US3385092A - Tube-bending machine - Google Patents

Description

v. P. SCOTT 3,385,092

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Vicfior P. 800% TUBE-BENDING MACHINE 5 llii May 28, 1968 Filed Jan ATTORNEYS May 28, 1968 v. P. sco'r'r 3,385,092

TUBE-BENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 B-cyl cyI-2 INVENTOR. VicfiorP. Scotk BY 9m 3W8 W A'I'I'ORNEYS May 28, 1968 v. P. SCOTT TUBE-BENDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan.

INVENTOR. VicwrP. Scott 9m, AM W Y B cm on Q- 9. mm T1 18 AITORNEYS United States Patent 3,385,092 TUBE-BENDING MACHINE Victor P. dcott, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Macomber, Incorporated, Canton, ()hio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 518,893 16 Claims. (Cl. 72-381) The invention relates to the bending of tubes, rods and the like, and more particularly to an apparatus designed for bending steel tubes into zig-zag shape, to form the webportion of the well known Macomber fabricated steel joist, beam and girder, of the general type disclosed in Macornber Patent No. 2,457,250, issued Dec. 28, 1948.

Such fabricated steel structural members comprise a zig-zag or revcrsely bent web member welded at alternate bends to top and bottom chord members, such points of welding being coincident with the panel points of the joist or other fabricated structural member.

Various types of apparatus have been designed for bending tubes, rods, bars and the like for forming such web members, but prior to the present invention no entirely satisfactory mechanism has been provided for the purpose.

One such apparatus is relatively expensive to construct, comprising a plurality of slide members, slidable upon a main frame relative to each other in order to perform the bending operation. Another of these machines comprises a heavy complicated apparatus, including large cam cylinders for operating bending levers, jaws and the like to bend the web member.

It is not known that any of such machines is in commerical use, and under present practice this bending of web members is performed manually, which is a slow, tedious and expensive operation.

As such fabricated structural members are made in lengths up to sixty feet, the web member is very difficult to handle after the first few bends have been formed therein, and it is very difiicult to maintain uniform bends throughout the length of the web members.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive machine to bend a tube or the like reversely to form a successive series of oppositely directed Vs to produce a zig-zag bent web member for use in a prefabricated steel joist or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character in which a length of tube or the like is continuously advanced and bent into zig-zag form by a series of pneumatic cylinders controlled by solenoidoperated air valves.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a tube-bending apparatus in which the pneumatic cylinders are automatically operated in proper sequence by fourway air valves, each operated by two solenoids.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tube-bending apparatus of the character referred to in which a tube or the like is clamped by a longitudinally immovable die and a die upon a longitudinally slidable plate, toggle levers being pivotally connected to each other and to a transversely movable bending die at one end, one lever being pi-votally connected at its other end near the longitudinally immovable die, and the other lever being pivot-ally connected at its other end to the slidable plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tubebending apparatus of this type, in which one of the toggle levers has a longitudinal slot at the pivotal connection to the bending die.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a tube-bending apparatus in which the bending die is connected to the piston rod of a transversely located pivoted pneumatic cylinder, and in which a pivoted pickup link is provided for engaging the pivot pin of the toggle levers and swinging said cylinder upon its pivot.

3,385,992 Patented May 28, 1968 'ice The above and other objects, apparent from the drawings and following description, may be attained, the above described difficulties overcome and the advantages and results obtained, by the apparatus, construction, arrangements and combinations, subcornbinations and parts which comprise the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principle, being set forth in detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a web-bending machine embodying the invention, showing a length of tube or the like inserted into the machine and advanced to the position of the first bend;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing a subsequent bending operation;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, showing the parts in the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section, on a larger scale, taken on the line 4-4, FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5, FIG. 4, showing the gripping dog for feeding the tube or the like forward;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 6-6, FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 7-7, FIG. 2, showing the clamp upon the sliding plate;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary rear elevation taken on the line 8-8, FIG. 7, showing the adjustable pivot for one of the toggle levers;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 9-9, FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 10-10, FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section on the line 11-11, FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary section of the toggle levers and portions of the bending cylinder and piston rod after making a bend and starting to retract;

