through the pipe 62 is effectively withdrawn, charged with the dust and
waste material caused by the grinding of the balls.
In operation the set screw r is loosened and the collar R screwed upward, thereby
loosening the spring, and then the sleeve K with its disk and grinding ring and
the upper casing V are elevated sufficiently to allow the races to be filled with
balls. The grinding ring N is then allowed to descend upon the balls and the
upper casing upon the gasket W, and the collar R screwed down until the desired
pressure of the grinding ring upon the balls is obtained, when the collar is locked.

page_text: The machine is then set in operation, the pulley E and the pulley Q being revolved
in opposite directions, and, being of different size, revolving their respectively
attached parts at different speeds. The revolution of the disk F gives a circular
translation of the ball races, and also by means of the shaft I and gears J causes
their independent rotation, which rotation at the other edge of the disk G is in the
same direction as that of the disk F, while at the inner edges is in the opposite
direction.
It will thus be seen that each set of balls as a whole is drawn circularly around
the grinding surface in the opposite direction to which that surface is driven,
while at the same time the balls individually travel in a circular path from one
edge of that of the grinding surface to the other. The result of the combinations
of this motion is that the balls are ground on every face, and hence are perfect
spheres at the end of the operation, while the grinding surface is kept true and
even by the balls travelling from one edge thereof to the other. Meanwhile the
pressure of air or water supplied to the pipe 62 and the suction on the pipe u¹
cause the waste particles of the grinding to be removed as fast as produced.
As the grinding surface wears away, the sleeve K and the disk k descend, and
the adjustment of the spring T is changed as necessary. The recess 22 in the
sleeve is long enough not to interfere with the descending of the sleeve K until
the available grinding surface has worn away..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The method of grinding spherical balls, substantially as herein described.
2. The machine, constructed and operating substantially as herein shown and
described, for grinding balls spherically.
3. The method of relieving a ball grinding machine of the grinding dust,
substantially as herein described.
4. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, the combination of a rotating disk,
a plurality of smaller disks carried by said first mentioned disk and independently
rotatable thereon, said smaller disks being adapted to carry balls to be ground,
and a grinding wheel adapted to contact with balls so carried, substantially as
described.
5. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, a frame, a shaft B journalled
therein, a disk F carried by said shaft B, a plurality of smaller disks carried by
said disk F and adapted to carry balls, said smaller disks having axial shafts I
journalled in said disk F, a stationary gear O, a gear J on each of said shafts I
in mesh with said gear C, in combination with a grinding surface adapted to
contact with balls carried by said disks G, substantially as described.
6. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, the combination of a rotatable
disk F, smaller disks G carried thereby, but adapted to rotate on their own axes,
ball races on said disks G, a rotating disk k carrying grinding material adapted
to contact with balls in said races, the said disk k having the capacity for axial
movement, and a stop for limiting said movement in the direction towards the ball
races, substantially as described.
7. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, the combination of a plurality of
circular ball races, means for causing the same to revolve about their centers,
and means for giving the ball races as a whole a circular translation, a grinding
ring adapted to contact with balls in said races, the outer corner of said grinding
ring being in contact with the highest point of the outermost balls in said races,
and the inner corner being in contact with the highest point of the innermost
balls in said races, substantially as described.
8. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, the combination of a frame, a
shaft B journalled therein, means carried by said shaft for supporting a plurality
of circular ball races and giving them rotation about their centers, and a circular

page_text: translation about the axis of said shaft B, a sleeve K jounnalled in said frame and
surrounding said shaft B, and grinding material connected with said sleeve K
and adapted to contact with balls in said races, means for rotating said sleeve,
and an adjustable collar R on said shaft B, substantially as described.
9. The combination, with a machine for grinding spherical balls, having ball
rotating and grinding parts, of a casing surrounding said parts, and an entrance
pipe and an exit pipe communicating with the interior of said casing, substantially
as described.
10. In a machine for grinding spherical balls, the combination of a frame, a
shaft journalled therein, means carried by said shaft for supporting balls and
causing them to travel, a grinding ring surrounding said shaft and adapted to
contact with balls so carried, there being a tubular hole in said shaft having its
exit near the balls so carried, a pipe or tube connected with said tubular hole, a
casing surrounding said ball-supporting parts and said grinding ring, and a tube
or pipe communicating with the interior thereof, substantially as described.
Doted thin 7th
JL
1 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.