U.S. patent application number 13/145184 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-03 for forming head for forming spirally seamed tube.
Invention is credited to Lars Karlsson, Carina Petersson, Sandra Philipsson, Niklas Svensson.
Application Number | 20120103046 13/145184 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42199989 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120103046 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Petersson; Carina ; et
al. |
May 3, 2012 |
FORMING HEAD FOR FORMING SPIRALLY SEAMED TUBE
Abstract
The invention relates to a forming head (300) which shapes a raw
material (6) to spirally seamed tube (2), whereby the internal
profile of the forming head (300) is U-shaped, the forming head
(300) has an inlet side and an outlet side and there are on the
upper side of the legs (306, 308) of said U shape slide surfaces
(312, 314) for the raw material (6) passing through said forming
head (300).
Inventors: |
Petersson; Carina; (Forslov,
SE) ; Philipsson; Sandra; (Bastad, SE) ;
Svensson; Niklas; (Bastad, SE) ; Karlsson; Lars;
(Vejbystrand, SE) |
Family ID: |
42199989 |
Appl. No.: |
13/145184 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
February 25, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE2010/050218 |
371 Date: |
September 12, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
72/146 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21C 37/121 20130101;
B21C 37/124 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
72/146 |
International
Class: |
B21C 47/00 20060101
B21C047/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 27, 2009 |
SE |
0900264-3 |
Claims
1. A forming head (300) for forming spirally seamed tube (2) from
raw material (6), such that the internal profile of the forming
head (300) is U-shaped, the forming head (300) has an inlet side
and an outlet side and there are on the upper side of the legs
(306, 308) of said U-shape slide surfaces (312, 314) for the raw
material (6) passing through said forming head (300).
2. A forming head (300) in accordance with claim 1, in which said
inlet side (302) and outlet side (303) have said U profile.
3. A forming head (300) in accordance with claim 1, in which said U
profile comprises two legs (306, 308) linked together by a web
(304), the width of said web (304) being greater than the width of
the legs (306, 308).
4. A forming head (300) in accordance with claim 1, in which said U
profile comprises two legs (306, 308) linked together by a web
(304), the width of said web (304) being greater than the height of
the legs (306, 308).
5. A tube manufacturing unit (1) comprising a forming head (300) in
accordance with claim 1.
6. A system comprising a tube manufacturing unit (1) in accordance
with claim 5 and a tube cutting unit (400).
7. Use of the system in accordance with claim 6.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a forming head, a tube
manufacturing unit with said forming head, and use of such a system
for manufacture of spirally seamed tubes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Manufacture of spirally seamed tubes involves the use of a
tube manufacturing device. Such a tube manufacturing device is fed
with a continuous metal strip which is shaped before it enters the
device. The tube manufacturing device is provided with a forming
head which is adapted to the shape of the metal strip. When the
strip runs through the forming head, the spiral shape is thus
imparted. Together with the forming head, the tube manufacturing
device comprises an element adapted to putting the edge portions of
the strip together to constitute the spirally formed tube. This
process and feeding of metal strip to the forming head take place
continuously and the feed direction of the tube is parallel with
the longitudinal direction of the tube.
[0003] As mentioned above, in the state of the art, the forming
head is adapted according to how the metal strip is configured.
This means that for the strip to run consistently when entering the
forming head and leaving the forming head, the forming head has to
be so configured that it can receive the configured strip. However,
this limits how the user can configure the strip. Accordingly, a
different configuration of the metal strip will also mean that the
forming head has to be replaced for being adapted to the new
configuration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An object of the present invention is to achieve a forming
head adapted to receiving a running metal strip which comprises
various types of configurations.
[0005] Another object of the invention is to overcome said problems
of the state of the art.
[0006] A further object of the invention is to propose a device and
a method which are cost-effective as compared with traditional
technology, which device is easy to construct, making it possible
to optimise cost and time.
[0007] The aforesaid and other objects are achieved according to
the invention by the device described in the introduction being
provided with the features arising from claim 1.
[0008] An advantage afforded by a device according to claim 1 is
that the U-shaped profile can receive a running metal strip with a
plurality of different configurations without need for replacement
of forming head.
[0009] Preferred embodiments of the device according to the
invention are further provided with the features indicated by
dependent claims 2-7.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the invention, the inlet side
and the outlet side of the forming head have said U profile, with
the effect that the metal strip runs more consistently through the
forming head, in which the legs of the U profile are contact
surfaces, i.e. slide surfaces on which the strip runs, i.e. slides,
during its whole travel through the forming head.
[0011] According to a further embodiment of the invention, said U
profile comprises two legs linked together by a web, the width of
said web being greater than the width of the legs. This makes it
possible to choose from a plurality of variant configurations of
the metal strip which run through the forming head.
[0012] According to a further embodiment of the invention, said U
profile comprises two legs linked together by a web, the width of
said web being greater than the height of the legs, with the effect
that the height of said legs controls the height of the desired
configuration of the metal strip so that said strip runs through
the forming head in contact with said legs.
