JPH08178129A - Control of pipe joining device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To push in a sealing material between a receiving port and an inserting port uniformly in the circumferential direction by means of a press ring by moving a press ring setter with a driving device without exposing the cores of the receiving and inserting ports of a pipe. CONSTITUTION: A first potentiometer 36 for detecting the driving stroke of each cylinder device 22 and a second potentiometer 52 for detecting a distance from a press ring 9 to the end surface of a receiving port 2 in a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of a pipe are utilized. In the first half of the moving process of a press ring setter 42 by the cylinder device 22, the cylinder devices 22 are synchronized together so as to make coincident the driving strokes thereof. In the second half of the moving process, the cylinder devices 22 are driven so as to make uniform distances from the press ring 9 to the end surface 55 of the receiving port 2 in the circumferential direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a pipe joining apparatus, and more particularly, to an annular seal disposed between a receiving opening of one pipe and an inserting opening of the other pipe inserted into this receiving opening. The present invention relates to a method for controlling a pipe joining device for a so-called mechanical type pipe joint in which a material is compressed by a push ring joined to a flange at an opening end of a receiving port.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 7 and 8 show the structure of such a known mechanical type pipe joint. Here, a receiving port 2 is formed at the end of one of the pipes 1 to be joined to each other, and an insertion port 4 to be inserted into the receiving port 2 is formed at the end of the other pipe 3. A tapered sealing material pressure contact surface 5 is formed on the inner periphery of the opening end of the receiving port 2, and an inner peripheral surface 6 is formed on the inner side of the sealing material pressure contact surface 5. Further, a flange 7 is formed on the outer periphery of the opening end of the receiving port 2.

The insertion port 4 is inserted to the inside of the inner peripheral surface 6, and an annular seal member 8 is arranged between the pressure contact surface 5 of the receiving port 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion port 4. A push ring 9 is fitted on the outer periphery of the insertion slot 4 at a position away from the receiving slot 2.
A plurality of T-head bolts 10 in the pipe axial direction passing through the flange 7 of the receiving port 2 and the push ring 9 are provided in the circumferential direction of the pipe, and nuts 11 are screwed onto the respective T-head bolts 10, whereby the push ring 9 is attached to the flange 7. To be joined. 12 is the head of the bolt 10. As shown in FIG. 8, the push ring 9 is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the number of T-head bolts 10. 13 is the bolt hole.

In this way, the sealing material 8 is pressed by the push ring 9, and the sealing material 8 is pressed against the sealing material pressing surface 5 and the insertion port 4.
A predetermined sealing function is exerted between the receiving opening and the insertion opening by being compressed with the outer peripheral surface.

When joining such a pipe joint, the insertion port 4 in which the sealing material 8 and the push ring 9 have been fitted beforehand is inserted into the inside of the receiving port 2, and the push ring 9 is fixed to the bolt 10 and the nut 11. The sealing material 8 is pressed between the pressure contact surface 5 and the outer surface of the insertion port 4 to be compressed by being joined to the flange 7 by and.

Recently, an apparatus has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-221195, in which the push ring can be attached to the receiving flange by mechanical force without the need for manual labor. In this conventional device, a push wheel set in the insertion hole is held by a push wheel setter, and then the push wheel setter holding the push wheel is received by a driving device such as a plurality of cylinder devices arranged in the circumferential direction of the pipe. It is configured to move in a direction approaching the flange of the mouth, and to push the sealing material fitted in the mouth into the space between the mouths in the flange by means of a push ring.

[0007]

However, if it is attempted to push the sealing material between the receiving and inserting openings by the push ring simply by operating the driving device, the sealing material is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. There is a problem that it cannot be pushed. This is because at the pipe joining site, the insertion port is inserted into the receiving port without performing centering, so that the bottom of the insertion port is supported by the bottom of the receiving port in an eccentric state. This is because the push ring pushes the sealing material. In order to cope with this, it is not practical to perform the centering and then the pushing of the sealing material, because the working efficiency is significantly lowered.

