Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K37/00—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass
  • B23K37/04—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass for holding or positioning work
  • B23K37/053—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass for holding or positioning work aligning cylindrical work; Clamping devices therefor
  • B23K37/0531—Internal pipe alignment clamps
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K37/00—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass
  • B23K37/04—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass for holding or positioning work
  • B23K37/053—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass for holding or positioning work aligning cylindrical work; Clamping devices therefor
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L19/00—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on, or into, one of the joint parts
  • F16L19/06—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on, or into, one of the joint parts in which radial clamping is obtained by wedging action on non-deformed pipe ends
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K37/00—Auxiliary devices or processes, not specially adapted for a procedure covered by only one of the other main groups of this subclass

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for centering and clamping tubular parts such as metal ducts, placed concentrically end to end to be welded to form pipelined metal ducts.
• a device of this type is conventionally constituted by an elongate cylinder which carries clamping means, such as clamping pads, arranged over its entire periphery and arranged to move radially projecting from said cylinder to bear on the pipe walls to be clamped, said device also comprising motorization means allowing it to move inside the ducts once the welding performed and the pads retracted.
• clamping means such as clamping pads
• the current devices generally have for each set of clamping pads, a central piston which pushes a solid piece in which are inserted pins rods pushing rods which then push pins driving pistons carrying the clamping pads in radial guides for radially projecting the clamping pads in order to press them against the inner skin of the ducts to be assembled.
• Such a device has many drawbacks such as shear weakness at the axes located at each end of the rods, the need to provide a central piece diameter conduit and a limited thrust of the piston to about 10 tons.
• the axes are fixedly held in forgings or machined in the mass so that when there is deformation of an axis support and need to change it, we must change the whole.
• Such devices are in particular described in US Pat. Nos. 4,253,599, WO 00/00322 and US 5,288,005.
• US 4,582,241 discloses a clamping and centering device for tubular conduits to be welded end to end in which the drive means consist of a piston connected by a cylinder sleeve sliding on a shaft, this sleeve comprising housings at its periphery forming seats for hinge pins with ball or round head forming the connection to radially arranged shafts bearing the clamping pads.
• the trees also have spherical seats, the end of the hinge pin being spherical or circular.
• Such a device may possibly make it possible to avoid shearing forces on the axes for holding the articulation rods, however it requires articulation rods that are machined in a very specific manner, the parts forming a seat for said rods being also of a specific conformation. Such a device is therefore a relatively complex and therefore expensive.
• the object of the present invention is to propose a device for centering and clamping tubular parts such as ducts intended to form pipelines of the pipeline type, of the type consisting of an elongate cylinder which notably contains means clamping devices, such as at least one series of clamping pads, arranged over its entire periphery and arranged to move radially projecting from said cylinder to bear against the walls of the ducts to be clamped as well as drive means in displacement of each series of clamping pads between a position protruding from the cylinder and a position where they are erased in the cylinder, characterized in that said drive means consist of a drive member releasably connected to a plate which carries a plurality of support pieces on each of which is pivotally mounted about an axis the first end of a bie It has the shape of a ball joint, the second end of the link being also pivotally mounted about an axis, at the a ball joint in a second support piece carrying a clamping
• the links of the device according to the invention work only in compression which allows to generate a thrust force of up to 60 tons.
• the pins used to mount a rod in the support pieces play no role in the thrust force, which advantageously limits their wear, but have a reminder function of the support pieces.
• it is simple rod design, not requiring a particular conformation unlike the hinge pins of the state of the art and therefore economic.
• Each support piece has a seat in which is pivotally housed the end of a link.
• Each support piece, each seat and each drive member such as a piston are the same regardless of the diameters.
• the set of support pieces, rods and bearing pieces carrying the pads has greasing means in situ.
• the device comprises a hollow shaft at its center defining the central axis of the device and conferring the rigidity of the device while allowing the transport of all cables and hoses.
• the device according to the invention thus makes it possible to obtain an improved transmission of effort, while presenting wearing parts that are easily removable, which greatly facilitates maintenance and repairs, unlike the previous devices.
• the centering and clamping device according to the invention may be of the type equipped with a support batten holding the melt or without a support batten or may even be of the type provided with a welding member making a pass through the inside.
• the device according to the invention further comprises at least two centering members separate clamping pads and constituted respectively of at least one inflatable element, fixable on the periphery of the elongate cylinder.
• the centering and clamping device according to the invention shown in the single figure consists of an elongated cylinder 1 which contains in particular clamping means for clamping conduits to align in which said device is engaged.
• clamping means are constituted by at least one series of clamping pads 2, arranged over the entire periphery of the cylinder 1 and arranged to move radially projecting from said cylinder 1 to bear against the walls of the ducts to be clamped.
• Displacement drive means of each series of clamping pads are provided for driving said pads between the projecting position of the cylinder 1 and the position where they are erased in the cylinder 1.
• These drive means consist of a drive member 3 such as a pneumatic or hydraulic piston detachably connected to a plate 4.
• This circular plate 4 carries at its periphery a plurality of support parts 5 on each of which is pivotally mounted about an axis x the first end of a rod 6 in the manner of a ball joint.
• the second end of the rod 6 is also pivotally mounted about an axis y, in the manner of a ball joint in a second support piece, also called piston 7 carrying a clamping pad 2, the sliding drive of the driving member 3 in a longitudinal direction of the cylinder 1 causing pivoting of the first end of the rods 6 while the pivoting resulting from the second end of the rods 6 causes the radial displacement of the associated clamping shoe 2.
• greasing means are provided in situ for the rods 6.
• the clamping means as described can also be used for centering the ducts, but it is also possible to provide other centering means such as elements fixed to the periphery of the cylinder 1 and inflatable.
• a succession of trays can be provided on the same thrust axis, therefore of pneumatic or hydraulic chambers, to increase the plating force with a single basic pressure.
• the device according to the invention has a central hollow shaft 8 allowing in particular to pass all the cables, wires and hoses of the device as well as those belonging to assemblies located at the rear of the device such as an internal inspection tool.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)
• Clamps And Clips (AREA)
• Actuator (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=35735188

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (14)

Family Cites Families (19)

• 2005
  • 2005-06-17 FR FR0506166A patent/FR2887164B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2006
  • 2006-06-19 EP EP06778617A patent/EP1907167A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-06-19 CA CA002611824A patent/CA2611824A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-06-19 US US11/917,784 patent/US20090114702A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-06-19 KR KR1020087000385A patent/KR101329454B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-06-19 RU RU2008100216/02A patent/RU2401187C2/ru active
  • 2006-06-19 CN CNA2006800296184A patent/CN101242928A/zh active Pending
  • 2006-06-19 WO PCT/FR2006/001383 patent/WO2006134284A1/fr not_active Ceased
• 2013
  • 2013-10-11 US US14/052,407 patent/US20140097616A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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