Improved system for manufacturing welded pipes of different diameters

Abstract

 An improved system (1) is described for manufacturing welded pipes (2, 12) of different diameters wherein the means (6) used to make the round pipe (2) having one of the above mentioned diameters are mounted, together with the related motor means (3), on a single bench (4), the benches (4) relating to the different diameters being parallel to each other and movable on rails (5) at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe.
Downstream of the means (6) can be situated shaping means (10), adapted to transform a round pipe (2) into a square or rectangular pipe (12), which are advantageously mounted on a further bench (14) movable on further rails (15) at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe; the shaping means (10) relating to the different diameters are mounted, together with the related motor means (13), on the further bench (14) parallel to each other.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved system for manufacturing welded pipes (round, square or rectangular in shape) of different diameters, wherein the operations to be performed to change from the manufacture of a pipe of one diameter to that of a pipe of another diameter and/or from the manufacture of a round pipe to that of a square or rectangular pipe of the same diameter are particularly simple and rapid, reducing to a minimum the intervention times on the system and the waste of sheet metal.

[0002] Systems for manufacturing round welded pipes are known to the art, comprising, in cascade with one another, at least one coil reel, the units for forming the pipe, for welding the formed pipe, for sizing the welded pipe and for straightening the sized pipe; also known to the art are shaping units (known in the specific technological field as "Turk's heads") which transform a round pipe into a square or a rectangular pipe.

[0003] At the exit from the straightening unit or from the shaping unit, if present, there is a cutting station to cut the continuous pipe into portions of preset length.

[0004] At the input to the forming unit, between two adjacent units and at the output from the cutting station there are normally drive and/or guide rollers for the coil, for the continuous pipe being formed or formed and/or for the cut pipe.

[0005] The coil reel, the forming, welding, sizing, straightening and shaping units (if present), the cutting station and the drive and/or guide rollers will not be described herein because they are per se known and in any case beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0006] The known systems present numerous limits and/or drawbacks, particularly significant among which is the fact that, to change the diameter of the pipe produced, it is necessary to remove and to replace (at least partially) the forming, welding, sizing, straightening and shaping units (if present) and the drive and/or guide rollers. Such operations take a significant time (indicatively, 6-7 hours) with a high cost that negatively affects the yield of the production line.

[0007] Object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned limits and/or drawbacks of systems of the prior art for manufacturing welded pipes; this object is achieved by means of a manufacturing system which has the characterising features illustrated in claim 1.

[0008] Further advantageous characteristics of the invention form the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0009] Further characteristics of the invention will be made clearer by the detailed description that follows, referring to a purely exemplifying and therefore non limiting embodiment thereof, illustrated in the appended drawing, wherein:

• Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a top view of a system for manufacturing welded pipes realised according to the invention;
• Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a top view of one of the benches that carry the means for making a round pipe;
• Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a top view of the further bench, which carries shaping means for making a square or rectangular pipe;
• Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a front view of one of the units belonging to the means for making a round, square or rectangular pipe;
• Figure 5 shows diagrammatically, enlarged, an embodiment of the system for moving one of the benches belonging to the system of figure 1.

[0010] In the appended figures like elements will be identified by the same reference numerals.

[0011] The present invention refers to a system for manufacturing welded pipes (round, square or rectangular in shape) of different diameters, wherein the means (comprising the forming, welding, sizing and straightening units) used to make a round pipe having one of the diameters to be produced are mounted, together with the related motor means, on a single bench and the benches for different diameters of the round pipe to be produced are parallel to each other and movable parallel to themselves on rails at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe.

[0012] The shaping means adapted to transform the round pipe made by the above means into a square or rectangular pipe, when present, are mounted together with the related motor means, on a further bench situated downstream of the means for producing a round pipe and are movable on further rails at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe; the shaping means relating to the different diameters of the square or rectangular pipe to be produced are mounted on the further bench parallel to each other.

