Title: Radial feed facing head for boring bar
Abstract: A portable boring/facing machine using a single drive motor for rotating a boring bar and for either axially translating a cutting head assembly along the bar or radially moving the blade of the cutting head assembly using a lead screw. The machine utilizing two mounting brackets is attachable to the workpiece for alignment with the workpiece.
Patent Number: 6,990,878 Issued on 01/31/2006 to Ricci, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Ricci; Donato L. (W8477 - 162nd Ave., Hager City, WI 54017);
Gardzinski; Martin A. (Red Wing, MN)
|
| Assignee:
|
Ricci; Donato L. (Hager City, WI)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
758627 |
| Filed:
|
January 15, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
82/123; 82/113 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
B23B 3/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
408/72 R,102,124,129
82/123,113,148,111,12,14,59,702
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Fridie, Jr.; Willmon
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Nikolai; Thomas J., Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A metal working machine for reboring or refacing a workpiece comprising, in combination:
(a) an elongated, boring bar member;
(b) first and second mounting brackets attachable to the workpiece at longitudinally
spaced locations therealong, each said mounting bracket including bearings in which
the boring bar member is journaled for rotation;
(c) an annular cutting head member disposed about the boring bar member and rotatable
therewith, the annular cutting head member having a slide supporting a tool bit
that is adapted to be moved in a radial direction with respect to the boring bar
member's longitudinal axis;
(d) a first drive means adapted to be coupled to the boring bar member for rotating
the boring bar member and the cutting head member about the longitudinal axis of
the boring bar member;
(e) a second drive means including an elongated lead screw coupled to said cutting
head member for longitudinally translating the cutting head member axially along
the boring bar member; and
(f) a control device operatively coupled to the elongated lead screw, the control
device having a manually adjustable control shaft which when turned in a first
direction inhibits axial movement of the cutting head member and imparts radial
displacement to the slide and tool bit.
2. The metal working machine of claim 1 wherein the first drive means includes
one of an electrical motor, a hydraulic motor and an air motor.
3. The metal working machine of claim 1 further including a plurality of set
screws extending radially through the first and second mounting brackets for locking
the machine in place on said workpiece.
4. The metal working machine of claim 1 wherein the boring bar member includes
a longitudinal groove formed inwardly of a peripheral surface thereof.
5. The metal working machine of claim 4 wherein said elongated lead screw is
disposed in the longitudinal groove and journaled for rotation therein.
6. The metal working machine as in claim 1 wherein the second drive means includes:
(a) a threaded nut on the elongated lead screw and cooperating with the annular
cutting head member and adapted to displace the annular cutting head member along
the longitudinal axis of the boring bar member;
(b) a second lead screw journaled for rotation in the cutting head member about
an axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical boring
bar member; and
(c) a threaded nut on the second lead screw and cooperating with said slide and
adapted to displace the slide in a radial direction dependent on the direction
of rotation of the elongated lead screw when said control shaft is turned in the
first direction.
7. The metal working machine as in claim 6 and further including a manually shiftable
gear mechanism operatively coupled between the elongated lead screw and the second
lead screw and to the control shaft for selectively driving the second lead screw
while stopping displacement of the cutting head member along the longitudinal axis
of the cylindrical boring bar member or stopping displacement of the slide while
displacing the cutting head member along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical
boring bar member.
8. The metal working machine as in claim 7 wherein the shiftable gear mechanism comprises:
(a) said control shaft mounted in the annular cutting head member, said control
shaft having a threaded segment;
(b) a stop nut having a tapered edge surface, a tapered bore and a threaded bore,
the threaded bore engaging the threaded segment on the control shaft whereby rotation
of this control shaft translates the stop nut;
(c) an idler shaft having a tapered collar keyed thereto, the tapered collar
being inserted through the tapered bore in the stop nut, the idler shaft further
having first and second gears mounted thereon and affixed thereto, the first gear
cooperating with the gear formed on the threaded nut on said elongated lead screw
and the second gear cooperating with a further gear affixed to the second lead
screw; and
(c) an axial feed stop member having a tapered surface adapted to engage with
said tapered edge surface of the stop nut when the control shaft is turned in a
first direction and to disengage from said tapered surface of the stop nut when
the control shaft is turned in a direction opposite said first direction.
