CA1124627A - Expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, and a method of securing a tube in a tube-plate - Google Patents

Expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, and a method of securing a tube in a tube-plate

Info

Publication number
CA1124627A
CA1124627A CA331,334A CA331334A CA1124627A CA 1124627 A CA1124627 A CA 1124627A CA 331334 A CA331334 A CA 331334A CA 1124627 A CA1124627 A CA 1124627A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
tube
plug
expansion machine
expansion
machine according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA331,334A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Costantino Vinciguerra
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nuovo Pignone Holding SpA
Original Assignee
Nuovopignone Industrie Meccaniche e Fonderia SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nuovopignone Industrie Meccaniche e Fonderia SpA filed Critical Nuovopignone Industrie Meccaniche e Fonderia SpA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1124627A publication Critical patent/CA1124627A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21DWORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D39/00Application of procedures in order to connect objects or parts, e.g. coating with sheet metal otherwise than by plating; Tube expanders
    • B21D39/08Tube expanders
    • B21D39/20Tube expanders with mandrels, e.g. expandable
    • B21D39/203Tube expanders with mandrels, e.g. expandable expandable by fluid or elastic material
    • B21D39/206Tube expanders with mandrels, e.g. expandable expandable by fluid or elastic material by axially compressing the elastic material
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21DWORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D39/00Application of procedures in order to connect objects or parts, e.g. coating with sheet metal otherwise than by plating; Tube expanders
    • B21D39/06Application of procedures in order to connect objects or parts, e.g. coating with sheet metal otherwise than by plating; Tube expanders of tubes in openings, e.g. rolling-in
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21DWORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D39/00Application of procedures in order to connect objects or parts, e.g. coating with sheet metal otherwise than by plating; Tube expanders
    • B21D39/08Tube expanders
    • B21D39/20Tube expanders with mandrels, e.g. expandable
    • B21D39/203Tube expanders with mandrels, e.g. expandable expandable by fluid or elastic material

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A machine and method are disclosed for expanding tube ends in the assembly of the tubes in a tube plate of a heat exchanger, the bores of the tube plates having annular lips placed in confronting positions on two metal sheets arranged parallely and intended to receive the tube ends. The expansion machine has an expansible tough rubber plug which is introduced in the tube end once the tube has been slipped in the tube plate bore and the expansion of the plug radially outwards provides a tight seal between the tube wall and the annular lips.

Description

~.2~

This invention relates to an expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, and to a method of securing a tube in a tube-plate by using the expansion machine.
More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention is applicable to the expansion in a sealtight manner of a tube in a tube-plate o a heat-exchanger, especially large heat-exchangers made of costly materials such as stain-less steel, aluminium or bronze, which, on account of the high cost of the material used, cannot be constructed with solid tube-plates ~or reasons of economy.
As is known, the tube bundle of a tube bundle heat~
exchanger is supportcd at its ends by two tube-plates which have bores in which the tubes of the tube bundle must be secured in a sealtight manner. One conventional techniquc for this securing involves welding each tube with respect to the tube-plate. However, this technique, in addition to involving considerable expense and requiring a long working time, suffers from the disadvantage that it cannot be applied universally as there are pairs of materials, from which the tubes and tube-plates, respectively, are formed, which cannot be welded together.
Another conventional system which requires the use of solid tube plates of considerable thickness, involves forcibly introducing the tubes into the bores of the tube-plates and relying on expansion of the tubes. However, this technique suffers from the defect that it does not always afford a satisfactory tight seal between the tube and the tube-plate. In fact, the expansion of the tube concerned against the tube-plate provides an adequate seal only when tubes having a great thickness and a small diameter are used, that i5, tubes which are sufficiently stiff to retain the ~2~~
deformation caused by the expansion. In contrast, when tubes having a thin wall and a large diameter are used, an elastic contraction is always experienced after the expansion, thus making it virtually impossible to Pbtain a satisfactory seal.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the aforementioned conventional techniques cannot practicably be used in the manufacture of a large heat-exchanger in which the tube-bundle is composed of tubes having a large diameter, especially when such tubes are made of a special material and thus are expensive, and therefore they are used with thin walls or the sake of economy.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, the machine comprising an actuatable double-acting ram having a housing in which a piston is reciprocable under fluid pressure, the piston having a rod extending through and beyond the housing; an integral, elongate, annular r resiliently deformable plug which is formed of rubber or another plastics material, is idly and coaxially located on a portion of the rod extending beyond the housing, and tapers in its opposite end regions, as viewed in longi-tudinal section; and two abutment means acting or capable of acting on opposite end regions of the elongate plug during actu~tion of the ram in one sense, for compressing the plug longitudinally so as to cause radial expansion of the plug, the abutment means each having an annular, tapering groove in that face which confronts the plug for accommodating a tapering end region of the plug.
According to a second aspect of the present ` 30 invention, there is provided a method for securing in a sealtight manner by expansion a tube in a bore of a bored tube-plate, in which the tube-plate is composed of two ~2~

