US1598771A

US1598771A - Boiler-tube-cleaning brush

Info

Publication number: US1598771A
Application number: US97063A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles C Gerhardt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1926-03-24
Filing date: 1926-03-24
Publication date: 1926-09-07
Anticipated expiration: 1943-09-07

Description

Sept. 7 1926.

V c. c. GERHARDT BOILER TUBE CLEANING BRUSH Filed March 2 1926 INVENTOR C/mezaa CERHAP07 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,598,771 PATENT OFFICE.

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A lication ma Ia'rch 24, 1926. semi m. 91,003.

This invention relates to a new and improved boiler tube cleaner.

Heretofore, as is well known, great d1fiiculty has been experienced in effect vely cleaning boiler tubes of the smaller dlameters; in fact, the usual method has been to employ a twisted Wire brush render ng the operation tediou uncertain in action and costly.

For larger tubes than those above specified, the cleaning has been satisfactorily taken care of by the employment and use of hollow-cored wire brushes, but unfortunately the construction of such brushes is such that they cannot be made in sizes small enough to permit them to be untilized in the cleaning of the smaller tubes above referred to.

N ow the main object of the present invention is to make a brush of the type already used in the cleaning of large tubes, modifying its structure in such manner as to enable it to be effectively used for cleaning boiler tubes of small diameters and so replace the slow and ineffective twisted wire brush method hitherto employed.

Withthe above and other ob ects in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Figure 1 is a plan view of a brush constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view through the brush,

Fig. 3 is aplan view of a detail;

Figs. 4 to 7 are transverse sections showing the disposition of various sockets; and,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the solid core of the brush flattened out to show the disposition of the various sockets therein.

As will be seen from the various figures of the drawings, the brush according to this, invention consists of a central solid preferably cylindrical body portion 10 of metal, at each end of which are provided integral screw-threaded portions 12 of reduced diameter, one of which is adapted to receive a cap 14 as shown in Fig. 1, when-the brush is to be used in connection with a rotating flexible shaft, one end of which shaft would of course be secured to the threaded portion 12 at the other end of the brush.

When the brush is to be used with compressed air as the propelling force one threaded portion 12 is provided with a cap 14 and the other with a cupped washer 16 transversely of the sockets bored therethrough 22 shown in Figure 3 to which can be attached the desired pull throu hs. When the brush is used with a fiexi 1e shaft as above described, and it shows si s of wear in one direction the cap 14 an shaft. can

be readily reversed as to position on the brush as will be understood.

The circular solid body portion 10 of the brush is bored to provide a plurality of sockets 23 to 23 adapted to receive tufts 24 -to 24 of wire. Of course the number of. sockets and tufts employed may be variedas may be found convenient or necessarv.

Each of said sockets, as shown, extends transversely of the body 10 of the brush, and comprises an enlarged bore 31, adapted to receive and house the inner portion of a tuft of wire, and a reduced bore 32 of smaller diameter ing means, preferably a lengthfof wire, is passed. The difference in the diameters of the bores -31 and 32 produces a shoulder or abutment 33 between the bores which serves as a seat against which the tuft firmly rests when the latter is pulled into position by the retaining wire. The shoulder 33 positively limits inward movement of the tufts.

The said sockets are bored in rows spirally,

disposed lon itudinall of the bod ortion 10 (see Fig. 8). y y p Figs. at to 7 inclusive are views taken body 10 showing the disposition of the first three and last of the and from these figures can also be seen the method employed in securing the tufts of wire in place, each of the tufts being formed, as wlll be cleai' from the drawings, from a plurality of lengths of wire doubled in half.

To refer first of all therefore to Fi 4 a tuft 24 is taken and about its doubled and is secured one end of a length of wire 26, this being accomplished by bending the wire back upon itself and twisting such end round the body of the wire asshown at 28.- The other end of said wire is then threaded through the first socket 23 until the tuft 24 is pulled firmly against the through which the tuft retainand pulled. tight 1 fcrence of the body and threaded into the smaller end of the next socket 23 (Fig.

