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US-20260124713-A1 - HUB FOR AN ABRASIVE ARTICLE

US20260124713A1US 20260124713 A1US20260124713 A1US 20260124713A1US-20260124713-A1

Abstract

A hub to mount an abrasive article to a tool, the hub including a body with a longitudinal center axis and a total axial height less than 16.7 mm, the body including a proximal end, a distal end, a flange extending radially from the body between the proximal end and the distal end, and an optional distal protrusion at the distal end extending axially from an upper surface of the flange, where the flange can be configured to engage a removal tool.

Inventors

  • Daniel A. SHRIVES
  • Jing Dong
  • Sebastien BISCANS
  • Nancy A. OBREGON

Assignees

  • SAINT-GOBAIN ABRASIVES, INC.
  • SAINT-GOBAIN SURFACE SOLUTIONS FRANCE

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251104

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A hub configured to mount an abrasive article to a tool, the hub comprising: a body with a longitudinal center axis and a total axial height (H 3 ), the body including: a proximal end; a distal end; and a flange extending radially from the body between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein the flange comprises a lower surface and an upper surface, wherein the distal end is at an axial distance (H 1 ) from the upper surface, and wherein H 3 is less than 16.7 mm and H 1 is less than 30% of H 3 .
  2. 2 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein H 1 is less than 25%, or less than 20%, or less than 18%, or less than 16%, or less than 10%, or less than 5%, or less than 1% of the total axial height H 3 of the body.
  3. 3 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein H 1 is less than 5 mm, or less than 4 mm, or less than 3 mm, or less than 2 mm, or less than 1 mm.
  4. 4 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein H 3 is less than 16 mm, or less than 15 mm, or less than 14 mm, or less than 13 mm, or less than 12 mm, or less than 11 mm.
  5. 5 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein a stack of ten hubs that are stacked with the distal end of one hub proximate the proximal end of an adjacent hub, wherein each of the ten hubs is mounted in one of a plurality of abrasive articles, wherein each of the plurality of abrasive articles is a grinding wheel, a combination wheel, or a cutoff wheel, and wherein the stack has a stack height of less than 180 mm, or less than 178 mm, or less than 176 mm, or less than 174 mm, or less than 172 mm, or less than 170 mm, or less than 168 mm, or less than 166 mm.
  6. 6 . The hub of claim 1 , further comprising a proximal protrusion extending axially from the lower surface of the flange, wherein a weight of the hub is less than 52 grams.
  7. 7 . The hub of claim 6 , wherein a volume of the hub is less than 8.3 cm 3 , or less than 8.0 cm 3 , or less than 7.5 cm 3 , or less than 7.0 cm 3 , or less than 6.5 cm 3 , or less than 6.0 cm 3 , or less than 5.5 cm 3 .
  8. 8 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein the flange comprises an annular cavity in the lower surface of the flange, the annular cavity being configured to receive an adhesive that secures the flange to the abrasive article, wherein a volume of the annular cavity is less than 8.7 cm 3 .
  9. 9 . The hub of claim 1 , further comprising a distal protrusion at the distal end extending axially from the upper surface of the flange, the distal protrusion having a non-polygonal shape in a radial cross section from an uppermost surface of the distal protrusion to the upper surface of the flange, wherein the radial cross section is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis.
  10. 10 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein the flange has a shape in a radial cross section, wherein the shape comprises a first flat and a second flat that are parallel to each other, wherein the first flat is radially spaced away from the longitudinal center axis in a first radial direction, wherein the second flat is radially spaced away from the longitudinal center axis in a second radial direction that is opposite the first radial direction, wherein the radial cross section is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis, and wherein the lower surface of the flange engages the abrasive article when the hub is mounted in an aperture of the abrasive article.
  11. 11 . The hub of claim 10 , further comprising a distal protrusion at the distal end extending axially from the upper surface of the flange.
  12. 12 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein the flange is configured to engage a removal tool.
  13. 13 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein an equivalent outer diameter (D 1 ) of the flange is less than 50 mm, or less than 45 mm, or less than 40 mm.
  14. 14 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the flange is axially aligned with an uppermost surface of the distal end.
  15. 15 . The hub of claim 1 , wherein the distal end comprises an internal bore with threads formed on an interior surface of the internal bore, and wherein the threads are configured to engage the tool.
  16. 16 . The hub of claim 1 , further comprising a proximal protrusion extending axially from the lower surface of the flange, wherein the proximal protrusion secures the hub in an aperture of the abrasive article, and wherein the proximal end is deformed to hold the abrasive article between the lower surface and the proximal end.
