US1978420A - Method and apparatus for pressing pipe - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 30,-. 1934. J. J. DYER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PIPE 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29,

INVENTOR Oct. 30, 1934.

J. J. DYER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PIPE Filed Oct. 29, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sfkjkj R O T N E V m y w Patented Oct. 30,. 1934 UNITED STATES 1,978,420 METHOD AND arrgl t e rUs FOR PRESSING James J. Dyer, Mount Lebanon, Pa.

Application October 29, 1931, Serial No. 571,729

Claim.

This invention relates generally to method and apparatus for making pipe, and more particularly to method and apparatus for pressing plastic material, such as clay, through a die to form a pipe 6 having a socket end.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the present preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the whole apparatus; 1

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a former used for making the socket end of the pipe, the former being removable from its support;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a removable former support;

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the former and former support showing these parts in assembled position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the press and table shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view of the table shown in Figure 1 which receives the former and pipe, illustrating the table as provided with ball bearings which aid in sliding the former supporting the pipe from the receiving table onto rollers leading to a pipe turner.

In making pipe with a socket end by pressing or extruding clay or other plastic material from a press, it is customary to turn the pipe after it has been formed so that the pipe may be dried with the pipe resting on the spigot end rather than on the socket. This is advisable since there is less danger of deforming the pipe if it rests while drying on the spigot end rather than on the socket end, and furthermore, any slight deformation in the spigot end is not as detrimental as the same deformation in the socket end. Since the pipe is pressed with its socket end down, it is customary to turn the pipe so that it may be dried in the kiln with the socket end up. I

In the manufacture of pipe as now commonly carried out, a one-piece former and former support are employed. The former and support are first held in position against the die andbell of the press and the clay is forced against the former to form the socket end or the pipe. After the socket end has been formed, the former and support are lowered a certain distance and more clay is extruded to form a portion of the body of the pipe. The former and support are then lowered while the extrusion of the clay is stopped so as to draw the former away from the suspended pipe and a chuck board having the shape of the pipe socket is placed between the former and socket end of the pipe. The former and support are then raised to bring the chuck board into contact with the socket end of the pipe, after which the chuck board and former and support are lowered while more clay is extruded to form the remaining por tion of the pipe. It is necessary to' go through these operations in order to support the socket end of the pipe by a chuck board on which the pipe, after being formed, is conveyed from the press prior to turning the pipe so that its socket end will be up instead of down.

While the partially formed pipe is suspended in order that a chuck board may be placed in position, the pipe is sometimes strained so that after drying or burning it will crack, thereby resulting in an inferior product. Furthermore, there is difliculty in correctly centering the chuck board in position within the socket end of the pipe. If the centering is not exact, it is likely to deform the socket end of the pipe. Also, after the chuck board has been placed between the former and the socket end of the pipe, the former is again raised to bring the chuck board into contact with the pipe socket. There must be contact between the chuck board and the pipe socket in order to support the pipe while the remainder an of the pipe is pressed, and yet there is the danger that if the .former with the chuck board placed in position thereon is raised too'iar, it will deform the pipe socket.

All of these disadvantages inherent in the use is easily removable from its support. The former 9o and former support are raised into contact with the press and the socket end of the pipe is made as in the former practice. Thereafter, the former and support are lowered while the remainder of the pipe is formed, the lowering of the former as and support being continuous until the desired length of pipe has been formed. The clay isthen cut off to form the desired length of pipe and the former and support are lowered further. The former support passes through openings in a table arranged beneath the press, but the former itself, which is detachable from its support, is interrupted in its descent by the table so that the former with the pipe supported thereon rests on the table as the former support is lowered beneath the table top. The pipe supported on the former is then slid oif from the table onto a roller table leading to a turner which turns the pipe so that its socket end is up. The former remains in the pipe socket until after the pipe has been turned, thereby eliminating any danger of straining or deforming the pipe or socket.

Referring more particularlyto the accompanying drawings, the clay for forming the pipe is introduced into a cylinder 2 through a hopper 3 and is pressed between a die 4 and a bell 5 by a piston 6 connected to a piston rod '7 which' moves up and down in a steam cylinder 8. The apparatus thus far described is the same as that which is in common use for pressing pipe. The present invention relates particularly to the use of a former which is removable from its support, and to a table which automatically acts to separate the former from its support as the former and support are lowered in the manufacture of a pipe.

The removable former and former support are illustrated in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The former 10 is made separate from the former support 11. The former is of the same general configuration as that commonly employed in making pipe having a socket end, but is provided with a rim 12 extending below the flange 13, the flange supporting the lower portion of the pipe socket as the pipe is extruded from the press. The rim 12 fits in corresponding grooves 12a in the support 11 and is provided so that after the pipe has been formed and the former 10 has been separated from its support 11, the former may be slid over rollers while the pipe is supported on the former without danger of the rollers injuring the former.

The former support shown in Figures 3 and4 is cruciform in shape and is provided with lugs 15 which fit within corresponding sockets provided in the former by the angle plates 16 secured to the former. The lugs and sockets insure that the former will be properly centered on its support and cause the former to rotate with 'the former support, as hereinafter described, to

facilitate the removal of the former from the socket of the pipe after the pipe has been turned.

