EP1818114A2 - Pipe cleaning machine with a drum for a snake - Google Patents

Abstract

The pipe cleaning machine (1) has a drum (5) swiveling around an axis and a feed mechanism (14) for feeding and retreating of a spring-supporting shaft. The drum has a rear wall for mounting at a shaft, a drum body, a ring part with an opening and a guiding body distant from the rear wall for the spring-supporting shaft. Another guiding body is in front of the guiding body, which forms a guiding channel for spring-supporting shaft, which is opposite to the guiding body.

Description

The invention relates to a pipe cleaning machine according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Clogging of pipes and sewers and sewage, called pipes for short, is a troublesome but common occurrence. The causes are manifold: Washed household paper towels and textile material, solid materials such as hygiene products, solidified remains of building materials such as gypsum, cement and paint, incrustations by lime and - not least - plant roots, looking for water through junctions of pipelines work through, then branch out and serve again as a catch for the aforementioned impurities. Pipe constrictions, pipe bends and unclean 'pipes prove to be unwanted safety gears.

The last salvation in such cases are the known pipe cleaning machines with rotating spring shafts which meander through the pipes, also referred to in the industry as cleaning spirals, and at the ends of which different cleaning tools are fastened. It should be noted that the different types of blockages and tools significantly different driving forces and a different temporal force curve during the cleaning process operation require.

In pipe cleaning machines with spring shafts, these are a critical element that also has a decisive influence on the operating behavior. The spring waves, which can be extended by intermediate pieces, behave in operation as screws with thread, which also work through cross-sectional constrictions and contra-angles of the pipeline to be cleaned or a channel and are also moved back. At their drive end, these spring shafts are mounted in a motor-driven drum and can be pulled out of it by a guide head and also pulled back into the drum. At their output end they carry interchangeable cleaning tools that work through applying high and widely varying torques through the pipe blockages. These cleaning tools include u. a. Return drills, sawtooth cutting heads, crosshead drills, root cutters, spiked chain spinner heads, club drills, hopper drills, paddle drills and carbide boring heads.

Here, the inertia of the drum and the spring characteristic of the spring wave play a crucial role, namely, because it is an undesirable energy storage for the drive power. This is bearable as long as the maximum torque for a stretched leadership of the spring shaft is not exceeded. If this happens, however, then forms the spring wave not only on their free path but also within the drum an α-shaped entanglement or knotting that performs beating movements and blocks further movement, and occasionally the entanglement is not reversible and the spring shaft through permanent deformation is unusable. It is above all the drum with its different content of spring shaft length that decisively influences the mass problem.

This leads to the following problem: Known are only the geometry and the general operation of the tools. However, the torque requirement results from the sum of the moments of the cleaning process and the friction outside the drum to the tool, which form a counter-torque that has to be overcome by the engine. Here, too, the length of the spring shaft and couplings between sections of the spring shaft play a crucial role. This is shared Motor at the drive end but only delayed and distorted with. There it is again the moments of inertia of drum with contents and motor, which stand against a short-term and exact regulation. Such problems do not occur with tools rigidly connected to a drive.

By the US 3,370,599 A , the EP 0 443 290 A2 and the DE 102 27 204 B4 It is known to rotate the inner end of an arcuate guide tube for the spring shaft, which is designed as a helical spring, with the drum for receiving the spring shaft. As a result, however, can not be prevented that the spring shaft in an overload by a high drive torque between the guide tube and the stored turns of the spring wave in the form of an "α", which leads beyond the yield strength of the material to a permanent deformation, the spring shaft permanently destroyed and blocked their displacement, which leads to complicated repair measures.

By the US Pat. No. 6,243,905 B1 It is also known to arrange a conical and large-volume guide body for the spring shaft in the interior of an analog drum and coaxial with the drum shell, whose tip protrudes from the drum opening. However, the guiding properties are limited and, in particular, not present at the apex of the cone, which is first touched by the spring shaft. Furthermore, the annular gap widens abruptly between the drum opening and the guide body, so that no guide properties are present even in the interior of the drum. In particular, the bending part of the spring shaft does not contribute to the guiding properties.

