Claims:

1) A sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects, said work holder fixture (F) comprising of:
? a stepped base plate (10);
? a plurality of circularly arrayed tapped holes (16) on the base plate (10) lock the base plate to the sine table;
? a plurality of key slots (19) on the base plate (10) and the arrayed tapped holes (16) receive key means and threaded means to restrict the rotary degree of freedom of the fixture (10);
? upstanding flange (11,12,13) along circumferential edges of the base plate (10) support the work piece;
? a plurality of threaded apertures (15) on pitch circle diameter (18) of the stepped section (11) to secure work piece to the base plate (10).

2) The sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circularly arranged tapped holes (16) and the key slots (19) are provided towards the center of the base plate (10).

3) The sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects as claimed in claim 2, wherein the key slots (19) fit in any standard T-slot of a machine table or the sine table.

4) The sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects as claimed in the claims 1-3, wherein by adjusting the threaded means in the threaded apertures (16) of the base plate (10) the angulation of the base plate (10) can be universally adjusted so as to position the work piece at any desired angle relative to the machine tool.
5) The sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects as claimed in the claims 1-4, wherein plurality of circularly arrayed threaded apertures (15) on pitch circle diameter (18) of the stepped section (11) which receive the clamping bolts lie in the slots (21) of the work piece securing same to the base plate (10).

6) The sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) for compound machining of annular objects as claimed in the claims 1-5, wherein the stepped sections (12, 13) provide supporting steps or collars to the work piece, if required, and additionally help in lowering the weight of the fixture (F).

7) A method for performing compound drilling through the sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture (F) as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of:
? clamping the base plate (10) to the sine table by the key slots (19) and the tapped holes (16) to first provide the required angle to the base plate (10);
? placing radially the work piece in slot (17) of the base plate (10);
? loosening the various connections (15,16,19) to move workpiece radially clockwise or counterclockwise so as to adjust the first angle followed by tightening the base plate (10) at this angular position with respect to the sine table through hole (16) and key slots (19) so as to position the point and line of drilling in the work piece relative to the drill for straight holes;
? providing a second angle through the sine table on which the base plate (10) is mounted;
? performing the drilling operation relative to the drilling point and line of drilling relative to the work piece. , Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to a universally adjustable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which supports a work piece such as a drilling tool or slotting tool relative to one another at any desired angle and which is mountable on a sine table.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[003] Work holders and drill fixtures have been employed heretofore to facilitate the drilling of a hole in a work piece at a compound angle. However, several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as they are complicated in design and construction, expensive to manufacture, and difficult to use.

[004] As an example, present invention is described for a turbogenerator oil wiper ring in which plurality of drilling, slotting operations are required. A generator driven by turbine which is used for conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy, wherein stator frame, rotor, end shield, seal body are the main components of turbogenerator.

[005] Most important design criteria of a generator are class of insulation used and dissipation of heat generated due to copper loss and core loss. Even class of insulation is based on the heat sustainability of insulation. To improve the heat dissipation, generator is filled either by Hydrogen (higher rating machine)/ Air (Few low rating machine) at more than atmospheric pressure. In most of the machine this pressure is nearly 4 Bar or more.

[006] Generator having one stationary component and a rotating component passing through it (rotor), wherein sealing of the Hydrogen/ Air inside machine is very difficult. This is done at the end shields of generator using Seal Body- Seal Ring arrangement. In this arrangement seal body is fixed to the end shield with air tight surface. Seal ring is free to move inside the seal body with minimum gap possible from the surface of rotor. Oil, at pressure more than the pressure of media inside generator is injected through the seal ring, thus making an oil ring all along the periphery of rotor between the seal body and rotor surface.

[007] As it could be visualised that oil falling on the surface of rotor at that much pressure will have a tendency to spill. To prevent this, oil mixed with hydrogen, going towards bearing chamber, oil wiper rings are placed on the seal body, which prevents hydrogen mixed oil from scattering. As discussed above, criticality of Seal Body Wiper Ring could very well be understood for the proper working of turbo generator.

[008] Machining operation required to manufacture such a seal body wiper ring are Slot cutting in the lower half of the oil wiper ring, Drilling in both the halves, Grooves on the back side of wiper ring for assembly point of view.

[009] Earlier all these machining operations were carried out on conventional machines. The use of conventional machines for marking of holes as well as slot position was carried out before shifting of job for actual machining. It was not only adding to the time required for job completion, but also the chances of human error. Also slot cutting and drilling operation used to be performed on different machines thereby adding to the time cycle of machining in the form of job shifting and job setting.

[010] Machining, which without a proper fixture, is to be done on both the halves separately taking up multiple settings per half of wiper ring not only poses a great threat to the job quality and consumes cost expensive resources but also makes the job largely dependent of operator’s dexterity in performing multiple job settings and doing the required job setting calculations. One of the challenges with this kind of machining arrangement was mismatch of pitch circle diameter holes on two halves during assembly. This also increases rejection and indirectly cycle time.
[011] Therefore, a need exists for universally adjustable work holder fixture for compound machining of annular objects, particularly for jobs like turbogenerator seal body wiper ring that too in minimum possible job settings.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[012] The object of the present invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which obviates the disadvantages of the known art(s).

[013] Another object of the invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and easy to adjust.

[014] An another object of the invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which is capable of supporting the work piece at any desired compound angle relative to the drill jig.

[015] An another object of the invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which is adaptable relative to the work piece holding portion to support the drill at any desired compound angle thereto.
[016] An another object of the invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which can be integrated with any drill press or machine bed without major modifications.
[017] Yet another object of the invention is to provide sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects which is extremely inexpensive so that the device of the invention is easily affordable by small shops and individuals.

[018] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[019] One or more drawbacks of conventional systems and process are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the apparatus and a method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be part of the claimed disclosure.

