US1278453A - Pipe-cleaning apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

W. A. FRANK.

PIPE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 6.1915.

I mi. M l" mv Atty' IMM M WILLIAM A. FRANK, 0F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL WATER MAIN CLEANING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PIPE-CLEANING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Application led July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,342.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. FRANK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hackensack, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Pipe-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for cleaning the' interior of pipes such as water mains and the like, and the type of device to which the invention is particularly although not exclusively applicable is one which is advanced through the pipe bv the iow of liquids therethrough, and in which the cutting elements are rotated through the agency of a turbine construction.

The principal object of the invention is to rovide novel means for mounting the guide wheels which form. a part of the device. Other objects will be disclosed in the following specification, and particularly pointed out in claims.

The preferred form of the invention is illustratively exem liied in the accompanying drawing, in W ich- Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of my improved cleaner; and

Fig. 2 is a front end view with parts broken away.

After a certain period of use pipes through which liquid (water) flows become incrusted with a sediment of organic an mineral matters which tends to materially reduce the capacity of the pipe. It has been found that such incrustation can best be removed mechanically by suitable cutting tools which rotate as they advance through the pipe.

The present invention has in view a form of devices provided with a rotary cutter head carrying suitable tools for, actmg against the interior incrustation upon the 1 e. p lfeferring to the accompanying drawings by reference characters, 10 ldenotes the casing 0r body of the device which 1s preferably of cylindrical form completely open at one end. At the forward end of the casing I provide a stator head 11 having stator passages 12 therethrough. The stator 11 is provided with a central bearing 13 into which is threaded a stein or shaft 14 projecting some distance forwardly from the stator. Threadedto the rear end of the stem 14 is a nut 15 to prevent end play or dlsplacement of the shaft 14.

Coperable with the stator 11 is a rotor element 16, preferably of annular form, and provided with rotor ducts 17. The rotor 16 is centrally apertured and threaded to receive the threaded hub 18 of an elongated sleeve 19 which surrounds, and is adapted to revolve about, the shaft or stem 14. Suitable ball bearings 20 at opposite ends of the sleeve 19 enable the rotor and its appurtenant parts to revolve about the stem 14 with a minimum of friction. 21 is a cylindrical cap threaded on to the forward end of the sleeve 19 to close the sleeve against access of extraneous matter thereto.

Secured to the outer face of the rotor 16, by any suitable means, as by can screws 22, is a holder head in the form of a spider, and comprises a central plate 23 having radiating arms 24 each of which has a slot 25 near its outer extremity. For purposes of brev ity of description this holder head will be termed the rear holder head. Clamped be` tween a shoulder 26 near the forward end of the sleeve 19 and the rear edge of the cap 21 is a second holder head, which will be'termed the forward holder head. The forward holder head comprises a central plate 27 having radiating bifurcated arms 28 the number and position of the arms 28 coinciding with lthose of the arms 24.

Secured inf each pair of coinciding arms 24 and 28 is a comb like curved support 29, between the tines of which are a plurality of rotatably mounted cutter elements 30. These cutter elements are preferably formed as toothed wheels such as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The drawing illustrates a machine capable of supportmg eight cutter combs, but obviously this nurnber may be varied at will to suit the exigencies of the occasion. Y

Carried .at or near the front and rear ends of the casing 10 are flexible sheathg ings 31 which may be made of any suitable material that is capable of {iexinof and resistant to abrasive action. Eacli of the sheathings is maintained in distended position by an annular coiled spring 32 which presses against the inwardly extending overlapped end of the sheathing 31. The sheathing performs the double function vof assisting in yieldmgly supporting the dei necessary during the cleaning operation.

For the purpose of guiding the cleaning device through the pipe and assisting inpreventing rotation of the stator within the pipe being cleaned, I provide a plurality of guide wheels 34 which are preferably arranged in oppositely disposed pairs, each wheel of a pair being carried at one end of a suitably formed spring support the structure of which will be presently described. The wheels 34 have their peripheries preferably fairly sharp so as to facilitate movement through the ipe.