9. A metal working machine for reboring or refacing a workpiece, comprising,
in combination:
(a) an elongated boring bar journaled for rotation about a longitudinal axis
between longitudinally spaced mounting brackets, the boring bar having an annular
cutting head mounted thereon, the annular cutting head supporting a tool slide; and
(b) first drive means coupled to the boring bar for rotating the boring bar about
the longitudinal axis; and
(c) second drive means including a control shaft that arrests longitudinal movement
of the cutting head and initiates radial movement to the tool slide when the control
shaft is rotated in a first direction and arrests radial movement of the tool slide
and initiates longitudinal movement of the cutting head when the control shaft
is rotated in a direction opposite the first direction.
10. The metal working machine as in claim 9 wherein the control shaft is disposed
in the annular cutting head and includes a threaded segment with a stop nut having
a threaded bore for engaging the threaded segment whereby clockwise rotation of
the control shaft displaces the stop nut in a first direction and counterclockwise
rotation of the control shaft displaces the stop nut in a second direction opposite
to the first direction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to metal working machines, and more particularly
to a portable boring bar assembly with a radial feed head that can be used to rebore
cylindrical apertures and/or to reface flange surfaces such as may be found on
valves and other pipe or casing fittings in the field.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
Portable boring bars are well known in the art. They generally consist of
an elongated, cylindrical bar having a tool bit mounted thereon where the cylindrical
bar is journaled for rotation in a frame attachable to the workpiece. A first drive
member rotates the bar and a second drive member provides axial feed to the bar
and the first drive member. This general construction can be recognized in several
patents including the York U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,814, the Flaten U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,837
and the Sverdlin U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,186.
For example, in the York '814 patent, there is described an arrangement in which
a cylindrical boring bar is journaled for rotation in a pair of supports and is
adapted to translate the boring bar and its rotary drive motor assembly. A boring
tool is mounted along the length of the boring bar and projects radially there
from for engaging the wall of a cylindrical bore to be refurbished.
The Ricci et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,220 B1 improved upon these by providing
a much more facile machine where the mechanism for rotating the boring bar as well
as the drive for translating the cutting head can be adjustably positioned anywhere
along the length of the boring bar. While this was a remarkable improvement in
terms of adjustability, simplification of alignment, available torque, radial displacement,
and feed rate control, this design still required two separate and distinct drive
members to accomplish radial and axial movement of the cutting head.
The present invention is advantageous over the prior art due to new concepts
included in its simplified and scaled-back design. Some differences include a single
drive member operating a feed screw that runs down the bore bar enabling both radial
and axial feed of the head as well as an improved facing head design. The head
has an actuating shaft that allows it to stop and feed radially using the same
feed screw used for axial feed. Because this design creates an effective tool that
can be adjusted radially and axially using a single drive member, there is a substantial
increase in efficiency and reduction in the required cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for a boring/facing machine comprising an elongated,
generally cylindrical, rigid boring bar member that is journaled for rotation in
a pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets attachable to the workpiece to be refurbished.
The boring bar supports a cutting head member thereon which rotates with the boring
bar when the drive motor is activated and is capable of providing axial (longitudinal)
translation of the cutting head member. Additionally, the axial translation may
be stopped and radial movement of the cutting tool may be used for facing operations
of flange surfaces instead.
Either axial translation along the length of the boring bar or radial movement
of the cutting head is achieved by using a lead screw powered by the feeder motor.
