Longshot. If you have ideas, lemme know.
This is a torsion testing device. 83,000 ftlb (yeah, 1 million inch-pounds). Was built for the Army somewhere around 1940s, later owned by GM, then who knows. We have had it since 2007. The manufacturer says only 4 were made and this one is very likely the very last one in the world. We use it ALOT. Anyway, a test sample broke during a test, shock loaded the chuck system and broke a part inside. We need to get it apart to get the broke part out and get a replacement machined. Tinious Olsen built the thing, but have no records back that far and have no solutions and have made it clear that they really dont have any interest helping us out. We do have some of the original documentation, but it is pretty non-detailed and doesnt cover this assembly at all. We have tried some other industry sources and come up dry. It is very possible that this has never been apart since it was assembled in the 40s. Both chuck heads are identical, but inspecting the other end isnt helping figure this out.
The chuck head in the picture (claw hammer for scale) is partially disassembled. The face plates are off and the wedge chucks are out. There is a plate in the back with three pins that rotates to engage the chucks, spins by means of a worm gear. All those guts come out the back of the head. So, the head needs to come off the shaft it is on. The shaft goes through the bearing and through a bull gear inside the big housing. The bull gear is over 5 feet in diameter. It seems logical the head should come off the shaft so the bull gear wouldnt need to be taken out, but who knows the thinking on this back when it was made.
Just trying to figure out how it comes apart. Once we get the head to move or whatever, we can build a mobile support to take the weight and get it off and out. Just not sure at the moment what part is coming off.
There are some big allens in the head that appear to keep the head on the end of the shaft, remember it twists, so almost no tension loads so a couple retainer bolts make sense. We rigged up a forklift to take the weight (best guess) and tried big prybars to be it to move, no luck. There is a center hole in the rotating gear plate and looking through there appears to be the lathe divit for a live center, so almost certainly has to be the shaft. We fabbed up a rig to put a hydraulic ram in there to try and pull the head off the shaft like a gear puller. Started bending all our stuff, so quit.
Pics:
Chuck head with claw hammer for scale. The broken pin can be seen at the back of the triangle recess, light grey.
Holes were the (what we believe) retainer bolts came out of. Two closer to the shaft, two on the outter housing.
Bearing support the shaft passes through. The bull gear is behind the bulkhead to the right. I mean, Superman can see it, just not you. We will have to move a bunch of heavy stuff to be able to remove the walls and top off the housing to see the gearing behind it.
You can see the degree marks on the last pic. That was used to monitor rotation movement back when this beast was fully mechanical. It has been retrofitted to electronic/computer control, so we dont use that degree ring anymore.
Hoping all hell that bearing support doesnt need to be removed and the shaft pulled out of the bull gear with the head. But the shaft has to come out of the head so the guts can also come out of the head. We need to get that rotation plate out.
Any suggestions?
