JPS5838709B2 - Method for manufacturing water pipe units for water heaters, etc. - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a water pipe unit for a solar water heater or the like.

In this type of water heater, a water pipe unit is disposed within the main body of the water heater, and water flowing through the water pipe unit is heated using efficiently collected solar heat to obtain high-temperature hot water.

The water pipe unit is generally arranged adjacent to a heat absorption mechanism, or has a large number of heat receiving branch pipes each equipped with its own heat absorption means, and a branch pipe for distributing water to be heated to each of the heat receiving pipes. It consists of a main pipe and a water collection main pipe that collects heated water from a heat receiving pipe and sends it to a hot water tank or hot water utilization device.

In the conventional manufacturing method of water pipe units, a large number of through holes are drilled in series in the peripheral walls of the main water distribution pipe and the main water collection pipe, and each end of the heat receiving branch pipe is inserted into the through hole of each main pipe. The peripheral surface of each end of the branch pipe is welded to the peripheral edge of the through hole.

However, in this manufacturing method by welding, the equipment cost and operating cost of the welding device are high, so the manufacturing cost of the water pipe unit is correspondingly high, which hinders the overall price reduction of this type of water heater.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of a water supply pipe unit by caulking and fixing a heat receiving branch pipe to a water distribution main pipe and a water collection main pipe instead of welding which is costly.

The gist of the method of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. Through hole 5 in the side wall of
The end of the branch pipe 1 is inserted into the through hole 5, and the insertion end of the branch pipe is plastically deformed outward in the main pipes 3 and 4 to form the inner protrusion 6. The inner and outer protrusions 2 and 6 clamp the side walls of the main pipe through the seal member 7 to connect each end of the branch pipe 1 to the main pipes 3 and 4, and the seal member 7 also connects the side wall of the main pipe to the main pipe. The loose fit between the hole 5 and the branch pipe 1 is closed watertightly.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, in the water pipe unit of the solar water heater, the heat receiving branch pipe 1 is made of round pipe material, and the water distribution main pipe 3 and the water collection main pipe 4 are made of a round pipe material. It is made of a round pipe material with a wider diameter than the pipe 1.

The outer protrusion 2 is formed to protrude continuously over the entire circumference of the branch pipe 1 by beading.

The outer protrusion 2 has an annular shape in a plan view, but is curved in a meandering shape following the outer peripheral surfaces of the main pipes 3 and 4 in a side view.

The through holes 5 bored in each of the main pipes 3 and 4 are for receiving the ends of the branch pipes 1, so their diameters are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ends, but the sealing member 7 ensures watertightness. Considering maintenance, it is better that the above-mentioned dimensional difference is as small as possible.

In this example, the sealing member 7 is an O-ring made of rubber or plastic, but it may be replaced with other known backing materials such as felt.

The sealing member 7 is fitted onto the end of the branch pipe 1 in advance.

Inside the main water collection pipe 4, there is a truncated conical guide projection 9 on one side 8a.
and a first mold 8 provided with an annular guide groove 10, and a second mold 11 having a cam 13 recessed in one side 11a that cooperates with a cam 12 protruding from the other surface 8b of the fourth mold 8. is inserted.

In this split mold consisting of the first mold 8 and the second mold 11, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the cams 12 and 13 are in contact with the entire length of their inclined cam surfaces 12a and 13a. In a state where the other surface 8b of the first mold 8 and one surface 11a of the second mold 11 are in contact with each other, that is, with the overall cross-sectional dimension reduced, the main pipe 4
It is inserted smoothly into the inside.

When the split mold is inserted to a position where the guide protrusion 9 faces the through hole 5 of the main pipe 4, the first mold 8 is inserted in the length direction of the main pipe 4.
movement is restrained, and only the other second mold 11 is driven in the length direction of the main pipe (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 7).

Then, the first mold 8 is pushed in the diametrical direction of the main pipe 4 by the cooperation of the pair of inclined cam surfaces 12a and 13a, and the guide protrusion 9 enters the through hole 5 as shown in Figure @5. .

At this time, the top surface 12b of the cam 12 on the first mold side comes into contact with one side 11a of the second mold 11, and the cross-sectional dimension of the split mold is maximized.

Here, an annular guide groove 10 is formed between the guide protrusion 9 and the through hole 5.
When the end of the branch pipe 1 is inserted into the opening and the branch pipe 1 is strongly pressed toward the first mold 8 by driving the movable press die 14, etc., the open end of the branch pipe 1 is expanded and bent outward. A round brim-shaped inner protrusion 6 is formed.

The inner protrusion 6 formed by this plastic deformation cooperates with the outer protrusion 2 to clamp the side wall 4a of the main pipe 4 and connect the branch pipe 1 to the main pipe 4. During the squeezing process, the sealing member 7 interposed between the outer protrusion 2 and the main pipe 4 is appropriately compressed and comes into close contact with both, so that the joint connection between the main pipe 4 and the branch pipe 1 is made sufficiently watertight.

