A device and method for on-site pipe drilling

Abstract

A pipe drilling device and method include a clamping mechanism installed on the pipe. The clamping mechanism comprises an annular gear seat, a toothed annular guide rail, and a drive motor. The toothed annular guide rail is mounted on the annular gear seat, and the drive motor mounted on the annular gear seat is connected to the toothed annular guide rail via gears. A horizontal slide is mounted on the annular guide rail, and a Z-axis slide is mounted on the moving end of the horizontal slide. A power head or thickness gauge is mounted on the moving end of the Z-axis slide. This invention addresses the problems of metal shavings easily falling into the pipe during manual drilling and the low drilling accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device and method for on-site pipe drilling. Background Technology

[0002] When inspecting or modifying pipelines on-site, it is sometimes necessary to drill holes in the pipelines. After the holes are drilled, branch pipes or flanges are welded into them, and the holes are then inspected. Currently, pipeline drilling is done by workers using angle grinders. The disadvantages of this method are: 1. Iron filings generated during drilling can easily fall into the pipeline, adversely affecting the equipment connected to the pipeline; 2. The drilling accuracy is difficult to guarantee. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a device and method for on-site pipe drilling, which solves the problems of iron filings easily falling into the pipe and low drilling accuracy during manual drilling.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A pipe field drilling device includes a clamping mechanism installed on the pipe. The clamping mechanism includes an annular toothed seat, a toothed annular guide rail, and a drive motor. The toothed annular guide rail is mounted on the annular toothed seat, and the drive motor mounted on the annular toothed seat is connected to the toothed annular guide rail via gears. A horizontal slide is mounted on the annular guide rail, and a Z-axis slide is mounted on the moving end of the horizontal slide. A power head or thickness gauge is mounted on the moving end of the Z-axis slide.

[0005] The clamping mechanism includes two horizontal slides, each with its ends connected to two annular guide rails, and the two gears connected by a transmission shaft.

[0006] The annular gear seat is a two-part detachable structure. An annular groove is provided on the annular gear seat, and multiple limit bearings are assembled in the annular groove. Multiple set screws are installed on the annular gear seat, with one end of the set screw abutting against the pressure plate. The toothed annular guide rail is a two-part structure. The toothed annular guide rail includes a rolling ring and a toothed ring fixedly connected to the rolling ring. A limit groove is provided on the inner wall of the toothed ring, and the toothed ring is assembled in the groove. The limit bearing is located in the limit groove.

[0007] The drive motor is a servo motor, and both the horizontal slide and the Z-axis slide are servo slides. The drive motor, the horizontal slide, the Z-axis slide, and the power head are controlled by a computer, and the thickness gauge transmits the detected data to the computer.

[0008] A method for creating a hole in a pipeline in the field includes the following steps: Step 1: After determining the pipe opening location, assemble the clamping mechanism onto the pipe, first install the power head onto the Z-axis slide moving end, and assemble the end mill on the power head. Adjust the end mill to move to the initial position, then start the power head and feed the cutter. With the center point of the bottom of the shallow pit as the initial point, the computer controls the end mill to travel one circle according to the set opening trajectory and then return to the initial position to mill a shallow groove on the pipe surface. Step 2: Replace the power head with a thickness gauge. The computer controls the thickness gauge to travel one circle according to the set opening trajectory. The thickness gauge transmits the measured changes in the pipe wall along the opening trajectory to the computer. Step 3: Replace the thickness gauge with a power head. The computer controls the power head to mill the pipe according to the hole opening trajectory. The end mill is adjusted in real time according to the pipe wall change data measured by the thickness gauge to ensure that the pipe wall thickness is consistent without milling through the pipe along the trajectory, so as to leave an annular groove on the pipe surface. Step 4: Remove the drilling device, clean the iron filings from the annular groove and pipe surface, and then use a pipe cutting device to cut the annular groove that has not been milled through the pipe wall to complete the pipe drilling.

[0009] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. The milling path of the end mill is controlled by the Z-axis slide, the horizontal slide, and the circular guide rail, allowing the end mill to travel along the preset path and ensuring the hole opening accuracy.

[0010] 2. The pipe is first milled to create an annular groove, and then the pipe cutting device uses a pressing and cutting method to open the annular groove. The pipe is not milled through during the entire milling process, which effectively prevents iron filings from entering the inner wall of the pipe.

