Cross-References to Related Applications

This is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending Application Serial No.

08/1 38,465, filed October 1 5, 1 993.

Background of the Invention

A number of tools are commercially available for extracting rings, bushings or other inserts which are tightly fitted within a confined recessed area. A particular example of an insert which must, on occasion, be extracted is the valve seat within a cylinder head on an internal combustion engine. Typically, existing pullers have jaws, usually two or three jaws, which work with the force created by either a slide hammer or a screw. The jaws are clamped against the part to be removed with a screw/bolt system, then the force is applied to the puller to remove the part.

Several difficulties can be experienced by the users of such valve seat pullers. Among these problems is the loosening of the jaws as a result of the application of force, which may be applied as either a rapid strike of a hammer or as a slow compression by turning the screw. This results in repeated interruption of the process to re-tighten the pressure of the jaws on the part. Such interruptions can be particularly problematic when the location of the insert to be removed is difficult to reach and the angle of approach is awkward. The size of many pullers compounds the difficulties experienced in hard-to-reach places.

Another disadvantage of existing pullers is that they are easily thrown off-balance when the force is applied, resulting in the majority of the force being applied to one jaw only. This can either cause the jaw to

break, or can pull the insert out at an angle. As with the frequent loosening of the jaws, they must be repositioned repeatedly during the operation before the insert is completely extracted.

Another type of insert which is commonly removed from a cylinder head is the pre-combustion chamber of a diesel engine. These chambers are particularly problematic for removal since the opening at the top of the chamber is relatively small (compared to valve seats) and is off- center, making it extremely difficult to use the conventional jaw pullers. Other disadvantages of conventional pullers are that they are usually heavy and bulky due to the length of the threaded shaft of the screw-type puller or due to the size of the slide hammer itself in the impact-type puller. Further, in order to avoid damaging the housing from which the insert is being removed, a spacer ring is often used to rest on the ring or other insert to be removed. This "blinds" the operator, preventing visual control of how the jaws clamp the insert.

Methods of extracting press fitted valve inserts (valve seats) in engine cylinder head include: 1 ) metal turning, where the valve insert is machined out of the cylinder head. This method is time consuming and expensive, but does not damage the housing in the cylinder head. 2) Welding a cord inside of the valve seats to loosen the seat out of its housing when the metal cools down and retracts. This process is also time consuming and may cause deterioration of the surrounding surfaces by distributing slag around the work site. To avoid this damage, the user must protect the surrounding surfaces, especially the valve guides in the cylinder head. 3) Using conventional pullers as described above, which is inefficient and time consuming. 4) Inserting a lever inside of the ring or insert to lift it out of the housing. Commonly, the insert will come out at an angle, damaging the housing. If the housing is damaged, it will have to be machined to removed the damage, and the resulting larger diameter requires the use of repair inserts - an insert which is of a non-standard

size.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide an impact puller that applies a uniform force for removal of a valve seat or pre- combustion chamber from an engine cylinder head to avoid requiring frequent repositioning and adjustment of the tool.

It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a tool for extraction of valve seats, rings, or other inserts which introduces minimal risk of damage to the housing from which the insert is being removed.

Still another advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool which has minimal risk of breakage during use when compared with conventional pullers.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a puller which is compact and easy to use regardless of the location and angle required for access to the insert to be removed.

In a first exemplary embodiment, which may be used to extract annular inserts, such as valve seats, the pulling tool has a pulling head, comprising a cone connected to the shaft and a pivotally mounted toothed claw combination with at least two claws. Each claw is supported by an extension or "claw arm" that extends outward from the housing and has one or more pivot points within which the pivot axis of the claw may be disposed. Each claw is sloped on its inner edge to cooperate with the sloped edge of the upper part of the cone so that, as the cone moves upward, the claw pivots so that the toothed portion of the claw is forced outward. The cone and claws are selected to fit closely within the opening in the insert. The present invention further includes means for applying a force

to the pulling head, which may comprise a handle attached to a housing and a lever pivotally attached to the housing. The lever controls a feed pad which applies an upward force to a shaft which slides freely through a bore in the housing in a direction generally perpendicular to the handle. When the lever is depressed, the shaft is lifted, pulling up on the cone which causes the claws to pivot and the teeth of the claws to penetrate the metal of the insert on its inner diameter to firmly lock into the insert. While the pressure is maintained on the lever, a pneumatic impact puller attached to the upper end of the shaft is activated by introducing compressed air into a piston and cylinder combination to provide rapidly repeated strikes of moderate force in an upward direction to pull the insert from the housing. After the insert has been extracted from the recess, a release lever loosens the feed pad from the shaft, allowing the force on the claws to be released so that the insert can be removed from the claws, readying the pulling tool to extract the next insert.

