EP0104844A2 - Apparatus for manufacturing flexible corrugated tubes - Google Patents
Apparatus for manufacturing flexible corrugated tubes Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0104844A2 EP0104844A2 EP83305425A EP83305425A EP0104844A2 EP 0104844 A2 EP0104844 A2 EP 0104844A2 EP 83305425 A EP83305425 A EP 83305425A EP 83305425 A EP83305425 A EP 83305425A EP 0104844 A2 EP0104844 A2 EP 0104844A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- strip
- rollers
- spider
- nip
- cassette
- 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.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/12—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams
- B21C37/126—Supply, or operations combined with supply, of strip material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/12—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams
- B21C37/121—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams with non-welded and non-soldered seams
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/12—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams
- B21C37/124—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams the tubes having a special shape, e.g. with corrugated wall, flexible tubes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/12—Making tubes or metal hoses with helically arranged seams
- B21C37/128—Control or regulating devices
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an improved apparatus for forming a longitudinally corrugated thin strip into a flexible corrugated tube generally like that disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,141,385, issued February 27, 1979 to Emil Siegwart.
- Apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,058,997 may be used to produce tubes of different diameters only by removing from the apparatus a plate which carries a circle of forming rollers which are tangent to a circle of one diameter, and replacing that plate with another one which carries rollers that are tangent to a circle of a different diameter.
- switching the machine from the manufacture of a tube of one diameter to that of another diameter is quite a complex and time consuming job.
- a large percentage of the flexible corrugated tubes made in this type of machine are used for air conditioning ducts, and any particular air conditioning installation usually requires ducts in several different sizes.
- a portable duct curling machine is used to produce duct as needed at a job site, and there are portable units for this purpose.
- the portable units like the unit of the Siegwart patent, may be used to produce tubes of different sizes only by replacing an entire front plate which carries the curling rollers that are tangent to a circle of a particular diameter. This means that several interchangeable curling die plates must be carried with the portable machine.
- portable apparatus of a type heretofore developed by the present inventor in Germany utilizes a cassette to receive a reel of precorrugated strip which is used in the fabrication of the flexible corrugated tube.
- a portable apparatus for manufacturing flexible corrugated tube includes a cassette to receive a reel of longitudinally corrugated strip, and an outfeed opening of the cassette is provided with a pair of guide rollers which have intermeshing arcuate lands and grooves forming a nip that matches the corrugations of the strip, and when the cassette is hung on the frame of the curling apparatus, the nip of the guide rollers is immediately adjacent and coplanar with the nip of driven infeed rollers which also exactly match the corrugations of the strip. Accordingly, the feed of the strip into the curling apparatus is carefully controlled, and any deviations in the corrugations or possible deformations in the edges of the strip are eliminated before the strip enters the curling rollers.
- rollers which are arranged in a circle to determine the diameter of the tube being produced by the apparatus are carried upon a spider which is vertically adjustable relative to strip outfeed rollers that drive the strip into the circular array of curling rollers.
- the spider is movable vertically relative to the outfeed rollers so as to change the distance from the nip of the outfeed rollers to the longitudinal axis about which the curling die rollers form a circle, and at the same time all of the curling die rollers are radially adjustable with reference to that axis so as to permit the apparatus to be very simply adjusted to produce tubes of different diameters.
- a single manual adjusting crank serves to move the spider vertically relative to the nip of the outfeed rollers, and at the same time moves all of the curling die rollers radially to accomplish the desired adjustment of diameter in a single operation.
- the apparatus of the present invention may be readily adjusted to produce corrugated tube from about .50.8 mm (2 inches) to about 508mm (20 inches) in diameter.
- the coil locking apparatus of the present invention has jaws which indent the two sides of a corrugation, rather than squashing the top of the corrugation as taught in patent 4,141,385.
- the resulting lock is less obtrusive and thus produces a better looking tube than the prior art.
- a tube forming apparatus illustrated generally at 18, includes a curling unit, indicated generally at 20 and a cassette 21 from which the unit 20 receives precorrugated aluminum strip S to form into flexible tube T.
- the tube forming apparatus 20 has a base 22 that includes a frame 23, and cooperating input rollers 24 and 25 are mounted on the frame to feed the precorrugated strips S recieved from the cassette 21.
