US3137975A - Portable cleaning tool and the like - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1964 D. D, JONES ETAL 3,137,975

PORTABLE CLEANING TOOL AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. l, 1962 United States Patent O 3,137,975 PRTABLE CLEANING TOOL AND TIM LIKE Donald D. Jones, Roxana, and Charles A. Headley, Alton, Ill., assignors to McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, St. Louis County, Mo., a corporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 234,756 7 Claims. (Cl. 51-73) The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 (72 Stat. 426; 42 U.S.C. 2451), as amended'.

The present invention relates generally to cleaning tools and the like and more particularly to a portable tool for cleaning and/ or polishing surfaces such as surfaces on tubular and cylindrical members.

Many tools and other means have been devised and used for cleaning and polishing various objects. So far as known, however, no one heretofore has devised a portable tool which is particularly constructed and adapted to clean and/ or polish an external cylindrical surface such as the outer surface of a tube or pipe while keeping the interior of the same free of contamination and at the same time protecting the immediately adjacent area from any loose particles or Icontaminants. There are many objects and devices which can be cleaned and polishedy by the subject tool, and there are many reasons for cleaning and polishing surfaces. For example, it is often necessary to clean a portion of a member in order to make a good connection thereof to another member. Furthermore, the cleaning oftentimes has to be performed at a work site and under conditions of limited access and restricted working conditions. No known tool has been satisfactory for these purposes. rI`he present invention however, overcomes these disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art by teaching the construction and operation of a simple hand tool which is particularly adapted to operate in conditions of limited space, and access to clean and/or polish cylindrical parts such as parts of tubes and pipes to be joineld.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple portable hand tool for cleaning and polishing cylindrical surfaces.

Another object is to provide a tool which can operate in places of limited access and space.

Another object is to provide means for improving connections between tubular and cylindrical members and the like.

Another object is to provide a relatively inexpensive tool which requires little or no special skill or training to operate.

Another object is to provide a tool which can be made to operate on different sized work.

Another object is to provide a cleaning tool which can be powered by conventional available power sources.

Another object is to provide a cleaning and polishing tool with vacuum suction means for carrying away debris.

Yet another object is to provide a relative light weight cleaning and polishing tool.

The subject tool comprises a housing having a handle portion on one end and a work engaging portion on another end, said work engaging portion having a work receiving opening and a tool member rotatably positioned therein, said tool member having an open end and a cylindrical abrasive inner surface large enough to freely receive a portion of a member to be cleaned and/ or polished, drive means operatively connected to said tool member for rotating said tool member in the work receiving opening, and vacuum suction means including a conduit mounted in said housing, said conduit having a suction inlet adjacent to the open end of the work piece ICC and means connecting said conduit to a vacuum pressure source.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification of a preferred embodiment of the subject tool in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of a tool constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the tool of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the tool as seen on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numbers, number 1l) refers to a cleaning tool designed specifically to clean and/or polish the end portions of tubular members such as the end portion of tubular member 11 in FIG. 3. The tool 10 has a housing 12 with a handle portion 13 and a head or operating portion 14. The operating portion 14 has a cylindrical chamber 15 in which is rotatably positioned a cylindrical member 16. The member 16 has a cylindrical socket 17 in which is positioned a tubular cleaning or abrading member 13 which is the work engaging member of the tool. The inner surface 19 of the member 18 is formed by a cleaning, abrading or polishing substance.

The member 16 has a shaft portion 20 which extends rerawardly therefrom through the operating portion 14 of the housing. The shaft portion 20 has a gear 22 mounted thereon at an intermediate location and the gear is connected to the shaft portion 20 by a pin 23. The pin 23 extends across a passage 21 through the shaft 20 but is smaller than the passage 21 to allow air to flow into the tool from outside.

The gear 22 on the shaft 20 meshes at right angles with a drive gear 24 pinned to a drive shaft 25 by another pin 26. The drive shaft 25 extends through the handle portion 13 of the housing 12 and is rotatably supported in bearing members 27, 27a and 28 (FIG. 1). The end of the drive shaft 25 opposite from the gears 22 and 24 extends outwardly from the handle portion 13 of the housing for cooperation with a chuck 29 on an electric drill or other similar portable power tool. A flexible cable drive connection can also be used.

A tubular conduit 30 is also positioned inside the housing 12 to provide vacuum suction for carrying away material removed during cleaning and polishing. The conduit 30 has one end 31 that communicates with the head portion 14 of the tool ahead of the open end of the rotatable member 16. The opposite end of the conduit 3i) extends from the handle portion 13 and has a ltting 32 thereon for connection to a source of vacuum pressure (not shown).

The head or operating end of the tool 10 is also provided with a front cover` 33 that `has a circular work receiving opening with an annular groove 34 formed.

around the edge thereof. The groove 34 receives a re.- silient member 35 that has al tapered annular inwardly extending portion 36 delining an opening therethrough. The member 35 receives a tube to be cleaned and/or polished. The tool 10 operates best if the tapered portion 36 of the resilient member 35 engages the tubeall the way around to form a seal therewith even when the tube 11 is moved laterally in the opening `into engagement with the cleaning or abrading member 18 (FIG. 3). This is so that when the tool is operating air cannot enter the tool through the opening in the member 33. The end of the tube 11 is also partially closed by a plug 37 which is designed to protect the end of the tube and also to allow air from a source connected to the tube at a remote location (not shown) to move thereby. The plug 37 as shown is constructed of a metal member 37a which has a central port 37b therethrough. An annular resilient member 37C is positioned on the member 37a and engages the end of the tube 11. The combination of the suction tube 30, the passage 21, and a remote air source establish flow out from and around the end of the tube and through the socket 17 in the space between the tube 11 and the liner 18. This ow pattern carries the residue produced during cleaning out through the suction tube 30. In some cases where extreme cleanliness is required, the remote air source may be replaced by a source of an inert gas such as argon. This is done to prevent oxidation of the parts being cleaned.

