US2116160A - Abrading apparatus - Google Patents

Description

W. A. ROSENBERGER ET AL May 3, w38..

ABRAD I NG APPARATUS Filed Oct. 22, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 3, 19a8. w. A. osENBERGr-:R ET A1. ZH

ABR/@ING APPARATUS 4 sheetsheet 2 Filed oct. 22, ls

Mii/fer Kader M #XMMS May E, 193%, w. A. RQSENBERGER ET AL ABRADING APPARATUS Filed 0G12. 22

, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3' Mew E, H933v W. A. ROSENBERGER `ET AL ABRADING APPARATUS Filed oct. 22,1955

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 3, 1938 2,116,160 ABRADING APPARATUS William A. Rosenberger and Walter L. Keefer,

Hagerstown, Md., assignors to Panghorn Corporation, Hagerstown, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application october 22,1965, serai No. 46,175

28 laims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for imparting a tumbling action to castings or other articles of work and simultaneously subjecting it to the action of a blast' cleaning stream, and

the so-called inclined barrel type, wherein a barrel is mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and the cleaning medium is directed through the open upper end of the barrel upon the work, contained therein. i

Machines of this general character have been heretofore proposed and are in use today, but they are open to several serious objections. In the `first place, these mills are so designed that it involves a laborious, time-consuming operation to unload them. The barrel must be stopped with the discharge door uppermost, the door must be manually unlocked and a crane must be used to lift off the door. The barrelis then rotated through 180 to bring the discharge opening facing downwardly, and often `during the discharge of the work, castings are broken by reason of the violent discharge thereof. The barrel must then be rotated through 180 to bring the discharge opening uppermost, the door must then be lowered in place and manually locked. This complicated and time-consuming ,operation obviously increases the cost of cleaning thework, often results in broken castings, 36 and prevents anything even remotely approaching a continuous blast cleaning operation from being carried out with the prior machines.

The prior so-called inclined barrel machines now in use today are also objectionable because they fail to uniformly and efliciently clean the work, especially when work of dilferent sizes and shapes are handled, with the result that the work discharged from the barrel must be sorted over and the underblasted pieces returned to the 40 barrel for further cleaning. Such machines are also diflcult to load and castings or other work are often damaged during this operation, either through the nature of the machine or the construction of the loading mechanism employed or It is accordingly a primary object of this inventionto provide a novel inclined barrel abrading machine that will efficiently clean castings lor other work of various sizes and shapes without 50 breaking them and at the same time clean them more thoroughly and more rapidly than heretofore possible.

It is a further-major` object of this invention to provide an inclined tumbling barrel, having a 55 discharge door and operating mechanism which it is particularly concerned rwith machines of makes it possible to open the door for workdischarging purposes and again close it with a single stop of thelbarrel.

Another object is to provide tumbling barrels of the character rotatable about an inclined axis, with a door and door operating assembly which is operable to completely control the discharge of Work from the barrels, thereby precluding breakage of even fragile pieces of Work, and yet effecting a complete discharge of all the pieces of Work contained in the barrels.

It is a further object to provide a tilted mill having a discharge door and a door operating assembly for the door that is operable to unlock the door and control its opening operation thereof so as to do away with all manual operations, and which is also provided with interlocking control mechanism for preventing the discharge operations from being carried out in improper sequence.

A further object of this invention is to provide an inclined barrel abrading machine having a mechanical device for projecting abrasive into the barrel at abrading velocities for efficiently cleaning the work contained therein, and which is so mounted as to not interfere with loading and unloading of the barrel.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inclined barrel abrading machine having a device for loading it rapidly and which is operable to drop the work a minimum distance, thereby precluding damage to even fragile pieces v of Work.

- Our invention also aims to provide Va machine for simultaneously tumbling and abrading work having a novel abrasive reconditioning and recirculating mechanism built into the machine and forming a part thereof.

A further object is to provide an abrading machine of the character having an inclined barrel, with a power operated discharge door, designed to be unlocked, opened and closed without any manual operations whatsoever.

It is another object to provide an abrading machine having an inclined tumbling barrel embodying novel improved work turning, barrel supporting and driving, dust-sealing and removing, wear preventing, and Work-charging and discharging features.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds in connection with the annexed drawings, and from the appended claims.

1n the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an abrading machine embodying the invention, and in this figure the barrel is shown stopped in discharging position and the loading mechanism is shown in lowered position ready to receive a load.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of our machine and illustrates the door and the door operating mechanism, with the barrel stopped indischarging position, but with the door locked and with the restraining bar in inoperative position.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the barrel of the machine shown in Figure l and also illustrates a part of the housing and the manner in which the abrasive projecting mechanism is related thereto. Figure 3A is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of the barrel bottom.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the tumbling barrel of the machine, shown in Figure 1 and the abrasive propelling device that is preferably employed in combination therewith.

1Figure 5 is an enlarged view of one of the latch bar assemblies and illustrates the manner in which it cooperates with the lugs of the discharge door.

Figure 6 is a view of the top portion of the loading mechanism preferably employed with our machine and also forming part of this invention and it illustrates the work loading bucket in dotted lines and in work discharging position'.

Figure 7 is a fragmentai sectional view taken substantially on line I-l of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is an elevational view o f the abrasive cleaning or reconditioning mechanism of the invention.

Figure 9 is an elevational view illustrating the manner in which abrasive is conveyed from the elevator to the abrasive projecting wheel.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form of mechanism for controlling the `operation of our abrading machine.

Figure 1l is a longitudinal section view of a modified form of barrel forming part of our invention. s

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the barrel shown in Figure 11 and Figures 13 and 14; 15 and 16 are views similar lto Figures 11 and 12 respectively, but illustrate further forms of barrels of this invention.

