Wheel hub for longer wheel life

• US 5,895,317 A
• Filed: 12/18/1996
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Abrasives Incorporated (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Norton Company (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Timm, F. Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Eileen P.
• Application Number:
  US08/768,520
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 451/344, 451/359, 451/360, 451/548, 451/549, 451/550, 451/508
• US Class Current: 451/548
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 5/12 Cut-off wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 5/16 Bushings; Mountings
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 7/16 Bushings; Mountings

Abstract

A wheel hub is provided for use in combination with conventional depressed center grinding wheels. The hub includes a generally cylindrical aperture bushing. A disc shaped flange extends radially from a medial portion of the bushing and terminates at a peripheral lip. The bushing is adapted to extend through a central bore of the wheel so that the lip engages the backing face of the wheel proximate an outermost circumference of the depressed center. A grinding face end of the bushing is flangeable radially outward to engage the front grinding face of the wheel and mechanically capture the wheel between the grinding face end and the flange. The flange, lip and backing face form a cavity into which epoxy resin is placed to chemically bond the hub to the wheel. The combination of mechanical fastening and chemical bonding adequately secures the hub to the wheel, nominally without requiring the flange to extend over the stub. The present invention thus advantageously enables the wheel to be ground nominally to the stub, to provide improved wheel utilization.

Claims

1. A grinding wheel hub for mounting an abrasive grinding wheel having a depressed center on a grinding apparatus, the abrasive grinding wheel having a grinding face and a backing face disposed on opposite sides of the abrasive grinding wheel, and a substantially flat, depressed center, having a mounting aperture being disposed centrally within the depressed center;

said grinding wheel hub comprising;

an aperture bushing of substantially cylindrical configuration, adapted for co-axial extension through and engagement with the surface of the mounting aperture;

a grinding face fastener disposed on said aperture bushing and adapted to engage the grinding face of the wheel;

a backing flange extending substantially radially outward from said aperture bushing member, and adapted for superposed alignment with the backing face;

an annular engagement surface disposed along a periphery of said backing flange, and adapted to engage the backing face of the wheel;

wherein said backing flange has a substantially concave surface adapted to face the backing face; and

said annular engagement surface is adapted to engage the backing face of the wheel proximate an outermost circumference of the depressed center of the wheel.

2. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the backing flange has a bond surface adapted to face the backing face; and

said bond surface is sized and shaped to provide a cavity between said backing flange and the backing face of the grinding wheel when said annular engagement surface is engaged with the backing face, the cavity being adapted for receipt of a bonding agent therein to bond said grinding wheel hub to the abrasive grinding wheel.

3. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 1, wherein said grinding face fastener comprises a grinding face end of said aperture bushing, said grinding face end adapted for being flanged radially outward from the mounting aperture to engage the grinding face.

4. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a peripheral lip depending substantially axially from a terminal circumference of said flange, said peripheral lip terminating at said annular engagement surface.

5. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 4, wherein said backing flange and said peripheral lip define said substantially concave surface.

6. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cavity is defined by said aperture bushing member, said backing flange and said peripheral lip, in combination with the backing face of the abrasive grinding wheel.

7. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 2, wherein adhesive is disposed within the cavity to bond the grinding wheel hub to the abrasive grinding wheel.

8. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 2, wherein said flange further comprises a plurality of surface irregularities adapted to provide a textured surface area for engagement with the adhesive.

9. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 8, wherein said plurality of surface irregularities comprises a plurality of grooves extending radially from said aperture.

10. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 1, wherein said annular engagement surface is adapted for surface to surface engagement with the backing face.

11. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 10, wherein said annular engagement surface, in an axial cross-section thereof, is disposed at an oblique angle relative the co-axial direction, said annular engagement surface being adapted for superimposed engagement with a portion of the backing face.

12. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 11, wherein said annular engagement surface is disposed at an approximately 19 degree angle relative the co-axial direction.

13. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 12, wherein the abrasive grinding wheel includes a substantially discoid depressed center that fairs in a radially outward direction into a substantially concavo-convex stub portion, the generally concavo-convex stub portion fairing radially outward therefrom into a grinding portion, said annular engagement surface being adapted to engage the backing face of the abrasive grinding wheel proximate the fairing of the depressed center into the concavo-convex stub portion.

14. The grinding wheel hub as set forth in claim 13, wherein the abrasive grinding wheel comprises an ANSI Type 27 wheel.

15. The grinding wheel hub of claim 7, wherein the adhesive is an epoxy resin.

16. A grinding wheel assembly adapted for being mounted on a grinding apparatus, comprising;

an abrasive grinding wheel having a depressed center and a mounting aperture disposed centrally therein, and a grinding face and a backing face disposed on opposite sides of the abrasive grinding wheel;

the grinding wheel hub of claim 1; and

a bonding agent between the backing face and the wheel hub.

17. A method of mounting an abrasive grinding wheel on a grinding apparatus, the abrasive grinding wheel having a substantially flat, depressed center, a mounting aperture disposed centrally within the depressed center, and a grinding face and a backing face disposed on opposite sides of the abrasive grinding wheel, said method comprising:

providing a grinding wheel hub having an aperture bushing of substantially cylindrical configuration, adapted for co-axial extension through and engagement with the surface of the mounting aperture;

inserting the aperture bushing through and in engagement with the surface of the mounting aperture;

fabricating a grinding face fastener on the aperture bushing by flanging an end of the aperature bushing to engage a portion of the grinding face of the wheel within the depressed center of the wheel;

applying a bonding agent to a substantially concave bond surface of a backing flange adapted to receive the bonding agent therein, the backing flange having a substantially discoid shape and an annular engagement surface along an outermost circumference of said backing flange, and the bond surface being adapted for superposed alignment with the backing face of the abrasive wheel;

disposing the backing flange on the aperature bushing to engage the annular engagement surface with the backing face of the wheel, the annular engagement surface being adapted to engage the backing face of the wheel proximate a periphery of the depressed center of the wheel;

wherein the wheel is captured between the grinding face fastener and the backing flange, and the bonding agent bonds the backing flange of the grinding wheel hub to the backing face of the wheel.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said step of providing the backing flange with a concave surface further comprises the steps of providing a peripheral lip depending substantially axially from a terminal circumference of said flange and terminating the peripheral lip at the annular engagement surface.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the bonding agent comprises an epoxy resin.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the step of providing the concave surface with a plurality of surface irregularities adapted to provide a textured surface area for engagement with the bonding agent.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein said plurality of surface irregularities comprises a plurality of grooves extending radially from said aperture.

22. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the annular engagement surface is in superimposed engagement with a portion of the backing face.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, wherein said annular engagement surface, in an axial cross-section, is disposed at an oblique angle relative the axial direction of said hub, said annular engagement surface being adapted for superimposed engagement with a portion of the backing face disposed at an oblique angle relative the axial direction of the abrasive grinding wheel.

24. A grinding wheel hub for mounting an abrasive grinding wheel on a grinding apparatus, the abrasive grinding wheel having a substantially flat, depressed center, a mounting aperture disposed centrally within the depressed center, and a grinding face and a backing face disposed on opposite sides of the abrasive grinding wheel, said grinding wheel hub comprising:

an aperture bushing of substantially cylindrical configuration, adapted for co-axial extension through and engagement with the surface of the mounting aperture;

a grinding face fastener disposed on said aperture bushing and adapted to engage the grinding face of the wheel;

a backing flange of substantially discoid shape extending radially outward from said aperture bushing member, and adapted for superposed alignment with the backing face;

said backing flange having a substantially concave surface adapted to face the backing face;

an annular engagement surface disposed along a periphery of said backing flange and adapted to engage the backing face of the wheel proximate an outermost circumference of the depressed center;

wherein said substantially concave surface of said flange provides a cavity between said backing flange and the backing face of the grinding wheel when said annular engagement surface is engaged with the backing face, the cavity adapted for receipt of a bonding agent therein to bond said grinding wheel hub to the abrasive grinding wheel.