US2240845A - Tube cleaner - Google Patents

Description

w. T. HAMILTON TUB E CLEANER Filed May 8, 1939 May 6, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (Ittorneg s TUBE CLEANER Filed May 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L T y l'mnenfor (Ittomegs Patented May 6, 1941 TUBE CLEANER Walter T. Hamilton, Springfield, Ohio, assignor to The Airetool Mfg. Company, Springfield, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May 8, 1939, Serial No. 272,308

(Cl. 1510d.14)

Claims.

This invention relates to rotary tube cleaners of the motor driven type for removing deposits from the inside of boiler tubes and the like employing outwardly moving cutters, the shafts or supporting pins for which are mounted in suitable bearings.

An object of this invention is to provide a separate wear plate having bearings for the cutter shafts and remcvably mounted in the outer shell or cage so as to be readily removed when worn and a new plate installed.

A further object of the invention in connection with said removable wear plate is to provide interengaging parts between said plate and cage or support to prevent displacement in operation.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tube cleaner embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a view of the inner end of the same with the cutter shaft retainer removed.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the outer end of the cleaner showing the removable wear plate partially in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1, but showing the wear plate being removed or installed.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the removable wear plate.

Fig. 7 is a side View of the removable wear plate.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section showing a modification.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the modified form with the cutters and their shaft-s and the retaining, device removed.

Fig. 10 is a view in elevation of the inner end of the parts shown in Fig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, the outer casing or cage of the cleaner consists of a forward head I, arear head 2 and an intermediate partition wall 3. These parts I, 2 and 3 are integrally connected together with longitudinally extending ribs or spokes 4.

The cage thus formed houses rotary cutters 5 which may be either rotatably or non-rotatably mounted with respect to shafts 3. The rear ends of these shafts 6 are mounted in radially-extendeach slot are inclined from front to rear so as to stand at right-angles to the longitudinal axis of the corresponding shaft 6 as shown by the relationship of the center lines in Fig. 1, H representing the center line of the tool head and 17-h representing the center line of the cutters and their pins. The teeth of the cutters are thus arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tool so that the cutters Will have a self-feeding action which brings the thrust of the rear cutters against the removable wear plate and the thrust of the forward cutters against the wall I. The wear plate has shouldered portions 9 which seat against shoulders 3 upon the wall 3 so that the wear plate is held positively against displacement or forward movement in operation. One portion of the intermediate wall 3 is cut away as shown at It to facilitate the insertion and removal of the wear plate. It will be noticed that in the present case this wear plate 9 is in the form of three wings and when it is desired to install a wear plate it is inserted into the cage in a sidewise direction so that two of the wings will be in the portion of the cage between the bearing seat 3' on the wall 3 and the head 2 and one of the wings between the seat 3' and the head I after which the plate may be tilted so that the wing which is between the head I and wall 3 will pass through the cutaway portion of wall 3 after which the plate may be straightened up and seated against the wall 3. In removing a worn plate the operation is reversed.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 there is shown a modification in which the cutter shafts indicated at B are mounted in slotted openings II in a removable bushing [2. The parts in the modified view are otherwise the same and are given the same reference characters with the addition of prime marks.

In either one of these constructions when the wear plate is in position on the seat, the shoulders of the wear plate and the seat firmly abut each other so as to positively prevent any forward movement of the removable wear plate.

There is a multiplicity of cutters on each shaft or pin 6. The front end of the cutters is in the space between the intermediate wall 3 and the front wall I, the other cutter or cutters being located in the space between the intermediate wall 3 and the rear wall 2. Three of these outters for each shaft or pin are illustrated in the drawings. The front cutters on each pin are made slightly tapered to enter into the tube to be cleaned. All cutters are also preferably provided with teeth or serrations and the cutters,

as before described are arranged at an angle to the axis of rotation so that when the cleaner is entered into a tube with the cutters of each pair contacting with the scale or other foreign substance to be removed the rotation of the cleaner with its cutters will tend to draw the cleaner into the tube making an automatic or self feed.

