A manually actuated tool for facing the exposed end of an insert installed in a honeycomb panel is described. Several cutting bits are held in a round body portion that is rotated around the end of a stud to provide the cutting action. Pressure is adjusted through a spring against the body portion and the surface of the stud by a pressure nut threaded on the stud. A diagram of the components of the device is provided

Abernathy, W. J.

Snoddy, L. G.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

REPLY TO
ATTN OF: GP
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546
JUN 1 4 1974
TO: KSI/Scientific & Technical Information Division
Attn: Miss Winnie M. Morgan
FROM: GP/Office of Assistant General
Counsel for Patent Matters
SUBJECT: Announcement of NASA-Owned U.S. Patents in STAR
In accordance with the procedures agreed upon by Code GP
and Code KSI, the attached NASA-owned U.S. patent is being
forwarded for abstracting and announcement in NASA STAR.
The following information is provided:
U.S. patent No.
Government or
Corporate Employee
Supplementary Corporate
Source (if applicable)
NASA Patent Case No.
i
NOTE - If this patent covers an invention made by a corporate
employee of a NASA Contractor, the following is applicable:
YES /—7 NO /77
Pursuant to Section 305(a) of the National Aeronautics and
Space Act, the name of the Administrator of NASA appears on
the first page of the patent; however, the name of the actual
inventor (author) appears at the heading of column No. 1 of
the Specification, following the wordsj^..with respect to
an invention of ..."
Bonnie L. Woerner
Enclosure
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19740017855 2020-03-17T14:46:00+00:00Z
' United. States Patent
Abernathy et al.
[ i i ] 3,813,183
[45] May 28, 1974
[54] INSERT FACING TOOL
[75] Inventors: William J. Abernathy; Lowell G.
Snoddy, both of Huntsville, Ala.
[ 73 ] Assignee: The United States of America as
represented by the Administrator of
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, Washington, D.C.
[22] Filed: Aug. 2, 1972
[21] Appl. No.: 277,436
[52] U.S. CI 408/80, 408/111, 90/12.5
[51] Int. Cl B23b 41/00, B23b 1/20
[58] Field of Search 408/80, 79, 72, 99, 110,
408/111,241 R, 100, 101; 90/12.5
[56] References Cited
UNITED STATES PATENTS
1,841,938 1/1932 Davis 90/12.5 X
2,385,589 9/1945 Shepler 90/12.5
Primary Examiner—Gil Weidenfeld
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—L. D. Wofford, Jr.; W. H.
Riggins; John R. Manning
[57] ABSTRACT
A manually actuated tool for facing the exposed end
of an insert installed in a honeycomb panel so that the
open end of the insert will be flush with or slightly un-
dercut from the outer surface of the panel comprising
a rotatable axial stud having a threaded end adapted
to screw into an internally threaded sleeve of the in-
sert. A plurality of cutting bits are held in a round
body portion that is manually rotated around the stud
so that the cutting bits continuously engage the end of
the insert in a cutting action. Pressure is adjustably ap-
plied through a spring against the body portion, and
thus the bits, by a pressure nut threaded on the stud.
6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures
3.813,183
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3,813,183
INSERT FACING TOOL
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made by employ-
ees of the U.S. Government and may be manufactured
and used by or for the Government for governmental
purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon
or therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to facing tools and
more particularly to a manually actuated facing tool for
facing inserts installed in panels or the like.
Round inserts containing internally threaded sleeves
are often installed in supporting structures, such as
honeycomb panels, to provide a means for fastening
various items to the panels with screws. As is well
known, honeycomb structures are extensively used in
the manufacture of space vehicles and associated hard-
ware and critical apparatus housed in compact contain-
ers, often called "black boxes", are screw mounted on
the honeycomb structures. Since these "black boxes"
usually include electrical devices, electrical contact be-
tween the boxes and the outer surface of the honey-
comb structures is used as a ground connection.
The process of installing an insert in a honeycomb
panel usually involves drilling an oversize hole in the
panel and securing the insert in the hole with epoxy
resin. While the open or accessible end of the insert is
left generally flush with the mounting surface of a hon-
eycomb panel, it is often not sufficiently flush to assure
good electrical contact between the box being mounted
and the mounting surface of the honeycomb panel.
Also if the exposed end edge of the insert is not near
perfectly parallel with the mounting surface of the hon-
eycomb panel undesirable stresses are introduced into
the box upon mounting. This condition may result from
slightly tilting the insert during installation.
To avoid the possibility of stressing the boxes being
mounted and of having inadequate electrical contact
between the boxes and the mounting surface of the
honeycomb panels, the exposed ends of the inserts are
faced so as to make the ends flush with the panel