- stamped thin metal sheets which are arranged substantially parallel to one another and have in correspondence wi-th confronting bores generally cylindrical annular lips; which method comprises locating the tube in a pair of confronting bores, radially expanding the ~ube by means of an expansion machine according to the first-mentioned aspect, in regions of the tube on either side of the tube-plate and opposite the annular lips, thereby causing deformation of the annular lips; càusing or permitting the plug to con-tract radially, and withdrawing the machine from the tube.
The present invention makes it possible to provide an efficient sealtight anchoring of a tube in the corresponding bore of a tube-plate both quickly and economically, to a large extend irrespective of the diameter and the thickness of the tube and irrespective of the materials used to fcrm the tube and the tube-plate respectively.
During use of the expansion machine of the present invention, the axial compression of the plug gives rise to an elastic deformation in the radial direction of the plug, this deformation having as a result the forcing of the tube in the radially outward direction, whereby expansions are created in the tube in correspondence with the outer edges of the confronting bores of the two metal sheets which form the tube-plates and in the intermediate zone internally of the two sheets between the annular lips, so that the tube is locked permanently in a sealtight manner to the sheets, and an elastic deformation is induced in the annular lips which thus ensures the obtention of an efficiently tight seal.
Conveniently, the ram is actuatablé under the influence of air or by a hydraulic medium.
Preferably the abutment means comprise two rings both mounted around the rod, with one ring secured with respecttO the free end region of the rod and the other ring movable with respect to the rod but restrained from movement in one direction by the housing.
Conveniently, the rin~s are formed of a nylon.
Preferably the machine includes means for adjusting the stroke of the piston of the ram.
The stroke-adjusting means can comprise a sealing and piston-abutting adjustable member which can be adjusted in the axial direction by shims.
Preferably the annular, tapering grooves each have generally the shape of a V.
The housing of the ram may be equipped with a handle having a tri~ger for controlling fluid feed to the ram.
For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how thc same may be carried into cffect, reference will now be made, by way o~ example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in cross-section of a tube-plate, in the bores of which are tubes shown in longitudinal section, there also being shown mainly as a longitudinal section an expansion device in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the expansion device shown in Figure 1.
Referring first to Figure 1, there are shown two paralIel, stamped metal sheets 1, 2 of reduced thickness which together constitute a tube-plate. The sheets 1, 2 of the tube-plate are provided with bores 3, 4, 5 and 6 which confront each other and in which tubes 7, 8, 9 and 3Q 1~ are to be expanded to form good seals.
The sheets 1 and 2 are welded at their edge regions to the side wall 11 of the heat-exchanger so as to be .

