Login| Sign Up| Help| Contact|

Patent Searching and Data


Title:
SMOOTHING MACHINES
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2008/093191
Kind Code:
A3
Abstract:
A smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces (39) of metal products, in particular weld beads (2) of welded pipes (3), comprises a smoothing unit (4) supported by wall means (15) associated with, and movable along, guide means (11), said wall means (15) being part of chamber means (35) which contains at least a smoothing zone of said smoothing unit (4) and is shaped so as to separate said smoothing zone from said guide means (11).

Inventors:
MAGNANI MASSIMO (IT)
Application Number:
PCT/IB2008/000153
Publication Date:
January 08, 2009
Filing Date:
January 24, 2008
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
I M E C TUBES S R L (IT)
MAGNANI MASSIMO (IT)
International Classes:
B24B21/02; B24B5/38; B24B21/20
Domestic Patent References:
WO2006112532A12006-10-26
Foreign References:
EP1506837A12005-02-16
EP0575823A11993-12-29
US3895463A1975-07-22
US20030022602A12003-01-30
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
CRUGNOLA, Pietro (Via Arienti 15/2A, Bologna, IT)
Download PDF:
Claims:

CLAIMS

1. Smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces (39) of metal products, in particular weld beads (2) of welded pipes

(3), comprising a smoothing unit (4) supported by wall means (15) associated with, and movable along, guide means (11) , characterised in that said wall means (15) is part of chamber means (35) which contains at least a smoothing zone of said smoothing unit (4) and is shaped so as to separate said smoothing zone from said guide means (11) .

2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said chamber means is sufficiently wide to contain said smoothing unit (4) .

3. Machine according to claim 1, or 2 , wherein said guide means comprises a guiding element (11) fixed to the outside of said chamber means (35) .

4. Machine according to any preceding claim, wherein said chamber means (35) comprises a passage (40) for said products, said passage (40) extending substantially parallel to an advancing direction (W) of said products .

5. Machine according to any preceding claim, wherein said smoothing unit (4) comprises a plurality of rollers (6, 7, 8) and flexible smoothing means (5) closed in a loop around said plurality of rollers (6, 7, 8), said flexible smoothing means (5) and said plurality of rollers (6, 7, 8) being positioned in said first chamber (13) .

6. Machine according to any preceding claim, and comprising tensioning means (7) for maintaining at a desired operating tension said flexible smoothing means (5) , pneumatic cylinder means (32) for moving said tensioning means (7) and electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) for supplying said pneumatic cylinder means (32) .

7. Machine according to claim 6, wherein said electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) has a frequency response with a higher frequency than an oscillation frequency around said pipe (3) of oscillating rollers (8) of said plurality of rollers (6, 7, 8), said oscillating rollers (8) being arranged for making a portion (29) of said flexible smoothing means (5) interact with an arc of said pipe (3) .

8. Machine according to claim 6, or 7, wherein said electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) comprises a solenoid valve.

9. Machine according to any preceding claim and comprising motor means (19, 28, 31, 34) for driving and moving said smoothing unit (4), said motor means (19, 28, 31, 34) being positioned substantially above said smoothing unit (4) .

10. Machine according to claim 9, wherein said motor means

(19, 28, 31, 34) is received in recess means (20) of said machine (1) bounded above and laterally by case means (21) and below by said chamber means (35) .

11. Smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces (39) of metal products, in particular weld beads (2) of welded pipes

(3), comprising a smoothing unit (4) and motor means (19, 28, 31, 34) for driving and moving said smoothing unit (4) , characterised in that said motor means (19, 28, 31, 34) is positioned substantially above said smoothing unit (4) .

12. Machine according to claim 10, wherein said motor means

(19, 28, 31, 34) is received in recess means (20) of said machine (1) , said recess means (20) being bounded above and laterally by case means (21) and below by chamber means (35) containing at least a smoothing zone of said smoothing unit (4) .

13. Smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces (39) of metal products, in particular weld beads (2) of welded pipes

(3) , comprising flexible smoothing means (5) ,

tensioning means (7) for maintaining at a desired operating tension said flexible smoothing means (5) , and pneumatic cylinder means (32) for moving said tensioning means (7) , characterised in that there is provided electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) for supplying said pneumatic cylinder means (32) .

