US1162772A - Pipe-drifting machine. - Google Patents

Description

Patented. De... 7, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET\ F. E. HENDERSON.

PPEDHIFTING MACHINE. APPLICATION msn lum/21.1915.

@2% www F. E. HENUERSON.

PIPE DRIFTING MACHINE.

APPucATloN man luLvzl. 1915` Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2 INVENTQR WITNESSES INVNTOR Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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FREDERICK E. HENDERSON, OF LORAIN, OHIO, ASSIGKNOR TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

PIPE-DRIFTING MACHINE.

Application filed July 27, 1915.

T o all whom lt may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. HEN- DnusoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe- Drifting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates 'to apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes, and more particularly relates to the mechanically operated mechanism used in actuating the drifting bar of the pipedrifting machine.

In the manufacture of wrought metal pipes and tubes it is the practice to pass a drifting ball or mandrel through each welded pipe, either before or after being threaded and having the usual coupling applied thereto in order to test or gage the internal diameter of the pipe and to remove any projecting lumps of scale or other obstructions adhering to the inner surface of the pipe. This operation has heretofore been performed manually, and when done in this way is slow, laborious and expensive. rll`he size of the larger pipes and tubes increases the diiiiculties and cost of the drifting operation.

One object of my invention is to provide apparatus for mechanically actuating a pipe drifting bar provided with a drifting mandrel or ball on its end, in passing the mandrel or ball through the pipes, and adapted for use in passing the mandrel through the pipes or tubes, while the coupling customarily supplied with each length of pipe, is being screwed on one end of the threaded pipe.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pipe drifting mechanism having novel means whereby the movement of the mechanically actuated mandrel bar is regulated and controlled and is stopped at predetermined intervals.

A still further object of my invention consists in the provision of the novel combination and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, to be more fully described hereinafter and to be specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan showing one arrangement of apparatus for drifting pipes as constructed and arranged Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Serial No. 42,172.

1n accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal side elevation, on a larger scale and partly in section. of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a continuation of the side elevation shown in Fig. 2, the two sections being joined on the lines X-X in illustrating a complete longitudin al side elevation. Fig. 4 is a side elevation on a larger scale of the mechanism used in mechanically actuating the mandrel bar forming part of my improved pipe drifting mechanism. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the mandrel actuating mechanism shown in Fig. 3 and forming part of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the accompanying drawings the numerals 2 and 3 designate skids forming a bed or support 4 on which the pipes or tubes are supported and are moved into and out of position to be operated upon by the drifting machine. At one side of the skid 3 is a coupling screwing machine 5 by which the couplings are applied to one end of the threaded pipes, it being the practice to furnish a coupling on one end of each section of threaded pipes.

Between the skids 2 and 3 is a series of rollers 6 on which the pipes are moved lengthwise in bringing the threaded pipes into position to have a coupling applied thereon.

Located on one side of the bed 4 formed by the skids 2 and 8 in line with the rollers 6, is the pipe drifting apparatus forming my invention, this apparat-us being positioned so as to hold the pipe drifting mandrel so as to extend lengthwise substantially in alinement with the barrel or spindle 14 of the coupling screwing machine 5 which is on the opposite side of the bed 4. By arranging the drifting apparatus and coupling applying mechanism in this way it enables the pipe drifting operations and the coupling applying operations being carcied out coincidently.

My improved pipe drifting apparatus, as will be best seen from Figs. 4 and 5, comprises a horizontal mandrel bar 15 having a ball or plug 16 detachably secured on one end thereof. The mandrel ball or plug 16 is detachably secured on the mandrel bar so different sizes can be applied to the mandrel bar for use in drifting different sizes of the variety of sizes of pipes made.

The mandrel bar 15 extends horizontally between the pass formed by the mandrel bar actuating rollers 17 and 18, (as will be seen by reference to Fig. 5), these rollers having peripheral grooves 19 therein with opposite inclined faces 20, 20, which enable the mandrel bars of various diameters to be frictionally engaged and actuated by the rollers. The rollers 17 and 18 are mounted in bearings 21, 22,.which are adjustably secured at their lower ends to a base plate 25. A cap plate 26 fastened to the top or upper end of the housings closes the housingl windows and also serves as a support for the adjusting screw 27 by which the top roller 17 and 1its bearings 21, 21, are raised and lowered and held in adjusted position in the windows 23 of the housings.

The bottom bearings 22, 22, for the lower roller 18 rest on the bottom of the housing Windows, and the top roll bearings are yieldingly supported upon the top of the bottom bearings 22 by means of helical springs 28. Helical springs 29 are used to connect the top roll bearings 21, 21, to the rider 30 which is suspended from the lower end of the threaded adjusting screw 14 and this screw is rotatably mounted in the housing cap plate 26. The rider 30 extends across the top of the roller 17 into and through the Windows 23 of the housings and the lower face'of the rider has recesses 32 therein to receive the upper end of the coil springs 29. The top bearings 21 and bottom bearings 22 and the rider 30 are all vertically adjustable within the housing windows 23 as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 4 and 5).

