Abstract: Thin wall, torque sensitive pinion gears, sun gears or other such workparts are driven in rotation in a fixture during honing of the internal diameter to minimize out-of-roundness. The fixture for honing multiple workparts at a time includes a workpart driving means having multiple workpart driving gears each meshed with a respective one of the workparts. Each workpart driving gear is mounted on a hollow rotatable bushing arranged end-to-end with respect to adjacent bushings and dog-bone shaped driver members interconnect and are drivingly received in adjacent bushings. Means is connected to one of the dog-bone shaped members to rotate same and thereby cause the workpart driver gears to rotate the workparts in unison during honing.

Abstract: An electrical discharge machine including a base frame having secured thereon a workpiece holding fixture and an upright frame member, a support member slidably mounted on the upright frame member, either one or two turrets indexably mounted on the support member, and a plurality of equally spaced electrode cartridge assemblies removably mounted on each turret. Each cartridge assembly includes an electrode guide and one or more electrodes extending through the electrode guide to a position just above a workpiece. A suitable drive unit moves the support member and turret and, hence, the cartridge assembly and electrodes toward and away from the workpieces to spark erode desired openings therein.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process for manufacturing thin walled hollow parts such as automobile crash pads from dry thermoplastic powder includes a louver type valve system in the open end of a powder charge box and means for joining the charge box end-to-end with an open-ended heated mold for rotation so that the charge box will be inverted above the mold at the end of an upward swing movement during which the valve is closed to prevent flow of powder to the mold. Once the charge box is fully inverted the valve is opened to evenly distribute the powder into the mold by gravity flow to prevent excessive build-up of wall thickness on the mold surfaces.

Abstract: In pressure forming splines or teeth in the axially-extending sleeve of a clutch hub having a cylindrical oil seal surface adjacent the sleeve, a pair of special tooth-forming racks adapted to intermesh with a toothed mandrel with the sleeve therebetween and a pair of special support racks adapted to contact the oil seal surface are used. Each tooth-forming rack includes a first working surface with a plurality of toothed sections interrupted and spaced apart by toothless sections in an alternating sequence and each further includes a second working surface with uninterrupted toothed sections. Each support rack includes a first working surface with raised support sections interrupted and spaced apart by lower non-supporting sections in a proper alternating sequence and configuration to insure that the raised sections support the oil seal surface when the interrupted toothed rack sections of the tooth-forming racks deform the sleeve.

Abstract: A machine for electrochemically machining oversize airfoil blades of an integral bladed gas turbine engine rotor includes a yoke assembly on which the rotor is fixtured and which is pivotable to place the lateral center plane of the rotor at an angle or skew relative to the center plane of the machine and opposed cathodes in an electrolyte chamber at a workpart machining position in the chamber. The cathodes have pockets to receive airfoil blades adjacent the individual blade to be machined without contact with the adjacent blades as the cathodes and workpart are moved relative to the workpart machining position during workpart positioning in the chamber and also during advancement of the cathodes from a cathode start machining position toward the workpart during machining. The yoke assembly includes a pivot pin and locking mechanism for releasably locking the angular position of the yoke assembly.

Abstract: An integral bladed rotor for a gas turbine engine is fixtured on an incrementally indexed arbor and enclosed by a shroud except for a portion of the rotor to be inserted into an electrolyte chamber for machining by opposed cathodes at a workpart machining position. The shroud and electrolyte chamber are in sealed relation when the portion of rotor is inserted for machining, and the shroud and electrolyte chamber include cooperative locating features to precisely position the rotor portion at the workpart machining position in the chamber. The shroud remains on the arbor during incremental indexing of the latter and is itself retained against substantial indexing movement while the rotor is indexed.

Abstract: A machine tool, such as an internal grinding machine, includes a tool quill exchanging mechanism having an indexable tool quill storage magazine for positioning a replacement tool quill at a pick-up position, a worn or used tool quill discharge mechanism having a tool quill pick-off cam plate and discharge chute in spaced juxtaposition to the tool quill pick-up position. A pivotal tool quill exchange arm includes first and second tool quill stations for releasably retaining a worn or used tool quill and replacement tool quill, respectively, and is pivotal to first and second tool quill exchange positions. At the first tool quill exchange position relative to the tool quill storage magazine and discharge means, a worn or used tool quill is removed from the first tool quill station by the pick-off means and falls into a discharge chute and generally concurrently the second tool quill station removes a new tool quill from the pick-up position and releasably grips same.

Abstract: The fluid valve assembly includes a hollow movable valve having an open-ended tubular fluid filter in the longitudinal bore of the valve and overlying transverse fluid discharge passages in the hollow valve to filter fluid before it flows through the transverse discharge passages from inside the valve. Downstream of the tubular fluid filter, the hollow valve includes one or more fluid metering passages which are moved relative to a valve seat to control a second flow of fluid from inside the valve. The increased fluid flow longitudinally in the valve bore when the valve is moved from the seat to effect the second fluid flow exerts a washing action on the tubular fuel filter to remove debris or foreign matter therefrom and carry same out through relatively large fluid passages not prone to clogging.

Abstract: The ratio of stock removal to tool wear (G ratio) of an abrasive tool having a copper-tin bond alloy with diamond abrasive grit dispersed therein is more than doubled when honing cast iron by including titanium carbide particulate in the bond alloy in an amount of about 0.5 weight percent to less than 20 weight percent, preferably from about 1 to 5 weight percent, based on the total weight of copper and tin.