[0013] Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a top view of a system 1 - made according to the invention - for manufacturing welded pipes, which comprises at least, in cascade with each other, a coil reel A, drive and/or guide rollers R situated between the reel A and the means 6 (comprising the forming, welding, sizing and straightening units) for creating a welded round pipe 2, the means 6 mounted (together with the related motor means 3 and with the drive and/or guide rollers, if present) on a bench 4 movable on rails 5, a cutting station T for the pipe and means U adapted to move the lengths of pipe cut in the cutting station T.

[0014] An embodiment of the means 6 mounted on a bench 4 is shown in Figure 2; the means 6 will not be further described because they are per se known and in any case beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0015] From Figure 1 it can be seen that the benches 4, on which the means 6 relating to the different diameters are mounted, are parallel to each other and movable parallel to themselves on rails 5 at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe and that, preferably, a portion of pipe 2 being formed is present in the means 6 not in operation.

[0016] To change the diameter of the round pipe 2 produced by means of the system 1, the coil upstream of the means 6 and the pipe 2 downstream of the means 6 are cut and the benches 4 are made to run on the rails 5 until the bench 4 carrying the means 6 adapted to make the new pipe 2 is aligned between the drive and/or guide rollers R and the cutting station T, then the coil is coupled to the portion of pipe 2 already present in the means 6 and the system is started up.

[0017] It is therefore obvious that in a system 1 realised according to the invention changing the diameter of the pipe 2 is a simple, rapid and cheap operation, which reduces to a minimum the intervention times on the system and the waste of sheet metal and/or of pipe.

[0018] The system 1 shown in Figure 1 is adapted to produce both round pipes and square or rectangular pipes since it also comprises shaping means 10 adapted to transform a round pipe into a square or rectangular pipe, which can be placed between the means 6 and the cutting station T.

[0019] The shaping means 10 are mounted, together with the related motor means 13 and with the drive and/or guide rollers, if present, on a further bench 14 movable on further rails 15 situated downstream of the rails 5 on which the means 6 can be moved and at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe; the means 10 relating to the different diameters are mounted on the further bench 14 parallel to each other.

[0020] An embodiment of the shaping means 10 mounted on the further bench 14 is shown in Figure 3. The shaping means 10 will not be further described because they are per se known and in any case beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0021] In order to change from the production of a round pipe 2 to that of a square or rectangular pipe 12 of the same diameter, it is sufficient to cut the round pipe 2 at the exit from the means 6, to cause the further bench 14 to run on the further rails 15 to insert the shaping means 10 adapted to form a square or rectangular pipe having the diameter of the pipe 2 between the means 6 and the cutting station T, to abut the pipe 2 to the shaping means 10 and to start up the system 1. This is a simple, fast and cheap operation, which reduces to a minimum the intervention times on the system.

[0022] The shaping means 10, the related motor means 13, the further bench 14 and the further rails 15 can be omitted without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0023] In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the system 1 comprises five benches 4 carrying the means 6 and a further bench 14 carrying five shaping means 10 and is therefore adapted to produce pipes with five different diameters: the pipes produced can be round pipes 2 if (as shown in Figure 1) the shaping means 10 are not used, or square or rectangular pipes 12 if the shaping means 10 are used.

[0024] All the shaping means 10 mounted on the further bench 14 can be adapted to produce square or rectangular pipes or some of the shaping means 10 can be adapted to produce square pipes and other shaping means 10 can be adapted to produce rectangular pipes.

[0025] Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to provide for the presence of a different number of benches 4 carrying the means 6 and/or to mount on the bench 14, for each diameter, both shaping means 10 adapted to produce a square pipe 12 and shaping means 10 adapted to produce a rectangular pipe 12.

[0026] For simplicity of the graphic representation, only one of the benches 4, of the motor means (3, 13), of the rails (5, 15), of the means 6 carried by the benches 4 and of the shaping means 10 carried by the bench 14 are indicated in Figure 1 by the relative reference numerals.

[0027] Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a top view of an embodiment of one of the means 6 for making a round pipe 2 belonging to the system 1 of Figure 1; the means 6 are carried, together with the relative motor means 3 and with the drawing and/or guide rollers, if present, by one of the benches 4 movable on the rails 5.