- the curling die unit 20 also includes an upright support 26 which has a base plate 26A that is rotatable on the base 22 on a vertical axis as will be described in more detail; and output rollers 27 and 28 are carried upon the support 26 to receive the strip S from the input rollers 24 and 25 and feed it into a bending device 119 (detailed in Fig. 13), and a series of curling die rollers 29-35 which are journaled on respective spindles 29A-35A that are mounted in a circular configuration on a curling die base 36 that is vertically adjustable on the upright support 26.
- the spindles 29A-35A are readily removed.
- the curling die base 36 includes a roller supporting spider 37, a frame 38 and guide posts 38A that are guided in sleeves 39 which are mounted on a cross bar 40 on the rear of a gear housing 41 that is fixed on the upright support 26.
- the radial distance of each of the rollers 29-35 form a center 37A of the roller supporting spider 37, which coincides with the longitudinal axis of a forming tube T, may be adjusted so as to allow the manufacture of flexible tubes having different diamters.
- the spider 36 and the rollers 29-35 are moved vertically on the support 26 toward or away from the output rollers 27 and 28 so that the center 37A of the spider 37 always coincides with the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube being formed.
- the support 26 is rotated on the base 22 about its vertical axis, so the angle of the helix formed by spiral winding the corrugated strip S matches the diameter of the forming tube T.
- a small tube requires a large helix angle, while a large tube requires a small helix angle.
- the vertical adjustment of the curling die base 36 and the radial adjustment of the rollers 29-35 are both accomplished by using a hand crank 42 to turn a spindle 43 which carries an adjusting bevel drive gear 44 that drives a cluster of bevel pinions 45-52 (see Fig. 7).
- the bevel pinion 45 is attached to the upper end of an upright adjusting screw 53 which extends within a screw housing 54 of the curling die base 36 and is vertically movable through a threaded nut 55 which is disposed within the housing 54 and is part of a block that extends outwardly through an elongate opening of the housing 54 and is mounted upon the gear housing 41.
- Rotation of the spindle 43 causes a corresponding rotation of the upright screw 53 .within the nut 55, and this causes the entire curling die base 36 to move vertically with respect to the output rollers 27-28 which are carried on the gear housing 41.
- a cam plate 56 Secured to the frame 38 is a cam plate 56 that includes a cam slot 57 which traverses a cam follower 58 that is fixedly secured to the base 22.
- Vertical movement of the curling die base 36 causes the cam slot 57 to traverse the cam follower 58, and this causes the upright support 26 to rotate about its axis, which is the axis of a vertical shaft 59 that is bearing supported within the base 22.
- a base plate locking bolt 26B extends through an arcuate slot 26C in the base plate 26A of the upright support 26, and the locking bolt 26B is loosened when the tube diameter is to be changed.
- the pivotal movement of the parts changes the angle of the helix to match the diameter of the tube being formed, and the amount of the pivotal movement is controlled by the shape of the cam slot 57.
- the pinions 46-52 are part of spindle adjusting means 60 for adjusting the radial positions of the curling die roller spindles 29A-35A.
- the pinions 46-52 are mounted on respective radial adjusting screws 61-67 that are carried within radial screw housings 68-74 of the spider 37.
- the radial adjusting screws 61-67 engage respective spindle nuts 75-81 which are parts of slide blocks on which the spindles 29A-35A are respectively mounted. Therefore, all the curling die rollers 29-35 move radially in unison toward or away from the center 37A of the roller spindle 37 in response to rotation of the spindle 43.
- a motor 82 is mounted upon the base 22 and is connected through a timing belt drive 83 to the upright shaft 59.
- the shaft 59 is coupled via bevel gears 84-85 and a timing belt drive 86 to a lower output shaft 27A which mounts the lower output roller 27.
- the lower output shaft 27A is also coupled through gears 87-88 to an upper output shaft 28A which mounts the upper output roller 28.
- the input rollers 24-25 are driven by means of a second timing belt drive 89 from the upright shaft 59 to a shaft 90.
- a bevel gear 91 on the shaft 90 meshes with a bevel gear 92 on a jack shaft 93 to drive a further timing belt drive 94 for a lower input roller 24A which mounts the lower input roller 24.
- the lower input roller shaft 24A is connected by gears 95 and 96 to an upper input roller shaft 25A which mounts the upper input roller 25.
- the input rollers 24-25 are driven by means of a second timing belt drive 89 from the upright shaft 59 to a shaft 90.