As will be noted) particularly in Fig. 1, each of the wheels 34 is carried on a shaft 35, and the latter has a bearin in sockets 36 at opposite sides of the whe 34. These sockets are preferably formed by curling up the ends of the lower leaf 37 of a series of leaf springs designated -generally as 37, such springs being superposed and held in superposed relation by what may be termed shackles 38, each shackle comprising a flexi- =ble plate 38a and the shackle arms proper 38 which bend down over and embrace the side edges of the springs 37a. Each series of springs is so arranged that one of its ends terminates near the rear. end of the casing 10, while its other end terminates somewhat back of the forward end of the casing 10, and to accommodate the wheels 34 the casing 10 is provided with slots 39 of a width just about suiicient to receive the wheels 34. Obviously there are as many slots 39 in the casing 10 as there are wheels carried at the ends of the springs 37. Each pair of spring series is bent centrally by .a spring shaper 40 which is substantially triangular in form and the apex of which supports ,the springs at approximately vtheir middle. an angular spring holder 41 which is secured to the casing 10 by through bolt connections 42. These Shapers arch the springs, thus increasing their stiffness.

The device operates substantially in the following manner :-It is first placed in the pipe or conduit to, be cleaned, and water under suitable pressure is then admitted to such pipe. As the water impinges against 'i j and under lthe sheathings 31 the device will advance at a suitable rate of speed. The water flowing through the stator and rotor ducts 12 and'17, respectively, will turn the At each side ofthe shaper 40 is rotor 16 and with -it the'entire cutter head, so that the toothed wheels 30 will act against the incrustation and remove the same rom the interior of the pipe. Such particles of the incrustation as are merely loosened by the cutter wheels 30 are entirely removed f by the water flowing through the 'p-ipe.

'cleaned owing to the limited movement of the wheels 34 radially of the casing 10.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a bination o a casing, cutting means carried thereby, elongated springs suppotrted by said casing, guiding members for the machine at opposite ends of said springs, and

substantially triangular spring Shapers supporting said springs intermediate their ends.

2. In a pipe cleaning machine, the combination of a casing, cutting means carried thereby, elongated springs supported by said casing, guiding members for the machine at opposite ends of said springs, substan'tally triangular spring shapers supporting said Springs intermediate their ends, and means adjacent each shaper vfor clamping the springs to the casing.

`3. 'In a pipe cleaning machine, the com- 'bination of a casing, cutting means carried thereby, elongated springs extending lengthwise withinsaid casing and one thereof having its opposite ends curled up to form bearings, shafts in said bearings, and guiding means for the machine carried by said shafts, the latter being adapted to abut against the inside of the casing ,to limit' the outward.

movement of said guiding means. l

4. In a pipe cleaning machine, the combination cfa casing, cutting means carried thereby, a plurality of series of superposed leaf springs supported on the interior surface of said casing, guide wheels carried by the opposite ends of 'each of said series of springs, and shafts upon which said guide wheels are mounted, said shafts being adapted to abut against the inside of the caslng to limit the outward movement of the guide wheels. e

5. In a bination o slots therein, cutting vmeans carried by said casing, springs supported on the interior surface of said casing and terminating over the slots in said casmg, guiding means for the casing carried by opposite ends .of said springs, .and projecting through theslots in said caslng, and shafts in the ends of the ipe cleaning machine, the com` springs and upon which said guiding means are lmounted, said shafts extending transversely of .the slots and Vadapted to abut' against the inside of the casing to limit the outward movement of said guiding means.-

6. In a pipe cleaning machine, the combination of a casing having a plurality of slots therein, cutting means carried by saideasing, a plurality of series of springsl suported on the interior surface of said casing one spring of each series having its,`

said slots, shafts in said bearings extending` transversely of said slots, and 'guide Wheels 15 In testimony whereof I have afIiXed my .20

signature in presence of three Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. FRANK.

Witnesses;

S. A.'DEC0URTS, W. C. FRANK, CLINTON INGLEE.

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