Therefore, the present invention solves such a problem and moves the pushing wheel setter by a driving device such as a cylinder device without centering the receiving opening and the insertion opening, so that the sealing material is pushed by the pushing wheel. It is intended to be able to be pushed evenly in the circumferential direction between the receiving and inserting openings.

[0009]

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a means for detecting the drive stroke of each drive device and a means for detecting the distance from the push wheel to the receiving port at a plurality of circumferential positions of the pipe. Using and, in the first half of the stroke of the push wheel setter by the drive device, these drive devices are synchronized so that the driving strokes of the respective drive devices are aligned, and in the latter half of the stroke, from the push wheel to the receiving port. The driving device is driven so that the distance is uniform in the circumferential direction.

[0010]

With this arrangement, in the first half of the stroke of the push wheel setter, the drive strokes of the drive wheels are synchronized with each other by using the means for detecting the drive strokes of the drive wheels. The setter is evenly moved in the circumferential direction, so that the push ring and the sealing material are also smoothly moved so as to uniformly approach the receiving opening in the circumferential direction. In the latter half of the stroke of the push wheel setter, driving is performed so that the distance from the push wheel to the receiving opening is uniform over the circumferential direction by using the means that detects the distance from the push wheel to the receiving opening at multiple positions in the circumferential direction of the pipe. Since the device is driven, even if the receiving opening and the insertion opening are eccentric, the sealing material is pressed between the receiving opening and the insertion opening while being uniformly pressed in the circumferential direction.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 by giving the same reference numerals to the same members as those shown in FIGS. . That is, FIG.
In FIG. 4, a first plate 21 along the cross-sectional direction of the tubes 1 and 3 is a second plate by three cylinder devices 22 arranged at intervals of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction of the tubes.
The frame 28 is configured by being joined to 23.
Further, since both plates 21 and 23 are each formed in a downward U shape, the frame 28 is placed on the tubes 1 and 3 in the horizontal direction from above and the tubes 1 and
It can be arranged over three.

The pipes 1 and 3 are thus frame 28
Before being placed, the insertion port 4 is inserted inside the receiving port 2, the sealing material 8 and the polygonal push ring 9 are externally fitted to the insertion port 4, and the T-head bolt 10 Is in a state of being passed through the bolt hole of the flange 7 of the receiving port 2.

As described above, the first plate 21 is formed in a downward U-shape and can be placed on the receiving port 2 from above so that the receiving port 2 of the pipe 1 is inserted into the cutout portion 30. Has been done. Then, the roller 32 at the tip of the bracket 31 in the tube axis direction attached to the first plate 21
The first plate 21 is supported by the tube 1 by contacting the outer surface of the top of the tube 1.

The first plate 21 is passed through the flange 7 when the first plate 21 is supported by the tube 1 and is guided by the roller 32 to move toward the flange 7. A holding member 34 capable of engaging with the head 12 of the T-head bolt 10 is provided for each T-head bolt 10. The holding member 34 at the position corresponding to the lower part of the tube 1 is
The first plate 21 is attached to the tip of the swivel arm 35 so as not to interfere with the receiving opening 2 when the first plate 21 is placed on the receiving opening 2 from above.

When the cylinder device 22 is shortened while the holding member 34 is engaged with the head 13 of the T-head bolt 10,
The second plate 23 moves toward the flange 7. Reference numeral 36 is a first potentiometer for detecting the operation stroke of each cylinder device 22 at that time, and is provided in parallel with each cylinder device 22.

The second plate 23 is also formed in a downward U-shape, and the notch 38 is formed so that the insertion port 4 of the tube 3 can be inserted therein. On this second plate 23,
A crescent-shaped push ring setter 42 is arranged along the outer circumference of almost the upper half of the pipe 3, and this push ring setter 42 is arranged.
Are arranged concentrically with the pipes 1 and 3 and are rotatable in the circumferential direction over a certain angle range. An arc-shaped rack 46 is formed in a certain range on the outer circumference of the push wheel setter 42. A motor 47 is attached to the second plate 23, and a pinion 48 driven by the motor 47 meshes with the rack 46 so that the push wheel setter 42 is rotationally driven for positioning in the circumferential direction. Is configured. The push-wheel setter 42 is formed with a recess 50 having a shape matching the outer shape of the polygonal push-wheel 9, and the push-wheel setter 42 can hold the push-wheel 9 by fitting it into the recess 50.