FIG. 13 is a similar view in the fully retracted position of the bending cylinder;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view of the pneumatic system including the pneumatic cylinders and the solenoid valves which actuate the cylinders;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the cylinders and switches; and

FIG. 16 is a schematic wiring diagram.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout, as indicated in FIGS. 1, 2, 14 and 15, the machine is operated by a series of pneumatic cylinders including the feed cylinder F-cyl, the bending cylinder B-cyl, a first clamping cylinder cyl-l, and two cooperating clamping cylinders cyl-2 and cyl-3.

The apparatus may include a table 4, supported at suitable height above the fioor as by uprights 5. Above this table is provided a framework, indicated generally at 6, which supports the feed cylinder F-cyl in horizontal position.

The piston rod 7 of the feed cylinder is connected at its forward end to a rigid arm 8 upon a slide member 9 slidable upon the horizontal guide rods 10 supported horizontally in brackets 11 upon the frame 6.

A horizontally disposed sleeve 12 is rigidly connected to the slide member 9, as by the arm 13, and on the forward end thereof is located a bracket 14 upon which is pivoted as at 15 a dog 16 having a serrated lower end 17 and having a weighed arm 18 rigidly connected to its forward side to urged the same downwardly.

Upon the frame 6 is also supported the vertically spaced horizontal guides 19 between which is horizontally slidably mounted the sliding plate 20. Upon the sliding plate is mounted a clamp comprising a grooved die 21 and a bracket 22 having a horizontal foot 23 at its lower end located above the top of the grooved die 21 and so lined up with the sleeve 12 on the slide member 9 that a tube, rod or the like, as indicated at T, inserted through the sleeve 12 will be lined up with the die-clamp 21-22, so as to be received between the groove of the die 21 and the foot 23 of the bracket 22.

Mounted upon the sliding plate 20 are two limit switches indicated at SW-l and SW-Z. These may be limit switches of the type made by Allen Bradley Company. The switch SW-2 is adapted to be operated by a pair of adjustable stops 24 and 25 supported from the frame 6.

The bending cylinder B-cyl is pivotally connected at its upper end as at 26 to an upright support 27. The piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder B-cyl is pivotally connected to a pair of toggle levers 29 and 30. The opposite end of the toggle lever 29 is pivotally connected as at 31 to the sliding plate 26 and the opposite end of the toggle lever is pivotally connected to a stationary support such as the bracket 32, which may be mounted upon the upright 33. The toggle lever 30 may be provided with a slot 34 through which is located the pivot pin 35 which connects the toggle levers to the piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder B-cyl.

In order that the toggle levers 29 and 31) may be adjusted in length so as to bend tubes or the like into web members of different depths, sleeves 36 may be slidably adjustably mounted upon the ends thereof, as best shown in FIG. 12, being held in adjusted position as by set screws 37 in the sleeves for selective engagement in desired notches 38 in the adjacent edges of the levers 29 and 30. The pivot pins 31 and 31 are mounted upon the sleeves 36 for pivotal connection to the sliding plate 20 and to the stationary bracket 32, respectively.

A picloup link 39 is pivoted as at 40 upon the upright 27, below the lower end of the bending cylinder B-cyl, and is provided in its free end with a notch 41 for a purpose to be later described.

Normally, the pick-up link 39 rests by gravity upon the stop 42 upon the upright 27 or other permanent portion of the apparatus. A grooved bending die 4-3 is welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the head 44 upon the lower end of the bending cylinder piston rod 28.

As best shown in FIG. 9, the cylinder cyl-2 is pivotally mounted in vertical position upon a bracket 45 mounted upon the upright 33 or other stationary portion of the apparatus as by the pivots 46.

The lower end of the piston rod 47 of the cylinder cyl-Z may be pivotally connected, as indicated at 48, to a bifurcated member 49, welded or otherwise rigidly con nected to a vertically slidable member 50 slidable within the guideways 51. The lower end of the vertical sliding member 50 is curved forwardly and downwardly as indicated at 52in FIG. 3.

