Method and device for tightly fixing a piece of flexible tubing consisting of an elastomer material to a connecting part

A clamping tool for carrying out a method for seal-tight attaching a flexible tubing part of elastomeric material, including a flexible member of an air spring to a connecting part with a clamping ring part by radially pressing the clamping ring part with a clamping tool, the method including the steps of:

• positioning said clamping ring part, said flexible tube part and said connecting part in said clamping tool so that there is play or slack between said parts preparatory to obtaining a force/displacement characteristic line of said clamping tool;
• moving said clamping tool toward and against said clamping ring part so as to cause said clamping ring part to deform and come into contact engagement against said flexible tube part thereby reducing the inner diameter of said clamping ring part and said flexible tube part until said clamping ring part and said flexible tube part lie on said connecting part free of force between said parts and free of said play or slack between said parts while simultaneously recording said force/displacement characteristic line throughout the movement of said clamping tool;
• determining a loss force from said force/displacement characteristic line which loss force is a force needed to overcome the friction in said clamping tool and to deform said clamping ring part until said clamping ring part and said flexible tube part lie on said connecting part free of force between said parts and free of said play or slack between said parts;
• and, adjusting an applied force, which exceeds said loss force, so that said applied force corresponds to a pregiven force between said flexible tubing part and said connecting part to ensure a reliable clamping connection of said flexible tube part to said connecting part after said applied force is applied to said clamping ring part, the clamping tool comprising:
• means for determining the force which the clamping tool generates during the time that the clamping jaws are moved toward each other;
• means for determining the displacement which the clamping jaws cover during the closing of the clamping jaws;
• and,
• means for recording and evaluating a force/displacement characteristic line.