GB881229A - Apparatus for roll burnishing aircraft wheels and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

881,229. Rolling; copy-turning; altering physical structure. BENDIX CORPORATION. April 5, 1960, No. 12077/60. Classes 83 (3) and 83 (4). In a roll-burnishing apparatus, e.g. for burnishing an aircraft wheel a feed carriage or turn-table 52 having an indexable fixture 32 thereon is adapted to be clamped in a selected position and carries a flexibly supported rollburnishing tool 36, the burnishing tool 36 being biased against the work with substantially constant force by a fluid-operated cylinder 110. The periphery of a forged cast or stamped aluminium, titanium, steel or magnesium aircraft wheel 18 is first profiled by a cutter 34 also mounted on the fixture 32 and indexable into a working position by release of a handle 37 which permits the spring-loaded body 35 of the fixture to rise clear of locating recesses in a compound rest 42. The burnishing wheel 36 is resiliently mounted on the fixture 32 by flexible struts 72, 76 which are respectively attached at one end to extensions of the body 35 of the fixture and at the other end to the floating tool carrier 86. The work is rotatably supported between the plates 16, 24 of a headstock 12 and a tailstock 20, the tool 36 being biased towards the work by the substantially frictionless action of a cylinder 110 of a fluid motor. A rod 122 connects the diaphragm 114 of the cylinder with the tool support 86 and movement of the latter is limited by stops 102, 104. The turn-table 52 is transversely slidable in guides 56 and a carriage 30 carrying the whole assembly is slidable longitudinally so that in operation the wheel rim is first profiled by the cutter 34, the fixture being traversed and controlled by a tracer arm mechanism 44 acting in response to a templet 48. After profiling the fixture is indexed and the traverse repeated to uniformly burnish the surfaces of the aircraft wheel. It is said that such burnishing improves the fatigue life of the wheel.