TOOL FOR SURFACE BURRING

OUTIL D'EBARBAGE DE SURFACE

English Abstract

A tool for burring the surface of a material. The tool has two sets of oppositely facing toothed blades which are made to move towards each other when the tool is pressed against a surface. Each tooth planes a shallow groove into the surface which results in hook-like burrs or planings rising from each groove. Limiters on the blade stroke ensure that the raised burr is not severed. A spring returns the blades to their start position. The resulting surface therefore has a plurality of shallow, non-piercing stopped grooves with a like plurality of hook-like burrs. Such a modified surface provides increased surface area for electrochemical activity, and a mechanical grip to materials bonded thereto. The tool uses replaceable blade packs which snap into a permanent tool housing. The tool may be operated with a simple hammer blow or it may be rapidly driven into large or small areas of a surface by a manual and/or computer directed punch press.

French Abstract

Un outil d'ébarbage de surface d'un matériel, comprenant deux ensembles de lames dentées qui sont placées l'une en face de l'autre et conçues de manière à se rapprocher l'une contre l'autre lorsque l'outil est pressé contre une surface. Chaque lame creuse une rainure dans la surface et forme des bavures de découpage en forme de crochet dans chaque rainure. Des limiteurs sur le segment de la lame permettent de s'assurer que la lame relevée n'est pas disjointe. Un ressort ramène les lames dans leur position de départ. La surface ainsi obtenue affiche une pluralité de rainures creuses bien marquées et non percées dotées d'une pluralité de bavures de découpage ressemblant à des crochets. Ainsi modifiée, la surface offre une plus grande aire pour toute activité électrochimique et une adhérence mécanique au matériel qui y est lié. Cet outil utilise des ensembles de lames remplaçables qui s'engagent dans une boîte à outil permanente. L'outil peut être manipulé à l'aide d'un simple coup de marteau ou utilisé rapidement dans des petites ou grandes régions d'une surface à l'aide une presse mécanique manuelle ou gérée par ordinateur.

Claims

Claims
1. An apparatus for modifying a generally planar surface of a work piece, said
apparatus
comprising:
first and second sets of blades, each blade comprising a generally planar
blade member
having a body portion and a plurality of cutting teeth along the bottom edge
of said body
portion, said first set of blades having teeth extending in a first
longitudinal direction, said
second set of blades extending in an opposite longitudinal direction;
biasing means urging said first set of blades apart from said second set of
blades in the
longitudinal axis direction;
a retaining member for retaining said blades in a side by side relationship
and for retaining
said biasing means;
a first actuator extending through said retaining member and through said body
portions of
said first set of blades;
a second actuator extending through said retaining member and through said
body portions
of said second set of blades; and
a housing member designed to receive said blades, said retaining member, and
said first
and second actuators, said housing member having means for guiding said
actuators such that
upon a force being exerted on said housing member, said actuators cause said
first and second
sets of blades to move in opposite directions and said said teeth to cut into
said surface.
2. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said retaining member comprises a U-shaped
retaining member having a pair of side walls, each of said side walls having
longitudinally
extending slots formed therein to receive said first and second actuators.

3. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein each of said actuators comprises a
cylindrical
member.
4. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein each of said means for guiding said
actuators
comprises a lower vertical portion and an upper inwardly extending portion.
5. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said biasing means comprises a spring
member, said
spring member being mounted between said body portions of said first and
second sets of
blades so as to urge apart said first and second set of blades.
6. The apparatus of Claim 5 wherein said spring member further urges said
first and
second actuators against respective opposite ends of said longitudinally
extending slots.

