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US 3,993,001 AGranted
Explosive expansion means for attaching tubes to tube sheets
AssigneeTetra Plastics, Inc.
InventorFrederick L. Hawes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeTetra Plastics, Inc.
InventorFrederick L. Hawes
Estimating the term…
A plastic tube and tube end cap for installation in a metal tube or the like when the metal tube is positioned extending through a passage in a tube sheet, such that the plastic tube and end cap cooperate to accurately position an explosive charge which, when detonated, causes the plastic tube to expand outwardly against the metallic tube with such force that the metal tube makes intimate contact with the respective passage through which it extends in the tube sheet, without contaminating or damaging the metal tube in the process. The subject plastic tube and tube end cap have portions which cooperate to hold them together and further cooperate so that when the plastic tube is inserted into the metal tube the explosive charge will be accurately positioned. The end cap may optionally have openings therethrough which are located to relieve the expansion forces at a selected location produced during an explosion, and the end cap has a portion which can be deformed to permit positioning an explosive cord therein but which prevents movement of the cord when the deforming forces are relieved.
Means for explosively expanding outwardly a portion of a tubular member positioned extending through a passage in a wall member so that the tubular member moves into intimate contact with the passage in the wall member, comprising a plastic tubular member having an outside diameter approximately the same as the inside diameter of the tubular member to be expanded, said plastic tubular member having an outside surface, a counter bore extending into the plastic tubular member from one end thereof, a groove formed in the outside surface of the plastic tubular member adjacent to the said one end thereof, a cap for attaching to the one end of the plastic tubular member, said cap having an annular wall portion with an inside diameter approximately the same as the outside diameter of the plastic tubular member, means on said annular cap wall engageable with the groove when the cap is installed, and a smaller diameter tubular cap portion including means connecting said smaller diameter tubular portion to the annular cap wall.
Means for explosively expanding a metal tubular member positioned extending through a passage in a wall member to enlarge its diameter whereby said tubular member becomes intimately engaged with the passage in the wall member, comprising a wall member having a passage therethrough, a tubular member having a portion thereof extending through the passage in the wall member, an elongated plastic tubular member having an outside diameter approximately the same as the inside diameter of the metallic tubular member to be expanded, a bore extending into the plastic tubular member from one end thereof, a cap for attaching to the one end of the plastic tubular member, said cap having a larger diameter portion with an inside diameter that is approximately the same diameter as the outside diameter of the plastic tubular member, cooperating means on the cap and on the plastic tubular member to limit movement of the cap onto the plastic tubular member and to limit movement of the plastic tubular member into the metallic tubular member to be expanded, a smaller diameter tubular cap portion having an axis that is parallel to the axis of the plastic tubular member, and means on the cap integrally connecting the larger and smaller diameter cap portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.