mounting surface or slightly undercut therefrom. Prior
tools, e.g., pneumatic cutting tools, utilized for facing
the inserts having proven unsatisfactory because of
lack of a means for locating or holding the cutting
edges parallel with the mounting surface of the honey-
comb panel and for applying a measured and constant
' load on the tool cutters during the facing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a body portion holding a
plurality of cutting elements arranged to contact and
cut the exposed end of an insert installed in a support-
ing panel during the insert facing operation. The body
portion has a relatively large planar bearing surface for
bearing on the planar mounting surface of a supporting
panel to establish and maintain a parallel relationship
between the body and the mounting surface. An elon-
gated stud extends axially through the body portion
with the stud and body portion being rotatable relative
to each other. The stud has a threaded end portion
adapted for being screwed into an internally threaded
sleeve contained within the insert to thereby fix the fac-
ing tool in the proper position relative to the insert and
supporting panel. Pressure is adjustably applied to the
body portion by a pressure nut carried by the stud with
a spring arranged between the pressure nut and the
body portion.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present in-
5 vention to provide an improved facing tool.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide
a manually actuated tool for facing the exposed ends of
inserts installed in supporting structures so that the ex-
posed ends will be flush with or slightly undercut from
10 the mounting surface of the supporting structure.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tool
for facing the exposed ends of inserts installed in hon-
eycomb panels whereby "black boxes" may be screw
mounted on the honeycomb panels with proper electri-
15 cal contact being established between abutting surfaces
of the "balck boxes" and the mounting surface of the
honeycomb panel and whereby undesirable stresses
will not be introduced into the "black boxes."
Another object of the invention is to provide a simple
20 and economical manually actuated facing tool having
means for establishing and maintaining a parallel rela-
tionship between the surface being faced and the sur-
rounding surface and for applying a constant pressure
1
 urging the cutting edges of the tool against the surface
25 being faced. These and other objects and advantages of
the invention will become apparent upon reference to
the following specification, attendant claims and draw-
ing.
30 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an insert facing
tool embodying the present invention with the tool
being attached to an insert of a honeycomb structure.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2—2 of
35
 FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3—3 of
FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
40 EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 therein is shown a honeycomb
panel 11 comprising a honeycomb core 13 and op-
posed facing sheets 15 and 17 bonded to the core 13.
Anchored within an opening 19 in one side of the hon-
eycomb panel 11, as by epoxy resin 21, is a cylindrical
insert 23. As is apparent, the lower end of the insert 23
is bonded to the interior surface of the lower sheet 17
and the upper end of the insert is approximately flush
with the exterior surface of the upper facing sheet 15.
As a practical matter, the upper end of the insert 23
may project slightly above the exterior surface of the
sheet 15, as indicated somewhat exaggeratedly in FIG.
1. The upper end of the insert 23 comprises a flange 25
a portion 27 of which projects slightly inwardly of the
insert so as to capture within the insert an internally
threaded sleeve 31.
The purpose of the insert 23 is to facilitate the
mounting of various compact units, often called "black
60 boxes," on the honeycomb panel 11. As is apparent,
the inserts 23 appropriately located in the panel pro-
vides a means for mounting the "black boxes" with
screws received by the threaded sleeves 31. As previ-
ously indicated herein, when the inserts 23 are installed
65 in the honeycomb panel 11 the top surface of the flange
25 is usually not sufficiently flush with the outer surface
of the sheet 15. This is often caused by the insert being
slightly tilted from the perpendicular during installation
45
3,813,183
so that the flange surface is not exactly parallel with the
sheet 15. It is not good practice to attach units contain-
ing delicate and critical equipment to the inserts when
a portion of the insert is projecting slightly above the
top surface of the honeycomb panel. To do so produces 5
stress in the portions of the units bearing on the uneven
surface. Moreover, when the boxes to be mounted con-
tain electrical circuitry it is essential that good electri-
cal contact be established between the facing sheet of
the honeycomb panel and the portion of the box bear- 10
ing on the sheet since this contact is often used as a
ground connection.
The insert facing tool of the present invention is used
to modify the top annular surface of the insert 23, i.e.,