Second potentiometers 52 are provided at three circumferential positions corresponding to the cylinder device 22. These second potentiometers 52 have a body 53
Is attached to the second plate, and its contactor 54 is in contact with the end surface 55 of the socket 2 of the pipe 1 to detect the distance from the push ring 9 to the end surface 55 of the socket 2. . In detail, as shown in the drawing, the end face 55 of the receiving port 2 is formed in a circular shape, whereas the push ring 9 is formed in a polygonal shape. The second potentiometer 52 is arranged so that the 54 contacts.

The pair of second potentiometers 52 provided corresponding to the bottoms of the tubes 1 and 3 can be provided at positions where they do not interfere with the push ring setter 42, but are provided corresponding to the tops of the tubes 1 and 3. When the second potentiometer 52 is arranged so as to directly correspond to the end surface 55 of the socket 2, the push wheel setter
Interference with 42 is inevitable. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the main body 53 is provided at a position where it does not interfere with the push wheel setter 42, and the bracket 56 in the direction orthogonal to the pipe axis direction is attached to the expansion / contraction end.
By arranging the contactor 54 at the tip of this bracket 56,
The contactor 54 is configured to be able to contact the end surface 55 of the receptacle 2 at the top of the pipe 1.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a control system of the cylinder device 22. That is, a signal from the first potentiometer 36 for detecting the operation stroke of each cylinder device 22 and a signal from the second potentiometer 52 for detecting the distance from the push ring 9 to the end surface 55 of the receptacle 2. Is A
It is configured to be input to the CPU 59 via the / D converter 58. The control signal from the CPU 59 is PIO
It is sent to the solenoid valve 61 via 60, and is configured to control the drive stroke of the cylinder device 22 by adjusting the supply of the working fluid to the cylinder device 22 by controlling the solenoid valve 61 on and off. There is.

In such a structure, the receiving port 2 and the insertion port 4
When joining and, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the insertion opening 4 in which the sealing material 8 and the push ring 9 are fitted is attached to the flange 7 by T
Insert it into the socket 2 through the head bolt 10. And
The first and second plates 21 and 23 are placed on the tops of the tubes 1 and 3 by suspending them from above, and the push ring 9 is fitted and held in the recess 50 of the push ring setter 42. Further, the first plate 21 is moved in the tube axis direction, and the head of the bolt 10 is held by the holding member 34.

Next, the cylinder device 22 is driven to move the second plate 23 and the push wheel setter 42 so as to approach the first plate 23. At this time, push ring setter 42
In the first half of the moving stroke of the cylinder device 22, the signals from the first potentiometer 36 for detecting the drive stroke of the cylinder devices 22 are used to tune the cylinder devices 22 so that the drive strokes of the cylinder devices 22 are aligned. Let Therefore, the push wheel setter 42 is evenly moved in the circumferential direction, and the push wheel 9 and the seal member 8 are also smoothly moved so as to approach the receiving port 2 equally in the circumferential direction.

In the latter half of the moving stroke of the push wheel setter 42, that is, when the sealing material 8 pushed by the push wheel 9 begins to be caught in the receiving port 2, the distance from the pressing ring 9 to the end face 55 of the receiving port 2 is detected. Using the signal from the potentiometer 52, each cylinder device 22 is driven so that the distance from the push wheel 9 to the end surface 55 of the receiving port 2 becomes uniform in the circumferential direction. Therefore, even if the receiving opening 2 and the insertion opening 1 are eccentric, the sealing material 8 is pressed between the receiving opening 2 and the insertion opening 4 while being uniformly pressed in the circumferential direction.