With continued reference to the drawings, wherein like reference characters have been employed to designate like parts throughout the 'several views thereof, and with the particular Loading device The work handled by the barrel, irrespective of whether it be castings or other articles to be abraded, is preferably loaded into the barrel by means of the loading device now to be described., Although the machine will emciently abrade and discharge the work when the work is loaded in the barrel by hand or by other forms of loading mechanism, we preferably employ the one illustrated as it is combined with the machine in a novel manner, rendering the machine compact and easy to operate, and it is peculiarly capable of loading the work in the barrel in such manner .as to avoid breaking or otherwise damaging even fragile castings.

With reference to Figures 1 and 6, the loading or barrel charging device comprises a pair of upright channel members I0, joined at their lower ends by a member I'I and which terminate In curved portions I2 at their upper ends. Channel. members I0 are braced with respect to each other and with respect to the machine housing E by a plurality of structural members I3 and I4 respectively as seen in Figure 1. Mounted for guided movement onl channel members I0 is a work-lifting bucket or receptacle I5, carrying rollers I6 upon stub shafts IT. Rollers I6 ride In the flanges of members I0. As seen in Figure 1, when the work bucket is disposed in lowered position it is located at such a height that work may be readily placed therein. The upper edge of bucket I5 is preferably inclined for cooperation with the stationary barrel top or hood as will appear hereinafter.

The work bucket is elevated by means of a motor I8 and a speed reducing mechanism I9, connected to a shaft 2| by means of a sprocket chain drive 22. Shaft 2l is journalled upon the top of cabinet E in any suitable manner, and wound upon spirally grooved drums mounted near both ends is a pair of chains 23 and 24. Chains 23 and 26 pass over a pair of pulleys 25 and 26 supported upon a pair of arms 2l on members I9 and frame members I3 and are secured to shafts I7 of each lower roller I6.

To the front of housing E is secured a generally circular stationary top or hood 28 for the open upper end of the barrel, and pivoted thereto is a gasket-equipped cover 29 which closes a work charging opening 30 therein. Cover 29 is preferably synchronously opened when work bucket I5 is raised into discharging position by a chain 3l secured to cover 29 at 32 and which is wound upon the middle portion of shaft 2| between chains 23 and 2| as seen in Figure l.

With bucket I5 loaded with work, motor I8 is started to rotate shaft 2I and thereby wind chains 23 and 24 upon it and lift the bucket upwardly in guides I0. yAfter the bucket is moved upwardly a predetermined distance, the slack in chain 3I is taken up by reason of the chain winding upon shaft 2|. When the-slack is taken up door 29 starts to open and when bucket I5 has reached a predetermined position in guides I0, the door 29 has been elevated to a position to allow bucket I5 to swing therepast into the position shown in Figure 6, with the result that the work is discharged into the barrel. When the bucket is disposed in its upper position it is inclined downwardly as seen in Figure 6 to gravitationally charge the work into the barrel, and in the appended claimsthe term"inverted" is in' tended to apply to this condition of the bucket.

When it is desired to lower-the bucket. motor I8 is reversed so as to unwind chains 23, 24, and 3l from shaft 21|. In vorder to assist bucket I5 around the curved portion of guides I0, we prefpush bucket I5 back in the guides to a position where the weight ofthe bucket itself will restore it to its initial position adjacent the floor.

It is accordingly seen that we have provided a loading device that takes up a minimum of door space, is spaced from the front of the barrel to provide adequate discharge space, is easily operated, is coordinated with the machine to automatically open the door thereof as it approaches barrel-charging position, and is operable to lift the entire charge of work into closed proximity to the barrel before the work is dumped into the latter whereby the work flows into the barrel at low velocity, thereby precluding damage to the fragile castings or other pieces of work.

Tumbling barrel and dm'ng mechanism therefor Before proceeding to the description of the barrel proper, it is desired to briefly describe the construction of housing E, seen in. Figure 1. The front edge of housing E terminates in a pair of angle iron members 38, each of which is /offset at its lower portion to provide a maximum working space in front of the machine. Although the Work discharged from barrel B may be carried away in any suitable manner, as for instance, by means of a power operated conveyor or the like, we have shown a container F mounted upon a seriesof conveying rollers 39 mounted in a frame 4l. In order to guide the work from the barrel into box E, a. short chute 42 is provided which has an inner edge conforming to the shape of the barrel and is mounted at its front edge upon `a support 43 extending between and secured to angle iron uprights 38. As seen in Figure 1, adequate space is provided between the lower part `of the housing and supports I8 to enable barrel housing 54 which is solidly mounted upon supports 55 and 56 mounted in housing E. Bearing 52 takes the radial load of the upper end of shaft 5I and thrust bearing 53 takes the radial and thrust loads at theplower end of shaft 5I. A worm wheel 51 is rigidlysecured to shaft 5l for cooperation with a worm V58 journalled in casing ,54. Worm 58 may be driven in any suitable manner, but it preferably is driven by means of an electric motor through a `speed reducer so as to produce a comparatively low rate of rotation of the barrel. If desired a speed changer may be associated with the driving mechanism or the motor-speed may be changed to provide different speeds of rotation of the barrel. As seen in Figure 3, spider 48 terminates in a skirt in which a sealing member 60 is provided. Member 68 sealingly cooperates with the outer surface of support 54 to preclude escape of lubricant or entrance of abrasive.

Bottom 46 of the barrel is provided with a plurality of abrasive drain holes 6| through which abrasive is conveyed to the abrasive cleaning mechanism. The abrasive draining through holes 6I falls into a pan-hize element 62 secured to the drum and having a plurality of abrasive lifting vanes 63 secured thereto (Figure 7). The

abrasive lifted by vanes 63, through rotation of the drum, falls into a chute 64 having a lip 65 extending into the space between the inner edges of the blades. Inorder to prevent the escape of abrasive that might drop from the vanes before they reach chute 64, we have provided a bifurcated chute 66, which passes around spider 48 and extends inside of member 62 at its lower end to thereby convey any escaping abrasive back into the lower vanes to be again lifted into discharge position. The abrasiveV is conveyed through chute 64 into an abrasive cleaning or reconditioning mechanism to be hereinafter described.

