US1800779A - Method of and apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles - Google Patents

Description

Aprll 14, 1931. w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

' METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet l April 14, 1931. w. F. CLARK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 rllllll ll n w. F. CLARK 1,800,779 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS'FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5. 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Apr 1931- w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

Aprll 14, 1931. w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR, TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 W. F. CLARK AND APPARATUS FOR OPERA AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ART Filed Sept. 5, 1928 TING, UPON ICLES 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 A ril 14, 1931.

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PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES .9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Sept. .5. 1,928

. I I I E Gum/m1 Apnl 14,.1931. w. F..CLARK 1,800,779 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed-Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 April 14, 1931.

W. F. CLARK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Sept. 5, 1928 Patented as. 14, 1931 pair WILLIAM F. CLARK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND METHOD or AND APPARATUS non OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR 1 ARTICLES Application filed September 5, 1928. Serial No. 304,152.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus primarily adapted to perform finishing operations upon metal pipe stock, but not limited thereto, and the following description will be confined to such primary adaptation for purposes of clarity and conciseness of explanation of the construction and operation of the apparatus and the steps of the method.

According to the present practice, the pieces of pipe stock are run from the sizing machine, while still at an intense heat, onto a cooling rack, frame or stand over which they are caused to travel with a rolling motion, the cooling rack being of such a length that by the time the pipe stock has travelled from one end of the rack to the other it will have become sufficiently cool and longitudinally rigid to be handled. After the pieces of pipe are discharged from the c0oling rack they are transferred, usually by hand, to a sawing or cutting machine by which their ends are sawed or cut off to make them of desired, standard length. When the ends have thus been severed the pieces of pipe are transferred, again usually by hand, to a reaming machine by which both ends are reamed to remove the burr produced by the sawing or cutting operation and to provide a smooth end finish.

It will be apparent that, when operated upon in this manner, the pieces of pipe go through a number of separate handlings requiring the time and labor of a number of men, and floor space for a number of machines, and during such handlings are apt to become bent or warped or otherwise injured and in consequence not salable.

The object of my invention is to provide a method of and means for simplifying these finishing operations whereby time, labor and floor space are conserved and a product of a higher standard of uniformity made possible.

The invention consists in a method of and apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles whereby theoperations of cutting the pieces of pipe to standard length and reaming their cut ends are automatically performed preferably during their travel over the cooling rack, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a complete apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sec tional elevation, taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. l and showing the speed reducing driving gear of the operating devices;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the pipe transferring devices;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the same;

F ig. '6 is a view similar to Fig. i: illustrating the cycle of operations of the transferring devices;

Fig. 7 is a further enlarged face view of one of the pipe clamping mechanisms;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the pipe clamping mechanism and associated parts looking at the right-hand side of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a view of the opposite side of the pipe clamping mechanism;

F ig. 10 is a top plan view of the same;

11 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the clamping jaws in clamping engagement with a pipe;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of the reaming machine;

Fig. 13 is a partial central sectional side View of same;

Fig. 14: is an end view thereof looking at the left-hand end of Fig. 12, and

Fig. 15 is a transverse section taken on line 1515 of Fig. 13, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The cooling rack, supporting frame or stand, is composed, in the embodiment shown, of a plurality of longitudinal members 1, preferably of channel section, arranged with their flat faces adjacent to each other but spaced to receive plates 2, suitably supported flat-wise by them and below the plane of their upper flanges, thus forming a plurality of uniformly spaced channeled guides in which longitudinal members 1 and 4E are ticularly Fig. 2).

arrow a, Fig. 2.

travel conveyorchains3, hereinafter more fully described Intermediate 7 the channeled guides are otherlongitudinal members 4, the upper sur-' At the higher or discharge end of the cooling' rack 18 arranged a transverse shaft 8,

' driven by suitable'speed reducing gearing 7,

7 from a main-source of power, such as an electric motor 8, through a shaft 9. The

shaft 8 carries a plurality of fixedfsprockets 10, one aligned with each channeled guide, and a similar sprocket 11 is carrled at the lower or pick-up end 01'- each of the channeled guides.