[0011] 3. After the pipe hole is opened, a chamfer is milled on the annular groove using a V-groove milling cutter to facilitate subsequent welding. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the opening device of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the opening device of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the pipe cutting device of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention during implementation.

[0013] In the figure: clamping mechanism 100, ring gear seat 101, limit bearing 102, gear ring 103, gear 104, clamping plate 105, set screw 106, drive motor 107, transmission shaft 108, rolling ring 109; horizontal slide 200, air-cooled gun blowpipe 300, Z-axis slide 400, power head 500, chip collector suction pipe 600, pipe to be drilled 700, pipe segment 701, annular groove 702, chamfer 703, welding branch pipe 704, thickness gauge 800; pipe cutting device 900, insertion rod 901, pressing pipe 902, guide pipe 903, screw 904, binding strap 905, knife tube 906, magnet 907, support plate 908. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a pipe field drilling device includes a clamping mechanism 100 installed on the pipe. The clamping mechanism 100 includes an annular gear seat 101, a toothed annular guide rail, and a drive motor 107. The toothed annular guide rail is mounted on the annular gear seat 101, and the drive motor 107 mounted on the annular gear seat 101 is connected to the toothed annular guide rail via a gear 104. A horizontal slide 200 is mounted on the annular guide rail, and a Z-axis slide 400 is mounted on the moving end of the horizontal slide 200. A power head 500 or a thickness gauge 800 is mounted on the moving end of the Z-axis slide 400. The drive motor 107 is a servo motor, and both the horizontal slide 200 and the Z-axis slide 400 are servo slides. The drive motor 107, the horizontal slide 200, the Z-axis slide 400, and the power head 500 are controlled by a computer, and the thickness gauge 800 transmits the detected data to the computer.

[0016] The clamping mechanism 100 includes two horizontal slides 200, each with its two ends connected to two annular guide rails, and the two gears 104 connected by a transmission shaft 108. This structure allows the two ends of the horizontal slides 200 to be subjected to force simultaneously, preventing excessive vibration of the power head 500 during milling and improving milling accuracy.

[0017] The annular gear seat 101 is a two-part detachable structure. An annular groove is provided on the annular gear seat 101, and multiple limit bearings 102 are assembled in the annular groove. Multiple set screws 106 are installed on the annular gear seat 101, and one end of the set screw 106 abuts against the arc-shaped clamping plate 105. The toothed annular guide rail is a two-part structure. The toothed annular guide rail includes a rolling ring 109 and a toothed ring 103 fixedly connected to the rolling ring 109. A limit groove is provided on the inner wall of the toothed ring 103. The toothed ring 103 is assembled in the groove, and the limit bearings 102 are located in the limit groove.

[0018] In use, the drive motor 107 drives the gear ring 103 to rotate through the gear 104. The gear ring 103 rotates with the horizontal slide 200. During the rotation of the gear ring 103, the limit bearing 102 limits and supports the gear ring 103.

[0019] Since both the annular toothed seat 101 and the toothed annular guide rail are two-part structures, they can be easily fitted onto the pipe to be drilled. In addition, the set screw 106 can first fix the annular toothed seat 101 and the toothed annular guide rail to the pipe, and secondly, it can easily adjust the toothed annular guide rail to be coaxial with the pipe.

[0020] The following describes the method of using this hole-opening device to open a hole in a pipe with a wall thickness of 5mm as an example, including the following steps: Step 1: After determining the pipe opening location, assemble the clamping mechanism 100 onto the pipe. Then, use the set screw 106 to adjust the toothed ring guide rail to be coaxial with the pipe. First, install the power head 500 onto the moving end of the Z-axis slide 400, and assemble the end mill on the power head 500. Manually jog the Z-axis slide 400, drive motor 107, and servo slide on the computer to move the end mill to the initial position. Then, start the power head 500 and manually jog the feed on the computer operation panel to let the end mill mill a shallow pit with a depth of 1mm on the pipe surface and then pause. Set the center point of the bottom of the shallow pit as the initial point on the computer. Then switch to computer automatic control. The computer controls the end mill to travel one circle according to the set opening trajectory and then return to the initial position, thus leaving a shallow groove on the pipe surface. The purpose of milling shallow grooves on pipes is as follows: Sometimes the pipe surface is painted with an uneven layer of paint, or there are rust and weld spatters or other protrusions or depressions on the pipe surface. If the thickness gauge 800 is used directly to measure the pipe wall thickness, the data obtained by the thickness gauge 800 will include these protrusions or depressions on the pipe surface. If this data containing protrusions or depressions is used in the tool path, it will cause the thickness between the bottom surface of the groove and the inner wall surface of the pipe to be inconsistent. Therefore, a shallow pit with a depth of 0.5mm is milled on the pipe surface first to remove the paint, weld spatters or rust on the pipe surface, to ensure the accuracy of the thickness gauge 800 detection data, and at the same time to determine the initial point.