The housing 12 is also provided with a removable cover plate 38 opposite from the front cover 33 for access to the gears 22 and 24. The cover 38 is attached to the housing by screws 39. Another screw 40 (FIG. 5) is provided to hold the bearing member 27a in position. A bearing member 41 is also mounted in the head portion 14 of the housing 12 to rotatably support the tubular shaft 20 (FIG. 3).

The cleaning member 18 can be frictionally engaged in the socket 17 or if desired can be attached by adhesive means. The member 18 has a larger internal diameter than the outside diameter of the tube 11 or other member to be cleaned, and cleaning is accomplished by holding the tool on the end of the tube 11 as shown in FIG. 3 and moving the tool (or the tube) around in the socket so that all portions of the tube are cleaned. This normally requires very little strength or movement and can be performed in a very limited area with limited access.

One of the main purposes for the present tool is to provide means for preparing the end portions of tubes prior to connecting them to other tubes, pipes or ttings by a brazing or soldering process. If such connections are to be strong and leakproof it is necessary to have the surfaces to be joined in extremely clean conditions. In some cases cleaning alone may not be enough and it may be necessary to also polish the tube ends to assure a strong connection. This can be done by the present tool using a ner abrasive. It is also contemplated to use the subjected tool as a grinder to remove high spots and roughness and possibly also to reduce the size of the tube or other object. This can be done with the subject tool using still diierent grades of abrasive materials. Many other uses and operations can also be performed with the subject tool and will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Thus there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of a novel tool which fullls all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications and variations of the subject tool, however, will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawing. All such changes, modications and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for cleaning a work piece, the tool comprising a body having a chamber therein, a closure for said chamber formed with an opening to receive the work piece, a cleaning member rotatably mounted in said body and confined in said chamber in position to engage the work piece, said chamber having spaced inlet and outlet openings communicating through said cleaning member, suction means connected to said outlet opening to induce a flow in said chamber past said cleaning member and work piece engaged therewith to carry off the substance cleaned from the work piece, and means operatively connected to said cleaning member to rotate the same to clean the work piece.

2. A tool for cleaning a work piece, the tool comprising a body having a chamber formed with an opening to receive the work piece, a cleaning member rotatably mounted in said body and confined to said chamber adjacent said work piece opening, said chamber having an inlet opening remote from and an outlet opening adjacent to said work piece opening and in communication through said cleaning member, suction means connected to said outlet opening to cause flow in said chamber from said inlet to said outlet opening and carry off substances cleaned from the work piece, and seal means in said work piece receiving opening to embrace the work piece and prevent short circuiting ow in said chamber from said work piece receiving opening to said outlet opening.

3. A tool for cleaning the exterior end of a tubular work piece, said tool including a body having a chamber with an enlarged opening and an opposite small opening, a work piece cleaning member carried by said body and operatively mounted in said chamber opposite said enlarged opening and in communication with said small opening, said chamber having an outlet opening adjacent said enlarged opening, the work piece entering said enlarged opening engaging said cleaning member between said enlarged and small openings, a exible seal in said enlarged opening embracing the work piece and yielding upon relative movement between said cleaning member and work piece, and suction means connected to said outlet opening to induce flow thereto from said small opening and the tubular work piece, said seal preventing short circuiting flow between said outlet and adjacent enlarged opening.

4. A tool for cleaning a tubular work piece, comprising a plug in one end of the work piece and means to clean the exterior surface at the plugged end of said work piece, said means including a body providing a chamber enclosing the plugged end of said work piece, a cleaning member operatively arranged in said body and chamber to receive the plugged end of said work piece, said cleaning member having an opening communicating with the exterior of said body, said chamber having a suction out let spaced from said cleaning member opening to induce a flow through said opening toward said outlet over said work piece and past said plugged end to carry ofi substances cleaned from said work piece, and means in said body connected to said cleaning member to rotate the latter relative to said work piece.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said chamber is formed with an access opening for said work piece, and a flexible seal is mounted therein to embrace said work piece and permit movement thereof while maintaining sealed relationship.

6. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said plug has an orifice therein to open the interior of said work piece to said chamber for flow through said Work piece to flush out substances cleaned therefrom.

7. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said plug has an orifice therein to open the interior of said work piece to said chamber, and said plug orice and said opening in said cleaning member being in off-set relation to avoid flow from said work piece and opening being in direct opposition.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,390,354 Fried Sept. 13, 1921 1,928,506 Sellberg et al Sept. 26, 1933 2,707,854 Johnson May l0, 1955 2,773,337 De Marchi Dec. l1, 1956 2,793,473 Hickman May 28, 1957

Claims (1)

1. A TOOL FOR CLEANING A WORK PIECE, THE TOOL COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A CHAMBER THEREIN, A CLOSURE FOR SAID CHAMBER FORMED WITH AN OPENING TO RECEIVE THE WORK PIECE, A CLEANING MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY AND CONFINED IN SAID CHAMBER IN POSITION TO ENGAGE THE WORK PIECE, SAID CHAMBER HAVING SPACED INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS COMMUNICATING THROUGH SAID CLEANING MEMBER, SUCTION MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OUTLET OPENING TO INDUCE A FLOW IN SAID CHAMBER PAST SAID CLEANING MEMBER AND WORK PIECE ENGAGED THEREWITH TO CARRY OFF THE SUBSTANCE CLEANED FROM THE WORK PIECE, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CLEANING MEMBER TO ROTATE THE SAME TO CLEAN THE WORK PIECE.

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