US2174754A

US2174754A - Pipe wrapping machine

Info

Publication number: US2174754A
Application number: US61003A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stuart P Miller
Original assignee: Barrett Co Inc
Current assignee: Barrett Co Inc
Priority date: 1936-01-27
Filing date: 1936-01-27
Publication date: 1939-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1956-10-03

Description

Oct. 3, -1939. s. P. MILLER 2,174,754

.nrs annua 4)mamma i Filed Jam 27, 1936 s sheets-sheet 1 I 6 f 62a i3 ATTORNEY CCL 3,. 1939." s.-P. MILLERv 2174v754 Pxrn MAPPING incarna Fired Jan. 27, 193e :s snets-sheet 2 'Patented Oct. 3, 1939 'PIPE WBAPPING MACHINE Stuart P. Miller, Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor to The Barrett Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Applicatie. January 27, 1931s, serial No. 61,003 fs claims. (ci. 24a-11),

)This invention relates to wrapping machines and more particularly to pipe wrapping machines adapted to be mounted upon a pipe and to move longitudinally of the pipe during thewrapping operation. ,f

An object of this invention is to provide a relatively light-weight pipe mapping machine which can readily be mounted upon an enamelled pipe and operated manually or from a suitable source 1 0 of power such as anelectric motor to apply wrapping material during relative longitudinal movement of the machine and pipe. The 'machine includes a normally non-rotatingV frame carrying adjustable traction members of such character 1I as not toinjure the enamel coating or the wrap ping material, which traction members ,bear .against the wrapped portion of the pipe, and a ring which may be rotated manually or by a suit able source of power. 'I'he ring carries a roll or rolls of wrapping material and is connected in driving relation to the traction members.l The axes of the rolls of wrapping are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis oi the pipe and the peripheries of the rolls bear resiliently against the pipe. When the ring is /rotated the wrapping material is wrapped around the pipe and motion of the ring is transmitted to the traction members. The rolls of wrapping'material bearing upon the pipe and the traction members progressively move $0 the wrapping machine longitudinally' along the pipe. For a more complete understanding of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description and tothe accompanying .drawings illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention, in which, v

Fig. 1 is a. central longitudinal sectional view through the wrapping machine taken on line I-I of Fig. 2, parts being shown inelevation;

Fig. v2 is a central longitudinal sectional view 'taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, 'parts being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine taken in the direction of the arrow 3 of Fig. 2, the pipe being shown in section;

Fig.` 4 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on lineV 4--4 of Fig. 2; f

` Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional detail View 5o through one of the traction members;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in elevation of a driving sprocket for the traction members;

Fig. 'I is a'fragmentary elevational view of a traction member; 'f u Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view the frame.

-and 6.

' in Fig. 1 frame member I illustrating a mod'ined form oi traction member and driving means therefor;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the traction member of Fig. 8

Fig. 10 is an end view illustrating a modied' 5 form of pipe wrapping machine, the pipe being .shown in section;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the machineillus.- trated in Fig. 10', parts being shown in section; and 1 Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view showing a modification of the structure of Figs. 10 and 11.

The pipe wrapping machine of this invention includes a. normally non-rotating cylindrical frame designated generally by the reference l5' numeral I and a ring-like member indicated by the reierence numeral 2 rotatably mounted on,

Frame I` may include two semicylindrical segments 3, l secured together by any suitable means illustrated conventionally -at 5 20 This securing means may conveniently consist of a hinge and any suitable fastener for ready mountingv and' demountingA of the frame with respect to the pipe.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated 25 carries projecting in-J wardly from the interiorwalls thereof a plurality of members 8 provided. with .bolts 9. Roller sup- Ports II are adjustaily secured to the members 8v by means of slots I which receive bolts 9. 'I'he 30 free ends of supports II are provided with forks or journals Il in which are rotatably mounted a plurality of rollers I6 (see particularly Figs.

i and 6)', constituted of cylindrical portions I1,

sprocket bentral. pcrtions I8 and spindles I9.

The spindles I9 oi rollers I8 may be rotatably mounted in slidable bearings 20 resiliently urged toward the centerl of frameyl by springs 20. Each of the supports I I of the illustrated embodiment of the .Linvention carries three rollers I6 40 and upon each yroller assembly is mounted a traction member 2I which is preferably a flexible caterpillar belt of such character as not to injure enamel or wrapped materiaL In order to secure a positive drive between the' rollers and the tractionbelts 2 I the inner runs of. the belts may have secured theretok chainflike members 23 for engaging the sprocket teeth I8 of the rollers I6. 'Ihree belt and roller assemblies symmetrically `arranged around the pipe are illustrated in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 `to 4. It will be appreciated the springs 20' resiliently urge the caterpillar belts 2| toward the pipe, and that upon actuation of the belts the cylindrical framewill be moved along the pipe at a-rate belts.