The support 11 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of a shaft 1'7 which extends below the floor line 18 between guides 19, the support resting on a collar 17a on the shaft. The shaft is guided in its movement by a guide arm 20 which slides on the guides 19 (Fig. 1). A rope 21 secured at one end to the guide arm, passes over a pulley 22 and has its other end connected to a counterweight 23. There are two rc pes and pulleys, as indicated in Figure 1, the construction of each of these parts being the same. Upward movement of the shaft 1'7 is imparted by the counterweight 23, and downward movement of the shaft is accomplished by power connections (not shown), in the usual manner.

In manufacturing pipe with the present apparatus, the former 10 and support 11 are raised to the position indicated in Figure 1 and locked in this position by rotating the former and support until the arms 25 (Fig. 5) rest in supporting brackets 26 secured by screws 27 to the die 4, of the press. The piston 6 is then lowered forcing the clay between the die 4 and bell 5 against the former to form the socket end of the pipe, the rim 13 of the former being providedwith' openings 29, as is the usual custom, to indicate to the operator when the socket has been fully formed.

The former support 11 is then rotated on the shaft 17 by moving a handle 30 upward and to the right from'the position shown in Figure 5, which moves a cam 31 to the left and moves the arm 25 of the support to its dotted-line position 2511 out of engagement with the bracket 26. The shaft 17 is then lowered so that the 'former and support pass through the dotted-line position indicated in Figure 5. During the lowering of the shaft 17, the former support 11 is guided by guides 32 which keep the arms 25 of the former support in alinement with openings 33 in a table 34 arranged below the press. v

The shaft 17 is lowered and with it the formed and former support until the desired length of pipe is formed. The clay is then cut ofl from the rest of the clay in the press by a revolving knife 40 secured to a shaft 41 which has a bevel gear 42 at its upper end meshing with a bevel gear 43 carried by a shaft 44, on which is secured a pulley 45 which may be driven by a belt from any suitable source of power. The knife is of the type which is thrown out radially due to centrifugal force when it is rotated to sever the clay and is withdrawn when it is not rotated so that it will not interfere with the formation of the pipe.

The shaft 17 is then lowered further until the former support 11 passes through the openings 33 in the table 34 and the former 10 rests upon the table. The former and former support are separated from each other simply by lowering the shaft 17. The top of the table 34 is provided with ball bearings 35 so that theformer carrying the pipe and resting on the rim 12 may be easily slid from the table 34 onto a roller table 36, from which it is delivered to a turner 37 which turns the pipe so that its socket end is up. The former 10 remains in the socket end of the pipe from the beginning of the pressing operation until the pipe is delivered from the turner 37. The pipe with the socket end up is then delivered to a drying kiln.

The removable former which is separable from its support, as hereinabove described, eliminates the use of a chuck board in the production of pipe having a socket end. It eliminates the strains to which the pipe is subjected when the partially formed pipe is suspended from the press prior to inserting the chuck board between the suspended pipe and former. It makes the manufacture of pipe continuous during the whole pressing operation since the former and former support are lowered continuously rather than being interrupted for the insertion of a chuck board. It insures that the pipe socket will not be distorted since the shaft 17 and support 11 are centered with respect to the press by the guides 19 and the former is centered on the former support by the lugs 15 fitting in corresponding recesses provided in the former. The former with the pipe supported thereby may be slid from the table 34 onto the roller table 36 without the necessity of lifting the pipe and chuck board, as is the case with apparatus formerly used.

The former is preferably made out of aluminum or other light-weight metal so that it can be easily slid from the table 34. The table top may be provided with roller or other type bearings instead of ball bearings as shown. While one former and pipe are being transferred to the pipe turn-' er 37, another former is placed on the former support 11 and the shaft is again raised into the position indicated in Figure 1 so that a new pipe may be made.

I have illustrated and described the present preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.,

I claim:

1. Apparatus for pressing pipe, comprising a press, a former adapted to form the inner surface of the socket end of. the pipe, a i'ormer support removable from the former, a rim projecting below the bottom or the former and seating in a recess in the former support, the former being adapted to slide on said rim when separated from the former support for conveying pipe away from the press, means for centering the former on its support, and guides for maintaining the former support in proper alinement with the press.

2. Apparatus for pressing pipe, comprising a press, a former adapted to form the socket end of a pipe, a former support removable from the former, means for raising and lowering the support, a table below the press constructed to allow descent oi the former support below the table top but limit the descent of the former, whereby the former may be separated from its support with the former resting on the table, the top of the table being provided with rotatable bearings in order that the former while supporting the pipe may be easily slid from the table.

3. Apparatus for pressing pipe, comprising a press, a former adapted to form the inner surface of the socket end of the pipe, a former support removable to disconnect it from the former, said former and support having projection and recess engagement adjacent the periphery of the former for centering the former on its support and preventing relative rotation therebetween, and guides for maintaining the former support in proper alinement with the press.

4. In the method of pressing pipe having a socket end, the steps comprising extruding plastic material against a former which is removable from its support to shapethe inner surface and edge 01' the socket end of the pipe, lowering the former and forming the body of the pipe, severing the pipe, removing the pipe and former from the former support, and turning the pipe end for end while the former remains in the pipe.

5. In the method of pressing pipe having a socket end, the steps comprising transferring the pipe from the press while the pipe is supported at its socket end by the former used in shaping the inner surface and edge of the socket, and turning the pipe end for end while the former remains in the pipe. J J D

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