EP0124509A1

EP0124509A1 - Polyvalent machining unit adapted to carry out on-site machinings

Info

Publication number: EP0124509A1
Application number: EP19820903151
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michel Genans
Original assignee: R Dufieux SA; DUFIEUX Industrie
Current assignee: R Dufieux SA; DUFIEUX Industrie
Priority date: 1982-10-26
Filing date: 1982-10-26
Publication date: 1984-11-14
Also published as: AU8998482A; WO1984001736A1

Abstract

Unité d'usinage polyvalente (1) pour effectuer des usinages sur site, comprenant un support (5) fixé sur le site, un plateau (13) monté tournant sur ledit support (5), un bras axial (19) monté sur ledit plateau (13) et adapté pour occuper différentes positions par rapport à l'axe dudit plateau, un bras radial (30) monté sur ledit bras axial (19) et adapté pour occuper différentes positions sur ledit bras axial (19) et des moyens d'usinage (37) montés sur ledit bras radial (30).Multipurpose machining unit (1) for performing on-site machining, comprising a support (5) fixed on the site, a plate (13) mounted rotating on said support (5), an axial arm (19) mounted on said plate (13) and adapted to occupy different positions relative to the axis of said plate, a radial arm (30) mounted on said axial arm (19) and adapted to occupy different positions on said axial arm (19) and means for machining (37) mounted on said radial arm (30).

Description

Versatile machining unit suitable for performing machining on site.

The present invention relates to a versatile machining unit suitable for carrying out machining on site and in particular on a structure formed from one or more pre-assembled parts.

Increasingly, during the construction in particular of large assemblies such as turbines of hydraulic or nuclear power plants or during their repair or regeneration it is preferred to carry out the various machining operations necessary for example on the support structure of the turbine elements directly on the site, the parts forming the structure being pre-assembled and sealed. The machining operations to be carried out on the pre-assembled structure are generally dressings, bores, holes, tapping and other operations such as reloading. To carry out these machining operations, we have already designed and are using versatile machining units that are mounted directly on site. However, current multi-purpose machining units have drawbacks. Indeed, it is not uncommon for a structure on which one wishes to carry out machining to have diameters varying in particular from 3 to 15 meters and that it has an axial dimension which can go up to 8 meters and even beyond . As the current machining units have limited possibilities of movement, it is necessary to cut the structure to be machined into diametrical and axial zones and to assign to each of these zones a particular machining unit adapted to perform the machining in this zoned. The machining operations of a particular structure are therefore particularly expensive and take a great deal of time, in particular taking into account the fact that several machining units have to be studied and constructed and that they have to be assembled and dismantled successively on the site, Due to the assembly and disassembly of the necessary machining units, it also results in machining faults.

The present invention aims in particular to remedy these drawbacks and proposes a versatile machining unit capable of performing, alone, all of the uses of a pre-assembled structure, whatever the different radial dimensions and whatever the axial dimension of the latter.

The versatile machining unit according to the present The invention is suitable for carrying out machining on site and in particular for carrying out machining on a structure formed from one or more pre-assembled parts.

To this end, it includes a support; means for fixing the support on the site; a plate rotatably mounted on said support, said support means being adapted so that the axis of the plate is placed substantially along the axis of the structure to be machined; a first arm extending substantially perpendicular to said plate; means for mounting said first arm on said plate adapted so that this first arm occupies different positions relative to the axis of said plate; at least a second arm extending substantially perpendicular to said first arm; means for mounting said second arm on said first arm adapted so that this second arm occupies different positions along said first arm; and means for machining the structure to be machined carried by said second arm. It can be seen that the machining unit according to the present invention allows, by displacement of its first arm with respect to its plate and / or by displacement of its second arm with respect to its first arm, to reach all the parts of the structure to be machined.

In order to facilitate the changes in position of said first arm relative to said plate, said means for mounting this arm on this plate can advantageously comprise, according to the present invention, slides provided on this plate and along which said axial arm is movable.

According to the present invention, said means for mounting said second arm on said first arm may advantageously comprise means for translating said second arm along said first arm. In this way, the movements of the second arm relative to the first arm can be facilitated and can also be used to perform machining.

According to the present invention, said means for mounting said second arm on said first arm may also include means for translating, in the direction of its length, said second arm on said first arm. These translation means can be used to arrange the machining means in different radial positions and can also be used to perform machining.

According to the present invention, said means of translation can advantageously include slides provided on an intermediate support mounted on said first arm and along which said second arm is movable in the direction of its length.

