ARRANGEMENT

BACKGROUND

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing wire brush tools for metal working and other finishing operations.

[0002] It is an object to provide a brushing tool which enables the brushing tool to be mounted bi-directionally, greatly extending the service life of the brush.

SUMMARY

[0003] A rotary brush for use with a surface finishing tool is disclosed. The tool has a drive shaft for transmitting rotary motion to the brush. The brush is in the form of a circular disc that supports circumferentially disposed brushing elements, and comprises a nut including internal threads for engagement with the drive shaft. The nut extends axially outward from each face of the disc an approximately equal amount to facilitate bidirectional mounting of the brush on the tool.

In a further embodiment, also disclosed is a rotary brush, comprising a circular disc defining a plane, a plurality of brushing elements extending radially from the disc around the circumference of the disc and lying substantially in the plane defined by the disc, and a mounting nut located coaxial with the axis of the disc and extending symmetrically on both sides of the disc relative to the plane of the disc for mounting the disc to a drive shafi The brushing elements may comprise wire knots, abrasive bristles, or other suitable brushing elements.

[0004] Also disclosed is a mounting nut for a rotary brush, comprising a body portion having a central bore therethrough, the bore being threaded to engage a correspondingly threaded drive shaft, and a disc-engaging portion located in substantially the center of the body portion for attaching the circular disc to the nut to transmit rotary motion of the drive shaft to the disc through the nut. When the nut is attached to the disc he body portion extends outward from each face of the disc an approximately equal distance. The body portion of the mounting nut may include hex flats on the exterior of the body portion. Also disclosed is a bidirectional mounting system for a rotary disc brush in the form of a circular disc supporting circumferentially disposed bmshing elements, comprising an externally threaded drive shaft for producing rotary motion, a nut mountable to the center of the circular disc, the nut having a body portion with first and second ends and a central bore threaded to engage the threaded drive shaft for rotary movement therewith, the nut having a disc-engaging portion in substantially the center of the body portion between the first and second ends for attachment to the disc, the body portion extending outward from the disc-engaging portion an approximately equal distance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] For the purpose of illustration, the drawings show a form of rotary brush that is presently preferred. However, it should be understood that the brush is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a front view of a rotary brush according to the prior art.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a side view of the Totary brush of FIG. 1.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the rotary brush of FIG. 1 , taken along the line 3 - 3 in FIG. 1.

[0009] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are simplified illustrations of the manner in which the rotary brush according to the prior art may be mounted to a surface finishing tool.

[0010] FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of a rotary brush as disclosed and claimed herein.

[0011] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are simplified illustrations of the manner in which the rotary brush as disclosed and claimed herein may be mounted to the surface finishing tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 a rotary brush 10 according to the prior art. The prior art brush 10 has a disc 12 that supports a plurality of radially extending wire knots 14. Wire knots are formed by passing wire bundles through circumferential perforations located along the edge of disc 12. Wire knots 14 are formed by looping and twisting the wire bundles around the edge of the disc 12.

[0013] Disc 12 is sandwiched between side plates 16. Side plates !6 are formed near the rim to define a bulbous cavity 16 to surround and hold wire knots 14 in place. The extreme ends 18 of side plates 16 are tightly crimped against wire knots 14 in order to restrict pivotal movement of wire knots 14 in the plane of disc 12. Side plates 16 may be welded to disc 12. A mounting nut 20 is provided for mounting rotary brush 10 to a drive shaft of a surface finishing tool or other means of imparting rotary motion to the brush. Mounting nut 20 typically has internal threads 22 to enable rotary brush 10 to threadingly engage a correspondingly threaded drive shaft.

[0014] As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, mounting nut 20 has one side 24 that is swaged or rolled over to help anchor mounting nut 20 to disc 12. By forming side 24 in that manner, mounting nut 20 can be firmly attached to disc 12 without the need for additional elements such as adhesives, rivets, and the like. Although prior art mounting nut 20 facilitates attachment to disc 12, it can be seen that mounting nut 20 extends for a distance y on the side of the disc 12 opposite the swaged side 24. As a result, the rotary brush is asymmetric when viewed from the side as in FIG. 3.