The work may be tumbled directly upon barrel bottom 46 if desired, but we preferably provide the barrel with an inclined false bottom which has been found to impart a superior tumbling action to the work. The bottom is made up of a skeleton frame 68 and an auxiliary floor or liner 69 which is preferably made in two senilcircular segments for ease of removal andreplacement. A work lifting and turning member 10 is also preferably secured in place over the segments of floor 69. 'Frame 68 comprises a plurallty of blocks 1|, which are welded at their outer edges to barrel 45 and are carried by supports 1|.I welded to barrel bottom 46. To the under sides of blocks 1| are welded shelves 68A which are spaced from the lower side of floor 69 by the thickness of blocks 1I when the oor is in place. Floor 69 is detachably secured to blocks 1l by any suitable means such as screws. A front liner 14, having a curved piece 14A and a pair of bars 14B welded to its bottom'surface, is detachably secured to bottom 46 in any suitable manner and cooperates with floor 69 to define the barrel bottom. The front edge of oor 69 rests upon bars 14B. Mounted between the removable and permanent oors in any suitable manner, as for instance by means of a plurality of supports 14C, are a plurality of weights 13, which are employed to compensate for the weight of the discharge door and thus statically balance the barrel about its axis.

The margin of floor 69 and liner 14 is provided with a plurality of abrasive drain holes 15, and the drain holes in liner 14 are preferably circumferentially offset frpm the drain holes 6| in permanent bottom 46, so that nails, wires and like refuse'e'ntering holes 15 will not drop through bottom 46, andyet the abrasive will drop through holes 6| and be carried into the abrasive cleaner. In a similar manner, shelves 68A prevent nails and the like from dropping through the openings '15 in floor 69, and yet they permit the abrasive to slide over their inner edges onto bottom 46. Although we have described the support for oor 69 as being a built'upi structure it may be made rality of abrasive drain holes 18, and a labyrinth-v forming flange 19 which is secured to barrel B by a spacing and reenforcing member 8D. The llower edge of hood structure 28 is`provided with a pair of labyrinth-forming flanges 9|, which are disposed in spaced concentric overlapped relationship to the upper edge of the barrel and flange 19 to deiinea tortuous passage and thereby preclude escape of' abrasive from thebarrel. abrasive finding its way into the space between the upper edge of the barrel and fiange 19 automatically drains back into the barrel through openings 18 when they reach their upper position, lifters 18 being provided behind each drain hole to prevent the trapped abrasive from sliding back.

It is accordingly seen that we have provided a tumbling barrel, which, by reason of its support in dust-proof bearings solely at one end, takes up but little space at its periphery and has a long life. l

Any suitable form of abrasive throwing or propelling mechanism, for instance, an air blast nozzle assembly or a mechanical abrasive throwing device of any characterv may be associated with a tumbling barrel for cleaning the work therein, but we preferably employ a mechanical device comprising a bladed wheel whose axis is,

substantially horizontal and preferablyV` parallel to a vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of the barrel. With reference to Figures 3 -and 4, the centrifugal wheel comprises a base 83; a housing84; an abrasive feed conduit 85 having a discharge slot 86 therein; a rotor 811 having a plurality of impeller blades 88 and a plurality of propeller blades 89 secured thereto, the impeller blades being located within conduit 85 and operable to discharge the abrasive outwardly through opening 86 onto the inner ends of blades 89; and a feed spout 9i..` Rotor 81 is mounted on a shaft and is adapted to be rotated at a comparatively high speed. By reason of the construction of the centrifugal wheel, it discharges all of the abrasive fed thereto at high abrading velocities downwardly upon the tumbling work in the manner generally indicated in Figures 3 and 4, and it is apparent that the fanlike abrasive discharge is operable to efficiently clean the work as it cataracts upon itself in the barrel. Because of the particular `manner in which the centrifugal wheel is mounted in the housing and related to the barrel, it does not interfere with the loading or unloading operations in any way. f.

' Discharge door and operating means therefor As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the discharge door is of curved shape to conform to the shape of the ba'rrel, and it comprises a door proper 93 and a removable and replaceable liner 94 (Figure 3) detachably secured thereto.

The exterior of door 93 is provided with external reenforcing flanges 92 and with a re- 'straining-bar-receiving assembly comprising a bracket 95 providing a pair of spaced ears 96 inwhich a detent 91 is pivoted. Detent 91 is urged upwardly by a compression spring 98 (Figure 3), and its upward movement is limited by pin 99 connected to a link |00 pivoted'to detent 31., The bracketalso provides a plate defining an abutment face'which cooperates with the restraining bar in a manner to be hereinafter pointed out.

Door 93 is pivotally connected to, the upper edge of barrel B by means of a pair of links |02, which are preferably pivoted to flange 19 to there- A by derive rigid'support by reason of reenforcing Any v v the door.

anarco i 4sary for the operator to perform any manual latching or unlatching operation whatsoever. This structure will now be described.

With reference to Figures 2 and 5, a pair of upper andrlower latch lugs |05 and |06 respectively are secured to door 93 and cooperate with a pair of latch members |01 and |08 secured to a latch bar |09 mounted for reciprocation on barrel B by means of a pair of apertured lugs and H2. A compression spring ||3 encircles bar |09 and bears against lug and latch member |08 to urge bar |09 downwardly, so as to urge latch members |01 and |08 into latching cooperation with lugs |05 and |06, respectively, and lugs |05 and |06 are preferably provided wlth inclined faces ||4 so that spring ||3 is capable of exertinga powerful closing action upon the door.

An identically similar latching assembly is provided on the other edge of door 93, and in order to simplify the disclosure it has not been shown and the description of it will not be given.

