CA2191705C - Apparatus for machining the circumferential surface of a cylindrical object - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus (11) for scraping off of a cylin-drical part (10) comprises a rotor (cleaning means 15) and a stator (holder means 12). The rotor (15) is equipped with power-driven arrangements (16a), which cooperate with power-driving arrangements (P) on the stator (12), for turning of the cleaning means (15) relative to the stator (12). The rotor (15) is formed by two rotor parts (15a, 15b), which are joined together into a rigid, annular rotor. The rotor (15) is free-flowingly rotatably mounted directly in the holder means (12) and is equipped with a set of support rollers (49) and a set of scraper means (50) which are controlled by centrifugal force during rotation of the rotor.

Description

APPARATUS FOR MACHINING THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE
OF A CYLINDRICAL OBJECT

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the cleaning of the peripheral surface on a cylindrical part, such as a pipe portion forming a part of a pipe conduit, said apparatus comprises a rotor mounted for rotation about a central rotation axis by means of a stator engag-ing the rotor at the periphery thereof, including power-driving arrangements located on the stator and power-driven arrangements located on the rotor, the rotor comprises a pair of semi-annular members separated in the peripheral direction and apted to be joined together into a rigid, annular rotor, each of the semi-annular members having a semi-circular inner surface and a semi-circular outer surface and in their joined together condition defining a hollow spacing for receiving the cylindrical part therein, the rotor (15,67) is supported by means of roller means on the stator (12,63-65).
The cylindrical part is shown herein in the form of a rectilinear pipe member, which can form a part of a pipe conduit or a pipe conduit arrangement, a hand rail of pipe members or the like. The apparatus can also be employed in bent or curved conduit paths. Alternatively the apparatus can be employed on arbitrary objects haviizg substantially cylindrical peripheral portions.

Hitherto it has been a problem to achieve a simple and effective operation of the rotor together with a simple and rapid fixing of a cleaning apparatus in engage-ment with the object which is to be cleaned. This is especially the case where it is desirable to clean a pipe member in a pipe conduit or similar cylindrical member in a larger construction, where the apparatus is readily able to be mounted and dismounted with a simple grip by manual handling. Further it has been a problem tc> achieve a proper and accurate cleaning effect.
In US-A-3 820 184 it is showri an apparatus of the type described above. An annular rotor is at a local upper portion thereof supported on bearings located at a lower portion of a house shaped stator. A local gear rimmed section of the rotor is being clamped between an upper gear rim of a driving pinion within the stator and said bearings at the lower portion of the stator. If not supported by separate support means, the apparatus is to be supported locally on the part to be treated by means of brush bristles suspended at the inner rim of the annular rotor. This means that a brushing effect is dependent of the gravity of apparatus and that the brushing effect is mainly obtained by means of a gravity force acting locally in the apparatus. In practice the brushing effect is provided by one or two brush bristles at a time.
Apparatuses of the afore-mentioned kind are also shown in U.S Patents 2 299 523, 2 635 270, 2 657 409, 2 715 235, 4 124 914 and 5 001 801, which all have a holder member which is supported directly against the cylindrical part by means of support wheels mounted in the holder member.
In US Patent 4 124 914 the apparatus is supported directly against the cylindrical part to be treated by means of a first upper forward pair of wheels and a second upper rearward pair of wheels. An apparatus of this kind has a rather voluminous and heavy structure and according-ly a restricted application in practice. Such structure ~-. ,w..,.x.M -~,,u,... .... ... .w .. ..... ............. ....