14. Machine according to claim 13, wherein said electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) has a frequency response with a higher frequency than an oscillation frequency around said pipe (3) of oscillating rollers (8) arranged for making a portion (29) of said flexible smoothing means (5) interact with an arc of said pipe (3) .

15. Machine according to claim 13, or 14, wherein said electropneumatic pressure regulator means (33) comprises a solenoid valve .

Description:

Smoothing machines

The invention relates to smoothing machines for smoothing surfaces of metal products .

In particular, the invention refers to smoothing machines for smoothing and finishing weld beads of welded pipes.

Smoothing machines, or lapping machines are known, comprising a casing inside which there is positioned a smoothing unit cantilevered on a first side of a supporting plate, this first side facing a smoothing zone of the smoothing unit .

The supporting plate is moved vertically along some guides, positioned inside the aforesaid casing, so that the smoothing unit can machine pipes of different diameters. The smoothing unit comprises a smoothing cloth, for example an emery cloth, closed in a loop on a plurality of rollers. This plurality of rollers comprises a driving roller, a pair of oscillating rollers and a tensioning roller. The motor-driven driving roller is arranged for rotating the smoothing cloth. The oscillating rollers, which are free to rotate around respective rotation axes, are mounted, suitably spaced, on an oscillating support.

The oscillating support is provided with a hollow within which the pipe to be smoothed can slide, said pipe can be positioned on, and moved from, suitable advancing means, such as, for example, motor-driven rollers.

The oscillating rollers, in use, face the pipe to be smoothed, moved along an advancing direction by the aforesaid advancing means, so that a portion of cloth interposed between the oscillating rollers interacts with an external surface of the welded pipe .

Further, in use, the oscillating rollers, supported by the oscillating support, oscillate, at a determined oscillation frequency, with respect to an initial position thereof between a first end position and a second end position.

In this way, in use, the portion of cloth interposed between the oscillating rollers can smooth a desired arc of the pipe being machined, which depends on the chosen initial position of the oscillating rollers. The tensioning roller is moved by, and connected to, a compensator, for example a gas spring, and is arranged for compensating, during the oscillation of the oscillating rollers between the first and the second end position, a variation in the extent of the cloth. Known smoothing machines further comprise positioning means, connected to the oscillating support of the oscillating rollers and arranged for adjusting the aforesaid initial position, so as to be able to vary the arc of the pipe to be smoothed. These smoothing machines are further provided with a first motor for driving the driving roller, with a second motor for oscillating the oscillating support and therefore the oscillating rollers, with a third motor for driving the positioning means and with a fourth motor for moving the supporting plate along the guides, the first motor, the second motor, the third motor and the fourth motor being mounted on a second side of the aforesaid plate opposite the first side. A drawback of known smoothing machines is that they require frequent maintenance operations to replace the damaged parts, such operations entailing frequent machine downtimes and increased costs connected therewith.

This is due to the significant quantity of metal powder produced during smoothing, which circulates inside the casing and is deposited on, and dirties, the moving parts of the smoothing machine, in particular the guides. This increases wear and consequently reduces the life of such parts of the smoothing machine and, in the more serious cases, may lead the supporting plate to jam on the guides. A further drawback is that such motors are difficultly accessible.

In fact, such machines, which generally function in groups of two or three, are positioned one after another along a machining line above the moving means and are very near to limit the overall dimensions of the machining line along the advancing direction of the welded pipes.

This makes extremely slow and difficult the usual maintenance operations, or the repairing operations in the event of unexpected fault, on the aforesaid motors. In fact, in order to perform such operations it is necessary to remove the badly operating smoothing machine from the machining line, which causes a considerable waste of time and considerable costs to be borne.

A still further drawback is that such machines do not enable the variation in the extent of the smoothing cloth to be effectively compensated, owing to the inherent features of the gas spring.

In fact, the gas spring is not able to respond promptly to the oscillation frequencies of the oscillating rollers, i.e. the gas spring responds with a certain "delay". This means that for short intervals of time the cloth is either too taut or too slack, which, in the more serious cases, may lead to a breakage of the cloth and may compromise the smoothing quality. An object of the invention is to improve the smoothing machines, in particular the smoothing machines for smoothing weld beads of welded pipes .