[0021] Step 2: Replace the power head 500 with the thickness gauge 800. After adjusting the position of the thickness gauge 800, the computer controls the Z-axis slide 400, drive motor 107 and servo slide to control the thickness gauge 800 to move one circle according to the set opening trajectory and then return to the initial position. The thickness gauge 800 transmits the measured pipe wall change data on the opening trajectory to the computer. Step 3: Replace the thickness gauge 800 with the power head 500. The computer controls the power head 500 to mill the pipe according to the hole opening trajectory. The end mill is adjusted in real time according to the pipe wall change data measured by the thickness gauge 800 to ensure that the pipe wall thickness is consistent without milling through the trajectory. This leaves an annular groove with a wall thickness of 0.3~0.6mm on the pipe surface. In addition, the end mill is cooled by an air-cooling gun during the milling process, and the milling shavings are collected by a chip collector.

[0022] Step 4: After milling, remove the hole-opening device, use a brush or vacuum cleaner to clean the iron filings from the annular groove and pipe surface, and then use the pipe cutting device 900 to cut the annular groove that has not been milled through the pipe wall to complete the pipe opening.

[0023] The pipe cutting device 900 includes a blade tube 906, with two symmetrical bevels at one end of the blade tube 906. The inner side of the bevels is chamfered. A pressure tube 902 is fixedly connected to the blade tube 906. An insertion hole is opened in the middle of the pressure tube 902, and an insertion rod 901 is inserted into the insertion hole. One end of the insertion rod 901 is connected to a magnet 907. A guide tube 903 is connected to both ends of the pressure tube 902. A screw 904 is inserted into the guide tube 903. One end of the screw 904 is fixedly connected to an arc-shaped support plate 908. The arc-shaped support plate 908 is fixedly connected to the pipe by multiple binding straps 905. A clamping nut is threaded onto the screw 904.

[0024] The method of using the pipe cutting device 900 is as follows: Use the binding strap 905 to fix the support piece 908 to the pipe, pre-tighten the binding strap 905, and attract the magnet 907 to the pipe segment after milling. Then, assemble the cutting tube 906 onto the screw 904 and the insertion rod 901, adjust the cutting tube 906 to be coaxial with the annular groove, and after tightening the binding strap 905, rotate the clamping nut, or bind a binding strap 905 to the outside of the pipe and the clamping tube 902 on both sides of the cutting tube 906. Use the clamping nut or binding strap 905 to drive the cutting tube 906 to feed. Since the cutting tube 906 has a chamfered edge, it can penetrate into the unmilled pipe wall of the annular groove like a blade to cut the pipe wall. After cutting, the pipe segment is attracted to the magnet 907, and then the pipe cutting device 900 is removed.

[0025] It is evident that the entire cutting process of the pipe cutting device 900 does not produce iron filings, and it has the advantages of simple structure, light weight, and easy portability to the site.

[0026] In addition, to prevent the cut-off segments 701 from falling into the pipe 700, a magnet 907 is used to attract the segments, and the insertion rod 901 can easily remove the cut-off segments; the screw 904 and the guide tube 903 are used to limit, guide and support the cutter tube 906.

[0027] After performing the third step, as Figure 4 As shown, the end mill is replaced with a V-groove end mill, and then the computer-controlled power head 500 chamfers the annular groove 702. Some pipe openings require welding of branch pipes 704. Therefore, after milling with the end mill, the V-groove end mill is used to chamfer the annular groove, thus creating a chamfered opening. After the flange or pipe is connected to the opening, the chamfered bevel is used to guide the branch pipe, eliminating the gap between the branch pipe and the pipe opening. This not only prevents weld slag from entering the pipe but also enables bevel welding, improving the welding effect.

