GRINDING TOOL

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates to a grinding tool, in particular a grinding tool for grinding the end of a tubular body.

BACKGROUND

Pipes and other tubular bodies are often manufactured such that the end has a planar surface, and may have an outer edge that is either sharp, includes a small lip or deformity that may result from the manufacturing process. It may be desirable to grind the outer edge to reduce the sharpness or deformity, or to provide an angled edge that is suitable for welding. Grinding tools are used to shape the end of the tubular by removing a portion of the material. U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,656 (Duncan et al.) entitled “Pipe beveling system” describes a tool for profiling the end of a pipe using a router bit.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect, there is provided a grinding tool for grinding an end surface of an end of a tubular body, the grinding tool comprising a grinding wheel having a grinding surface, a rotary drive opposite the grinding surface that rotates the grinding wheel about a rotary axis, wherein the grinding surface defining an inverted frustoconical shape that is centered on the rotary axis, the grinding surface being sized to contact the end surface of the end of the tubular body, and an alignment guide having an alignment surface that is sized to engage the tubular body and align the grinding surface with an outer edge of the tubular body when the grinding wheel engages the end of the tubular body.

According to other aspects, the grinding tool may comprise one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: the grinding tool may further comprise a rotary mount that mounts the alignment guide adjacent to the grinding wheel and permits relative rotation of the alignment surface and the grinding surface; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment block and the alignment surface may comprise an outer surface of the alignment block that is sized to contact an inner edge of the tubular body to align the grinding surface when the grinding surface is adjacent to the end of the tubular body, the alignment block being inserted into the end of the tubular body when the grinding surface is adjacent to the end of the tubular body; the rotary mount may comprise a mounting pin that mounts the alignment guide to the grinding wheel, the mounting pin permitting relative rotation of the grinding wheel and the alignment piece; the mounting pin may be a compression nut; the bearing surface may comprise a thrust bearing and a sleeve bearing; the outer surface of the alignment block may be frustoconical in shape; the alignment block may be made of resilient material; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment sleeve and the alignment surface may comprise an inner surface of the alignment sleeve that is sized to contact an outer surface of the tubular body; the alignment sleeve may comprise a clamp that secures the alignment sleeve relative to the tubular body; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment sleeve that clamps to the outer surface of the tubular body, the alignment guide defining a receptacle that is sized to receive the grinding wheel and retain the grinding surface in contact with the outer edge of the tubular body; the grinding surface may be made from a material having a hardness greater than metal; the grinding surface may be a coating applied to the grinding wheel; the rotary drive may comprise a powered hand tool; and the grinding wheel may comprise a drive pin that is sized to be received by the powered hand tool.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method of grinding an end surface of an end of a tubular, the method comprising: providing a grinding tool comprising: a grinding wheel having a grinding surface, a rotary drive opposite the grinding surface that rotates the grinding wheel about a rotary axis, wherein the grinding surface defining an inverted frustoconical shape that is centered on the rotary axis, the grinding surface being sized to contact the end surface of the end of the tubular body, and an alignment guide having an alignment surface, bringing the alignment surface into engagement with tubular body, using the alignment guide, aligning the grinding surface with an outer edge of the tubular body, rotating the grinding wheel with the rotary drive, and applying a grinding force between grinding tool and the tubular body.

According to other aspects, the method may comprise one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: the method may further comprise a step of mounting the alignment guide adjacent to the grinding wheel, wherein relative rotation of the alignment surface and the grinding surface is permitted; the step of mounting the alignment guide adjacent to the grinding wheel may comprise mounting the alignment guide using a mounting pin, the mounting pin permitting relative rotation of the alignment surface and the grinding surface; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment block and the alignment surface may comprise an outer surface of the alignment block that is sized to contact an inner edge of the tubular body to align the grinding surface when the grinding surface is adjacent to the end of the tubular body; the alignment block may be compressed when it is inserted into the end of the tubular body; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment sleeve and the alignment surface comprises an inner surface of the alignment sleeve that is sized to contact an outer surface of the tubular body; the alignment guide may comprise an alignment sleeve and the method may further comprises the steps of clamping the alignment sleeve to the outer surface of the tubular body and inserting the grinding wheel into a receptacle defined by the alignment guide such that the grinding wheel is retained in contact with the outer edge of the tubular body; and the step of rotating the grinding wheel may comprise driving the rotary drive with a powered hand tool.

According to an aspect, there is provided a grinding tool for grinding an end surface of an end of a tubular body, the grinding tool comprising a grinding wheel having a grinding surface, a rotary drive opposite the grinding surface that rotates the grinding wheel about a rotary axis, wherein the grinding surface defining an inverted frustoconical shape that is centered on the rotary axis, the grinding surface being sized to contact the end surface of the end of the tubular body, and an alignment sleeve that clamps to the outer surface of the tubular body, the alignment sleeve defining a receptacle that is sized to receive the grinding wheel and retain the grinding surface in contact with the outer edge of the tubular body.

According to an aspect, there is provided a grinding tool for grinding an end surface of an end of a tubular body, the grinding tool comprising a grinding wheel having a grinding surface, a rotary drive opposite the grinding surface that rotates the grinding wheel about a rotary axis, wherein the grinding surface defining an inverted frustoconical shape that is centered on the rotary axis, the grinding surface being sized to contact the end surface of the end of the tubular body, an alignment sleeve comprising an alignment surface, the alignment surface comprising an inner surface of the alignment sleeve that is sized to engage an outer surface of the tubular body and align the grinding surface with an outer edge of the tubular body when the grinding wheel engages the end of the tubular body, and a rotary mount that mounts the alignment sleeve adjacent to the grinding wheel and permits relative rotation of the alignment surface and the grinding surface.

