US2896691A - Hand tool for flaring tube ends - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1959 c. E. KLAMM ErAL 2,896,691

HAND Toor. Foa FLARING TUBE ENDS l Filed Dec. 18. 1953 Elc.. E 1?..1..4 2]

INVENTORS Q27; g BY 50u26 @Lzaj' United States HAND TOOL FOR FLARING TUBE IENDS Carl E. Klamm, Cleveland, and Louis D. Bizak, Wieklile, Ohio, assignors to Parker-Hannitn Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 18, 1953, Serial No. 399,081 Claims. (Cl. 153-79) tion has reference more particularly to aring tube ends and assembling them in the sleeves which form a part of the tube securing means in fittings well known in the art as triple fittings and which are exemplified in US. Letters Patents 1,893,442 and 2,212,183 issued to Arthur L. Parker on January 3, 1933, and August 20, i940, respectively. In ttings of this character there are included threadably connected coupling members which cooperate in providing a chamber in which to receive the flared end of a tube to be secured, one said member having a coniform extension for engaging in the tube ilare within the chamber, and the other said memberhaving a shoulder engageable `with a shoulder on a clamping sleeve constituting the third member of the iitting and surrounding the tube within the chamber and having a ared surface engageable with the tube flare for clamping the same against the coniform extension as the sleeve is moved longitudinally by reason of the engagement ofthe shoulders during threading together of the members. lt is a pulpose of the invention to provide a novel hand tool formed to quickly and conveniently receive a tube with its companion sleeve slipped over the end thereof, and including a reciprocable plunger having a coniform end cngageable with the tube end for starting a flare therein and for completing the flare against a are defining surface at the end of the sleeve, simultaneously shaping the tube flare and assembling the tube and sleeve.

An object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of the character' stated including a generally cylindrical body having an end bore of a diameter for receiving a are deiining sleeve, and a counterbore of a diameter for receiving the sleeve enlargement in which the are defining surface is formed and terminating at the end bore in a shoulder adapted to be abutted by the sleeve shoulder, there being included a aring plunger reciprocable in the counterbore and .having a coniform tube ilaring end, and a T-shaped side slot in the body providing for easy mounting of a tube with a sleeve on the end thereof by movement thereof into the counterbore in a direction perpendicular to the common axis of said tube and sleeve.

Another object of `the invention is to provide a hand tool of the character stated wherein is included means for confining the reciprocable plunger against endwise displacement from the body counter-bore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of the character stated whereinl there is included means effective, after a sleeve has been inserted laterally into the counterbore through the side slot and moved endwise to engage its shoulder against the body shoularent .2,896,691Y Patented July 28, 1959 der, to hold the sleeve in the shoulder engaging position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of the character stated wherein the means for holding the sleeve in `the shoulder engaging position comprises a snap spring having a portion extending into the counterbore for being engaged `and displaced by the sleeve as it is moved endwise to its shoulder engaging position and for springing into place in holding relation to the sleeve as the sleeve is moved therepast.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of the character stated wherein the body counterbore serves as a guide for a portion of the sleeve as it is rnoved in the shoulder engaging direction, thereby to assure proper entry of the sleeve into the body end bore.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a face view of the tool per se, looking into the sleeve and tube receiving slotway.

Figure 2 is a plan View.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 on Figure l.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on lthe line 4 4 on Figure 3, a tube and sleeve being shown as inserted in full lines before movement of the sleeve against the abutment shoulder and the sleeve being illustrated in dotted lines in the abutment engaging position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section illustrating the commencement of the tube flaring in dotted lines, the completion of the flaring against the sleeve being illustrated in full lines.

In the practical development of the invention, the improvedflaring tool is` formed to include a generally cy-n lindrioal, sleeve-like body 5 having a cylindrical bore 6 extending through one end thereof, and a main counterbore 7 forming a chamber in which the Haring plunger generally designated 8 is reciprocably mounted. It will be noted that an abutment shoulder 9 is provided at the upper terminus` of the counterbore or chamber 7.

The ilaring plunger includes a cylindrical body l0 terminating upwardly in a tapered, tube flaring nose 1l. At its other end the plunger is provided with a reduced diameter striking end extension i12 which extends through the open end of the body 5, the latter being upset as at 13 to limit outward movement of the plunger and prevent removal thereof frorn the counter-bore in which it is slidably mounted. The body 5 also includes a noncircular portion 14 which will facilitate holding of the body during using of the tool.

A tube and sleeve receiving slotway is provided in one side of the body 5 and extends through. the en d of the body including the bore 6 from a point about midway the length of the body. The slot is T-shaped with its loiwer portion 15 extending the full width of the counterbore diameter, the upper portion 16 of the slot being narrow. The lower portion of the slot is wide enough to receive the major diameter of the tube encircling sleeve, and the upper portion of the slot is just Wide enough to receive the tube diameter.

