Abstract:
An apparatus is described for storing and dispensing elongate flat strip material for use with rotating machinery, such as that used to produce helically wound interlocked flexible pipe. The strip material is fed from an external payoff or supply reel and guided by an inlet guide roller to feed the advancing strip tangentially onto a series of storage guide rollers which are spaced from each other about a circular path concentric with the machine axis. The strip is maintained under tension and is wound onto the storage guide rollers to provide a reservoir of strip material arranged in a single row of substantially circular overlappping convolutions concentrically arranged about the machine axis. A roller is used to monitor the amount of strip material which remains stored on the rotating support member, and the rotation of the latter is terminated when the stored strip material is depleted or is about to be depleted, to allow an operator to attach the trailing end of the depleted stored strip with the leading end of a next successive strip material to be wound onto the storage guide rollers. The arrangement of the storage guide rollers insures a balanced condition of the rotating machine irrespective of the amount of strip material which remains stored.
Abstract:
A cutting means in an apparatus for continuously manufacturing spiral strip piping, fed in unbroken lengths, consisting of an upper, driven knife wheel (4) and a lower, freely rotating, circular, substantially horizontal support roller knife (20). The knives (4,20) are arranged on a table (22), swivellable in relation to the travel of the strip (1) and displaceable perpendicularly to the travel of the strip (1). Before cutting, the angle of the upper knife (4) to the travel of the strip (1) is adjusted, by means of the swivellable table (22), to the desired pipe diameter for providing square pipe ends.
Abstract:
A machine for manufacturing metal duct or pipe having improved efficiency, reliability, and speed of operation. A continuous, thin metal strip is corrugated, helically wound and seamed to form a durable yet bendable duct or pipe. The corrugation of the strip along its longitudinal axis is achieved by passing the thin metal strip through a plurality of synchronously driven (same RPM) corrugating strip roller die stands, each stand having progressively larger diameter rollers such that as a point on the metal strip passes from one corrugating strip roller stand to the next, the next stand rollers have progressively higher circumferential surface speed than the last, creating a pull on the strip material emerging from the preceeding roller stand, the pulling force at each stand preventing wrinkling or buckling of the strip as it passes through the corrugating operation. The corrugated strip is then helically wound into a bendable duct having a circular cross section by passing adjacent edges of the strip through novel, nonfouling front and rear strip lock tucking fingers which act to quickly but reliably interlock adjacent strip edges. The interlocked seam is then passed through and between compression rollers which have, peripherally disposed, a modified gear tooth pattern about their circumference forming a plurality of ridges and furrows along the seam. The bottom compression roller is ball-bearing mounted for free and unrestrictive rotation. All of the machine rollers, including the strip corrugating die rollers and the compression seam forming rollers are synchronously driven in rotation by a common drive motor through an endless drive chain. The continuously formed metal pipe may be cut to any desired length through the use of a cam-actuated moveable cut-off saw blade which severs the finished pipe perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pipe.
Abstract:
An apparatus for helically winding a strip of sheet metal into a large diameter pipe and connecting the edges of the strip by preforming and rabbeting. The edge bending for the rabbet is done in a preforming station and a rabbeting station in which the bends are sequentially and increasingly formed with multiple units at each station. Adjacent units are hinged and devices for adjusting the angular relationship between adjacent units are provided, including spacers and adjustable threaded devices. Gears permit driving multiple units at various adjustment angles.
Abstract:
Method and apparatus for forming elongated hollow pressureresistant cylindrical articles from a continuous strip of prestressed and pretensioned material wherein the strip of material is laid down in a plurality of helical windings which may overlap or abut each other by the application of a rotative force; the windings are sealably bonded as laid down; and the forming cylindrical article is displaced axially by a force separate from the rotative force to lay down the windings until the desired length of article is formed. The apparatus embodies fixed arcuate segments or rotatable cylindrical forming heads to shape the cylindrical articles from the strip; driven endless belt assemblies to rotate the forming article; and mechanical drives synchronized with the driven belt to axially move the forming article or pressurized fluid supplied interiorly of the forming article to axially displace the forming article under a controlled advance by mechanical linkages synchronized with the driven belt assembly.