US2304023A

US2304023A - Pipe cleaner

Info

Publication number: US2304023A
Application number: US252062A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sandin Per Nilsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-01-24
Filing date: 1939-01-21
Publication date: 1942-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1959-12-01

Description

Dec. 1, 1942. P. N. sANDlN 2,304,023.

' PIPE CLEANER Filed Jan. 21, 1939 3 sheets-sheet 2 Inventor:

@l ZM-Qi? Decul, 1942.

PIPE CLEANER Fil-ed Jan'. 21, 19559 T TQC P. N. SANDIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 1, 1942 zoiozs UNITED STATES PATENT @ENCE Per Nilsson Sandin, Angelholm, Sweden Application January 21, 1939, Serial No. 252,062 In Sweden January 24, 1938 3 Claims. (Cl. 15--104.18)

This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning drains and other pipes especially in industrial works such as tanneries, slaughter houses, sulphite works and so on as well as domestic drains, so that the pipe will not become choked up and the outflow of water hindered or rendered difficult by the gradually increasing layers of soil in the discharged Water.

According to the invention, there is provided a pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conical body, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body, traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body and extending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrangement being such that, when the Vcleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction, the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantially cy-` lindrical member adjacent to the base of said body whilst, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in the opposite direction, the cleaning members are swung outwards against the wall of the pipe to scrape oit sediment and bring it out of the pipe, angle levers integral with and projecting inwardly of the cleaner from said cleaning members, pivoted on projections on said conical body, and a second traction means extending in the opposite direction from said rst traction means and arranged to operate upon the inner ends of said angle levers, so that when "l said traction means is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bell crank and force said cleaning members outwardly towards the pipe interior.

It is important to note that a pipe can be cleaned with the present apparatus even when in use, since the more water there is flowing through the pipe, the greater the ease in discharging the soil.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing two forms of construction by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through -v the apparatus according to one embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 shows the operation of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus according to the second embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the apparatus i' on the line V-V in Figure 4.

The chief element of the cleaner consists of a substantially conical case I at the lower end of which a number of projections 2 are formed, which serve as bearings for pivots 3. Scrapers are pivotally mounted on these pivots 3 and will be referred to in detail hereinafter. 'I'he conical case I is provided with a central bore 4 'in which a rod 5 is guided. A tubular extension 4' with the rod 5 extends beyond the case I tothe lower side of Fig. 1. At its free end, the tube 4' -is provided with a disc 6 and beyond this disc the rod 5 is screwthreaded and fitted withl a nut "I which is drawn tight against the disc. At the opposite end, the rod 5 is provided with a` flange 8 which rests against the end of the case I and is formed with an eye or hook 9 with which another eye or hook I0 co-operates and which latter is held together by means of the bolt II and nut I2. The hook lil is secured to the end of a steel wire I3 indicated in Fig. V3.

The exterior of the conical case I, has a number of ribs I4 which serve to break up preliminarily the coatings of soil in thepipe I5 which is to be cleaned.

The cleaning members or Scrapers, which are formed as angle levers, consist of curved plates I which are located in a circle to form a cylinder. The plates I I5 are provided with two perpendicular inwardly directed arms I'I whichembrace each of the projections 2 and are extended inwardly towards the -axis of the cleaner. t the free end ofl each arm I1, there is connected by means of a hinge I8, a rod I9 mounted parallel to the bore 4. These rods 'I9 pass through openings 20 in the .disc 6 and openings 2l in a disc 22 disposed behind disc 6. The disc 22 serves as a common xing member for the rods I9 the ends of which are screwthreaded and tted with nuts 23. The disc is formed at its center with an eye orl hook 24 with which engages the eye 21 of a wire 28 forming the first traction means by means of a bolt 25 and nut 25. This steel wire 28 is shown in the schematic Fig. 3.

Surrounding the plates I6 are members 29 forming cleaning elements which are to connect the soil in the pipe and being somewhat longer than the plates and bent somewhat inwardly at the free ends so that when the cleaner is moved backwards, they will not hinder the movement through roughnesses in the pipe I5 for example at joints such as those shown at 3,0. Besides these large cleaning elements 29 the plates IS may also carry smaller ones 3i formed in the same manner. ment 2S is provided with an edge 32 which bears against the edge of the disc 6. A

It is advantageous for the steel wire I3, which wire serves as the rst traction means for pull- On the inside, each cleaning eleing the apparatus through the tube or pipe I5 to be permanently situated therein and for this purpose it may be made of any suitable material which will not be affected by the coating of soil in the pipe.

