Burnishing tool holder

• US 5,099,558 A
• Filed: 01/27/1989
• Issued: 03/31/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Wilson, Martin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kisliuk, Bruce M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAVINDER, JACK W
• Application Number:
  US07/302,522
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 72/80-85, 407/8-10, 29/90.01, 29/90.5
• US Class Current: 29/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 39/04 designed for working external surfaces of revolution
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/47 Burnishing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/476 Continuous feed

Abstract

A burnishing tool holder and a method of burnishing wherein the burnishing tool has a resilient U-shaped thin strip interconnected to a bracket that supports a burnishing roller and a tool holder that is mounted on a slide that is moveable longitudinally and transversely of a hollow wheel rim. The U-shaped member is yieldable along a line normal to the axis of rotation of the burnishing roller to present a variable force on the workpiece to burnish a horizontally extending surface of different thicknesses.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for burnishing a workpiece consisting essentially of a lathe with a headstock, chuck means mounted in said headstock for holding a workpiece for rotation about a first axis, slide member means mounted on said lathe for movement along a first path parallel to said first axis and along a second path transverse to said first axis, a tool holder mounted on said slide member means for movement therewith, a resilient generally U-shaped member with spaced leg members, one of said leg members is secured to said tool holder, the other one of said leg members is secured to a bracket member, said generally U-shaped resilient member having a circumferentially extending loop portion that interconnects said leg members, a burnishing roller mounted on said bracket member for effecting a burnishing operation on said workpiece, input means connected to said slide member means for moving said slide member means along with said tool holder and said one leg member of said resilient U-shaped member along said first path and said second path, said input means being the sole force producing means between said input means and said one leg member that is secured to said tool holder that supports said U-shaped resilient member, and said U-shaped resilient member modifying such force on said workpiece by said burnishing roller as said input means operates on said slide member means once said burnishing roller contacts said workpiece while moving said slide members along said first path and said second path.

2. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 1 wherein said circumferential loop is over 220 degrees between said leg members and yieldable in a direction normal to said axis of rotation of said burnishing roller.

3. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tool holder is moved with said slide member means and said resilient member and burnishing roller along said first and second paths in response to a numerically controlled output to said input means to thereby produce a force from said burnishing roller onto said workpiece that may be variable in accordance with said numerically controlled output.

4. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 2 wherein said resilient generally U-shaped member with said circumferential loop is a thin flat strip that yields along a line that intersects the axis of said burnishing roller and passes through the juncture of said strip to said tool holder and said bracket member.

5. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 4 wherein said burnishing roller has a narrow width with a sharp radius presenting a narrow profile for burnishing.

6. In an apparatus for burnishing a workpiece having a lathe with a headstock, chuck means mounted in said headstock for holding an aircraft wheel with a linear and curved profile for rotation about a first axis, slide means mounted on said lathe for movement along a path parallel to said first axis and transverse to said first axis, a tool holder mounted on said slide means for movement therewith, a resilient generally U-shaped member with spaced leg members, one of said leg members is secured to said tool holder, the other one of said leg members is secured to a bracket member, said generally U-shaped resilient member having a circumferentially extending loop portion that interconnects said leg members, a burnishing roller mounted on said bracket member for effecting a burnishing operation on said workpiece, means for urging said burnishing wheel against said aircraft wheel and consisting essentially of an input means which determines said slide means movement along said first axis and movement transverse to said first axis to thereby maintain said burnishing roller in engagement with said aircraft wheel and maintain a force thereagainst that is proportional solely to said input means which may be a variable force on said linear and curved profile of said aircraft wheel.

7. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 6 wherein said circumferential loop is over 220 degrees between said leg members and yieldable in a direction normal to said axis of rotation of said burnishing roller while said burnishing roller is in engagement with said workpiece.

8. In an apparatus for burnishing as set forth in claim 7 wherein said input means is numerically controlled.

9. In an apparatus for roll-burnishing an aircraft wheel with a linear and curved profile consisting essentially of a slide member means which moves longitudinally and transversely with respect to the aircraft wheel, control input means connected to said slide member means for operatively controlling said longitudinal and transverse movement, a U-shaped spring member, said spring member having a pair of spaced leg members, one of said leg members mounted on said slide member means for movement therewith, a burnishing roller journaled on the other one of said leg members for engagement with such aircraft wheel, said control input means providing a force by said burnishing roller on said aircraft wheel that is proportional solely to said input means as modified by said U-shaped spring member for forcing said burnishing roller into engagement with such linear and curved profile of such aircraft wheel as said input means is transmitted to said burnishing roller via said U-shaped spring member that interconnects said leg members.