US3607205A

US3607205A - Apparatus for heat-treating elongated tubular material

Info

Publication number: US3607205A
Application number: US819629A
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Latham; Alexander Bryan Haswell
Original assignee: James A Jobling and Co Ltd
Current assignee: James A Jobling and Co Ltd
Priority date: 1968-04-30
Filing date: 1969-04-28
Publication date: 1971-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-21
Also published as: NL6906603A; DE1922231A1; FR2007286A1

Abstract

Apparatus for treating elongated tubular material comprising heating the material, prior to a further working thereof, first by subjecting the material to a stationary heat source while rotating the material, and then by oscillating a source of heat substantially in the direction of length of the material while rotating the material.

Description

United States Patent [51] Int. Cl 1. C03b 29/00 I72] Inventors Michael Latham;

Alexander Bryan l-laswell, both ol Durham [50] Field of Search 65/ l 09, County, England 110, 120, 271, 272, 274, 276, 281, 292 I21] Appl. No. 819,629 [22] Filed Apr. 28, 1969 References Cited [45] Patented Sept. 21, 1971 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 1 Ahblsncc 2232 ga gsg f g Llmlted 3,186,819 6/1965 Thorington Ct al. 65/109 x 32 Priority AP 30 9 Primary ExaminerArthur D. Kellogg 33 Great Britain Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen 31 20519/68 ABSTRACT: Apparatus for treating elongated tubular materi- [54] s igzfiigfiigg ft ELONGATED al comprising heating the material, prior to a further working 9 Cl im 4D thereof, first by subjecting the matenal to a stationary heat a rawmg source while rotating the material, and then by oscillatmg a [52] US. Cl 65/271, source of heat substantially in the direction of length of the 65/1 10, 65/272, 65/274 material while rotating the material.

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' SHEET 2 UF 2 APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING ELONGATED TUBULAR MATERIAL This invention relates to methods of, and apparatus for, treating elongated tubular material.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating elongated. tubular material comprising heating the material, prior to a further working thereof, first by subjecting the material to a stationary heat source whilst rotating the material, and then by oscillating a source of heat substantially in the direction of length of the material whilst rotating the material.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for treating elongated tubular material comprising means for rotating the tubular material, a first source of heat for heating said tubular material whilst the material is rotating, this first source being arranged to be stationary during operation, a second source of heat, and means for oscillating this second source of heat substantially in the direction of length of said tubular material whilst said tubular material is rotating.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic end view of a part of an apparatus for bending elongated glass tubing, in which part the tubing is heated prior to bending,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view, in the direction of arrow ll of FIG. 1, of the apparatus part shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic front view of a bending jig of the apparatus for bending glass tubing, and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional side view, in the direction of arrow IV of FIG. 3 and on a larger scale, of a glass tube holder (not shown in FIG. 3) and a detail of the bending jig, some parts of the jig being omitted for the sake of clarity.

The apparatus for bending elongated glass tubing, shown in the Figures, includes three pairs of glass tube holders, one such holder 1 being shown best in FIG. 4. Each holder 1 is able releasably to grip one end of a glass tube 2 by means of a toggle clamp 3 secured at one end of a hollow shank l of the holder 1. An aperture 4 in the shank 1' permits air to be blown into the glass tube 2 secured in the holder. Each shank 1' has secured to it a collar 5.

The collars 5 of a pair of holders 1 attached one to each end of a glass tube 2 to be bent can be located in one or other of two slotted members 6 of the bending jig shown best in FIG. 3. This jig consists of a vertical plate 7 on one vertical surface of which are mounted two arms 8 for pivoting about a common horizontal pivot 9. These arms 8 can be fixed at various angles relative to each other utilizing fixing holes A, or can be detached from the pivot 9 and each mounted vertically, spaced apart, utilizing holes 10B. This latter facility is utilized if a length of tubing is to be bent to a U-configuration. Guides 11 extend along each side of the outer portion of each arm 8. The guides 11 of each arm 8 contain a holder nest 12 which carries the slotted member 6 of the arm and which can be clamped in any desired position along the guides 11 by a clamp 13. The outer and inner ends of each nest 12 are formed by

walls

14 and 15 extending across the arm 8 and having slots in their upper edges for receiving the shank l of a holder 1. Each nest 12 also carries a hollow block 16 connected to a source of air under pressure via a foot operated valve (not shown) and by means of which air can be blown into the aperture 4 of a shank 1 supported in the nest 12,

The apparatus further includes equipment for heating glass tubing prior to bending the tubing in the bending jig. This equipment is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and includes three pairs of equal-diameter wheels 17 which are mounted on three parallel drive shafts 18 whose axes lie in a common plane so that three rows of in-line, spaced-apart, wheels are formed.

