UTENSILE DI SMERIGLIATURA ESPANSIBILE MODULARE, PARTICOLARMENTE PER MACCHINE SMERIGLIATRICI CON ELEMENTO A MANICOTTO ABRASIVO TUBOLARE

A honing tool or mandrel mountable for rotation on a honing machine comprising a tubular abrasive sleeve member retained coaxially within a modular tubular honing assembly having an opening or passageway extending the entire length therethrough adaptable for insertably receiving an elongated expander member positioned for axial movement therewithin. The modular tubular honing assembly includes a drive member for attaching to a typical honing machine, a cage member adaptable for slidably receiving the abrasive sleeve member, and a retainer member for holding the abrasive sleeve member in operative position within the cage member. The abrasive sleeve member has inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface being conically tapered over its entire length while its outer surface includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal projections positioned adjacent longitudinal channels, each projection including a honing surface having abrasive particles located thereon. The abrasive sleeve member also includes an elongated slot extending along its entire length on one side thereof which enables such member to uniformly radially expand and contract when the expander member is axially moved therethrough, the expander member having at least a portion of its outer surface which extends through the abrasive sleeve member likewise tapered at the same conical taper rate as the taper associated with the inner surface of the abrasive sleeve member for making surface-to-surface contact with the tapered inner surface of the abrasive sleeve member. Axial movement of the expander member within the abrasive sleeve member changes the diameter of the sleeve member uniformly along its entire length during a honing operation.