By the DE 25 35 714 A1 It is known to form the drum of a pipe cleaning machine in the form of a pneumatic tire, to which a trumpet-shaped guide member is formed for a spring shaft. On the opposite side, the drum is detachably connected to a disk-shaped driven rear wall. For the purpose of avoiding flashovers of the spring shaft when stored in the drum of the rear wall is preceded by a cup-shaped device 28, which is independent of the drum rotatable and with four radial grooves or Channels 72 is provided. The only way the spring shaft into the drum leads through one of these channels 72. However, in order to avoid a jam of the spring shaft in the channels 72, it is necessary that the device 28 can avoid limited in the opposite direction of rotation. The limitation of the evasive movement is described as mandatory, for which a spring-loaded locking mechanism is given (page 12, paragraph 2, to page 15, paragraph 1, and Fig. 8 to 11). An exchange of an approximately knotted spring shaft is only possible after a separation of drum and drive. The design and manufacturing effort is therefore considerable, including the production of the complicated shaped drum with the trumpet neck.

By the US 2,167,268 It is known to fasten a frusto-conical insert 25 in front of a wavy rear wall 22 in radial section and to connect the edge of the rear wall with a trumpet-shaped drum 18. To avoid flashovers and buckling of the spring shaft is in the space between the rear wall 22 and the drum 18 on the circumference of the insert 25 and concentrically arranged a thin ring 30, whose distance from the insert 25 is only slightly larger than the diameter of the spring shaft 27th (Page 2, right column, lines 13 to 21). But this can not be safely prevented that when a jam occurs on the tool in front of or behind the ring rollovers or buckling done, especially as the thin ring in turn forms a relatively sharp resistance. In the case of such a rollover, the screw connection between the rear wall and the drum would have to be removed, as a result of which the complete winding of the stored spring shaft falls into the open while the spring forces relax. Again, the trumpet-shaped drum can be produced only with great effort.

By the DE 35 35 972 A1 a pipe cleaning machine is known in which the one-piece drum is divided by two axially parallel beads in an inner space 39 and an outer space 41, wherein the two beads enclose a coaxial passage 50 in the form of an annular gap between them (claim 16). In a second embodiment (Figures 3 and 4), a frusto-conical hub 70 is inserted into a central opening of the rear wall. Opposite this hub 70 has the End wall 24a a kegestupfförmiges guide member 36, whereby a looping of the spring shaft (snake 40) is to be further reduced even in the middle of the drum, especially when a spring shaft of smaller diameter is used (page 18, last paragraph). However, the production of such a one-piece drum is very complicated, in particular by the production of the beads. But if it comes to a formation of loops and kinks in the outer chamber 41, the actual exception of the spring shaft 40, then obstructs the annular gap 50 quite considerably the expansion of the tangled and unusable become spring shaft, but especially the insertion of a new spring shaft when the drum is removed and disconnected from its drive. In a separation of the drum from its rear wall, the entire weight of the spring shaft remains in the removed drum.

By the US 2005/0193509 A1 it is known for small devices to store a spring wave in a narrow cylinder gap of a double-walled drum and deduct from this again. In this case, the inner end of the spring shaft is connected to an electric motor, which sets the spring shaft also within the stationary cylinder gap about its own axis in rotation. The gap width should at least equal to the diameter of the spring shaft and be smaller than the diameter thereof (claim 13). In a first embodiment, it is a drum with a vertical axis and without relative movement of the gap walls (Figures 1 to 7). In a second embodiment, it is a drum with a horizontal axis, wherein the inner gap wall with respect to the stationary outer gap wall is rotatable (Figures 8 to 12). This is to be a stronger ejection and collection of the spring wave are made possible. The drum is therefore in both cases not the driving source for the rotation of the spring shaft, and the result is a force-consuming grinding of the spring shaft at the split walls and at their long, winding contact lines.

By the EP 0 065 474 A1 is a very elaborate, mobile pipe cleaning machine with a driven drum known in its drive-remote end wall concentric to the drum axis opening 163 has. In this projecting, leaving an annular gap a guide housing 161 into it, which consists of a conical portion and a cylindrical portion and which is rotatably supported independently of the drum. Starting from the feed and retraction mechanism for the spring shaft is guided by the guide housing 161, a fork-shaped guide means for the spring shaft, whose two ends are bolted to the cylindrical portion of the guide housing. (Page 10, lines 8 to 27). The said annular gap, which serves for dewatering, requires a double and exactly coaxial bearing of the drum 155 and guide housing 161. Nevertheless, it is not excluded that it comes to rollovers and buckling of the spring shaft between the guide housing 161 and the cylinder wall of the drum. The development of a knotted or otherwise damaged spring shaft is particularly difficult in this case: First, the guide device with its shaft and the shaft of the drum together with the drum to be pivoted forward, after which the drum with the contents of the spring shaft must still be dismantled from the guide housing ( Figure 2).

