Horizontal pipe expander and centering auxiliary structure of horizontal pipe expander

Abstract

The utility model relates to a horizontal pipe expander and a centering auxiliary structure of the horizontal pipe expander, and relates to the technical field of pipe expanders, the horizontal pipe expander comprises a pipe expanding main body and a centering piece, the pipe expanding main body comprises a plurality of supporting plates and a plurality of expanding rods, the supporting plates and the expanding rods are arranged, and the centering piece is arranged between the supporting plates and the expanding rods. The multiple supporting plates are sequentially arranged in the length direction of the pipe expanding main body at intervals, the multiple expanding rods extend in the length direction, expanding heads are arranged at one ends of the expanding rods, the expanding heads penetrate through the supporting plates and are exposed, and the pipe expanding main body can move in the length direction so that the expanding heads can stretch into corresponding pipe bodies to be expanded. The centering piece is arranged on the side, close to the to-be-expanded pipe bodies, of the supporting plate, the expansion heads stretch into the centering piece, and the pipe expansion body can drive the centering piece to move in the length direction and enable the to-be-expanded pipe bodies to stretch into the centering piece to be aligned with the expansion heads one to one. The pipe expander is used for solving the problem that the efficiency is low due to the fact that an existing pipe expander can only achieve alignment of single pipe bodies.

Description

A horizontal tube expander and a centering auxiliary structure for the horizontal tube expander Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of tube expander technology, and in particular to a horizontal tube expander and a centering auxiliary structure for the horizontal tube expander. Background Technology

[0002] A tube expander is a specialized expansion and joining device primarily used in the manufacturing of equipment such as heat exchangers, condensers, and high-pressure heaters, for the tight expansion and joining of tubes and tube sheets. For example, in the production process of internal heat exchangers in air conditioners, the expander rod in the tube expander is inserted into the heat exchange tube and expands it, ensuring a full connection between the heat exchange tube and the fins inside the heat exchanger, thus guaranteeing good heat transfer and conduction performance. Before the actual tube expansion, the alignment of the tube body to be expanded and the expander rod must be checked and confirmed to ensure that incorrect alignment does not lead to damage to the tube body or even the scrapping of the entire product.

[0003] While current horizontal expansion machines can accurately align the heat exchange tubes with the expansion head through operator control, they can only align one heat exchange tube at a time. When the product is wide and has a large number of tubes with small diameters, not only is the manual labor intensity high, but the alignment efficiency is also low, making it difficult to adapt to mass production in factories. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a horizontal tube expander to solve the problem that current tube expanders can only align a single tube, resulting in low efficiency.

[0005] A horizontal tube expander, comprising:

[0006] The tube expansion body includes a support plate and an expansion rod. Multiple support plates and expansion rods are provided. The multiple support plates are arranged sequentially along their length direction and spaced apart. The multiple expansion rods extend along their length direction and have an expansion head at one end. The expansion head passes through the support plate and protrudes. The tube expansion body can move along its length direction so that the expansion head extends into the corresponding tube body to be expanded.

[0007] The centering component is located on the side of the support plate near the tube body to be expanded. The expansion head extends into the centering component. The tube body can drive the centering component to move along the length direction and make the tube body to be expanded extend into the centering component and align with the expansion head one by one.

[0008] By adopting the above technical solution, the centering component, in conjunction with the tube expander body, can simultaneously align multiple tubes with multiple expanders. This automated centering process replaces complex and labor-intensive manual adjustments, significantly reducing tube alignment time. Precise centering ensures tube alignment accuracy, effectively avoiding product rework due to alignment errors, significantly improving the yield rate of the tube expander process, and thus enhancing overall production efficiency.

[0009] In one embodiment, the centering member is a tube sheet, which has multiple through holes along its length, and the tube body to be expanded and the expansion head are located in the corresponding through holes.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, a clear corresponding position is provided for the tube body to be expanded and the expansion head, so that they can be easily and directly inserted into the corresponding through hole to achieve alignment. This structural design is simple to understand and easy to operate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the through hole is tapered at the end near the tube to be expanded, and the radius decreases toward the expansion rod.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, this design can play a guiding role, making it easier for the tube to smoothly extend into the through hole, reducing the resistance and difficulties in the tube insertion process, and improving the convenience and efficiency of the alignment process.

[0013] In one embodiment, multiple tube sheets are provided, and the multiple tube sheets are spliced ​​together along the width direction, and each tube sheet is fixed to the support plate.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, this design makes the structure of the centering component more flexible. The splicing method or quantity of the tube sheet can be adjusted according to actual needs to accommodate tubes of different sizes or quantities to be expanded, thus enhancing the adaptability of the tube expander to different production tasks.

