For a ground joint the fitting with files or scrapers is only carried far enough to bring the fit sufficiently near that it may be finished by grinding the surfaces by rotating one upon the other with oil and emery interposed between them.
To grind a joint it is obvious that all the bolts or studs must be removed.
In a scraped joint the scraping is carried to such a point of correctness that the fit will be tight without grinding.
Joints in new work are easily ground, because the bolts or studs being new have not become rusted in their places and may therefore be readily removed; furthermore the joint may be ground before the studs are inserted. But in the case of old joints the studs may have become so rusted to their places as to render them liable to break off in the effort to extract them, and in such case it is better in most cases to make a scraped joint, which may be done with the studs left standing in their places.
To make a ground joint, as say a cylinder cover joint, proceed as follows:—
Put a thin coat of red marking upon the joint face of the cover, and after it is coated lightly and smoothly all over, the hand should be passed over the whole surface marked, because any grit left on the surface will cut the faces of the joint when they are rubbed together to fit them, and there is no wiping material that will so effectually clean dust from the surface as the hand will; and furthermore, the sense of touch will instantly detect any grit present. The cover may now be put into its place on the cylinder and rotated back and forth a turn or so to insure that it is properly seated; then we may strike it a light blow in different places with a piece of wood or the end of the handle of the chipping hammer; and if the cover does not fit pretty closely to its seat, a sharp metallic sound will be distinctly heard when the blow is struck over the parts of the face that are much out of true. Hence, by striking the blows all around the flange, we can easily find not only the high and low spots, but can determine, after a little practice, by the degree of the sound, how much the faces are out of true. We next rub the cover back and forth on its seat, so that the marking on the cover will mark the high spots on the cylinder face. If, however, we make the forward reciprocating movement of the cover a longer one than the backward, we shall give to it a gradually rotary as well as a reciprocating movement, and this will tell us if the face of the cover is true or not, for if the marking is removed from the face of the cover in two diametrically opposite places only, it shows that the cover itself is not true; and if the cylinder face also marks on two diametrically opposite places only, it is proof that both the faces are a good deal out of true: but there is no knowing which one is the most out, and so we must file off each an equal amount. If either face marks in more than two places it is evidence that it is pretty nearly true, and it follows that that face does not need much filing. Here it becomes necessary to state why the movement of the cover must, when being tried to its place, be back and forth, as well as rotated by the movement already explained. If we revolve a radial surface of metal upon a similar surface they are extremely liable to cut or abrade each other, and the presence of the least grit will inevitably cause them to cut; and if cutting once begins, the metal gathers upon the cutting part, increasing its size so that the groove cut will get deeper until a complete revolution has been made, and this rule applies to all revolving surfaces, but more particularly to radial or conical ones.
By making the movement a partly reciprocating one we destroy this tendency, and either imbed the grit into the iron or else work it out. To proceed, however. If during our testing the blows induced a secondary and metallic sound as above described, we take a rough file and ease the high spots on both the cover and the cylinder face, filing a good deal off the face that shows diametrically opposite bearing spots only, and but very little off the face that shows three or more bearing spots. In this latter case, indeed, it is better to use a second-cut than a rough file. We next wipe both faces quite clean, apply the marking to the cover as before, and try it to its seat again; rubbing it in the same manner to its seat and testing it for the metallic sound as in the first case. So soon as this sound ceases we may take a second-cut file and fit the faces until they bear in at least four different places, when a smooth file should be used and the fitting and trying continued, until a very light coat of the red marking will show both the cover and the cylinder face to mark in spots not more than an inch apart; and we may then take a flat scraper, ease away the high spots, pressing the scraper firmly to its work and making it cut fine scrapings, using the scraper in strokes of about 1⁄2 inch for a large face and 1⁄4 inch for a small one. When the two faces show about an even contact all over, the grinding may be performed as follows:—
The two faces must be wiped quite clean, and then with an oil-can we can run a line of oil around both the cylinder and cover faces, and then with the fingers sprinkle on them some dry grain emery, of a grade of about 50 for a cylinder whose diameter is, say, 14 inches or over, and of a grade of about 60 to 65 for smaller diameters; if, however, only coarser grades of emery are at hand it may be ground finer by abrasion on an iron block, using a hammer face to grind it with. The emery and oil being applied, we place the cover in its place upon the cylinder, and give to it the reciprocative rotatory movement already described, continuing the movement until the cover moves so smoothly and noiselessly that it is evident that the emery has done its duty. We then take the cover off and examine the faces.
If there are prominently bright spots upon either face, denoting that the emery has not operated upon them, it will pay to take the scraper again and ease away the dullest and most frosted-looking spots, which denote that they have suffered most during the grinding operation. The difference between the spots that have been the most and those the least affected by the grinding will be very plainly visible if the faces are wiped clean. We must continue the grinding operation with this grade of emery until the marks show the grinding to have been performed pretty evenly all over the faces, and we then apply a coating of oil and emery, as in the previous operations, the latter being in this case of a grade of about 70, moving the cover as before until it revolves so smoothly and noiselessly as to indicate that the emery is no longer doing any duty. Having continued this process, applying fresh emery and oil until the face appears true, we may perform the finishing and testing process, which is of the utmost importance, since it will detect the faintest possible defect in the job. Wiping the faces quite clean, we put the cover in place upon the cylinder again, and move it as before back and forth, and yet slowly advancing; but it must be borne in mind that if the cover makes the least jarring noise during the operation we must at once remove it and wipe it clean again, or the faces will abrade and become destroyed. There is no danger of this, however, if the cover be at once removed when the jarring sound is heard. If it be not heard, we continue the operation until the cover has made four or five revolutions, and then remove it, and we shall find that the emery and oil, which had impregnated the surfaces, have worked out. We again wipe the faces clean and put them together and rub one upon the other as before, bearing in mind that if the faces cling much one to the other, we must wipe them clean again. Usually the finishing process requires performing about three times, and then the faces will have become as bright and clear as a mirror, magnifying the slightest defect in the joint. Joints made in this way will stand any pressure without leaking (unless the pressure be so great as to spring the metal of the cover). It is well, however, when making the joint, to put a little oil or pure tallow on it, and it is from this that it is called in England a grease joint, while in the United States it is termed the ground joint. It is common, however, in England to finish the whole joint by scraping; but this is a much more tedious job, and not so good a one, after all. Here it becomes necessary to remark, that in order to be able to handle the cover readily, it is best to bolt to it a wooden lever overhanging both sides of the cover, and to serve as a handle in moving it. And during the grinding we may place a weight on the cover, which will greatly expedite the process. It would appear that this is a long job, but such is not the case; indeed, a 16-inch cylinder face and cover 1⁄32 inch out of true one with the other can be got up in half an hour.
It is to be observed, however, that the cylinder cover that contains the stuffing box for the piston rod often carries one end of the guide bars, and in any event carries the gland whose bore requires to stand in line with the cylinder bore. It must be remembered that if more is filed off the top than off the bottom of the face, or vice versâ, the gland bore may be thrown out of parallel with the cylinder bore, and the guide bar seatings will be thrown out of parallel in the same direction.