Other

Merit Abrasive Products, Inc.

3m Innovative Properties Company

Aleck Block

Hiroshi Hasegawa

Peter Joseph Fritz

Robert G Saunier

Arthur F Carlson

A holder for an abrasive disc allows for a quick manual change of the abrasive disc. The holder including an uncoupling mechanism that in turn includes a handle comprising a pin and an adjacent hub comprising a partial annular channel. The handle and hub have a limited rotational engagement wherein the pin travels in the channel. When an operator desires to replace an abrasive disc, the operator grasps the handle with one hand and rotates the disc, face plate, and hub, together as a unit, with the other hand. This counter-rotation breaks the tight attachment of the disc on the shaft of the finishing tool, so that disc can be easily unthreaded from the shaft.

Rotating back up abrasive disc assembly

Abrasive particles are adhered to a first surface of a backing member to define an abrasive-coated flap. The abrasive particles are removed from support portions of the flaps in a pack but only substantially at the positions on the flaps where the flaps in the pack are tightly compressed and supported by retaining members. In addition to being compressed at the support positions, the flaps are compressed at positions interior to the support positions but to a lesser degree than at the support portions because the abrasive material remains on the interior portions of the flaps. An adhesive may be applied to the flaps at the support positions and the interior positions to retain the flaps in fixed position relative to one another. Abrasive strips having compressible properties (e.g. 'Scotch Brite' material manufactured by 3M) may be disposed between adjacent abrasive-coated flaps. In some applications, the abrasive particles may be removed from the support portions and the interior portions of some of the abrasive-coated flaps in a pack to assure that an optimum number of flaps may be provided in each pack while still allowing the packs to be disposed in an annular array in a wheel without physical interference between adjacent packs. Wheels constructed from the packs described above are advantageous in that they have a considerably greater number of flaps than the corresponding wheels of the prior art. They are stronger in construction and safer in operation than the corresponding wheels of the prior art.

Flap wheel

Abrasive particles are adhered on a first surface of a backing member to define a flap. These particles are removed from support portions of a plurality of flaps. The flaps are stacked and compressed so that the inner ends of the support surfaces on contiguous flaps abut and so that the abrasive particles at the juncture between the support portion and a working portion on each flap abut the second surface of the contiguous flap. This causes a controlled spacing (e.g. wedge-shaped) to be produced between the support portions of contiguous flaps with the flaps uniformly separated at their outer ends. These controlled spacings may be at least partially filled with an adhesive compatible with the adhesive on the first flap surfaces to form the flaps into an array or pack. An anchor may be attached to the pack and may be constructed to couple the pack to a rotary member. The anchor may have an arm attached to the flap support portions with an enlarged portion at its inner end for coupling to the rotary member. Alternatively, the anchor may have a pair of spaced arms attached to the flap support portions and a portion integrating the arms and coupled to the rotary member or may be attached to the inner ends of the support portions be disposed in a socket with a restricted neck in the rotary member. Alternatively, the flaps may be packed tightly into an annulus to define a central hole, potted with an adhesive.

An abrasive disc includes a sheet having abrasive particles on one surface of the sheet. A fastener has a flat flange portion which is adhered to the sheet. Coupling portions on the fastener extend in a transverse direction from the flange portion and legs extends from the free ends of the coupling portion at an angle to the coupling portions. This angle may be between 20.degree. and 75.degree.. The fastener is formed from a sheet of metal which includes the flange portion, the coupling portions and the legs being formed from the portion of the sheet interior to the flange portion. The fastener is constructed to be coupled to a drive member. The drive member includes a housing having a socket. Detent portions are raised in the socket and are provided with detent surfaces. A shaft extends through the center of the socket and has a recess. In the coupled relationship of the disc and the drive member, the coupling portions on the fastener abut the detent surfaces so that the detent surfaces stop the coupling portions from rotating relative to the drive member. In one embodiment, this stopping action is substantially radial and, in another embodiment, this force is substantially tangential. The legs are disposed in the recess in the shaft so that the legs exerts an axial force on the shaft and thus prevent axial displacement of the disc relative to the drive member.

