Patents by Inventor Stephen B. Fitch
Stephen B. Fitch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9920392Abstract: An apparatus for magnetic induction hardening of a workpiece includes a magnetic tool having a body portion formed of a generally non-magnetic material. The body portion has a surface configured to be positioned in close proximity to the workpiece being hardened. The apparatus further includes a magnetic arrangement coupled to the body portion at or adjacent the surface of the body portion and configured to provide regions of alternating polarity. A workpiece holder is configured to support the workpiece in close proximity to the surface of the magnetic tool. A drive arrangement for rotating the magnetic tool relative to the workpiece holder about an axis of rotation is provided to induce heating of the workpiece to achieve a temperature in the austenitic range of the workpiece resulting in hardening of the workpiece through a microstructural transformation.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2015Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: The Timken CompanyInventors: Stephen B. Fitch, Jerry Mills, William Stuehr, John Gadus, Stephen P. Johnson
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Patent number: 9169529Abstract: A method for heat treating a gear having gear teeth includes removably mounting the gear on a work-piece holder, moving one of either a magnet assembly or the work-piece holder to bring the gear and the magnet assembly into heating proximity, rotating the magnet assembly for a desired amount of time while said magnet assembly and gear are in heating proximity to each other to heat treat surfaces of the gear teeth, moving one of either the magnet assembly or the work-piece holder relative to the other to bring different surfaces of the gear into heating proximity with said magnet assembly, and repeating for each opposed pair of gear teeth surfaces until all said gear teeth surfaces are heat treated.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2013Date of Patent: October 27, 2015Assignee: The Timken CompanyInventors: Stephen Johnson, Xiaolan Ai, Stephen B. Fitch
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Publication number: 20150167109Abstract: An apparatus for magnetic induction hardening of a workpiece includes a magnetic tool having a body portion formed of a generally non-magnetic material. The body portion has a surface configured to be positioned in close proximity to the workpiece being hardened. The apparatus further includes a magnetic arrangement coupled to the body portion at or adjacent the surface of the body portion and configured to provide regions of alternating polarity. A workpiece holder is configured to support the workpiece in close proximity to the surface of the magnetic tool. A drive arrangement for rotating the magnetic tool relative to the workpiece holder about an axis of rotation is provided to induce heating of the workpiece to achieve a temperature in the austenitic range of the workpiece resulting in hardening of the workpiece through a microstructural transformation.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2015Publication date: June 18, 2015Inventors: Stephen B. Fitch, Jerry Mills, William Stuehr, John Gadus, Stephen P. Johnson
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Patent number: 8993942Abstract: An apparatus for magnetic induction hardening of a workpiece includes a magnetic tool having a body portion formed of a generally non-magnetic material. The body portion has a surface configured to be positioned in close proximity to the workpiece being hardened. The apparatus further includes a magnetic arrangement coupled to the body portion at or adjacent the surface of the body portion and configured to provide regions of alternating polarity. A workpiece holder is configured to support the workpiece in close proximity to the surface of the magnetic tool. A drive arrangement for rotating the magnetic tool relative to the workpiece holder about an axis of rotation is provided to induce heating of the workpiece to achieve a temperature in the austenitic range of the workpiece resulting in hardening of the workpiece through a microstructural transformation.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2010Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: The Timken CompanyInventors: Stephen B. Fitch, Jerry Mills, William Stuehr, John Gadus, Stephen P. Johnson
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Publication number: 20130327451Abstract: A method for heat treating a gear having gear teeth includes removably mounting the gear on a work-piece holder, moving one of either a magnet assembly or the work-piece holder to bring the gear and the magnet assembly into heating proximity, rotating the magnet assembly for a desired amount of time while said magnet assembly and gear are in heating proximity to each other to heat treat surfaces of the gear teeth, moving one of either the magnet assembly or the work-piece holder relative to the other to bring different surfaces of the gear into heating proximity with said magnet assembly, and repeating for each opposed pair of gear teeth surfaces until all said gear teeth surfaces are heat treated.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2013Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: The Timken CompanyInventors: Stephen Johnson, Xiaolan Ai, Stephen B. Fitch
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Publication number: 20130206751Abstract: A method for heating surfaces includes heating the surface of a hole by inserting a magnet cylinder into the hole and rotating the magnet cylinder, heating the surface of a hole by inserting a magnet stack into the hole and reciprocating the magnet stack, or heating a selected area of a workpiece surface by positioning a magnet disc adjacent the selected area and rotating the magnet disc. In each case, eddy currents are produced, inducing heating of the surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2011Publication date: August 15, 2013Applicant: THE TIMKEN COMPANYInventors: Stephen B. Fitch, William Stuehr, John Gadus
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Publication number: 20120085753Abstract: An apparatus for magnetic induction hardening of a workpiece includes a magnetic tool having a body portion formed of a generally non-magnetic material. The body portion has a surface configured to be positioned in close proximity to the workpiece being hardened. The apparatus further includes a magnetic arrangement coupled to the body portion at or adjacent the surface of the body portion and configured to provide regions of alternating polarity. A workpiece holder is configured to support the workpiece in close proximity to the surface of the magnetic tool. A drive arrangement for rotating the magnetic tool relative to the workpiece holder about an axis of rotation is provided to induce heating of the workpiece to achieve a temperature in the austenitic range of the workpiece resulting in hardening of the workpiece through a microstructural transformation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2010Publication date: April 12, 2012Applicant: THE TIMKEN COMPANYInventors: Stephen B. Fitch, Jerry Mills, William Stuehr, John Gadus, Stephen P. Johnson
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Publication number: 20110155722Abstract: An apparatus (1) for heat treating the surfaces (32b) of gear teeth (32a) via magnetic inductive heating comprises a magnet assembly (40) and a workpiece (or gear) holder (30) operatively mounted on a base (12). The magnet assembly (40) is rotatable in a first plane about a first axis (A1), and the work-piece holder (30) (on which a gear (32) can be removably mounted) is rotatable about a second axis (A2) in a second plane. The first and second axes (A1, A2) are spaced apart from each other and the first and second planes intersect each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2009Publication date: June 30, 2011Applicant: THE TIMKEN COMPANYInventors: Stephen Johnson, Xiaolan Ai, Stephen B. Fitch