Further, as a result, the push ring 9 is brought closer to the flange 7 of the receiving port 2, and the bolt 10 passes through the bolt hole 13 thereof.
After that, the nut is screwed onto the bolt 10 by an appropriate means, so that the sealing material 8 is compressed and a predetermined sealing function is exerted. Finally the first and second plates 21,
These can be removed from the joint part after the joining is completed by lifting 23 or the like.

FIG. 6 shows a graph of an experimental example. Here, the vertical axis represents the distance, that is, the length, and the horizontal axis represents the passage of time after the time when the joining of the pipes is started is time 0. The upper line group shows the protruding length of the operating rod of the cylinder device 22, that is, its drive stroke, and the lower line group shows the distance from the push ring 9 to the end surface 55 of the receiving port 2. In these diagrams, ◯, ×, and □ are drive cylinders.
22 and potentiometers 36 and 52 respectively correspond to three positions in the circumferential direction.

The cylinder device 22 is controlled by the control system shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, by controlling the following, at the beginning of joining, that is, in the first half of the moving stroke of the push wheel setter 42,
The cylinder devices 22 were synchronously driven by aligning the drive strokes of the cylinder devices 22. After the sealing material 8 is caught on the receiving port 2, that is, as shown in FIG.
After driving 22 in synchronization for about 9 seconds, push ring 9 to socket 2
The cylinder device 22 was driven so that the distance to the end surface 55 of the cylinder was uniform in the circumferential direction. By doing this,
In the first half of the moving stroke of the push wheel setter 42, the push wheel and the seal material could be smoothly moved so as to approach the receiving port 2 evenly in the circumferential direction. Further, in the latter half of the moving process, the seal material 8 could be pushed between the receiving openings while being uniformly pressed in the circumferential direction.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the first half of the moving stroke of the push wheel setter, since the drive devices are synchronized so that the drive strokes of the drive devices are aligned, the push wheel setters are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. Therefore, not only can the push ring and the seal member be smoothly moved to evenly approach the receiving port in the circumferential direction, but in the latter half of the stroke of the push wheel setter, Since the drive device is driven so that the distance from the socket to the receiving opening is uniform in the circumferential direction, the sealing material is pressed uniformly in the circumferential direction even if the receiving opening and the insertion opening are eccentric. It can be pushed between the socket and the socket.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a pipe joining state by a pipe joining apparatus to which a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portion shown in FIG. 1 on the first plate side.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the portion shown in FIG. 1 on the second plate side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an arrangement portion of a T-head bolt at a joint portion of the pipe of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system for driving a cylinder device of the pipe joining device.

FIG. 6 is a graph of an experimental example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a known pipe joint to be joined according to the control method of the present invention.

8 is a side view of the push ring in FIG. 7. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Receiving port 4 Inserting port 8 Sealing material 9 Push ring 22 Cylinder device 36 1st potentiometer 42 Push ring setter 52 2nd potentiometer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A ring-shaped sealing material disposed between a receiving opening of one pipe and an inserting opening of the other pipe inserted into the receiving opening.
A push ring setter that can hold a push ring that has been fitted in the insertion slot and a push ring setter that holds this push ring are brought close to the flange of the receiving port in order to compress it with the pressing ring that is joined to the flange at the opening end of the receiving port. Pipe joining device including a plurality of driving devices in the circumferential direction of the pipe, which is moved in the direction of the pipe and causes the sealing material fitted in the insertion opening to be pushed between the receiving insertion openings in the flange portion by the push ring. And a means for detecting a drive stroke of each drive device, and a means for detecting a distance from the push wheel to the receiving port at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the pipe, the drive device In the first half of the stroke of the push wheel setter, the drive devices are synchronized so that the driving strokes of the respective drive devices are aligned, and in the latter half of the movement stroke, the push wheel receives from the push wheel. A method for controlling a pipe joining device, characterized in that the driving device is driven so that the distance to the line is uniform in the circumferential direction.