Machine for machining gear teeth and gear teeth machining method
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorEdward H. Bittner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine for machining a workpiece having a central longitudinal axis is provided. The machine includes a chuck or fixture on which the workpiece is disposable, a grinding spindle to remove material from the workpiece, the grinding spindle having a central longitudinal axis about which the grinding spindle rotates and being disposed with the central longitudinal axes intersecting one another so as to create a continuous gear tooth on the workpiece and an electrochemical grinding (ECG) element configured to execute ECG processing on the grinding spindle and the workpiece to soften the workpiece as the gear tooth is being created by the grinding spindle.
Claims18
A machine for machining a workpiece having a first central longitudinal axis, the machine comprising:
- a grinding spindle having a body, a wheel supporting an abrasive and an insulator electrically isolating the wheel from the body, the wheel being operable to remove material from the workpiece, the grinding spindle having a second central longitudinal axis about which the grinding spindle rotates and being disposed with the first and second central longitudinal axes intersecting one another so as to create a continuous gear tooth on the workpiece;
- and
- an electrochemical grinding (ECG) element electrically connected to the wheel and the workpiece, the ECG element being configured to execute ECG processing on the grinding spindle and the workpiece to soften the workpiece as the gear tooth is being created by the grinding spindle.
A gear comprising at least one of apex gap-less double-helical shaped teeth, apex gap-less herringbone shaped teeth and c-shaped teeth, the gear being machined by a process comprising:
- disposing a workpiece having a first central longitudinal axis on a chuck;
- disposing a grinding spindle having a second central longitudinal axis such that the first and second central longitudinal axes of corresponding ones of the workpiece and the grinding spindle intersect;
- executing ECG processing on the grinding spindle and the workpiece;
- and
- using the grinding spindle to remove material from the workpiece to form the at least one of the apex gap-less double-helical shaped teeth, apex gap-less herringbone shaped teeth and c-shaped teeth.
A method of machining a gear, comprising:
- disposing a workpiece having a first central longitudinal axis on a chuck;
- disposing a grinding spindle having a second central longitudinal axis about which the grinding spindle rotates such that the first and second central longitudinal axes of corresponding ones of the workpiece and the grinding spindle intersect;
- executing ECG processing on the grinding spindle and the workpiece to soften an area of the workpiece;
- and
- using the grinding spindle to remove material from the area of the workpiece to create a continuous gear tooth having one of apex gap-less double-helical shaped gear teeth, apex gap-less herringbone shaped gear teeth and c-shaped gear teeth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.