Journalled inthe lower end of each latch bar |09 is a roller ||6, each of which is adapted to cooperate with an unlatching cam or finger rigidly secured to a shaft I8 journalled in housing E in any suitable manner. With reference to Figure 2, a lever 9 is secured to shaft IIB and is connected to a piston rod |2|. Rod |26 cooperates with a conventional piston and cylinder assembly designated generally as |22, having a conduit |23 connected with a suitable source of compressed air. The flow of air to assembly |22 is controlled in a manner to be hereinafter described, and by admitting air to cylinder |22, rod |2| is pulled inwardly and lever ||9 is rocked clockwise (Figure 2) thereby causing cams ||1 to lift bars |09 against the action of springs ||3 and unlocking the door.

Opening and closing movements of the discharge door are positively controlled at all times by a restraining bar or operating bar assembly. Pivotally secured to the front of housing E are a pair of links |25 and |26 which are pivotally connected at their lower ends to a pair of restraining bars |21 and |28 respectively and a restraining bar |29. Bar |29, when swung about the upper ends of links |25 and |26 as an axis. contacts detent 91, rocking it downwardly and engaging abutment plate |0|. When bar |29 contacts plate |0| detent 91 rises behind it and thus yieldingly but firmly holds it in position against When bar |29 has been brought into engagement with the door as just described, and when the door has been unlatched, theA door may be swung outwardly, the door being supported by bar |29 undergoes a lifting action as it opens by reason ofl bar |29 and swinging about the axis of links |25 and |26.

Bar |29 may be actuated into door opening and door closing positions by any suitable means, but we preferably provide bars |21 and |28 with teeth |3|, and mesh them with a pair of pinions |32 carried by a shaft |33. Shaft |33 is driven by motor |34 or any other suitable prime mover either directly or through a speed reducing mechanism. Motor |34 is provided with a conventional push button stop-start control and also included in the circuit are limit switches automatically actuated by movements of bars |21 and |28 into their extreme door opening and door closing positions (not shown) toautomatically break the motor circuit.

l Any suitable form of control mechanism may be employed for controlling the circuits of the various motors and for operating the valve for the door unlatching cylinder, and for interlocking the parts so that they cannot be improperly ac tuated, but we preferably use a control assembly of the character diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 10, which has proven-to be entirely satisfactory in our device. With continued reference `to Figure 10, a hand lever |36 is pivotally sup` ported in any suitable manner upon housing E and carries at its upper end a switch assembly |31 comprising a pair of contacts |38 and |39, which are adapted to be electrically connected by a T shaped contact arm |4| carrying a roller |42 and urged into contacting position by-al spring |43. Lever |36 is adapted to be swung into the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 10 wherein itl may cooperate with a cam |44 adjustably carried by'barrel B.- Contacts |38 and |39 are connected in series with the circuit of the motor employed to drive the barrel, and which is designated diagrammatieally as |45. Motor |45 is also con- ,nected to a push button start-stop control circuit having start and stop buttons |41 and |48 respectively, mounted in a switch block |49.

When it vis desired to stop the barrel for discharging, lever |36 is rocked into the dotted line position shown in Figure 10, and when the barrel is brought approximately into discharging position, cam |44 will engage roller |42 and push con`- tact arm |4| into the dotted line circuit breaking condition indicated in Figure 10. The current for motor |45 is accordingly cut off and if desired an automatic brake may be employed to quickly stop the barrel when the circuitis broken. Magnetic brakes are well known in the art, for` instance, they are usedon elevators and comprise a spring engaged brake, which is held in released position by magnets energized by the motor circuit, and a brake of this character may be ernployed for stopping the barrel in discharging position, and the appended claims are intended to embrace the invention whenI it assumes this form. When it is desired to restart, the barrel lever |36 is swung into its full line position and button |41 is pushed to make the circuit ofmotor Also mounted on lblock |49 are push-buttons |5| and |52 which are connected to the circuit of motor |34, as indicated 'at |53. By pushing button |5|, motor |34 rotates in a direction to move restraining bar |29 outwardly, whereas pushing button |52 causes motor |34 to move bar |29 inwardly.

In view of the fact that it is undesirable to have bar |29 disposed inwardly when the barrel is rotating, as the barrel would strike it each revolution, we preferably provide a device for preventing push buttons |5| and |52 from being aetuated unless the barrel is in discharging posi.

tion, and this mechanism preferably assumes the form of a plate |54 mounted for reciprocation on base |49 by a plurality of guides |55 and having apertures |56, |51, |58, and |59 provided therein. Plate |54 is preferably connectedto hand lever |36 by means of a link |6|, sothat when lever |36 is swung into dotted line position, plate |54 is moved to the right into the dotted line position indicated.

As illustrated in Figure 10, plate |54 is disposed in its left hand position, with the result that' |29, cannot be actuated unless hand lever |36 is rocked into dotted line barrel stopping position shown in Figure 2. Conversely, when lever |36 is disposed in its dotted line position, plate |54 covers the push buttons for motor |45, with the result that motor |45 cannot be restarted while plate |54 is disposed in a position to expose buttons |5| and |52 for motor |34.

In order to prevent the discharging door from being unlocked when the bar |29 is disposed in its outer position, which would result in a violent discharge of work from the barrel, we have provided a shaft |63, suitably journalled on housing E in any suitable manner, and having a lever |64 secured thereto. Lever |64 is mounted in the housing so as to lie in the path of movement of link 25, and the parts so designed that when bar |29 is moved into the inner position in rm contact with door 93, link will engage lever |64 and rock it into the dotted line position shown in Figure 10.

