Tube Making Or Reshaping Patents (Class 72/367.1)
  • Publication number: 20080184766
    Abstract: A straightening rotor is provided with at least two freely positionable balancing means that are essentially arranged symmetrical to a central plane, axially relative to a rotational axis of the straightening rotor. This makes it possible to achieve higher speeds and/or a longer service life.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Inventor: Heiner Kudrus
  • Publication number: 20080173059
    Abstract: A skin and a method for restructuring the inner surface of a tube of long length includes manufacturing a skin, in a material with expansion rate greater than 50%, the external surface of which includes a restructuring print determined in order to take into account the longitudinal and radial expansions that the skin is going to undergo, and as a function of the desired final surface state for the tube to be restructured, longitudinally expanding the skin up to the required length for the tube, longitudinally introducing expanded skin inside tube to be restructured, and radially expanding the skin to realize the restructuring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Inventors: Nicolas Gautreau, Yves Charron
  • Patent number: 7389669
    Abstract: A process for reducing residual tensile stresses in high nickel-chromium alloy nozzle safe-end welds of pressurized water reactor nuclear pressure vessels such as are found at the reactor vessel inlet and outlet nozzles and the pressurizes surge, spray, safety and relief nozzles. The process involves the application of radial compression on the outside surface of the nozzle's safe-end and/or connecting coolant piping, to reduce the outside diameter at the mid-point of the piping element to which the load is applied to between about 0.2% and about 3%. The radially compressive load applied by this process is imparted using a mechanical device that can be employed at the vessel manufacturer's facility or at a nuclear power plant after welding of the nozzle safe-end to the coolant piping or before either after plant commissioning of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: AEA Technology Engineering Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Manu Badlani, Brian Scott Beley, Thomas A. Damico
  • Publication number: 20080110229
    Abstract: A process for reducing residual tensile stresses in high nickel-chromium alloy nozzle safe-end welds of pressurized water reactor nuclear pressure vessels such as are found at the reactor vessel inlet and outlet nozzles and the pressurizes surge, spray, safety and relief nozzles. The process involves the application of radial compression on the outside surface of the nozzle's safe-end and/or connecting coolant piping, to reduce the outside diameter at the mid-point of the piping element to which the load is applied to between about 0.2% and about 3%. The radially compressive load applied by this process is imparted using a mechanical device that can be employed at the vessel manufacturer's facility or at a nuclear power plant after welding of the nozzle safe-end to the coolant piping or before either after plant commissioning of operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Inventors: Manu Badlani, Brian Scott Beley, Thomas A. Damico
  • Publication number: 20080042431
    Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to shoulder refacing indicator. In one illustrative embodiment, the shoulder refacing indicator includes a body having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides being formed at an included angle of 135 degrees relative to one another, the first side adapted to engage an engaging surface of a make-up shoulder of a pipe connector and the second side adapted to engage a tapered surface of the pipe connector. The shoulder refacing indicator further includes at least one scribe line formed on the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventor: Clay Y. Steely
  • Publication number: 20080016936
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for sizing a tube section (5) of a tube (1), with the tube (1) including an inner tube (2) and an outer tube (3) covering the inner tube (2). The tube section (5) is separated with the help of a cutting tool (6) at a cutting site (8) in a cutting plane aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal extension of the tube (1). For the method according to the invention, the tube cover (3) of the tube (1) is wrapped by a tube fixation (4), for example an adhesive tape, which covers the intended cutting site, before the tube section (5) is separated from the tube (1) at the cutting site (8) with the help of a cutting tool (6). The tube fixation (4) does not only mark the intended cutting site but also counteracts a fraying of the tube cover (3) at the cutting site (8), comprising a metal and/or plastic web.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: NEOPERL GMBH
    Inventor: Roger Schlitter
  • Patent number: 7290337
    Abstract: In this manufacturing method for a frame body, after ring rolling a metal material to form a ring-shaped member, a rectangular member is formed by pressing and deforming this ring-shaped member in the radial direction. At this time, an angle of corner portions that impart the rectangular shape to the rectangular member is formed smaller than an angle of the frame body that is to be obtained by die forging the rectangular member. According to the frame body obtained by this manufacturing method for a frame body, it is possible to increase the mechanical strength, and in particular, the creep strength. Furthermore, when forming the frame body, the occurrence of defects during manufacture may be restrained, it becomes possible to realize a reduction of the amount of waste metal material and the manufacturing time, and thereby this frame body may be formed inexpensively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kikuchi, Shoichi Takahashi, Kiyoshi Tamaru
  • Patent number: 7174761
    Abstract: When manufacturing a seamless pipe by carrying out elongation rolling and sizing on a mother tube for forming a seamless pipe, the occurrence of portions of thickness variation in the seamless pipe is suppressed by previously identifying the portions of wall thickness variation where the thickness varies in the circumferential direction of the seamless pipe, and carrying out elongation rolling so that the thickness of the portions of the mother tube corresponding to the portions of wall thickness variation of the seamless pipe are different in thickness at the completion of elongation rolling from that of other portions of the mother tube. As a result, local variations in wall thickness in the circumferential direction of a seamless pipe are prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Iwamoto, Akihito Yamane, Tooru Egoshi, Kenichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7107682
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing tubes and profiles with variable wall thickness over the length. The method comprises the steps of flexible rolling of continuous material strip with variable thickness in the longitudinal direction of the strip material to a final wall thickness which is continuously reduced with respect to the original wall thickness, reshaping the material strip to form a continuous tube or profile and cutting to length individual tube or profile pieces from the continuous tube or profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Muhr und Bender KG