Although this intermediate support can be mounted on said first arm in any other way, it is particularly advantageous that this intermediate support is formed by a carriage mounted movable along slides provided on said first arm in the direction of its length.

In a particularly advantageous variant, said first arm may comprise two elongated parts, the first part being mounted on said plate and the second part carrying said slides and being mounted on the first part by means of a pivot, means forming adjustable stops being provided for adjusting the angular position of the second part around said pivot. It is thus possible to ensure a displacement of the machining means parallel to the axis of the structure even if the axis of the plate is not entirely along the axis of the structure.

According to the present invention, said second arm can be formed by a sliding mounted sliding on said intermediate support or on said carriage.

To ensure good fixing of the machining unit according to the present invention on the site, provision can advantageously be made to fix said support directly on the structure to be machined.

The present invention will be better understood from the study of a multipurpose machining unit mounted on a site, described by way of nonlimiting example and illustrated schematically by the drawing in which:

- Figure 1 shows an elevational view of the machining unit according to the present invention; - Figure 2 shows an end view of the machining unit shown in Figure 1;

- And Figure 3 shows a partial side view of the machining unit shown in Figure 1.

The multipurpose machining unit, generally identified by the reference 1, is designed to perform different machining operations on a substantially cylindrical structure generally identified by the reference 2. For example, it can be considered that this structure 2 forms a turbine body of a hydraulic or nuclear power station, this turbine body 2 having several parts which are sealed externally in a concrete block 3 to delimit a vertical passage 4 in which the various elements of the turbine will be mounted.

It can be seen in particular in FIG. 1 that the structure to be machined 2 has very different diameters and extends over a great height.

In the example shown, one can have easy access to passage 4 and consequently to the structure to be machined 2 from above. With a view to machining the structure 2, a suspended machining unit is proposed in the example.

The machining unit 1 represented comprises a support generally identified by the reference 5 which is arranged in the upper part of the passage 4 above the structure to be machined 2. This support 5 comprises a cylindrical part 6 which carries three radial tabs 7, 8 and 9 placed at 120 °. The radial end of the legs 7, 8 and 9 is supported respectively on brackets 10, 11 and 12 which are fixed on a vertical wall of the structure to be machined 2, the legs 7, 8 and 9 being firmly fixed on the brackets 10, 11 and 12 for example by bolts of which only the axes are visible in the figures.

The machining unit 1 also comprises a plate 13 rotatably mounted on the part 6 of the support 5 by means of a rolling bearing 14 so that its axis of rotation is placed along the axis of the structure to be machined 2. The plate 13 is arranged below the part 6 of the support 5. In order to adjust the position of the axis of the plate 13 relative to the axis of the structure to be machined 2, it is possible to have shims between the legs 7, 8 and 9 and the brackets 10, 11 and 12 as well as centering screws acting radially. It can be seen in FIG. 1 that means for rotating the plate 13 have been provided, generally identified by the reference 15, these means 15 comprising an electric motor 16 connected to a pinion 17 engaged with a crown fixed to the plate 13 by means of a transmission 18. These rotation drive means 15 of the plate 13 are carried by the part 6 of the support 5.

The machining unit 1 also includes a vertical or axial arm generally identified by the reference 19 which extends downwards from the plate 13. The vertical arm 19 comprises a vertical or axial part 20 whose upper end is mounted on the plate 13. For this purpose, the plate 13 carries slides 13a and 13b clearly visible in FIGS. 2 and 3 along which the arm 19 is movable to occupy different positions relative to the axis of the plate 13.

The vertical arm 19 also has a second vertical or axial part 21 extending over the part 20. This part 21 is mounted on the part 20 by means of a horizontal pivot 22, adjustment means marked with a generally by the reference 23 being provided for adjusting the angular position of the part 21 around the pivot 22. As can be seen in FIG. 1, these adjustment means 23 can be formed by micrometric adjustment stops having a screw 24 passing through a screw support 25 fixed on the part 20.

The part 21 of the vertical arm 19 has vertical or axial slides 26 and 27 which extend along its length and on which is movable a carriage generally identified by the reference 28 by an electric motor 29 and a screw 29a shown schematically, so that the carriage 28 can be moved substantially vertically and substantially perpendicular to the pivot 22.

The carriage 28 carries two arms 30 and 31 which are placed one above the other and which are formed, in the example, by runners extending radially substantially perpendicular to the pivot 22. These runners 30 and 31 are movable in the direction of their length along slides provided on the carriage 28. For example, the slide 30 is movable in the direction of its length by an electric motor 32 and a screw 33 shown schematically.

