US1610419A - Process for surfacing sheet material - Google Patents

Description

'FIL-:1.3.1

y 1,610,419 l C. BARQWN Dec. 14 1926.

n PRocEss FOR SURFACING, SHEET MATERIAL Filed August 25 1923 :5 sheets-sheet g /NvE/vraf? l' c.BRQwN PROCESS FOR SURFAGING SHEET MATERIAL Filed August 2,3, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 x @www Patented Dec. 14,1926. l 1,610,419 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER BROWN, OF CHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGH PLATEfGLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

.Pno'cnss non sURFAcINe SHEET MATERIAL. Application mea August 2a, isz-3. `serial No. 658,889.

The invention relates to a process for sur- The tables 1 are provided with wheels 10 facing sheet material, such as a continuous engaging the rails of the -track 2 and in pracribbon of glass, ora seriesof separate sheets' tice these tables are placed end to end and of glass, marble or othermateriahtheA apsuitably coupled together. A continuous 5 paratus being here particularly vdescribed uniform movement is given` to the tables to 60 and illustrated as applied to surfacing a carry them beneath the surfacing machinesv `series of plates of glass. The invention has by means of the rack bars 11 secured to the for its principal object the provision of an bottoms offthe cars and driven by the spur improved straight away system, wherein the gears l12 `which are in, turn driven by suit- 10 time and power required for giving the deable pinions 13 von driven shafts 14, the 65 siredv finish is reduced to a minimum. In mechanism for driving the shafts 14 not bepracticing the invention, I make use of the lng shown. The glass is preferably secured process set forth in my Patent No. 1,480,542. to the upper surface of the table by means The present invention involves the use of a of plaster in the usual way, and the spaces plurality of brushes arranged in series in` between the ends of the sheets on the vari-"70 termediate a set of grinding machines and a ous cars arel filled withl plaster of Paris so set of polishing machines, the brushes actthat a continuous, unbroken surface iS preing upon the glass after it is smoothed by sented tothe series o f surfacing machines. i

the grindingv machines. and giving it a The grinding machines comprise suitable Semi-polish S0 that the Work and power rerunners 15 carried ,by vertical spindles 16 75 quired for the polishing machines is greatdIlVeIl by elttrlq mOtOIS 17 through the iply reduced. `Byusing this expedient only termedi'ary of suitable reduction gearingin about one half the number of polishing mathe casmg 18. The runners 15; are Of. 01'- chjnes, which would yotherwise be required, -dinary construction having cast iron orcast' are necessary,4 One embodiment 0f the in- Steel runner baIS 011 'their lOWBI faces OI- 80 yention isshownin'the accompanying drawengagement with the glass, the abrading acin s wherein: 1 v j y tion being accomplished, however, by means igure l is a plan view of the apparatus,l :ofa mixture of sand and water which is siip Fig, 2 is an end elevation of the brushing plied intermediate the runners and the g1ass. 80 mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the Suitable sand grading apparatus (not e5 brushing mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged 110W11) 1S employed for separating the sand section through a portion of one of the lnto a'series of grades ranging from coarse t brushes. Fi 5 is an end elevation of one t0 Very ine, andthese grades areapplied of the grin ing machines.. And Fig, 6 is 1n order, the c oarsest abrasive being applied an end elevation of one 'of the polishing mato the first grinders beneath which the glass 90 chines. l passes and-tapering 'off to finer and `liner f In car ing out the invention, the glass .grades astho glass progresses beneath the to be sur aced is mounted upon a series of TUIIIIGTS: The last BW IlDdlDg Immers are tables 1, which is carried along the track 2,' Preferably SUPPlled W11? emely 01 111116111111 40 beneath the `series of grinding machines, which is somewhat ner thanv the ne sand U5 then beneath a series of brushes 4, and finalld Serves t0 give the glass its final smoothly beneath a series of polishing machines 5. lng treatment preliminary to the action. of 'The glass with vone side thus finished is thenv the brushes thereon, the term emery being brought back upon the cars to the left hand used broadly in the claims to designate both end ofthe track 6 by means of a return emeryoralundum, the fllSt belng the. Ilt- 10u track and suitable transfer devices, `.not ural f product and the latter being the artishown, and the glass is reversed upon the taficial product. x 1 bles. to bring the u'nsurfaced side up. The The runner spindle in each grinding ina- A operation as above described isnow repeat# chine is ournaled in 'a suitable-` casing 19 ed, the'tables being carried beneath theseand this is supported by means. :of a lever i051 ries of grinding" machines 7, the series of 20 P1V0ted at 21 lld'havlng at It?? rear'ed brushes 8 and the polishingy machines 9'. the adjustin rod 22. This adjusting rod is The sets of machines above'the two tracks Screw three ed at its' lower end so that the Y 2 land 6 are the same so that a description of rod may be adjusted vertically to vary the one set will be sufficient. pressure of the runner upon the glass by ll0- means of the hand wheel 23 whose hub is screw threaded internally to engage Vthe threads onA the rod 22. In order to cushion the movements yof the runners, the spring 24: is provi-ded intermediate the hub of the wheel 23 and the framework 25. The lower end of the casing 19 isheld in position by means of the arm 26 havino' a hook at its lower end fitting around laterally projecting lugs 27 on the casing. The inner end of the lever 20 is similarly releasably connected to the casing by means of its hook shaped ends which engage laterally projecting lugs 28.