Description

CA 02475801 2006-02-16
SPECIFICATIONS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
US patent # 5,376,410 to the present applicant disclose a process for
modifying the surface
of a material to which the present invention pertains. Canadian patent #
1,337,622 also to the
present applicant discloses a generic tool to effect the process. US patent
46,553,869 also by
the present applicant discloses a method of fabricating toothed blades for
such a tool. The
present invention discloses an improvement to this tool with structures
offering ease of
manufacture, assembly and use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A blade pack comprises two sets of toothed blades arranged in opposing
directions.
Aligned holes in each blade set have an actuator rod to move the blades.
Identical notches in
the blades align to create a common cavity to hold a spring to return blades
to a start position.
The blades and spring are inserted into a channel-shaped clip. The elongated
slots in the clip
align with the blade holes and taper-ended alignnient pins are inserted which
cause a slight
compression of the spring. By clamping the aligned clip and blades together,
the tapered pins
can be removed and replaced by two permanent actuator rods inserted through
the clip and
blade holes. Proper dimensioning of blades, spring, and clip, allows the
spring to force the
rods apart and against the end of the slots in the clip thereby creating a
secure assembly that
allows handling without parts falling out.
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
Such blade packs can be standardized as to size and tooth design.
A tool body comprises a channel shaped structtire into which the blade set or
pack fits. The
sides of the tool have angled slots to receive the actuator rods. Shallow
notches at the start of
the angled slots provide a ledge for the rods to snap-fit into providing a
retention force yet
allowing easy insertion and removal of the blade pack. When the tool is
pressed against the
surface to be modified, the actuator rods ride the angled slots upwards and
towards each other
moving the blades. The blade's movement causes each blade's teeth to dig into
the surface and
together cut or plane a plurality of short, stopped grooves. This raises a
like plurality of planed
chips, or burrs, which are not severed but rather are allowed to remain firmly
attached to one
end of the respective groove from which it came.
To make such a process cost-effective, the tool that does the processing must
have low-
cost blades that are easily replaceable when dull. 'I'he present invention
discloses such a tool
for modifying a generally planar surface of a work piece,: comprising first
and second sets of
blades, each blade comprising a generally planar blade member having a body
portion and a
plurality of teeth at the bottom of said body portion, said teeth presenting a
cutting edge at a
planing angle to a surface, said first set of blades having teeth extending in
a first longitudinal
direction, said second set of blades extending in an opposite longitudinal
direction; biasing
means urging said first set of blades apart from said second set of blades in
the longitudinal
axis direction; a retaining member for retaining said blades in a side by side
relationship and
for retaining said biasing means; a first actuator extending through said
retaining member and
through said body portions of said first set of blades; a second actuator
extending through said
retaining member and through said body portions of said second set of blades;
and a housing
member designed to receive said blades and actuators, and to present said
blades to a surface
requiring said modification: said housing menibei- llaving means for guiding
said actuators
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
such that upon a force being exerted on said housing member, said actuators
cause said blades
to move in opposite directions and thereby causing said teeth to plow into
said surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF "I'1-IE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows two sets of opposing toothed blades,
Figure 2 shows the opposing blades interdigitated and brought into starting
position with holes
and notches aligned and with a return spring urging the blades apart;
Figure 3 shows a side view of the blade clip with elongated holes or slots for
the rods
Figure 4 shows an end view of the interdigitated blades of Fig. 2;
Figure 5 shows an end view of the blade clip with spring;
Figure 6 shows the blade pack assembly with blade clip retaining member
enclosing blades
and spring (biasing means) and with actuator rods extending out of each side;
Figure 7 shows a side view of the samc enlbodiment with the spring shown in
phantom form;
Figure 8 shows how double springs cau be incorporated;
Figure 8a shows a double notched blade where fewer oi- tllinner blades
requires the use of a
spring that is too small in diameter to rest on the deeper notch;
Figure 9 shows the complete assembled tool with tool housing member enclosing
blade set or
pack;
Figure 10 shows a top view of a flanged, slide-on sheath to retain actuator
rods;
Figure 11 shows a side view of the same embodiment_
Figure 12 shows an end view of the embodiment of Fig. 9 where the tool housing
member is
machined or fornled fronl a solid block;
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
Figure 13 shows an end view of a diticrent embodiment ol'the tool housing
member where the
channel-shaped tool body is formed by folding bar stock;
Figure 14 shows another embodiment where the tool housing member is assembled
from three
components and where a spring element encloses tllree sides of the tool and is
used
to retain the actuator rods in the tool body and allows the replacement of the
blade
pack assembly.
DE"1',AILED DESCRIPTION
In Fig 1 identical blades are shown as being a left hand blade l a and a right
hand blade lb.
