Chuck for tubular workpieces

A chuck for gripping the inner surface of tubular workpieces which inner surface may be eccentric, said chuck including a forward jaw and a rear jaw, said jaws being cylindrical and telescopically partially interfitted;

• said forward jaw adjacent its forward end having an outwardly facing forwardly and outwardly inclined cam surface;
• said rearward jaw adjacent its rearward end having an outwardly facing rearwardly and outwardly inclined cam surface;
• a cylindrical clamping jacket, said jacket having a plurality of circumferentially arranged segments each capable of independent radial movement, each of said segments having a radially inwardly extending wedge at each end engaging said cam surfaces;
• a cylindrical sleeve of resilient rubber-like material seated around said clamping jacket and a metallic cylindrical sheathe seated around said sleeve;
• said sheathe being thin and having a plurality of circumferentially arranged segments each capable of independent radial movement;
• means for moving said jaws telescopically toward and away from each other for expanding and contracting said jacket, sleeve and sheathe to engage and release workpieces.

A chuck for gripping tubular workpieces the chuck contacting surface of which may be eccentric, said chuck including a tubular workpiece clamping element, said element having a cylindrical clamping jacket, said jacket having a plurality of circumferentially arranged segments each capable of independent radial movement;

• a cylindrical sleeve of resilient rubber-like material seated against the face of said jacket;
• a tubular workpiece grip seated against the face of said sleeve opposite from said jacket;
• said grip having a plurality of circumferentially arranged segments each flexible and capable of independent radial movement;
• movable means for compressing said clamping element to vary its internal and external diameters by causing the segments of said jacket and grip to shift circumferentially toward and away from each other for gripping and releasing workpieces, the material of said sleeve being capable of both axial and circumferential migration in response to differential resistance to diametric change imposed by a workpiece.

A diametrically variable tubular workpiece clamp comprising a steel jacket, a steel grip member and a resilient sleeve seated between them;

• said jacket being tubular and having a plurality of slots extending lengthwise thereof whereby said jacket is circumferentially compressible, each slot opening through one end of said jacket and terminating in a blind end closely adjacent the other end of said jacket;
• said slots being circumferentially equally spaced with alternate ones opening through opposite ends of said jacket;
• said grip member having the same construction as said jacket, being circumferentially compressible and concentric with said jacket;
• said sleeve being of a resilient rubber-like maerial having memory and capable of radial and circumferential migration in response to radially acting compressive forces;
• said jacket being seated tightly against one face of said sleeve and said grip member being seated tightly against the other face of said sleeve.