The pins or shafts 6 are also preferably slightly shorter than the total distance from the outer side of the head 2 to the end of the front cutter of its pair so that the end of the pin does not contact with the head I but the ends of the cutter maycontact with the insides of the respective walls so that as the cleaner is drawn in by the rotation of the cutters or is withdrawn by the extended tube or hose which supplies the motor, not shown, it will bring the thrust between the outer end of the cutters and their respective walls in a forward direction.

In assembling the parts of the cleaner the wear plate 9 is first inserted in the cage and seated in the intermediate wall 3 as set forth. A pair of cutters are in their proper positions and a pin or shaft 6 is then inserted through an opening in the rear head 2 passing through the rear cutters and the bearing in the wear plate and then through the front cutter of the pair. This operation is repeated for each pair of cutters and a flanged collar !a screwed on the threaded stem l5 on the head 2 is arranged to cover the opening and prevent the pins or shafts from moving longitudinally backwardly through the head 2.

The pin or shaft which supports the cutters are what is termed a floating type, that is, in operation with the pressure on the cutters the pins will be normally turned or rotated by the cutters in the respective bearings in the wear plate and in the rear head although under certain conditions the cutters may turn on the shaft.

Since there is no bearing or support for the pins at their extreme forward end the greatest wear on the bearing for the pins will occur on the wear plate 9 in the intermediate wall 3 so that by having this wear plate removable and replaceable the life of the cleaner will be materially extended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage, shafts mounted in said cage, rotary cutter elements mounted on said shafts, elongated fixed bearings at the rear end of said cage for said shafts, and a forward bearing in said cage arranged intermediate the ends thereof having elongated openings for said shafts, said forward bearing being removably mounted in said cage, and interengaging shoulders between said forward bearing and cage to prevent displacement of said forward bearing in a forward direction.

2. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage, shafts mounted in said cage, rotary cutter elements mounted on said shafts, elongated fixed bearings at the rear end of said cage for said shafts, a

forward bearing having elongated openings for said shafts, seats on said cage intermediate the ends thereof against which said forward bearing is removably positioned, said forward bearing being formed of a plurality of wings, two of which when the forward bearing is to be inserted are positioned fiatwise in the space between the rear bearing and said seat and the other wing between the seat and the forward end of the cage, said seat having an opening of sufficient width to permit the last mentioned wing to be tilted therethrough so that the entire forward bearing may be positioned in the space between the rear bearing and the seat, the seat for said forward bearing being constructed to prevent displacement of said forward bearing in a forward direction when positioned thereon.

3. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having front and rear fixed heads and an intermediate wall between said heads, a series of shafts each having a bearing seat in the rear wall and a removable wear plate in the intermediate wall having bearings for said shafts, a plurality of cutters mounted on each shaft, the front cutter of each series being located between the front head and the intermediate removable wear plate, teeth or serrations on the cutters, the cutters of each series being arranged at an angle to the aXis of rotation to cause the cleaner to advance in a tube, and interengaglng parts between the removable wear plate and the intermediate wall to receive the thrust of the cutters as they are advanced into or removed from the tube into which they'are inserted.

4. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having a fixed rear Wall, said wall having associated therewith a plurality of substantially radially-extending slots, intermediate seats formed on the interior of said cage, a removable wear plate adapted to bear upon said seats to confine said plate against forward movement, said wear plate having slots which extend substantially in a radial direction, removable shafts carried in the slots of, said rear wall and said seat, and cutters mounted upon said shafts.

5. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having a fixed rear wall, said wall having associated therewith a plurality of substantially radially extending slots, a plurality of pairs of intermediate fixed seats carried by the interior of said cage, a removable wear plate, said removable wear plate comprising a plurality of radially extending arms adapted to bear upon said seats to confine said plate and arms against forward movement, at leastone pair of said seats being formed to permit the passage of one of said arms therethrough to allow said Wear plate to be installed or removed, each arm having a slot which extends substantially in a radial direction, removable shafts carried in the slots of said' rear wall and saidarms, and cutters mounted upon said shafts.

WALTER T. HAMILTON.

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