US3683658A

US3683658A - Roller-type expander tool

Info

Publication number: US3683658A
Application number: US65183A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronald C Roeschlaub
Original assignee: Irontite Products Co Inc
Current assignee: Irontite Products Co Inc
Priority date: 1970-08-19
Filing date: 1970-08-19
Publication date: 1972-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-15

Abstract

A roller-type expander tool having at its forward end a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers, and having rearwardly of such forwardly convergent array a substantially cylindrical array of circumferentially spaced rollers capable of radially outward expansion.

Description

United States Patent Roeschlaub ROLLER-TYPE EXPANDER TOOL [72] Inventor: Ronald C. Roeschlaub, Los Angeles,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: lrontite Products Co., Inc., El

Monte, Calif.

[22] Filed: Aug. 19, 1970 [2|] Appl. No.: 65,183

[52] [1.8. (II 72/1 I), 29/523, 72/122 I51] Int. (IL. HBZId 39/06, [321d 39/]() ['38] Held 0! Search,...,. .72/l 18, ll), I22, I26, 393,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,627,891 2/1953 Clark f. ..72/1 19 451 Aug. 15, 1972 8/ l 965 Grotnes ..72/393 734,274 7/1903 Lovekin", ..72/1 19 1,545,039 7/1925 Deavers ..72/1 18 Primary Examiner-Lowell A. Larson Att0rneyl-larris, Kiech, Russell & Kern [571 ABSTRACT A roller-type expander tool having at its forward end a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers, and having rearwardly of such forwardly convergent array 21 substantially cylindrical array of circumferentially spaced rollers capable of radially outward expansion.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures ROLLER-TYPE EXPANDER TOOL BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates in general to expander tools for hollow or tubular bodies and, more particularly, to a tool of this character equipped with arrays of circumferentially spaced rollers.

The present invention was originally embodied in and is particularly applicable to a roller-type expander tool for diesel engine injector tubes, and, consequently, will be considered in such connection herein for convenience. As background, such an injector tube includes a tapered nose which must be expanded into fluid-tight engagement with a tapered seat in the engine, and includes a cylindrical barrel a portion of which must similarly be expanded into engagement with a cylindrical seat in the engine.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION With the foregoing background in mind, the primary object of the invention is to provide a roller-type expander tool for a diesel engine injector tube of the character mentioned which is capable of expanding the tapered nose of the injector tube and the desired portion of the cylindrical barrel thereof without expanding any portion of the injector tube therebetween. Since the intermediate portions of the injector tube are not expanded, the injector tube may be withdrawn readily if necessary, which is an important feature.

More particularly, an important object of the invention is to provide a roller-type expander tool which includes: a tool body having axially spaced forward and rearward ends; a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by the tool body adjacent its forward end; a substantially cylindrical array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by the tool body adjacent its rearward end; means mounting the rollers of the substantially cylindrical array on the tool body for radially inward and outward movement so as to provide for radially outward-expansion of the substantially cylindrical array; and expander means for radially expanding the substantially cylindrical array of rollers.

With the foregoing construction, the expander tool expands only the tapered nose and a portion of the cylindrical barrel of the diesel engine injector tube, without expanding any portion in between, which is an important feature.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expander tool of the foregoing nature wherein the expander means comprises an axially movable expander member having adjacent its forward end forwardly convergent cam means insertable into the substantially cylindrical array of rollers to radially expand same in response to forward movement of the expander member.

A further object of the invention is to provide the expander tool with spring means biasing the expander member rearwardly relative to the tool body to permit radially inward contraction of the substantially cylindrical array of rollers.

Still another object is to provide means keying the tool body and the expander member together against relative rotation while permitting relative axial movement thereof, and to provide the expander member at its rearward end with driving means for biasing the expander tool forwardly and for simultaneously rotating It.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the expander tool art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a roller-type expander tool which embodies the invention, FIG. 1 being taken as indicated by the arrowed line ll of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the expander tool and is taken looking upwardly as the expander tool is viewed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the expander tool of the invention in place prior to expanding axially spaced taperednose and cylindrical barrel portions of a diesel engine injector tube;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating the operation of the expander tool of the invention in expanding axially spaced tapered nose and cylindrical barrel portions of the injector tube; and

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 6-6 of FIG. 5 of the drawmg.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION Referring to the drawing, the roller-type expander tool of the invention is designated generally therein by the numeral 10 and is provided at its forward end with a tool body 12 having a tapered nose 14 carrying a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers 16. These rollers are disposed in complementary grooves 18 having angular extents of more than Pins 20 retain the rollers 16 in the grooves 18 at their rearward ends. The rollers 16 are retained in the grooves 18 at their forward ends in any suitable manner, as by radially outwardly expanding a central portion 22 of the forward end of the tapered nose 14.

The tool body 12 has the general configuration of a rearwardly facing cup and the skirt 24 thereof is provided at its rearward end with circumferentially spaced slots 26 receiving therein longitudinal rollers 28 arranged in a substantially cylindrical array. The slots 26 expose the rollers 28 both internally and externally of the skirt 24, and have a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the rollers 28 so that the rollers can move radially inwardly and outwardly in the slots 26. As will be discussed hereinafter, this permits radially outward expansion of the substantially cylindrical array of rollers 28. The rollers 28 are seated at their forward ends against the forward ends of the slots 26. The rearward ends of the rollers 28 are retained by a ring 30 secured to the rearward end of the skirt 24 of the tool body 12 by screws 32.