- a bevel gear 91 on the shaft 90 meshes with a bevel gear 92 on a jack shaft 93 to drive a further timing belt drive 94 for a lower input roller 24A which mounts the lower input roller 24.
- the lower input roller shaft 24A is connected by gears 95 and 96 to an upper input roller shaft 25A which mounts the upper input roller 25.
- the cassette 21 has a frame, indicated generally at 97, with a plurality of sides including a rear side 98, lateral sides 99 and 100, and a front side 101.
- a spindle 102 is mounted on the rear side 98, there is a strip outfeed opening 99A in the lateral side 99, and the front side 101 consists of a pair of doors 103 on hinges 104 mounted on the lateral sides 99 and 100.
- the spindle 102 receives a reel 105 of the corrugated strip S.
- Upper mounting brackets 106 and lower brackets 107 detachably connect the cassette 21 to the frame 23 of the curling unit 20, with the strip outfeed opening 99A immediately adjacent the input rollers 24 and 25.
- the opening 99A is a pair of strip guide rollers 108-l09 which have a nip coplanar with that of the input rollers 24 and 25 when the cassette is mounted upon the curling frame 23.
- the end of the strip When a new reel 105 of corrugated strip S is mounted in the cassette, the end of the strip must be guided through the nip of the guide rollers 108-109, through the nip of the input rollers 24-25, and through the nip of the output rollers 27-28. The end of the strip is then fed into tangency with the curling die roller 99, or alternatively to the inner side of a bending roller if that is used, as hereinafter described.
- the guide rollers 108-109 assure that it will be properly fed into the infeed rollers 24-25 as the outer diameter of the strip remaining on the reel decreases.
- the front doors 103 are opened, the exhausted reel is removed and a full reel is placed on the spindle 102, and the new strip is threaded through the guide rollers 108-109, etc.
- a mechanism 110 for locking together overlapping layers of the corrugated strip as it is being formed into a flexible tube The lower output roller 27 has subportions 27B and 27C which are spaced to provide a gap 27D in which a bushing 111 is mounted on the lower output shaft 27A.
- the bushing carries a crimping wheel consisting of a collar l12 and several equally spaced bifurcated crimping spokes 113 having resilient arms 113A and 113B of spring steel which normally abut the adjacent ends of the subportions 27B and 27C.
- the crimping wheel rotates generally with the lower output roller 27, though it may rotate relative to the roller.
- a pair of lands Ll and L2 of the upper roller 28 which are spaced by double the width of a corrugation, contact respective camming surfaces 114 and 115 of the arms 113A and l13 B to force the arms toward one another so that respective opposed crimping jaws 116 and 117 of said arms firmly pinch the overlapping plies of the flexible tube to crimp and lock said plies together into the shape shown.
- the pinching action of the jaws l16 and 117 is released as continued rotation of the outfeed rollers 27 and 28 drive the spoke 113 out of the nip of the rollers.
- a circumferential rib 118 which provides an anvil to prevent buckling of the walls of the corrugated strip as the lock is formed.
- the spacing of the resulting locks about the periphery of the tube is determined by the spacing of the arms 113 about the collar 112.
- each of the spokes 113 of the crimping wheel may consist of a single spring arm which is moved against and crimps the plies of the corrugated strip from one side only.
- successive spokes would consist of an arm corresponding to an arm 113A and an arm corresponding to an arm 113B, so that successive spokes would be moved against the plies of the strip from opposite directions.
- the curling die is adjustable so that it may fabricate flexible tube from about 50.8 mm (2 inches) to about 508 mm (20 inches) in diameter. If a tube to be fabricated is to have a diameter in the extreme lower part of this range, then the rollers 29 and 35 must be removed as illustrated in Fig. 13.
- the bending device 119 comprises a pivoted plate 119a which is mounted upon the gear housing 41 coaxial with the lower outfeed roller 27.
- a gear segment 120 on the plate 119a meshes with a worm 121 that is formed upon a manually rotatable spindle 122.
- a bending roller 123 is journaled upon a spindle on the plate l19a where it normally occupies an operative position between the nip of the infeed rollers 27-28 and the first curling die roller 29.
- a bending pin 124 may also be used with the bending roller 123.
- the bending device 119 When or not the bending device 119 is used during a curling operation depends both upon the diameter of the tube being formed and upon the stiffness of the material in the strip S.