Carried on the cylindrical frame adjacent the forward edge thereof are two upstanding substantially parallel flanges 25, 26. Ring member 2 A is rotatablymounted on the'frame I and may advantageously be provided with downwardly extending

anges

21, 28 which engage flanges 25, 26 to prevent lateral movement of the ring with respect to the frame. Ring member 2, like the cylindrical frame is preferably constituted of two or more segments hinged or otherwise secured together to permit ready mounting of the machine about the pipe. Secured to lthe'interior of the ring member is aring gear 30 (see particularly Fig. 4) which meshes vwith gears 3| rotatably mounted in bearings 3|' carried by cylindrical frame member Each of the gears 3| drives a flexible shaft 32 which in turn is connected in driving relation toa roller IE drivinga traction member 2|. n member 2 to allow ready manual rotation of the latter and it will be appreciated that upon rotation of the' ring member, motion will be transmitted through gears 3|,-,exible driving connections 32, rollers I6 and traction members 2| to cause move'- ment of the wrapping machine along the pipe.

If the wrapping machine is employed where power, such as an electric motor, is available, the ring member 2 may be rotated from. such source of power. It will be understood that in the wrapable. vmachine and its design, which is such that upon ping of pipe lines, for which this machine is particularly designed, the machine frequently must be employed in districts where power is not avail- The light weight characteristics of the rotation of ring member 2 longitudinal propulsion of the traction member as well as rotation of the roll or rolls of' wrapping material about the pipe take place, adapts this machinerfor manual operation. As the weight of ring member 2 is symmetrically distributed aboutthe pipe, little energy is required to effect its rotation.

Projecting from the forward side of ring member 2 are pins orprojections 35 upon which are pivotally mounted members 38, each provided with a segmental slot 31 and an aperture. Bolts 40 extend through the segmental slots 31 and' `apertures in the members 36 and adjustably sccure thereto arms 39 which rotatably support between their forked. free ends 4| rolls of wrapping'l material 42. Springs 43 attached to projections 44 and to roll-carrying arms 39 resiliently press the rolls of wrapping material againstthe pipe. The rolls of wrapping material are preferably placed under suificient tension to insure the -desired wrapping of the material as it is unwound from the rolls onto the pipe and for this purpose any suitable tension devices (not shown) may be employed. The inclination of the axes of the rolls of wrapping material with respect to th longitudlnal axis of the pipe may be varied by suitable adjustment of the bolts 40 with respect to the segmental slots 31. A counterwelght 46 may be secured to the lower portion of frame to steady the'frame on the pipe; the machine may also alternatively be steadied by hand by means of transverse handle bars 3a secured to segment 3 by sockets 3b.

The operation of the device may be briefly described as follows:

When itisdesiredto initiate the wrapping operation the frame member and ring member 2 are mounted upon the pipe and secured thereabout by means of the fastening means provided Handles `34=project from the ringv dependent upon the rate of movement of the and rotates the ring member 2. The motion of the ring gear is transmitted through gears 3|,

flexible driving connections 32 and rollerA IG to the caterpillar traction members 2| and the resulting actuation of the latter causes longitudinal movement of the machine along the pipe. The caterpillar traction members travel upon the wrapped portion of the pipe and, since they move longitudinally but not rotatably with respect to A the pipe, do nothave a tendency' to distort or otherwise injure the wrapping material. The rolls of wrapping ,material 42 bear resiliently against the pipe, and .due to the inclination of their axes to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, aid the trac-y tion members in Imoving the wrapping machine and maintaining the machine balanced on the pipe with the weight of the machine and the rolls of wrapping material uniformly distributed about the pipe. Hence large rolls of wrapping material may be employed, and further, the energy re` quired to operate the machine is minimized. Weight 46 has a tendency to prevent any unbalance or rotation of frame on the pipe.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a somewhat modified form of traction member and mounting means 'therefor is illustrated. The traction member 41 of these figures is provided with transverse slits 48 extending laterally from the side edges towards the center thereof. Two spaced rollers 49 bear on the slit portions of the traction member adjacent the side edges thereof and sprocket 50 engages chain 23 and propels the traction member. The transverse slits 48 enable the traction member 41 to .hug the pipe throughout the entire width of the traction member and hence morefirmly grip` the pipe to propel the machine therealong. y

In Figs. 10 and 11 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the frame member 5| is balanced upon the top of (see Fig. 11), but does not entirely surround, the pipe.

member may be similar to the corresponding.

elements of Figs. 1 to 4 hereinabove describedr and hence require no further description.

