US1683429A

US1683429A - Plug for cleaning tubes

Info

Publication number: US1683429A
Application number: US148945A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walker Edward
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1926-11-17
Filing date: 1926-11-17
Publication date: 1928-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 1945-09-04

Description

' Sept. 4,1923. 1',6's3,429

E. WALKER I Pane FOR CLEANIfiQEUBES Filed Nov. 17,:1926

EDWHED WHLKEe I A TTORNE KS Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

EDWARD WALKER, 0F eimnrwoon, NE JERSEY.

PLUG FOR CLEANING TUBES.

Application filed November 17, 1926. Serial No. 148,945.

' This invention relates to improvements in cleaning devices, and has particular reference to a plug for cleaning condenser tubes and the like. p

An object of the invention is to provide an improved plug of simple, practical and 1nexpensive construction which will effectively remove from a condenser tube all accumulations of slime, mud andother substances which are a detriment totheetficiency of the tube. w

Another obj ectresides in fixedly mounting upon the body of the plug a scraping ele-' ment in the form of asleeve, the eifective scraping edge ofwhich will be practically continuous and will at all times yieldably engage the interior surface of the tube with suflicient pressure to thoroughly remove all sediment from said surface.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from thekfollowing detail de-v scription, when taken i i-connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawing.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of one form of the plug showing its application to a tube and the arrowtindicating the direction of travel of the plug through the tube;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the plug shown in'Figure 1; i

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Figure 2; v

Figure t is .a side elevation ofv another form of the invention showing a slightly different modification of the scraper;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of another form with the position of the scraper element reversed with respect to theillustration in Figure 1-; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away and shown in section, of still another form of the invention.

The plug of the present invention is designed to be inserted within the bore of a condenser tube or the like and is forced through the tube, preferably by means of Figures 1 to 3, the plug consists of an elon-I gated body 7, preferably made of solid rubber of strong texture, said body being cular in cross section and of less diameter than the-tube through which it is to be pro jected. ,At only one end of the body the samehas formed integrally thereWitha hea-d or flange 8, also of rubber, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the tube in order thatsaid head will fit ti htly within the tube to impart to it an expanding pressure which will cause the head to tightly fit the tube for the twofold purpose of acting as a piston against which pressure is exerted when forcing the plug through the tube and as a cleaning element which will-assist in removing sediment from thetube.

In order to assist thefiange 8 in thor- 'oughly removing all accumulations within longitudinally extending slits llgdividingsaid. end into a number of scraping blades 12, j the free extremities of which areflared outwardly to .form in eifect a circumferential scraping edge13, the diameter of which is slightly greater than'the interior bore. of a tube to be cleaned. The sleeve 9 isprefer ably 'inade ofsteel or other metal having the required resiliency so thatwhen the plug is insertedinto'the tube the free extremities of the blades will be forced-inwardly by contact of the scraping edge 13 with the in-' terior of the tube. Thus by reason of the inherent resiliency of the metal it will be obvious that considerable pressure will be exerted against the interior surface of the tube by the. free extremities ofthe bladesforming the scraping edge-18 and this pressure will be augmented by the fact that when the blades are compressed at the time of the insertion of the plug into the tube the portions of said blades adjacent their inner ends will compress the resilient body? thus cans ing said body to also have a tendency to force the blades outwardly. As the plug-is projected through the tube the scraping edge 13 will effectively remove anylaccumulation which may have adhered to the tube after the passage of the flange 8 and it will be obvious that the combined action of said flange and scraping edge will, therefore, be effective in removing all sediment from said tube.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the body 7 is of precisely the same construction as that shown in Figure 1. However, the scraper 14 differs from the element 9 in that the end of the sleeve adjacent the flange 8 of the body is also provided with a plurality of longitudinal slits 15 forming a plurality of blades 16, the outer extremities of which are bent backward upon themselves and outwardly flared to form a second scraping edge 17 which is of the same diameter as the edge 13. The slits 15 are disposed in staggered'relation to the slits 11 so that the free edge of any one of the blades 16 which constitutes a portion of the scraping edge 17? will be in overlapping .ielation to the small space between two adjacent blades 12.- Bythus arranging the blades16 with respect to the blades 12 it will be obvious that all possibility of the device failing to remove any of the sediment in the tube will be avoided for any accumulation which may possibly pass between any two blades 16 will be scraped by a portion of the scraping ed .e 13.

In Figure!) t 1e construction of the body 7 and thescraper 9 is exactly the same as that shown in Figure 1, but in mounting the scraper upon the body the position thereof is reversed so that the scraping edge 13 will belocated adjacent the flange 8. When so constructed the end of the body which has no flange thereon is first inserted. into the tube .so that the'scraping edge 13 will contact the tube before the flange .8 enters the same and the plug will then be projected through the tube in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 5.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 6, the body 18 is of cylindrical constance, and the ends of said body are closed by disks or heads 19, the body in the present instance being made without a flange at either end. The scraper 20 is also in the form of a sleeve securedto the body by. a

rivet 21 andconstructed the same as the scraper 14 with

blades

22 and 23 at opposite ends, the free extremities of which are flared to form

scraping edges

2 and 25, respectively, and the blades at one end being arranged in staggered. relation with respect to r end thereof, and a scraper. including a sleeve fitted over said body and having one end split longitudinally to form a plurality of blades, the free extremities of which are flared outwardly and which combine to form a circumferential scraping edges "2. A plug for cleaning condenser tubes and the like, including a body having a flange at one end, and ascraper including a sleeve fitted over the otheruend of thebody Y and fixed thereto intermediate its ends, said sleeve being split longitudinally at both ends thereof to form a plurality of blades with the blades at one end arranged in staggered relation to those at -the otherend, the free extremities of the blades atboth ends being flared to form circumferential scraping edges.

A plug for cleaning condenser tubes and the like, including a cylindrical body, and

a scraper mountedupon said body and including a sleeve split at each end thereofto form a pluralityof scraping blades With the blades at one end arranged in staggered relation to those at the other end, and the'free extremities of said blades being flared outwardly to form circumferential scraping edges at both ends of said sleeve.

In testimony whereof I :have aflixed my signature.

' EDWARD WALKE y