[0015] In one embodiment, the tube sheet and the support plate are detachably fixed.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, this feature facilitates the replacement of different tube sheets when needed. For example, when production tasks change and tube expansion operations are required for tubes of different specifications, a matching tube sheet can be quickly replaced without replacing the entire tube expander, reducing production costs and improving the versatility of the equipment.

[0017] In one embodiment, the tube sheet is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes, and the support plate is provided with a plurality of second fixing holes. Bolts pass through the second fixing holes and the first fixing holes to fix the support plate and the tube sheet.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, the bolt connection can provide sufficient fastening force to ensure that the tube sheet is stably connected to the support plate during the tube expansion process, without loosening or displacement, thus ensuring the stability of the centering component and the accuracy of the tube expansion operation; at the same time, it is also convenient to disassemble the tube sheet.

[0019] In one embodiment, a buffer is fitted onto the surface of the expansion head.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, the expansion head and buffer can act directly on the inside of the tube to achieve tube expansion. The presence of the buffer can protect the tube and the expansion head, and also help to make the tube expansion process more stable, avoid excessive damage to the tube by the expansion head, and improve the quality of tube expansion.

[0021] In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the through hole is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the tube to be expanded and the expansion head.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, this design ensures that the tube body can smoothly detach from the tube sheet after the expansion is completed. This avoids situations where the tube body and tube sheet get stuck or are difficult to separate due to size mismatch, facilitating the smooth progress of subsequent production processes.

[0023] This embodiment also provides a centering auxiliary structure for a horizontal tube expander, including a horizontal tube expander and a core. The core is located on one side of the horizontal tube expander, and the tube to be expanded is located at one end of the core near the tube sheet. The tube to be expanded has a tube opening, and the expansion rod can extend into the tube opening to expand the tube to be expanded.

[0024] By adopting the above technical solution, it is easier for the expansion head on the tube expander to align with the opening of each tube to be expanded on the core, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of tube alignment and making it less likely for tube alignment errors to occur.

[0025] In one embodiment, the core body is provided with an end plate at one end near the horizontal tube expander, the tube body to be expanded passes through the end plate, and the tube plate is provided with a discharge rod on the side facing the tube body to be expanded. The discharge rod extends toward the tube body to be expanded and can abut against the end plate.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, the tube expansion body drives the tube sheet to move toward the core until the end plate on the core and the unloading rod on the tube sheet cooperate to abut against each other, thus avoiding the end plate from directly contacting the tube sheet and being bent.

[0027] In summary, this application includes at least one beneficial effect:

[0028] 1. The centering component works in conjunction with the tube expander body to simultaneously align multiple tubes with multiple expanders. This automated centering process replaces complex and labor-intensive manual adjustments, significantly reducing tube alignment time. Precise centering ensures accurate tube alignment, effectively avoiding product rework due to alignment errors, significantly improving the yield rate of the tube expander process, and thus enhancing overall production efficiency.

[0029] 2. This design serves as a guide, facilitating the smooth insertion of the tube into the through hole, reducing resistance and difficulties during the tube insertion process, and improving the convenience and efficiency of the alignment process.

[0030] 3. The expansion head and buffer can directly act on the inside of the tube to achieve tube expansion. The presence of the buffer can protect the tube and the expansion head, and also help to make the tube expansion process more stable, avoid excessive damage to the tube by the expansion head, and improve the quality of tube expansion. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a horizontal tube expander provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 is a magnified view of part A in Figure 1;