Abrasive apparatus

A support disc preferably has an annular periphery, a central opening and a pair of substantially parallel side surfaces. Abrasive packs are disposed on the periphery of the disc in spaced relationship to one another. Each pack is formed from a stack of thin abrasive strips having abrasive particles on one surface. The packs are attached to the disc periphery with opposite ends disposed against the opposite side surfaces of the disc. The packs are preferably tilted in the direction of disc rotation so that the trailing edge of the outermost strip in each pack engages the workpiece. When the angle of tilting is large, the pack ends of the packs may be cut at an angle to facilitate an abutting relationship between adjacent disc packs. In one embodiment, the abrasive wheel is disposable. In another embodiment, only the abrasive packs on the disc (and not the disc) are disposable. In this embodiment, the packs may be bent into a horse-shoe shape and bonded to one another at their peripheries as by resin. In both embodiments, the disc and the peripherally disposed packs can be supported for rotation as by a pair of plates with center holes, each disposed against the packs at an opposite side surface of the disc. A motor arbor can be extended through the center holes of the plates and the disc. A nut attached to the arbor can retain the plates in pressed relationship against the packs on the disc for rotation of the packs against a workpiece.

Abrasive wheel

A disc may have a backing member or sheet and an abrasive sheet, each with first and second opposed faces. The first face of the abrasive sheet may be attached to the second face of the backing sheet and the second face of the abrasive sheet may be provided with abrasive particles. Alternatively, the sheets may be integrated into a single member. A staple is attached to the sheets and is provided with body and end portions. The body portion of the staple extends along the first surface of the abrasive sheet and the end portions of the staple extend through the sheets. The end portions are turned inwardly against the second surface of the backing sheet. In one embodiment, the sheets have a central opening and the end portions of the staple abut the second surface of the backing sheet. A holder detains the body portion of the staple. In another embodiment, the end portions of the staple define a looped relationship with the second surface of the backing sheet and the holder cooperates with such looped relationships to detain the disc. The detention by the holder may be provided at the periphery of the holder or at positions within the holder. The holder and the disc may be associated with a camming member and with a reinforcing plate. The camming member and the reinforcing plate cooperate with each other and with the holder to insure that the holder and the disc can be easily removed from the camming member and the reinforcing plate even when the holder has become jammed against the reinforcing plate by the application of a force by a workpiece against the disc.

Abrasive material mounting structure

An arbor is threaded in a first direction. An adaptor bushing is disposed on the arbor and is externally threaded in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A reinforcing plate is rotatable on the adaptor bushing in the second direction. A detent arrangement may be provided on the adapter bushing and the reinforcing plate to limit the movement of the reinforcing plate relative to the adaptor bushing. An abrasive wheel or disc is provided with first and second opposite surfaces and abrasive particles are disposed throughout the disc. A nut is disposed in a bore in the disc and is threaded for rotation on the arbor in the first direction. When the disc engages the reinforcing plate, continued rotation of the disc in the first direction causes the reinforcing plate to rotate in the second direction and to press against the disc. When the disc is to be released, it is rotated in the second direction, thereby producing a movement of the reinforcing plate in the first direction to release the disc from the reinforcing plate. A yieldable detent relationship may be provided between the reinforcing plate and the disc to facilitate a coupling action between them in accordance with rotation of the disc in the first direction and to facilitate a releasing action on the disc in accordance with the rotation of the disc in the second direction.

A camming member is disposed on a threaded arbor and is provided with a first face having at least one inclined surface. A first face of a reinforcing plate is disposed in abutting relationship to the first face of the camming member and is provided with at least one inclined surface corresponding to the at least one inclined surface of the camming member. A second face of the reinforcing plate abuts a first face of an abrasive disc or wheel. At least one of the second face of the reinforcing plate and the first face of the disc may be constructed to provide a yieldably clutching relationship with the other one of such faces. An internally threaded nut is disposed in a central bore in the disc in abutting relationship to the walls of the bore and to the second face of the disc and is attached to these surfaces as by an adhesive material. The adhesive material may be elastomeric. Abrasive particles are dispersed throughout the disc. When the abrasive disc is disposed on the arbor in abutting relationship with the reinforcing plate and the arbor is rotated and the disc is applied against a workpiece, the at least one inclined surface on the reinforcing plate become cammed on the at least one inclined surface of the camming member. This causes the reinforcing plate to move axially in a direction to provide an enhanced coupling with the abrasive disc.

