Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Binding or covering and cutting
Patent
1981-07-30
1984-05-08
Briggs, William R.
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Binding or covering and cutting
29434, 29782, B23P 2304
Patent
active
044466072
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for forming an external guard member in situ on a hose and more particularly to an apparatus and method for forming a spring steel wire guard member about the exterior surface of a reinforced hydraulic hose.
2. Background Art
Guard members for hoses, and in particular, coiled wire protectors for high pressure hydraulic hoses, are well known and generally referred to as armored hose or hose having an armor guard. The guard members are particularly useful on hydraulic hoses installed on construction machinery, serving to protect such hoses from cuts, abrasion, and crushing. Generally, the guard member is a coiled steel wire or band having an inside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the hose. The guard member thus encircles the hose in a spaced relationship to permit the hose to flex freely within the guard member.
Spring steel wire is highly desirable as a material for guard members. However, heretofore it has been necessary to preform the spring steel wire on a coiling machine having a solid mandrel, cut the preformed coil to a predetermined length, and then slide the preformed coil onto a length of hose having a fitting assembled on only one end. The preformed coil was installed over the second end of hose, the second end being the end opposite the assembled end. After installation of the spring steel coil on the hose, it was necessary to compress the coil longitudinally along an elongate central axis of the hose, in a direction toward the first or assembled hose end, to expose a length of hose near the second end sufficient for the application of a temporary clamp. After clamping, assembly of the hose was completed by installing a fitting on the second hose end. Finally, the temporary clamp was released and the guard member allowed to expand back to the original uncompressed length.
As may be easily appreciated, the above method for constructing an armored hose presents a number of problems. First, it is difficult to install, clamp, and compress the spring coil member on a partially assembled hose. Secondly, it must be determined in advance which hoses are to receive the protective guard member since the coil spring guard member could not be installed on a hose after fittings were installed on both ends. Thus, it has been necessary to interrupt the hose assembly process after a fitting was installed on only a first end of the hose.
In response to the above problems, an alternate guard member construction is often used. In the alternate construction, an elongated soft steel strap or band is used for the guard member in lieu of the aforementioned spring steel wire. The soft steel strip can be easily formed in the shape of a coil without the aid of a solid mandrel and can therefore be formed in situ on a hose. An assembled hose, that is a hose having fittings installed on both ends, is positioned in an open die, and the soft steel strip is formed in a coil around the hose. However, easy formability of the soft steel strip material also yields a guard member that may also be easily crushed in use. A guard member that has been crushed or otherwise deformed may restrict the flow capacity of the hose and will generally abraid the hose surface adjacent the crushed zone resulting in premature hose failure.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above by providing an apparatus and method for forming the preferred spring steel wire guard member in situ on a hose having fittings preassembled on both ends.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forming a guard member on a hose includes a frame, a means for supporting the guard member or the hose, or both, a means for feeding a continuous strand of guard material to the apparatus, and a two-piece forming head, at least one part being moveable with respect to the frame.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming an external guard memb
REFERENCES:
patent: 1004643 (1911-10-01), Gilson
patent: 1295835 (1919-03-01), Andren
patent: 2779383 (1957-01-01), Johnson
patent: 2865424 (1958-12-01), McElroy
patent: 3053288 (1962-09-01), Burbank
patent: 3524244 (1970-08-01), Cullen et al.
patent: 3823883 (1974-07-01), Fenci
Fuller Francis W.
Merritt Paul H.
Briggs William R.
Caterpillar Tractor Co.
McFall Robert A.
LandOfFree
Apparatus and method for forming an external guard member on a h does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus and method for forming an external guard member on a h, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus and method for forming an external guard member on a h will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1595127