flange 25, so that the surface is flush with the upper sur- 15
face of the facing sheet 15 or slightly undercut below
the facing sheet surface. The facing tool, indicated gen-
erally at 33, comprises a vertical stud 35 located axially
of the tool 33. The stud 35 has a lower end portion 37
that is externally threaded to be threaded into the 20
sleeve 31 of the insert 23. An annular stop 39 marks the
upper end of the threaded portion 37. A circular metal-
lic body 41 has a central hole 43 therethrough that is
occupied by the stud 35 with the stud and the body
being rotatable relative to each other. For reasons to be 25
set forth hereinafter the body 41 has a circular element
45 bonded to the lower end thereof which is made of
a material such as Teflon that provides a smooth bear-
ing surface for bearing on the surface sheet 15. The ele-
ment 45 has a slight vertical projection 47 that fits in 30
a recess 49 in the lower end of the body.
A pair of cutting bits 51 are adjustably fixed in the
body 41, being received in openings 53, and secured by
setscrews 55 positioned in threaded holes 57 arranged
perpendicularly to the bits 51. A plurality of blind holes 35
59 are formed in the surface of the body 41 to receive
removable handles (not shown) for manually rotating
the body 41 during a cutting operation to be described
subsequently. ^
Overlying the body 41 is a helical spring 61 concen- 40
trically encompassing the stud 35 and bearing at each
end on Teflon spring guides 63. The lower spring guide
63 contacts the body 41 and the upper spring guide 63
contacts a pressure nut 65 that is threadedly movable
over an upper threaded portion 67 of the stud 35. A 45
hole 69 is provided near the upper end of the stud 35
to receive a removable handle 71 for manually rotating
.the stud 35.
OPERATION 50
When using the insert facing tool 33 for facing the
upper end of the insert 23 the tool is first firmly fixed
to the insert by screwing the lower end portion 37 of
the stud 35 into the sleeve 31 of the insert until the stop
39 of the stud bears on the upper end of the sleeve 31. 55
The stud is easily rotated manually through the remov-
able handle 71. Thereafter the pressure nut 65 is ro-
tated until the proper pressure is exerted on the cutter
holding body 41 through the spring 61. The cutting
ends of the bits 51 are sized and positioned to corre- 60
spond to the end of the insert 23. Adjustments in the
longitudinal position of the bits 51 are conveniently
made through the set-screws 55 for the desired cutting
of the insert 23.
The cutting action of the bits 51 on the end of the in-
sert 23 is effected by manually rotating the body 41
clockwise. A handle (not shown) may be removably in-
serted in the blind holed 59 to facilitate rotation of the
body 41. As the body 41 rotates, the bits 51 continu-
ously engage the end of the insert 23 in a cutting action
until the relatively large and smooth surface of the
bearing element 45 continuously contacting the outer
surface of the sheet 15 results in the cutting plane of
the bits 51 becoming parallel with the outer surface of
the sheet 15. When this continuous or full contact be-
tween the bearing element 45 and the outer surface of
the sheet 15 has been achieved the cutting action will
be complete and a parallel relationship will exist be-
tween the faced surface of the insert 23 and the sur-
rounding surface of the facing sheet 15.
We claim:
1. A facing tool comprising:
a body portion holding a cutting element having a
cutting surface adapted to contact a surface to be
faced by said tool;
said body portion comprising a smooth bearing sur-
face encompassing said cutting element;
means for attaching said body portion adjacent a sur-
face to be faced by said tool whereby said body
portion may be rotated while so attached;
said attaching means comprising a stud extending
through said body portion;
means including said stud for applying pressure
against said body portion and urging said body por-
tion and thus said cutting element toward a surface
to be faced by said tool;
said pressure applying means further including means
•carried by said stud for varying the pressure ap-
plied against said body portion.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said
stud extends axially through said body portion, said
stud and said body portion being rotatable relative to
each other.
3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including a plu-
rality of said cutting elements, said cutting elements
comprising cutting bits positioned in corresponding
openings in said body portion, means for clamping said
bits in said openings.
4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said
pressure applying means carried by said stud includes
a pressure nut threadedly engaging said stud, a spring
disposed between said body portion and said pressure
nut.
5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said
means for attaching said body portion adjacent a sur-
face to be faced further comprises a threaded end por-
tion of said stud, said end portion being adapted for
screwing into a threaded part of an insert installed in a
supporting structure.
6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said
bearing surface comprises Teflon.
65


Insert facing tool

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