Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Puller or pusher means – contained force multiplying operator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-14
2003-08-05
Hail, III, Joseph J. (Department: 3723)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Puller or pusher means, contained force multiplying operator
C029S256000, C029S264000, C029S278000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06601278
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to an improved puller for the removal of parts which may be jam fitted to shafts, housings and the like. In a preferred embodiment the improved puller is particularly suitable for the removal of flexible impellers from a shaft of a water pump.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many mechanical assemblies generally comprise a housing wherein a shaft has a jam or otherwise closely fitted race, bearing, impeller or the like which is mounted to rotate with the shaft. Typically the removal of such components from the shaft for repair or replacement is problematic and requires use of a puller or the like tool.
Many mechanical assemblies comprise centrifugal pumps which generally comprise an impeller closely fitted on a shaft, the impeller being inserted within a housing, the arrangement being designed to pump liquids. For example, liquid cooled internal combustion engines are commonly designed to incorporate water pumps as an integral part of the engine and/or drive train. In marine engine embodiments, the water pump generally comprises a flexible impeller of varying size, dimensions and number of blades. The impeller generally comprises a plurality of resilient, generally elastomeric, curved arms/blades arranged spaced as spokes bonded around a metal hub, the hub having a central opening for mounting to a shaft which rotates the impeller.
It is not unusual for such impellers to be removed for replacement and/or repair, with removal being generally time consuming because of the close tolerance positioning of the water pump on the motor, the close positioning of the motor in the vehicle and/or boat, the jam fit by which the hub of the impeller is typically mounted to a water pump shaft and/or the effects of corrosion, dirt and the like among the shaft and the impeller. It is not unusual for a technician to be forced to use a pair of flat screw drivers to slowly pry the impeller from the shaft, creating the danger of damage to the housing and in many instances so damaging the impeller and/or housing as to make it non-repairable, non-rebuildable or even non-reusable once removed.
Various pullers have been proposed for use in removal of components from their supporting shaft but each have limitations in use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,553 discloses puller particularly suitable for pulling impellers from water pumps of marine engines, which purports to solve the problem of flexible impeller removal from water pump shafts, but has been found problematic in that it is easily misaligned and can cause damage to the impeller and even further jam the impeller on the shaft and make the removal process more difficult and even technically elusive to a technician.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,474 discloses an improved puller to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,553, the improved puller having a wider breadth of efficient uses including being more efficient in removing an impeller by automatically aligning and significantly reducing damage to the impeller during removal. Unfortunately, the device is expensive to manufacture and thus has limited buyer appeal to those primarily seeking a low cost impeller removal device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved puller which will facilitate the removal of components from shafts, particularly impellers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a universal impeller puller which is easily aligned and convenient to operate for the effective removal of a flexible impeller from a pump housing.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a universal impeller puller which is cost effective to manufacture.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following recitation of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises an improved adjustable puller which has particular application for uses disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,553 in the removal of flexible impellers of spaced blade design having varying dimension and number of blades.
The improved adjustable puller generally comprises an elongate support member having a first and opposite end. The support member comprises spaced apart first and second gripping jaw members, arranged to extend radially outwardly, in generally alignment to each other, from the support member to engage a hub of an impeller, and an elongate, twist threaded extraction screw member, which is arranged to be incrementally screwed radially outwardly from the support member in general alignment with said jaw members to engage a hub mounting shaft and force extraction of the hub, and thus the impeller, from the shaft.
In the arrangement of the invention, the first jaw member is arranged proximate the first end of the elongate support member, the second jaw member is slidably mounted along the support member arranged for variably spaced movement thereof toward and away from the first jaw member, and the elongate extraction screw member is mounted to the support member between the jaw members or between the first jaw member and about the first end of the support member.
In one embodiment, the first jaw member is arranged spaced proximate to the first end of the support member, and the elongate extraction screw member is mounted along the support member between the first jaw member and at or about the first end of the support member. In a preferred embodiment the extraction screw member is slidably mounted between the first jaw member and the first end.
In another embodiment, the first jaw member is arranged near proximate the first end of the support member, and the elongate extraction screw member is slidably mounted along the support member between the first jaw member and the second jaw member.
In a pivot plier embodiment, the support member comprises first and second elongate members, the first jaw member is integral to the first elongate member, being either directly cast or otherwise fixed thereto with the elongate length of the first elongate member extending about perpendicular from the first jaw member as an elongate handle. The first elongate member comprises a plurality of about equal diameter holes which overlap at their circumference so as to create an opening therebetween. The holes are spaced from the first jaw member and are aligned along the support member in spaced gradient therefrom. The second jaw member is integral or otherwise fixed to a second elongate member. The second elongate member comprises a stud extending in a plane about perpendicular to the second jaw member and spaced therefrom. The stud is sized to extend from the second member and couple with the overlapping holes of the first member. Slidable movement of the stud through the openings formed by the overlapping arrangement, enables movement of the stud from hole to hole. The arrangement enables slidably moving the stud and thus the second jaw member from hole to overlapping hole along the support member without removal of the stud from the plurality of holes. Such coupled arrangement of gripping jaws and handles is generally referred to as a pivot plier type arrangement.
In operation of the pivot plier embodiment, the second jaw member is moved from hole to hole as desired to position the second jaw member along the support member in a desired spaced relationship to the first jaw member. The extended length of the elongate members comprise handles, arranged to be generally offset angled from each other at all spaced hole positions and hand compressing the handles toward each other causes the second jaw member to pivot at the coupled position of stud and hole, and grip the hub of the impeller between the jaws. In one arrangement of this embodiment, the holes are sized and arranged to provide spacing between the jaws, when in a generally parallel opposing position, which corresponds to standard diameters of hubs of standard impellers. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first jaw is angled from perpendicular toward the second jaw to provide first gripping pressure by the jaw on the interior end of the hub.
In such pivot plier embodiment the elongate extract
Hail III Joseph J.
Shanley Daniel
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