FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an improved expansion tool, and more particularly to a tool for reforming deformed cores of coiled sheet material and other difficult to expand items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sheet materials such as paper, metal foil, and the like are often rolled in coils on hollow cores for storage and handling. In the can industry, for example, aluminum sheet material is manufactured and rolled in coils on metal cores at one site and then shipped to another site for uncoiling in the manufacture of cans. Rolls of paper of the type suitable for use as newsprint are manufactured and shipped in the same manner.

Such rolls can be quite heavy and difficult to handle; and this handling can partially collapse or deform the cores. Before the rolls can be handled further or mounted on a support arbor, the cores must be reopened and substantially restored to their original shape. This is typically done by inserting an expandable tool into the core.

Several such expansion tools have been developed for this purpose. Tools representative of the prior art are shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,749,365; 3,677,058; 3,635,440; 3,625,046; and 3,618,895 to Van Gompel as well as Patent No. 3,292,903 to Meyer and Patent No. 4,155,242 to Peterson. However, these devices are not capable of withstanding the tremendous pressures, sometimes upwards of twenty-five tons, that are brought to bear upon the jaws and tongue of the expansion device. U.S. Patent No. 2,643,562 (Geddes, 1953) discloses a spreading tool designed primarily for reshaping deformed automobile bodies. This reference discloses a linkage means to expand the jaws of the tool.

U.S. Patent No. 1 ,932,584 (Hanson, 1933) suggests the use of a wedge- shaped slide to actuate the jaws outward, though the apparatus in Hanson is designed for exerting only minimal outward force which is necessary for reshaping a can.

Rollers have also been developed for transferring the expansion force of the tongue or spreading fork to the deformed roll. However, at high pressures the rollers are subject to frequent breakage. Metal bearing surfaces have also not worked well at high pressures as the tongue adheres to the metal jaws at the high pressures developed at the wedge/tongue interface as are necessary for the tasks for which the tool is designed. Metallic wedges used to date have suffered the same problem. Further, metal rollers, bearings and wedges require complicated means of attachment to the jaws which themselves break and/or

require time and skill in replacing when any element of the pressure transference system needs to be accessed or removed.

A long-felt commercial need thus exists for an improved core expander tool with a durable, replaceable, maintenance- free wedge having a bearing surface capable of transferring expansion forces of over 3,000 pounds or more from the tongue through the jaws to the core and of releasing and forcing back the tongue after each use during multiple core reforming operations, all without breakage or binding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises an improved core expander tool for straightening rolls of sheet material and other difficult to expand items which overcomes the foregoing difficulties associated with the prior art.

Structurally the invention comprises an improved expansion tool having a resilient wedge held in the inner face of an expandable jaw for engaging a ram tongue to expand the jaw. Each resilient wedge has a surface which has a low coefficient of friction, is self -lubricating and which does not bind with the surface of the tongue at high pressure, is angled to repeatedly engage the tongue and communicate great pressure to the jaws without the use of breakable or moving parts in the jaws, is comprised of a material resilient enough and is properly angled to cause the tongue to disengage when the pressure is released, and is hard, dense, and resilient enough to repeatedly withstand great pressure without breaking.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided an improved tool, including a pair of jaws pivoted to one end of a hollow collar. A central tongue, selectively driven by a cylinder coupled to the other end of the collar, is mounted for axial movement across a wedge-shaped, ultra high molecular weight polymer bearing surface, to actuate the jaws outwardly and thereby reform the core. The bearing surface is made from a material that is resilient, will not abrade easily, is self -lubricating and will not bind with the tongue, even at high pressures. The bearing surfaces are mounted in angular relationship to the surface of the tongue or spreading fork and on the opposed internal surfaces of the paired jaws. The invention may also be beneficially used with other difficult to expand items such as a down hole placed casing, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the tool with the jaws open.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a single jaw illustrating the inside surface thereof. FIG. 3 is a side view of the tool with the jaws shut. FIG. 4 is a top view of the tongue. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates the side view of expander tool 10. Expander tool 10 has an axial configuration for insertion into the work piece and contains hollow, circular collar 16 onto which a pair of semi-cylindrical jaws 18a and 18b are 5 attached, articulating at pins 20. Jaws 18a and 18b have external and internal surfaces, and their outside diameters are less than the cores they are designed to straighten.