7 The conveyorchains 3 mesh" With these sprockets 10 and 11 andare advanced slidingly over the'plates 2 by the driving acti'on-of the sprockets 10, in the direction of 1 At" regular intervals throughout their length the chains 3 are provided Withconveyor lugs 12 (Figs'3, 1 and 6). of such a height as to extend sufiiciently above the plane of the top flangesof the members 1 and 1 to engage With the pieces of pipe resting upon the members 1 and 4.

At the 'discharge end of the cooling rack downwardly inclined skids 13 are provided over which the pieces of pipe may be discharged into a suitable trough, bin, conveyor or the like, not shown.

The apparatus as thus far described, that is the cooling rack per se, is Well known in the art and operates substantially as .fol-

lows v I The pieces of pipe coming "from the sizing machine, at an intense heat, are fed to the cooling "rack transverselythereof, one at a '7 time, and are supported thereon at a plurality V oi longitudinalmembers 1 and 4. The lugs 12 points throughout their length by the of the several chains Ebeing so arranged as to align transversely of the rack, a lug of each cha1n 'Will engage With and advance each piece of pipe with a rolling motion up V the incline of the topfianges of the members 1 and a. As the pieces 01"- pipe are thus advanced in parallelism normal to, the longi-:

' tudinal members 1 and 4:,they will gradually cool, and their rolling: motion Will tend to keep'them straight,fso that when they arrive adjacent to the discharge end of the cooling rack they have cooledsufficiently and are-sufficiently rigid to permit them to be manipulated for'finis'hing purposes; When the pieces of pipe reach the discharge end of the cooling rack they are discharged the conveyor chains 3 down the skids-13 and the like. hereinbefore mentWenty-three or so feet of its length they have cooled sufiiciently and have become sufficiently rigid to permit ofmanipulation for cutting to standard length and reaming. I therefore mount Within approximately the last twelve feet of length of the rack the mechanisms for automatically cutting and reaming thetwo ends of the plurality of pieces of pipe as they are advanced in uniform order along the rack. Two sets of suchmechanisms A and B are employed for operating successivelyupon the two ends of the pieces of pipe, and inasmuch as 'these'sets are similar in all respects, a detalled descriptlonof one will suffice for both.

It Will be understood that the pieces of pipe as they come to the coolingrack are of such a length as to extend beyond the sides of the rack, and it isthese protrudingends that are cut off in reducing the'length of the pipes to a uniform standard.

At a suitable position relatively to the travel otthe'piece's of pipe on the cooling rack, and at a distance from the side thereof determnied by the ultimated'esired length of pipe, I mou'nta circular saw 14 as a member of themechanism's A. This saw may be driven by a motor 15jor it may'derive motion from any other suitable source or" a line shaft and pulleys and belt. As a piece of pipe is advancedby the fiat faces-12 of thelugs 12 it is forced against-the savv which cuts ofl' its protrudingend;

The next operation 18 the reaming of the cut end of the pipe, and for this step the pipe must be released from theinfiuence of the conveyor chains 3' andsupported; and held stationary While a reaming tool isjforced against it, and itmust'thereafter be replaced in the pathofmovement'of the conveyor chains so that it'may have its opposite end similarly operated upon and be subsequently discharged from the cooling rack. I

V Obviously, the operations of removing the pipe from the conveyor chains, supporting and clamping and thenreaming it, and returning it to the conveyor chains must be performed in timed relation to the travel of the chains, and this I have accomplished by means of the devices next to be'descr'ibedj At appropriatepoints transversely of the cooling rack I mount a number (three being shown) 7' and the shanks 17 rare also threaded as at power, such as offorked rests 16 (Figs. 1, 3,4, 5 and 8) having shanks 17 splined as shown y 20 for the reception of adjusting nuts 21 whereby the height of the rests may be dctermined. Obviously, this height must be such that when a pipe is supported by the rests the lugs 12 of the carrier chains 3 may pass beneath it without touching it.