,7 parallel and spaced apart from one another, and are each provided in the region of each of the bores 3, 4, 5 and 6 with an annular, substantially cylindrical lip, as indicated by numerals 12, 13, 14 and 153 respectively, obtained by stamping.
The sealtight securing of the tubes 7 to 10 within the corresponding bores 3 to 6 of ~he sheets 1 and 2 is achieved by means of a tube expansion machine 16.
The machine 16, which is more clearly shown in Figure 2, has a generally cylindrical body 17 which is a housing for a fluid-operated double-acting ram, and within which a piston 18, fitted with a sealing ring 19, divides an active front working chamber 20 from the active rear chamber 21; the chambers 20 and 21 are in communication with a hydraulic or pneumatic feed (not shown in the drawing) via respective ducts 22 and 23 which are supported by a gun-handle 24 integral with the cylindrical body 17, and the flexible hoses 25 and 26.
The gun-handle 24 has a trigger 27 to act upon a switch 28 of an electric or magnetic valve, a 3-way valve not shown in the drawings, for directing the fluid feed to one of the active chambers 20 and 21 of the double-acting ram, and for allowing release of fluid from the other of the chambers 20 and 21.
To a front surface 29 of the piston 18 is fastened a rod 30 which projects beyond the body 17, a seal between ` the body 17 and rod 30 being provided by an annular gasket 31.
The rod 30 supports coaxially, on a portion beyond the body 17, an annular plug 32 of tough rubber; the annulus of the plug 32, as seen in longitudinal section, tapers at its opposite end regions 33, with the actual ends being squared off. The tapered end regions 33 are inserted into respective annular generally V-shaped grooves 34 and 35 formed in faces, which confront each other~ of two slightly deformab1e nylon rings 36 and 37 idly mounted on the rod 30.
The nylon ring 36 rests with that face which is remote from the plug 32 and which is smooth, against a face of the body 17 and is kept in fixed position thereby, whereas a corresponding smooth face of the nylon ring 37 rests against a shoulder ring 38 which is made integral with the rod 30 by means of a latching ferrule 3~ screwed onto the free end of the rod 30, the ferrule 39 pressing the shoulder ring 38 against a projection 40 of the rod 30.
The active rear chamber 21, moreover, is closed in that portion confronting the piston 18 by an end stroke abutment 41 for the piston 18; the abutment 41 is equipped with a sealing gasket ~2 and a screw-threaded hub 43, with which it can be adjusted axially so as to vary the stroke ` of the piston 18 and thus the degree of compression of the tough rubber plug 32; the adjustment is assisted by annular shims 44 which, slipped onto the hub 43, are held in position by a làtching ferrule 45 which is screwed into the body 17 and to which, by a nut 46, the hub 43 of the member 41 is locked.
The top face of the cylindrical body 17 is provided with a supporting ring 47 which, with the aid of a counter-weight cable (not shown), makes it possible to balanc~ the weight of the expansion machine 16 to make its use more convenient.
The operation of the machine 16 will now be described.
With the two stamped sheet metal sheets 1 and
2 which make up the tube-plate correctly positioned, there is inserted in each of the bores 3 to 6 having the confronting annular lips 12 to 15, the end of a tube 7, 8, 9 or 10 (see the tube 10 in Figure 1?, to be secured in a sealtight manner, whereafter into the tube end the gunlike expansion machine 16 is introduced (see tube 9 in Figure 1).
At this stage, by pressing and keeping pressed the trigger 27 of the expansion machine 10, oil under pressure is fed via hose 25 and duct 22 to the front working chamber 20 so that the piston 18 and therewith the rod 30 are urged rapidly towards the left (as shown in the drawings).
The result is that the tough rubber plug 32 is compressed between the nylon rings 36 and 37, which first causes slight deformation in a radially outward direction of the nylon rings 36 and 37 thereby tending to prevent any extrusion of the plug 32 past the rings 36 and 37, and then causes the plug 32 to expand radially, which in turn causes the tube (see tube 8 in Figure 1) to expand and abut the annular lips 12 to 15, whereby expanded areas ~, 49 and 50 are formed in the tube (best seen in tube 8 or 9 in Figure l);
the tube is permanently locked in the tube-plate as the elastic deformation of the annular lips, such as 12 or 13, provides an efficiently tight seal.
Then, upon releasing the trigger 27, which is biased by a spring 51 (shown in Figure 2), the trigger is brought back to the idle position, to allow the other active chamber 21 to receive the oil feed to cause the rod 30 to shift to the right, thus enabling the plug 32 to take up its starting position~
The expansion device 16 can then be removed from the tube, with the latter left locked rigidly in a sealtight manner in the corresponding bore of the stamped metal sheets 1, 2 (see the tube 7 in Figure 1).

Claims (10)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. An expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, the machine comprising an actuatable double-acting ram having a housing in which a piston is reciprocable under fluid pressure, the piston having a rod extending through and beyond the housing; an integral, elongate, annular, resiliently deformable plug which is formed of rubber or another plastics material, is idly and coaxially located on a portion of the rod extending beyond the housing, and tapers in its opposite end regions, as viewed in longitudinal section;
and two abutment means acting or capable of acting on the opposite end regions of the elongate plug during actuation of the ram in one sense, for compressing the plug longitudinally so as to cause radial expansion of the plug, the abutment means each having an annular, tapering groove in that face which confronts the plug for accommodating an adjacent one of the tapering end regions of the plug.
2. An expansion machine according to claim 1, wherein the ram is actuatable under the influence of air or of a hydraulic medium.
3. An expansion machine according to claim 1, wherein the abutment means comprise two non-extrudable rings both mounted around the rod, with one ring secured with respect to the free end region of the rod and the other ring movable with respect to the rod but restrained from movement in one direction by the housing.
4. An expansion machine according to claim 3, wherein the rings are formed of a nylon.
5. An expansion machine according to claim 1, which includes means for adjusting the stroke of the piston of the ram.
6. An expansion machine according to claim 5, wherein the means for adjusting the stroke of the piston com-prises a sealing and piston-abutting adjustable member which can be adjusted in the axial direction by shims.
7. An expansion machine according to claim 6, wherein the shims are annular and are held in position by a lockable ferrule.
8. An expansion machine according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the annular, tapering grooves each have generally the shape of a V.
9. An expansion machine according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the housing of the ram is equipped with a handle having a trigger for controlling fluid feed to the ram.
10. A method for securing, in a sealtight manner by expansion, a tube in a bore of a bored tube plate, in which the tube plate is composed of two stamped thin metal sheets which are arranged substantially parallel to one another and have generally cylindrical annular lips directed toward one another to define confronting bore portions; which method com-prises: locating the tube in the tube confronting bore portions; radially expanding the tube, by means of an expansion machlne having a radially expandable plug, in regisns of the tube located on either side of the tube plate and opposite the annular lips, thereby causing deformation of the annular lips and of the tube on either side of the tube plate; causing or permitting the plug to contract radially, and withdrawing the achine from the tube.
CA331,334A 1978-07-11 1979-07-06 Expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, and a method of securing a tube in a tube-plate Expired CA1124627A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT25548/78A IT1097014B (en) 1978-07-11 1978-07-11 IMPROVED SYSTEM FOR THE LOCKING OF A TUBE TO A TUBE PLATE
IT25548A/78 1978-07-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1124627A true CA1124627A (en) 1982-06-01