[0013] According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to
a tube manufacturing unit comprising the forming head in accordance
with the above.
[0014] According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to
a system comprising a tube manufacturing unit in accordance with
the above and a tube cutting unit.
[0015] According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to
use of the system as above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] A preferred embodiment of the device according to the
invention is described below in more detail with reference to the
attached schematic drawings, which only depict the parts which are
necessary for understanding the invention.
[0017] FIG. 1 depicts a tube manufacturing device with forming
head, cutting unit and a continuous metal strip which is fed from a
feed device.
[0018] FIG. 2 depicts a tube manufacturing device with forming
head, cutting unit and tube being made.
[0019] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the forming head.
[0020] FIG. 4 depicts the inlet and the profile of the forming
head.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0021] FIG. 1 depicts a tube manufacturing device 1 for manufacture
of spirally formed tube 2. The tube manufacturing device 1
comprises a forming head 300 and a cutting unit 400. A continuous
metal strip 6 is fed, from a feed device 7 comprising the strip 6,
to the tube manufacturing device 1 via a shaping mill 8 provided
with powered rollers. When the strip 6 passes through the shaping
mill 8, the powered rollers provide the strip 6 with desired
correction and/or curvature. From the shaping mill 8, the processed
strip 6 is led towards the forming head 300 disposed on the tube
manufacturing device 1. The shaping mill 8 is preferably situated
in the immediate vicinity of the tube manufacturing device 1 in
such a way that they are connected to one another. The strip 6 is
shaped by the forming head 300 to constitute a tube 2 which leaves
the forming head 300 in a feed direction 316.
[0022] FIG. 2 depicts a tube manufacturing device 1 according to
FIG. 1 for manufacture of spirally formed tube 2. The tube
manufacturing device 1 comprises the forming head 300 and the
cutting unit 400. The cutting unit 400 comprises a knife holder 402
adapted to being movable towards the tube 2 to cutting position
before cutting of the tube takes place. This direction is called
the cutting direction 458. The continuous metal strip 6 running
from a feed device 7 via the shaping mill 8 and the latter's
powered rollers is led towards the forming head 300 disposed on the
tube manufacturing device 1. As mentioned above, the shaping mill 8
is preferably situated in the immediate vicinity of the tube
manufacturing device 1 in such a way that they are connected to one
another. Their being connected to one another thus makes it
possible for the strip 6 to be led into the tube manufacturing
device 1 in an unvarying manner. This means that the manufacturing
process need not be interrupted for adjustment of the way the strip
6 enters the tube manufacturing device 1.
[0023] FIG. 3 depicts the forming head 300 adapted to receiving the
strip 6 at an inlet side in the form of an inlet 302 to the forming
head 300. In a cross-section through the forming head 300, the
inlet 302 is U-shaped (as depicted in FIG. 4) and comprises a web
304. The U shape comprises a first leg 306 and a second leg 308
each disposed on its respective side of the web 304. The respective
legs 306 and 308 each have a surface which faces towards a
centreline 310 extending through the forming head 300. The surface
of the first leg 306 is called the first slide surface 312. The
surface of the second leg 308 is called the second slide surface
314. The strip 6 fed in via said inlet 302 to the forming head 300
is led in a looplike movement along the slide surfaces 312 and 314.
After the strip 6 has undergone approximately one revolution inside
the forming head 300, one edge region 342 of the strip 6 meets the
other edge region 352. A pressing element situated at the junction
between the edge regions 342, 352 continuously seams the respective
edge regions together, resulting in a spiral shape which
constitutes the tube 2. The forming of a tube 2 thus takes place in
the forming head 300. The finished tube 2 leaves the forming head
300 at an outlet side in the form of an outlet 303 in a feed
direction 316 which is parallel to the centreline 310 of the
forming head 300.
[0024] The forming head 300 including a U-shaped profile is adapted
to receiving various configurations of the metal strip 6 which can
be imparted by the shaping mill 8. This is depicted in the form of
a piece of strip in FIG. 4. The configurations are only limited by
the width of said web 304 and the height of said legs 306, 308. For
example, the strip may be provided with any desired number of
corrugations 372.
[0025] The invention is not limited to the embodiment depicted but
may be varied and modified within the scope of the claims set out
below, as partly described above.
REFERENCE NOTATIONS
[0026] 1. tube manufacturing device [0027] 2. tube (spirally
formed) [0028] 6. metal strip [0029] 7. feed device [0030] 8.
shaping mill [0031] 300. forming head [0032] 302. inlet [0033] 303.
outlet [0034] 304. bottom [0035] 306. first leg [0036] 308. second
leg [0037] 310. centreline [0038] 312. first slide surface [0039]
314. second slide surface [0040] 316. feed direction [0041] 342.
first edge region [0042] 352. second edge region [0043] 372.
corrugations [0044] 400. cutting unit [0045] 402. knife holder
[0046] 458. cutting direction
* * * * *