The invention is therefore an object of the invention to provide a drum construction, with the not only the risk of knots or an α-shaped entanglement of the spring wave within the drum off or at least greatly reduced, but also with low design effort access to the interior of the drum is relieved.

The solution of this object is achieved according to the invention by the features in the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

By the invention, the object is achieved to the full extent. In particular, a drum construction is specified, with which not only the risk of knot formation or an α-shaped entanglement of the spring shaft within the drum is turned off or at least greatly reduced, but also facilitates the access to the interior of the drum with little design effort, if it nevertheless should come to such a disturbance.

• * der erste Leitkörper auf seiner Aussenseite und der zweite Leitkörper auf seiner Innenseite von Kegelflächen mit zumindest weitgehend gleichen öffnungswinkeln begrenzt sind,
• * die öffnungswinkel zwischen 40 und 90 Grad gewählt sind, insbesondere 60 Grad betragen,
• * der zweite Leitkörper, ausgehend von seinem kleinsten Durchmesser, mit einem zylindrischen Fortsatz für die Durchführung der Federwelle versehen ist,
• * der Fortsatz bis vor die öffnung der Trommel vorgezogen ist,
• * die Weite des Leitkanals zwischen dem 1,5-Fachen und dem 5-Fachen des Durchmessers der Federwelle gewählt ist, und/oder, wenn
• * der Ringstutzen mit Fensteröffnungen versehen ist.

It is particularly advantageous in the course of further embodiments of the invention, if - either individually or in combination -:

• * the first guide body is bounded on its outer side and the second guide body is bounded on its inner side by conical surfaces with at least substantially identical opening angles,
• * the opening angles are chosen between 40 and 90 degrees, in particular 60 degrees,
• the second guide body, starting from its smallest diameter, is provided with a cylindrical projection for the passage of the spring shaft,
• the extension is pulled forward to the opening of the drum,
• * The width of the guide channel is chosen between 1.5 times and 5 times the diameter of the spring shaft, and / or, if
• * The ring neck is provided with window openings.

An embodiment of the subject invention and its mode of action and further advantages are explained below with reference to Figures 1 to 3 in more detail.

Figur 1

eine vordere Aussenansicht der wesentlichen Teile einer Rohrreinigungsmaschine mit einer Trommel,

Figur 2

einen Axialschnitt durch die Trommel nach Figur 1 und

Figur 3

eine Explosionsdarstellung des Gegenstandes nach Figur 3.

Show it:

FIG. 1

a front external view of the essential parts of a pipe cleaning machine with a drum,

FIG. 2

an axial section through the drum of Figure 1 and

FIG. 3

an exploded view of the article of Figure 3.

1 shows a pipe cleaning machine 1 is shown, which has a machine frame 2 with Aufstellfüssen 3. The machine frame defines by means of a corresponding bearing a rotation axis 4 which is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. About this axis of rotation 4, a drum 5 with a frontal opening 6 is rotatable. The drive is effected by an electric motor 7 with a V-belt pulley 8, over which a belt 9 is guided. The electric motor 7 is mounted on a rear, upstanding part of the machine frame 2, with the interposition of a rocker 10 which is mounted at one end to a pivot bearing 11 and which is height adjustable at the other end by an adjusting screw 12 for adjusting the belt tension. The V-belt can be guided either via a pulley rotatably connected to the drum 5 or directly over a jacket part of the drum 5.

On the front of the Aufstellfüsse 3 are connected by a cross member 13 on which a feed device 14 is arranged. This feed device 14 has here not shown guide rollers which act on the spring shaft (Figure 2). By switching the feed device 14 to a retraction device for the spring shaft 27 (Figure 2). The machine frame 2 can also be provided with runners or castors.

So far, the device is state of the art, for example by the DE 102 27 204 B4 ,

Figure 2 now shows the new and improved design of the drum 5. This has a rear wall 15 with a flat radial support surface 16 for attachment to a shaft, not shown. From the rear wall 15 projects a conical, coaxial to the axis AA and 4 first guide body 17 in the interior 18 of the drum 5. The opening angle "β" of the first guide body 17 is 60 degrees, but can be varied between 40 and 90 degrees. The first guide body 17 is preceded by a second, funnel-shaped and coaxial guide body 19, which has an at least substantially the same opening angle and defines a hollow cone-shaped guide channel 20, whose mutual generatrices extend parallel to each other and have a distance of at least 1.5 times the diameter of the spring shaft 27.