The guideways 51 may be mounted upon a bracket plate 32 rigidly connected to the upright 33 or other stationary portion of the apparatus and a laterally inclined bracket 54 is rigidly connected thereto and extends horizontally outwardly therefrom to support the cylinder cyl-3.

To mount the cylinder cyl-3 upon the inclined bracket 54 two spaced blocks 55 may be welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the underside of the bracket 54 and an inverted U-shape bracket 56 is welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the blocks 55. The cylinder cyl3 is pivotally mounted between the lower ends of the arms of the U-shape bracket 56 as indicated at 57.

The piston rod 58 of cylinder eyl-3 is pivotally connected, as at 59, to One arm of a bell-crank lever 60, pivoted at 61 upon a block 62 slidable in guideways 63 and spring-loaded as by the coil Spring 64, one end of which engages the sliding block 62 and the other end of which is located in the spring housing 65.

A disc-like die 66 is rigidly mounted upon the other arm of the bell crank lever 60 for cooperation with the lower end portion 52 of the vertical sliding die member 50 to clamp a tube or the like therebetween as will be later described.

The cylinder cyl1 is pivotally mounted, as indicated at 67, between the arms of a U-shape bracket 68 welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the spaced blocks 69 which are welded or otherwise permanently attached to the table 4 or other stationary portion of the apparatus.

The end of the piston rod 70, of cylinder cyl1, is pivotally connected, as at 71, to one arm of a bell crank lever 72 which is pivoted at 73 upon a block 74 slidable in guideways 75. Sliding block 74 is spring-loaded by a coil spring 76, one end of which bears against the sliding block 74 and the other end of which is located in the spring housing '77 which may be mounted between the spaced blocks 69.

A disc-like die 78 is fixed upon the other arm of the bell-crank lever 72 and cooperates with the upper curved end 79 of the stationary die member 80 as will be later described in detail.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 14, which is a diagrammatic view of the pneumatic system in which the cylinders are located, the pipe 81 receives air under pressure from any suitable source. A pipe 82 leads from the air supply pipe 81 to a four-way double-solenoid valve indicated at SVB. This may be the type of double-solenoid pilot-operated valve sold under the trademark Speed King by Bellows-Valvair Division of International Basic Economy Corporation of Akron, Ohio. The solenoids on this valve are indicated in FIG. 14 at 1 and 2 and are indicated on the wiring diagram, FIG. 16, at SVA-1 and SVA-2, respectively.

Pipe 83 leads from the four-Way solenoid valve SVB to the lower end of the bending cylinder B-cyl, and pipe 84 leads from the upper end of the bending cylinder to the four-way valve SVB, from which pipe 85 exhausts to the atmosphere.

Air pipe 81 is also connected to the four-way solenoid valve indicated at SVA, which is similar to the valve SVB and is provided with the solenoids 1 and 2 indicated in FIG. 16 as SVB-1 and SVB-2, respectively.

Pipe 86 leads from valve SVA to the forward end of feed cylinder F-cyl, and pipe 87 leads from the rear end of the feed cylinder and is connected, by pipe 88, to the four-way valve SVA, and by pipe 89 to the lower end of cylinder cyl-2, by pipe 90 to the forward end of cylinder cyl-3, and by pipe 91 to the forward end of cylinder cyl-l.

Pipe 92 leads from the rear end of cylinder cyl-l to pipe 86 and is connected to pipe 93 leading from the rear end of cylinder cyl-3, and to pipe 94 leading to the upper end of cylinder cyl-2. Pipe 95 leads from the solenoid valve SVA to the atmosphere.

Referring now to FIG. 16, SW4 indicates a selector switch which may be made by Allen Bradley Company. PR indicates a proximity switch, which is a micro switch, and PR1 the contacts in switch PR. CR indicates a control relay and CR1 and CR2 the contacts in relay CR. PBl, PB2, PB4 and PBS indicate push buttons for initial positioning of material. PBS and PB6 indicate push buttons for manual operation and emergency.