As we have seen, thanks to the adjustment means 23, the angular position of the part 21 can be adjusted around the pivot 22. In this way, it is possible to ensure that the end of the runners 30 and 31 moves parallel to the axis of the structure to be machined 2. It is also possible to obtain a conical displacement of the carriage along the slides 26 and 27 or a displacement not perpendicular to the axis of the structure or of the sliding plate 30 and 31.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the end flow 30 and 31 is a.daptêe to receive any machining means. We will now describe some machining operations that can be performed using the machining unit 1,

We see in Figure 1 that we can for example mount at the end of the runners 30 and 31 a machining assembly generally identified by the reference 34 for performing boring operations, a set of machining marked generally by the reference 35 intended for carrying out dressing operations, a machining assembly marked generally by the reference 36 intended for carrying out braking operations, and a machining assembly marked d 'generally by the reference 37 intended to perform drilling operations. Other machining means could also be fitted.

The machining means 34 and 35 comprise tool holders 38 and 39 fixed to the end of the associated slide and boring and dressing tools 40 and 41. The machining means 36 and 37 which have rotary tools 42 and 43 include electric motors 44 and 45 which are carried by transmission housings 46 and 47 fixed to the end of the associated slide. To perform any machining in a particular area of the structure to be machined using the versatile machining unit 1 described, the vertical arm 19 is suitably placed by moving it along the slides 13a and 13b in a position such that the area to be machining of the structure 2 can be accessible by the machining means mounted at the end of one of the runners 30 and 31 and it is fixed in the chosen position by conventional means not shown. To carry out a reaming operation using the machining means 34, the advance movement of the tool is obtained by moving the carriage 28 and the depth of cut is obtained by moving the slide carrying these means machining 34. To carry out a dressing using the machining means 35, the advance movement of the tool is obtained by displacement of the slide carrying these machining means and the depth of pass by vertical displacement of the carriage 28. In these two modes, the machining is obtained by rotation of the plate 13 thanks to the drive means 15.

In a substantially different way, to perform machining using the machining means 36 and 37, the machining operation is carried out by rotation of the tool 42 or 43 while the movements of advance and depth of passes are obtained by displacement radial of the slide carrying these machining means, by vertical movement of the carriage 28, or by rotation of the plate 13 depending on the machining to be carried out.

The present invention is obviously not limited to the versatile machining unit described above. Indeed, an equivalent machining unit could be used to perform machining on a structure with a horizontal axis, on a structure accessible from below or on a structure having any inclination. It could also be used to carry out in particular machining on tunnel formwork or on crane spans and in general on any structure to be machined new, pre-assembled or to be regenerated. In addition, instead of being slidably mounted, the axial and radial arms could be mounted in different determined positions, the displacements of the machining means then being able to be obtained by rotation of the plate and by translation means directly provided at l end of the radial arm (s).

Many other alternative embodiments are still possible without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Multipurpose machining unit suitable for performing machining on site and in particular on a structure formed from one or more pre-assembled parts, characterized in that it comprises:

- A support ;

- Means for fixing the support on the site;

- A plate mounted rotating on said support, said support means being adapted so that the axis of the plate is placed substantially along the axis of the structure to be machined;

- A first arm extending substantially perpendicular to said plate;

- Means for mounting said first arm on said plate adapted so that this first arm occupies different positions relative to the axis of said plate;

- At least a second arm extending substantially perpendicular to said first arm;

- Means for mounting the second arm on said first arm adapted so that this second arm occupies different positions along said first arm;

- And machining means of 'said structure to be machined carried by said second arm.

2. Machining unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for mounting said first arm on said plate comprise slides provided on this plate and along which said axial arm is movable to occupy different positions relative to the 'axis of said plate.

3. Machining unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for mounting said second arm on said first arm comprises means for translating said second arm along said first arm.

4. Machining unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for mounting said second arm on said first arm comprise means for translating, in the direction of its length, said second arm on said first arm.

5. Machining unit according to claim 4, characterized in that said translation means comprise slides provided on an intermediate support mounted on said first arm along which said second arm is movable in the direction of its length.

6. Machining unit according to claim 5, characterized in that said intermediate support is formed by a carriage mounted movable along slides provided on said first arm.

7. Machining unit according to claim 6, characterized in that said first arm comprises two elongated parts, the first part being mounted on said plate and the second part carrying said slides and being mounted on the first part via of a pivot, means forming adjustable stops being provided for adjusting the angular position of the second part around said pivot.

8. Machining unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that said second arm is formed by a sliding mounted sliding on said intermediate support.

9. Machining unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said support is fixed to the structure to be machined.