For the purpose of successivel raising and removing a pipe from the conveyor chains 3, placing it upon the rests 16 and then removing it from the rests, after its end has been reamed, and replacing it in the conveyor chains, I provide a plurality of transfer devices preferably equal in number to and arranged adjacent to the rests. Each of these transfer devices comprises a pair of cooperatingcarrier members 22 and 23 having forked extensions 24 adapted to travel into and out of the path of travel of the pipes in the conveyor chains 3. The extensions 24 merge into eccentric straps 25 and terminate in slotted guide members26 which ride upon and are guided by lugs 27 fixedly supported by suitable stands 28. The eccentric straps 25 embrace complemental eccentrics 29 carried by and rotatable with a shaft 30 driven by suitable reducing gearing 31, 32, 33 (Fig. 3) from the main drive shaft 9. By an inspection of Fig. 6, it will be seen that as the eccentrics 29 rotate with shaft 30 they will cause a pipe carried by the conveyor chains 3 to be picked up at the position of carrier members 22 indicated in dotted lines at 2266, moved through the upper portion of the orbit 22b and deposited in the rests 16, as shown, the carriers thereafter completing the traversing of their orbits to their initial pick-up positions 220 by the time another set of lugs 12 has advanced another pipe to this position. The carrier members 23 have meanwhile traversed their orbits 23?), and at the proper time pick up the pipe from the rests 16, move it through the upper part of the orbit 23b and deposit it in the conveyor chains at approximately the position indicated in dotted lines at 23a.

It will be understood that in theinterval between the time when the pipe is deposited in the rests by the members 22 and the time when it is removed from the rests by the members 23, it is clamped and reamed. It will be understood also that during this interval the conveyor chains have moved forward a distance not quite equal to the space between two adjacent lugs 12.

The pipes must be clamped while being reamed to prevent their turning with the rapidly revolving reaming tool and to prevent them from backing away from the reaming tool as it is advanced during the reaming operation. To accomplish this clamping I provide a clamping device for each of the sets of mechanism A and B. These clamping devices (see Figs. 3, 7', 8, 9, 10 and 11) have a pair of jaw members 34 and 35 adjustably mounted by screw adj usting devices 36 in levers 37 and 38, respectively. These levers are pivotally mounted upon pins 39 and 40, respectively, carried by the stands 28 and are provided with extensions 41 and 42, respectively, carrying rollers which cooperate with cam surfaces on a cam mounted on and rotating with the shaft 30.

The extension 42 has a single centrally mounted roller 44 (see Fig. 8) and the extension 41 carries two spaced rollers 43 (see Fig. 9). The cam 47 has three cam surfaces, two of which, 45, are similar and arranged adjacent to its faces and act upon the two rollers 43, and the other of which, 46, is arranged between the two designated and acts upon the roller 44. The rollers 43 and 44 are held in operative engagement with their cooperating cam surfaces by means of a spring 48.

The extension 42 is pivoted to the lever 38 at 49 and a heavy spring 50 is interposed between these parts, expansion of the spring being limited by means of cooperating stops 51 and 52 carried by the extension 42 and lever 38, respectively. The compression of the spring, and hence its stiffness, may be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 53 provided with a jamb nut 54. By this arrangement, it will be seen that when the aws are forced toward each other under the in fluenee of cam 47 to clamp a pipe, as shown in Fig. 11, the g "ipping action will be resilient, though adequate for its purpose, thus removing strain from the operating parts of the clamping device.

The reaming mechanism comprises a reaming tool 55 carried by a mandrel 56 mounted in slide bearings 57 (see Fig. 13) in a sleeve or spindle 58 which is rotatably carried in bearings 59 in stands 60. Rotation is imparted to the mandrel 56 by means of a toothed clutch member 61 which slidably engages its complement in the hub of a gear 62 driven by a pinion 63 on the shaft 64 of a motor 65 or other power imparting means. Rotation of the mandrel 56 is imparted to sleeve 58 by means of a pin 66 which passes through the mandrel and through slots 67 in the sleeve and terminates in a collar 68 provided with a circumferential rib 69. This rib 69 engages a complemental groove 70 in a split housing 71 provided with trunnions 72 (Figs 12 and 15) which are engaged by a shifter yoke 7 3 formed on the end of a bellcrank lever 74 pivoted at 7 5 (Figs. 12 and 13.)