A holder for supporting an abrasive disc having a centrally located nut member and with the nut member including a flange portion located adjacent the disc and a thread portion extending from the flange portion, the holder including a central metallic member, a stud member extending through the central metallic member and including a threaded end portion, a flexible pad portion supported by and extending radially outwardly from the central metallic member to support the abrasive disc, a stop member composed of a low friction plastic material and with a first portion of the stop member disposed around and spaced from the threaded end portion of the stud member and with a second portion of the stop member located adjacent to the central metallic member and with the stop member captured in position for free rotation relative to the central metallic member and the stud member when the holder is not-supporting the abrasive disc, and the threaded end portion of the stud member for receiving the threaded portion of the nut member of the abrasive disc to thread the abrasive disc onto the holder and with the second portion of the stop member for abutting the flange portion of the nut member to compress the stop member to abut the central metallic member as the abrasive disc is threaded onto the holder.

Abrasive disc holder

An abrasive disc includes a rotatable sheet. Abrasive particles are disposed on a first side of the sheet to provide an abrasive action. Coupled to the sheet means are (1) a first portion defining at least one internal thread in spaced relationship to the opposite surface of the sheet for threaded coupling with an externally threaded mandrel, (2) a second portion extending from the first portion along the opposite surface of the sheet and providing a transmittal of force from the first portion and (3) a third portion extending from the second portion into coupled relationship with the sheet and receiving the transmitted force and providing a force for driving the sheet means. The first portion of the coupling defines a boss disposed on the opposite surface of the sheet in spaced relationship to the sheet and having an opening operative as a single-turn internal thread. The second portion of the coupling defines a flange disposed against the opposite surface of the sheet in a frictional, but non-adhering, relationship with the sheet. The third portion extends from the periphery of the second portion and defines drive fingers which extend through the sheet to retain the sheet in a driven relationship. The third portion of the coupling is bent against the abrasive surface of the sheet means. When thus bent, the third portion of the coupling means is disposed in flush relationship with the sheet means because there are no burrs produced on the sheet means when the drive fingers are driven through the sheet means.

Method of making an abrasive disc

An abrasive pack for use with an elongated hub having a plurality of spaced slots each extending along the length of the drum and with a plurality of the abrasive packs each extending outwardly from the drum and each positioned adjacent an individual one of the slots, each pack including a plurality of abrasive flaps of abrasive material stacked together to form a pack, the abrasive flaps each including a plurality of slits located periodically along the length of the flaps and with each slot extending partially along the height of the flap for increasing the flexibility of the flaps to bending and twisting, an attachment member means having an end portion and a loop portion; a supporting strip positioned adjacent the sides of the end portion of the attachment member to support and retain the end portions; the supporting strip including a plurality of slits located periodically along the length of the strip and with each slit extending partially along the height of the strip for increasing the flexibility of the strip to bending and twisting, and the supporting strip and the end portion disposed between individual flaps in the pack and with the loop portion without the pack for reception within an individual one of the slots for locking the loop portion within the slot.

Abrasive flap drum

A flexible grinding wheel, including, a core member having a central opening and a flange portion at one end, a shaft member disposed within the central opening and extending from the core member for supporting the core member for rotation, a plurality of leaves of abrasive material extending radially outward and disposed circumferentially around the core member and with the plurality of leaves at one end disposed against the flange, and bonding material disposed to bond the leaves to the core member including the flange portion and with the bonding material disposed between the leaves and extending partially outward along the length of the leaves from the core.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Aleck Block