  17. 17 . A hub configured to mount an abrasive article to a tool, the hub comprising: a body with a longitudinal center axis, the body including: a proximal end; a distal end; a flange extending radially from the body between the proximal end and the distal end; and a distal protrusion at the distal end extending axially from an upper surface of the flange, the distal protrusion having a non-polygonal shape in a radial cross section from an uppermost surface of the distal protrusion to the upper surface of the flange, wherein the radial cross section is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis.
  18. 18 . The hub of claim 17 , wherein an outer surface of the distal protrusion is generally circular, in the radial cross section, from the uppermost surface of the distal protrusion to the upper surface of the flange.
  19. 19 . The hub of claim 17 , wherein the upper surface of the flange transitions to an outer surface of the distal protrusion via a transition, wherein the transition is a curved corner with a radius (R 1 ), and wherein R 1 is less than 5 mm and greater than 2 mm.
  20. 20 . The hub of claim 17 , wherein the distal protrusion has a generally cylindrical shape.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates, in general, to the field of tools for abrading material. More particularly, present embodiments relate to a hub for mounting an abrasive article to a tool. BACKGROUND “Hubbed” thin wheels for abrasive tools (e.g., floor mounted grinders, handheld portable grinders, buffing machines, etc.) can include a metal formed hub used to attach an abrasive article (e.g., grinder wheels, etc.) to a tool. Currently these hubbed thin wheels occupy a majority of the North American thin wheel market and are particularly popular with the oil and gas, foundry, and metal fabrication industries. Although popular, hubbed thin wheels can be more expensive to manufacture, can have a larger environmental impact, and can reduce performance on current safety metrics. Hubs for the hubbed thin wheels can account for up to 40% of the final product's raw material cost and can require additional manufacturing steps. Therefore, improvements in the hubs for the hubbed thin wheels are continually needed. SUMMARY This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify indispensable features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. One general aspect includes a hub configured to mount an abrasive article to a tool a body with a longitudinal center axis and a total axial height (H3), the body including: a proximal end; a distal end; and a flange extending radially from the body between the proximal end and the distal end, where the flange may include a lower surface and an upper surface, where the distal end is at an axial distance (H1) from the upper surface, and where H3 is less than 16.7 mm and H1 is less than 30% of H3. One general aspect includes a hub configured to mount an abrasive article to a tool a body with a longitudinal center axis, the body including: a proximal end; a distal end; a flange extending radially from the body between the proximal end and the distal end; and a distal protrusion at the distal end extending axially from an upper surface of the flange, the distal protrusion having a non-polygonal shape in a radial cross section from an uppermost surface of the distal protrusion to the upper surface of the flange, where the radial cross section is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other features, aspects, and advantages of present embodiments will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a representative perspective view of a handheld grinder tool with a hubbed thin wheel attached, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIG. 2A is a representative top view of a prior art hubbed thin wheel; FIG. 2B is a representative partial cross-sectional view along line 2B-2B, as indicated in FIG. 2A, of the prior art hubbed thin wheel; FIG. 2C is a representative top view of a prior art hub; FIG. 3 is a representative top view of a hub of the current disclosure, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIG. 4A is a representative partial cross-sectional view along line 4A-4A, as indicated in FIG. 3, of a hub of the current disclosure, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIG. 4B is a representative perspective view of a volume for receiving adhesive in a prior art hub; FIG. 4C is a representative perspective view of a volume for receiving adhesive in a hub of the current disclosure, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIGS. 5A-5F are representative bottom views of a hub of the current disclosure with various protruding ridges formed in the flange, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIGS. 6 and 7 are representative partial cross-sectional views along line 4A-4A, as indicated in FIG. 3, of hubs of the current disclosure, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIGS. 8A-8F are representative top views of hubs of the current disclosure with various flange profiles, in accordance with certain embodiments; FIG. 9 is a representative perspective view of a removal tool for engaging a hub of the current disclosure, in accordance with certain embodiments; and FIG. 10 is a representative side view of a vertical stack of hubs, in accordance with certain embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. The following discussion will focus on specific implementations and embodiments of the teachings. This focus is provided to assist in describing the teachings and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. FIG. 1 is a representative perspective view of a handheld grinder tool 10 with a hubbed thin wheel 132 atta