[0033] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a horizontal tube expander provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a centering auxiliary structure for a horizontal tube expander provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a centering auxiliary structure for a horizontal tube expander provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Expanding tube body; 11. Support plate; 111. Second fixing hole; 12. Expanding rod; 121. Expanding head; 1211. Buffer component; 2. Centering component; 21. Tube plate; 211. Through hole; 212. Unloading rod; 3. Bolt; 4. Core; 41. Tube body to be expanded; 411. Tube opening; 42. End plate. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The tube expander provided in this application will be further described in detail below with reference to Figures 1-6.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] Please refer to Figures 1-6. A horizontal tube expander includes an expander body 1 and a centering component 2.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the expansion tube body 1 includes a support plate 11 and an expansion rod 12. Multiple support plates 11 and expansion rods 12 are provided. The support plates 11 are arranged sequentially and spaced apart along their length. Multiple expansion rods 12 extend along their length and have an expansion head 121 at one end. The expansion head 121 passes through the support plate 11 and protrudes. The expansion tube body 1 can move along its length so that the expansion head 121 extends into its corresponding tube body 41 to be expanded. Specifically, the support plate 11 can be made of metal materials, such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy, to ensure its strength and durability. The expansion rod 12 is usually made of high-strength steel, with a finely machined surface to ensure smoothness and flatness. The diameter of the expansion rod 12 needs to be selected according to the actual tube specifications to ensure smooth expansion. One end of the expansion rod 12 is fixed to a support plate 11, and the other end has an expansion head 121 that passes through other support plates 11 along its length and eventually protrudes. The support plate 11 has multiple through holes for supporting the middle part of the expansion rod 12. The expansion head 121 is cylindrical with a diameter slightly larger than that of the expansion rod 12. A buffer 1211, such as a rubber sleeve, is fitted on its surface to expand the tube during the expansion process. It also protects the tube surface from scratches when the expansion head 121 contacts the inner wall of the tube.

[0042] As shown in Figure 3, the centering member 2 is located on the side of the support plate 11 near the tube body 41 to be expanded. One end of each expansion rod 12 extends into the centering member 2. The tube body 1 can drive the centering member 2 to move along its length, so that the tube body 41 to be expanded extends into the centering member 2 and aligns with the expansion head 121. Specifically, the centering member 2 is located on the support plate 11 closest to the tube body 41 to be expanded. The centering member 2 is a tube plate 21. The tube plate 21 has multiple through holes 211 along its length. The tube body 41 to be expanded and the expansion rods 12 are located in their corresponding through holes 211 and aligned with each other. The tube plate 21 is made of aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and corrosion-resistant. The end of the through hole 211 near the tube body 41 to be expanded is tapered, and the cross-sectional area decreases towards the expansion rod 12, which facilitates the smooth insertion of the tube body 41 into the through hole 211. Multiple tube sheets 21 can be provided and spliced ​​together along the width direction, so that the width can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs to meet the processing requirements of tube bodies 41 of different specifications to be expanded. The cross-sectional area of ​​the through hole 211 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the tube body 41 to be expanded and the expansion head 121, which facilitates the removal of the tube body after expansion.

[0043] The tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11 are detachably fixed. In this embodiment, the tube sheet 21 is provided with multiple first fixing holes, and the support plate 11 is provided with multiple second fixing holes 111. Bolts 3 are sequentially passed through the second fixing holes 111 and the first fixing holes to fix the support plate 11 and the tube sheet 21, facilitating the replacement of different tube sheets 21 to accommodate different specifications of the tube body 41 to be expanded. The bolts 3 are made of high-strength stainless steel, which has good tensile strength and corrosion resistance. The fixing method using bolts 3 not only facilitates the disassembly and replacement of the tube sheet 21, but also ensures a firm and reliable connection between the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11. In another embodiment, the tube sheet 21 is provided with a first locking part, and the support plate 11 is provided with a second locking part. The first locking part and the second locking part engage in a locking mechanism to fix the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11. For example, the first locking part is a slot, and the second locking part is a block.

[0044] An elastic buffer pad can be provided between the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11. The elastic buffer pad is made of rubber material, has a moderate thickness, and is installed on the contact surface between the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11. Adhesive layers are provided on both sides of the elastic buffer pad to firmly fix it to the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11. The function of the elastic buffer pad is to absorb the impact force generated when the tube to be expanded 41 enters the centering member 2, preventing the tube to be expanded 41 from deforming or being damaged due to excessive impact. In addition, the elastic buffer pad can also compensate for assembly errors between the tube sheet 21 and the support plate 11, ensuring the stability of the centering member 2. In actual use, when the tube to be expanded 41 enters the centering member 2, the elastic buffer pad will compress slightly to absorb the impact energy, thereby protecting the tube to be expanded 41 and the equipment.

[0045] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, this embodiment also provides a centering auxiliary structure for a horizontal tube expander, including a horizontal tube expander and a core 4. The core 4 is located on one side of the horizontal tube expander, and the tube to be expanded 41 is located at the end of the core 4 near the tube sheet 21. The tube to be expanded 41 has a tube opening 411, and the expansion rod 12 can extend into the tube opening 411 to expand the tube to be expanded 41. Specifically, the horizontal tube expander also includes a support platform, and the core 4 and the tube expander body 1 are both located on the support platform. The core 4 can be the heat exchanger core 4 in an air conditioner. The heat exchanger also has several steel plate fins with heat dissipation holes. The tube to be expanded 41 is a heat exchange tube with these fins inserted through it. The tube expander can enlarge the internal diameter of the heat exchange tube to facilitate tight contact with the fins.

