Pipe Bending Devices

Abstract

A pipe bending device is disclosed having a pair of abutments and a ratchet operated anvil arranged to be advanced between the abutments to bend a pipe. The ratchet is manually operated. A spring loaded latch mechanism is provided and includes a lever pivoted on the body, a ratchet pawl pivoted to the end of the lever and the lever being releasably engageable with the manual operating means to allow the lever and pawl to be held out of engagement with the ratchet so that the anvil can be retracted.

Description

This invention relates to devices for bending pipes and is particularly used for small bore piping, such as that used in pneumatic and hydraulic equipment in many different industries.

A pipe bending device is known which comprises a body, a pair of spaced abutments mounted in the body, an anvil mounted on the body for linear sliding movement relatively to the abutments, a ratchet mechanism on the body for moving the anvil in one direction, manually operable means for actuating the ratchet mechanism and a spring loaded latch mechanism operable to permit the anvil to be moved in the opposite direction, the arrangement being such that movement of the anvil in said one direction, results in use, in a pipe disposed between the anvil and the abutments being bent around the anvil.

The object of this invention is to provide an improvement in the means for operating the ratchet mechanism of this device.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bending device constructed in accordance with the invention with the mechanism revealed and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of part of the mechanism.

The bending device illustrated is similar to that shown in British Pat. No. 1,126,187, and has an abutment plate carrying a pair of spaced abutments 8. There is also an anvil 9 which is used to bend small bore piping against the abutments 8. The anvil 9 is attached to a ratchet member 10 by means of a dismountable connection 11 at its outer end. The anvil cooperates with the abutments to bend a pipe when the ratchet member 10 is moved outwardly of the body 12 of the device. The body 12 is shaped to be conveniently grasped. In the drawing, one side cover is omitted to reveal the mechanism whereby the ratchet member 10 is capable of being moved out of the body to bend a pipe and by which it can be released to allow it to be retracted within the body.

Extending out of the body 12, is an arm 13 pivoted at 14 on the body. At a position off-set from the pivot 14, the arm has pivotally connected to it a spring loaded ratchet pawl 15 with double teeth arranged to engage with those of the ratchet member. Spring loading to urge the free end of the arm 13 away from the body 12 is afforded by tension springs 16, one end of which is anchored onto the body 12. The ratchet pawl 15 is urged by its spring towards engagement with the ratchet member 10 but it engages a stop 17 when the arm 13 is in its outward position, to cause the pawl 15 to become disengaged from the ratchet member 10.

To lock the ratchet member 10 in its selected position outwardly of the body 12, there is a further pawl 18 carried on the end of a lever 19 which extends out of the body adjacent to the arm 13. The pawl 18 is pivotally mounted at 20 upon the inner end of the lever 19 which is forked to accept the pivot portion of the pawl 18.

The two ends of the forks of the lever 19 carry shoes 21 which have portions which engage the edges of the pawl 18. These shoes as shown in FIG. 2 can lie at opposite sides of the ratchet teeth of the ratchet member 10. The pawl 18 is furthermore loaded by a torsion spring 22.

The lever 19 is loaded towards a position in which the pawl 18 engages the ratchet member 10 by a further torsion spring 23 engaging the shoe at one side of the lever.

The lever 19 also has adjacent its forked portions a pair of integral lugs 24. Adjacent to the lever 19 the arm 13 is slotted at 25 so that the portion of the lever 19 on which the lugs 24 are provided can be accommodated partially within the arm 13.

In the position illustrated in both drawings the ratchet pawl 15 is out of engagement with the ratchet member 10 but the pawl 18 is in engagement with it to prevent the ratchet member 10 moving inwardly of the body 12.

To cause the ratchet member further to extend out of the body 12, the arm 13 is reciprocated as described.

If it is desired that both pawls 15 and 18 should release the ratchet member 10 so as to allow it to be retracted into the body 12, the arm 13 is depressed until the lever 19 can also be depressed. Depression of the lever 19 is prevented by engagement of the lugs 24, with the top of the arm 13. The lever 19 can be depressed however when the lugs 24 no longer engage with the arm. Upon releasing the arm 13 it again takes up its position in which the pawl 15 pivoted thereon is held out of engagement with the ratchet member 10. However in such a position, the lever 19 holds the pawl 18 away from the ratchet member through the shoes 21.

To release the locking mechanism formed by the lever 19 the arm 13 is depressed until the lugs 24 disengage from the edge adjacent the slot 25, in the arm 13. The lever 19 can then be depressed causing the shoes 21 to lift the pawl 18 from engagement with the ratchet member 10. A lever 19 is returned by the reverse motion, whereby the lever will rotate about its pivot 20 under the action of its spring 23 until it reaches a stop formed by a post 26 which is fixed in the body.

Claims

I claim:

1. A pipe bending device comprising a body, a pair of spaced abutments mounted in the body, an anvil mounted on the body for linear sliding movement relatively to the abutments a ratchet mechanism on the body for moving the anvil in one direction, manually operable means for actuating the ratchet mechanism and a spring loaded latch mechanism operable to permit the anvil to be moved in the opposite direction, the spring loaded latch mechanism comprising a lever pivotally mounted on the body, having an end extending out of the body, a ratchet pawl pivotally mounted on the other end of the lever, said pawl being spring loaded in the direction of engagement with a ratchet member of said ratchet mechanism, the lever having means releasably engageable with said manually operable means, whereby the lever can be held in a position wherein the pawl is held out of engagement with the ratchet member.