[020] A sine table mountable work holder and drill jig fixture for performing compound drilling is proposed in which the base plate (10) is clamped to the sine table using key slots (11) and tapped holes (16) to first provide the required angle to the base plate in one plane. The work piece is radially placed on the base plate (10) while adjusting the overlapping positions of threaded aperture (15) on base plate and hole (21) on workpiece so as to position the point and line of drilling in the work piece relative to the drill for straight holes. Through various connections (15,16,19) base plate is moved radially clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the first angle as desired and then tighten the base plate (10) at this angular position with respect to the sine table through hole (16) and key slots (19). The sine table provides a second angle through which the base plate (10) is mounted in order to perform the drilling operation relative to the drilling point and line of drilling relative to the work piece.

[021] According to this invention, there is provided a sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture for compound machining of annular objects, said work holder fixture comprising of:
? a stepped base plate;
? a plurality of circularly arrayed tapped holes on the base plate lock the base plate to the sine table;
? a plurality of key slots on the base plate and the arrayed tapped holes receive key means and threaded means to restrict the rotary degree of freedom of the fixture;
? upstanding flange along circumferential edges of the base plate support the work piece;
? a plurality of threaded apertures on pitch circle diameter of the stepped section to secure work piece to the base plate.

[022] The circularly arranged tapped holes and the key slots are provided towards the center of the base plate.

[023] The key slots fit in any standard T-slot of a machine table or the sine table.

[024] By adjusting the threaded means in the threaded apertures of the base plate the angulation of the base plate can be universally adjusted so as to position the work piece at any desired angle relative to the machine tool.

[025] Plurality of circularly arrayed threaded apertures on pitch circle diameter of the stepped section which receive the clamping bolts lie in the slots of the work piece securing same to the base plate.
[026] The stepped sections provide supporting steps or collars to the work piece, if required, and additionally help in lowering the weight of the fixture.
[027] A method for performing compound drilling through the sine table mountable adjustable work holder jig fixture as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of:
? clamping the base plate to the sine table by the key slots and the tapped holes to first provide the required angle to the base plate;
? placing radially the work piece in slot of the base plate;
? loosening the various connections to move workpiece radially clockwise or counterclockwise so as to adjust the first angle followed by tightening the base plate at this angular position with respect to the sine table through hole and key slots so as to position the point and line of drilling in the work piece relative to the drill for straight holes;
? providing a second angle through the sine table on which the base plate is mounted;
? performing the drilling operation relative to the drilling point and line of drilling relative to the work piece.

[028] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figure in which like numerals represent like components.

[029] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

[030] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[031] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and processes that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein: -
Figure 1 shows schematic diagram of sine table mountable work holder for compound machining of annular objects in accordance with present invention.
[032] The figure depicts embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[033] Before describing in detail, universally adjustable work holder and drill jig fixture in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non-obvious combination of hardware elements and method steps. Accordingly, these elements and steps have been represented by conventional elements and steps in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[034] Now, reference may be made to Figure 1, wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout. Here, the work holding and drill jig fixture (F) is disclosed to illustrate the invention comprising a sine table mountable universally adjustable stepped base plate (10) for adjusting the angulation of the work piece to any desired angle, and said universally adjustable drill jig fixture (F) is adapted to support the machine tool relative to the work piece at any desired compound angle.

[035] More particularly, the adjustable work holder fixture (F) comprises an internally and radially stepped base plate (10) having plurality of circularly arrayed tapped holes (16) on stepped section (11) towards the center of the base plate (10) which carry the threaded means therein to rigidly lock the base plate (10) to the sine table (not shown). Plurality of key slots (19) are also provided towards the center of the base plate (10) that fits in any standard T-slot of a machine table or the sine table to further restrict the rotary degree of freedom of the fixture (F) along with threaded means in tapped holes (16) and thus secure the base plate (10) to the sine table.

[036] By adjusting the threaded means in the threaded apertures (16) of the base plate (10) the angulation of the base plate (10) can be universally adjusted so as to position the work piece at any desired angle relative to the machine tool.

[037] The base plate (10) has an upstanding flange (11) along its circumferential edges so as to support the work piece and plurality of circularly arrayed threaded apertures (15) on pitch circle diameter (18) of the stepped section (11) which receive the clamping bolts which lie in the slots (21) of the work piece securing same to the base plate (10). Upon loosening and detaching the bolts, the work piece can be moved radially clockwise or counterclockwise in order to adjust the angle thereof as desired. For repeated requirements of a compound hole or straight hole, the job can be angularly aligned beforehand so as to minimize or completely eliminate the requirement of measuring angles and repeated settings required thereof.

[038] The stepped sections (12, 13) provide supporting steps or collars to the work piece, if required, and additionally help in lowering the weight of the fixture (F).

Operation

[039] During operation, the user radially places the work piece on the base plate (10) such that the curved aperture of the ring sets in slot (17) of the plate and adjusts the overlapping positions of threaded aperture (15) on base plate and hole (21) on workpiece (20) so as to position the point and line of drilling in the work piece relative to the drill line as desired, whereupon the user clamps with suitable means the base plate (10) to the bed or secure the same in any other desired manner, it has been found that the use of a sine table holds and positions the base plate, and the work piece thereof, satisfactorily.

[040] Thereafter, the user loosens the various connections (15,16,19) to first provide the required angle to the base plate in one plane through sine table and then tightens the base plate (10) while adjusting its angular position with respect to the sine table through hole (16) and key slots (19). The user then positions and locates the drill relative to the drilling point and line of drilling relative to the work piece and upon having same adjusted properly tightens the threaded means.

[041] Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.

[042] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.

[043] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particulars claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[044] The above description does not provide specific details of manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and design details.

[045] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.

[046] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.

[047] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.