Tongue 22 has a wedge shape that tapers to tongue point 23, is mounted for axial movement along longitudinal axis A, and contains tongue faces 22a 0 and 22b adapted to slidably engage wedges 24a and 24b. Jaws 18a and 18b have inside chambers 19a and 19b and inside faces 21a and 21b, respectively. Leading edges 25a and 25b of inside chambers 19a and 19b, respectively, mark the forward junction of inside chambers 19a and 19b and inside faces 21a and 21b. Leading edges 25a and 25b represent that portion of the interior surface - - ^■ of jaws 18a and 18b where the surface portion representing inside faces 21a and 21b break from their flush relationship when jaws 18a and 18b are shut (see FIG. 3) into interior surface portion of jaws 18a and 18b as represented by inside chambers 19a and 19b.

Wedges 24a and 24b lie against inside chambers 19a and 19b, respectively, 20 generally conforming in shape thereto and detachably affixed at nipples 26a and 26b. Wedges 24a and 24b have leading edges 30a and 30b, respectively, on the forward portions thereof.

Jaws 18a and 18b and collar 16 are preferably constructed of steel due to its durability and strength. Tongue 22 is preferably made of stainless steel 25 due to its durability and strength and has highly polished, smooth tongue faces 22a and 22b.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, jaws 18a and 18b are expanded when tongue

22 is urged axially, tip 23 first, therebetween. Moreover, FIG. 1 illustrates the manner in which wedges 24a and 24b act as bearing surfaces transferring the

30 expansion force of tongue 22 to jaws 18a and 18b and ultimately to the work piece (not shown).

FIG. 2 Is a top view of inside chamber 19a of jaw 18a. FIG. 2 also illustrates how inside face 21a meets inside chamber 19a along leading edge 25a. 35 The generally rectangular shape of face 32a of wedge 24a may be seen in FIG. 2. Moreover, it is clear from this figure that wedge 24a is sized to fit within inside chamber 19a, and located rearward of leading edge 25. Such rearward location allows some deformation along leading edges 30a and 30b during engagement of tongue 22 with wedges 24a and 24b.

FIG. 3 illustrates expander tool 10 with jaws 18a and 18b in a shut or closed position. It also illustrates the tapered profile of the external surface of jaws 18a and 18b for ease of insertion into the work piece. Tongue 22 is illustrated in a retracted position with tip 23 behind wedges 24a and 24b. 5 FIG. 3 also illustrates the angular relationship between wedge faces 32a and 32b and tongue faces 22a and 22b. When jaws 18a and 18b are in the closed position, leading edges 30a and 30b are either very close or just touching (but not preventing jaws 18a and 18b from closing). Tongue faces 22a and 22b preferably have angles of between 5° to 10° off of the center line of tongue

10 22 and optimally about 7.5°. Wedge faces 32a and 32b preferably have angles of 20° to 10° off of the center line of expander tool 10 and optimally about 15°. When shut (as illustrated in FIG. 3) with tip 23 of tongue 22 just touching leading edges 30a and 30b, there is transcribed included angles between wedge face 32a and 32b and between tongue face 22a and tongue face

"L 5 22b, the difference of which is preferably in the range of about 30 ° to about 15 ° , and is optimally about 22.5 ° . In such a closed position, longitudinal axis A of expander tool 10 is coincident with the longitudinal axis of tongue 22. Tongue faces 22a and 22b are preferably 8 inches long, and tongue 22 preferably has about a 4-inch throw.