There could be any number of such blades in a blade set 1 c. For example eight
are shown in in
the blade set of Figs. 4. 6. 12. Normallv haif the blades w0uld be left hand
la and half right
hand lb. The blades have teeth 4a, 4b_ actuator holes 2a, 2b, notch 5a, 5b,
and top surfaces 7a,
b. The blades direction of cut are shown by arrows ')a and 3b. "I'he blades
are normally
arranged in an interdigitated manner as in the Fig. 4 end view of the blade
set showing
alternative left hand I a and right hand blades lb forming the blade set 1 c.
Other assembly
arrangements of the blade set are possible consistent with having equal number
of each so as
to achieve a desired cancellation of cutting forces. Othervise the workpiece
would have to be
clamped to resist forces which would otherwise be greater in one cutting
direction. For very
special conditions it is possible to have uncqual number ol'opposing blades
where the blades
are not identical as to thickness, tooth design and/or nLunber. In such a
case, although the left
and right blades nlay be unequal in number, the total cutting forces in each
direction should be
approximately equal to elinrinate work piece clamping requirements.
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
Fig. 2 shows the interdigitated blade set with the notclies 5a. 5b and holes
2a, 2b all
aligned, and with a biasing means (spring) 5 nestled in the space created by
the aligned
notches. Actuator rods (rods) 9a, b (Fig. 6) slide through the ali~,~ned
holes. The spring 5 keeps
the blades apart and establishes a first dimension 6b representing the maximum
distance
between outside rod surfaces with blade notches 5a, 5b just touching spring 5,
that is, with no
compression of the spring. In Fig. 3 the blade retaining membei- (clip) 8 has
elongated holes
(slots) 8a, b where the dimension 6b is less that 6a by, say. 0.010 inch or
0.2 mm. By this
means, when blades 1 a, I b, spring 5 and rods 9a, 9b are fitted in blade clip
8, the spring 5
must be slightly compressed resulting in rods 9a, b being iorced against the
ends of the slots
8a, 8b. By this means, all components ai-e retained in the clip. Stated
otherwise, pre-
compression of the spring prevents the rods 9a. 9b from inadvertently falling
out of the clip 8
during normal handling.
Fig. 5 shows an end view of the clip 8 showing slots 8a. 8b and how the spring
straightness
under compression is maintained bv having it's dianieter closelv matching the
blade clip 8
size. Fig. 6 shows the sanle view with blade set 1 c and rods 9a, 9b installed
and indicating
how inner upper surface 7 is very close to blade pack top surface 7a, 7b and
thereby serves to
hold blades substantially parallel to clip.
Fig. 7 shows a conlpleted blade set Id where the spring 5. notch walls 5a, 5b,
and blade
top surfaces 7a, 7b are all shown in dotted outline. Such replaceable blade
sets can be made in
standard sizes. They may be throwaway or may be disassembled for sharpening.
Where a material to be processed is 'sticky' and/or the cuts are deep, an
additional spring,
or other biasing means such as urethane blocks, may easily be accommodated by
deepening
the notch to hold two or niore springs as shown in Fig S. In large blade sets
springs may also
be mounted side by side (not shown). In small blade sets where the width of
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
blades requires a spring that is too small in diameter to rest on the deep
notch, a double notch
design provides spring support neat the blade's hole end. The deeper notch to
clear the
opposing actuator rod being only at the otlier end of tlie blade as shown in
Fig 8a.
Fig. 9 shows a complete tool I e which has a generally channel shape housing
member
(tool body) 10. Both sides of the tool body 10 have rod guiding means such as
angled slots
14a, 14b open at the bottonl to enable actuator rods 9a. 9b to engage angled
slots 14a, 14b. In
Fig. 9 arrows 15a indicates the direction the rods 9a, 9b travel when force 15
is applied to
mounting stub 12. (Stub 12 inay have threads, grooves. hanuner surface or
other means to
adapt to presses and inlpactors.) The limit of angled slots is shown as 14c.
Slot notches 13a,
13b define a distance 6c which is less that 6b by, sav, 0.0I O" or 0.2 mm.
These notches 13a,
13b provide a retaining means for rods 9a, 9b and thercfore for the blade pack
ld. Rods 9a, 9b
will 'snap' into the notches by spring pressure and thereby prevent blade pack
1 d from
accidentally falling out of the tool I e. Thumb pin 11 and spring 11 a form a
simple method of
ejecting blade set 1d ti-oni tool 1e.
This one piece housing~r member or tool body I e can be machined from a solid
block in two
operations, the first with a pair of shaped cutters to crosswise mill the two
angled slots
followed by the second using aplain slotting cutter to longitudinally mill the
channel.
Four tabs 25 of which only one is shown in Fi-. 9 and two in Fig. 12, may be
formed at the
four corners of the housing member 10 to retain a sleeve 30 shown in Fig 11.
The sleeve 30 in
Figs. 10, 11 just drops doxvn over housing member 10 and rests on tabs 25. In
another
embodiment the sleeve 30 has inwardly formed tlanges 31 that test on top of
tool body 10 as
shown in dotted outline in Fig. 13.
Fig. 13 and 14 show alternate metliods offabricatin~c the housing member where
Fig. 13
shows a one piece housing member 21 fornled bti toldino bar stock into a
channel and Fig. 14
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CA 02475801 2006-02-16
shows a three piece housing member comprising two identical side 21 and a
bridge 22 joined
together by rivets or other fasteners 20. In these einbodinlents the sides to
be slotted and
notched are flat to begin with and therefore the angled slots and notches can
be formed using a
punch and die. Fig 14 also shows a spring clamp 40 on housing member 10 to
retain actuator
rods 9a yet allow easv replacement of blade pack I d.
7

Representative Drawing