US1806127A - Boiler tube cleaner - Google Patents

Description

y 9, 1931. H. STALEY BOILER TUBE CLEAN-ER Filed March 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Shget -1 KW? INVENTOR.

H. L. STALEY BOILER TUBE CLEANER Filed March 5. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented May 19, 1931 arts.

HARRISON L. STALEY, OF MARTIN'S VILLE, INDIANA BOILER TUBE CLEANER Application filed March '5,

This-invention relates torotary cleaners which are employed for removing scale from boiler tubes and particularly to the type carried on the end of a flexible shaft or universal joint for cleaning bent or curved tubes, such cleaners comprising a rotary head carrying rotatable toothed cutters mounted on arms that extend beyond the body of the cleaner and which are thrown outwardly against the scale by centrifugal force.

Tube cleaners of this type have heretofore been arranged with independently swinging arms which permit the cleaner to be thrown out of balance when one of the arm members is forced-inwardly by striking a projecting piece of scale, such movementproducing a severepounding of the head in the tube and causing thereby great damage to cutter parts. Further, cleaners of this type have been equipped with swinging 'arm members movably secured to the body by rivets, an arrangement which prohibits the making of quick repairs to the head, and'furthermore, such cleaners have been provided with pivots or trunnions that carry all the rearward thrust of the arm which causes them to break as the head is forced through the tube.

It is the object ofmy invention, first, to provide a tube cleaner free of rivet connections so that repairs to it can be easily and quickly made, second, to provide a cleaner with facilities for eliminating all the rearward thrust of the arm members from the pivot pins or trunnions, third, to provide means for balancing the cleaner by operativelyconnecting the swinging arms in pairs, so that a movement of one arm produces a like movement of-the connected arm, and fourth, to provide a cleaner in-which the centrifugal pressure of one arm member is transferred by connecting means through the body and utilized by the opposite arm in the scale removing process.

YVith these and other desirable objects in view, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool with rear pair of arms expanded; Figure 2 is a sectional view showing front pair of arms in closed position;

7 tion shown in Figure 8.

1928. Serial No. 259,037.

Figure 3 is an end view of the body with all parts removed Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the arms; Figure 5 is a side view of a cutter pin; Figure 6 is a side view of a pivot pin or trunnion; Figure 7 a perspective of a sliding thrust block; Figure 8 a modified form of means for connecting the arm to body; Figure 9 a modified form of a pivot pin or trunnion to be used in modifica i In the drawings, the numeral 2 represents the body of the cleaner which has a central screw connection 3 for rotating the head and preferablyfour radially disposed longitudinal slots 4; which are connected in pairs through the body by transverse slots 5, the same being at right angles to each other, one in the front portion of the body and theother in the rear. V Outwardly swinging arms 6 are pivoted in the longitudinal slots by pins 17, said arms having inwardly projecting lugs 7 with gear teeth thereon to connect operatively said arms in pairs through the transverse slots inthe body. I As one pair of arms is pivoted in the forward part of the body,l find it necessary to mount slidable thrust blocks 8 in the longi-' tudinal slots on pins 9 to afford connecting means between the forward pair of arms and the threaded annular plate-l0. V

The arms are further provided with a longitudinal'bore or aperture to receive a shaft orcutter pin 11; these shafts or pins have heads and project from the forward end of the arm to form journals for cutters 12 which are rotatably mounted between the head of the bolt and'the frontend of the arm. To secure these shafts to the arms agroove is out in them transversely near the inward end to coincide with holes18 in the swinging arm for receiving pin 13. These holes in the arms are so located that when the arms iare'at their farthest outward position the vpins still remain ithin the confines ofthe longitudinal slots. It is desirable that the 'rearend 14 of the arm 6 be made circular-to allow a sliding contact with the annular plate 10 and thrust block 8 in their swingingv movement, and that the under side 15 of the arm be cut at an angle so as to engagethe bottom of the lon 10g gitudinal slot to limit the outward movement of the swinging arm.