Family

ID=11217058

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA331,334A Expired CA1124627A (en) 1978-07-11 1979-07-06 Expansion machine suitable for radially expanding a tubular member, and a method of securing a tube in a tube-plate

Country Status (12)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS5514500A (en)
AR (1) AR217170A1 (en)
BE (1) BE877639A (en)
BR (1) BR7904476A (en)
CA (1) CA1124627A (en)
DE (1) DE2927626C2 (en)
FR (1) FR2430805A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2024681B (en)
IT (1) IT1097014B (en)
NL (1) NL7905216A (en)
SE (1) SE7906016L (en)
ZA (1) ZA793314B (en)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IT1131143B (en) * 1980-05-06 1986-06-18 Nuovo Pignone Spa PERFECTED METHOD FOR THE SEALING OF A SLEEVE FLANGED TO A PIPE, PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR REPAIRING SUBMARINE PIPES INSTALLED AT LARGE DEPTHS
FR2512941B1 (en) * 1981-09-14 1987-04-24 Valeo HEAT EXCHANGER WITH PARALLEL TUBE BEAM AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING ITS CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS
CA1313184C (en) * 1989-03-28 1993-01-26 David G. Rowntree Heat exchanger manufacturing method and apparatus
DE4238742A1 (en) * 1992-11-17 1994-05-19 Rudolf Goerlich Tube connection in heat exchanger - has bead on end of tube, to engage into bore in tube base
JP6697922B2 (en) * 2016-03-29 2020-05-27 株式会社神戸製鋼所 Joining method of members, joining structure
JP6734232B2 (en) * 2017-03-17 2020-08-05 株式会社神戸製鋼所 Method for joining members and joined body

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB406498A (en) * 1932-04-12 1934-03-01 Manuf Generale Metallurg Sa Improvements in the manufacture of gilled metal tubes particularly for heat exchange apparatus
GB790704A (en) * 1955-08-16 1958-02-12 Serck Radiators Ltd Tubular heat exchange apparatus
US2865640A (en) * 1955-12-21 1958-12-23 Exxon Research Engineering Co Tube holding apparatus
BE649439A (en) * 1963-06-19
FR1377413A (en) * 1963-09-13 1964-11-06 Creusot Forges Ateliers Expansion device
FR2238545B1 (en) * 1973-07-25 1978-10-27 Chausson Usines Sa
DE2418146A1 (en) * 1974-04-13 1975-11-06 Volkswagenwerk Ag Method of mounting heat exchanger tubes - uses expansion of part of tube passing through collar of mounting plate hole
DE2403009A1 (en) * 1974-01-23 1975-07-24 Volkswagenwerk Ag Method of sealing tubes in vehicle heat exchanger - block inside tube is compressed to corrugate tube wall
JPS5299964A (en) * 1976-02-18 1977-08-22 Hitachi Ltd Pipe expanding apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1097014B (en) 1985-08-26
DE2927626C2 (en) 1983-06-30
FR2430805A1 (en) 1980-02-08
BR7904476A (en) 1980-04-15
ZA793314B (en) 1980-10-29
NL7905216A (en) 1980-01-15
GB2024681B (en) 1982-06-23
GB2024681A (en) 1980-01-16
DE2927626A1 (en) 1980-01-24
BE877639A (en) 1980-01-11
AR217170A1 (en) 1980-02-29
SE7906016L (en) 1980-01-12
JPS5514500A (en) 1980-01-31
IT7825548A0 (en) 1978-07-11

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