US2727559A

US2727559A - Tube flaring tool

Info

Publication number: US2727559A
Application number: US252635A
Authority: US
Inventors: George E Franck
Original assignee: Imperial Brass Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Imperial Brass Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1951-10-23
Filing date: 1951-10-23
Publication date: 1955-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 1972-12-20

Description

Dec. 20, 1955 I G. E. FRANCK TUBE FLARING TOOL Filed Oct. '23, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent Imperial a corporation of This invention relates to a flaring tool and more particularly to a flaring tool adapted to produce a flare on the end of a tube.

It is the general object of this invention to produce a new and improved flaring tool.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a flaring tool of the type having a plurality of generally conical rollers rotatably carried in a conical flaring head, the rollers projecting from the head to engage the tube and perform the flaring operation, in which the base of each roller is spherical and in which the member against which the spherical ends of the rollers bear during a flaring operation is so spaced relative to the flaring head as to permit very slight axial shift of the rollers so that the rollers during a flaring operation have substantially only line contact with the surfaces defining the recesses in which they are carried.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tube flaring tool embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the center portion of the tool shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the lower end of the shaft and the cone carried thereby;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the cone showing the rollers positioned therein; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the tube flaring cone.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

For the purposes of exemplary disclosure, the flaring means of this invention is shown as embodied in a tube flaring tool of the type described in my copending application Serial No. 206,993 filed January 20, 1951, now Patent No. 2,707,511, dated May 3, 1955, and comprises a yoke having a pair of

legs

11 and 12, each provided with a step portion 13 adapted to support a tube clamping device 14 which operates to hold a tube 15 in position to be flared.

The apex 16 of the yoke is provided with an integral internally threaded collar portion 17, the threads of which engage the threads provided on the outer surface of a hollow shaft 18. Rotatably secured within the hollow of the shaft 18 is a solid cylindrical shaft 20 provided with a squared portion 21 at its upper end to which is secured a handle 22 for rotating the shaft. Means in the form of a lost-motion connection 23 are provided for connecting the handle to the shaft 18 so that rotation of the handle produces not only rotation of the shaft 20, but also rotation of the shaft 18 to rotate a tube flaring cone 24 secured to the end of the shaft to advance the cone against the end of a tube to be flared. The lost-motion connection includes a first pin 26 secured to the handle 22 with the pin being adapted to contact a second pin 27 secured to a collar 28 in turn secured to the threaded shaft 18. Thus as the handle 22 is rotated the pins are brought into contact with each other to rotate the shaft 18 with rotation of the handle. When the flaring operation is completed and rotation of the handle is reversed, the handle and hence the shaft 20 and cone 24 are rotated slightly less than 360 without rotating the shaft 18 to provide the proper burnishing action on the flare produced. Clearly, continued rotation of the handle in the reverse direction after the pins again have come into contact serves to rotate the threaded shaft 18 to withdraw the cone from the flared end to the tube.

The flaring cone 24 is provided with a frusto-conical portion 30 and a tapered base portion 31 and preferably is formed integrally with the shaft 20. Formed in the cone portion 30 is a plurality of semi-conical recesses 32, each so formed as rotatably to support a roller 33. As can be seen from the drawings, the rollers 33 are in the shape of a frustum of a cone and are equally spaced around the cone portion 30 with the axes of the rollers, if projected downwardly, intersecting at a point which is also intersected by a projection of the axis of the cone portion 30. As the cone portion 30 is symmetrically formed on the shaft 20, clearly the point above referred to is also intersected by a projection of the axis of rotation of that shaft.

