In place superfinishing of crankshaft thrust bearing faces

Abstract

An apparatus for the in situ superfinishing of crankshaft thrust bearing surfaces includes an oscillator, an oscillation arm connected to the oscillator such that the oscillation arm is reciprocable by the oscillator, a caliper disposed on the oscillation arm remote from the oscillator, and at least two abrasive pads disposed on the caliper. The oscillation arm facilitates the extension of the arm into the engine to cause the abrasive pads to engage the bearing and to abrasively superfinish the surfaces of the bearing. A method for the in situ superfinishing of the surfaces of the bearing includes operably locating a superfinishing apparatus adjacent the engine, extending the abrasive pads into the engine, causing the abrasive pads to engage the surfaces to be superfinished, and oscillating the abrasive pads in contact with the surfaces to be superfinished.

1 . An in situ surface superfinishing apparatus, comprising: 
 an oscillator;    an oscillation arm connected to said oscillator such that said oscillation arm is reciprocated by said oscillator, said oscillation arm being configured, positioned, and dimensioned to facilitate extension thereof into and retraction thereof out of a remote location in a device having surfaces to be superfinished;    a caliper disposed on said oscillation arm, said caliper being located remote from said oscillator; and    at least two abrasive pads disposed on said caliper, adjacent to each other and mounted under a bias into engagement with the surfaces, said abrasive pads being configured to abrasively superfinish said surfaces to be superfinished upon reciprocation of the arm.    
     
     
         2 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 1    wherein said abrasive pads are positioned on said caliper such that abrasive surfaces of said abrasive pads are configured to opposedly face each other.  
     
     
         3 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 2    wherein said abrasive pads are biased toward each other by said caliper.  
     
     
         4 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 1    wherein said caliper includes at least two fingers and wherein each of said at least two abrasive pads are located on a corresponding finger of said caliper.  
     
     
         5 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 4    wherein said at least two fingers are biased toward each other with a biasing element.  
     
     
         6 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 5    wherein said biasing element is a spring.  
     
     
         7 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 1    wherein said caliper is flexibly connected to said oscillation arm.  
     
     
         8 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 7    wherein said caliper is self-aligning with respect to a surface to be superfinished.  
     
     
         9 . The in situ surface superfinishing apparatus as claimed in    claim 3    wherein said caliper applies a finishing force to said at least two abrasive pads.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for superfinishing a surface in an engine, the apparatus comprising: 
 means for causing an abrasive pad to engage the surface; and    means for oscillating said abrasive pad while said abrasive pad is in frictional contact with the surface.    
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of    claim 10    wherein said means for causing said abrasive pad to engage the surface comprises an arm having said abrasive pad disposed thereon, said arm being mounted on an outer surface of the engine and extending inside the engine to engage the surface to be superfinished.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of    claim 11    wherein said arm comprises a caliper, said caliper having said abrasive pad mounted thereon.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of    claim 12    wherein said caliper comprises a first caliper finger and a second caliper finger, said first caliper finger having a first abrasive pad disposed thereon and said second caliper finger having a second abrasive pad disposed thereon.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of    claim 13    wherein said first caliper finger and said second caliper finger are biased together to apply opposing compressive forces to the surface to be superfinished through said first abrasive pad and said second abrasive pad.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of    claim 14    wherein said first caliper finger and said second caliper finger are biased together with a tension spring.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of    claim 12    wherein said caliper is self-centering on the surface to be superfinished.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of    claim 10    wherein said means for oscillating said abrasive pad while said abrasive pad is in frictional contact with the surface comprises an oscillator.  
     
     
         18 . A method for in situ superfinishing of surfaces in an engine, the method comprising: 
 locating a superfinishing device operably adjacent the engine;    extending at least two abrasive pads into the engine;    causing said at least two abrasive pads to engage a surface to be superfinished; and    oscillating said at least two abrasive pads in contact with said surface to be superfinished.