By this arrangement it will be seen that the mandrel 56, sleeve 58, collar 68 and gear 62 rotate as a unit, the rotary motion of mandrel 56 being transmitted to the parts 58 and 68 by means of the pin 66. Sliding movement of the mandrel 56 within the sleeve 58 is caused by shifting of the housing 71, the motion of same being transmitted to the man "lrel by means ot the groove 70, rib 69' andpin 66, which latter, though it'must turn with the mandrel, may slide in the slots 67.

stiff spring 78. The roller 77 is held in engagement with the cam 76 by means of an adjustable tension spring 7 9 connected with t-lleBIlCl 80 of the lever 74' and with one of the stands 60.- v

Thus it will beapparent that upon rotation of shaft in timed relation tothe travel of 7 The outward thrust or travel of the man-' the conveyor chains 3 and the operation of v the transfer and clamping mechanisms, the cam 7 6 will so operate as to pro ect the retating mandrel 56 at the time when apipe 1s held in the clamping mechanism upon the rests 16 and will thus force the'reaming tool into cutting engagement with'the end of the pipe, as shown in Fig. 13.

drel 56 may be regulated by means of a plurality oi'adjusting screws 81 carried by the hub 820i the cam 76 and'bearing against a rotating abutment 83 clamped-on the shaft The operation ofthe device may be. apparent from the foregoing description, but in the interest of clearness it may be tur- .ther explained .as follows or discharge end of'the cooling rack, it will .be seen that as the pieces of pipe advance.

Assumin that the conveyor chains 3, saws 14 transfer devices 22, 23, ClflD'lPlllgJTlGChfi- .nisms 34,85 and reaming tools 55, and

their associated parts are all in operation,

the pieces of pipe coming from the pipebers 1 and 4 toward the discharge end of the cooling rack. .7 V

Lookingnow at Fig. .1 from thelett-hand toward the reader they will first be engaged by the saw at the left which will cut oii their} l protruding left-hand i ends, then they will.

be picked, one-bybne, from the conveyor chains by the. transfer. devices'ot the set of mechanisms A and deposited in the rests 16 where they are immediately clamped by the clamping mechanism and reamed by the reaming tool. Immediately upon complet1on of the reaming operation they are picked out of the rests 16 by thev transfer mechanisms and replaced in the conveyor chains.

NeXt, their right-hand endsare presented to the saw 14 at the right and cut ofi. Then they are picked, one-by-one, from the conveyor chains by the transfer devices of the set of mechanisms Band deposited in the rest-s16 of that set where they are immedi ately clamped and reamed. -After' being reamed they are again placed in the conveyor chains and carried thereby to the discharge end of the cooling rack from which the bin or the like provided for them;

It will be seen that by-my invention I have provided a method and means for operating upon pipes or similar tubular articles preferably while theyare in the process of cooling, without the necessity for the several handlings now common and without transporting them to and-from several machines. Moreover, I have so combined the mechanisms for performing the required finishing operations upon such articles as to materially economize floor space, mic and labor, and to perform these operations automatically and rapidly. Furthermore, due to the fact that hand manipulation oi the pipes or the like is avoided until after they have become cold and rigid, loss due to bending and warping is eliminated, and the-finishsimilar tubular articles having finished ends, which comprises moving sald articles over a support, cutting off the ends of said artiroll down the skids 18 into the trough,

cles and reaming the cut ends at intervals in timed relation to the movement of the articles. j 1

2 The method of producing pipes and similar tubular articles having finished ends,

which comprises moving said-articles over a support whereon they are permitted to cool, cutting off the endsof said articles, and roaming the cut ends at intervals in timed rela'tion to the movement of the articles, the

cutting and reaming operatlons being performed while the articles are cooling.