20 FIG. 4 illustrates tongue 22 removed from tool 10. Also seen is tongue face 22a and tip 23. To the rear of tongue face 22 the cross-sectional shape of tongue 22 is circular and dimensioned to fit within the cavity created by inside chamber 19a and 19b when jaws 18a and 18b are closed or shut. Tongue faces 22a and 22b are cut along a bias to the longitudinal axis of tongue 22

25 to meet at tip 23, much like the tip of a screw driver.

FIG. 5 illustrates a transverse cross-sectional view of expander tool 10 with jaws 18a and 18b open. The manner in which forward motion of tongue 22 slides tongue faces 22a and 22b across wedges 24a and 24b, respectively, can be seen from this perspective. In addition, it can be seen that leading edges

30 30a and 30b are approximately flush with inside faces 21a and 21b. While there may be some slight deformation of wedges 24a and 24b during operation of expander tool 10, during which as much as 10 tons or more of pressure may be exerted on them, they will return to their general original configuration following the operations. Moreover, during the exertion of the force and

35 straightening of the work piece, wedges 24a and 24b will not so deform that tongue 22 contacts jaws 18a and 18b.

The material selected for wedges 24a and 24b must be minimally capable of withstanding at least 100 operation cycles of expander tool 10 with a ram pressure of 3,000 pounds of pressure. Wedges 24a and 24b in practice have

40 proven to withstand 1000 operation cycles at 6,000 pounds of ram pressure.

Wedges 24a and 24b preferably are capable of withstanding 1,000 operation cycles at 10,000 pounds of pressure.

Wedges 24a and 24b are preferably made of a resilient material which is resistent to abrasion and impact, can absorb high energy, are self -lubricating, 5 will not absorb water and have a very low coefficient of friction (preferably less than .23 dynamic coefficient of friction on polished steel). Wedges 24a and 24b must not bind with tongue 22 even at the high pressures generated and after repeated uses. Such characteristics are found in an ultrahigh molecular weight polymer such as TIVAR-100. TIVAR-100 is the registered 0 trademark for a specially formulated ultrahigh molecular weight polymer manufactured by Menasha Corporation of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In operation, expander tool 10 is inserted into a damaged roll of sheet stock. The insertion is done axially, the nose of jaws 18a and 18b being inserted first. When the damaged area is encountered tongue 22 is hydrauli- 5 cally actuated, moving forward approximately 4 inches with respect to the collar 16 and contacting leading edges 30a and 30b of wedges 24a and 24b. Continuing its forward motion, tongue 22 slides over the surface of wedges 24a and 24b. This expansive force forces jaws 18a and 18b open. This force is transferred to the damaged or collapsed portion of the work piece, restoring 0 the same to its predeformed configuration.

Wedges 24a and 24b act as bearing surfaces which tongue faces 22a and 22b slidably engage. It is at the contact surfaces between tongue face 22a and wedge 24a and tongue face 22b and wedge 24b which the force exerted to expand the deformed core is concentrated. Wedges 24a and 24b preferably 5 stand about one-eighth of an inch above inside faces 21a and 21b of jaws 18a and 18b at their bearing points.

The angle between tongue faces 22a and 22b and wedges 24a and 24b is important because it is the residual inward pressure of the expanded item upon the jaws and thereby wedges 24a and 24b upon tongue 22 which causes tongue 30 22 to retract from between wedges 24a and 24b. If tongue 22 fails to retract, expander tool 10 remains expanded, and thus locked within the expanded item. The disclosed wedge material's low coefficient of friction and self -lubricating abilities are useful in this regard. Other materials may be usefully used as wedges 24a and 24b if they can withstand the disclosed pressures without 35 breaking, may be usefully formed and shaped and do not permit tongue 22 to adhere to or weld to them. Metal alloys and ceramic materials which have these properties may possibly be used in addition to the disclosed preferred wedge material.

Terms such as "left," "right," "up," "down," "bottom," "top," "front," "back," 40 "in," "out," and the like are applicable to the embodiment shown and described

in conjunction with the drawings. These terms are merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarily apply to the position or manner in which the invention may be constructed or used.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifica¬ tions that fall within the true scope of the invention.