A forwardly and upwardly inclined guide track 96 may be provided for guiding the lower bends in a web member to the die member 80 and a horizontal guide track 97 may be located beyond the die member 80 for guiding the bent web members out of the machine.

On each side of the die member 80 is an upright 98 to the upper ends of which is connected a horizontal rod 99 so as to hold the partially bent web W in upright position between the back plate 100 and the horizontal rod 99, as best shown in FIG. 10.

In the operation of the apparatus, a tube or the like, as indicated at T, is manually inserted through the horizontal sleeve 12 and pushed forwardly until the forward end thereof is received between the grooved die 21 and the foot 23 of the bracket 22. The serrated lower end of the dog 16 will automatically engage the top of the tube as best shown in FIG. 5. The tube is thus clamped automatically for forward movement with the sleeve 12. Switch SW4 is then closed turning on the circuit. Then press the push button PBS (manually) to start the whole cyc e.

This opens the cylinders cyl-l, cyl-Z and cyl-3 and operates the feed cylinder F-cyl to feed the tube forward until the front end of the tube is located at the point of first bend, namely, between the vertically sliding die member 50 of the cylinder cyl-2 and the disc-like die member 66 of the cylinder cyl-3.

At the same time switch SW1 is triggered by slide member 9 on piston rod 7. Then through SVAl cylinders cyl-l, cyl-Z and cyl-3 are closed. This clamps the forward end of the tube between the cylinder sliding die 50 of cyl-2 and the disc-like die of cylinder cyl-3.

At the same time the feed cylinder F-cyl is operated by air admitted to the forward end thereof to retract the piston rod 7 thereof returning it to the initial position. As piston rod 7 of feed cylinder F-cyl is retracted, switch SW3 is closed. Through SVB1 the bending cylinder B-cyl is operated moving the piston rod 28 thereof downward from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As the piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder moves down, into contact with the tube T and starts to bend the same, sliding plate will be pulled forwardly until it reaches the position of FIGS. 2 and 3 as the bend is finally completed.

As the plate 20 reaches this position the switch SW2 thereon is triggered by the adjustable stop 24. Through SVB2 the piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder B-cyl is caused to go up and through the toggle levers 29 and 30 the sliding plate 20 is returned to retracted position. Switch SW2 is closed by contact with adjustable contact 25, completing circuit for next cycle. Through SVA2 the cylinders cyl-l, cyl-2 and cyl-3 are caused to open and the feed cylinder F-cyl is operated to move the piston rod 7 thereof forwardly and the cycle is repeated continuously until the entire tube or the like has been bent into a zig-zag web as indicated at W.

The slot 34 is provided in the toggle lever 30 to permit the pivot pin 35 to move upward in the slot as indicated in FIG. 12 when the piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder starts to retract so that the grooved bending die 43 carried by the piston rod 28 Will not bind in the bend.

As the piston rod 28 continues to retract, the pivot pin 35 will be received in the notch 41 of the pick-up link 39 and the bending cylinder will be swung to the angular position shown in FIG. 1 as the piston rod 28 thereof is fully retracted.

Then as the piston rod 28 of the bending cylinder B-cyl is again moved downward to form another bend in the tube, it will be guided by the pick-up link 39 so that the grooved die 43 thereon will contact the tube at the proper point to make the next bend therein.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Tube and bar-bending apparatus for forming a zigzag bent web member, comprising means for intermittently moving a tube and the like longitudinally therethrough, a longitudinally slidable plate, a die upon said slidable plate located in the path of the tube and the like, a second die located in the path of the tube and the like beyond the first named die, said second die being mounted upon a longitudinally immovable portion of the apparatus, tube clamping means cooperating with said second die, a bending die located between said first and second dies and movable transversely across the path of the tube and the like, a pair of toggle levers pivotally connected together and to the bending die at one end, one toggle lever being pivotally connected at its other end to the sliding plate, the other toggle lever being pivotally connected at its other end to said longitudinally immovable portion of the apparatus, means for moving the clamping means relative to the second die and means for moving the bending die transversely across the path of the tube and the like to form successive V-shaped bends therein, one of said toggle levers having a longitudinal slot at the pivotal connection to the bending die to prevent binding of the tube upon retraction of the bending die.

2. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the means for intermittently moving a tube and the like longitudinally therethrough includes a pneumatic feed cylinder.

3. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which the tube clamping means is operated by a pneumatic cylinder.

4. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 3, in which the second die is operated by a pneumatic cylinder.

5. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 4, in which the second die is located upon one arm of a bell-crank lever, and the other arm of the bell-crank lever is pivotally connected to the piston rod of said last named pneumatic cylinder.

6. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which a clamping die is located beyond and below the second die for successively clamping each lower bend in the zigzag bent web after said bend has been formed by the bending die.

7. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 4, in which the bending die is operated by a pneumatic cylinder.

8. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 7, in which one of the toggle levers has a longitudinal slot at the pivotal connection to the bending die, and in which the bending die cylinder is pivotally mounted.

9. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 8, in which a pivoted pick-up link swings the bending die cylinder upon its pivot.

10. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 6, in which said clamping die is located upon one arm of a bell-crank lever, and the other arm of the bell-crank lever is pivotally connected to the piston rod of a pneumatic cylinder.

11. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 4, in which a clamping die is located beyond and below the second die for successively clamping each lower bend in the zig-zag bent Web after said bend has been formed by the bending die, and in which the bending die is operated by a pneumatic cylinder and the clamping die is operated by a pneumatic cylinder.

12. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 11, in which a four-way double-solenoid valve controls operation of the bending die cylinder, and a second four-way double-solenoid valve controls operation of all of the other cylinders.

13. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 5, in which the bell-crank lever is pivoted upon a transversely movable spring-biased block.

14. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 10, in which the bell-crank lever is pivoted upon a transversely movable spring-biased block.

15. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 12, in which the solenoids of said valves :are located in an electric circuit, a first limit switch and a second limit switch in said circuit located on said sliding plate, a third limit switch in said circuit located adjacent the feed cylinder, means on the piston rod of the feed cylinder for alternately operating the first limit switch and the third limit switch, and a spaced pair of adjustable stops for operating the second limit switch in opposite directions at opposite ends of the movement of the sliding plate.

16. Tube and bar-bending apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the pivots for the other ends of the toggle levers are mounted upon sleeves adjustably mounted upon the levers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,426 5/1888 Howe 72-301 2,485,282 10/ 1949 Green 140-71 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. TUBE AND BAR-BENDING APPARATUS FOR FORMING A ZIGZAG BENT WEB MEMBER, COMPRISING MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY MOVING A TUBE AND THE LIKE LONGITUDINALLY THERETHROUGH, A LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE PLATE, A DIE UPON SAID SLIDABLE PLATE LOCATED IN THE PATH OF THE TUBE AND THE LIKE, A SECOND DIE LOCATED IN THE PATH OF THE TUBE AND THE LIKE BEYOND THE FIRST NAMED DIE, SAID SECOND DIE BEING MOUNTED UPON A LONGITUDINALLY IMMOVABLE PORTION OF THE APPARATUS, TUBE CLAMPING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID SECOND DIE, A BENDING DIE LOCATED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND DIES AND MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE PATH OF THE TUBE AND THE LIKE, A PAIR OF TOGGLE LEVERS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER AND TO THE BENDING DIE AT ONE END, ONE TOGGLE LEVER BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OTHER END TO THE SLIDING PLATE, THE OTHER TOGGLE LEVER BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OTHER END TO SAID LONGITUDINALLY IMMOVABLE PORTION OF THE APPARATUS, MEANS FOR MOVING THE CLAMPING MEANS RELATIVE TO THE SECOND DIE AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE BENDING DIE TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE PATH OF THE TUBE AND THE LIKE TO FORM SUCCESSIVE V-SHAPED BENDS THEREIN, ONE OF SAID TOGGLE LEVERS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT AT THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION TO THE BENDING DIE TO PREVENT BINDING OF THE TUBE UPON RETRACTION OF THE BENDING DIE.

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