Abstract: The machining apparatus includes a machine tool having a primary spindle slide with a transversely extending tool head support rail member thereon which is aligned successively with a tool head load rail mechanism and unload rail mechanism on a side of the machine tool by movement of the primary spindle slide to load or unload a multi-spindle tool head. When the tool head is loaded in operative position on the rail member, the spindles of the tool head are driven by the primary spindle through a gear train in the tool head. An overhead gantry robot conveys tool heads between the load and unlaod rail mechanisms and a stationary tool head storage unit on the side of the machine tool.

Abstract: During grinding of successive workparts with a superabrasive wheel in a rough grind stage at a high wheel infeed rate and a finish grind stage at a relatively low infeed rate with spark-out stages after each of the rough and finish grind stages, the duration of the spark-out stage after rough grinding is made dependent on the condition of the grinding wheel and corresponds to the time needed for removing workpart material for the reduction of the grinding wheel motor power from the high rough grind level to the lower finish grind level. The duration of the spark-out stage will therefore be variable from one workpart to the next as the condition of the wheel changes. In addition, the interval of wheel retruing or dressing (i.e. number of workparts ground between wheel retruing) is variable as determined by the condition of the wheel. In particular, when the rough spark-out stage for a workpart is completed in a time shorter than a preselected minimum time indicative of a wheel that is in need of retruing.

Abstract: A high pressure sealing system is disposed between a housing and a reciprocating member. One version has a reciprocating plunger and in another version is a reciprocating piston associated with a free floating piston.

Abstract: A fuel nozzle assembly with integral valve for a gas turbine engine includes an inlet fitting with a tubular wash-type fuel filter therein between a central fuel passage and an annular primary fuel manifold therearound to filter primary fuel flowing through the passage to the annular primary fuel manifold chamber on the inlet fitting. The manifold chamber is in fuel flow relation in the valve housing with a primary fuel take-off passage therein for providing primary fuel flow to a fuel nozzle.

Abstract: An EDM head has a single servo-controlled electric motor and a high ratio gear system that drives a wire electrode during both an EDM machining operation and a wire erosion compensation operation. An associated control system can be programmed to selectively drive the electrode to compensate for wire erosion and to control blind hole breakout.

Abstract: A chain adjustment arrangement including a drive gear having a fixed axis, an idler gear having a movable axis, and a driven gear having a movable axis, a first rigid link mounted between the axes of the drive gear and the idler gear, and a second rigid link mounted between the axes of the idler gear and the driven gear. The first and second links serve to maintain the idler gear in engagement between the drive gear and the driven gear upon manual movement of the driven gear to take up stretch in the conveyor chain.

Abstract: For application in controlling fuel flow to a gas turbine engine, the control valve includes one or more fuel inlet manifolds, a fuel outlet manifold and a fuel drain manifold in fuel flow relation with a longitudinal bore in a valve sleeve. A hollow spool valve is slidably disposed in the sleeve bore and includes a metering valve thereon movable past a fuel inlet aperture to meter fuel flow from the fuel inlet manifold to the fuel outlet manifold. The spool valve also includes a shut-off valve thereon for terminating fuel flow to the fuel outlet manifold under certain conditions. The hollow spool valve includes a longitudinal bore in fuel flow relation with the fuel outlet manifold and fuel drain manifold and a drain valve in the spool bore openable when fuel flow to the fuel outlet manifold is interrupted by the shut-off valve so that fuel can drain from the fuel outlet manifold to the drain manifold and closeable during metered fuel flow to the fluid outlet manifold.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method are provided to form the interior of a fuel injector spray tip by use of a cold forming punch to form a V-shaped spray tip interior configured to reduce fuel dribble and thereafter finishing the interior by use of an EDM electrode to form precision valve seat and fuel sack surfaces.

Abstract: A switch and valve assembly for inflating or deflating a pair of bladders mounted in the back and seat regions of a vehicle seat. The assembly houses two normally-closed valve assemblies and two normally-open electrical switch assemblies, with two pushbutton-actuated stems adapted to selectively either partially open the valve assemblies by partial depression of the pushbuttons to thereby bleed-off fluid under pressure from respective bladders, or to fully open the valve assemblies while closing the switch assemblies by full depression of the pushbuttons to thereby actuate the pump to provide fluid under pressure to fill the respective bladders as desired for operator riding comfort or support. Pressures in the two bladders may be changed individually or concurrently.

Abstract: Apparatus for manufacturing multiple color thin-walled hollow shells for parts such as automobile door panels, consoles and instrument panels from dry thermoplastic plastisol includes a supply box with a divider to form two or more compartments in the box. The box divider cooperates with selectively positioned split mold parts defining a separation in an open-ended heated mold for separating the mold into two or more sections. Complementary open ends of the charge box and mold are joined. Then the apparatus is rotated so that the powder is distributed into each mold section by gravity flow with the powder from each section flowing to the divider which separates the colors so as to form two or more tones on a resultant shell of cured material; thereafter the powder box is removed and the split mold parts are joined to clamp cast shell segments for fusion at a joint line.

Abstract: The grinding wheel infeed control method provides a constant infeed rate calculated on the average electrical power consumed by the wheel drive motor in rough grinding an immediately preceding workpart. Each subsequent workpart is rough ground at a constant infeed rate established from the wheel drive motor power consumption of the immediately preceding workpart until the grinding wheel is in need of re-trueing or re-dressing. The first workpart ground after wheel re-trueing or re-dressing is ground at a rough (high) infeed rate which is continuously varied by the machine control computer so as to maintain the electrical power consumed by the grinding wheel drive motor substantially constant at a preset level and from which the constant infeed rate for the second workpart is determined.