The compressed air supplied cylinder |22 is controlled by a valve |65 connected to conduit |23 having an operating handle |66, which, when swung into its dotted line position, will open conduit |23 and allow the assembly |22 to rock shaft ||9 into door unlocking position. When handle 66 is disposed in its full line position, valve |65 places cylinder |22 in communication with the atmosphere. Rigidly mounted on shaft |63 is a segment-shaped member |61, which in the. full line position shown precludes valve handle |66 swinging into open position, or if handle |66 is disposed in the dotted line position, segment |61 prevents moving the valve into closed position. Also secured to shaft |63 is a lever |68 which is connected to a plate |69 by means of a link |1|. Plate |69 is mounted for sliding movement on plate |49 by means of guides |12 and is provided with openings |13 and |14, which in the position shown, register with control buttonsl |41 and |48 for motor |45. Plate |69 is also provided with a finger |15 adapted to seat in a recess |16 provided in plate |54.

Assuming that hand lever |36 has been moved into its-dotted line position, and that the barrel is stopped in discharge position, button |52 may be pressed to cause motor |34 to bring bar |29 into abutting cooperation .with the door. When bar |29 is moved into this position, link |25 will have rocked shaft |63 into dotted line position to bring segment |61 out the path of movement of valve lever |66. `Accordingly, valve |66 may now be rocked into its dotted line position to energize cylinder |22 and unlock the discharge door. Button |5| 4may now be operated to cause motor |34 vto move bar |29 into its outer position and allow the work to be discharged from the drum.

As soon as bar |29 has been moved in a slight distance, it will allow lever |64 to Abe restored to its full-line position, thereby bringing segment |61 into the position shown in Figure 10 to accordingly prevent latch bars |69 from being rocked into locking position while the door is away from the discharge opening. When the work has been discharged from the barrel, button |5| is pushed to cause motor |34 and bar |29 to bring the door into closed position. When thedoor is completely closed link |25 rocks shaftY When the parts are in the discharge position just described, with the door open, it is impossible to start the barrel because shaft |63, in rocking into the dotted line position, brings plate |69 into its upper dotted line position, with finger |15 in engagement with recess |16. Engagement of finger |15 with plate |54 through link |8| prevents hand lever |36 from being rocked back into its full line position and therefore it is impossible to start the barrel while the door is open. When shaft |63'is disposed in its full line position, itis also impossible for the operator to'tamper with the device and attempt to rotate shaft |63 by grasping parts |64 or |61, because finger |15 -will engage the side edge of plate |54 and lock the parts, A

It'is therefore apparent that the control mec anism of our machine provides truly a push-button control of all operations and yet the parts areI so interlocked as to render it entirely foolproof.

Abrasive reconditioning and recirculation Although any suitable mechanism may be employed to take the abrasive from chute 64 (Figure 3) and free it Afrom dust and casting fragments or other extraneous matter and return it to the centrifugal Wheel, we preferably employ the mechanism shown in Figures 8 and 9 for this purpose, as it has proved to be lentirely satisfactory. With continued reference to these figures, an imperforate drum |8| is mounted for rotation in housing E inA any suitable manner, as for instance by means of rollers |82. The right-hand end of the drum is open, and the left-hand end of the drum is provided with an end plate having an opening |83 therein. Mounted within drum |8| and spaced from-the walls thereof is a cylinn drical screen |84 having a helical refuse-propelzijn charges it at |89..

refuse which is ltoo large to pass through the ling element |85 secured to its inner wall. -Screen |84 projects beyond the right end of drum |8| and is adapted to discharge refuse therefrom into a chute |86, which leads to a suitable receptacle or container.

Chute 64, associated with barrel B is provided with a spout portion |81 which projects into drum |8| for discharging the spent abrasive upon screen |84. Secured to the inner wall of drum |8| is a helical abrasive propelling/member |88 which is the result that as spent abrasive is fed through/ spout |81 and dischargedinto screen |84, it is agitated and dust developed by the agitation is drawn fromy left to right into hood |94, and thence to the fan and dust collector. The cleaned abrasive drops into the space between drum |8| and screen |84, and is propelled by helical member |88 to the right end of the drum which dis- The extraneous matter or esh or screen |84 is propelled to the right end fof-'the screen by member |85, where it is dis- '.charged'into chute |86.

A part of the air drawn into the suction fan just described is drawn through an opening in cover 28 (not shown) through a separate ventilating connection suitably baffled to prevent excessive amounts of abrasive entering the ventilating system. By drawing air from barrel B` a slight sub-atmospheric pressure is developed therein, which causes air to be sucked into the barrel through the labyrinth at the top of the barrel, thereby precluding escape of dust into the room where the machine is located. The air is sucked into the abrasive reconditioning system at the junction of chute 64 with the barrel B and the junction of spout |81 with drum 18|, thereby preventing dust from escaping at these points.

Opefatio'n The work to be cleaned is loaded into bucket |5 with the parts in the position shown in Figure 1, and wherein the bucket is conveniently loaded for easy handling. If desired, bucket I5 may be made detachable so that it may be loaded elsewhere and inserted in the machine during the time that another load is being cleaned. For instance, the four roller assemblies may be mounted in a cradle to which bucket I5 may be detachably connected- Also, members I8 may be extended downwardly into a pit, so as to bring the upper edge of bucket |5 approximately level with the floor, and thereby permit easy dumping of work into it from a wheelbarrow or the like.

After the bucket |5 has been loaded, motor |8 is operated to simultaneously raise the bucket and lift cover 29. As the bucket reaches substantially work unloading or barrel charging position it discharges the work into the barrel, and in view of the fact that the bucket is closely adjacent the barrel before it is inverted, the castings or work pass into the barrel with a minimum initial velocity, thereby minimizing the possibility of breaking fragile castings or the like during the loading operation. After the loading operation is completed, motor I8 isreversed to restore bucket I5 to the lower part of guides I0 as in the manner previously described. In connection with the loading operation, it should be particularly observed that by reason of the construction of the machine ready access is provided for the loading bucket thereby making it easy to load it, and the bucket completely discharges its load in a single operation, doing away with the necessity for any door-opening or other preparatory operations.

