Grinding machine

Abstract

A double head grinding machine for the roots of turbine blades or similar complex workpieces with concave and/or convex surfaces has two parallel horizontal spindles the upper of which carries a single grinding wheel and the lower of which carries two coaxial grinding wheels. The base of the machine frame supports a table which is movable by a first motor in a direction at right angles to the axes of the spindles, tangentially of the grinding wheels and along a horizontal path below the spindles. A work holder on the table is movable by a second motor along a sloping path in a direction making an angle of 30 degrees with the axes of the spindles and at right angles to the direction of movement of the table in such a way that the workpiece which is held in the holder can be moved toward or away from the grinding wheels. The movements of the table and work holder in the two directions are controlled by discrete circuits or by a computer so as to impart to the workpiece a composite movement having a component in the direction of movement of the table and a component in the direction of movement of the work holder with reference to the table. At least one of the grinding wheels has a frustoconical working surface section whose inclination with reference to a plane that is normal to the axes of the spindles is also 30 degrees. The grinding machine renders it possible to treat or form arcuate surfaces whose radii of curvature greatly exceed the radii of the grinding wheels.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.