Alternatively, the force for initiating the pull is applied by placing a threaded bolt wheel on a threaded shaft. When the bolt wheel is rotated downward on the shaft it transfers an upward force on the shaft, causing the cone to move upward with respect to the claws, forcing the claws outward.

The cone and claws are changeable to allow use of the puller in different diameter openings. A fastener at the end of the shaft is used to allow the cone to be removed and replaced. If the shaft is threaded according to the above alternate embodiment, the cone can have a matching internal thread so that it screws onto the end of the shaft. The claws can be of different lengths, and can also be adjusted to be effective in larger diameter openings by shifting the pivot axis of the claw outward to a different pivot point on the claw support arm.

In a second exemplary embodiment, which may also be used to extract annular inserts, such as valve seats, the pulling head at the end of

the shaft has an annular shape with integrally formed claws around its periphery. As in the first embodiment, the cone and claws are selected to fit closely within the opening in the insert and are changeable to allow use of the puller in different diameter openings. The pulling head is generally cylindrical with a lip at its bottom and slots running up the sides of the cylinder parallel to the shaft; i.e., a collet, in which the slots allow the lower portion of the head to expand radially. The sectioning of the sides of the cylinder effectively forms a plurality of resilient claws, with the lip at the bottom of each claw serving as the tooth. Each claw can be moved in a radial direction with respect to the remainder of the pulling head so that the force applied to the collet is the same as that described above with respect to the first embodiment. When the shaft is lifted, pulling up on the cone, the claws flex radially outwardly and the teeth penetrate the metal of the insert on its inner diameter. As in the first embodiment, a pneumatic impact puller may then be used to provide the bulk of the force for extracting the insert from the recess in which it is lodged.

In a third exemplary embodiment, which may be used to extract inserts having a central or eccentric opening, such as pre-combustion chambers, one end of the pulling head is rigidly connected to the shaft.

A claw is pivotally mounted to the other end of the pulling head. The claw has a tooth on one end facing generally back toward the pulling head. The toothed end of the claw is inserted from the outside surface of the insert through the opening in the insert. The pulling head has a set screw with an end contacting a portion of the claw opposite the pivot point with respect to the toothed end of the claw. Rotating the set screw moves it axially, thereby pushing the claw and rotating the toothed end toward the rear surface of the insert and into contact with it. The tooth penetrates the metal of the insert to firmly lock into it. As in the first and second embodiments, a pneumatic impact puller may extract the

insert from the recess in which it is lodged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Understanding of the present invention will be facilitated by consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the pulling tool of the present invention with a lever-operated actuator for applying a gripping force;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1 ; Figures 4a, 4b and 4c illustrate the action of the pulling head shown in Figures 1 and 2 prior to application of forces, after application of forces, and after removal of the insert, respectively;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the pulling tool of the present invention with a lever-operated actuator for applying the gripping force;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 5, but with a bolt-wheel actuator for applying the gripping force; Figure 8 is a plan view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9a, 9b and 9c illustrate the action of the pulling head shown in Figures 5 and 6 prior to application of forces, after application of forces, and after removal of the insert, respectively;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the pulling tool of the present invention;

Figure 1 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 1 1 -1 1 of Figure 10;

Figure 1 2a, 1 2b and 1 2c illustrate the action of the illustrate the action of the pulling head shown in Figures 10 and 1 1 prior to application of forces, after application of forces, and after removal of the insert, respectively; and

Figure 13 is a side elevation of a collet with spacers with the cylinder head cut away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description uses relative positions, e.g., top and bottom, or upper and lower, for illustrative purposes only, to coincide with the orientation of the figures. This description should not be taken to indicate that the inventive puller is limited to operation in such an orientation.

As illustrated in Figure 1 , an embodiment of the pulling tool of the present invention comprises a housing 2 to which is attached a handle 4 and a pair of claw arms 6 and 6' which are disposed at 1 80 degrees with respect to each other. (Note that any number of claw arms may be used, in which case the arms will be disposed at even spacings. For example, if three arms are used, the claw arms will be spaced at 1 20 degrees.) Shaft 8 moves slidably through bore 10 in housing 2 in a direction generally perpendicular to the handle 4. Lever 12 pivots within housing 2 to create an upward force on shaft 8 by means that will be more clearly described below. At the lower end of shaft 8 a cone 1 3 is firmly but releasably held in place by a fastener 1 4. Claws 1 6 and 1 6' are pivotally disposed on claw arms 6 and 6', respectively.

