Double grip, relative motion tube puller
US4571802A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1984 |
| Grant date | Feb 25, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53796
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Both an apparatus and a process for pulling tubes from a tubesheet with two relatively movable gripping means are disclosed herein. The apparatus of the invention is a tube puller which has upper and lower gripping means for gripping the section of the tube surrounded by the tubesheet. The two gripping means are mechanically linked together by means of an extendable connecting assembly. This assembly includes an outer sleeve where the lower gripping means is located, and a middle sleeve where the upper gripping means is located which is slidable a predetermined distance within the outer sleeve. In the process of the invention, a tube puller as heretofore described is inserted into the mouth of a tube. The lower gripping means is then engaged to the mouth of the tube. The upper gripping means is then engaged in a section of the tube beyond the tube mouth with the extendable connecting assembly in a contracted position. A pulling means including a hydraulic ram then applies a tensile force onto the lower gripping means in order to pull on the mouth of the tube and to plastically contract the outer diameter of the tube in the vicinity of the tubesheet. After such contraction occurs, t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.