Apparatus for expanding tubes

Claim 2

That improvement in apparatus for expanding tubing into a permanent junction with the sidewall of a bore in a header, said apparatus being of the type having a unitary assembly supported for axial movement relative to a tube end to be expanded, said assembly having a main frame slidably supporting a rotary motor, power driven means for reciprocating said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame, rotary tube expander means carried coaxially of and driven by said rotary motor and adapted to enter a tube end and expand the same against the bore of a header, said improvement comprising: means for controlling the operation of said apparatus including means to maintain said motor in operation to rotate said tube expander means while selectively locking said power driven reciprocating means stationary for a selected interval at the operator''s election thereby enabling the operator to employ the grip of the tube expander means on the tubing to shift the tube to a desired position relative to the header before resuming the tube expanding operation.

Claim 3

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said power driven reciprocating means comprises hydraulic motor means, and said control means for locking said motor means against reciprocation including operator manipulatable means for maintaining said hydraulic motor means charged full of non-circulating hydraulic fluid until such time as it is desired to resume reciprocation of said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame.

Claim 4

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said control means for locking said hydraulic motor means against reciprocation is operable at any position and in either direction of travel of said hydraulic motor means.

Claim 5

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 3 characterized in that the mode of operation of the remainder of said control means is unaltered by reason of having the operating cycle interrupted by locking said power driven reciprocating means against reciprocation for a period of time and irrespective of the length of the locked phase.

Claim 6

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said control means includes electrically-controlled four-way valve means for said poWer driven reciprocating means.

Claim 7

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said four-way valve means automatically resumes the neutral position thereof with all passages blocked to flow when said valve means is de-energized, and said control means including deadman control means requiring intentional operation by the operator to maintain said valve means de-energized.

Claim 8

That improvement in apparatus for expanding tubing into a permanent junction with the sidewall of a bore in a header, said apparatus being of the type having a unitary assembly supported for axial movement relative to a tube end to be expanded, said assembly having a main frame slidably supporting a rotary motor, power driven means for reciprocating said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame, rotary tube expander means carried coaxially of and driven by said rotary motor and adapted to enter a tube end and expand the same into a permanent union with the bore of a header, and electric power supply means to operate said apparatus, said improvement comprising torque-sensing switch means responsive to an increase in the torque load developed by said rotary motor incident to the loading of said rotary motor to work the metal of tubing undergoing expansion to arm said control means for automatic operation, and said control means including means controlled by said torque-sensing switch means to complete the tube expanding operation and to return the parts to their initial starting positions.

Claim 9

That improvement in apparatus for expanding tubing into a permanent junction with the sidewall of a bore in a header, said apparatus being of the type having a unitary assembly supported for axial movement relative to a tube end to be expanded, said assembly having a main frame slidably supporting a rotary motor, power driven means for reciprocating said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame, rotary tube expander means carried coaxially of and driven by said rotary motor and adapted to enter a tube end and expand the same into a permanent union with the bore of a header, and electric power supply means to operate said apparatus, said improvement comprising torque-sensing switch means responsive to an increase in the torque load developed by said rotary motor incident to the loading of said rotary motor to work the metal of tubing undergoing expansion to arm said control means for automatic operation, and said control means including means controlled by said torque-sensing switch means to complete the tube expanding operation and to return the parts to their initial starting positions.

Claim 10

That improvement in tube expanding apparatus as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said torque-sensing switch means includes means for sensing a predetermined torque load on said rotary motor and responsive thereto to shift said torque-sensing switch means to the non-normal condition thereof.

Claim 11

That improvement in tube expanding apparatus as defined in claim 8 characterized in that the control means for said apparatus includes pressure responsive switch means in circuit with said load sensing switch means and operable in response to a predetermined high pressure in the high pressure portion of said power driven reciprocating means to initiate restoration of said tube expander means to retracted collapsed position and to reset the components of said control means to their initial starting positions.

Claim 12

That improvement in tube expanding apparatus as defined in claim 9 characterized in that said control means includes timer means for maintaining said expander means extended and rotating for a predetermined time period after ceasing to expand the tube and before starting to retract and collapse said tube expander means thereby to assure completion of the tube expansion and to equalize stress in the tubing.

