Grinding-supporting device

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for multiple-bearing grinding of workpieces, such as crankshafts, wherein a support element seat occurs at a bearing point at the same time as the grinding of the main bearing a grinding-supporting unit is used that contains a grinding spindle head having at least one grinding disk and support elements in the form of support jaws or support bodies that can be swiveled in. After the support point seat is ground, the support elements are brought into contact therewith and support the workpiece during the further machining. The simultaneous grinding of the support point seat and several bearing points results in a reduction in the machining time in the grinding of the workpiece compared to the prior art.

1 . A method for multiple-bearing grinding of a workpiece, comprising grinding, with a grinding wheel set, a plurality of bearing points simultaneously, wherein
 at least one of the bearing points is at least partly supported during the grinding for compensating for deformations of the workpiece caused by grinding forces,   a grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat is fed in to at least one of the bearing points and grinds the supporting element seat at least in an axial section of said at least one of the bearing points,   grinding wheels of the grinding wheel set at least partly grind flat sides and/or bearing surfaces of the bearing points during the grinding with the grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat,   after finish grinding of the supporting element seat, the grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat is withdrawn by a small amount of lift or is set in a freely rotating manner,   one or more supporting elements are then infed to bear as force-absorbing elements against the finish-ground supporting element seat, and   the bearing points are then finish-ground using the grinding wheel set.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting element seats are ground at a plurality of the bearing points by a plurality of the grinding wheels for grinding a supporting element seat. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting elements are brought into engagement with and disengaged from the supporting element seat by pivoting about a pivot axis or by linear movement. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the infeeds of all the grinding wheels and of the supporting elements are coordinated via an electronic computer. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the supporting elements are set to a preliminary size of the supporting element seat or of the bearing point close to a final size and remain in this position. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the supporting elements follow the actual size of the associated bearing point according to adjustment of the grinding wheel set in an X 1  direction by adjustment in an X 2  direction. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for the multiple-bearing grinding of workpieces, comprising a grinding wheel set for grinding a plurality of bearing points simultaneously, the grinding wheel set being arranged on a common grinding spindle in a multiple-bearing grinding headstock arranged for infeeding of the grinding wheel set in at least a radial X 1  direction with respect to the workpiece, a supporting element seat for at least partly supporting during the grinding at least one bearing point thereby to compensate for deformations of the workpiece caused by grinding forces, and a work headstock for supporting the workpiece and rotating the workpiece about a rotation axis, spaced from the multiple-bearing grinding headstock at least one further grinding headstock as part of a grinding-supporting unit having a grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat, the grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat and the supporting element seat being located on opposite sides of the workpiece, the grinding-supporting unit being arranged for being fed in to the workpiece and removed therefrom in a radial X 2  direction, and being provided with at least one movable supporting element proximate the grinding wheel for grinding a supporting element seat, the supporting elements being arranged for infeeding to bear against the supporting element seat. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the infeed of the multiple-bearing grinding headstock in the X 1  direction and the infeed of the grinding-supporting unit with the further headstock in the X 2  direction are controllable independently of one another. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the at least one supporting element of the grinding-supporting unit is arranged on the further grinding headstock for movement together with the latter further grinding headstock. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the grinding-supporting unit comprises at least one supporting jaw or supporting body which is pivotable about a pivot axis or linearly movable. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the supporting elements have, at surfaces in contact with the workpiece, a friction- and wear-reducing layer. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting element seat comprises a steady rest seat. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the supporting element seat comprises a steady rest seat. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the layer is of polycrystalline diamond or cubic boron nitride.