A further object is to provide smoothing machines that do not require frequent maintenance, with consequent reduction of the costs connected therewith. A still further object is to obtain smoothing machines in which the motors are easily accessible.

A still another further object is to make smoothing machines that enable a variation in the extent of the smoothing cloth to be compensated more effectively than known machines. In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces of metal products,

in particular weld beads of welded pipes, comprising a smoothing unit supported by wall means associated with, and movable along, guide means, characterised in that said wall means is part of chamber means which contains at least a smoothing zone of said smoothing unit and is shaped so as to separate said smoothing zone from said guide means . Owing to this aspect of the invention it is possible to provide smoothing machines that do not require frequent maintenance, with consequent reduction of the costs connected therewith.

In fact, said smoothing zone is separated from said guide means by said chamber means, which prevents the metal powder produced during smoothing from settling on, and dirtying, said guide means and other movable parts of said machine . In other words, in use, the metal powder produced by smoothing remains inside said chamber means, which enables wear to be reduced and the life of said guide means and of the other movable parts of said machine to be consequently increased. In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces of metal products, in particular weld beads of welded pipes, comprising a smoothing unit and motor means for driving and moving said smoothing unit, characterised in that said motor means is positioned substantially above said smoothing unit.

Owing to this aspect of the invention it is possible to obtain smoothing machines in which said motors are easily accessible.

This, in addition to making such machines particularly compact along an advancing direction of said products, allows to intervene in simple and rapid manner in the event of maintenance or fault of said motor means, without the need to remove, in the event of a fault, said machine from a machining line on which it is positioned, with consequent reduction of intervention time and of the costs connected thereto .

In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a smoothing machine for smoothing surfaces of metal products, in particular weld beads of welded pipes, comprising flexible smoothing means, tensioning means for maintaining at a desired operating tension said flexible smoothing means, and pneumatic cylinder means for moving said tensioning means, characterised in that there is provided electropneumatic pressure regulator means for supplying said pneumatic cylinder means. Owing to this aspect of the invention it is possible to make smoothing machines that enables a variation in the extent of said flexible smoothing means to be compensated in a more effective manner than known machines and said operating tension to be maintained substantially constant. This is due to said electropneumatic pressure regulator means, which has a frequency response with a higher frequency than an oscillation frequency of oscillating rollers arranged for making a portion of said flexible smoothing means interact with an arc of said pipes . The invention can be better understood and carried into effect with reference to the attached drawings, in which an embodiment of the invention is shown by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a front schematic view with some details removed to better show other details of a smoothing machine; Figure 2 is a schematic section taken along the plane II-II of the smoothing machine in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic section taken along the plane IV-IV in Figure 2 ;

Figure 5 is a front schematic view with some details removed to better show other details of the smoothing machine in Figure 1 in an initial position; Figure 6 is a view like the one in Figure 5 of the smoothing machine in Figure 1 in a first end position;

Figure 7 is a view like the one in Figure 5 of the smoothing machine in Figure 1 in a second end position.

With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a smoothing machine 1, or lapping machine, for smoothing surfaces of metal products, in particular for smoothing and finishing a weld bead 2 of a welded pipe 3.

The machine 1 comprises a fixed casing 9, mounted on a machining line, which is not shown, and provided, in an upper portion 22 thereof, with a removable case 21. The casing 9 is internally provided with chamber means 35 mounted on, and slidable along, one or more guides 11, so that the machine 1 can machine pipes 3 of different diameters (Figure 4) . In particular, the substantially vertical guides 11 are fixed to the outside of the chamber means 35 on the casing 9.

The chamber means 35 is moved along the guides 11 through a first motor 34 received in a recess 20 of the machine 1 bounded above and laterally by the case 21 and below by the chamber means 35.

In other words, the recess 20 is obtained and positioned above the chamber means 35.

The chamber means 35 further comprises a passage 40, extending substantially parallel to an advancing direction W of the pipe 3 , within which the pipe 3 can be introduced and slide, and a wall 15 supporting a smoothing unit 4. The chamber means 35 further comprises a door 12, shown in Figure 4, provided with an opening 41 facing the passage 40, this door 12 being slidable substantially vertically in order to be able to introduce a smoothing cloth 5 of the aforesaid smoothing unit 4 inside the chamber means 35. The smoothing cloth 5, for example an emery cloth, is wound in a loop on a driving roller 6, on a pair of oscillating rollers 8, and on a tensioning roller 7 comprised in the aforesaid smoothing unit 4.

