Tube cleaning tool

A tube cleaning tool for the loosening or removal of deposits collected on the interior wall of a tube comprising:

• a shaft having two ends and including a stop at a first said end, said shaft defining a longitudinal axis;
• a substantially cylindrical shaped tail portion defining a central longitudinal axis and a hole along said central axis, said tail portion being mounted on said first end of said shaft;
• at least two substantially hollow truncated cone shaped cutters each defining a central axis on the shaft with a hole through said central axis, with each cutter having a plurality of blades extending outward from the cutter transverse to said longitudinal axis of the shaft;
• at least two flexible bushings, each defining a central longitudinal axis, which are substantially truncated cone shaped on the shaft with a hole through said longitudinal axis of said bushings, one for each cutter, which fits into the cutter and forces the cutter blades apart upon compression along said longitudinal axis of said shaft;
• means to fasten the tail, cutters, and bushings to the shaft;
• said shaft having a square cross-section and the cutters having a square hole through their central axes, whereby the cutters are located on the shaft but are unable to rotate around the shaft;
• said tail portion defining an inner and an outer annulus with the inner annulus having a smaller radius than the outer annulus, with the outer annulus having a skirt which contains a plurality of tear drop slits.

A tube cleaning tool for the loosening or removal of deposits collected on the interior wall of a tube comprising:

• a shaft having two ends and including a stop at a first said end, said shaft defining a longitudinal axis;
• a substantially cylindrical shaped tail portion defining a central longitudinal axis and a hole along said central axis, said tail portion being mounted on said first end of said shaft;
• at least two substantially "U" shaped cutters each defining a central axis on the shaft with a hole through said central axis, with each cutter having two blades extending outward from the cutter transverse to said longitudinal axis of the shaft;
• at least two flexible bushings, each defining a central longitudinal axis, which are substantially shaped to match the inside shape of the cutters in such a manner to prevent the cutters from rotating upon the flexible bushing on the shaft with a hole through said longitudinal axis of said bushings, one bushing for each cutter, which fits snugly into the cutter and forces the cutter blades outwardly upon compression along said longitudinal axis of said shaft;
• means to fasten the tail, cutters, and bushings to the shaft;
• said shaft having a non-circular cross-section and the cutters having a non-circular hole through their central axes, whereby the cutters are located on the shaft but are unable to rotate around the shaft;
• said shaft being twisted thirty (30) degrees along its axis to fix the angular separation of said cutters from each other on said shaft.

A tube cleaning tool for the loosening or removal of deposits collected on the interior wall of a tube comprising:

• a shaft having two ends and including a stop at a first said end, said shaft defining a longitudinal axis;
• a substantially cylindrical shaped tail portion defining a central longitudinal axis and a hole along said central axis, said tail portion being mounted on said first end of said shaft;
• at least two substantially "U" shaped cutters each defining a central axis on the shaft with a hole through said central axis, with each cutter having two blades extending outward from the cutter transverse to said longitudinal axis of the shaft;
• at least two flexible bushings, each defining a central longitudinal axis, which are substantially shaped to match the inside shape of the cutters in such a manner to prevent the cutters from rotating upon the flexible bushing on the shaft with a hole through said longitudinal axis of said bushings, one for each cutter, which fits snugly into the cutter and forces the cutter blades outwardly upon compression along said longitudinal axis of said shaft;
• means to fasten the tail, cutters, and bushings to the shaft;
• said shaft having a square cross-section and the cutters having a square hole through their central axes, whereby the cutters are located on the shaft but are unable to rotate around the shaft;
• said tail portion defining an inner and an outer annulus with the inner annulus having a smaller radius than the outer annulus, with the outer annulus having a skirt which contains a plurality of tear drops slits.

Apparatus for removing accumulated material from the interior surface of a conduit, comprising:

• at least two adjustable cutters, each said cutter including at least a pair of blades, each said blade defining a scraping edge;
• a tail piece defining a surface against which fluid can be directed to propel said apparatus through the conduit;
• a coupling on which said adjustable cutters and said tail piece are mounted for movement relative to each other;
• at least two flexible bushings, each said bushing mounted on said coupling adjacent one of at least two of said adjustable cutters, said bushings and said adjacent adjustable cutters defining cutter assemblies, the degree of compression of each said bushing determining the force said bushing exerts against said blades of said adjacent cutter to establish the scraping force applied by said blades against the interior surface of the conduit;
• and
• a bushing compression adjustor mounted on said coupling to one side of at least two said cutter assemblies that can be moved along said coupling to adjust the compression of said bushings of said at least two cutter assemblies and establish the scraping force of said cutters of said at least two cutter assemblies;
• movement of said adjustor establishing the degree of compression of said bushings of said at least two cutter assemblies.

Apparatus for removing accumulated material from the interior surface of a conduit, comprising:

• at least two adjustable cutters, each said cutter including at least a pair of blades, each said blade defining a scraping edge;
• a tail piece defining a surface against which fluid can be directed to propel said apparatus through the conduit;
• a shaft on which said adjustable cutters and said tail piece are mounted for movement relative to each other;
• a flexible bushing mounted on said shaft adjacent each of at least two of said adjustable cutters, said bushings and said adjacent adjustable cutters defining cutter assemblies, the degree of compression of each said bushing determining the force said bushing exerts against said blades of said adjacent cutter to establish the scraping force applied by said blades against the interior surface of the conduit;
• and
• a bushing compression adjustor mounted on said shaft to one side of at least two said cutter assemblies that can be slid along said shaft to adjust the compression of said bushing of said at least two cutter assemblies and establish the scraping force of said cutters of said at least two cutter assemblies;
• said cutting blades of each said cutter defining a space in which at least a part of each said bushing is disposed, the degree of compression of each said bushing determining the extent to which said bushing forces said cutting blades of said adjacent cutter outward to establish the scraping force of said blades;
• movement of said adjustor establishing the degree of compression of said bushings of said pair of cutter assemblies.