5), out through the larger end thereof, doubled back upon itself over the doubled end of the next tuft 24", back through said.

socket again, pulled tight to draw the tuft 24 firmly into place and is L then carried further round the circumference of the body 10 where it is threaded into the smaller end of the next socket 24 .(Fig. 6) and the operations explained in connection with socket 23 repeated in order to secure the tuft 24 into its socket 23, and so on, until all of the sockets have been provided with tufts, the

last tuft 24 being secured in place by passing the wire through the smaller end of thelast socket 23, out through the larger end thereof, doubling it upon itself over the doubled end of the last tuft, passing it back through the socket again and then finally twisting it upon itself as shown at 30 in Fig. 7. x

This peculiar arrangement of sockets and tufts and the system of wiring the latter in place in the former have been achieved only after considerable difficulty and numerous experiments; it will be noted that no two tufts are diametrically opposed in the same transverse plane of the body 10 and this is essential in. order. to permit of the latter being made small enough to permit the brush to be used in tubes of small diameter. The enlarged retaining bore 31 terminates substantially at the major longitudinal axis of the body of the brush. This arrangement permits the bores and tufts to be positioned in slightly overlapping relation so that the maximum number of convolutions is possible for a definite length of handle. It will be clear that if the tufts extended entirely through the handle or even just slightly beyond the major axis of the handle, the tufts would necessarily have to be spaced sufficient distance to afford clearance be tween adjacent tufts, and consequently the brush would contain fewer tufts than is possible with my construction. Furthermore, the wiring is simple, being straight through and back through each socket, and then round the periphery of the body for a short distance to the next socket, there being no turning'or bending of the wire within the said body. This arrangement permits of readily providing a worn out brush with a. new set of wire tufts, thus reducing upkeep to a minimum.

In practice brushes constructed according to. the pres it invention have proved an instantaneous success and have at once been adopted to re lace twisted wire brushes heretofore used or the cleaning of boiler tubes of the smaller diameters. The present brush will successfully negotiate the sharp bends found more particularly in what are known asexpress type boilers. and this has been made possible in the present brush by keeping down the overall length thereof, while at the same time the particular arrangement of-so'ckets employed provides a maximum number of wire tufts giving the desired thorough cleaning of the tubes.

' What I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. A brush for cleaning boiler tubes comprising a solid bodyportion of metal'having a plurality of sockets bored therethrough an arranged in spiral formation, each socket comprising a portion of alarger diameter and a portion of smaller diameter, an abutment formed at the inner end of the larger portion, a tuft of wire disposed in the larger portion of each socket and seated against said abutment, a wire for retaining said tufts in position and extending from the smaller portion of each socket round the circumference of the body portion to the smaller portion of the next socket, and means on one end of said body portion to detachably receive the brush actuating means.

2. A brush for cleaning boiler tubes of small diameters comprising a solid body or.- tion of metal, having a plurality of sec ets bored therethrough and arranged in spiral formation with relation to the longitudinal axis of the brush, each socket comprising a portion of larger diameter terminating adjacent the longitudinal axis and a portion of smaller diameter, a shoulderformed at the junction of the larger and smaller portions, a tuft of wiredisposed in the larger portion of each socket, a wire for retaining said tufts in position against the shoulder and being extended upthrough the smaller portion of each socket, doubled over the tuft of wire therein, returned back through saidsmaller portion and then carried round the periphery of the body to the smaller portion of the next socket, and screwed portions on the ends of said body portion to detachably receive brush actuating mechamsm.

3. A brush for cleaning boiler tubes comprising a solid body portion of metal having a plurality of sockets extending transversely through said body and arranged in close spiral formation, each of said sockets com prising a bore of large diameter and a bore of reduced diameter, a shoulder formed at the junctionof said bores, a tuft of wire in each of the large bores seated against said shoulder, each of said tufts being positioned to slightly overlap adjacent tufts, and a continuous wire extending into the small bores to retain the tufts in position.

4. A brush for cleaning boiler tubes comprising a solid body portion of metal havmg aplurality of sockets extending transversely through said body and arranged in close spiral formation, each of said sockets comprisin a bore of large diameter and a bore of re uced diameter, a shoulder formed at the junction of said bores, a tuft of wire in each of the large bores seated against said shoulder, each of said tufts being 051- tioned to slightly overlap adjacent tu s, a

continuous wire extending into the small boresto retain the tufts in position, and w means on each end of said body portion for detachably receiving the brush operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification.

CHARLES C. GERHARDT.

have signed my