Metal Pipe Flange Forming with Protrusions for Coating Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing forming devices struggle to ensure that a coating liquid can easily enter the flange portion of a metal pipe while maintaining the weldability of the flange portion, as the flange portion is either completely crushed, leading to coating liquid exclusion, or enlarged to allow entry, resulting in decreased weldability.
Innovation Solution
The forming device employs a pair of dies with flange forming surfaces that include protrusion portions, allowing for a combination of firm crushing for weldability and gap formation for coating liquid entry, with the protrusion mechanism being switchable and intermittently formed along the extension direction or inside the outer end portion of the flange surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the flange portion is completely crushed to ensure weldability, then the weldability is improved, but the coating liquid cannot enter the flange portion
Solution Approach 1:
The die surface is designed with localized protrusion portions that create specific localized crushing zones within the flange portion. This allows different regions of the flange to have different degrees of crushing - areas under protrusions are firmly crushed for weldability, while other areas maintain gaps for coating liquid entry. The local quality principle resolves the contradiction by applying different treatment intensities to different locations rather than uniform crushing.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange portion is effectively segmented into multiple zones through the protrusion portions on the die surface. These protrusions divide the crushing action into discrete localized points, creating a pattern of crushed zones and gap zones. This segmentation allows the flange to simultaneously possess both firmly crushed areas for welding and gap areas for coating penetration, resolving the binary contradiction between the two requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the flange portion is enlarged to allow coating liquid entry, then the coating liquid can enter easily, but the weldability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly enlarging the flange portion which would compromise weldability throughout, the invention applies local quality by creating specific localized gap zones between protrusion portions. These localized gaps allow coating liquid entry only in specific areas, while the rest of the flange maintains firm crushing for weldability. This resolves the contradiction by limiting gap formation to specific locations rather than throughout the entire flange.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange portion is segmented into crushed zones and gap zones through the protrusion pattern. This segmentation allows the coating liquid to enter through specific segmented pathways without requiring overall enlargement of the flange. The segmented structure maintains firm crushing in welding areas while providing controlled entry points for coating, resolving the contradiction between entry ease and weldability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables easy entry of the coating liquid into the flange portion while securing the weldability of the metal pipe's flange, allowing for effective rust prevention and improved welding operations.
Implementation Method 1
a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into a metal pipe material which is held between the first die and the second die and is heated
Implementation Method 2
a heating unit configured to heat the metal pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A forming device of forming a metal pipe having a pipe portion includes a first die and a second die constituting a first cavity portion configured to form the pipe portion and a second cavity portion configured to form a flange portion, a drive mechanism configured to move at least one of the first die and the second die, and a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into a metal pipe material which is held between the first die and the second die and is heated, in which each of the first die and the second die has flange forming surfaces which face each other and constitute the second cavity portion, and a protrusion portion, which protrudes from one flange forming surface to the other flange forming surface, is formed on at least one of the flange forming surfaces of the first die and the second die.