When the pipe I5 is to be cleaned the cleaner is attached to the end of wire I3 by the members 9 and IIl and the wire, with the apparatus, is then engaged kin the pipe. It is assumed that the wire 26 has already been secured to the other end of the apparatus. When placed in the pipe the cleaner members i. e. plates I6 are kept close against the sides of the apparatus, see the left side of Fig. 3. After moving the

apparatus

2 or 3 feet in the pipe I5, the pull on the wire I3 is discontinued and then the wire 28 is pulled by a grab or the like in the opposite direction. This pulling action will draw the rods I9 to the lower side of Fig. 1 and the plates I6 will therefore be caused to swing about the pivots 3 until the cleaning elements are brought into the position shown in dotted lines. The movement is limited by the inner ends of the plates and stopped by the projections 2. When the plates I 6 are swung -out they cut into the coating of soil in the pipe until they reach the wall of the pipe I5 and during the further movement of the cleaner, will loosen the coating on the wall and discharge it from the pipe. When the apparatus is inserted in the pipe the flanges I4 preliminarily break up the coating and facilitate the swinging movement of the plates I6. After the coating has been discharged from the pipe I5 the apparatus is again drawn farther along the pipe by the wire I3 and again by reversing the pull the coating can be removed further along the pipe by the wire I3 and again by reversing the pull the coating can be removed further along the pipe. This process is continued until the whole pipe is clear.

Also other shapes for ribs I4 may be advantageously employed.

The apparatus also may be constructed in a more simple manner, so that no movable parts,

with the exception of the plate-like cleaning members and a common operation member for the same, are used.

Fig. 4 shows such a construction wherein the conical case is shown at I and the pivots of the cleaning members at 3. consist, as in the rst embodiment, of curved plates I6, which are fixed to angle levers Il.

The rods 5 and I9 of the first embodiment are replaced by one single rod 35 arranged in the middle of the apparatus and connected with the one traction means for instance a steel wire 43. The said rod 35 is guided at one end in an opening in a plate 36 at the upper end of the conical case I. The rod 35 is provided with two anges 38, between which the bent ends 39 of the inwardly directed arms I I of the angle levers catch. When the steel wire is pulled, the rod 35 will be moved in longitudinal direction, whereupon the arms I'I will be pressed into the position shown dotted and the cleaning members will be swung out against the walls of the pipe, 'similarly as described with reference to the first embodiment.

In order to protect the movable parts of the cleaner, the conical body member I is provided with an additional casing 49 forming an extension thereof. The casing 40 decreases in diameter in the direction away from the member I, and is provided with a wall at this extremity which forms a bearing for the rod 35. The two parts I, 46 thus together form a closed case for The cleaning members i the movable parts, which case may be filled with lubricant. The cleaning members on the inner side are provided with stops 4I or the like, with which they rest against the outer side of the case 40. The case 40 may have any suitable form and is fixed to the apparatus body I by means of bolts 42, which are arranged in recesses at the outer side of the same and put through an inwardly directed flange 44 in the apparatus body.

The cleaning members are arranged with their pivots 3 in corresponding recesses in both cases I and 40.

I 'claimt 1. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conical body, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body, traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body and extending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrangement being such that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction, the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantially cylindrical member adjacent to the base of said body whilst, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in the opposite direction, the cleaning members are swung outwards against the wall of the pipe to scrape oiic sediment and bring it out of the pipe, angle levers integral with and projecting inwardly of the cleaner from said cleaning members, pivoted on projections on said conical body, and a second traction means extending in the opposite direction from said rst traction means and arranged tooperate upon the innerl ends of said angle levers, so that when said second traction means is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bell crank and force said cleaning members outwardly `towards the pipe interior.

2. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conical body, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body, traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body and extending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrangement being such that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction, the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantially cylindrical member adjacent to the base of said body whilst, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in the opposite direction, the cleaning members are swung outwards against the wall of the pipe to scrape off sediment and bring it out of the pipe, angle levers integral with and projecting inwardly of the cleaner from said cleaning members, pivoted on projections on said conical body, a plurality of rods, each hingedly connected to an angle lever at its innermost end, a disc, connected to the other ends of said rods, and a second traction means extending in the opposite direction from said first traction means and operatively attached to said disc, whereby when said second traction means is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bell crank andforce said cleaning members outwardly towards the pipe interior.

3. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conical body, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body, traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body and extending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrange-ment being such that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction, the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantially cylinond traction means extending in the opposite direction from said rst traction means and operatively attached to said disc, whereby when said second traction means is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bell crank and force said cleaning members outwardly towards the pipe interior, and ribs on said conical body for effecting a preliminary breaking up of the soil when the cleaner is drawn through the pipe.

PER NILSSON SANDIN.