US2167615A - Grinding machine steady rest - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1939. H.' A. SILVEN GRINDING MACHINE STEADY REST Filed May 13, 1938 6 m .I 5 V o w a w 1 m n 1 MIL 4| 3 R 7 E m 6 I E 8 W 7 rm E: m 11 m a 1 1 $6 H E: x f 1 W a M n m x Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Norton Company, Worce tion of Massachusetts Application May 13, 1

Claims.

This invention relates to grinding machines, and more particularly to a work steadying rest for a cylindrical grinding machine.

One object of the invention is to provide a 5 simple and thoroughly practical work steadying rest for a grinding machine. Another object of the invention is to provide a steady rest which is simple in operation and adjustment for supporting a cylindrical Work piece during a grinding operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a steady rest in which opposed bearing shoes are provided for steadying the work and thereby preventing vibration during a grinding operation. Another object of the invention is to provide a steady rest in which one of the work steadying shoes is maintained in an adjustably fixed position and a second shoe opposed thereto is maintained in an adjustably fixed position and a second shoe opposed thereto is main- 20 tained in engagement with the work during a grinding operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a steady rest for a grinding machine in which the lower work steadying shoe is rigidly supported and is readily adjustable 25 horizontally and vertically. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Fig. l is an end elevation of the improved steady rest, showing the work steadying shoes in an operative position. in engagement with the work;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the steady rest as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the steady rest; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

As illustrated in the drawing, the improved steady rest has been illustrated as applied to an ordinary cylindrical grinding machine, such as that employed in the grinding of Camshafts, in which a work piece I0 is supported for rotation on a rock bar H by means of the usual head and footstocks (not shown). The camshafts employed in the modern automobile engines are ster, Mass, at corpora- 938, .Serial No. 207,665

usually provided with a central cylindrical bearing which is ground to predetermined dimension prior to grinding the cams on the shaft. This bearing surface may be utilized during the grinding of the cams for steadying the shaft. A rotatable grinding wheel I2 is provided to grind the work piece to the required size. In order to support the work piece Ill during the grinding operation so as to prevent vibration thereof, an improved steady rest is provided comprising a steady rest base i3 having a partial dovetailed surface it formed thereon which is arranged to mate with a correspondingly shaped dovetailed slideway 85 formed on the rock bar I! and is arranged to be clamped in position on the rock bar by means of a clamping block l6 and a pair of spaced clamping screws I! and IS. The base i3 serves as a support for a transversely movable steady rest frame 29. The work steady rest frame 28' is provided with a dovetailed slideway 2! which mates with a correspondingly shaped dove-tailed way 22 formed integral with the steady rest base [3.

The steady rest frame serves as a support for a vertically movable slide 25 which carries a lower partial cylindrical work steadying shoe 26 for supporting the lower surface of the work piece It. The vertically movable slide 25 is provided with a dovetailed slideway 21 which mates with a correspondingly shaped slideway 28 formed in the vertically arranged steady rest frame 20. A gib 29 serves to facilitate adjustment of the clearance between the dovetailed slideways 21 and 28. The gib 29 is held in adjusted position by means of screws 30 and 3! which pass through holes in the vertically extending portion of the steady rest frame 26 and are screw threaded into the gib 29.

The steady rest frame 20 is arranged so that it may be adjusted transversely relative to the steady rest base 53 to facilitate adjusting the steady rest shoe relative to the work axis so that the work supporting surface 32 is concentric to the axis of the work piece H]. To facilitate adjustment of the steady rest frame 20, a nut and screw adjusting mechanism is provided comprising a rotatable screw 33 which is supported in a bearing formed within the steady rest base l3. The screw 33 is screw threaded into a nut 34 depending from the steady rest frame 20. An adjusting knob 35 is fixedly mounted on the other end of the screw 33 and serves with a shoulder 36 formed integral with the screw 33 as an end thrust bearing between the screw 33 and the steady rest base 13. By rotation of the knob 35,

the steady rest frame 20 may be adjusted transversely and horizontally in either direction accurately to locate the work steadying shoe 25.