Cleaning After the work has been loaded into the barrel in the manner just described, and assuming that hand lever |36 is disposed in its full line position shown in Figure 10, with door 93 closed, button |41 may be pushed to start barrel motor |45, because plate |54 uncovers the control buttons for this motor under these conditions. The operator then starts `the suction fan associated with the abrasive reconditioning drum and also starts the motor which drives rotor 81 of the centrifugal wheel. After the centrifugal wheel has been brought up to speed, the abrasive is admitted to spout 9| to start the abrasive blast stream. The work is now being simultaneously tumbled or cataracted upon itself within barrel B, and the blast of abrasive is `being directed upon it generally as'indicated in Figures 3 and 4, where it is seen that a fan-like stream of abrasive is discharged into the drum. As the barrel rotates the work is picked up by the inclined oor, assisted vby piece 10, and thrown and gravitated at a given velocity through the blast stream toward the lower cylindrical wall, depending upon the position of the barrel. When the barrel is in the position shown in Figure 3, the work will rapidly gravitate from the inclined floor, whereas when the inclined bottomy is disposed in a position 180 removed, the work will migrate at a lower rate of speed. It is therefore apparent that the work is eflicien'tly tumbled and blasted, and although we prefer to use an inclined bottom in the barrel, it is to be understood 'that any form ofthe barrel bottom may bel employed without detracting from the other features of the machine. For instance, work turning or tumbling pieces of other forms may be built up on the floor of the barrel, or if desired the end of the barrel may be pressed into a suitable formation to properly tumble the work. Moreover, although we have shown the barrel floor as constituting a false bottom, it is to be understood that the barrel end 46 may be omitted and the spider 48 directly connected to frame 68 if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention.

When it is desired to stop the cleaning opera-l tion and discharge work, the abrasive is cut off from spout 9|, the centrifugal wheel is stopped, and hand lever |36 is moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 10, with the result that barrel B4 only makes part of a complete revolu- Ition before it brings cam |44 into cooperation with roller |42 and breaks the circuit of motor as previously described. In this connection it is observed that as cam |44 is secured to ,barrel B by bolts passing through slotted holes thereinA (not shown) the location of the cam may be varied so as to var'y the point at which the i |54, is now pushed to bring `bar |29 into cooperating engagement with the door, as previously described. 'Ihis action automatically swings segment |61 out of the way and air valve handle |66 may now be rocked into the dotted line posil tion shown in Figure 10 to unlock the door. When the door has been unlocked in this manner it is nevertheless held in secure contact with drum B by bar |29.

With the parts in the position just described, button |.i| is now depressed to allow door 93 to swing into open position under the influence of gravity and under the control of motor |34. Motor |34 positively controls the rate at which the door is opened, irrespective of how heavy the particular load may be; The work contained in the barrel is accordingly discharged over apron 42 into receptacle F at low velocity. The circuit for motor |34 is preferably equipped with a start-stop push button control (not shown) in order that the door maybe alternately opened andstopped so as to open the door by increments and positively control the discharge of work from the barrel. If desired, a speed controlling means may be embodied in circuit of motor |34 in order to 'open the door at various speeds.

With the discharge door moved into open posi- *L tion in the manner just described, it is impos- "sible 'to actuate the valve handle |66 and bring llowfer position unless"'door 93 is in completely |29 between its door-opening and door-closing positions. With this structure it will be unnecessary to reverse motor |34 to effect the doorclosing and door-opening operations as bars |21 and |28, as they attain one extreme position, will pass dead center and start a reverse movement.

Moreover, latch bars |09 may be provided with automatic trips to automatically maintain them in raised position during the periods that door 93 is swung away from the barrel, and the appended claims are intended to embrace our mechanism when it assumes this form.

Since the door 93 is pivoted about a compound arrangement of two axes, namely the axes of links |25 and |26 and the shaft |03, the top of the door does not swing outwardly on a small radius but opens much more widely as it opens by rising under the lifting action of link |25 and |26. This is a very desirable feature especially when large castings of awkward shapes are handled by the machine. If desired,` however, under some conditions door 93 may behinged to barrel B at its top, one of its sides or its bottom edges without sacrificing the advantages of re; straining bar |29 and its operating mechanism.

While the cleaning operation just described is being carried out, the spent abrasive, -together with dust and other sufficiently small material dislodged by the work drains through the holes in the barrel oors and is picked up by the lifting vanes carried by the barrel and discharged into the cleaning drum, Where it is cleaned and the abrasive returned to the centrifugal wheel or other abrasive propelling device, as previously described.

The parts are preferably so designed that when the machine is stopped the abrasive elevator is also stopped, so that when the machine is again started, a uniform flow of abrasive will be fed to the wheel. When. the machine is stopped it should be observed that as the lower'edge of the discharge opening is substantially flush with the floor of the barrel, any refuse too large to pass through the drain holes in the barrel will be discharged from the machine when door 93 is opened.

In Figures 11 to 16 inclusive we have illustrated modied forms of barrel bottoms which may be used with the machine just described, and the selection of a particular bottom will, of course, depend upon the nature of the work handled by the machine and the tumbling action desired.

In Figure l1, barrel B is provided with an inclined bottom 20|, similar to the auxiliary bottom of the machine first described, upon which is. mounted a pyramid-shaped work lifting and turning member' 202, the pyramid preferably having four sides` as seen in Figure l2. In Figure 12 the relation of member 202 with respect to 'door 93 is shown.

The barrel B 'shown in Figures 13 and 14 is provided with a cone-shaped bottom 203, and mounted thereupon, preferably diametrically oppositethe discharge door 93 of the barrel, is a work lifting and turning member 204, which is secured to the inner wall of barrel B and to the upper surface of oor 203. Two members 204 may be used if desired.