The drum 5 further has a drum shell 21 which is slightly conically widened in the direction of the opening 6 and which ends in a plane-parallel mounting flange 23 via a ring member 22 directed radially inwards. In the region of the largest diameter of the second guide body 19, this is provided with a coaxial annular nozzle 24 which is provided with window openings 25. This annular nozzle 24 is detachably connected to the mounting flange 23. Furthermore, the second guide body 19 has a cylindrical extension 26 in the region of its smallest diameter.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the combination of the second guide body 19 and the annular nozzle 24 also forms a component which is easy to manufacture. The largely cylindrical annular nozzle 24 extends coaxially to the vicinity of the rear wall 15 and then continues, reversing the direction in the conical guide body 19.

A conventional spring shaft 27 is guided through this extension 27 and the guide channel 20 through into the interior 18 of the drum 5 and can be stored there in one or more layers. Depending on the setting of the feed device 14, the spring shaft is either pulled out of the drum 5 or inserted into this (double arrow 29).

It follows that the spring shaft 27 due to the interaction of the narrowness of the guide channel 20 and its inherent rigidity has no tendency to "α" -shaped overturning and knotting. This interaction also leads to a more targeted storage of the individual turns on the drum shell 21. It can be clearly seen in particular in FIG. 2 that a clear reduction of the free space within the drum 5 is achieved by the second guide body 19 and the annular connection piece 24 returned to the opening 6 takes place, so that the diameter of the drum shell 21 can be increased accordingly.

The figure 3 shows now using the same reference numerals a significant advantage of the invention, namely that the interior 18 of the drum 5 after removal of the second guide body 19 with the molded annular nozzle 24 visible and accessible for manipulation, for example, irregularities in the storage the turns of the spring shaft 27 should result. For this, the drum 5 does not have to be released from its shaft; It also continues to carry the depending on the "stored" length of the spring shaft possibly relatively high weight of the same. For a flying storage of the drum 5 is possible. Although the extension 26 may additionally be mounted in a removable feed device 14, this need not be.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Pipe cleaning machine

2

machine frame

3

mounting feet

4

axis of rotation

5

drum

6

opening

7

electric motor

8th

pulley

9

fan belt

10

seesaw

11

pivot bearing

12

screw

13

traverse

14

feeder

15

rear wall

16

bearing surface

17

first guide body

18

inner space

19

second guide body

20

guide channel

21

drum shell

22

ring part

23

mounting flange

24

banjo union

25

window openings

26

extension

27

spring shaft

28

double arrow

29

double arrow

A-A

axis

"Β"

aperture

Claims (8)

Pipe cleaning machine (1) with a about an axis (4, AA) rotatable drum (5) and with a feed device (14) for advancing and retracting a spring shaft (27), wherein the drum has a rear wall (15) for attachment to a shaft, a drum shell (21), a ring member (22) having an opening (6) and a projecting from the rear wall (15) first coaxial guide body (17) for the spring shaft (27), and wherein the first guide body (17 ) is preceded by a second coaxial guide body (19) which forms a guide channel (20) for the spring shaft (27) in relation to the first guide body (17),
characterized in that a) the ring member (22) of the drum (5) extends radially inwardly and terminates in a concentric mounting flange (23), b) the second guide body (19) has a concentric annular socket (24) which extends from the mounting flange (23), starting in the direction of the rear wall (16) and at a distance from the rear wall (16) in the opposite direction in the second guide body ( 19), and that c) the annular nozzle (24) with the second guide body (19) for exposing the opening (6) releasably connected to the mounting flange (23) is connected. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the first guide body (17) on its outer side and the second guide body (19) on its inner side of conical surfaces with at least substantially the same opening angles ("β") are limited. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening angle ("β") are selected between 40 and 90 degrees. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the opening angle ("β") amount to 60 degrees. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the second guide body (19), starting from its smallest diameter, with a cylindrical extension (26) for the passage of the spring shaft (27) is provided. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the extension (26) is pulled forward to the opening (6) of the drum (5). Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the guide channel (20) between 1.5 times and 5 times the diameter of the spring shaft (27) is selected. Pipe cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the annular nozzle (24) is provided with window openings (25).

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