At the upper end of shaft 8 is attached a pneumatic driver comprising a cylinder 1 8 and piston 20 (shown in Figure 3) driven by

compressed air introduced into cylinder 1 8 through air hose 22. Once activated by depressing activator button 24, the pneumatic driver produces a rapidly pulsed force on the shaft 8 in an upward direction. The pulsing is enabled by air apertures 26 and 26' which allow the compressed air to escape from the cylinder after the piston 20 has been lifted. The pressure differential in the cylinder opens relief valve 28 which redirects the compressed air through air hose 30, forcing the piston 20 back down to the bottom of the cylinder 1 8. The continuous application of compressed air into the cylinder 18 produces repeated shocks of moderate force which, when applied to the shaft 8 cause a uniform lifting motion for removal of a valve seat 40 or other insert within a corresponding housing 42, which, in the case of a valve seat is an engine cylinder head. (The valve seat 40 and housing 42 are shown in Figures 4a - 4c.) Once the valve seat 40 has been extracted from its housing 42, release lever 44 is depressed to release the shaft 8, allowing the claws and the cone 1 3 to be separated so that the claws can be retracted from the valve seat and the valve seat removed.

The functional elements of the invention can be more clearly seen in Figures 2 and 3, which are the cross-sections of the housing 2 and cylinder 1 8, respectively.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the functional elements within housing 2 are the feed pad 46, springs 48 and 50, fulcrum 52, plate 54 and lever pivot pin 56. Spring 48 maintains feed pad 46, essentially a washer-like ring, at an angle such that shaft 8 can slide freely through feed pad 46 until it is activated. To create the initial force to lift the cone 1 3, lever 1 2 is pulled upward toward handle 4 so that it pivots on pivot pin 56 which is attached to housing 2. Lug 58 on the inner end of lever 1 2 places an upward force on the bottom of feed pad 46, compressing the inner side of spring 48 and causing the angle of feed pad 46 with respect to shaft 8 to increase, pitting the inner edges of feed pad 46 tightly against shaft 8

and producing an upward motion of the shaft. This upward motion of the shaft causes an upward motion of cone 1 3 with respect to the claws 1 6 and 1 6' . The claws each have a tooth 1 7 extending outward and an inside angle 1 5 opposite the tooth. A lip 1 9 extends from the claw above tooth 1 7 to catch the top surface of the insert to be removed. The outside angle of cone 1 3 cooperates with the inside angles 1 5 of claws 1 6 and 1 6' to increase the outward force on the teeth of the claws as the cone is lifted. The claws pivot on pivot pins 58 and 58' driving the teeth 17 outward so that they dig into the interior wall of valve seat 40. Pressure is maintained on lever 1 2 until the actual extraction means is activated, e.g., a pneumatic puller.

The construction of the claw arms 6 and 6' is such that multiple pivot points are provided. This allows the pulling tool to be adapted for different diameter openings by moving the pivot pins 58 and 58' to the appropriate pivot point. The claws must be moved symmetrically so that the force applied by the pulling tool is uniform within the valve seat 40.

In conjunction with the movement of the claw location on the claw arms, the cone may be changed to a larger or smaller diameter, whichever is appropriate, to adapt to different inner diameters. This change can be effected by removing fastener 14 from the end of shaft 8, and substituting the desired cone, then replacing the fastener.

Although it may be used with a sliding inertia hammer, the tool is preferably used in combination with a pneumatic driver which is shown in detail in Figure 3. The top of shaft 8 is attached to the bottom of cylinder 1 8 within which piston 20 moves upon the application and release of air pressure within the cylinder. Compressed air is introduced into cylinder 1 8 by depressing activator button 24 which opens a valve, permitting the compresses air to pass through air hose 22 into the bottom of cylinder 1 8. (Note that activator button 24 may be positioned remotely from the