In Figures and 16 we have shown a barrel B having a two-part bottom comprising sections 205 and 206, which are made in 4halves as seen in Figure 16. Sections 205 and 206 have different degrees of inclination, thereby providing a step 201 over which the work is abruptly tumbledonce each revolution of the barrel. The barrel is preferably rotated in a direction to cause the work to tumble down over step 201, but if desired, it may be rotated in the opposite direction to cause the work to tumble up, or be lifted by step 201.

In all of the forms of tumbling barrel bottom assemblies described it is to be understood. that the sizes and proportions of the work turning and lifting pieces may be varied to suit the particular work and the desired condition involved. Also the inclination of the oors may be increased or decreased as desired.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description,

`and all changes which comewithin the meaning fand range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and Ian open top, means for rotating said barrel to cause it to tumble work contained therein, the upper edge of said barrel terminating in at least two upstanding annular flanges, a stationarily supported hood structure mounted adjacent the top of said barrel and having at least one downwardly extending annular flange disposed in overlapped nested but spaced relationship to the flanges of said barrel for preventing extraneous material from escaping from said barrel, said barrel being provided with a plurality of passages communieating with the interior of said barrel and with the space between the flanges on said barrel, for returning extraneous material to the barrel inter1or.

2. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation abviut an axis disposed at a considerable angle with `ine horizontal, said barrel having an open top and a closed bottom, power means for rotating said barrelto tumble work contained therein, a stationarily s upported hood structure mounted adjacent the top of said barrel and closing the upper end thereof, said hood structure providing a charging door through which work may be charged into the barrel, a discharge door'pivotaily connected to said barrel and forming a part of the cylindrical wally o the barrel, said barrel being operable to gravitationally discharge its contents when it is stopped in a discharge position with said discharge .door disposed below the axis of rotation of the barrel, and said discharging door is open, and means for opening and closing said door when said barrel is disposed in said discharge position, whereby said barrel may be unloaded and loaded with a single barrel stop.

3. The abrading machine described in claim 2, together with selectively operable means for causing said power means to automatically stop said barrel in discharge position.

4. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and open top, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work located therein, said barrel having a discharge opening located in the cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may gravitationally discharge, a discharge door adapted to close said discharge opening, latch means carried by said barrel for locking said discharge door in closed position; and stationarily supported means locatedv adjacent said barrel .for selectively operating said latch means to unlock said door.

5. 'Ihe abrading machine described in claim 4, wherein said stationarily supported means is so constructed as to only cooperate with said latch means and unlock said door when said barrel is disposed in a predetermined discharge position.

6. The abrading machine described in claim 4, together with stationarily supported means for cooperating with said door and controlling its \opening movement under the influence of gravity.

7. In an abrading machine, a, generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work located therein, said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which saidwork may gravitationally discharge, a discharge door pivotally connected to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, latch means carried by said barrel and operable to lock said door in closed position, stationarily supported means mounted adjacent said barrel for selectively operating said latch means to unlock said door when said barrel is disposed in a predetermined discharge position, and means for preventing said last named means from being operated until said barrel is disposed in discharge position.

8. 'I'he abrading machine described in claim 7, together with controlling means, ymovable into cooperating relationship with said door, for controlling movement thereof toward open position under the iniiuence of gravity, and having means for preventing said door from being unlocked until said controlling means is moved into cooperating relationship with said door.

. 9. 'Ihe abrading machine described in claim 7, together with means for preventing said barrel from being rotated by said power means when said discharge door is unlocked.

10. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work contained therein, said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may be gravitationally discharged, a discharge door pivoted atits upper end to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, latch means carried by said barrel for locking said door in closed position, means, stationarily supported adjacent said barrel, for operating said latch means to unlock said door, and restraining means, movable into engagement with said door,

for controlling movement thereof towards open position under the action of the load of the work' control the rate of discharge of work from said barrel.

11. The abrading machine described in claim 10, wherein said door is connected to said barrel by at least one link member, and said restraining element is operable to support said door when it is opened'and for compelling said doorgto rock about a shifting horizontal axis remote from said link member.

12. In an abrading machine, an open ended barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis for tumbling work contained therein, a hood structure supported adjacent the open end of saidbarrel and having a charging opening therein through which work may be charged into the barrel, a cover mounted on said hood and operable to close saidcharging opening, a charging device comprising a receptaclel mounted for movement from a loading position to an unloading position adjacent said charging opening, power means for lifting said receptacle into loading position, and means, controlled in accordance with movements of said receptacle, for opening said cover as said receptacle is brought into unloading position.

13. In an abrading machine,- a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for 'rotation about an inclined axis and having an open top and a closed bottom, an inclined hood structure mounted adjacent, and overlying the top of said barrel and sealingly associated therewith, said hood structure having an upper opening and a lower opening provided therein, said lower opening dening a barrel-charging opening and having a door cooperating therewith, Va mechanical abrasive pivotally connected to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, means for locking said door in closed position, and restraining means for controlling movement thereof toward open position under the action of the load of the work contained in said barrel, comprising a bar mounted for movement toward and away from said barrel and movable into engagement with a portion of said door, and selectively controlled power means for controlling the rate of movement of said bar away from said barrel, to thereby control therate of opening of said door under the inuenoe o the work contained in said barrel.

16. The abrading machine described in claim 15, wherein said bar is pivoted for rocking movement about a substantially horizontal axis adjacent said barrel, and wherein said bar and power means areoperable to move said door into closed position.