[0015] Rotary brush 10 is intended to be mounted to a finishing tool so that the mounting nut 20 faces outward relative to finishing tool 26, as best seen in FIG. 4. That is, brush 10 is intended to be mounted on the drive shaft 28 in such a manner that brush 10 rotates within safety guard 30 so that a user's hands and fingers are shielded from the brush 10 when it is being rotated by finishing tool 26. Thus, the prior art brush 10 uses the asymmetric mounting nut 20 to encourage the brush 10 to be mounted only one way on the drive shaft 28, for safety reasons.

[0016] However, mounting brush 10 as shown in FIG. 4 means that the brush 10 rotates always in the same direction. As the brush 10 is used, the wire knots 14 tend to wear down and become dull, so that the brush 10 becomes less "aggressive" in removing material from a surface to be finished by the brush 10. To extend the life of a brush 10, users in the field often remove the brush 10 after it has become worn, turn it over, and remount it to the drive shaft 20 with mounting nut 20 facing inward, as best seen in FIG. 5. This effectively causes the brush 10 to rotate in the opposite direction, and presents an unworn, more aggressive face of the wire knows 14 to the surface to be finished.

[0017] Mounting the brush 10 in that manner, however, leads to safety problems. Because of the safety guard, it is sometimes difficult to insert a wrench or other tool to tighten mounting nut 20 to securely attached brush 10 to drive shaft 28. Failure to adequately tighten mounting nut 20 and securely attach brush 10 to drive shaft 20 can result in the brush becoming loose and flying off the tool at high speed, posing a clear risk of injury to the user, to bystanders, and to property. In addition, because the mounting nut 20 is asymmetric relative to disc 12, by mounting brush 10 so that mounting nut 20 faces inward, the plane of disc 12, and consequently wire knots 14, extend past the safety guard 30. A rapidly rotating brush 10 extending beyond safety guard 30 poses a clear risk of hand and finger injury, or worse, to the user.

[0018] The brush disclosed and claimed herein overcomes the problems with the prior art brush and enables a rotary brush to be mounted with either surface of the brush disc facing inward relative to the finishing tool. Referring first to FIG. 6, rotary brush 40 has substantially the same structure as brush 10. Thus, rotary brush 40 includes a disc 42 that supports a plurality of radially extending wire knots 44. Disc 42 is sandwiched between side plates 46, and the extreme ends 48 of side plates 46 are tightly crimped against wire knots 44, all as with brush 10.

[0019] Rotary brush 40 also includes a mounting nut 50 for mounting rotary brush 40 to a drive shaft 28 of a surface finishing tool 26 or other means of imparting rotary motion to the brush. Mounting nut 50 has internal threads 22 to enable rotary brush 40 to threadingly engage drive shaft 28.

[0020] Mounting nut 50 extends axially outward from the plane of disc 42 for a distance x on each side of disc 42. The distance x on one side of disc 42 is approximately equal to the distance x on the opposite side of disc 42, but exact equality is not necessary. The actual distances may vary slightly, as long as they are approximately the same on both sides of disc 42. Preferably, distance x is less than the distance y by which mounting nut 20 extends from on one side of prior art brush disc 12 (see FIG. 3). [002 Π By making extent x of mounting nut 50 less than the extent y of mounting nut 20, there is greater assurance that, if brush 40 is turned over and mounted on drive shaft 28 the opposite way, safety guard 30 will be able to fully shield wire knots 44 of brush 40. As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, when mounted with either surface of disc 42 facing outward, the plane of disc 42 is at approximately the same distance from the finishing tool 26. That way, brush 40 is fully shielded by safety guard 30 and there are no wire knots 44 that extend an unsafe distance beyond the edge of safety guard 30. In addition, mounting nut 50 has hexagonal flats on both sides of disc 42, so that a user can easily reach the hexagonal flats with a wrench or other tool to securely tighten mounting nut 50 to drive shaft 48.

[0022] It is presently preferred that mounting nut 50 be a single piece. However, mounting nut may comprises two separate halves, one half being attached to one face of the disc 42 and the other half being attached to the other face of the disc 42.

[0023] The disclosed brush may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing speci fication, as indicating the scope of protection claimed.