    Inventor: Andreas Hauger
  • Patent number: 7051768
    Abstract: When hydroforming a steel pipe, a tubular deformation assisting member made of an incompressible material softer than the steel pipe is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the steel pipe. The deformation assisting member is attached at least to an area corresponding to a projection provided at the inner surface of the die assembly, the projection being earliest brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the steel pipe during hydroforming. When hydroforming the steel pipe, the material of the deformation assisting member plastically flows near corner portions at which the deformation assisting member is brought into contact with the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7010951
    Abstract: A feeding mechanism of a pipe bending machine is equipped with several auxiliary hydraulic cylinders in addition to an original power source for providing power to feed a pipe; the auxiliary hydraulic cylinders are joined to an auxiliary fixing member at output rods thereof, which fixing member is displaceable along a toothed locating rod secured on the bending machine, and is equipped with an engaging device capable of releaseably engaging the toothed locating rod to fix the fixing member in position; thus, the feeding mechanism can feed a pipe with increased force output when the fixing member is made unmovable along the locating rod by the engaging device, and when the auxiliary hydraulic cylinders operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Chiao Sheng Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sheng-Tsung Wang
  • Patent number: 6948649
    Abstract: The high yield ratio problem intrinsic in high-strength steel pipes is solved and a method of producing a steel pipe, while securing the pipe roundness is provided. A steel pipe produced from a steel plate by forming and welding is subjected to 0.3 to 1.2% of expansion and then to 0.1 to 1.0% of reduction. The steel pipe produced by this method has a structure in which martensite and/or bainite accounts for more than 80% as expressed in terms of area percentage, and has a yield strength of not lower than 551 MPa and a yield ratio of not higher than 93%. The pipe reduction is desirably carried out at a lower work ratio as compared with the pipe expansion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuaki Takahashi, Akio Yamamoto, Tomoaki Ikeda, Tetsuya Fukuba
  • Patent number: 6851172
    Abstract: In a method of securing a rod-shaped part in a surrounding holding member, a flat holding member is fabricated with opposite side edges that are formed with elements configured for interlocking engagement. The side edges of the holding member are bent upwards, and the holding member is then shaped into a cross section in accordance with the cross section of the rod-shaped part. After inserting the rod-shaped part into the holding member; the holding member is press-fitted about the rod-shaped part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Willy Voit GmbH & Co. Stanz- und Metallwerk
    Inventor: Jakob Schmitt
  • Patent number: 6785947
    Abstract: A method of making core board product may be under the control of a processing unit. A first tubular core may be dispensed to a conveying portion to support the first tubular core at an interim location. The first tubular core may be conveyed to a flattening position under pressure of a compression member. The first tubular core is substantially compressed between the compression member and a flattening surface. The steps of dispensing, conveying, compressing may be repeated for at least a second tubular core. The second tubular is substantially compressing core against the first tubular core. The substantially compressed first tubular core and second tubular core may be fastened together in an abutting relationship with a plurality of fastening members so as to form the core board product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Resins, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis William Downey, Robert Lewis Wood, James Barton Ragan, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20040099037
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a seamless wheel rim includes the steps: firstly, to deeply draw a pre-cut circular aluminum alloy plate into a cup-shaped embryo body, punch out the bottom surface thereof to form a hollow cylinder, then put it into an expanding-pressing female die with an expanding die cavity at both ends thereof respectively, and finally press and expand the both ends of the embryo body by two sets of expanding-pressing male dies to form a seamless aluminum wheel rim in sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventors: Ting-Fang Wang, Juei-Hung Hung
  • Publication number: 20040069467
    Abstract: An improved heat transfer tube and a method of formation thereof. The inner surface of the tube is enhanced with a plurality of protrusions that reduce tube side resistance and improve overall heat transfer performance. The protrusions create additional paths for fluid flow within the tube and thereby enhance turbulence of heat transfer mediums flowing within the tube. This increases fluid mixing to reduce the boundary layer build-up of the fluid medium close to the inner surface of the tube, such build-up increasing the resistance and thereby impeding heat transfer. The protrusions also provide extra surface area for additional heat exchange. The method of this invention includes using a tool, which can easily be added to existing manufacturing equipment, having a cutting edge to cut through ridges on the inner surface of the tube to create ridge layers and a lifting edge to lift the ridge layers to form the protrusions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Petur Thors, Nikolai Zoubkov
  • Patent number: 6589373
    Abstract: A selectively heat treated canister for use in a vehicle airbag deployment system is configured to contain combustion materials and to contain gases produced from the combustion thereof. The canister includes a tubular body having a length and a longitudinal axis. The body is formed as at least three drawn sections. Each prior section is drawn one more time than a successive adjacent section. The canister defines a closed end and an open end. The closed end is at a least drawn section and the open end is at a most drawn section. The canister defines a heat treated region and is selectively heat treated at least one transition zone between adjacent drawn sections to reduce crack propagation observed during testing. A method for making the canister is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Starozhitsky, Matthew J. Reiter
  • Patent number: 6579579
    Abstract: A container, in particular a container with a tube-shaped wall, made of a light metal alloy for use as a reaction chamber in a process for manufacturing wafers. The container wall is made by way of extrusion or ring-rolling, and the container wall is made from a metallic, aluminum-based material with a magnesium content between 1.2 and 2.0 wt. %. The elements Cu, Fe, Si are present in amounts less than 0.5 wt. %. This container wall may also be shaped in one piece as container with a base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Alcan Technology & Management Ltd.