require extra working space and allows the apparatus to operate solely on rectilinear parts, i.e. cylindrical parts without curvatures or bendings. A double-arm lever having a tool at one end thereof and a counterweight at the opposite end thereof provides cleaning by centrifugal forces developed at the counterweight during rotation of the rotor. This means that the rotor of the apparatus is accurately supported on the cylindrical part to be treated and that the cleaning is provided by separate cleaning means acting independently of the support but being dependent of said accurate support to operate properly.
With the present invention the aim is to provide a cleaning apparatus for scraping off or like removal of rust, paint or other deposits from the peripheral surface on a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical part. More precisely the apparatus is particularly designed for accurate and circumferentially evenly distributed clean-ing effect on a great variety of different cylindrical parts, including rectilinear parts and parts with curva-tures, bendings and other irregular surfaces. In this respect the aim of the present invention is to provide an adjustable scraping or like removal effect on the part to be treated and simultaneously to provide an adjustable wheel or roller support in combination therewith.
The main aim of the present invention is in this respect to provide a cleaning apparatus which has a simple and effective structure and has an efficient action on the part to be treated simultaneously as it is efficiently supported on the part to be treated and thereby is easy to handle in practical use.
The apparatus according to the invention is charac-terised in that the rotor comprises a set of scraper means, each of which is located at a first end of and a counterweight at the opposite end of a double-armed lever and each of which is movable in direction towards and away from said rotation axis by means of a centrifugal force provided by rotation of the rotor, the rotor is supported on the stator by a first set of mutually spaced, stationary support rollers, that the rotor is to be supported on the cylindrical part by a second set of adjustable support rollers, that each support roller of said second set of rollers is located, together with an associated one of said scraper means, at said first end of said double-armed lever, and that each support roller of said second set of support rollers is separately adjustable in radial direction in respect of the rotation axis of the rotor by means of centrifugal'forces provided by rotation of the rotor, causing said rotation axis to coincide with the axis of the cylindrical part.
According to the invention an apparatus is provided w,..,,.~,~~.~....~ .~....,..,m ,,...,,... , ,.,..M .....,.~....,. ..,~.~...
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which can be subjected regulatably to a cleaning effect by subjecting the associated scraper means to a regulatable tension force based on a regulatable centrifugal force in connection with regulating the rotational speed of the rotor which carries the scraper means. In practice the support of the weight of the apparatus will be evenly distributed on the part to be treated by a number of support wheels or rollers and a number of scraper means caused by a centrifugal force actirig on the latter, provided by the rotation of the rotor.
According to the invention the possibility exists of effecting ready movement of the apparatus in the longi-tudinal direction of the cylindrical part as a consequence of the floating mounting of the apparatus on the cylindri-cal part. In this connection an effective centering of the apparatus can be ensured relative to the cylindrical part together with an effective scraping effect with equivalent centering of the scraper means.
In connection with said centering effect one can according to the invention mount support wheels or rollers and associated scraper means about one and the same pivo-tal axis and/or actuate these jointly by rneans of a common weight means. It is also possible to control the centering movements of each and all of the support wheels or rollers with a common annular control means, so that the support wheels or rollers are moved jointly towards and away from the cylindrical part.
Further features of the present invention will be evident from the following description having regard to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 shows the apparatus according to the inven-tion ready for use for the cleaning of a cylindrical pipe member.
Fig. 2 shows in perspective two rotor parts, which form a part of the apparatus according to Fig. 1, illu-strated separately.
Fig. 3 and 4 show the two rotor parts in two successive mounting steps.

_.,,.. ... ,........ ... .......u . :.,,.._ .a. .,....-...,......:.,..~,,..,.
.., :.,,.,,._.w .,... ......-...,~~,.,....,,.....w...~., ..., ,_.., ..._ Fig. 5 shows the apparatus in part viewed substan-tially parallel to the plane of rotation of the rotor.
Fig. 6 shows a cross-section through the one rotor part and its one support wheel and scraper means .~...y~,.~,~.. .._,.,~......,.~,,,._....~,:,,m~~.,..,~...:~õw.,.:~.~~_~
..:~.:._...~.,..... . .
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mechanism.
Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal section through the rotor and the associated, four support wheel and scraper means mechanisms illustrated.
Fig. 8 shows on a larger scale a support wheel and scraper mechanism according to Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shows in cross-section an apparatus according to the invention, designed for relatively thin pipes, for example pipes of hand rails and the like.
In Fig. 1 a cylindrical part 10 is shown, which is to be cleaned of rust, oxide scale, paint or like depo-sits, by means of an apparatus 11 according to the inven-tion.
The cylindrical part 10 is shown herein in the form of a rectilinear pipe member, which forms a part of a pipe conduit or a pipe conduit arrangement. The apparatus can also be employed in bent or curved conduit paths. Alterna-tively the apparatus can be employed on arbitrary objects having essentially cylindrical peripheral portions.
In the illustrated embodiment turbine operation is employed, that is to say pneumatic operation based on a current of compressed air, shown by the arrow P, from a compressed air nozzle (not shown further), but alterna-tively electrical, hydraulic or other power-driven drive means (not shown further) can be employed.
It is evident from Fig. 1 that the pneumatically driven apparatus 11 consists of a holder means 12 having associated compressed air conduit 13, which with a nozzle opening discharges internally into a housing i.art 14 in the holder means. Housing part 14 of the holder means 12 engages and locally surrounds a cleaning means 15 in the form of a rigid annular member, which forms a rotor, while the holder means 12 in the form of a simple light weight construction forms a stator in the apparatus 11. Just by the housing part 14 the compressed air conduit 13 is in the form of a rigid hand grip portion 13a. In the con-struction illustrated the apparatus 11 is floatingly ~~. .. w.~ , ~.. ,u ,~.. . . ,õ .. . . õ,....w,,. .~,........ . .. . .. .. .
,,,,.. . ,,. M. .,,,,..,r......

