Flexible duct forming apparatus
OwnerHugh K. McGuireinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible duct forming apparatus and method in which flexible strip material is wrapped on a rotating mandrel in a helical path, with the edges of the flexible strip material overlapping a pre-determined amount. Reinforcing wire is formed into a helix of substantially constant diameter and pitch and guided by a fixed helical means between the overlapping edges of the flexible strip material. The overlapping edges of the flexible strip material are then pressed around the reinforcing wire to seal and encapsulate the wire to continuously form flexible duct. The reinforcing wire is formed into the substantially constant helix by a fixed helical means which is interchangeably mounted on a base as is the mandrel, so that the apparatus can be used to manufacture different diameter flexible ducting.
Claims27
A flexible duct forming apparatus comprising:
- a base;
- a mandrel;
- support means on said base for rotatably supporting said mandrel;
- drive means for rotatably driving said mandrel;
- said drive means comprising;
- a pinion gear mounted on said base,
- a gear mounted on the rear of said mandrel;
- motor means for driving said pinion gear;
- said mandrel support means adapted to move said mandrel to bring said mandrel gear in engagement with said pinion gear;
- flexible strip material feed means for feeding flexible strip material to said mandrel;
- wrapping means for wrapping said flexible strip onto said mandrel in a helical path with adjacent wraps having overlapping edges;
- wire feed means comprising;
- wire deforming means for deforming said wire to produce a predetermined coil diameter,
- wire guide means forming a substantially fixed helical path of constant pitch and diameter for guiding and holding said wire on said substantially fixed helical path from said wire deforming means to between the overlapping edges of said flexible strip material,
- sealing means for sealing the overlapping edge of said flexible strip material to encapsulate said wire whereby flexible wire reinforced duct is continuously formed on said mandrel;
- arcuate guide means for guiding completed duct off said mandrel;
- said guide means constructed and arranged to ride in the depression between adjacent revolutions of the reinforcing wire to stretch completed duct as it is comes off the mandrel thereby testing the bond at the overlapping edges of said flexible material.
The apparatus according to claim 27 in which said indicating means comprises means for indicating the quantity of reinforcing wire used for said preselected length of duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.