Field of the Invention:
The present invention generally relates to maintenance of grinding wheels used for abrasive machining. More particularly, the present invention relates to a roll form wheel dresser used for knocking worn-out abrasive particles of a grinding wheel while still maintaining concentricity of the grinding wheel.
Background of the Invention:
A grinding wheel is an expendable wheel made from a matrix of coarse, abrasive particles pressed and bonded together to form a solid, circular shape. Each of the coarse, abrasive particles of the grinding wheel acts as a cutting tool for facilitating abrasive machining. More specifically, sharp cutting edges of each of the coarse, abrasive particles on grinding wheel's surface remove small chips from a work-piece via shear deformation. In order to achieve effective grinding and satisfactory finish on the work-piece, proper selection of the grinding wheel is of primary importance. The small cutting edges of the coarse, abrasive particles on grinding wheel's surface become dull with regular use of the grinding wheel. In order to achieve a free cut and produce a satisfactory finish on the work-piece, a layer of coarse, abrasive particles with the sharp cutting edges is required to be maintained on the surface of the grinding wheel. For maintaining a layer of coarse, abrasive particles with the sharp cutting edges on the surface of the grinding wheel, dressing of the grinding wheel is required.
Wheel dressing is the process of knocking worn out abrasive particles with dull cutting edges from the grinding wheel's surface and exposing fresh abrasive particles with sharp cutting edges on the grinding wheel's surface,
while still maintaining the concentricity of the grinding wheel. The wheel dresser includes hard cutting points that fractures the worn out abrasive particles on the grinding wheel's surface or completely removes the worn out abrasive particles, thereby exposing fresh abrasive particles that has sharp cutting edges. The wheel dresser further cleans out tiny spaces between the abrasive particles, thereby removing metallic dust and other particles which eventually clog up pores of the wheel face and adversely effects performance of the grinding wheel.
Apart from proper selection of the correct grinding wheel, selection of the proper truing or dressing tool and proper use thereof is also important. More specifically, incorrect dressing causes a satisfactory grinding wheel to act unsatisfactorily. On the other hand use of a good dressing tool can improve life and grinding action of a grinding wheel.
The wheel dresser includes a plurality of hard cutting points disposed on a surface there-of, the hard cutting points rub against the grinding wheel to cause dressing of the grinding wheel. The hard cutting points of the wheel dresser functions like cutting tool and like all cutting tools the hard cutting points of the wheel dresser gets worn out and become dull with regular use of the wheel dresser. Dull cutting points of the wheel dresser crush and glaze the wheel face of the grinding wheel being dressed and load the pores with wheel cuttings, thereby making the grinding wheel dull. Accordingly, the wheel dressers are required to be replaced once the hard cutting points of the wheel dresser become dull. However, most of the prior-art dressing tools are specifically designed to dress grinding wheels of a particular size only. More specifically, the prior-art dressing tools, particularly, the roll form dressing
tools are in the form of a cylindrical body provided with a cavity configured thereon and extending around a periphery thereof. The cavity configured on the periphery of the roll type dressing tool has a curved profile having a curvature that facilitates receiving of a peripheral portion of a grinding wheel of a particular size. As the roll type dressing tool rotates about an axis of rotation, the cutting points disposed on the curved profile of the cavity rub against the peripheral portion of the grinding wheel to cause dressing of the grinding wheel.
The cavity configured on a roll form dressing tool is able to receive peripheral portion of a grinding wheel of a particular size and the same roll form dressing tool cannot be used to dress a grinding wheel of different size. More specifically, most of the prior art dressing tools lack flexibility to perform dressing of different sized grinding wheels. Further, most of the prior art dressing tools lack capability of simultaneously performing dressing of more than one grinding wheel.
Accordingly, there is a need for maintaining a large inventory of the wheel dressers corresponding to different sized grinding wheels for maintaining unhindered operations. Costs associated with maintaining such large inventories of wheel dressers are also high. There is felt a need to reduce the inventory of wheel dressers and reduce the cost of manufacturing the wheel dressers.
Objects of the Invention:
The principle objective of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that has multiple cavities of different curvatures for dressing grinding wheels of different sizes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that has multiple cavities of same curvatures for dressing grinding wheels of a particular size.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that reduces inventory of the wheel dressers.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that simultaneously performs dressing of more than one grinding wheel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that is economical to use.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that is simple in construction.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that is robust in construction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that requires less maintenance.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a roll form dressing tool that maintains grinding wheels in proper working conditions.
Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings:
The invention will now be explained in relation to the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a prior art roll form wheel dresser for re-sharpening of cutting edges of a grinding wheel;
Figure 2 illustrates a roll form wheel dresser provided with two similar cavities in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 illustrates a roll form wheel dresser provided with two different cavities in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 4 illustrates a roll form wheel dresser provided with three similar cavities in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description:
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which do not limit the scope and ambit of the invention. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a prior art roll form wheel dresser 10 has a cylindrical body 02 provided with a cavity 04a extending around a periphery thereof. The cavity 04a is having a curvature such that the cavity 04a receives a peripheral portion of a grinding wheel of a particular size. As the roll type wheel dresser 10 rotates about an axis of rotation 06, the cutting points disposed on the curved profile of the cavity 04a rub against the peripheral portion of the grinding wheel to cause dressing of the grinding wheel. Although, the wheel dresser 10 disclosed herein is used for dressing the grinding wheel used in the machining of outer track of the bearings, the wheel dresser of the present invention may be used for dressing of grinding wheels used in other applications.
Referring to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, a roll form wheel dresser 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The roll form wheel dresser 20 has a cylindrical body 12 provided with two similar cavities 14a and 14b extending around a periphery thereof. The cavities 14a and 14b are similar in configuration and have equal curvatures, such that each of the cavities 14a and 14b is capable of receiving a peripheral portion of a same sized grinding wheel. As the roll type wheel dresser 20 rotates about an axis of rotation 16, the cutting points disposed on the curved profile of the cavities 14a and 14b rub against the peripheral portion of the grinding wheel to cause dressing of the grinding wheel. The cavities 14a and 14b configured on the roll form wheel dresser 20 can either be used one at a time or simultaneously depending upon requirement. When one of the cavities 14a and 14b is used for dressing the grinding wheel, the cutting points disposed on curved profile of the cavity becomes dull the other cavity can be used for dressing the grinding wheel.
However, limitation with such a configuration of roll form wheel dresser 20 is that the roll form wheel dresser 20 can be used for dressing grinding wheels of same size.
Referring to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings, a roll form wheel dresser 30 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The roll form wheel dresser 30 has a cylindrical body 22 provided with two different cavities 24a and 26a extending around a periphery thereof. The cavity 24a is of a configuration that is different from the configuration of cavity 26a. More specifically, the cavity 24a has a curvature smaller that of cavity 26a. Accordingly, the cavity 24a is capable of receiving a peripheral portion of a smaller sized grinding wheel and the cavity 26a is capable of receiving a peripheral portion of a larger sized grinding wheel. As the roll type wheel dresser 30 rotates about an axis of rotation 28, the cutting points disposed on the curved profile of the cavities 24a and 26a rub against the peripheral portion of the smaller and larger grinding wheels respectively to cause dressing of the grinding wheels. The cavities 24a and 26a configured on the roll form wheel dresser 30 can either be used one at a time or simultaneously depending upon requirement. Such a configuration of roll form wheel dresser 30 facilitates the use of the roll form wheel dresser 30 for dressing grinding wheels of different sizes.
Referring to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings, a roll form wheel dresser 40 in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The roll form wheel dresser 40 has a cylindrical body 32 provided with three cavities 34a, 34b and 34c of similar configuration extending around a periphery thereof. The cavities 34a, 34b and 34c are
similar in configuration and have equal curvatures, such that each of the cavities 34a, 34b and 34c is capable of receiving a peripheral portion of a same sized grinding wheel. As the roll type wheel dresser 40 rotates about an axis of rotation 36, the cutting points disposed on the curved profile of the cavities 34a, 34b and 34c rub against the peripheral portion of the grinding wheel to cause dressing of the grinding wheel. The cavities 34a, 34b and 34c configured on the roll form wheel dresser 40 can either be used one at a time or simultaneously depending upon conditions and requirement. When one of the cavities 34a, 34b and 34c is used for dressing the grinding wheel and the cutting points disposed on curved profile of the cavity becomes dull, the other cavities can be used for dressing the grinding wheel. However, limitation with such a configuration of roll form wheel dresser 40 is that the roll form wheel dresser 40 can be used for dressing grinding wheels of same size.
Technical Advantages and economic significance:
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a roll form dressing tool that has multiple cavities of different curvatures for dressing grinding wheels of different sizes. The roll form dressing tool has multiple cavities of same curvatures for dressing grinding wheels of a particular size. Further, the roll form dressing tool reduces inventory of the wheel dressers. Still further, the roll form dressing tool can simultaneously perform dressing of more than one grinding wheel. Furthermore, the roll form dressing tool is economical to use. The roll form dressing tool is simple in construction. Still further, the roll form dressing tool is robust in
construction. The roll form dressing tool is user-friendly and requires less maintenance.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other modifications in the nature of the invention or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.