WO 95133583 2 ~9 1705 PCT/N095l00083 mounted on the part 10, so that it can be moved unhindered longitudinally along the part 10 and can be swung un-hindered about the periphery of the part 10. In practice the apparatus can be manually retained in established 5 positions or manually moved sideways along the part 10.
Alternatively the apparatus 11 can be fastened in a power-driven control apparatus (not shown further) and be moved in an automatically controlled manner along the pipe member 10.
From Fig. 2 it is evident that the annular cleaning means 15 consists of two separate rotor parts 15a,15b, which can be clamped in rigid annular form about the pipe member 10, as is indicated in the mounting phases, as illustrated in Fig. 3 and 4, and in the finally mounted condition, as is illustrated in Fig. 1.
Each rotor part is constructed of an outer, rigid rim portion 16 and two disc-shaped side pieces 17,18 which define between them an arcuate hollow space or groove 19.
The rim portion 16 is provided on its radially outermost peripheral side with a series of recesses 16a which in their proper turn thrust tightly up to the nozzle mouth internally in housing part 14 of the holder means 12. It is possible to regulate the drive speed on the rotor 15 by regulating the force of compressed air. This can be effected by means of a control handle not shown further on the apparatus or in another suitable manner.
I In the one rotor part 15a a hook-carrying first fastening member 20 is fastened in the bottom of the groove 19, at the one end of the rotor part. Associated hook portion 20a of the fastening member 20 is adapted, in the mounting phase as is shown in Fig. 3, to be hooked into engagement with a bar-shaped second fastening member 21, which is fastened at the opposing end of the other rotor part 15b."In the mounting phase as is illustrated in Fig. 4, the second fastening member 21 is adapted together with the first fastening member 20 to form at the one end of the rotor parts a hinge-forming fastening between the . .,.. ,. . .: . .., .:.,.,, . . .... ~ W....~M.~ .w .,, . . . ,. w, . . , ..,,..:: , ., . .. _ . ... . .... ..... ..,. . . ,,,....

