Tube cutting apparatus and method
US4779496A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 21, 1986 |
| Grant date | Oct 25, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 21, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T83/394
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An improved tube cutting apparatus and method for cutting through the inside of a metallic tube is disclosed herein. The apparatus generally comprises a support assembly which is slidably insertable within a tube, a flail tube cutting head connected to a short flexible shaft, and a linking shaft rotatably mounted within the support assembly for connecting the short flexible shaft of the cutting head to a longer flexible drive shaft. The center portion of the housing includes a mandrel circumscribed by a selectively expandable resilient bladder for temporarily affixing the support assembly to the inner wall of the tube in order to position the circular blade of the cutting head adjacent to a desired point along the longitudinal axis of the tube. The proximal and distal portions of the linking shaft include coupling assemblies for facilitating blade changes. In order to confine the cutting action of the blade on the cutting head to a thin circle around the inner wall of the tube, the support assembly also includes a thrust bearing that prevents the blade from moving longitudinally during the cutting operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.