The surface ofthe glass is reduced by the. grinding machinesso that it is flat and true corresponding in finish to what is referred. to has ground glass, more. or less cloudy in 'appearance or non-transparent, due to the minute scratches incident to the final finishing with the emery. The next'step in the operation is the reducing of this ground glass surface to a semi-polish so that it has what may' be termed a dull polish, after which it may be very easily given-a full polish by the regulation polishing machine. The brushes 4 are shown as six 1n number, but this number may be varied depending upon the conditions involving, one consideration being the rate of travel of the glass beneath the brushes. These brushes are mounted upon suitable shafts 29 carried in bearingsupon the framework 30 and driven by means of direct connectedl motors 3l arranged as indicated 'in Fig. 3. Any suitable means may be employed for adjusting the bearings of the rolls or the framework itself to give the right degree of contact between the brushes and the glass and to compensate for wear in the brushes. v

Each 'brush is preferably constructed as indicated in Fig. 3 having an outer sleeve 32 in which the brush elements 33 are caru securely clamped'. The brush elements 33 are preferablyr made from wood or Acane fiber,

whi h is relatively hard and tough, in order to secure a maximum wearlng period. In

- operation, the brush is preferably run 4at -a speed from one to' -two thousand revolutions per 'minute The degree of pressure between the brush and the sheet of glass is an important factor in securing a proper polish. In order to secure the best results, the ends of the brush- A elements should only touch the surface of the sheet lightly, so that only theextreme ends ofthe brush elements vstrike the surface yof the glass. The action of the brush elements,

' the ad upon the glass and `each. brush element remained in contact therewith for a considerin front ofthe first brush and between each I'Vhen the brush is.

pair of brushes, such mixture spreading out overvthe glass by the time the brush is reached. The abrasive employed approaches a polishing powder in fineness, powdered pumice being preferably used, although other l `materials might be employed. The smoothing action is apparently due to the impact of the particles of abrasive carried by the ends of the brush elements upon the glass surface or by the impact of the brush elements upon particles of abrasive which are distributed over the surface of the glass. By the time the glass passes the last brush, it has received what may be termed a semi-polish, such polish not being suiicient to permit the glass to be used for glazing purposes, but it approximates this condition-to such an extent that only a limited amount of polishing beneath standard polishing machines employing rouge is required.

The polishing machines 5 beneath which the glass passes after the brushing action are quite similar in construction to the grinding machines heretofore described except that the runner frame carries polishing felts instead of grinding runners. As indicated in Fig. 6, the runner frame 35 is carried by a spindle 36 driven from the motor 37 end and carrying the adjusting hand wheel 4l. The lower end of the casmgin which the runner spindle is mounted is held in position by means of the pivoted arm 424. The runner blocks provided with spindles 43 extending up through the runner frame 4 35 and carry on their lower sidesvthe usual felts 44 for' engaging the glass. In order to give the necessary polishing action, a mixture of rougp and water isapplied to the lass, and by t etime the glass has passed om beneath the last polishing machine, it hasbeen given the necessary degree of finish,

fitting it for glazing or other purposes in which llate glass is used. If it were not for 'tional polishing effect given by the brushes 4,11 large number of polimachines would be renired in order to give the `finish, but y the .use 0f the brushes,

I have yfound that the number of machines 1s only a small fraction of that required for operating'- the additional polishing machines which would be necessary if thebr'ushes were j not used. -The cost of operation is, therefore,

substantiall reduced by the use of' the brushes an the length of the system is cut down to' a large extent, Ithis bein an important consideration because of 51e reat length which is ordinarily required or a straight away system of this kind.

What I claim is:

A process for surfacing a sheet of material, which consists in supporting it an moving it forward horizontally in a right the surface until a flat smooth surface is secured; second, further abrading the surface with an abradant of a -finer grade carried over the surface in the direction of moye-v ment of the sheet,but with'decreased pressure and at an increased speed as compared with the pressure and speed of the rst abradant so as to produce a semi-polish; 'and third, polishing the surface withI rougel applied in a circular direction.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name Ithis 20th day of August,

cHRisToPHER BROWN. f

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