' The frame member5| is provided adjacent the.

front end thereof .with two downwardly extending diverging arms 51'. These arms carry at their Roller supporting member 52 is adjustably seapex and free ends a series of

rollers

58, 58 which define a circle concentricwith respect to the pipe and rotatably support ring member 60. The ring member 60 is preferably constituted of two semicircular segments hinged or 'otherwise secured together as described in connection with Fig. 1. Each of rollers 58, 58' isprovided with apair of parallel flanges 62, which receive therebetween a ring. gear 83 rigidly secured to the interior of the ring member.

rollers' cooperate with the ring member to rotatably support the latter on the frame. Rollers Il It will be observed that the -may beprovided between the ilanges thereof with gear teeth 65 which engage the teeth of the ring gear.63 and impart' rotation lto the roller upon rotation ofthe ring member.

The spindle of roller 58 is secured to exible shaft 66 which is in turn connected in driving relation to the foremost of rollers 54 carrying traction member t55.

The frame 5I is provided with cross bars 68 on which may be adjustably mounted -two pairs of rollers 69 for engaging the sides of'the pipe and guiding the frame therealong during the wrapping operation. An additional roller carr'ying arm 1| may, if desired, be adjustably mounted on the rear end of the frame, as for example by bolt and slot connections 12, 13. The-roller 14 may engage the' under side of the pipe rto steady the machine during its progress along the pipe.

A roll or rolls of mapping material (not shown) may be mounted upon the front end of the ring member by mechanism similar to that shown in Figs. l'to 4. Such rolls of wrapping material' may bear resiliently against the pipe with their axes inclined to the longitudinal axis of the pipe.

In the operation of the device,A the frame is placed upon the pipe and properly positioned with respect thereto by adjusting member 52, rollers 69 and roller 'M if used. The ring member 6|! may then be assembled about

rollers

58, 58 and the rolls of Wrapping material adjusted to bear against the pipeat the desired inclination and with the desired pressure. The operator 'grasps the handles 34 on the ring member 60 and rotates the latter, thereby causing the wrapping material to be unwound from the rolls. The motion of the ring member is transmitted through ring gear 63, roller 58 and flexible driving' connection 66 to the traction member 55. The traction member and the rolls of wrapping material. cause the machine to progressively advance along the pipe at the desired speed. In case the` frame -shows a-tendency to rotate around the pipe, suitable Weights (not shown) may be secured to either side thereof to prevent such rotation.

' While in Figs. 10 and 11 only one traction` member has been illustrated it will be apprecl-V Vated that one, two or more such members may be l employed. Fig 12 illustrates diagrammatically a modication of the construction of Fig. 10 in which two traction members 15, 'I5' bearing on opposite sides of the highest point of the periphery of the pipe are-employed. These traction members may be driven from ring member 60 by driving connections such as Ithose hereinabove described. In the illustrated-embodiments of the invention, the traction members run on the wrapped portion of the pipe.

It will be evident that thetraction'members, instead of riding on the wrapped portion of the pipe as shown on the drawings, could ride directly on the enamel vcoating of the unwrapped portion of the pipe without injury thereto; for example, by reversing the direction of rotation of the rotatable ring member for wrapping the pipe from right to left in the manner shown inv Fig. 1, the Wrapping machine would wrap the pipe from left to right and the belts 2| would travel directly on ther enamel coating of the pipe.v

If desired a motor or manual driving means may be connected directly to the traction members and the rotatable ring member driven from the traction members; or the ring member and tractionmembers may be driven independently byseparate motors or manual driving means.

While I have'illustrated two rolls of wrapping material mounted upon the machine, itl will be understood that any desired number of rolls may be employed to cover the pipe with any.- desired number of plies of material. Thus, for example, one, two or three or more rolls may be employed,

and the spirals of material from one roll applied,v in lapped, butted or spaced relation. Thespirals from another roll may be applied 'to cover the edges ofthe spirals-of the first roll.' Use of a rplurality of rolls is preferred since it.

permits better balancing of the rotating parts.

From the hereinabove description it-will beap? preciated that I have provided a pipe wrapping machine simple in construction, easy to operate and adjustable for use in wrapping pipes of a wide variety of sizes. The combined tractive eiect of the traction members and the rolls of wrapping material esult in uniform longitudinal movement of the machine al ngthe pipe, the rolls of wrapping material ding the 'machine in its longitudinal movem nt along the pipe.

The traction members bear upon the Wrapped or' unwrapped portions of the pipe but do not rotate therearound and hence have no tendency to seriously distort or injure the wrapping material or enamel coating which has been applied.