[0046] The core 4 is equipped with an end plate 42 near the end of the horizontal tube expander, through which the tube body 41 to be expanded passes and protrudes. The end plate 42 is made of high-strength aluminum alloy, which has good rigidity and resistance to deformation. Multiple unloading rods 212 are provided on the side of the tube plate 21 facing the tube body 41 to be expanded. The unloading rods 212 extend towards the tube body 41 and can abut against the end plate 42, preventing the end plate 42 from being bent after direct contact with the tube plate 21. Specifically, the support platform can also be equipped with a drive mechanism to drive the overall tube expander body 1 to move the tube plate 21, allowing the tube body 41 to extend into the through hole 211 of the tube plate 21 until the unloading rod 212 abuts against the end plate 42. Then, the drive mechanism drives the support plate 11, which is fixed to one end of the expansion rod 12, to move towards the core 4, causing the expansion head 121 at the other end of the expansion rod 12 to continue moving and extending into the tube body 41 to be expanded, facilitating the tube expansion operation.

[0047] The implementation principle of this embodiment is as follows: the design of the centering component 2 significantly improves the alignment efficiency and accuracy of multiple tubes 41 to be expanded, avoiding errors and time waste caused by manual adjustment. The combined design of the support plate 11 and the expansion rod 12 achieves the stability and operability of the tube expansion body 1. Simultaneously, the cooperative use of the expansion head 121 and the buffer component 1211 ensures the safety and reliability of the tube expansion process, thereby significantly improving the overall performance and production efficiency of the tube expander.

[0048] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A horizontal tube expander, characterized in that, include: The tube expansion body (1) includes a support plate (11) and an expansion rod (12). Multiple support plates (11) and expansion rods (12) are provided. Multiple support plates (11) are arranged sequentially and spaced apart along their length direction. Multiple expansion rods (12) extend along their length direction and have an expansion head (121) at one end. The expansion head (121) passes through the support plate (11) and protrudes. The tube expansion body (1) can move along its length direction so that the expansion head (121) extends into the corresponding tube body (41) to be expanded. A centering member (2) is provided on the side of the support plate (11) near the tube body (41) to be expanded. The expansion head (121) extends into the centering member (2). The tube expansion body (1) can drive the centering member (2) to move along its length direction so that the tube body (41) to be expanded extends into the centering member (2) and aligns with the expansion head (121).

2. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 1, characterized in that, The centering component (2) is a tube sheet (21), which has multiple through holes (211) along its length. The tube body to be expanded (41) and the expansion head (121) are located in the corresponding through holes (211).

3. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 2, characterized in that, The through hole (211) is tapered at the end near the tube body (41) to be expanded, and its cross-sectional area decreases in the direction of the expansion rod (12).

4. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tube sheet (21) is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple tube sheets (21) are spliced ​​together along the width direction. The tube sheets (21) are all fixed to the support plate (11).

5. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tube sheet (21) and the support plate (11) are detachably fixed.

6. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 5, characterized in that, The tube sheet (21) is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes, and the support plate (11) is provided with a plurality of second fixing holes (111). The bolt (3) passes through the second fixing holes (111) and the first fixing holes to fix the support plate (11) and the tube sheet (21).

7. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 2, characterized in that, The expansion head (121) is fitted with a buffer (1211).

8. A horizontal tube expander according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cross-sectional area of ​​the through hole (211) is greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the tube body to be expanded (41) and the expansion head (121).

9. A centering auxiliary structure for a horizontal tube expander, comprising the horizontal tube expander as described in any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes a core (4), which is located on one side of the horizontal tube expander. The tube to be expanded (41) is located at one end of the core (4) near the tube plate (21). The tube to be expanded (41) is provided with a tube opening (411). The expansion rod (12) can extend into the tube opening (411) to expand the tube to be expanded (41).

10. The centering auxiliary structure of a horizontal tube expander according to claim 9, characterized in that, The core (4) is provided with an end plate (42) at one end near the horizontal tube expander. The tube to be expanded (41) passes through the end plate (42). The tube plate (21) is provided with a discharge rod (212) on the side facing the tube to be expanded (41). The discharge rod (212) extends toward the tube to be expanded (41) and can abut against the end plate (42).

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