[0028] Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a top view of the further bench 14, movable on the rails 15, which carries the shaping means 10 for making square or rectangular pipes of different diameters, the related motor means 13 and the drive and/or guide rollers, if present.

[0029] For simplicity of the graphic representation, in Figure 3 only one of the shaping means 10 and of the motor means 13 are identified with the relative reference numerals.

[0030] Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a front view of one of the units 40 which make up the means 6 and the shaping means 10 of the system 1 of Figure 1. From Figure 4 it can be seen that the unit 40 comprises a cage-like structure 41 that carries rollers 43 mounted on shafts 42 connected to the motor means (3, 13) and idler rollers 44.

[0031] Figure 5 shows diagrammatically, enlarged, an exemplifying embodiment of the movement system of one of the benches (4, 14) belonging to the system 1 of Figure 1.

[0032] In the embodiment described in Figure 5, the rail (5, 15) is I-shaped in section and the benches (4, 14) are provided with wheels or rollers 50 adapted to slide on the upper flange of the rail (5, 15), with at least one projection 51 that engages below the upper flange of the rail (5, 15) and with a cogwheel 52, moved by the drive means (3, 13) mounted on the bench (4, 14), which meshes in a rack 53 integral with the leg of the rail (5, 15).

[0033] Without departing from the scope of the invention, a person skilled in the art can make to the above described system all those changes or improvements suggested by normal experience or by the natural evolution of the art.

Claims

1. A system (1) for manufacturing welded pipes (2, 12) of different diameters, characterised in that the means (6) used to make a round pipe (2) having one of the diameters to be produced are mounted, together with the related motor means (3), on a single bench (4), the benches (4) relating to the different diameters being parallel to each other and movable parallel to themselves on rails (5) at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe (2).

2. A system (1) as in claim 1, characterised in that the drive and/or guide rollers associated with the means (6) are mounted on a bench (4) together with the means (6) and the related motor means (3).

3. A system (1) as in claim 1, characterised in that the means (6) not in operation comprise a portion of the round pipe (2) which being formed.

4. A system (1) as in claim 1 for manufacturing welded square or rectangular pipes (12) of different diameters, characterised in that it further comprises shaping means (10) adapted to transform a round pipe (2) made by the means (6) into a square or rectangular pipe (12), said shaping means (10) being mounted, together with the related motor means (13) on a further bench (14) situated downstream of the means (6) and movable on further rails (15) at right angles to the direction of travel of the pipe, the shaping means (10) relating to the different diameters of the square or rectangular pipe to be manufactured being mounted on the further bench (14) parallel to each other.

5. A system (1) as in claim 4, characterised in that the drive and/or guide rollers associated with the shaping means (10) are mounted on the further bench (14) together with the shaping means (10) and the relative motor means (13).

6. A system (1) as in claim 4, characterised in that, for each diameter of the pipe (12) to be produced, shaping means (10) adapted to produce a square pipe (12) or shaping means (10) adapted to produce a rectangular pipe (12) are mounted on the further bench (14).

7. A system (1) as in claim 4, characterised in that, for each diameter of the pipe (12) to be produced, both shaping means (10) adapted to produce a square pipe (12) and shaping means (10) adapted to produce a rectangular pipe (12) are mounted on the further bench (14).

8. A system (1) as in claim 1 or 4, characterised in that the units (40) which make up the means (6) and the shaping means (10) of the system (1) comprise a cage-like structure (41) which bears rollers (43) mounted on shafts (42) connected to the motor means (3, 13) and/or idler rollers (44).

9. A system (1) as in claim 1 or 4, characterised in that the rails (5, 15) are I-shaped in section and in that the benches (4, 14) are provided with means (50) adapted to slide on the upper flange of the rail (5, 15), with at least one projection (51) that engages beneath the upper flange of the rail (5, 15) and with a cogwheel (52), driven by the motor means (3, 13) mounted on the bench (4, 14), which meshes in a rack (53) integral with the leg of the rail (5, 15).

Drawing