WO 95133583 9 ~ -z PCT/NO95/00083 members.
The rotor parts 15a,15b are equipped at their other end, opposite the fastening members 20,21, with a snap lock 22 for intermittent locking together of said other ends of the rotor parts. The rotor part 15b is provided with a locking head 23, in which a pair of oppositely directed bolt members 24,25 are displaceably mounted. By means of an intermediate compression spring (not shown further) the bolt members 24,25 are tensioned with a spring force in a direction from each other. The rotor part 15a is provided equivalently in the opposite side pieces 17,18 with locking grooves in the form of bores 26,27. On swinging together the rotor parts 15a,15b to a closed annular form the bolt members 24,25 are snapped into locking engagement in associated bores 26,27. The locking engagement can be correspondingly removed by pressing in the bolt members 24,25 from opposite sides of the rotor 12.
From Fig. 3-5 it is evident that the housing part is equipped with a set of radially inner support wheels 28,29 and a set of radially outer support wheels 30,31, which are rolled off against flange surfaces on one respectively of two opposite flanges 32,33 on respectively opposite sides of rim portion 16 of the rotor 15. In Fig. 5 a pair of radially inner support wheels 28,29 are shown at the one end of the housing part 14, which are mounted on their respective separate pivots 34, 35, and a pair of radially outer support wheels 30,31, which are mounted on a common pivot 36. As indicated with pivots 34 and 36 respectively in Fig. 3 and 4 there are arranged a pair of radially inner support wheels and a pair of radially outer support wheels respectively at each end of the housing part 14.
The housing part can be guided endwise into place on a rim portion 16 of the rotor part 15a, in an easy way before the rotor parts 15a,15b are snapped together in the posi-tion which is illustrated in Fig. 1.
As is illustrated in Fig. 6-8, an arrangement of WO 95/33583 21 9l 7 0 5 PCT/N095/00083 four support rollers or centering mechanisms 37-40 is arranged internally in groove 19 of the rotor 15, which in the illustrated embodiment are combined with an equivalent four cleaning or scraper mechanisms 41-44. The mechanisms 37-40, 41-44 are adapted during operation respectively to centre the rotor 15 relative to the pipe member 10 and to adjust the scraping effect according to need. The actions of these mechanisms can be regulated by equivalent regula-tion of the supply of compressed air and thereby regula-tion of the rotational speed of the rotor. The greater the rotational speed is, the greater the abutment force obtained between the scraper means and the cylindrical part. Correspondingly the greater the rotational speed is, the greater the abutment force or the centering force obtained between the support rollers and the cylindrical part. Provision is made for placing the scraper means axially outermost in the apparatus at opposite ends of the apparatus, so that the support rollers lying axially within can be supported against processed surfaces on the cylindrical part, independently of the direction in which the apparatus is moved longitudinally along the apparatus.
In Fig. 8 a first two branch lever 45 is shown, which is tiltable about an axle pin 46 mounted between the side pieces 17,18 and a second two branch lever 47, which is tiltable about an axle pin 48 which passes through the outer end of one, short branch 45a of the first lever 45.
The other, longest branch 45b of the first lever 45 has a greater weight than its short branch 45a, which carries a support roller 49, which is rotatably mounted on the axle pin 48, in order to ensure thereby a desirably large swinging moment to press the support roller 49 against the pipe member 10. This applies especially in connection with the centrifugal force which acts against the mechanism during rotation of the rotor. Correspondingly provision is made for a desirably large swinging moment in the longest branch 47b of the second lever 47 iri that the longest branch has a greater weight than the short branch 47a, which at the outer end carries a cleaning tool in the form of a scraper means 50, in order thereby to press with a swinging moment the scraper means 50 with a suitable elastic force against the pipe member 10. As is shown in Fig. 6 two parallel levers 47 are employed in each scraper mechanism (41-44) each with its respective scraper means 50.
In practice a common scraper means can alternatively be employed which spans over the whole breadth of each lever 47 and also the intermediate space between these.
The choice is made to limit the tilting movement of the first lever 45 by means of guide means 51,52. In this connection a guide pin 51 extends from the lever 45 laterally inwards into a guide groove 52 in the guide rail 53 which is a common guide rail for all the four levers 45 illustrated. The guide rail 53 is divided into two guide rail portions which are joint connected each with its rotor part by means of joint connections not shown further, so that the guide rail portions which can thrust endwise tightly together into a coherent annular member, are moved in the rotational movement together with the associated rotor part, but with a certain extra swinging movement relative to the rotor member. In practice the levers 45, guided by respective guide means 51 and 52 together with guide rail 53, will be moved outwardly and inwardly relative to the cylindrical part precisely in step with each other by actuation of four separate centri-fugal weights.
Correspondingly the choice is made to limit the tilting movement of the second lever 47 and this is ensured by allowing the longest lever branch 47b to form a support abutment against the axle pin 46.
Instead of the illustrated mounting of the lever 47 about the rotary pin 48 it is possible to mount the lever 47 about the axle pin 46. In such a case there can be arranged for example opposite stop means (not shown further) on the lever 45 in order to ensure swinging about WO 95/33583 219170C; PCT/N095/00083 9 .