Claim 13

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 7 characterized in the provision of manually operable means to vary the operating rate of advance of said power driven reciprocating means, and separate control means for varying the rotational speed of said rotary motor means.

Claim 14

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 7 characterized in the provision of separate hydraulic pumps to supply pressurized fluid to said power driven reciprocating means and to said rotary motor means, electric motor means to drive each of said pumps and connected to receive power from a power source, and said torque-sensing switch means being arranged to sense changes in power consumption by said electric motor means.

Claim 15

That improvement in tube expander apparatus of the type having a horizontally disposed combined rotating and reciprocating tube expander, a mobile power supply and control chassis for said tube expander including hydraulic flow and electric control lines extending to said tube expander, inverted L-shaped bracket means rigidly supported on said mobile chassis and including springless weighted counterbalanced cable means adjustably supported on said bracket operable to support said tube expander in suspenSion in a wide range of different levels.

Claim 16

That improvement in tube expander apparatus of the type having a horizontally disposed combined rotating and reciprocating tube expander, a mobile power supply and control chassis for said tube expander including hydraulic flow and electric control lines extending to said tube expander, inverted L-shaped bracket means rigidly supported on said mobile chassis and including springless weighted counterbalanced cable means adjustably supported on said bracket operable to support said tube expander in suspenSion in a wide range of different levels.

Claim 17

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 13 characterized in the provision of trolley means supported for rolling movement horizontally along the horizontal leg of said inverted L-shaped bracket, and said counterbalance cable means being trained over said trolley and so arranged that tube expander and said trolley means move laterally in unison without need for bodily movement of the entire apparatus.

Claim 18

That improvement in tube expander apparatus as defined in claim 12 characterized in that the vertical leg of said inverted L-shaped bracket is tubular and encloses and conceals the vertically moveable end of said counterweighted cable means.

Claim 19

That improvement as defined in claim 15 characterized in that said tubular vertical leg includes access port means through which the counterweights can be changed on said cable means.

Claim 20

That improvement in apparatus for expanding tubing into a permanent junction with the sidewall of a bore in a header, said apparatus being of the type having a unitary assembly supported for axial movement relative to a tube end to be expanded, said assembly having a main frame slidably supporting a rotary motor, power driven means for reciprocating said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame, rotary tube expander means carried coaxially of and driven by said hydraulic motor and adapted to enter a tube end and to expand the same into the bore of a header: said improvement comprising gripper means carried by said tube expander means and operable to grip a tube and hold the same from rotating during initial stages of the expansion operation and before it has been expanded into firm gripping relation with a header bore.

Claim 21

That improvement in apparatus for expanding tubing into a permanent junction with the sidewall of a bore in a header, said apparatus being of the type having a unitary assembly supported for axial movement relative to a tube end to be expanded, said assembly having a main frame slidably supporting a rotary motor, power driven means for reciprocating said rotary motor lengthwise of said main frame, rotary tube expander means carried coaxially of and driven by said hydraulic motor and adapted to enter a tube end and to expand the same into the bore of a header: said improvement comprising gripper means carried by said tube expander means and operable to grip a tube and hold the same from rotating during initial stages of the expansion operation and before it has been expanded into firm gripping relation with a header bore.

Claim 22

That improvement defined in claim 17 characterized in that said gripper means includes means for detachably supporting the same on non-rotary means at the forward end of said main frame and including means adapted to grip the foremost end of a tube to be expanded and to hold the same against rotation until the tube has been expanded into firm gripping relation with the bore wall of a header.

Claim 23

That improvement defined in claim 17 characterized in that said gripper means includes means for holding the same detachably and swivelly connected to said tube expander concentrically thereof and in position to grip the adjacent end portion of a tube while the tube is being initially expanded into assembled relation with a header bore, and hand grip means carried by said gripper means and manipulatable to grip a tube end.

Claim 24

Tube expanding apparatus as defined in claim 17 characterized in the provision of first means for sensing an increase in the torque load on said rotary motor, means utilizing hydraulic fluid pressure to power said tube expander means, second means for sensing an increase in the hydraulic fluid pressure driving said tube expander means including means responsive to one of said first and second means to terminate a tube expansion cycle.

Claim 25

Tube expanding apparatus as defined in claim 20 characterized in that one of said first and second means includes means subject to one thereof reaching a predetermined load value as a prerequisite to the initiation of a tube expanding cycle.