Friction linear guide rail assembly for boiler tube cutting apparatus
AssigneeH&S Tool, Inc.
InventorJ. Randall Hall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a guide rail assembly for securement of a tube cutting apparatus for cutting of boiler tube walls to a fixed point on a tube wall, while allowing lateral repositioning of a cutting tool relative to the tube wall. The assembly includes a guide rail having a convex surface along which a carriage having a cutting device may be fixedly positioned by mating friction engagement of a concave surface of pairs of linear guide blocks secured to the carriage with the convex surface of the guide rail.
Claims23
1-9. (canceled)
A method for performing a cutting operation on a tube bank, comprising the steps of:
- connecting a guide rail to a section of a tube bank adjacent an area to be repaired;
- operatively mounting a carriage assembly on the guide rail;
- connecting a cutting device to a hinge bracket of the carriage assembly;
- moving the carriage assembly to a first position on the guide rail while supporting the cutting device;
- removing support from the cutting device to form a friction fit between a surface of the guide rail and a surface of the carriage assembly which substantially prevents linear movement of the carriage assembly on the guide rail;
- and
- performing a cutting operation on a portion of the tube bank with the cutting device.
A guide rail assembly including a tube cutting device, comprising:
- at least one guide rail comprising a first elongated rail shaft and a second elongated rail shaft fixed at a distance and being substantially parallel to each other along a longitudinal axis of the guide rail;
- a carriage assembly operatively connected to the at least one guide rail, wherein the carriage assembly comprises at least one guide block fixed to the carriage assembly that engages the first rail shaft and at least one guide block fixed to the carriage assembly that engages the second rail shaft;
- a hinge bracket operatively and movably mounted to the carriage assembly;
- and
- a cutting device comprising a cutting blade connected to the hinge bracket, wherein in a first position with weight of the cutting device supported to reduce pressure on the guide blocks, the guide blocks are slidably movable along the first and second rail shafts, and in a second position with the cutting device supported only by the hinge bracket, the cutting device weight exerts downward pressure on the hinge bracket and lateral movement of the carriage assembly along the first and second guide rail shafts is substantially prevented due to a friction fit between the first and second shafts and the at least two guide blocks, and wherein the carriage assembly is free of a mechanical brake for locking the carriage assembly to the at least one guide rail.
A guide rail assembly including a tube cutting device, comprising:
- a guide rail having a longitudinal axis and two rail shafts secured in parallel along the longitudinal axis in channels of the guide rail, the shafts providing a guide rail track having upper and lower substantially convex surfaces;
- and
- a carriage comprising a base, a first support bar mounted on an upper portion of the base, a second support bar mounted on a lower portion of the base, at least one guide block connected to the first support bar and at least one guide block connected to the second support bar, wherein the guide blocks each have an inner concave waist located between flanges, and wherein the inner concave waist of the guide block connected to the first support bar is selectively engagable within the upper convex surface of the rail shaft and the inner concave waist of the guide block connected to the second support bar is selectively engagable with the lower convex surface of the rail shaft so that the carriage is locked in relation to the guide rail by the weight of a cutting device operatively connected to the carriage through a hinge bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.