of the lever 47 in step with the lever 45, but with a certain possibility for swinging movement relative to the lever 47. Alternatively the lever 47 can in the end, which faces opposite the scraper means 50, be provided with a weight portion corresponding to the weight portion 45b of the lever 45.
In Fig. 9 a hand tool 60 is shown, which is particu-larly designed for use in the cleaning of the peripheral surface on a cylindrical part, for example on a pipe-shaped section in a hand rail or the like. A handle 61 is shown having an internal mouthpiece (not shown further) which communicates with an associated air feed pipe 62.
For example the mouthpiece is fashioned in and discharges into a first clamp member 63 rigidly connected to the handle 61. A second clamp member 64 is shown, which is pivotally mounted on the handle 61 about an axle pin 65 together with a handle 66. In Fig. 9 the pivotable clamp member 64 is shown in the use position by full drawn lines and by broken lines in the inactive condition, in readi-ness for guiding on the cylindrical part which is to be processed. The clamp members 63 and 64 are adapted to receive between them a rotor 67. The rotor 67 is rotated by means of compressed air which is supplied from the mouthpiece 62, in a corresponding manner as the rotor 15 in the embodiment of Fig. 1-8. The clamp members 63 and 64 are equipped at the outer end with their respective support roller 63a and 64a for thrusting against the rotor 67, while a third support roller 61a for thrusting against the rotor 67 is rotatably mounted on the handle 61 in connection with the pin 65.
A material difference relative to the embodiment according to Fig. 1-8 is that the apparatus according to fig. 9 supports the rotor at three points which are dis-placed at an angle of 120 relative to each other. Another difference is that a carrying arm 68 is mounted for a scraper means 69, a pipe-support wheel 70 and associated counterweight 71 directly in the rotor 67. In addition WO 95/33583 7 1{~ ~~~}~ PCT/N095/00083 fastening means 72 of the scraper means 69 and pivot 73 of the wheel 70 are connected to one and the same carrying arm.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus for the cleaning of the peripheral surface on a cylindrical part, said apparatus comprises a rotor mounted for rotation about a central rotation axis by means of a stator engaging the rotor at the periphery thereof, including power-driving arrangements located on the stator and power-driven arrangements located on the rotor, the rotor comprises a pair of semi-annular members separated in the peripheral direction and apted to be joined together into a rigid, annular rotor, each of the semi-annular members having a semi-circular inner surface and a semi-circular outer surface and in their joined together condition defining a hollow spacing for receiving the cylindrical part therein, the rotor is supported by means of roller means on the stator, characterized in that the rotor comprises a set of scraper means, each of which is located at a first end of and a counterweight at the opposite end of a double-armed lever and each of which is movable in direction towards and away from said rotation axis by means of a centrifugal force provided by rotation of the rotor;

that the rotor is supported on the stator by a first set of mutually spaced, stationary support rollers;

that the rotor is to be supported on the cylindrical part by a second set of adjustable support rollers;

that each support roller of said second set of rollers is located, together with an associated one of said scraper means, at said first end of said double-armed lever; and that each support roller of said second set of support rollers is separately adjustable in radial direction in respect of the rotation axis of the rotor by means of centrifugal forces provided by rotation of the rotor, causing said rotation axis to coincide with the axis of the cylindrical part.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the rotor is provided with in opposite axial directions extending flanges for support of mutual opposite rollers of said first a set of support rollers on opposite sides of each flange.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said power-driven arrangements of the rotor consist of a rim of local recesses in the outer peripheral surface of the rotor; and that the power-driving arrangement of the stator consists of a compressed air nozzle with associated compressed air current, the compressed air nozzle preferably being connected to a regulatable source of compressed air.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the rotor parts are separately formed by an outer rigid semi-annular member and semi-annular side pieces projecting radially inwards therefrom, to define therebetween a hollow groove for the reception of said set of second support rollers and said set of scraper means.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that each support roller is rotatably mounted in a first short branch of said double-armed lever which is pivotable about a pivot, secured between said side pieces.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that a second longest branch of said double-armed lever is provided with a guide pin which cooperates with a guide groove in a guide rail, which is a common guide rail for each such lever, which guide groove allows a limited swinging angle for the lever about pivot.

7. Apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that each scraper means is fastened at the end of a first short branch of a second double armed lever, which is pivotally mounted about an axle pin concentrically with roller axis of an associated support roller of said second set of support rollers; and that the other, longest branch of the second lever has the greatest weight and greatest mass.

8. Apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that each scraper means is fastened at the end of a first short branch of a second double armed lever, which is pivotally mounted about an axle pin concentrically with roller axis of an associated support roller of said second set of support rollers.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the pivot of the first lever forms a stop for the longest branch of the second lever.

10. Apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that at its one end the one rotor part is provided with a hook-shaped fastening portion;

that the second rotor part at an adjacent end is provided with a pivot bearing-forming anchoring means for swinging about of the rotor parts relative to each other;
and that the rotor parts are provided at the opposite end with a snap-forming, manually releasable locking means, with which the rotor parts can be locked together in the form of a rigid, annular rotor.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cylindrical part is a pipe portion forming a part of a pipe conduit.