3. A method of operating upon pipes and similar tubular" articles, which comprises moving said articles over a rack at;a predetermined speed, cutting off the ends of said articles during their movement, arresting the movement of said-articles in successionffo'ra predetermined lperiod of time, reaming the out ends thereof during such period, and thereafter re-estab lishing the articles in movement over the rack-and. discharging them therefrom, the period of arrested movementbeingtimed in relation to the speed of movement of the articles over the rack, V

v 4t, Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles, includinga rack, means for causing said articles to travel ment transversely thereof, means for severing the ends of said articles in succession during their travel, means for arrestin the movement of said articles, means for finishing the severed ends of the articles while their movement is arrested, and means for re-establishing said articles in their travel along the rack after the completion of the finishing operation, the period of arrested movement and the finishing operation performed therein being timed in relation to the movement of the travel-causing means.

5. r-ipparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles including a supporting frame upon which the articles travel, means for severing the ends of said articles in succession during their travel, means for arresting the movement of said articles, means for finishing the severed ends of the articles while their movement is arrested, and means for re-establishing said articles in their travel along the supporting frame after the completion of the finishing operation.

6. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles, including a rack, a conveyor arranged to travel longitudinally of said rack, means on said conveyor for imparting movement to a tubular article arranged transversely of said rack, a cutting device for severing the end of said article during its travel, a rest arranged transversely of said rack, means for transferring said article from said movement-imparting means to said rest, means for holding said article in fined relation to said rest, means for finishing the severe-d end of the article while it is thus held, and means for transferring the article from the rest into engagement with' the movementimparting means; the operations of transferring to said rest, holding and finishing and transferring from the rest back to tl e movement-imparting means being timed in relation to the travel of the conveyor.

7. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles, including a rack, a travelling conveyor provided with lugs adapted to cause a pipe arranged transversely of the racl: to travel lon itudinally thereof, a cutter arranged adjacent to the side of the rack and adapted to sever the protruding end of the pipe during its travel, a rest arranged transversely of the rack, a transfer device adapted to remove said pipe from the influence of said lugs and place it upon said rest, a clamping mechanism adapted to clamp said pipe in fixed relation to said rest, a reaming tool, means for operating said tool to ream the severed end of the pipe While clamped, a transfer device for removing said pipe from said rest after the completion of the reaming operation, and means for imparting functioning power to said conveyor, transfer devices, clamping mechanism and reaming mechanism in timed relation to each other.

8. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles, including a rack, a travelling conveyor associated with said rack and provided with lugs adapted to cause a pipe arranged transversely of the rack to travel longitudinally thereof, a cutter arranged adjacent to one side of said rack and adapted to sever the protruding end of said pipe during its travel, means providing a rest arranged transversely of the rack, a transfer device adapted to remove said pipe from the influence of said lugs and place it upon said rest, a clamping mechanism for holding said pipe in fixed relation to said rest, a reaming tool, means for operating said tool to ream the severed end of the pipe while clamped, a transfer device for removing said pipe from said rest after completion of the reaming operation and after release of said clamping mechanism, a cutter, transfer devices, clamping mechanism and reaming mechanism arranged adjacent to the other side of said rack and adapted to operate upon the other end of the pipe in a manner similar but subsequent to the corresponding devices before mentioned, and means for imparting functioning power to said conveyor, transfer devices, clamping mechanisms and reaming mechanisms in timed relation to each other.

9. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles, including a rack, a travelling conveyor associated with said rack and provided with lugs adapted to cause a pipe arranged transversely of the rack to travel longitudinally thereof, a reaming tool and mechanism for actuating same arranged in such position relatively to the rack as to operate upon the end ofthe pipe carried thereby, means providing a rest arranged transversely of said rack and in alignment with the axis of said reaming tool, transfer mechanism including a plurality of transfer devices adapted to engage the pipe at a number of points throughout its length and transfer it from the conveyor to the rest for reaming of its end and thereafter back to the conveyor, means for fixedly clamping the pipe during the reaming operation, and means including a source of power for imparting functioning movement to said conveyor, transfer mechanism, clamping means and reaming mechanism in timed relation to each other.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

"WILLIAM F. CLARK.

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