The peripheries of the wheels 17 are grooved to receive a collar 5 of a holder 1, and adjacent wheels 17 are spaced apart is associated with a first outer pair of the wheels 17 and the central pair of wheels 17, and asecond burner 20 is associated with the central pair of the wheels 17 and the second outer pair of the wheels 17.

At each end of the set of wheels 17 there is a pair of arms 21, these arms 21 being mounted on two square-sectioned shafts 22, extending parallel to the shafts 18, so that corresponding arms at each end of the set of wheels 17 are mounted on a common shaft. The arms 21 can be actuated, so that each pair of arms 21 closes and opens, by a foot-actuable air-operated piston and cylinder arrangement 23, operating lever 24 and meshing gear wheels 25 mounted one on each shaft 22.

The first burner 19 is mounted so as to be stationary in operation of the apparatus whereas the second burner 20 is mounted for oscillating slightly, in the direction along the

shafts

18 and 22, about an axis 26 under the action of an eccentric driven roller 27 that contacts a roller 28 connected by an arm 30 to a post 29 supporting the burner 20. The roller 27 is driven from one of the shafts 18 via mechanism (not shown) such that the burner oscillates in an out-of-phase relationship with the rotation of the wheels 17.

The apparatus described above is utilized as follows. The shafts 18 are driven to rotate the wheels 17 in the direction indicated by arrows 17' in FIG. 1 and a suitable length of glass tube 2 is placed in a pair of holders 1. The collars 5 of these holders 1 are placed in the grooved peripheries of the first outer pair and the central pair of the wheels 17 so that the tube 2 is supported between the wheels 17. It will be appreciated that the relative positions of the various components of the apparatus are adjustable, as necessary, so that the apparatus can be preset to accommodate a desired length of tube. The rotating wheels 17 rotate the collars 5, and hence the tube 2, in the direction indicated by arrow 5' in FIG. 1, and the rotating tube 2 is subjected to a first heating stage by the stationary burner 19.

When the first heating stage (preheating) has been completed, the air cylinder 23 is actuated to cause the arms 21 to close. Initially the left-hand arm 21 (FIG. 1) of each pair engages the shanks 1' of the holders 1 and moves the holders 1 and hence the tube 2 to the right (FIG. 1), the collars 5 riding over the central pair of wheels 17. The central pair of wheels 17 act on the collars 5 to carry the holders 1 and tube 2 on to the right to be received by the right-hand arm 21 (FIG. 1) of each pair. The cylinder 23 is actuated to open the arms 21 and the right-hand arms guide the holders 1 so that the collars 5 pass to be supported by the grooved peripheries of the central pair and the second outer pair of the wheels 17. At this stage a second similar length of tube 2 supported by a pair of holder 1 is placed on the grooved peripheries of the first outer pair and the central pair of the wheels 17 and subjected to preheating.

Meanwhile the first length of tube 2 is subjected to a second heating stage, it being heated to a high temperature by the second burner 20 which is oscillated while effecting this heat- When the tube 2 being subjected to the second heating stage has reached a soft enough state to be worked upon, it is lifted from the wheels 17, utilizing the holders 1 attached to it, and bent, by the operator, to an approximation of the final shape to which it is to be bent. This tube 2 is then placed in the arms 8 of the jig, where it is retained by spring clips (not shown), these arms 8 having been preset to a desired position and the nests 12 of the jig having been previously positioned such that air can be blown into the tube 2 from the blocks 16 via the apertures 4. Blowing of air into the tube 2 is effected by operating a foot valve (not shown).

While the first length of tube 2 is cooling'in the jig, thearms 21 are actuated to move the second length across the wheels 17 to be subjected to the second heating stage, and a third length of tube 2 is placed on the wheels 17, utilizing the third pair of holders 1, to be subjected to the first heating stage. Thereafter the above-described operations are repeated cycli- In a form of the apparatus not shown equipment is provided for automatically transferring the tube 2 from the first pair of outer wheels 17 (i.e. from the first heating stage) across the central pair to the second pair of outer wheels 17 (Le. to the second heating stage), this transfer being effected either at predetermined time intervals, or in dependence upon the temperature of the preceding tube being subjected to the second heating stage. In this latter case equipment is provided for automatically sensing the temperature of the tube being subjected to the second heatingstage and the transfer of a tube from the second heating stage is arranged to initiate transfer of the next following tube to the second heating stage.

It will be appreciated that in the apparatus described the tube that is passed to the bending jig has been substantially uniformly heated during the second heating stage, this uniform heating being assisted by the rotation of the tube whilst the source of heat oscillates in the direction along the length of the tube in out-of-phase relationship with the rotation of the tube.

