System and method for evaluating joint compound specimen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10928286-B2
Application number	US-201615052389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2016
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and a method for evaluating a joint compound specimen can be used to determine a numerical sandability value for the specimen. A moving assembly is configured to move a sanding member in a sanding direction relative to the joint compound specimen supported in a support fixture. An actuator assembly is configured to drive the sanding member into contacting relationship with the joint compound specimen such that the sanding member exerts a controlled amount of pressure against the joint compound specimen. The force gauge is configured to measure a resistance force against the sanding member in a resistance direction in opposing relationship to the sanding direction. A processor programmed with a joint compound analyzing application is configured to use a force signal from the force gauge that is indicative of the resistance force to determine the sandability value for the joint compound specimen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for evaluating a joint compound specimen, the system comprising:
a support fixture, the support fixture configured to support the joint compound specimen;
a sanding member, the sanding member including a sanding surface, the sanding surface comprising an abrasive material;
a moving assembly, the moving assembly configured to move the sanding surface of the sanding member in a sanding direction along a sanding axis relative to the joint compound specimen supported in the support fixture, wherein the moving assembly includes a guide rail, a carriage, a drive mechanism, and a motor, the guide rail extending along the sanding axis, the carriage movably mounted to the guide rail such that the carriage is reciprocally movable along the sanding axis relative to the guide rail, the drive mechanism extending between, and being engaged with, the carriage and the motor, and the motor being configured to selectively move the carriage along the sanding axis relative to the guide rail via the drive mechanism;
an actuator assembly, the actuator assembly connected to the sanding member, the actuator assembly configured to drive the sanding surface of the sanding member into contacting relationship with the joint compound specimen supported in the support fixture such that the sanding surface exerts a controlled amount of pressure against the joint compound specimen;
a force gauge, the force gauge associated with the sanding member, the force gauge configured to measure a resistance force against the sanding member along the sanding axis in a resistance direction, the resistance direction being in opposing relationship to the sanding direction, the force gauge configured to generate a force signal indicative of the resistance force;
a processor, the processor in communication with the force gauge to receive the force signal therefrom, the processor programmed with a joint compound analyzing application stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the joint compound analyzing application being configured to use the force signal to determine a sandability value for the joint compound specimen based upon a formula comprising:

SW
RT

where SW is the sanding work calculated based upon the resistance force measured by the force gauge over a sanding path of a given distance traversed by the sanding member, and
RT is a value of a thickness amount of joint compound removed from the joint compound specimen over the sanding path, the thickness amount being measured along an axis perpendicular to the sanding axis.

2. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , wherein the support fixture includes a support rail, a clamp, and a wall portion, the support rail mounted to the wall portion and configured to support the joint compound specimen in an upright position against the wall portion, the clamp configured to selectively retain the joint compound specimen in the upright position.

3. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , wherein the sanding member includes a sanding body, a sanding pad, and a flexible sheet, the sanding body connected to the actuator assembly, the sanding pad connected to the sanding body, the flexible sheet including the sanding surface, and the flexible sheet connected to the sanding body such that the sanding pad is in underlying relationship with the sanding surface.

4. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator assembly includes a linear actuator and a linear actuator power source, the linear actuator being mounted to the carriage and to the sanding member, the linear actuator power source being configured to selectively operate the linear actuator such that the linear actuator drives the sanding member to exert a normal force along a normal axis.

5. The system for evaluating according to claim 4 , wherein the normal axis is substantially perpendicular to the sanding axis.

6. The system for evaluating according to claim 4 , wherein the sanding member includes a sanding body and a flexible sheet, the flexible sheet including the sanding surface, the flexible sheet connected to the sanding body such that the sanding surface is in overlying relationship with the sanding pad, and the linear actuator being connected to the sanding body.

7. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an aerosol mass measurement device configured to measure a quantity of airborne joint compound particulate from the joint compound specimen supported by the support fixture generated during at least one sanding stroke of the sanding member.

8. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator assembly includes a linear actuator and a linear actuator power source, the linear actuator operably arranged with the sanding member, the linear actuator power source being configured to selectively operate the linear actuator such that the linear actuator drives the sanding member to exert a normal force along a normal axis applying the controlled amount of normal force to the joint compound specimen through the sanding member such that the controlled amount of normal force is within a force tolerance range of a target force value.

9. The system for evaluating according to claim 1 , wherein the sandability value comprises a numerical value within a numerical scale correlated to the ease of sanding the joint compound specimen.

Assignees

• United States Gypsum Co

Inventors

• Pelot David D
• Stevens Richard B

Classifications

• G01N2203/0676

  Force, weight, load, energy, speed or acceleration · CPC title

• G01N3/56 Primary

  Investigating resistance to wear or abrasion · CPC title