Western Gear Corporation

Western Gear Machinery Co.

Jack L Odell, Ii

Royal T Hawley

John P Veale

Michael W Reith

Robert A Mayer

Robert F Obear

A system for determining and recording the position, size, shape and depth of a defect in a billet or similar workpiece. The workpiece is displayed on the screen of a video display device, and the positions of the defects on the screen are recorded responsive to being manually selected by an operator. In embodiments in which the position of a video camera generating the video image varies with respect to the workpiece, sensors are used to determine the positions of the workpiece with respect to the camera. The position indications from the sensors are applied to a processor which correlates these indications with the position of the defect on the screen to determine the position of the defect on the workpiece.

System for recording the locations of workpiece defects

A weighing system for a grinding machine which calculates the weight of material removed by the grinding machinery during a grinding procedure. Power signals from a watt meter indicate the power consumed by the motor driving the grinding wheel. The weight of the material removed since the previous calculation is then periodically calculated from the power signals. This incremental weight removal value is then added to the sum of a previously calculated incremental weight removal values to provide an indication of the total weight removed from the workpiece. The calculation also includes a coefficient indicative of the grinding efficiency of the grinding wheel which, in turn, is a function of the density and hardness of the material in the workpiece, the grinding characteristics of the grinding wheel, and the peripheral velocity of the grinding wheel. The peripheral velocity may be calculated by multiplying a signal from a tachometer that is proportional to grinding wheel rotational velocity by the radius of the grinding wheel. The radius of the grinding wheel may be determined by sensing the position of the grinding wheel spindle when the grinding wheel makes contact with the workpiece and comparing this position to the position of a manipulator car carrying the workpiece and the height of the workpiece.

Workpiece weighing system for conditioning grinders

An elongated metal workpiece such as a slab or billet is moved longitudinally beneath a grinding head by a reciprocating car mounted on an elongated track. The grinding head includes a rotating grinding wheel mounted at the end of a first arm which is pivotally secured to one end of a pivotally mounted second arm. A hydraulic actuator extending between the frame and the first arm controls the grinding force exerted by the grinding wheel on the workpiece. One end of the actuator is connected to an accumulator which provides a constant upward bias to the arm while the pressure in the other end of the actuator is varied in accordance with a pressure control signal. The pressure control signal is derived from both a calculated torque command indicative of the grinding force expected to produce a grinding torque corresponding to the torque command and a torque error signal which is a function of the deviation of actual torque from the torque command in order to maintain the grinding torque substantially constant. The car may be reciprocated so that the grinding wheel travels beyond the end of the workpiece with the hydraulic actuator being locked to hold the position of the wheel constant. The grinding force may be limited to a preset maximum by allowing hydraulic fluid to flow from the actuator to raise the grinder head as grinding force exceeds the limiting value.

Growing community of inventors

Snohomish County, WA, United States of America

Jack L Odell, Ii