I claim: 1. A pipe wrapping machine comprising in combination a frame, a flexible 'belt traction member on said frame for engaging the pipe and supporting the weight of the wrapping machine on the pipe, a rotatinggear mounted on said frame and engaged to be rotated about said pipe, means connecting said rotating gear with said traction member for moving said traction member along said pipe and a rollof wrapping material carried by said rotatinggear and arranged to be revolved about said pipe to wind the wrapping material thereabout.

2. A manually operated pipe wrapping machine comprising a frame adapted to be mounted upon a pipe, a member rotatably mounted with respect to said frame, iiexible belt traction members carriedby saidframe and a driving' connection between said 'traction members and'said rotatable member whereby rotation of said rotatable member actuates said traction members to propel said machine along the pipe. i

non-rotatable frame adapted to surround the pipe, a plurality of traction members mounted on said frame and adapted to engage said pipe at spaced points -therearound, means for adjusting said traction members to 'engage the peripheries of different sized pipes, guides on said frame, a rotatable member mounted upon `3. A pipe wrapping machine compri/sing a said frame, driving connections` between said ro.

tatable member yand said traction members whereby rotation of said rotatable member actuates said traction members, a roll of wrappingl material mountedupon -said rotatable member, said roll of wrapping" material having its axis inclined with respect to the longitudinal. axis of the pipe, means for resiliently pressingsaid roll of wrapping material against the pipe, said traction members and said roll of wrapping material cooperating, upon rotation of said rotatalble member, to cause longitudinal movement of the machine along the pipe.

4. A pipe wrapping machine comprising, inv

combination, a frame adapted to be mounted upon a pipe, a traction member mounted on said frame and adapted to engage the pipe, a roll of wrapping material supported on said frame for revolution about said pipe, the `axis of said roll of wrapping materialv being inclined with respect to the axis of said pipe, means for pressing said roll of wrapping material against said pipe,

means for revolving said roll of wrapping mate- Vmember rotatably mounted on said frame, a roll of wrapping material mounted on said ring member with its axis inclined with respect to the long'ltudinal axis of the pipe, means for pressing said roll oi wrapping material against said pipe, means Ior actuating said traction member, said traction memberand said roll of wrapping material cooperating to move the wrapping machine longitudinally of the pipe. L

6. A pipe wrapping machine comprising in combination a non-rotatable frame, flexible belt traction means on said frame Ior supporting said frame on said pipe,y a member supported by said frame for rotation about said pipe, means for mounting a roll of wrapping materialen said member for revolution about said pipe, means for rotating said member about said pipe to apply spiral convolutions of wrapping material thereto and means for actuating said ilexible belt traction means to move said machine lungitudinally along the pipe.

rotatable frame adapted to be mounted around a pipe, a plurality of supporting members arranged symmetrically around the interior oi said frame, means for adjusting said members to- '1. A pipe wrapping machine comprising 4il. nonward and from the longitudinal axis of ,said

l 1li-ame, rollers mounted on the inner portions ot .said supporting members, ilexibley belts mounted' on said rollers, guides on the forward portion of said frame, a` ring member rotatably mounted on said guides, a ring gear on said rin'g member, gearing connecting said ring gear with the rollers on which said ilexible belts are 'mounted whereby rotation of the ring member results in actuation 'ot the exible belts, a plurality of arms mounted on said ring'member, said arms being adapted to carry rolls of wrapping material, meansior resiliently pressing said rolls of wrapping'material against the pipe and means for "adjusting the axes of the rolls with respect to the longitudinal axis oi the pipe. n

8. A pipe wrapping machine comprising in combination a frame adapted' to be mounted upon a pipe, a supporting member mounted on said frame and projecting inwardly toward said pipe, means lfor adjusting said supportingv member toward and away from said pipe, rollers c'arried by said supporting member, a traction belt positioned about said rollers and adapted to engage an upper portion of said pipe, adjustable. roller supports carried by said frame,rollers carried by saidy adjustable supports an dadaptedto engage said pipe in the neighborhood of its horizontal diameter, guides mounted on the forward portion of said frame, 'said trame being provided with means for preventing rotation of the same about the Pipe. -a lring member rotatably mounted on said guides, a ring gear carried by said ring member, a driving connection including a flexible shaft between said ring gear and said ilexible traction belt, a plurality of arms pivoted on said ring member. said arms being adapted to carry .rolls ofwrapping material, means for resiliently I"pressing said rolls of wrapping Ymaterial against said'pipe, and means for adjusting the axes of said rolls of,l wrapping material with respect .to the axis ot said pipe.

' STUART P. MILLER.