Coaxial with the tool body 12 and extending rearwardly therefrom is a stem 34 the forward end of which is disposed in the cup-shaped tool body 12 and is suitably secured to the tapered nose 14 of the tool body, as by threading it thereinto. The stem 34 is disposed in an axial bore 36 in an axially movable expander member 38 the forward end of which projects into the cup-shaped tool body 12. A spring means 40 comprising a compression coil spring is disposed in the rearward end of the bore 36 and is seated against the rearward end face of such bore and the rearward end face of the stem 34. Thus, the spring means 40 biases the expander member 38 rearwardly. The expander member 38 is provided at its forward end with a forwardly convergent, annular cam means 42 which radially expands the substantially cylindrical array of Iongitudinal rollers 28 in response to forward movement of the expander member relative to the tool body 12, into the position shown in FIG. of the drawing. Thus, the cam means 42 on the expander member 38 serves as an expander means for radially expanding the substantially cylindrical array oflongitudinal rollers 28.

A transverse pin 44 is pressed into a transverse bore through the stem 34 and has its ends disposed in longitudinal slots 46 in the expander member 38. This pinand-slot connection between the stem 34 and the expander member 38 permits relative axial movement of the expander member 38 and the tool body 12, while preventing relative rotation thereof.

The expander tool is adapted to be driven by a chuck, or the like, not shown, engaging a coaxial, rearwardly extending, driving stem 48 on the expander member. As will be apparent, by driving the expander tool 10 in this manner, it can be rotated and, at the same time, the expander member 38 can be displaced axially forwardly to radially expand the substantially cylindrical array of longitudinal rollers 28, as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing.

As previously mentioned herein, the expander tool 10 is particularly adapted to expand a forwardly tapered nose 52 and a cylindrical barrel 54 of a diesel engine injector tube 56 into fluid-tight engagement with a tapered seat 58 and a cylindrical seat or bore 60, respectively, without expanding the intervening portion of the cylindrical barrel 54. Initially, the injector tube 56 is placed in position, as shown in FIG. 3, and the forward end of the expander tool 10 is inserted therein. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, a forward force is applied to the driving stem 48, and the expander tool is simultaneously rotated by rotating the driving stem. This causes the forwardly convergent array of rollers 16 to roll the tapered nose 52 of the injector tube 56 into fluid tight engagement with the tapered seat 58. At the same time, the cam means 42 on the expander member 38 radially expands the substantially cylindrical array of longitudinal rollers 28 to cause these rollers to radially expand the rearward end of the injector tube 56 into fluid tight engagement with the cylindrical seat 60. It will be noted that no intermediate portion of the barrel 54 of the injector tube 56 is expanded, which is an important feature of the invention since it permits easy withdrawal of the injector tube at a later time if this is ever necessary for any reason.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims appearing hereinafter.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a roller-type expander tool, the combination of:

a. a tool body having axially spaced forward and rearward ends;

b. a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by said tool body adjacent its forward end;

c. a substantially cylindrical array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by said tool body adjacent its rearward end;

d. means mounting said rollers of said substantially cylindrical array on said tool body for radially inward and outward movement so as to provide for radially outward expansion of said substantially cylindrical array;

e. expander means for radially expanding said substantially cylindrical array;

f. said expander means comprising an axially movable expander member having adjacent its forward end forwardly convergent cam means insertable into said substantially cylindrical array to radially expand same in response to forward movement of said expander member; and

g. said tool body having the configuration of a rearwardly facing cup and having a coaxial, rearwardly extending stem connected thereto with its forward end within said cup, said expander member having an axial bore axially slidably receiving said stem therein and the forward end of said expander member being disposed within said cup.

2. An expander tool according to claim 1 including means keying said expander member and said stem together against relative rotation.

3. An expander tool as defined in claim 2 including spring means in said bore and engaging said stem and said expander member for biasing said expander member rearwardly relative to said tool body.

4. An expander tool according to claim 3 including a coaxial, rearwardly extending driving stem on said expander member.

Claims

1. In a roller-type expander tool, the combination of: a. a tool body having axially spaced forward and rearward ends; b. a forwardly convergent array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by said tool body adjacent its forward end; c. a substantially cylindrical array of circumferentially spaced rollers carried by said tool body adjacent its rearward end; d. means mounting said rollers of said substantially cylindrical array on said tool body for radially inward and outward movement so as to provide for radially outward expansion of said substantially cylindrical array; e. expander means for radially expanding said substantially cylindrical array; f. said expander means comprising an axially movable expander member having adjacent its forward end forwardly convergent cam means insertable into said substantially cylindrical array to radially expand same in response to forward movement of said expander member; and g. said tool body having the configuration of a rearwardly facing cup and having a coaxial, rearwardly extending stem connected thereto with its forward end within said cup, said expander member having an axial bore axially slidably receiving said stem therein and the forward end of said expander member being disposed within said cup.