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AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsBruce Steven Shimanovski, Mircea M. Ghiran, George Thomas Winterhalter, Romuald Gmurowski
Estimating the term…
The seal units that form part of a hydroforming apparatus that further includes dies for hydroforming parts are each provided with a tubular part locator for locating and clamping a tubular part in alignment with the seal unit. The part locator basically comprises a locator member, a pair of pivot arms and a backup member wherein the locator member and the pivot arms together with the seal unit are supported by an elevator that aligns the seal unit and the locator member with the hydroforming dies when the latter close on the tubular part. The locator member has a concave surface and guide surfaces wherein the concave surface has a shape conforming to the outer surface of the part and the guide surfaces are adapted to guide an end portion of the tubular part onto the concave surface of the locator member and thereby into alignment with the seal unit. The pivot arms each have a concave surface also conforming to the outer surface of the part and are adapted on pivoting to clamping positions to clamp the end portion of the part on the concave surface of the locator member. The backup member is adapted to hold the pivot arms in their clamping position during hydroforming of the part and may also include a concave surface that is adapted to clamp the end portion of the tubular part on the concave surface of the locator member in cooperation with the concave surface of the pivot arms.
Hydroforming apparatus including a seal unit, a part locator for locating and holding a tubular part in alignment with said seal unit, said part locator comprising a locator member having a concave surface and adjoining guide surfaces wherein said concave surface has a shape conforming to the outer surface of the part and a centerline line coincident with the centerline of said seal unit and wherein said guide surfaces are adapted to guide an end portion of the part onto said concave surface and thereby into alignment with the seal unit, a pair of pivot arms each having a concave surface conforming to the outer surface of the part and adapted on pivotal movement of said pivot arms in opposite directions to clamping positions to clamp the end portion of the part on the concave surface of said locator member, and a backup member adapted on movement of said backup member to a backup position to hold said pivot arms in their clamping position during hydroforming of the part.
Hydroforming apparatus including a seal unit, a tubular part locator for locating and holding a tubular part in alignment with said seal unit, said tubular part locator comprising a locator member having a concave surface and adjoining guide surfaces wherein said concave surface has a shape conforming to the outer surface of the part and a centerline line coincident with the centerline of said seal unit and wherein said guide surfaces are adapted to guide an end portion of the tubular part onto said concave surface of said locator member and thereby into alignment with the seal unit, a pair of pivot arms each having a concave surface conforming to the outer surface of the part and adapted on pivotal movement of said pivot arms in opposite directions to clamping positions to clamp the end portion of the part on the concave surface of said locator member, a backup member adapted when moved to a backup position to hold said pivot arms in their clamping position during hydroforming of the part, and said backup member also having a concave surface conforming to the outer surface of the part and adapted on movement of said backup member to a backup position to clamp the end portion of the part on the concave surface of said locator member in cooperation with the concave surface of said pivot arms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.