While a plural number of gear teeth may. be cut on the inwardly projecting lugs 7, I

swinging arm 6 to the body are provided by'a transverse key-hole slot in the arm formed by same being of diiierent diameters. 1 have found that the easiest way or" producing a hole of this shape is to first bore a hole of the larger diameter, plug it up with a metal of equal density and then bore the smaller intersecting hole, removing the plug thereafter. It is necessary that the part of the aperture desig nated by the number 16a be least a halfcin cle and connected to hole 16 by an opening equal to its diameter. Holes corresponding in size tothe diameter of the part hole 16 are provided in the side walls o1 the longitudinal slots 5. A pivot pin or trunion-l? is formed with heads 19 having the same diameter as the part hole 16 and with a central body 20 having a diameter equal to that of the part hole 16a, the said central body portion 20 having a length equal to the width ofthe arm. 1

To assemble head thrust blocks 8 are slidably mounted in the longitudinal slots l on the fixed pins 9 and the front pair of arms placed in position with part hole 160i the arm in alignment with the holes in the body menber. The pivot pin 17 is then passed through the aligning holes and. the'arms forced vforward which brings the surface of the arm around the part hole 16a between the heads of the pivot pin. In like manner the rear pair of arms is secured in the body after which the annular threaded plate 10 issecured firmly against the end of the body and all the parts are thereby locked in position. It will thus be seen by this assembly plan that the cleaner can be easily dismounted and parts replaced without loss of time.

In the arrangements of parts as herein described, it will be observed that the rearward thrust of the arms caused by the cleaner being forced against the scale in: the tube is not carri ed'by pins 17, but is carried by the an nular plate 10 as the part hole 16 permits a rearward movement of the arm.

A modified plan for locking the arms in i the body member is shown in Figure 8. In

.L i I I blllS modification holes a a are bored in the side walls of the longitudinal slots to form a key-hole slot and. a hole equal to the diameter of the part'hole a is bored transversely through the swinging arm 6. A pivotpin I) having a central body section equal in diameter to part hole a and reduced end I sections equal in diameter to thepart hole a the pin.

as heretofore indicated for the preferred deslgn.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new:

1. In a tube cleaner, a head provided with a plurality of diametrically opposed longitudinal slots, transverse slots connecting said longitudinal slots, arms carrying rotatable cutters pivoted in said longitudinal slots and means insaid-transverse slots to connect operatively the arms in pairs. two intersectlng hole-segments 16, 16a, the- 2.- Ina" tube cleaner provided with a plurality of diametrically opposed longitudinal slots, transverse slots'through the body connecting said longitudinal slots, outwardly swinging arms carrylng cutters engaging the longitudinal slots, inwardly pro ecting lugs onthe arms engaging the transverse slots, in-

termeshing gear teeth. on the projecting lugs to connect operatively the arms in'pairs, said arms having key-hole slots therein, pivot pins passing through said slotsand each havinga reducedcentral section, and screw means to move the arms longitudinally to lockingly engage said reduced centraljsections, of the pivot pinswiththenarrower portions of said slots. r H11 i 3. Ina tubecleaner' comprising a rotary head having two pairs of diametrically op posed longitudinal slot-stherein, transverse slots through the body connecting the longitudinal slots n pairs, two pairs of outward .ly swinging arms carrying rotatable toothed cutters mounted in the longitudinal slots,

means in the transverse slots to connect op,-

eratively the swinging arms in pairs, pivot pins adapted to, be positioned through the side walls of the longitudinal slots and means for locking'the pivotpins-in thebody by a forward movement of the swinging arms. I

4. The combination of a tube cleanerh'aving a body, an outwardly swinging arm carrying a rotatable tooth-ed cutter thereon and pivoted in said body, saidarm-having. a keyhole slot therein the greater width of which is nearerthe free end of the arm, a pivot pin having two end sections coinciding in diam: eter with said greater width, and-acentral reduced section coinciding with the smaller width of said s1ot,and means to move; said arm forwardly to lockingly' engage; said smaller width with said centralsection of nann son L. i STALEY,

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