Method of Manufacturing An Orifice Holder Assembly
An orifice holder assembly provides a boss connected by at least one arm to a base having an outlet therethrough. The boss is provided below the outlet. A tube is inserted through the boss until a bead contacts a first boss surface and the tube end is then deflected to form a lip where the lip and the bead connects the tube to the boss. An orifice body is then inserted in the tube end.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 11/848,736 filed Aug. 31, 2007.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a tubing assembly and more particularly, to tube orifice and orifice holding assembly improvements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMember and tube assemblies such as the improvements shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,607,194 and 5,727,303 have been performed by the applicant. While these improvements are useful, in order to connect the tube and orifice to an orifice holder, a separate connection system has been utilized to perform that connection. In the prior art, this connection was been done typically by screwing the threads such as the threads 41 of FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,194 into cooperating threads of an orifice holder. While this would provide easy installation replacement, it also could allow for such conditions to exist as imprecise placement of a tube relative to the orifice holders, (i.e., such as if the fitting was not inserted the proper amount). Furthermore, since the tubes which are connected to the fittings are not usually straight when they are installed in an oven, it may be extremely difficult to rotate a tube relative to an installed orifice holder. Furthermore, since there are not normally any moving parts at this location once installed, the opportunity for failure of these component parts is particularly small so replacement of one part relative to the other is not believed to be commonly performed.
While the prior art technology is certainly useful and continues to be widely practiced by the applicant, an improved manufacturing method and completed apparatus is believed to be desirable at least for some applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a tube securely connected to an orifice holder independent of cooperating threads.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tube connected to an orifice holder in an improved manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tube secured to an orifice holder such that the tube is connected to the orifice holder by the use of at least one tool applied through an air/fuel outlet of the orifice holder during the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, an orifice holder, tube and orifice assembly of the presently preferred embodiment preferably includes a tube which includes a bead or other stop on an exterior surface of the tube which contacts a first position of an orifice holder. A portion of the tube passes through a bore extending from the first position to a second position in the orifice holder. A tool such an a mandrel is preferably inserted through an outlet of the orifice holder and is used to flare out the tube at a second position of the orifice holder so that the tube is then secured to the orifice holder so that the orifice holder outlet as well as the tube outlet are disposed beyond the second position of the orifice holder. The tube is then provided with an orifice such as by screwing the orifice into the tube. The preferred method is believed to provide a cost savings to the manufacturer through construction while providing a high quality product for the completed product.
The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The orifice holder 12 has an outlet 14, shown in
This orifice holder has two arms 18,20 which are shown in
Once the tube 26 is installed as shown in
In the prior art, a separate nut and thread arrangement was utilized to secure those fittings to orifice holders. By manufacturing an orifice holder as shown and described in the figures herein, at least several manufacturing steps and parts can be omitted which is believed to result in a cost savings to at least the manufacturer, if not the end user.
As shown in
After connecting the tube 26 to the orifice holder 12, if the tube end 32 is not already provided with threads is may be tapped so that it has threads 44 as shown in
While it is alternatively possible to provide an anvil 30, tap or orifice at the space 48 below to the base 22 to flare the lip 34 and/or install the orifice body 46 in a similar manner, the presently preferred embodiment as described herein provides the connection of the tube 26 to the boss 24 through application through the outlet 14 as well as the machining of the tube 26 to provide threads 44 if not done prior to the installation of the tube 26 to the boss 24. Finally it is also presently preferred to install the orifice body 46 through the outlet 14.
It is important to remember that in the prior art the machining of the tube 26 to a fitting has been performed before installing the fitting to an orifice holder 12.
Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing an orifice holder assembly comprising the steps of:
- providing an orifice holder having a base connected by at least one arm to a boss, said boss located below the base and having a bore therethrough extending from a first boss surface to a second boss surface with said second boss surface located above the first boss surface;
- directing a tube to be received by the boss, said tube having a preformed bead disposed about the tube spaced from a tube end, said bead contacting the first boss surface with a portion of the tube extending through the bore of the boss, said tube then deformed at the tube end to provide a lip with a lip engagement surface in contact with the second boss surface external to the bore with the lip and the bead forming a mechanical connection of the tube to the boss by entrapping a portion of the boss between the lip and bead; and
- then installing an orifice body in the tube end, said orifice body having a bore therethrough, said orifice body located below the base with a space above the orifice body and below the base and said orifice body terminating internal to the boss above the first boss surface.
2. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the orifice body has external threads, and installing the orifice body further comprises screwing the threads into an internal portion of the tube toward the tube end.
3. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one arm integrally connected to and extends from the boss.
4. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 3 wherein after providing the mechanical connection of the tube to the boss, the first boss surface against the bead is the lowest portion of the boss.
5. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 1 wherein after the installation of the orifice holder, an outlet of the orifice holder extends through the base above the orifice body.
6. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one arm further consists of two arms extending from the base to the boss.
7. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 6 wherein the two arms are oppositely and symmetrically disposed relative to the orifice body.
8. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the tube end is provided having a smaller cross section than the bore of the boss until physically deflected to provide the lip, and the directing step further comprises inserting the tube end through the bore of the boss until the bead contacts the first boss surface, and then deflecting the tube end to provide the lip external to the bore of the boss.
9. The orifice holder assembly of claim 8 wherein the orifice body has self-tapping external threads and the installation step further comprises screwing the orifice body to the tube end.
10. A method of manufacturing an orifice holder assembly comprising the steps of:
- providing an orifice holder having an outlet, and the orifice holder further having a base connected by at least one arm to a boss, said boss located under the outlet and having a bore therethrough extending from a first boss surface to a second boss surface with said second boss surface located above the first boss surface;
- inserting a tube into the boss, said tube having a preformed bead disposed about the tube spaced from a tube end, said tube inserted until the bead contacts the first boss surface with a portion of the tube extending through the bore of the boss, said tube deformed after insertion to provide a lip at the tube end with a lip engagement surface in contact with the second boss surface external to the bore with the lip and the bead forming a mechanical connection of the tube to the boss by entrapping a portion of the boss between the lip and bead; and
- installing an orifice body in the tube end and having a bore therethrough, said orifice body located below the outlet with a space above the orifice body and below the outlet, and said orifice body terminating internal to the boss above the first boss surface.
11. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 10 wherein the tube end initially has a smaller cross section than the bore of the boss until physically deflected during the deflection step to provide the lip.
12. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 10 wherein the tube end is physically deflected with a device extending through the outlet of the orifice holder which is removed after forming the lip.
13. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 12 wherein after deflecting the tube end to provide the lip, then inserting the orifice body at the tube end.
14. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 13 wherein the orifice body is provided self-tapping external threads which screw into the orifice body to the tube end during installation.
15. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 10 wherein the orifice body has external threads which screw into an internal portion of the tube toward the tube end and after installation the bead is located external to the bore.
16. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 10 wherein the at least one arm is integrally connected to the base and the boss and the bead is located below the first boss surface.
17. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 10 wherein the at least one arm further comprises two arms extending from the base to the boss and at least a portion of the lip is located above the second boss surface.
18. The method of manufacturing the orifice holder assembly of claim 17 wherein the two arms are oppositely disposed relative to the orifice body.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 1, 2011
Publication Date: May 26, 2011
Inventors: Timothy Lee Frost (Cleveland, TN), Tony Byron Leeseberg (Chattanooga, TN)
Application Number: 13/018,559
International Classification: B23P 11/00 (20060101);