- the least expensive of suitable aluminum stock which is available in the U.S. market is of the stiffness used in the standard aluminum foil trays in which frozen foods are packaged. That material is stiff enough that the bending device 119 desirably is used regardless of the diameter of the tube that is being formed.
- the manually rotatable spindle 122 with its worm 121 is used to locate the roller 123 in the proper position between the rollers 27-28 and the first idler roller 29 or 30, as the case may be.
- any aluminum strip which is softer than that used for freezer trays must be custom fabricated, and it is thus enormously more expensive.
- the bending device 119 is required only for the fabrication of tubes smaller than about 76.2 mm (3 inches); and for larger tubes the bending attachment may be swung entirely out of the way by turning the spindle 122.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Shaping Of Tube Ends By Bending Or Straightening (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for forming a longitudinally corrugated thin strip into a flexible corrugated tube generally like that disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,141,385, issued February 27, 1979 to Emil Siegwart.
- The prior art apparatus known to applicant which is the most closely related to the present apparatus is that of U.S. Patent 4,058,997, issued November 22, 1977 to Emil Siegwart.
- Apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,058,997 may be used to produce tubes of different diameters only by removing from the apparatus a plate which carries a circle of forming rollers which are tangent to a circle of one diameter, and replacing that plate with another one which carries rollers that are tangent to a circle of a different diameter. As a result, switching the machine from the manufacture of a tube of one diameter to that of another diameter is quite a complex and time consuming job.
- A large percentage of the flexible corrugated tubes made in this type of machine are used for air conditioning ducts, and any particular air conditioning installation usually requires ducts in several different sizes. Ideally, a portable duct curling machine is used to produce duct as needed at a job site, and there are portable units for this purpose. However, the portable units, like the unit of the Siegwart patent, may be used to produce tubes of different sizes only by replacing an entire front plate which carries the curling rollers that are tangent to a circle of a particular diameter. This means that several interchangeable curling die plates must be carried with the portable machine.
- The apparatus of patent 4,058,997 has a mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings for forming in overlapping turns of the helical tube a lock of the type illustrated in patent 4,141,385. Such a lock has certain disadvantages which can be eliminated by a lock of a different type.
- Finally, portable apparatus of a type heretofore developed by the present inventor in Germany utilizes a cassette to receive a reel of precorrugated strip which is used in the fabrication of the flexible corrugated tube.
- In accordance with the present invention, a portable apparatus for manufacturing flexible corrugated tube includes a cassette to receive a reel of longitudinally corrugated strip, and an outfeed opening of the cassette is provided with a pair of guide rollers which have intermeshing arcuate lands and grooves forming a nip that matches the corrugations of the strip, and when the cassette is hung on the frame of the curling apparatus, the nip of the guide rollers is immediately adjacent and coplanar with the nip of driven infeed rollers which also exactly match the corrugations of the strip. Accordingly, the feed of the strip into the curling apparatus is carefully controlled, and any deviations in the corrugations or possible deformations in the edges of the strip are eliminated before the strip enters the curling rollers.
- Further, the rollers which are arranged in a circle to determine the diameter of the tube being produced by the apparatus are carried upon a spider which is vertically adjustable relative to strip outfeed rollers that drive the strip into the circular array of curling rollers. The spider is movable vertically relative to the outfeed rollers so as to change the distance from the nip of the outfeed rollers to the longitudinal axis about which the curling die rollers form a circle, and at the same time all of the curling die rollers are radially adjustable with reference to that axis so as to permit the apparatus to be very simply adjusted to produce tubes of different diameters.
- In the preferred embodiment described, a single manual adjusting crank serves to move the spider vertically relative to the nip of the outfeed rollers, and at the same time moves all of the curling die rollers radially to accomplish the desired adjustment of diameter in a single operation.
- The apparatus of the present invention may be readily adjusted to produce corrugated tube from about .50.8 mm (2 inches) to about 508mm (20 inches) in diameter.
- The coil locking apparatus of the present invention has jaws which indent the two sides of a corrugation, rather than squashing the top of the corrugation as taught in patent 4,141,385. The resulting lock is less obtrusive and thus produces a better looking tube than the prior art.
- Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the present curling apparatus to show the relationship between the curling unit and the cassette, parts being omitted for clarity;
- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a part of a corrugated strip curled into a segment of a tube;
- Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the curling apparatus of the invention with parts broken away for clarity and with only the immediately adjacent part of the cassette illustrated;
- Fig. 3A is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially as indicated along the
line 3A-3A of Fig. 3; - Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, with parts broken away, taken substantially as indicated along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;
- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;
- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;
- Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 7-7 of Fig. 4;
- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially as indicated along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4, illustrating the coil locking mechanism of the present apparatus;
- Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially as indicated along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;
- Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as indicated along the line 10-10 of Fig. 8;
- Fig. 11 is a fragmentary schematic view of the curling die rollers and the forming strip;
- Fig. 12 is a diagramatic view illustrating the relative positions of the curling die rollers with respect to the outfeed rollers and one another in two different adjusted positions of the spider;
- Fig. 13 is a fragmentary elevational view, which is partially schematic, illustrating a bending device in detail, and showing the curling unit adjusted to form a tube of very small diameter; and
- Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 14-14 of Fig. 13.
- Referring to the drawings in detail, and referring first to Figs. 1-3, a tube forming apparatus, indicated generally at 18, includes a curling unit, indicated generally at 20 and a
cassette 21 from which theunit 20 receives precorrugated aluminum strip S to form into flexible tube T. - The
tube forming apparatus 20 has abase 22 that includes aframe 23, and cooperatinginput rollers cassette 21. - The
curling die unit 20 also includes anupright support 26 which has abase plate 26A that is rotatable on thebase 22 on a vertical axis as will be described in more detail; andoutput rollers support 26 to receive the strip S from theinput rollers upright support 26. The spindles 29A-35A are readily removed. - The curling die base 36 includes a
roller supporting spider 37, aframe 38 andguide posts 38A that are guided insleeves 39 which are mounted on across bar 40 on the rear of agear housing 41 that is fixed on theupright support 26. The radial distance of each of the rollers 29-35 form acenter 37A of theroller supporting spider 37, which coincides with the longitudinal axis of a forming tube T, may be adjusted so as to allow the manufacture of flexible tubes having different diamters. Furthermore, when the radial distance of the rollers 29-35 from thecenter 37A is changed, the spider 36 and the rollers 29-35 are moved vertically on thesupport 26 toward or away from theoutput rollers center 37A of thespider 37 always coincides with the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube being formed. During this vertical adjustment of the spider, thesupport 26 is rotated on thebase 22 about its vertical axis, so the angle of the helix formed by spiral winding the corrugated strip S matches the diameter of the forming tube T. A small tube requires a large helix angle, while a large tube requires a small helix angle. - Referring especially to Figs. 4-7, the vertical adjustment of the curling die base 36 and the radial adjustment of the rollers 29-35 are both accomplished by using a
hand crank 42 to turn a spindle 43 which carries an adjustingbevel drive gear 44 that drives a cluster of bevel pinions 45-52 (see Fig. 7). - The
bevel pinion 45 is attached to the upper end of an upright adjustingscrew 53 which extends within ascrew housing 54 of the curling die base 36 and is vertically movable through a threaded nut 55 which is disposed within thehousing 54 and is part of a block that extends outwardly through an elongate opening of thehousing 54 and is mounted upon thegear housing 41. Rotation of the spindle 43 causes a corresponding rotation of theupright screw 53 .within the nut 55, and this causes the entire curling die base 36 to move vertically with respect to the output rollers 27-28 which are carried on thegear housing 41. - Secured to the
