Adjustable Rotating Chuck for Pipe Alignment and Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chucks for gripping and moving cylindrical bodies, such as fittings and pipe segments, are limited by their fixed orientation to the apparatus structure, requiring different chucks or rubber disks for each diameter, compromising versatility and weld quality.
Innovation Solution
A chuck with adjustable jaws and angular rotation capability, allowing for versatile fitting and pipe segment gripping, enabling perfect alignment and high-quality welds by rotating relative to the support member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the chuck is fixed to the apparatus structure in a locked position, then the chuck provides stable support during welding operations, but the chuck cannot be rotated to align with different pipe orientations, compromising weld quality
Solution Approach 1:
The chuck is designed with a rotatable connection to the support member, allowing it to rotate from a locked transport position to an unlocked operational position. This dynamic capability enables the chuck to adapt its orientation during welding operations while maintaining stability when locked, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
2Manufacturing precision
If different chucks or rubber disks are provided for each diameter of saddle fitting, then the chuck can grip fittings of specific dimensions accurately, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The chuck incorporates adjustable jaws that can be repositioned along the main body to accommodate different fitting diameters. This universal design allows a single chuck to perform multiple functions for various saddle fitting sizes, eliminating the need for multiple specialized chucks and reducing device complexity while maintaining grip accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The jaws are designed to be movable and adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the chuck to adapt its gripping configuration dynamically. This adjustability enables the same chuck to securely grip fittings of different diameters by repositioning the jaws, providing precision without requiring multiple fixed-configuration chucks.
3Reliability
If the rubber disk is made complementary to the internal shape of the saddle fitting, then the locking mechanism works effectively, but a different rubber disk is needed for each fitting diameter, reducing versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The chuck design replaces the fitting-specific rubber disk with adjustable jaws that can be repositioned to accommodate different saddle fitting diameters. This universal jaw mechanism maintains reliable locking effectiveness across various fitting sizes without requiring multiple specialized rubber disks, thereby improving versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the rubber disk geometry for each fitting size, the invention changes the position parameter of the jaws along the main body. By adjusting the jaw positions to match different fitting diameters, the system maintains effective locking while adapting to various sizes, eliminating the need for multiple rubber disk variants.
Data Source
AI summary
A chuck for gripping and moving cylindrical bodies, in particular fittings and pipe segments, including a main body defining an axis of rotation and a plurality of jaws fastened to the main body. The jaws are movable between a position of maximum closure, in which they are at the minimum distance from the axis of rotation, to a position of maximum opening, in which they are at the maximum distance from the axis of rotation. The chuck can adjust the positions of maximum closure and maximum opening and can move the jaws between the positions of maximum closure and maximum opening. The chuck also allows for the axial fixing of the chuck to a support member and for a connection of the chuck to the support member so that they are angularly rotatable with respect to each other.