Gas bolt heating apparatus

A gas bolt heating apparatus for connecting to a heating tube and heating a bolt member having a bore, the heating tube being positionable within said bore, and the heating apparatus comprising:

• a gas torch having a torch tip through which hot gas passes, the gas torch emitting a flame;
• a hollow cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end opposite thereof, an interior, a cylindrical exterior wall extending from the first end to the second end, and a plurality of radially spaced-apart cooling conduits extending within and along said exterior wall from adjacent to the first end of the housing towards the second end of the housing;
• a cylindrical insert disposed within the housing, the insert having a central passageway extending from the first end of the housing towards the second end of the housing, the central passageway being configured to receive said torch tip, the insert having an interior end disposed between the first end and the second end of the housing and the insert having a plurality of radially spaced-apart, downwardly convergent air outlet passageways extending through said interior end of the insert, said downwardly convergent air outlet passageways being configured to direct air passing therethrough towards said torch tip for feeding and directing the flame;
• and
• a pipe bushing disposed adjacent to the second end of the housing, the pipe bushing threadably connecting to the housing and also being configured to threadably connect to the heater tube, the interior end of the insert being spaced-apart from and adjacent to said pipe bushing, and the torch tip extending through the pipe bushing, being positioned adjacent to the second end of the housing and being configured to extend into the heating tube for directly heating the heating tube.

A gas bolt heating assembly comprising:

• a plurality of gas bolt heating apparatuses, each connecting to a respective heating tube for heating a respective bolt member having a bore, the heating tubes being positionable within said respective bores, each said gas bolt heating apparatus having a gas torch with a torch tip through which hot gas passes, each said gas bolt heating apparatus having a hollow heater body, each of said heater bodies having a first end, a second end opposite thereof, an exterior wall, and a plurality of radially spaced-apart cooling conduits extending within and along its exterior wall, each of the bodies including a central passageway extending from its first end towards its second end, each of the central passageways being configured to receive a respective one of said torch tips, the heating tubes being connectable to the bodies, the torch tips being configured to extend into the heating tubes for directly heating the heating tubes;
• and
• a manifold having a high-pressure housing, a low-pressure housing, a low-pressure regulator interposed between and operatively connecting together the high-pressure housing and the low-pressure housing, a first plurality of conduits in communication with and extending from the high-pressure housing and being configured to supply high-pressure air to the cooling conduits and a second plurality of conduits in communication with and extending from the low-pressure housing and being configured to supply low-pressure air to the respective torch tips of the heating apparatuses.