frame 38 is acam plate 56 that includes acam slot 57 which traverses acam follower 58 that is fixedly secured to thebase 22. Vertical movement of the curling die base 36 causes thecam slot 57 to traverse thecam follower 58, and this causes theupright support 26 to rotate about its axis, which is the axis of a vertical shaft 59 that is bearing supported within thebase 22. A baseplate locking bolt 26B extends through an arcuate slot 26C in thebase plate 26A of theupright support 26, and thelocking bolt 26B is loosened when the tube diameter is to be changed. The pivotal movement of the parts changes the angle of the helix to match the diameter of the tube being formed, and the amount of the pivotal movement is controlled by the shape of thecam slot 57. - As seen in Fig. 7, the pinions 46-52 are part of spindle adjusting means 60 for adjusting the radial positions of the curling die roller spindles 29A-35A. The pinions 46-52 are mounted on respective radial adjusting screws 61-67 that are carried within radial screw housings 68-74 of the
spider 37. The radial adjusting screws 61-67 engage respective spindle nuts 75-81 which are parts of slide blocks on which the spindles 29A-35A are respectively mounted. Therefore, all the curling die rollers 29-35 move radially in unison toward or away from thecenter 37A of theroller spindle 37 in response to rotation of the spindle 43. - Thus, the following three actions occur when the spindle 43.is rotated:
- 1. The
center 37A of thespider 37 moves.vertically toward or away from the output rollers 27-28, which remain stationary; - 2. Each of the rollers 29-35 moves in a radial direction relative to the
center 37A; and - 3. The
upright support 26 rotates about the axis of the vertical shaft 59 to change the helix angle. - As best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, a
motor 82 is mounted upon thebase 22 and is connected through atiming belt drive 83 to the upright shaft 59. The shaft 59 is coupled via bevel gears 84-85 and atiming belt drive 86 to alower output shaft 27A which mounts thelower output roller 27. Thelower output shaft 27A is also coupled through gears 87-88 to an upper output shaft 28A which mounts theupper output roller 28. - Referring also to Fig. 6, the input rollers 24-25 are driven by means of a second
timing belt drive 89 from the upright shaft 59 to ashaft 90. Abevel gear 91 on theshaft 90 meshes with abevel gear 92 on ajack shaft 93 to drive a furthertiming belt drive 94 for alower input roller 24A which mounts thelower input roller 24. The lowerinput roller shaft 24A, in turn, is connected bygears input roller shaft 25A which mounts theupper input roller 25. - Referring also to Fig. 6, the input rollers 24-25 are driven by means of a second
timing belt drive 89 from the upright shaft 59 to ashaft 90. Abevel gear 91 on theshaft 90 meshes with abevel gear 92 on ajack shaft 93 to drive a furthertiming belt drive 94 for alower input roller 24A which mounts thelower input roller 24. The lowerinput roller shaft 24A, in turn, is connected bygears input roller shaft 25A which mounts theupper input roller 25. - Referring now to Fig. 1, the
cassette 21 has a frame, indicated generally at 97, with a plurality of sides including a rear side 98,lateral sides 99 and 100, and afront side 101. Aspindle 102 is mounted on the rear side 98, there is astrip outfeed opening 99A in the lateral side 99, and thefront side 101 consists of a pair ofdoors 103 onhinges 104 mounted on the lateral sides 99 and 100. Thespindle 102 receives areel 105 of the corrugated strip S. - Upper mounting
brackets 106 andlower brackets 107 detachably connect thecassette 21 to theframe 23 of the curlingunit 20, with thestrip outfeed opening 99A immediately adjacent theinput rollers opening 99A is a pair of strip guide rollers 108-l09 which have a nip coplanar with that of theinput rollers frame 23. - When a
new reel 105 of corrugated strip S is mounted in the cassette, the end of the strip must be guided through the nip of the guide rollers 108-109, through the nip of the input rollers 24-25, and through the nip of the output rollers 27-28. The end of the strip is then fed into tangency with the curling die roller 99, or alternatively to the inner side of a bending roller if that is used, as hereinafter described. - As the corrugated strip S is removed from the
reel 105, the guide rollers 108-109 assure that it will be properly fed into the infeed rollers 24-25 as the outer diameter of the strip remaining on the reel decreases. When the supply of strip on areel 105 is exhausted, thefront doors 103 are opened, the exhausted reel is removed and a full reel is placed on thespindle 102, and the new strip is threaded through the guide rollers 108-109, etc. - It is apparent from the foregoing description that the guide rollers 108-109, the input rollers 24-25, and the output rollers 27-28, must all have arcuate lands and grooves which intermesh to form a nip which matches the corrugations of a strip S. The curling die rollers 29-35 also have such lands and grooves. This is illustrated in Figs. 8-10, which show the output rollers 27-28 in conjunction with the strip S, and a locking mechanism which will be described in detail hereinafter. Accordingly, it will be understood that all the rollers which feed or guide the strip have identical lands L and grooves G as indicated in Fig. 9.