[0028] The above embodiments are merely preferred technical solutions of the present invention and should not be considered as limitations on the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be limited to the technical solutions described in the claims, including equivalent substitutions of the technical features described in the claims. That is, equivalent substitutions and improvements within this scope are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of field opening a pipe, characterized by: The device includes a pipe field drilling device, which includes a clamping mechanism (100) installed on the pipe. The clamping mechanism (100) includes an annular gear seat (101), a toothed annular guide rail, and a drive motor (107). The toothed annular guide rail is mounted on the annular gear seat (101), and the drive motor (107) mounted on the annular gear seat (101) is connected to the toothed annular guide rail via a gear (104). A horizontal slide (200) is installed on the annular guide rail. A Z-axis slide (400) is installed on the mobile end, and a power head (500) or a thickness gauge (800) is mounted on the mobile end of the Z-axis slide (400); the drive motor (107) is a servo motor, and both the horizontal slide (200) and the Z-axis slide (400) are servo slides. The drive motor (107), the horizontal slide (200), the Z-axis slide (400), and the power head (500) are controlled by a computer, and the thickness gauge (800) transmits the detected data to the computer; the method includes the following steps. Step 1: After determining the pipe opening position, assemble the clamping mechanism (100) onto the pipe, first install the power head (500) onto the moving end of the Z-axis slide (400), and assemble the end mill on the power head (500). Adjust the end mill to move to the initial position, then start the power head (500) and feed the cutter. With the center point of the bottom of the shallow pit as the initial point, the computer controls the end mill to move around the set opening trajectory and then return to the initial position to mill a shallow groove on the pipe surface. Step 2: Replace the power head (500) with the thickness gauge (800). The computer controls the thickness gauge (800) to travel one circle according to the set opening trajectory. The thickness gauge (800) transmits the measured pipe wall change data on the opening trajectory to the computer. Step 3: Replace the thickness gauge (800) with the power head (500). The computer controls the power head (500) to mill the pipe according to the hole opening trajectory. The end mill is adjusted in real time according to the pipe wall change data measured by the thickness gauge (800) so that the pipe wall thickness is consistent without milling through the pipe on the trajectory, so as to leave an annular groove on the pipe surface. Step 4: Remove the opening device, clean the iron filings on the surface of the annular groove and the pipe, and use the pipe cutting device (900) to cut the pipe wall that has not been milled through the annular groove to complete the opening of the pipe.

2. The method for on-site pipe drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism (100) includes two horizontal slides (200) with their ends connected to two annular guide rails respectively, and the two gears (104) are connected by a transmission shaft (108).

3. A method for on-site pipe drilling according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The annular gear seat (101) is a two-part detachable structure. An annular groove is provided on the annular gear seat (101), and multiple limit bearings (102) are assembled in the annular groove. Multiple set screws (106) are installed on the annular gear seat (101), and one end of the set screw (106) abuts against the pressure plate (105). The toothed annular guide rail is a two-part structure. The toothed annular guide rail includes a rolling ring (109) and a toothed ring (103) fixedly connected to the rolling ring (109). A limit groove is provided on the inner wall of the toothed ring (103). The toothed ring (103) is assembled in the groove, and the limit bearings (102) are located in the limit groove.

4. The method for on-site pipe drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the third step, the end mill is replaced with a V-groove end mill, and then the computer-controlled power head (500) is used to chamfer the annular groove.

5. The method for on-site pipe drilling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe cutting device (900) includes a blade (906), with two symmetrical bevels at one end of the blade (906) and a chamfer on the inner side of the bevels. A pressure tube (902) is fixedly connected to the blade (906), and an insertion hole is opened in the middle of the pressure tube (902). An insertion rod (901) is inserted into the insertion hole, and a magnet (907) is connected to one end of the insertion rod (901). A conduit (903) is connected to both ends of the pressure tube (902), and a screw (904) is inserted into the conduit (903). One end of the screw (904) is fixedly connected to a support plate (908). The arc-shaped support plate (908) is fixedly connected to the pipe by multiple binding straps (905), and a clamping nut is threaded onto the screw (904).

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