Each of the recesses 32 extends more than around each roller so that the rollers maybe dropped into the recesses and be held therein without the need of providing further retaining means. Substantially the entire surface of each recess is in contact with the roller there in to produce a flush contact providing firm support. During the flaring operation, however, it is clear that an upward force is exerted upon each roller which would tend to lift the rollers out of the recesses. To retain the rollers in their proper position under such circumstances there is provided a member 35 secured to the shaft 20, as by the pin 36, with the member being provided with a flared skirt portion 37, the undersurface 38 of which is slightly spaced above the tapered portion 31 of the cone 24. The undersurface 38 provides a thrust bearing for the rollers, the base of each of which is formed into a semi-spherical section 39 to form a bearing surface. During the flaring operation, however, the rollers are subject to an upward force and the skirt is so positioned as to permit the rollers to move upwardly slightly under the pressures exerted. This slight shift of the rollers reduces the contact with the recesses to a line contact, that is, the

20 and simultaneously The device just described is one which is quite simple to assemble. In such assembly it is only necessary to drop the rollers 33 into the various recesses and then to drop the member 35 down the shaft until the skirt portion 37 overlies the rollers, with the underbearing surwith the bearing surfaces provided on the base of each roller, and then to insert the pin 36 to hold the member 35 in such a position. The shaft 20 may then be inserted within the hollow shaft 18, the latter threaded into the collar portion 17, and the handle 22 secured to the upper end of the shaft 20.

Not only does the device of this invention produce a tube flaring tool which is simple to assemble but the rollers themselves provide a means of producing an excellent flare on the end of a tube with While it has been pointed out that an exerted on the rollers tending to lift them out of the recesses during the flaring operation, most of the force is exerted inwardly on the rollers forcing them against the surface of the recesses in which they are located. The line contact between the inner surface of the rollers and the inner surface of the recesses produced by the flaring pressures provides a bearing surface which permits the rollers to rotate with a minimum of eflort during the flaring operation.

I claim:

1. In a tube flaring tool, a tube flaring head comprising a cone having a tapered base portion and a frusto-conical cone portion provided with three semi-conical recesses equally spaced therearound with each of said recesses being radially arranged with respect to the axis of the cone portion, a frusto-conical roller in each recess and held therein by flush contact with the surface of the recess which extends more than 180 around each roller, a semi-spherical bearing surface integrally formed on the base of each roller, and a member secured in fixed relationship to the cone and having a skirt portion extending over and slightly spaced from the tapered base of the cone, said skirt portion being adapted to contact the bearing surface of each roller to retain the rollers in the recesses and to provide a thrust bearing therefor, with said skirt being so spaced from said base of the cone as to permit a slight shift of the rollers toward the base of the recesses under the pressures exerted during the flaring operation to reduce the contact between the rollers and the recesses to a line contact along the inner sides of each recess and roller.

2. A tube flaring tool comprising a substantially U- shaped frame member having a threaded opening in the base portion thereof, a hollow shaft having external threads engaging with the threads in said opening, a rod rotatably supported in the hollow of the shaft, a handle on one end of the rod for rotating the same, a lost movery little effort. upward force is tion connection between the handle and the shaft whereby a reversal in the direction of rotation of the handle serves to rotate the rod without rotating the shaft until said handle has been rotated a substantial portion of a single revolution and then to rotate the shaft with the rod, a cone having a tapered base portion secured to the other end of the rod, said cone having a fnlsto-conical cone portion provided with three semi-conical recesses equally spaced therearound with each of said recesses being radially arranged with respect to the axis of the cone portion, a frusto-conical roller in each recess and held therein by flush contact with the surface of the recess which extends more than 180 around each roller, a semispherical bearing surface integrally formed on the base of each roller, and a member secured in fixed relationship to the cone and having a skirt portion extending over and slightly spaced from the tapered base of the cone, said skirt portion being adapted to contact the hearing surface of each roller to retain the rollers in the recesses and to provide a thrust bearing therefor, with said skirt being so spaced from said base of the cone as to permit a slight shift of the rollers toward the base of the recesses under the pressures exerted during the flaring operation to reduce the contact between the rollers and the recesses to a line contact along the inner sides of each recess and roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 775,572 Lovekin Nov. 22,1904 1,312,333 Lebow Aug. 5, 1919 1,610,463 Mirfield Dec. 14, 1926 1,680,798 Maupin Aug. 14, 1928 1,752,508 Schultis Apr. 1, 1930 1,795,358 Arndt Mar. 10, 1931 2,072,359 Dobrick Mar. 2, 1937 2,546,756 Knowlton Mar. 27, 1951