The apparatus described can be utilized for heating and bending tubes of material other than glass, and the part of the apparatus in which the material is heated can be utilized for heating tubing that is to be afterwards worked other than by bending, for example by drawing to form a length of tube of reduced diameter, or by enlarging to form a bulb-shaped portion.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for treating elongated tubular material comprising means for rotating the tubular material, a first source of heat for heating said tubular material while the material is rotating, this first source being arranged to be stationary during operation, a second source of heat, and means for oscillating this second source of heat substantially in the direction of length of said tubular material while said tubular material is rotating; said oscillating means including a support for the source, a roller, an arm connecting the roller to this support, and a drivable eccentric roller; the first-mentioned roller being arranged to run on the drivable eccentric roller to impart oscillatory motion to the support via the arm when the eccentric roller is driven; said material rotating means including three rows of in-line, spaced-apart, wheels, each of the two pairs of adjacent rows constituted by these three rows serving for supporting a length of material, and mechanism for rotating the wheels so as to rotate a length of material supported thereby; said first heat source being associated with one of the pairs of adjacent rows and said second heat source being associated with the other of the pairs of adjacent rows.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for rotating the material and the means for oscillating the second source of heat are arranged to effect this rotation and oscillation such thatthe heat source is oscillated, in operation of the apparatus, in an out-of-phase relationship with respect to the rotation of the material.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said eccentric roller is arranged to be driven by said means for rotating the wheels. 7

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim ll comprising a pair of arms at each end of the three rows of wheels, the corresponding arms at each end of the rows of wheels being mounted for pivoting together about a common axis, and further comprising means for pivoting the arms about the common axes so as to open and close each pair of arms, the arrangement being such that a length of material supported by one pair of adjacent rows of wheels can be transferred to be supported by the other pair of adjacent rows of wheels by closing the arms so that the material is guided by one arm of each pair of arms away from said one pair of adjacent rows of wheels to be received by the other arm of each pair of arms, which other arms guide the material to said other pair of adjacent rows of wheels upon subsequent opening of the arms, the material being transferred between the arms by rotation of the row of wheels common to the two pairs of adjacent rows.

S. An apparatus as claimed m claim 4, wherein said means for pivoting the arms includes a pair of meshing gear wheels, one fast with one arm of one of the pairs of arms and the other fast with the other arm of this pair of arms, a lever for rotating one of the gear wheels and a fluid-operated piston and cylinder arrangement for actuating the lever to rotate said one gear wheel.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wheels are adapted to support a length of material via holders that are attached to each end of the length of material.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each holder comprises a shank, a clamp carried by the shank and that can be releasably secured to an end of a length of material, and a collar; the peripheries of the wheels being grooved to receive the collars of holders secured one at each end of a length of material.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 comprising a bending jig and wherein each holder is adapted for cooperation with said bending jig,said jig including two arms that can be fixed at various angles with respect to each other, or parallel to one another at various distances apart, said arms including members for receiving the collars of a pair of said holders secured one at each end ofa length of material to be bent in thejig.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein each holder is hollow and defines an aperture such that air can be blown through the holder into a lengthy of tubular material to which the holder is secured.

Claims

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for rotating the material and the means for oscillating the second source of heat are arranged to effect this rotation and oscillation such that the heat source is oscillated, in operation of the apparatus, in an out-of-phase relationship with respect to the rotation of the material.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said eccentric roller is arranged to be driven by said means for rotating the wheels.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising a pair of arms at each end of the three rows of wheels, the corresponding arms at each end of the rows of wheels being mounted for pivoting together about a common axis, and further comprising means for pivoting the arms about the common axes so as to open and close each pair of arms, the arrangement being such that a length of material supported by one pair of adjacent rows of wheels can be transferred to be supported by the other pair of adjacent rows of wheels by closing the arms so that the material is guided by one arm of each pair of arms away from said one pair of adjacent rows of wheels to be received by the other arm of each pair of arms, which other arms guide the material to said other pair of adjacent rows of wheels upon subsequent opening of the arms, the material being transferred between the arms by rotation of the row of wheels common to the two pairs of adjacent rows.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for pivoting the arms includes a pair of meshing gear wheels, one fast with one arm of one of the pairs of arms and the other fast with the other arm of this pair of arms, a lever for rotating one of the gear wheels and a fluid-operated piston and cylinder arrangement for actuating the lever to rotate said one gear wheel.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wheels are adapted to support a length of material via holders that are attached to each end of the length of material.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each holder comprises a shank, a clamp carried by the shank and that can be releasably secured to an end of a length of material, and a collar; the peripheries of the wheels being grooved to receive the collars of holders secured one at each end of a length of material.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 comprising a bending jig and wherein each holder is adapted for cooperation with said bending jig, said jig including two arms that can be fixed at various angles with respect to each other, or parallel to one another at various distances apart, said arms including members for receiving the collars of a pair of said holders secured one at each end of a length of material to be bent in the jig.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein each holder is hollow and defines an aperture such that air can be blown through the holder into a length of tubular material to which the holder is secured.