17. The abrading machine described in claim 15, wherein said bar is mounted for rocking.

to thereby tumble work contained therein, saidl barrel having a discharge opening in the `cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may be gravitationally discharged, a discharge door propelling mechanism mounted above said hood ..l3 iv0td at its upper end t0 Said barrel and Opelstructure and operable to discharge at least one stream of abrasive through said upper opening 'r 1d. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, means for' rotating said vbarrel to tumble work contained therein, said barrel bottom comprising a work supporting floor of substantially plane conguration and oi" comparatively large area, said floor being disposed at an angle to a plane normal to the axis of said barrel, to cause work contained therein to move rapidly acrossv the barrel bottom when the latter is disposed in one position and to effect a less rapid migration of work afcross the barrel bottom when said barrel is Idisposed in a second position, the

cylindrical wall 'of said barrel beingqprovided drical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and Vhaving a closed bottom and an open top, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work contained therein, said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which Work may be gravitationally discharged, a. discharge door able to close said discharge opening, latch means .carried by said barrel for locking said doorin 'closedypositiom comprising means for forcing each side edge of said door against said barrel, and

means for simultaneously unlatching said latching means. A

19. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work contained therein, said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may be gravitationally discharged, a discharge Y'door pivotally connected to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, latch means carried by said barrel for locking said door in closed position, comprising at least one latch bar mounted for sliding movement longitudinal- 1y of the barrel 'and engageable with one side edge of said door, resilient means for urging said` 4latch bar toward latching position, and means A for moving said latch bar into unlatching position against the action of said resilient means.

20. The abrading machine described in claim 19, wherein said last-named means comprisesa `shaft.l mounted for rocking movement adjacent said barrel and having a cam portion engageable with said latch bar for moving the latter longitudinally of the barrel against the action of said resilient means when it is rocked in one direction, said shaft being movable to vbring it out of the path of rotation of saidvbarrel to y avoid interfering with the latter. I

21. In an abrading machine, a, generally cy. Iindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom `and an open top, power means for 'rotating said barrel to thereby tumble :work contained therein,

said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may be gravitationally discharged, a discharge door pivoted at its upper end to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, said door being connected to said barrel by means of at least one link member which is pivoted to the door and to the barrel, said door having a downwardly facing abutment, a bar member mounted for movement toward and away from said barrel and adapted to cooperate with said abutment for controlling movement of said door toward open position under the action of the load of work contained in said barrel, said door being adapted to be supported on said bar member by said abutment wall when said door is being opened, for compelling said door to rock about a shifting horizontal axis, and means for yieldingly coupling said door to said bar member when it is engaged therewith.

22. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, an inclined floor assembly mounted in said barrel and supported by the closed bottom thereof, power means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work contained therein, said floor assembly being supported on a plurality of standards connected to said closed bottom, a plurality of connecting members bridging the upper ends of said standards but being spaced below said floor, said floor having a plurality of apertures therein adjacent the margin thereof, and overlying said connecting members.

23. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having a closed bottom and an open top, barrel means for rotating said barrel to thereby tumble work contained therein, said barrel having a discharge opening in the cylindrical wall thereof through which said work may be gravitationally discharged, .a discharge door pivoted to said barrel and operable to close said discharge opening, and at least one counterweight secured to said barrel at a point substantially diametrically opposite said door ,for

counter-balancing the weight of the latter. 4

24. In an abrading machine, a tumbling barrel having a discharge door mounted for movement toward and away therefrom, latching means for holding said door in closed position, restraining means engageable with said door for controlling the opening movement thereof, means for preventing said barrel from being rotated when said door is in open position, and means for preventing saidlatching means from being moved into latching position when restraining means is engaged with said door and the latter is in open position.

25. The abrading machine' described in claim 24, wherein said latching means embodies a fluid pressure, valve-control mechanism for releasing it, and said restraining means is provided with an interlocking mechanisml for preventing said valve-from being operated into latching position when said restraining means and said door are in open position.

26. In 'an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having an open top and a closed bottom, an inclined hood structure mounted adjacent, and overlying the top of the barrel and secured to a stationary support, said hood structure having an elongated opening provided therein adjacent the upper edge of said barrel, a mechanical abrasive propelling mechanism mounted upon said hood structure and operable to discharge a stream of abrasive through said elongated opening in said hood and upon the work contained in said barrel, said abrasive propelling mechanism embodying a rotor mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis andwhich is substantially parallel to a vertical plane containing ythe axis of said barrel, said abrasive projecting mechanism being operable to project a fan-shaped stream of abrasive into the barrel at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to said vertical plane.

27. In an abrading machine, a housing structure comprising a top wall, a rear wall and a pair of side Walls, a generally cylindrical turnbling barrel disposed in said housing structure and mounted for rotation about an axis which is inclined considerably to the horizontal, said axis being inclined toward the iront of said housing structure, said barrel having a closed bottom and an open top and adapted to tumble work contained therein when it is rotated, said barrel having a door opening in the cylindrical wall thereof together with a door mounted for movement in the open position, said housing having an inclined front wall disposed approximately normal to the axis of said barrel and covering the open top of the latter, said housing side walls having their front edges relieved so as to dispose them rearwardly of the upper part of the barrel, to provide a large space defining a barrel discharging station and being sufficiently large to allow a container to be placed below the level of the bottom of said barrel for receiving work for gravitating therefrom when said barrel door is opened.

28. In an abrading machine, a generally cylindrical barrel mounted for rotation about an inclined axis and having an open top, means located adjacent the opentop of said barrel for projecting abrasive upon work as it cataracts upon itself in said barrel, said barrel having a closed bottom for supporting the work, said bottom having a plurality of apertures therein through which spent abrasive may drain, means located below said bottom for preventing elongated objects from passing through said apertures, an elevator structure disposed below the bottom of said barrel and secured to said barrel for synchronous rotation therewith, said elevator structure providing a plurality of abrasive receiving pockets into which said abrasive may gravitate from said apertures, said pockets being operable to discharge their abrasive when they attain a predetermined position above the axis of said barrel, stationarily supported chute means for conveying abrasive as it is discharged from said pockets to an abrasive cleaning mechanism, a hood structure sealingly associated with the upper edge of said barrel but being spaced therefrom, means for drawing air currents between said hood structure and the upper edge of said barrel for removing dust from said barrel and for preventing leakage of dust into the atmosphere at the top of the barrel, and means forv drawing air currents through said chute means.

WM. A. ROSENBERGER.

WALTER L. KEEFER.

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