Method and device for balancing rotors

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of rotating includes the further step of rotating the rotor about a longitudinal axis thereof while being bombarded so that the mass lost is removed through a combination of being vaporized by the effect of the laser beam bombardments and being flug off the rotor due to centrifugal force generated through rotation of the rotor after being softened by the effect of the laser beam bombardments.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of moving includes the step of shifting the laser beam and rotor slightly relative to each other parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotor at a constant angular position, whereby mass is removed from the rotor in a plurality of longitudinally successive notches.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3 wherein the relative movement Is so slight that at least some of the successive notches interpenetrate, thereby being contiguous with one another to create a composite notch.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein, said step of moving includes the step of moving the laser beam and rotor angularly of said longitudinal axis of the rotor, centered about the angular disposition of the excess mass, whereby mass is removed fro the rotor in a plurality of angularly successive notches.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of moving includes the step of displacing the laser beam along a path of reciprocation at a frequency which differs from the frequency of said successive bombardments.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6, wherein the frequency of reciprocation of the laser beam is less than the frequency of said successive bombardments.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 including the step of focusing the laser beam upon the rotor through a convergent lens and wherein said step of displacing includes the step of reciprocating said lens to provide the reciprocation of the laser beam.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 wherein said step of displacing includes the step of impinging the laser beam, upstream from its impingement upon the rotor upon a reflecting surface and reciprocating said reflecting surface to provide the reciprocation of the laser beam.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of bombarding includes the step of bombarding adjacent ones of said sites one after another in the direction of rotation of the rotor.

Claim 12

Apparatus for balancing a rotor having an imbalance resulting from excess mass effectively concentrated at a determinable angular disposition on the rotor, comprising: means for mounting and rotating said rotor, means for determining the magnitude and angular position of the imbalance and providing a signal indicating that position, means for emitting a high intensity laser beam in successive, intermittent pulses, means for slightly relatively moving the laser beam and the rotor intermediate at least some of the successive, intermittent pulses for successively bombarding the rotor with the high intensity laser beam at a plurality of closely spaced and different sites, substantially centered upon the angular position of said imbalance, the intensity of the laser beam where it impinges upon the rotor being sufficient to vaporize or melt some of but less than the whole amount of said excessive mass with each bombardment, whereby with a plurality of such bombardments the majority of said successive mass may be removed, means connected to said determining means for receiving said signal and for storing the angular location of said imbalance, means connected to said storing means for causing said emitting means to emit said beam to produce said sites substantially centered at a location stored in said storing means, means for receiving said laser beam and for focusing said laser beam onto said rotor, and means connected to said focusing means for changing the focus of said laser beam onto said rotor so as to direct a defocused beam at the stored location so that the beam impinges on an area around said sites having pools of molten metal to deburr said sites.

Claim 13

Apparatus for balancing a rotor having an imbalance resulting from excess mass effectively concentrated at a determinable angular disposition on the rotor, comprising: means for mounting and rotating said rotor, means for determining the magnitude and angular position of the imbalance and providing a signal indicating that position, means for emitting a high intensity laser beam in successive, intermittent pulses, means for slightly relatively moving the laser beam and the rotor intermediate at least some of the successive, intermittent pulses for successively bombarding the rotor with the high intensity laser beam at a plurality of closely spaced and different sites, substantially centered upon the angular position of said imbalance, the intensity of the laser beam where it impinges upon the rotor being sufficient to vaporize or melt some of but less than the whole amount of said excessive mass with each bombardment, whereby with a plurality of such bombardments the majority of said successive mass may be removed, means connected to said determining means for receiving said signal and for storing the angular location of said imbalance, means connected to said storing means for causing said emitting means to emit said beam to produce said sites substantially centered at a location stored in said storing means, means for receiving said laser beam and for focusing said laser beam onto said rotor, and means connected to said focusing means for changing the focus of said laser beam onto said rotor so as to direct a defocused beam at the stored location so that the beam impinges on an area around said sites having pools of molten metal to deburr said sites.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 further including means for rotating the rotor about the longitudinal axis thereof during said bombardments thereof, whereby excessive mass which is melted by said laser beam may be flung from the rotor by centrifugal force.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the relatively moving means moves the impingement of the beam angularly of the rotor, centered about the angular disposition of the excess mass, whereby mass is removed from the rotor in a plurality of angularly successive notches.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the relatively moving means includes means for receiving the laser beam and displacing the laser beam so that the bombardment sites move along a path of reciprocation at a frequency which differs from the frequency of said successive bombardments.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said focusing means includes lens means selectively positionable in the path of said laser beam for varying the energy per unit area incident upon the sites bombarded by the laser beam and means selectively positioning said lens means in the path of said laser beam for varying the energy per unit area incident upon the sites bombarded by the laser beam.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the relatively moving means moves the impingement of the laser beam longitudinally of the rotor at a constant angular disposition, whereby mass is removed from the rotor in a plurality of longitudinally successive notches.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the relatively moving means moves so relatively slightly that at least some of the successively created notches interpenetrate, thereby being contiguous with one another to create a composite notch.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the relatively moving means includes means for receiving the laser beam and displacing the laser beam so that the bombardment sites move along a path of reciprocation at a frequency which is less than the frequency of said successive bombardments.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the focusing means includes a convergent lens mounted in the path of the laser beam and said moving means includes means for reciprocating the lens to provide the recited reciprocation of the laser beam.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said reciprocating means includes a vibrator connected to said convergent lens and having extremes of vibration on both sides of a null position, the null position being so disposed that when the laser beam is pulsed while the vibrator is in the null position thereof, the convergent lens focuses the laser beam upon the center of effective concentration of the excess mass on the rotor.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the relatively moving means includes a reflecting surface mounted in the path of the laser beam and means connected to said reflecting surface for reciprocating the reflecting surface to provide the recited reciprocation of the laser beam.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said moving means includes platform means movable longitudinally of the rotor for causing removal excess mass at any of a plurality of longitudinally spaced locations and said focusing means includes a convergent lens mounted in the path of said laser beam between said rotor and said reflecting surface wherein the reflecting surface, the means for reciprocating the reflecting surface and the convergent lens are mounted on said platform means.