One end of the bottom roller 18 is provided With a spur gear 33 which meshes with a spur gear 34 on the countershaft 35 which is mounted in bearings 35a on the electric driving motor 36, and the spur gear 37 on one end of the count-ershaft 35 is in mesh with the pinion 38 on the armature shaft 39 of the driving motor 36. The driving Inotor is adjustably secured in operative position on the extension of the housing base plate 40.

Positioned on the sides of the housings 24 are bracket bearings 41, 41, and rotatably mounted in these bearings is a shaft 42 having an anti-friction roller 43 thereon which engages with the mandrel bar 15 to prevent the plug or ball end of the mandrel bar from tipping upwardly when the bar is in its retracted position, (or that shown in Figs. 2 and 3).

The bracket bearings 41 are adjustably fastened to the sides of the housings, and set screws 44 are employed to adjust and hold the bracket bearings 41 in adjusted position on 'the housings 24.

In the operation of my improved apparatus, a mandrel bar 15 having a ball or plug 16 of the required size on the end thereof is positioned between the rollers 17, 18, of the drifting apparatus, as is shown in the drawings, with the'plug end thereof adjacentto one end of a pipe 45 in coupling applying position on the coupling applying machine. The coupling applying machine is started, the pipe and coupling then gripped and thel coupling screwed on the threaded end of the pipe 45. The movement of the gripper arms is used to operate a switch which starts the electric motor 36 and the motor, through reducing gearing connecting the bottom roller 18 of the drifting machine positively rotates this roller. The hand wheel 46 having been previously adjusted so as to compress the springs 28 between the bearings 17 and 18. and springs 29 between the top bearings 17 and rider 30, the mandrel bar 15 which is now gripped between the inclined faces 20 .of the friction rollers 17 and 18 is moved lengthwise when the motor 36 is started. The plug 16 on the end of the mandrel bar 15 enters and passes through the pipe 45 to which the coupling is being applied and thereby removes any obstructions on the interior of the pipe which are removable, and, by its passage .through the pipe indicates that there are no projections or obstructions within such pipe which prevent passage of the ball or plug 16 therethrough. WVhen the plug 16 is passed through the pipe 45 the driving motor 36 is reversed and the friction rollers 17 and 18 then act to Withdraw the mandrel bar and the plug from within the pipe 45 being tested or drifted. When the bar 15 with the plug thereon reaches the position shown in Fig. 2, the overhanging rear end of the bar will overbalance the plug end thereof, so that the plug end of the bar is thrown upwardly into engagement with the anti-friction roller 43 on this side of the housings, this roller supporting the bar during its further backward movement. The above described operations are then repeated with other pipes in the manner which has been described.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By the use of a frictionally driven mandrel bar the pipes are drifted without manual labor and delays occasioned by operating the bar by hand are avoided.

By arranging the drifting machine in line with the coupling applying machine the operator for the coupling applying machine also actuates the drifting machine which results in a'reduction in labor cost. By drifting the pipe coincidently with the coupling applying operation the time necessary to put on a coupling and drift the pipe is lessened. The apparatus is simple and easil and quickly operated and does not require frequent repairs.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

l. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, a pipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a. welded pipe or tube supported thereon, a mandrel bar in lengthwise alinement with a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar having a drifting ball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocating said mandrel bar and thereby passing said ball or plug through the pipe on said support.

2. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, a pipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a welded pipe or tube supported thereon, a mandrel bar in lengthwise alinement with a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar havinga,y drifting ball or plug detachably secured on the end thereof, and means for reciprocating said mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through the pipe on said support.

3. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, a pipe support having means to prevent lengthwise move ment of a welded pipe or tube supported thereon, a lengthwise movable mandrel bar in alinement with a pipe or tube 0n-said support, said mandrel bar having a drifting ball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocating said mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through the pipe on said support, said reciprocating means comprising opposed rotating rollers in frictional engagement with the mandrel bar and means for rotating the rollers.

4. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, a pipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a welded pipe or tube supported thereon, a lengthwise movable mandrel bar in alinement with a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar having a drifting ball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocating said mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through the pipe on said support, said reciprocating means comprising opposed rotating rollers in frictional engagement with the mandrel bar, means for yieldingly holding said rollers in frictional engagement with said mandrel bar, and reversing mechanism for actuating the rollers to reciprocate the mandrel bar.

5. In apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes, the combination with a coupling screwing machine and a pipe support in axial alinement with the barrel of said machine, of a reciprocating mandrel bar in alinement with the barrel of said coupling screwing machine, said mandrel bar having a plug or ball in the end thereof, and means frictionally engaging with the mandrel bar to reciprocate the bar and pass the ball or plug thereon into and out of a pipe or tube in front of the barrel of said coupling screwing machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK E. HENDERSON.

Witnesses CHAs. FELL, ARTHUR R. GRoBER.

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