A circumferential groove 17 is provided in the body adjacent the lower end of the T-slot and serves to receive a spring means including a half-circular body portion 18 and two upstanding arms T19, each terminating in an outwardly turned end portion 20. The spring arms 19 are directed inwardly through the sides of the slotway in the manner clearly illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

A tube to be flared is indicated at 21, said tube being surrounded by the sleeve 22 with which the tube is to be assembled and which defines the linal flaring of the tube. The sleeve includes a bore 23 to receive the tube and has an enlarged head 24 providing an abutment shoulder 25 engageable with the abutment shoulder 9 of the tool body 5. The sleeve head Z4 also is provided with a ared surface 26 against which the final flaring of the tube end is accomplished and which serves to accurately denne the are.

v ln the use of the tool a tube with a sleeve slipped over the end thereof is inserted laterally through the slotway in the body 5 so as to place the sleeve'22 in the bore or chamber '7 between the spring arms i9. By moving the sleeve upwardly, the abutment shoulder 25 of the sleeve can be brought against the abutment shoulder 9 of the body. During this movement of the sleeve, the enlargement 24 displaces the spring arms outwardly, and as the abutment shoulders 25 and 9 come into engagement, the outwardly turned ends 20 of the spring arms will snap under the end of the sleeve enlargementand hold the sleeve in the abutment engaging position.

Itis to be understood that the initial flaring of the tube end is accomplished by driving the coniform end 11 of the plunger 8 in to the end extremity of the tube while the latter is spaced away from the end extremity of the sleeve 22. After the flaring of the tube end has been thus started, the tube is pulled outwardly through the sleeve 22 to present the partially liared end extremity opposite the flare dening surface 26 of the sleeve, and then Vthe aring operation is completed by driving the coniform end lll of the plunger against the tube end so as to accurately shape the same against the flared sleeve surface. 26. This operation serves not only to accurately flare the end extremity of the tube 2l, but also to assemble the tube in the sleeve 22. After this flaring of the tube, and the tube and sleeve assembly is completed, it is a simple matter to move the tube and sleeve assembly endwise to register the sleeve with the wide portion 15 of the T-slot, and then to withdraw the assembly laterally outwardly through said slot.

It will be observed that the enlargement 2dof the sleeve has a snug sliding fit in the counterbore 7, and thus as the sleeve is inserted laterally into the counterbore and then moved longitudinally, the contact of the sleeve enlargement 24 in the counterbore 7 will accurately guide movement of the sleeve body 22 and assure entry thereof into the reduced diameter bore 6. It should also be apparent that by making the narrow portion 16 of the T-slot just wide enough to clear the diameter of the tube 2l, a sleeve abutment shoulder opposing body shoulder 9 extending more than half-way about the circumference of the sleeve is provided. Figure 4 illustrates the position in which the tube 2l to be ared and its surrounding sleeve Z2 are inserted laterally through the T-slot into the counterbore '7, and Figure 5 shows the sleeve as having been slid endwise into the bore 6, or in other words into the abutment shoulder contacting, tube flaring position. it will be quite obvious by a comparison of these figures and Figures l and 2 that the counterbore 7 overlaps the narrow portion lr6 of the T-slot which extends through the adjacent end of the body, and said narrow portion lr6 retains the sleeve 22 in the bore against lateral displacement when said sleeve is-within said bore as shown in Figure 5.

While one form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A hand tool for daring a tube end and eifecting an assembly thereof in a sleeve including an end enlargement providing an abutment shoulder and having therein a tube flare defining surface, said tool comprising a generally cylindrical body having an end bore of a diameter for receiving the sleeve, and a counterbore of a diameter for receiving the sleeve enlargement and terminating at said end bore in a shoulder presented for abutting engagement with the sleeve shoulder, and a plunger reciprocable in the counterbore and having a coniform tube end engaging and flaring end, said body having a T-shaped side slot presenting a wide portion for receiving the enlargement of a sleeve, and a narrow portion extending through the body shoulder and just wide enough to permit free passage therethrough of a tube, thereby to provide a body shoulder extending more than half way about the circumference of a sleeve in shoulder abutting contact therewith, and through which slot a sleeve with a tube end therein can be inserted laterally into the counterbore and then be moved longitudinally to place the sleeve in the bore with the sleeve shoulder against the body shoulder and the tube end opposite and in axial alignment with the plunger, s aid body also being provided with an annular groove and there also being included spring means having a body portion mounted in said groove and spaced arms with free end portions projecting into the counterbore through opposite sides of the wide portion of the slot in position for being displaced radially outwardly by the sleeve enlargement as the sleeve is inserted laterally into the counterbore through the body side slot, and said spring end portions being positioned to snap behind the sleeve end as the sleeve and body shoulders come into engagement to hold the sleeve in the shoulder engaging position.

2. A hand tool for flaring a tube end and effecting an assembly thereof in a sleeve including an end enlargement providing an abutment shoulder and having therein a tube flare defining surface, said tool comprising a generally cylindrical body having an end bore of a diameter for receiving the sleeve, and a counterbore of a diameter for receiving the sleeve enlargement and terminating at said end bore in a shoulder presented for abutting engagement with the sleeve shoulder, and a plunger reciprocable in the counterbore and having a coniform tube end engaging and flaring end, said body having a T-shaped side slot presenting a wide portion for receiving the enlargement of a sleeve, and a narrow portion extending through the body shoulder and just wide enough to permit free passage therethrough of a tube, thereby to provide a body shoulder extending more than half way about the circumference of a sleeve in yshoulder abutting contact therewith, and through which slot a sleeve with a tube end therein can be inserted laterally into the counterbore and then be moved longitudinally to place the sleeve in the bore with the sleeve shoulder against the body shoulder and the tube end opposite and in axial alignment with the plunger, said body also being provided with an annular groove and there also being included spring means having a body portion mounted in said groove and spaced arms with free end portions projecting into the counterbore through opposite sides of the wide portion of the slot in position for being displaced radially outwardly by the sleeve enlargement as the sleeve is inserted laterally into the counterbore through the body side slot, and said spring end portions being positioned to snap behind the sleeve end as the sleeve and body shoulders come into engagement to hold the sleeve in the shoulder engaging position, and said plunger having Van abutment shoulder thereon and said body having an upset portion engageable by said plunger shoulder to limit retraction of the plunger in the body counterbore.

3. A hand tool for flaring a tube end and effecting an assembly thereof in a sleeve including an end enlargement providing an abutment shoulder and having therein a tube are defining surface, said tool comprising a generally cylindrical body having an end bore of a diameter for slidably receiving the sleeve, and a counterbore of a diameter for slidably receiving the sleeve enlargement and terminating at said end bore in a shoulder presented for abutting engagement with the sleeve shoulder, and a plunger slidably mounted in and reciprocable in the counterbore and having a coniform tube end engaging and aring end, said body having a T-shaped side slot presenting a wide portion for receiving the enlargement of a sleeve, and a narrow portion extending through the' body shoulder and just wide enough to permit free passage laterally therethrough of the tube to be flared, thereby to provide a body shoulder extending more than half way about the circumference of a sleeve in shoulder abutting contact therewith, and through which slot a sleeve with the tube end to be flared therein can be inserted laterally into the counterbore and then be moved longitudinally to place the sleeve in the bore with the sleeve shoulderagainst the body shoulder and the tube end opposite and in axial alignment with the plunger, said narrow portion of the T-slot also serving to retain said sleeve enlargement against lateral displacement from said counterbore when said sleeve is within said bore, and there also being included spring means including spaced arm portions disposed to be displaced radially outwardly by a sleeve enlargement as the sleeve is inserted laterally into the counterbore through the body side slot and free end portions disposed to snap behind the sleeve end as the sleeve and body shoulders come into engagement to hold the sleeve in the shoulder engaging. position.

4. A hand tool for flaring a tube end and effecting an assembly thereof in a sleeve including an end enlargement providing an abutment shoulder and having therein a tube are defining surface, said tool comprising a generally cylindrical body having an end bore of a diameter for slidably receiving the sleeve, and a counterbore of a diameter for slidably receiving the sleeve enlargement and terminating at said end bore in a shoulder presented for abutting engagement with the `sleeve shoulder, and a plunger slidably mounted in and reciprocable in the counterbore and having a coniform tube end engaging plunger, said counterbore and flaring end, said body having a T-shaped side slot presenting a wide portion for receiving the sleeve and the sleeve enlargement, and a narrow portion extending through the body shoulder and the adjacent end of the body and narrower than the diameters of the sleeve and its enlargement, thereby to provide a body shoulder extending more than half way about the circumference of a sleeve in shoulder abutting contact therewith, the longitudinal extent of the head or the wide portion of the T- slot being of a size to admit freely the sleeve andthe sleeve enlargement, so that a sleeve with a tube end therein can be inserted laterally into the counterbore and then be moved longitudinally to place the sleeve in the bore with the sleeve shoulder against the body shoulder and the tube end opposite and in axial alignment with the axially overlapping said narrow portion of said T-slot whereby said sleeve enlargement when within said overlapping portion of said counterbore will be retained by said narrow portion against lateral displacement from said counterbore.

5. A hand tool as delined in claim 4 wherein the generally cylindrical body constitutes an integral member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,754,637 McGough Apr. 15, 1930 1,835,179 Parker Dec. 8, 1931 2,021,241 Mall Nov. 19, 1935 2,262,434 Vanerstrom Nov. 11, 1941 2,286,105 Quinn June 9, 1942 2,297,885 Graf et al Oct. 6, 1942. 2,465,677 Deverall Mar. 29, 1949 2,489,360 Bachli Nov. 29, 1949 2,489,928 Phillips Nov. 29, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 71,101 Switzerland Aug. 27, 1914

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