The driving roller 6 is arranged for rotating, for example in the direction indicated by the arrow F, the smoothing cloth 5.

The driving roller 6 is fixed to a pulley 17, positioned outside the chamber means 35 and rotated, through a belt 18, by a second motor 19 received in the recess 20. The oscillating rollers 8, which are free to rotate around respective rotation axes, face, in use, the pipe 3 to be smoothed, which is positioned on, and moved by, advancing means, which is not shown.

In other words, the oscillating rollers 8 are positioned in such a manner that a portion 29 of cloth 5, interposed between the oscillating rollers 8, can interact with an external surface 39 of the pipe 3 so as to smooth the weld bead 2.

The oscillating rollers 8 are mounted, suitably spaced, on a flange 16, fixed to a support 24 provided with a substantially cylindrical hollow 25, which is coaxial and facing the aforesaid passage 40, within which the pipe 3 is introduced and can slide moved along the advancing direction W by the advancing means.

The support 24 is connected by a rod 26, positioned outside the chamber means 35, to a crank 27 of a third motor 28, positioned in the recess 20. The third motor 28 is arranged, through the crank 27 and the rod 26, to make the support 24 and thus the oscillating rollers 8 oscillate at a set oscillation frequency, with respect to an initial position A of the oscillating rollers 8 (Figure 5), along a circumference arc 38, represented by a dash dot line, between a first end position B (Figure 6) and a second end position C (Figure 7) of the oscillating rollers 8.

In this manner, in use, the portion 29 can smooth a desired arc of the pipe 3 being machined, which depends on a chosen initial position A.

The initial position A is adjusted by the positioning means 30 fixed to the third motor 28 and moved substantially vertically by a fourth motor 31 positioned in the recess 20. In this manner, in function of the chosen initial position A, it is possible to vary the arc of the pipe 3 to be smoothed.

The tensioning roller 7 is moved by, and connected to, a pneumatic cylinder 32, positioned outside the chamber means 35 and supplied by an electropneumatic pressure regulator 33, comprising a solenoid valve, which is not shown, having a frequency response at a higher frequency than the oscillation frequencies of the oscillating rollers 8 (Figures 5 to 7) . This enables a variation in the extent of the cloth 5 that is due to the oscillation of the oscillating rollers 8 between the first end position B and the second end position C to be compensated in an effective manner and a tension value of the cloth 5 to be consequently maintained approximately constant . In particular, in use, in order to compensate the variation of the extent of the cloth 5 during oscillation of the oscillating rollers 8 between the first end position B and the second end position C, the pneumatic cylinder 32, supplied by the electropneumatic pressure regulator 33, rotates the tensioning roller 7 around an axis X.

It should be noted how the chamber means 35 contains a smoothing zone of the smoothing unit 4 and separates the smoothing zone of the smoothing unit 4 from the guides 11, from the first motor 34, from the second motor 19, from the third motor 28, from the fourth motor 31, from the pneumatic cylinder 32 and from the rod 26.

In this manner, the metal powder produced during smoothing in the smoothing zone does not exit the chamber means 35 and is not settled on, and does not dirty, the movable parts of the machine 1, which enables wear to be reduced and therefore the life of such parts to be increased.

In this manner, it is possible to provide smoothing machines 1 that do not require frequent maintenance, with consequent reduction of the costs connected thereto.

It should be further noted how the first motor 34, the second motor 19, the third motor 28 and the fourth motor 31 are positioned above the chamber means 35, which makes the first motor 34, the second motor 19, the third motor 28 and the fourth motor 31 particularly easily accessible. It is in fact sufficient to remove the case 21 from the casing 9 to be able to access the recess 20 and then the first motor 34, the second motor 19, the third motor 28 and the fourth motor 31.

This, in addition to limiting the overall dimensions of the smoothing machines 1 in the advancing direction W enables a plurality of machines 1 to be positioned nearer one another, with consequent limitation of the overall dimensions of the machining line along the advancing direction W.