The lead screw is journaled for rotation within a channel or groove in the surface
of the boring bar. The lead screw carries a traveling nut that engages the cutting
head member and causes axial translation or radial movement.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will
become readily apparent to those skilled in the art through a review of the following
detailed description in conjunction with the claims and accompanying drawings in
which like numerals in several views refer to the same corresponding parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the boring bar of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the bore bar facing head of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a isometric view of a partially assembled bore bar facing head of
the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the bore bar facing head of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention represents broadly applicable improvements for portable
bore bar assembly designed to rebore cylindrical apertures and to reface flange
surfaces. The embodiments herein are intended to be taken as representative of
those in which the invention may be incorporated and are not intended to be limiting.
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown an isometric view of a bore bar
assembly on which the radial feed facing head is mounted. The assembly itself is
indicated generally by numeral
10 and includes an elongated, generally cylindrical,
hardened steel bar member
12 that has a longitudinal groove
14 formed
inwardly from a peripheral surface thereof. The groove extends the entire length
of the bar member
12. Contained within the groove
14 is a threaded
lead screw
16 that is journaled for rotation within that groove. It is driven
by a feed motor
18 that is shown as being affixed to the left end of the
bore bar member
12 in FIG. 1. Disposed about the bar member
12 and
affixed to the mounting bracket
22 is a boring bar drive housing
19
which contains a gear transmission for rotationally coupling, either air motor,
as at
20, or a hydraulic motor, as at
21, or an electric motor (not
shown) to the drive housing
19 to effect the rotation of bar member
12
about its longitudinal axis. The feed motor
18 rotates with the bar member
12.
The bore bar member
12 is journaled for rotation in a pair of parallel,
spaced-apart swivel mount brackets
22 and
24 that are adapted for
attachment, either directly or indirectly, to a workpiece to be refurbished. Slidingly
disposed about the boring bar member
12 is the radial feed facing head assembly
26. This assembly is operatively coupled to the lead screw
16 as
to travel longitudinally along bar member
12 as the lead screw
16
is driven.
With reference to FIG. 2, the radial feed facing head assembly
26 can
be seen in greater detail. It is made up of two part radial covers
30 and
32, angle bracket
34, slide bracket
36, tool holder
38,
radial feed screw
40, and screw feed nut
42. Radial covers
30
and
32 fit together to form a somewhat cylindrical casing around the internal
gears and shaft components of the radial feed facing head assembly
26. The
two cover pieces are affixed together using bolts in a row of holes
44 on
each side of the bar member
12. Angle bracket
34 is generally a L-shaped
piece of metal which sits atop the top radial cover
30. The angle bracket
34 is reinforced down its center by a triangular shaped wedge
46.
Holes
48 for attachment to the top radial cover
30 and slide bracket
36 are located at the corners of the bottom and vertical faces of the angle
bracket
34.
Slide bracket
36 is a largely rectangular block that abuts up against
the vertical portion of the angle bracket
34 and the side of the radial
cover
30. The bottom of this rectangular block has a number of mounting
holes as well as an opening through which some of the inner gears extend. (See
FIG. 4.) On the sides of the slide bracket
36 are triangular-shaped gibs
50 and
52 which protrude slightly outward. The gibs
50 and
52 guide the tool holder
38 as it moves up and down.
Tool holder
38 is a somewhat U-shaped block that slides up and down gibs
50 and
52. It has beveled corners
51 and
53 leading
to a generally flat surface
55. Formed longitudinally in the surface
55
is a vertical slot
54 lined with holes
56, in which a cutting tool
(not shown) can be mounted for facing operations. Tool holder
38 has a center
cavity
57 containing gears which drive feed screw
40 to move the
tool holder
38 up and down. Surrounding the radial feed screw
40
and located in the inner cavity of tool holder
38 and the upper radial feed
housing
41 (See FIG. 4) is screw feed nut
42. Screw feed nut
42
is simply a threaded plate with several bolt holes
58 for mounting it to
the tool holder
38.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the radial feed facing head assembly
26
is shown with the top radial cover
30, angle bracket
34, slide bracket
36, tool holder
38, and screw feed nut
42 removed to show
the internal gearing for axially translating the assembly
26 along the bore
bar
12 or for radially displacing the facing head assembly
26.
Shown in FIG. 3 is the radial feed screw
40 that is responsible for
directing the radial movement of a cutting tool performing a facing operation.
The screw
40 projects perpendicularly to the bar member
12 and is
threaded with a predetermined pitch. The inner end of radial feed screw
40
is set in a stationary block with a cylindrical and conical bore making up a lower
feed housing
59. Within the lower feed housing
59, and surrounding
the lower end of the radial feed screw
40, is a bronze feed-screw bushing
63. Feed-screw
40 has a square key
61 midway up its inner
length (see FIG. 4) that is received in a correspondingly shaped bore in a spiral
miter gear
60. Spiral miter gear
60 includes gear teeth
62.
These gear teeth
62 are angled so as to mesh with the gear teeth
66
of an output gear
64. Output gear
64 and spiral miter gear
60
are oriented perpendicular to one another and are capable of converting a rotation
about a horizontal axis into one which is vertically, radially directed. The output
gear
64 is mounted axially on an adapter
69 (See FIG. 4) on the end
of a radial feed shaft
70. It is the condition of the radial feed shaft
70 that determines whether the assembly carrying the tool bit will move
axially along the boring bar
12 or will move radially relative to the boring bar.
Radial feed shaft
70 is surrounded by a number of components that are
largely cylindrical and aligned axially. Moving down the shaft
70 from output
gear
64, there is a thrust bushing
71, followed by a bearing
72
for journaling the shaft
70 in the radial cover member
30. The next
component, moving to the right along the shaft
70, is a rectangular block
referred to as nut
74. This nut is in the shape of a rectangular block except
that the bottom face of the block is slightly sloped, and rests upon the sloped
top of axial feed stop
76. (See FIG. 4.) Nut
74 has a bore
78
through which shaft
70 passes. This bore is lined by tapered collar
80
that is then keyed to a snap ring cone
75 (See FIG. 4) surrounding shaft
70. Next to the right on shaft
70 is a spur gear
84. Spur
gear
84 engages with spur gear
86. This interaction is largely responsible
for transferring rotational power from the threaded lead screw
16 to the
radial feed shaft
70. Beyond gear
84 is a bushing
88 (See
FIG. 4.) and bearing
89 which are supported by an end plate
90 in
its circular flange
92 in which shaft
70 terminates. The plate
90
has a curved bottom
94 which abuts up against the outer circumference of
the bar member
12. Holes
96 in the corners of plate
90 allow
for attachment to the top radial cover
30.
FIG. 3 also shows a shaft
102 that is placed in spaced apart, parallel
relation to shaft
70. This shaft
102 is located within a bore extending
through the radial cover
30. (not shown) The shaft
102 rotates around
bushings
103, located near each of its ends. The shaft
102 is also
threaded around its perimeter for axial travel along nut
74. The final component
on the end of shaft
102 is a end hex nut
98. (See FIG. 4.) This nut
98 is located on a short portion of shaft
102 that juts through end
plate
90 and outside the radial cover
30. This nut
98 allows
an operator to turn feed control shaft
102 using a box wrench or similar
tool. Rotation of this nut results in engaging or disengaging the nut
74
with respect to the axial feed stop
76 or conversely engaging or disengaging
nut
74 with respect to cone
80.
Also shown in FIG. 3 is a shoulder bolt
100. This component runs through
nut
74 and fastens into radial cover
30 providing further stability
to the assembly. The unthreaded portions of the shoulder bolt facilitate sliding
movement of the nut
74 therealong when the shaft
102 is manually turned.
FIG. 4 shows a side cross-section of the assembly where the remaining elements
are disclosed. These include parts contained along the threaded lead screw
16,
such as axial feed stop
76. The axial feed stop
76 is a somewhat
rectangular block having a bore through which the threaded lead-screw
16
passes. The top face of the block is slightly sloped for engagement with the slanted
bottom face of nut
74. Axial feed stop
76 moves a small amount up
or down based upon the position of nut
74 on the feed control shaft
102.
Also contained along the threaded lead screw
16 is the helical gear
86.