    Inventors: Ulf Hodel, Reinhold Gitter
  • Publication number: 20030102045
    Abstract: When hydroforming a steel pipe, a tubular deformation assisting member made of an incompressible material softer than the steel pipe is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the steel pipe. The deformation assisting member is attached at least to an area corresponding to a projection provided at the inner surface of the die assembly, the projection being earliest brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the steel pipe during hydroforming. When hydroforming the steel pipe, the material of the deformation assisting member plastically flows near corner portions at which the deformation assisting member is brought into contact with the projection. This plastic flow accelerates circumferential uniform extension of the steel pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventor: Junichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6516646
    Abstract: A device for manufacturing a hollow body from two plates. The device includes an internal high pressure forming tool having an interior surface defining a mold chamber corresponding to a shape of the hollow body. The forming tool being arranged to receive two plates resting against each other. An expansion lance is insertable between the plates via an axial drive, and the expansion lance and the axial drive forming a pushing plunger. The expansion lance has a pinching section along a circumferential contour, and the plates to be pinched are arranged between the pinching section and the forming tool. The expansion lance includes a feed bore communicable with a high pressure fluid source. The expansion lance defines an axial stop to abut axial edges of the plates. The axial stop has a radial periphery which is smaller than that of the mold chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Wilhelm Arns, Arndt Birkert, Matthias Schroeder
  • Patent number: 6336254
    Abstract: A handle attachment is appended to a straight wheelbarrow handle. A first portion of the attachment has a specially designed flared end which is fitted to securely engage a rectangular portion of the wheelbarrow handle. The first portion of the attachment is straight to enable a handle to accept the extending end of the wheelbarrow handle. The attachment has a second portion that is curved downward and away from the wheelbarrow handle to form semi-circular shape. A third portion of the attachment is a straight projection that terminates forming an end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: The Idea Guys, Inc.
    Inventors: Warren D. Graff, Steve A. Cirucci, William W. McCormick
  • Patent number: 6237389
    Abstract: In an apparatus and a method for forming threaded portions around a metal pipe with accuracy and ease, a preliminary forming is performed so as to recess portions of the metal pipe a little bit inwardly in the radial direction thereof by advancing auxiliary forming punches while keeping main forming punches as they are. Thereafter, by receding the auxiliary forming punches back, while advancing the main forming punches, simultaneously, the threaded portions are formed on outer periphery of the metal pipe 3 shifted by 180° in phase thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Bestex Kyoei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Tada, Mikio Morinaga
  • Patent number: 6234000
    Abstract: The present invention provides a ball-bat repairing apparatus to repair, for example, softball and baseball bats, in which particularly aluminum ball-bats which have been deformed from repeated use are returned to substantially their original diameter along the longitudinal extent of the ball-bat barrel. The ball-bat repairing apparatus has a frame which holds a two-piece die therein. The two-piece die has a top half and a bottom half in which a pair of semi-cylindrical die inserts are secured. The die inserts are made of relatively soft material, e.g., plastic so as not to damage the aluminum bat during repair. A compression member is threadedly received through the frame and is located in mechanical cooperation with a first of the die halves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Inventor: Wiley L. Bowling
  • Patent number: 6196530
    Abstract: Stabilizer (1) for motor vehicles which has a toroidal cross section, and which is formed of several stabilizer sections that, together, create a U-shape having a pair of U-legs (2) connected by a U-back (3) via arcuately shaped transitional shoulder areas (4). The stabilizer (1), as a pipe stabilizer, is able to withstand the required number of load cycles even under very high stress or enables even greater weight reduction under normal stresses, by important stabilizer sections having an increased strength as compared to other stabilizer sections by either dimensioning, and/or increasing the carbon content of an outer and/or inner surface layer of the stabilizer (1) by carburization, and also, optionally, by at least partially shot peening the inner surface, preferably at least in the transitional shoulder areas (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Muhr und Bender
    Inventors: Thomas Muhr, Leo Schnaubelt