Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Including application of electrical radiant or wave energy...
Patent
1997-07-09
1999-04-06
El-Arini, Zeinab
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Including application of electrical radiant or wave energy...
134 23, 134 32, 134 33, 15 94, B08B 102, B08B 312, B08B 702
Patent
active
058912550
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This is national stage application of PCT/GB96/00291 filed Feb. 8, 1996.
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention concerns methods and apparatus for removing swarf from machined products such as cylinder heads and engine blocks.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The removal of swarf from machined products is very important since by its nature the material can cause very rapid wear and abrasion or can block coolant and lubricant passageways in an engine or other piece of equipment to which the machined product is fitted.
Conventionally swarf is removed by wash systems in which liquid is injected into and around the machined component so as to dislodge and flush therefrom any swarf and products of the machining process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,155 discloses a wheel around which castings to be shaken of debris are clamped. At spaced angular positions round the rotating wheel vibrating devices 32 include pads pressed against the clamped castings to vibrate them. The castings are not mounted on a support which "generates" the vibration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,537 describes an arrangement in which an engine block to be shaken of swarf is mounted on a support having resilient pads which locate the block in position. The support is both rotated and shaken during rotation.
In practice, unfortunately, minute traces of swarf have been found to remain in the passageways of a machined casting and it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for supporting and vibrating machined castings such as cylinder heads and engine blocks, for removing swarf therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention a method of removing swarf from a machined component comprises the steps of restably supporting the component on fingers forming part of a support means, vibrating at least the fingers of the latter in a manner to cause the component to be accelerated alternately at least partly in an upward direction and then at least partly downwardly for a given period of time, and thereafter removing the component from the support means to permit another component to take its place.
The acceleration imparted to the component may be such as to cause the component to momentarily lift off the fingers during at least part of each of the vibrations during the vibration period, so that the component is caused to bounce repetitively on the fingers.
The vibrations may be in a generally vertical sense, or in a generally rotational sense so that the component describes a circular of elliptical path.
The frequency of vibration may be varied during each period of vibration, (vibration step) so as to subject each component to a number of selected different frequencies or to a range of frequencies during the vibration step.
According to another aspect of the invention, each vibration step may comprise two separate vibration modes with a different vibration amplitude, or frequency, or both, during each mode.
The component may include parts which protrude from the surface on which it would be supported for the vibration step, and according to a preferred feature of the invention, the fingers are adapted to engage non-critical regions of the component, so as to reduce the risk of damage to machined surfaces or distortion of the machined component during the vibration.
Advantageously, the fingers may protrude up into cavities within the component so that there is little risk of lateral displacement of the component relative to the fingers as it is vibrated.
The fingers may be movable relative to a support surface to engage the component and the method may include the step of positioning the component on the support surface and elevating the component therefrom by raising the fingers relative thereto. Thereafter in accordance with the invention, the fingers are lowered after the vibration step so that the component once again rests on the support surface from which it is removed, to permit a new component to take its place.
Where machining of the component has been performed from above, it may be
REFERENCES:
patent: 3989537 (1976-11-01), Sickmeier
patent: 5054155 (1991-10-01), McKibben et al.
El-Arini Zeinab
Unova U.K. Limited
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