Helical gear
86 has a hex shaped inside profile that rides on an internally
threaded, externally hexed adapter. The outside of gear
86 has teeth that
mesh with those of gear
84. Surrounding gear
86 are needle bearings
104 on both of its sides which ride on bushings
106 to each side.
Underneath the threads of the gear
84 is a threaded hex adapter
108.
This hex adapter
108 fits to the hex shaped inside profile of gear
86.
These comprise the components that allow for transfer of axial rotation of screw
16 to radial translation.
Further shown in FIG. 4 are the angle bracket
34, slide bracket
36,
tool holder
38, feed screw
40, and feed nut
42. This figure
discloses locations where bolts are used to secure these pieces together, such
as at bolt-holes
48,
58,
96, etc. The holes
56 shown
in the tool holder
38 represent the location where the tool blade would
be mounted which would perform the facing operations.
Now that the details of the mechanical construction of radial feed facing head
of the present invention have been described, consideration will next be given
to its mode of operation. The present invention is capable of operating in both
a mode of operation in which the feed facing head assembly
26 undergoes
axial translation along the bar member
12 and a mode of operation in which
the facing tool of the feed facing head assembly
26 moves in a radial direction.
Both of these operations can be depicted and explained by primarily looking to
FIG. 4.
When an axial translation operation is desired, the machine is first put in
position and mounted within a work piece using the two swivel mount brackets
22
and
24. Next, the operator must turn end nut
98 so that the feed
control shaft
102 causes the nut
74 to move to the right in FIG.
4, i.e., toward the gears
84 and
86. When the nut
74 travels
in this direction, it engages the tapered collar
80 on the shaft
70
and prevents the shaft
70 from rotating. The operator starts the motor
18,
which causes axial rotation of threaded lead screw
16. This causes the radial
feed facing head assembly
26 to travel axially along the threaded lead screw
16 based on the rotating interaction between the lead screw
16 and
the threaded hex adapter
108 driving the inner diameter of gear
86.
When a facing operation is desired requiring radial movement of the facing tool
of the feed facing head assembly
26, the machine is positioned in the workpiece
using the swivel mount brackets
22 and
24, as before. Next, the operator,
using a wrench, turns the feed control shaft
102 in a direction such that
nut
74 moves to the left, away from the gears
84 and
86. When
the nut
74 travels in this direction, it pushes the axial feed stop
76
down so that it engages with the keyway and prevents axial feed. With the axial
feed stop
76 so engaged, the gear train is free to rotate the radial feed
head
26. Generally, the feed-motor
18 is turned on by the operator
and that causes threaded lead screw
16 to rotate. This, in turn, causes
gear
86 to rotate, which then causes gear
84 to rotate. Shaft
70
and, accordingly, output gear
64 are also turned, causing screw drive gear
60 and radial feed screw
40 to turn. Finally, the rotation of feed
screw
40 causes tool holder
38 (carrying a tool not shown) to move
up or down the slide bracket
36 depending on the direction of rotation of
the lead screw
16, providing the desired overall radial movement of the
tool. The bar member
12, additionally, will be rotated about its longitudinal
axis within the swivel mount brackets
22 and
24 in either of these
two modes of operation discussed. This is accomplished, as in the Ricci et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,220, by the drive means made up of the boring bar drive housing
19 and either an air motor
20 or a hydraulic motor
21. Therefore,
the axial translation mode will result in a boring operation of a surrounding tubular
workpiece. The axial movement of the cutting blade combined with the rotation of
bar member
12 allows the inside diameter of the work piece being bored away
and smoothed. The radial movement of the facing tool will result in a facing operation,
which will slowly smooth the faces of flange surfaces the tool's blade comes into
contact with.
It can be seen, then, that the present invention provides an improved, versatile,
efficient portable boring and facing machine. The result is that there is a more
simple and scaled-back machine.
This invention has been defined herein in considerable detail in order to comply
with the Patent Statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information
needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized
components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention
can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various
modifications, both as to the equipment details and operating procedures, can be
accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself
*