cylinder in the form of a foot pedal which is a valve in the air line, or may be a power switch for a solenoid-controlled valve in the air line.) The compressed air lifts piston 20 so that it strikes the top 62 of cylinder 1 8, transferring an upward force to the cylinder and shaft 8 connected thereto. Air apertures 26 and 26' permit the compressed air to exit the cylinder 18 once the piston has passed them in its upward travel. This change in pressure causes relief valve 28 to open, directing the compressed air through air hose 30 forcing the piston 20 back down to the bottom of the cylinder. Due to the small volume of cylinder 1 8 above piston 20, the return force on the piston is less than that involved in its upward travel. Once the piston reaches the bottom of cylinder 1 8 the process is repeated, producing a rapidly pulsed upward force on the shaft 8 with a frequency on the order of 2000 to 3000 strikes per minute. These repeated strikes allow an effective force to be applied to the shaft 8 to remove valve seat 40 without using a sudden, high power strike which can pull the jaws off of the insert or can result in an uneven transfer of force in conventional pullers.

Once the valve seat 40 (or other insert) has been extracted, the inlet valve controlled by activator button 24 is closed, removing the compressed air from the cylinder.

The basic steps for extraction of an insert using the lever feed mechanism are illustrated in Figures 4a - 4c. Arrows are provided in each of these figures to indicate the direction of force. In Figure 4a, the cone 1 3 is inserted into the open center 65 of the insert 40. The cone 1 3 has a maximum diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the insert 40. Generally, the cone 13 is selected so that the distance it extends below the lowest point of the claw is approximately two times the size that the claws are to be expanded. The claws 1 6 and 1 6' are inserted into the open center 65 until the lip 1 9 contacts the upper surface of the housing 42. In Figure 4b, the lever 1 2 is squeezed toward

handle 4 forcing feed pad 46 to push upward on shaft 8. This lifts the cone 1 3 so that its sloped edge applies pressure to the inward slope 1 5 of claws 1 6 and 1 6'. As a result of this pressure, the claws pivot on pivot pins 58 and 58', driving the teeth 1 7 into the inner wall of insert 40. The force on lever 1 2 is maintained until the pneumatic puller or other means for applying an upward force is activated.

After the insert 40 has been extracted from the housing 42, release lever 44 is depressed to release the feed pad's hold on the shaft 8, as shown in Figure 4c. Release lever 44 consists of a washer-like ring at the end of a lever with the interior diameter of the ring portion being slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 8. When release lever 44 is depressed, fulcrum 52 causes the ring portion of the lever 44 move upward so that the inner edges of the ring portion pit themselves against shaft 8, causing shaft 8 to move upward. (Spring 50 holds the release lever 44 so that it is not in contact with shaft 8 until release is desired.)

The upward movement of the shaft 8 relieves the pressure of the cone 1 3 on the claws 1 6 and 1 6' . The claws can then be manually pivoted inward to release their hold on the interior wall of the insert 40. Referring now to the pneumatic driving mechanism which preferably provides the bulk of the force for extracting the insert, the air pressure for driving the pneumatic puller can be regulated to increase the number of strikes. In the process of extracting valve seats from a cylinder head it is possible to determine the amount of pull needed to extract the first valve seat, then use the same inlet air pressure to removed subsequent valve seats. Also, the size of the cylinder and piston determines the amount of force provided. For greater force, larger diameter cylinders and pistons can be used. The impact puller of the present invention will work for extraction of virtually any type of ring insert. The puller does not damage the housing around the insert, and is capable of rapidly extracting the insert without requiring repeated

positioning and adjustment of the tool. The pneumatic impact provides the efficiency needed using lesser forces, further minimizing the risk of damage to the housing.

As illustrated in Figure 5, another embodiment of the pulling tool of the present invention comprises an expandable collet 64 with six integrally formed claws 65 about its periphery. The size of the collet is such that, when relaxed, its diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the valve seat, so that it fits in easily. The fully expanded diameter of the collet is equal to the inner diameter of the valve seat plus 1 mm for large valve seats or plus 0.5 mm for smaller valve seats. For example, a valve seat with an inner diameter of 40.5 mm requires a collet of 39 mm to expand up to 41 .5 mm. Each claw 65 has a tooth 67. Claws 65 are evenly spaced with slits 68 between adjacent claws 65. Cone 1 3 is held in place at the lower end of shaft 8 by fastener 14. The size of cone 1 3 is selected so that, when it is within the collet 64, its lowest point protrudes a distance x which is twice the size that the collet is to be expanded. Once the cone is flush with the bottom of the collet, the diameter from claw to claw is increased by x 12. The size of the cone may be used to adjust the collet expansion. When lever 1 2 is actuated as described above, cone 13 moves upward into collet 64, thereby lifting cone 13 and applying a force to claws 65 in a radially outward direction. Claws 65 are sufficiently resilient to expand outwardly in response to this force. The surfaces of claws 65 inside collet 64 may be angled to increase leverage. Actuating release lever 44 releases cone 13, thereby allowing claws 65 to return to their relaxed position. The above¬ described pneumatic driver may be used to extract an insert.