- Referring further to Figs. 8-10, there is illustrated a mechanism 110 for locking together overlapping layers of the corrugated strip as it is being formed into a flexible tube. The
lower output roller 27 has subportions 27B and 27C which are spaced to provide agap 27D in which abushing 111 is mounted on thelower output shaft 27A. The bushing carries a crimping wheel consisting of a collar l12 and several equally spaced bifurcated crimpingspokes 113 havingresilient arms subportions - The crimping wheel rotates generally with the
lower output roller 27, though it may rotate relative to the roller. As abifurcated spoke 113 enters the nip of therollers upper roller 28, which are spaced by double the width of a corrugation, contact respective camming surfaces 114 and 115 of thearms 113A and l13B to force the arms toward one another so that respective opposed crimpingjaws outfeed rollers spoke 113 out of the nip of the rollers. - In the space between the lands Ll and L2 is a
circumferential rib 118 which provides an anvil to prevent buckling of the walls of the corrugated strip as the lock is formed. - The spacing of the resulting locks about the periphery of the tube is determined by the spacing of the
arms 113 about thecollar 112. - Alternatively, each of the
spokes 113 of the crimping wheel may consist of a single spring arm which is moved against and crimps the plies of the corrugated strip from one side only. In such a case, successive spokes would consist of an arm corresponding to anarm 113A and an arm corresponding to anarm 113B, so that successive spokes would be moved against the plies of the strip from opposite directions. - The curling die is adjustable so that it may fabricate flexible tube from about 50.8 mm (2 inches) to about 508 mm (20 inches) in diameter. If a tube to be fabricated is to have a diameter in the extreme lower part of this range, then the
rollers - The
bending device 119 comprises a pivotedplate 119a which is mounted upon thegear housing 41 coaxial with thelower outfeed roller 27. Agear segment 120 on theplate 119a meshes with aworm 121 that is formed upon a manuallyrotatable spindle 122. A bendingroller 123 is journaled upon a spindle on the plate l19a where it normally occupies an operative position between the nip of the infeed rollers 27-28 and the first curling dieroller 29. A bendingpin 124 may also be used with the bendingroller 123. - When or not the
bending device 119 is used during a curling operation depends both upon the diameter of the tube being formed and upon the stiffness of the material in the strip S. - The least expensive of suitable aluminum stock which is available in the U.S. market is of the stiffness used in the standard aluminum foil trays in which frozen foods are packaged. That material is stiff enough that the
bending device 119 desirably is used regardless of the diameter of the tube that is being formed. The manuallyrotatable spindle 122 with itsworm 121 is used to locate theroller 123 in the proper position between the rollers 27-28 and thefirst idler roller - At the present time any aluminum strip which is softer than that used for freezer trays must be custom fabricated, and it is thus enormously more expensive. However, where strip material of about half the hardness of the freezer tray stock is used, the
bending device 119 is required only for the fabrication of tubes smaller than about 76.2 mm (3 inches); and for larger tubes the bending attachment may be swung entirely out of the way by turning thespindle 122. - As seen in Fig. 13, when a tube of about 50.8 mm duameter (2 inches) is being formed, the axis of the bending
roller 123 is almost precisely where the axis of the removed idler roller 129 is located. - The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Claims (17)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US42553282A | 1982-09-28 | 1982-09-28 | |
US425532 | 1982-09-28 | ||
US52109083A | 1983-08-10 | 1983-08-10 | |
US521090 | 1983-08-10 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0104844A2 true EP0104844A2 (en) | 1984-04-04 |
EP0104844A3 EP0104844A3 (en) | 1984-07-11 |
EP0104844B1 EP0104844B1 (en) | 1987-07-15 |
Family
ID=27026718
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP83305425A Expired EP0104844B1 (en) | 1982-09-28 | 1983-09-15 | Apparatus for manufacturing flexible corrugated tubes |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0104844B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA1231006A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3372446D1 (en) |
DK (1) | DK445083A (en) |