The steady rest frame 20 may be locked in adjusted position by means of a gib 40 which serves to take up any lost motion between the slideways 2i and 22. The gib 40 may be clamped in adjusted position by screws 4| and 42, which serve to lock the steady rest frame 20 rigidly to the steady rest base l3 after a transverse adjustment thereof has been made.

In order to support and steady work piece Ill against vibration during a grinding operation, it is desirable that the steady rest shoe 26 and the vertical slide 25 be rigidly supported in a vertical plane passing through the work axis so as to dampen vibrations not only of the work piece but also of the steady rest parts. To facilitate rigidly supporting the work shoe 26 and the slide 25 and to permit a vertical adjustment of the slide 25, a wedge block 50 is slidably positioned within a groove 5| formed in the under surface of the slide 25. The wedge 50 is loosely supported within a groove 52 formed within the steady rest frame 26. An adjusting screw 53 is rotatably supported in a bearing 54 in the steady rest frame 20. A flange 55 is formed integral with the screw 53. An adjusting knob 55 is fixedly mounted on the outer end of the screw 53 and serves together with the flange 55 to hold the screw 53 against endwise movement. The screw 53 is screw threaded into a correspondingly threaded aperture within the wedge block 50. By rotating the screw 53 by means of the knob 56, the wedge block 50 may be moved horizontally in either direction. The groove 51 in the lower surface of the vertical slide 25 is formed to mate with the upper surface of the wedge block 50 so that when the knob 56 and screw 53 are rotated to move the wedge block 50 transversely, a vertical motion is transmitted to the slide 25 vertically to adjust the position of the work supporting surface 32 of the work steadying shoe 25. A screw threaded stud 60 passes through a clearance hole in the vertical slide 25, through an elongated slot 5| in the wedge block 50, and is fixedly supported within the horizontal portion of the steady rest frame 20. A nut 52 on the screw 60 serves to clamp the vertical slide 25 rigidly in engagement with the wedge block 58 to hold the wedge block and the vertical slide in a predetermined adjusted position.

In certain types of grinding, such as for example grinding spaced portions on a work piece such as a camshaft in which the portions are noncircular in shape, it is desirable to support the center of the shaft on one of the cylindrical bearing surfaces which have previously been ground to a true cylindrical form and size. The lower work steadying shoe 26 is, therefore, preferably formed with the work bearing surface of a partial cylindrical shape which has a radius equal to that of the radius of the bearing surface to be supported. In order to prevent vertical movement of the shaft or work piece during a grinding operation and to dampen vibration thereof, an upper bearing shoe is provided having a partial cylindrical bearing surface which is of the same radius as that of the finished work piece and is arranged to engage the work piece at a point substantially diametrically opposed to the lower shoe 26. It is desirable to provide a suitable mounting for the upper shoe H! which may be readily moved to an inoperative position to facilitate loading and unloading of work pieces before and after the grinding operation. In the preferred form, the shoe 10 is fixedly mounted on the outer end of a pivoted arm 12 which is supported on a stud 13 carried by the vertically movable slide 25 so that the arm 12 together with the upper work steadying shoe 10 may be readily swung into an operative position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or into an inoperative position, as indicated in dotted lines 12a and 70a. A stop screw 14 is screw threaded into the arm 12 and serves as a stop screw to abut against a fixed stop surface 15 on the vertical slide 25 to limit the downward movement of the work steadying shoe 10. In view of the fact that the portion of the work piece which is steadied is not ground during this steadying operation, the shoe ill may be located in a predetermined adjusted position and locked in position during the grinding operation, since no adjustment is required during grinding. A lock nut 76 serves to lock the stop screw M in a predetermined adjusted position. To facilitate holding the arm 12 and the work steadying shoe (0 in an operative position, a clamping screw 18 is pivotally supported at its lower end by means of a stud 19 which is fixedly supported on the vertical slide 25. A clamping nut 85 is threaded onto the upper portion of the screw 78 and has its lower surface bearing against the upper surface of the arm 12 and serves to lock the same in adjusted position. To facilitate swinging the upper shoe 70 to an inoperative position, a pair of spaced upwardly projecting lugs Bl are provided on the arm 12 which is arranged in the path of movement of portions of the nut 85. When the nut 80 is loosened and the nut together with the screw 18 are swung in a counterclockwise direction about the stud 19, the nut 80 engages the lugs 8| and continued movement of the nut serves to rock the arm 12 and the upper work steadying shoe 10 into the dotted line position 12a and 10a, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The operation of this steady rest is readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure. A pair of work steadying shoes 26 and 10 having work supporting surfaces 32 and H, respectively, of the proper curvature to support the bearing of the work piece to be ground are mounted in position on their respective supporting members. The screws 4| and 42 are then loosened and the knob 35 and screw 33 rotated to adjust the surfaces 32 and ll so that they are concentric with respect to the work axis. The screws 4! and 42 are then tightened to clamp the steady rest frame in adjusted position. The clamping screws 35 and 3| are then loosened and the screw 53 and knob 56 are rotated to adjust the position of the wedge block 50 vertically to adjust the slide to position the work steadying surfaces 32 and II in a vertical direction, after which the clamping screws and 3| are tightened to lock the vertical slide 25 in its adjusted position. The nut 80 together with the screw 18 is then moved in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1). The nut 88 engages the upper surface of the arm 12 and continued movement serves to swing the nut 85, the screw 18, together with the arm 12 from the dotted line positions 18a, 83a and 1200 into the full line positions as indicated in Fig. 1. Assuming the stop screw 74 to have been previously adjusted, the clamping nut 80 is then tightened securely to clamp the upper shoe '55 in proper engagement with the upper surface of the work piece ID to support and steady the same against vibration during the grinding operation.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a grinding machine steady rest, a base, a transversely movable slide thereon, a vertically movable slide on said first slide, a steady rest shoe fixedly supported on said second slide and having a partial cylindrical work steadying surface thereon, means to adjust the first slide transversely, means to adjust the second slide vertically relative to the first slide accurately to position said steady rest shoe, an upper shoe arranged diametrically opposed to the lower shoe, a pivotal support for said shoe on the vertical slide, and means including a pivotally mounted screw to lock said pivotal support and upper shoe in operative position with relation to the lower shoe.

2. In a grinding machine steady rest, a base, a transversely movable slide thereon, a vertically movable slide on the first slide, a steady rest shoe on said vertical slide having a partial cylindrical work steadying surface, means to adjust the position of the first slide, means to adjust the second slide vertically relative to the first slide, an upper work steadying shoe arranged diametrically opposite to the lower shoe, a pivotal support for said upper shoe on said vertical slide, a pivotally mounted clamping screw which serves in an operative position to clamp the upper shoe in an operative position and when swung to an inoperative position serves automatically to shift the upper shoe to an inoperative position.

3. In a grinding machine steady rest, a base, a transversely movable slide thereon, a vertically movable slide on said first slide, a steady rest shoe fixedly supported on said second slide and having a partial cylindrical work steadying surface thereon, means to adjust the first slide transversely, means to adjust the second slide vertically relative to the first slide accurately to position said steady rest shoe, an upper shoe arranged diametrically opposed to the lower shoe, a pivotal support for said shoe on the vertical slide, an adjustable stop screw to locate the upper shoe, and means to lock said upper shoe in operative position with relation to the lower shoe.

4. In a grinding machine steady rest, a base, a transversely movable slide thereon, a vertically movable slide on the first slide, a steady rest shoe on said vertical slide having a partial cylindrical work steadying surface, means to adjust the position of the first slide, means to adjust the second slide vertically relative to the first slide, an upper work steadying shoe arranged diametrically opposite to the lower shoe, a pivotal support for said upper shoe on said vertical slide, and a. pivotally mounted clamping screw which serves in an operative position to clamp the upper shoe in an operative position, said screw being arranged to engage said support when swung to an operative position so as to automatically shift the upper shoe to an operative position.

5. In a grinding machine steady rest, a base, a transversely movable slide thereon, means to adjust said slide transversely relative to the base, a vertically movable slide on said first slide, a work steadying shoe having a partial cylindrical surface thereon, and means including an adjustable Wedge to adjust the second slide vertically relative to the first slide, said work shoe, vertical slide and wedge forming a rigid support for said work shoe at a point directly below the axis of said work supporting surface.

HERBERT A. SILVEN,

Images