One or more spacers may be placed over the outer surface of collet 64 to provide an open space above the tooth 67 equal to the height of the valve seat 1 20. As shown in Figure 13, the spacers 1 10 and 1 1 2 allow adjustment for the variations in the depths of valve seats. The

spacers may also be used with other embodiments of the pulling head.

In a similar embodiment, illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the gripping force may be applied using a bolt wheel 70 as an alternative to the lever mechanism. In the exemplary embodiment, bolt wheel 70 comprises a flat annular portion 74 and a polygonal nut 72 having internal threads. A threaded shaft 76 engages nut 72 and is connected to the pneumatic driver. In this embodiment, the gripping force is generated by rotating bolt wheel 70 relative to threaded shaft 76. The relative rotation moves cone 1 3 upward into collet 64, expanding it as described above. The nut 72 may be replaced by any internally-threaded body having a thread which cooperates with the threaded shaft, and which also provides means for gripping its exterior so that the bolt wheel can be rotated on the shaft.

The steps for extracting an insert using the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 5-8 is illustrated in Figures 9a-9c.

Claws 65 are inserted through the opening in valve seat 40, as shown in Figure 9a. Bolt wheel 70 is rotated with respect to shaft 76. This motion lifts cone 1 3 into collet 64 and expands claws 65 outwardly. Tooth 67 of each claw 65 is driven into the inner wall of valve seat 40, as shown in Figure 9b. The pneumatic puller or other means for applying a pulling force may then be used to extract valve seat 40 from housing 42 once the initial "bite" has been made with the bolt wheel. The extracted valve seat may be released from collet 64 by rotating bolt wheel 70 in the opposite direction to allow the claws 65 to resile to their unexpanded position.

Another embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figures 10 and 1 1 , may be used to extract inserts having a central or eccentric opening. A body 78 is connected to shaft 8. A claw arm 80 has a notch 81 that engages a pivot pin 82 in body 78. One edge of body 78 has a semicircular opening 84 that exposes the proximal portion 86 of claw arm

80. A distal portion 88 of claw arm 80 is oriented at an angle with respect to proximal portion 86. The angle is preferably 1 25 degrees. However, different claw arms 80 having different angles may be used to accommodate various types of inserts. Distal portion 88 has a tooth 90. A first bore 92 in body 78 has a first set screw 94 threadably engaged in a threaded end and a piston 96 slideably disposed in an unthreaded end. A spring 98 bears against first set screw 94 and biases piston 96 toward proximal portion 86 of claw arm 80. This force, in turn, maintains notch 81 of claw arm 80 in pivoting engagement with pivot pin 82. Claw arm 80 may easily be removed and replaced with a different claw arm by depressing proximal portion 86 and unhooking it from pivot pin 82. The pulling tool may thus be adapted for different sizes of inserts that are to be extracted. A second threaded bore 100 engages a threaded second set screw 102. Rotating set screw 102 applies a force to proximal end 86 of claw arm 80, thereby rotating it about pivot pin 82.

The steps for extracting an insert, such as a pre-combustion chamber 104 of a diesel internal combustion engine, using the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 5-8 is illustrated in Figures 1 2a-12c. Distal end 88 is hooked through the opening in pre- combustion chamber 104 and body 78 is disposed adjacent chamber

104, as shown in Figure 12a. Set screw 102 is rotated to move it toward proximal end 86. In response to the force experienced by proximal end 86, distal end 88 rotates tooth 90 toward the inside surface 106 of pre-combustion chamber 104. Tooth 90 is driven into inside surface 106 of pre-combustion chamber 104, which bears against body

78, as shown in Figure 12b. The pneumatic puller or other means for applying a pulling force may then be used to extract pre-combustion chamber 104 from housing 42. The extracted pre-combustion chamber 104 may be released by rotating set screw 102 in the opposite direction. It will be evident that there are additional embodiments and

applications which are not disclosed in the detailed description but which clearly fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The specification is, therefore, not intended to be limiting, and the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims. I CLAIM: