Method of forming grooves in pipe elements
AssigneeVictaulic Company
InventorDouglas R. Dole
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for cold working pipe elements use two or more cams, each having a gear which meshes with a pinion to turn all of the cams. Each cam has a cam surface with a region of increasing radius and may also have a region of constant radius extending around a cam body. Each cam may also have a traction surface extending around a cam body. The method includes contacting the pipe element with a plurality of cam surfaces simultaneously at a plurality of locations on the pipe element and rotating the pipe element, thereby simultaneously rotating the cam surfaces. Each cam surface engages the pipe element with an increasing radius and a region of constant radius if present to deform the pipe element and form the groove.
Claims11
A method of forming a groove in a pipe element, said method comprising:
- contacting said pipe element with a plurality of cam surfaces simultaneously at a plurality of locations on said pipe element;
- rotating said pipe element, thereby simultaneously rotating said cam surfaces, each said cam surface engaging said pipe element with an increasing radius and thereby deforming said pipe element to form said groove.
A method for forming a groove in a pipe element, said method comprising:
- arranging a plurality of cam bodies about an axis positioned coaxially within a central space, each said cam body having a cam surface comprising a region of reduced radius initially positioned facing said axis, and a region of increasing radius extending partially around said cam body;
- inserting said pipe element into said central space, said regions of reduced radius providing clearance for said pipe element;
- rotating said pipe element and said cam bodies while engaging said regions of increasing radius with said pipe element and thereby deforming said pipe element to form said groove therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.