Inner wall tube disintegrator

A convertible type internal disintegrator for a metal tube inner wall comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adpated to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means with the electrode adapted to be positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from the tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the electrode and the tube inner wall;
• first drive means to establish a first motion of said electrode mounting means relative to said support means whereby an electrode in said electrode mounting means has a first motion alternately toward and away from the inner wall of any said tube to draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the tube inner wall;
• second drive means cooperable with said first drive means to cause the electrode mounting means to have a second motion adapted to cause the disintegrator arcs to have an arcuate movement along the inner wall of the tube;
• and
• control means operable alternatively to one of said first and second drive means and cooperable with the other of said first and second drive means to cause the electrode mounting means to have a feed motion in one area on the tube inner wall periphery, whereby the electrode arc distintegrates an area on the tube inner wall which has a longitudinal length greater than the arcuate extent around the inner periphery thereof.

A disintegrator for an inner wall of a hollow workpiece comprising in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a workpiece having an inner wall portion to be removed;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the hollow workpiece;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said workpiece;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the workpiece for disintegrator arcing between the workpiece and the electrode;
• first drive means to establish a first motion of the electrode mounting means laterally toward and away from the inner wall of any said workpiece to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and any said workpiece inner wall;
• second drive means to establish a second motion of the electrode superimposed on said first motion adapted to cause the disintegrator arcs to move in a given path having a length substantially longer than any one of the disintegrator arcs,
• means separate from said second drive means to establish feed movements of the electrode laterally toward the workpiece inner wall as the wall is disintegrated;
• and
• said second drive means establishing said given path as at least an arcuate path on the inner wall of the workpiece.

An inner wall tube disintegrator comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the tube and the electrode;
• drive means to establish motion of the electrode laterally toward and away from the inner wall of the tube to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the inner wall of the tube;
• and
• means for restricting said intermittent motion to a given transverse path to have the electrode engage the inner wall of the tube at substantially only one arcuate disintegrator area less than 360.degree. of the inner periphery of the tube,
• said drive means and the length of the electrode establishing said disintegrator area on the inner wall of the tube with the longitudinal length exceeding the transverse dimension of said arcuate area.

An inner wall tube disintegrator comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the tube and the electrode;
• drive means to establish motion of the electrode laterally toward and away from the inner wall of the tube to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the inner wall of the tube;
• means for restricting said intermittent motion to a given transverse path to have the electrode engage the inner wall of the tube at substantially only one arcuate disintegrator area less than 360.degree. of the inner periphery of the tube;
• and
• means to establish feed movements of said electrode mounting means laterally toward the tube inner wall as the tube wall is disintegrated.

An inner wall tube disintegrator comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the tube and the electrode;
• drive means to establish motion of the electrode laterally toward and away from the inner wall of the tube to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the inner wall of the tube;
• and
• means for restricting said intermittent motion to a given transverse path to have the electrode engage the inner wall of the tube at substantially only one arcuate disintegrator area less than 360.degree. of the inner periphery of the tube,
• said drive means and the longitudinal length of the electrode establishing the effective arcing area longitudinal dimension greater than the transverse dimension thereof.

An inner wall tube disintegrator comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the tube and the electrode;
• drive means to establish motion of the electrode laterally toward and away from the inner wall of the tube to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the inner wall of the tube;
• and
• means for restricting said intermittent motion to a given transverse path to have the electrode engage the inner wall of the tube at substantially only one arcuate disintegrator area less than 360.degree. of the inner periphery of the tube,
• said given transverse path being essentially radial as a feed movement of the electrode to disintegrate a window in the wall of the tube at substantially only one area on the periphery of the inner wall.

An inner wall tube disintegrator comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• support means on said frame adapted to be longitudinally fixed relative to a tube having a portion to be disintegrated;
• mounting means for mounting a disintegrator electrode relative to said support means and adapted to have the electrode positioned within the tube;
• means to relatively insulate said electrode mounting means from said tube;
• means to supply disintegrator current to said electrode mounting means relative to the tube for disintegrator arcing between the tube and the electrode;
• drive means to establish motion of the electrode laterally toward and away from the inner wall of the tube to intermittently draw disintegrator arcs between the electrode and the inner wall of the tube;
• means separate from said drive means to establish feed movement of the electrode, as the tube wall is disintegrated, toward the remaining portion of the tube wall;
• means for restricting said intermittent motion to a given transverse path to have the electrode engage the inner wall of the tube at substantially only one arcuate disintegrator area less than 360.degree. of the inner periphery of the tube;
• and
• means to supply fluid coolant to said disintegrator area.