ES (1) | ES8502356A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0201729A2 (en) * | 1985-04-12 | 1986-11-20 | Horst Hano | Device for the production of wrapped tube as well as a wrapped tube |
WO2001032327A1 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2001-05-10 | Lindab Ab | System and method for corrugating spiral formed pipe |
GB2433453A (en) * | 2005-12-23 | 2007-06-27 | Iti Scotland Ltd | An apparatus for and method of manufacturing helically wound structures |
CN102284580A (en) * | 2011-06-20 | 2011-12-21 | 石家庄巨力科技有限公司 | Large corrugated pipe forming machine |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3472463A (en) * | 1968-02-13 | 1969-10-14 | Richard M Fedor | Cartridge unit for coils |
GB1182116A (en) * | 1966-03-02 | 1970-02-25 | Westerbarkey Westaflex | Improvements in or relating to liner tubes of thin sheet metal or foil. |
DE1752513B2 (en) * | 1968-06-08 | 1973-01-25 | Berliner Maschinenbau-Ag, Vorm. L. Schwartzkopff, 1000 Berlin | SCREW SEAM PIPING WITH SEVERAL SHAPED ROLLERS AND GUIDE ROLLERS DISTRIBUTED ON A CIRCLE |
GB1460875A (en) * | 1974-05-09 | 1977-01-06 | Pacific Roller Die Co Inc | Conduit making machine with diameter control and method |
US4058997A (en) * | 1974-11-13 | 1977-11-22 | Emil Siegwart | Apparatus for manufacturing tubes |
US4141385A (en) * | 1972-07-17 | 1979-02-27 | Emil Siegwart | Flexible corrugated tube |
US4197728A (en) * | 1978-09-11 | 1980-04-15 | Mcgowen Lloyd E | Flexible piping method and apparatus of producing same |
DE2835024B1 (en) * | 1978-08-10 | 1980-04-17 | Csepel Muevek Egyedi Gepgyara, Budapest | Device for forming spiral seam tubes from steel strip or sheet metal |
-
1983
- 1983-09-12 CA CA000436514A patent/CA1231006A/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-15 DE DE8383305425T patent/DE3372446D1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-15 EP EP83305425A patent/EP0104844B1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-27 ES ES525975A patent/ES8502356A1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-28 DK DK445083A patent/DK445083A/en unknown
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1182116A (en) * | 1966-03-02 | 1970-02-25 | Westerbarkey Westaflex | Improvements in or relating to liner tubes of thin sheet metal or foil. |
US3472463A (en) * | 1968-02-13 | 1969-10-14 | Richard M Fedor | Cartridge unit for coils |
DE1752513B2 (en) * | 1968-06-08 | 1973-01-25 | Berliner Maschinenbau-Ag, Vorm. L. Schwartzkopff, 1000 Berlin | SCREW SEAM PIPING WITH SEVERAL SHAPED ROLLERS AND GUIDE ROLLERS DISTRIBUTED ON A CIRCLE |
US4141385A (en) * | 1972-07-17 | 1979-02-27 | Emil Siegwart | Flexible corrugated tube |
GB1460875A (en) * | 1974-05-09 | 1977-01-06 | Pacific Roller Die Co Inc | Conduit making machine with diameter control and method |
US4058997A (en) * | 1974-11-13 | 1977-11-22 | Emil Siegwart | Apparatus for manufacturing tubes |
DE2835024B1 (en) * | 1978-08-10 | 1980-04-17 | Csepel Muevek Egyedi Gepgyara, Budapest | Device for forming spiral seam tubes from steel strip or sheet metal |
US4197728A (en) * | 1978-09-11 | 1980-04-15 | Mcgowen Lloyd E | Flexible piping method and apparatus of producing same |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0201729A2 (en) * | 1985-04-12 | 1986-11-20 | Horst Hano | Device for the production of wrapped tube as well as a wrapped tube |
EP0201729A3 (en) * | 1985-04-12 | 1987-04-29 | Horst Hano | Device for the production of wrapped tube as well as a wrapped tube |
WO2001032327A1 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2001-05-10 | Lindab Ab | System and method for corrugating spiral formed pipe |
GB2433453A (en) * | 2005-12-23 | 2007-06-27 | Iti Scotland Ltd | An apparatus for and method of manufacturing helically wound structures |
GB2433453B (en) * | 2005-12-23 | 2010-08-11 | Iti Scotland Ltd | An apparatus for and method of manfacturing helically wound structures |
US8955362B2 (en) | 2005-12-23 | 2015-02-17 | Iti Scotland Limited | Apparatus for and method of manufacturing helically wound structures |
CN102284580A (en) * | 2011-06-20 | 2011-12-21 | 石家庄巨力科技有限公司 | Large corrugated pipe forming machine |
CN102284580B (en) * | 2011-06-20 | 2014-01-01 | 石家庄巨力科技有限公司 | Large corrugated pipe forming machine |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE3372446D1 (en) | 1987-08-20 |
EP0104844B1 (en) | 1987-07-15 |
EP0104844A3 (en) | 1984-07-11 |
CA1231006A (en) | 1988-01-05 |
DK445083A (en) | 1984-03-29 |
DK445083D0 (en) | 1983-09-28 |
ES525975A0 (en) | 1985-01-01 |
ES8502356A1 (en) | 1985-01-01 |
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