The connection and connection between the main water collection pipe 4 and the branch pipe 1 has been described above, but the connection and connection between the main water collection pipe 3 and the branch pipe 1 is also performed by using the same split mold as described above.

The connection of the main pipe 3 and the branch pipe 1, and the main pipe 4 and the branch pipe 1, can be performed simultaneously rather than individually.

In the above embodiment, a normal backing material such as rubber, plastic, felt material, etc. is used as the sealing member 7, and the sealing effect is obtained by squeezing the backing material. The example uses a heated backing material.

The sealing member 7, which is made of heat-flowable plastic or metal alloy, is pressed between the outer protrusion 2 and the main pipe 4 as shown in FIG. 9, and then heated to the point where it melts or becomes fluidized. , a part of it enters into the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 5 and the outer circumferential surface of the branch pipe 1, as shown in FIG.

The presence of the sealing member 7 filled and solidified in this manner ensures watertightness sufficiently high for practical use.

As described above, in the method of the present invention, the outer protrusion 2 is formed on the outer periphery of the end of the heat receiving branch pipe 1, and the water distribution main pipe 3 and the water collection main pipe 4 are
A through hole 5 is bored in the side wall of the main pipe 3, and the ends of the branch pipes inserted into the main pipes 3 and 4 through the through hole 5 are plastically deformed outward to form an inner protrusion 6, and the inner protrusion 6 is formed through the sealing member 7. The inner protrusions 2 and 6 squeeze the side walls of the main pipe 3 and 4 to join and connect the branch pipe 1 to the main pipes 3 and 4, and instead of the costly welding technique, the branch pipe 1 and the main pipe are connected. The joint connections in steps 3 and 4 are made by caulking, which is convenient in terms of equipment costs and operating costs, so it is easy to reduce the manufacturing cost of the water pipe unit, and from a price point of view, this type of water heater is popular. It is a great contribution to the

It should be noted that the present invention can be implemented in various embodiments other than the above, and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the heat receiving branch pipe 1 is made of round pipe material, while the water diversion main pipe 3 is The main pipe 4 for collecting water can be made of square pipe material, or vice versa.
As shown in the figure and Fig. 14, the main pipes 3 and 4 are made of round pipe material, while the branch pipe 1 is made of square pipe material, or both the main pipes 3, 4 and branch pipe 1 are made of square pipe material. It can also be made from pipe material.

The number and diameter of the main pipe and branch pipes can be increased or decreased as appropriate, the joining angle between the two is not limited to a right angle, and the cross-sectional shape is not limited to round pipe material or square pipe material, but can be made into various cross-sectional shapes. You can choose and use what you like.

When using a non-round pipe material, it is best to form the end of the pipe into a cylindrical shape by press working, etc., and provide an outer protrusion on this, as in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 13 and 15. Desirable for manufacturing and connection work and ensuring watertightness.

Further, the seal member 7 may be interposed between the inner protrusion 6 and the inner wall of the main pipe as shown in FIG. 17.

When it is interposed both inside and outside as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, even higher watertightness can be obtained.

It is desirable that at least the protrusions 2 and 6 that contact the sealing member be continuous in an annular shape to ensure watertightness. Depending on the case, it may be composed of a set of several discontinuous protrusions or a single protrusion.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 8 show one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a water pipe unit in which both the main pipe and branch pipes are made of round pipe material, and Figure 2 is the A-person in Figure 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line B-B' in FIG. 2. 4, 5, and 7 are enlarged sectional views of main parts showing the process of implementing the method of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line c-c' of FIG. 4, and FIG. It is a sectional view taken along the line DD' in the figure. FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention using a heat-melting type sealing member, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state after heat treatment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a water pipe unit in which the main pipe is made of square pipe material and the branch pipes are made of round pipe material, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line EE' in FIG. 11. Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a unit in which the main pipe is made of round pipe and the branch pipe is made of square pipe. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F' in Figure 13. Figure 15 shows both the main pipe and branch pipe. FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the unit made of square pipe material, and is a sectional view taken along line GG' in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a main part of a unit in which a sealing material is provided inside the main pipe, and FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a unit in which a sealing material is provided on both the inside and outside of the main pipe. 1... Branch pipe for heat receiving, 2... Outer protrusion,
3...Main pipe for water division, 4...Main pipe for water collection, 5...Through hole, 6...Inner protrusion, 7.
... Seal member, 8 ... First mold, 11
...Second mold, 12.13...Cam.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Forming an outer protrusion on the outer periphery of the end of the heat receiving branch pipe, drilling through holes in the side walls of the water distribution main pipe and the water collection main pipe, and inserting the end of the branch pipe into the through hole, Inside the main pipe, the insertion end is deformed outward into a pear shape to form an inner protrusion, and the inner and outer protrusions squeeze the side wall of the main pipe via a sealing member to connect the branch pipes to each main pipe. Further, the method for manufacturing a water pipe unit for a water heater or the like, wherein the gap between the through hole and the branch pipe is watertightly closed by the sealing member.