In other aspects, the features described above may be combined together in any reasonable combination as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view in section of a grinding wheel.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a grinding wheel.

FIG. 3 is an exploded side elevation view of a grinding wheel.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of a grinding wheel.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a grinding tool.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in section of a grinding tool.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view in section of a grinding wheel adjacent to a tubular body.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view in section of a grinding wheel in engagement with a tubular body.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alignment sleeve clamped to a tubular body.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view in section of an alignment sleeve clamped to a tubular body.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an alignment sleeve clamped to a tubular body.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view in section of a grinding wheel with an alignment sleeve.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation cross section view of a grinding tool with an alignment sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A grinding tool, generally identified by reference number 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 13. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 12, grinding tool 10 is designed to grind an end surface 104 of an end 102 of a tubular body 100. While tubular body 100 is discussed in terms of a metal pipe, such as one shown in FIG. 7, tubular body 100 may be a fitting, or other object that is defined by a sidewall and has a circular end surface. Grinding tool 10 may be operated by a user by hand, such as by a powered hand tool 34 as depicted, or other suitable drive mechanism, such as a drill press, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a grinding wheel 20, carried as part of a grinding head 11 to be used with grinding tool 10, is shown. Grinding wheel 20 has a grinding surface 22 and a drive engagement 24 opposite grinding surface 22 as part of the grinding wheel 20. When driven, grinding wheel 20 rotates about a rotary axis 30. As shown, grinding wheel 20 may be circular in shape, with grinding surface 22 located on a first side 26 of grinding wheel 20 and drive engagement 24 located on a second side 28 of grinding wheel 20 opposite of grinding surface 22.

Referring to FIG. 7, grinding surface 22 may be defined as an inverted frustoconical surface, that is centered on rotary axis 30 and is sized to contact the end surface 104 of tubular body 100. The size of grinding wheel 20 and grinding surface 22 will depend on the tubular body being treated. Multiple grinding wheels of different sizes may be provided if different sizes of tubular body 100 will be treated. Grinding surface 22 may be located adjacent to a perimeter 32 of grinding wheel 20 and grinding wheel 20 may be angled toward first side 26 to define the inverted frustoconical shape. As depicted, grinding surface 22 has a 45-degree angle with respect to rotary axis 30, however it will be understood that grinding wheel 20 and grinding surface 22 may have a suitable angle or dimension that accommodates tubular bodies of varying size.

Grinding surface 22 may be any abrasive surface that is suitable for cutting down or grinding the material of tubular body 100. For example, a carbide or other hard material may be used where tubular body 100 is steel. Grinding wheel 20 and grinding surface 22 may be made from the same material, or grinding surface 22 may be added to grinding wheel 20, such as by additive manufacturing, by welding, using adhesive, or otherwise provided on grinding wheel 20 using known manufacturing techniques. For example, grinding surface 22 may be a coating that is applied to first side 26, or an insert that is permanent or replaceable.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, grinding head 11 may be driven by a portable hand tool 34, either a power tool or a manual tool, or may be mounted to a fixture. Tubular body 100 may be moved into contact with grinding wheel 20, or hand tool 34 may be moved into contact with tubular body 100. Drive engagement 24 may be designed to releasably engage and be driven by the motive power source. As shown in FIG. 5, drive engagement 24 engages a drive pin 36 that is carried by a powered hand tool 34. Powered hand tool 34 may be similar to a commercially-available angle grinder with the guard removed. Other suitable designs may also be used. As depicted, drive pin 36 may have an engagement surface 38, such as a threaded surface, and drive engagement 24 may have a complementary surface, such as an outer profile that allows it to be tightened by a wrench or other tool (not shown).

An alignment guide 40 is used to align grinding wheel 20 with tubular body 100 when grinding tool 10 is in use. Alignment guide 40 may take different forms. Referring to FIG. 8, alignment guide 40 may be carried with grinding wheel 20 that is designed to engage an inner edge of tubular body 100. Alignment guide 40 may be mounted to grinding wheel 20 by a rotary mount 50 that permits relative rotation of grinding surface 22 and alignment surface 42. Referring to FIG. 10, alignment guide 40 may be designed to be mounted to the outer surface of tubular body 100 independently of grinding wheel 20 and defines a receptacle 76 that receives grinding wheel 20. Referring to FIG. 13, alignment guide 40 may be designed to be carried with grinding wheel 20 and be installed over tubular body 100. In each example, alignment guide 40 has an alignment surface 42 that is sized to engage tubular body 100 and align grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108 of tubular body 100 when grinding wheel 20 engages the end 102 of the tubular body 100.

Referring to FIG. 1, alignment guide 40 may be an alignment block 41 having a frustroconical shape positioned adjacent to first side 26 of grinding wheel 20. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, alignment block 41 aligns grinding surface 22 with an outer edge 108 of tubular body 100 when alignment block 41 is inserted into the end of the pipe. The shape of alignment block 41 may assist with properly aligning grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108 as alignment block 41 is inserted, and resist movement or “skipping” during operation. Alignment surface 42 may be an outer surface 43 of alignment block 41 that is sized to contact an inner edge 106 of tubular body 100 while aligning grinding surface 22 on outer edge 108. As with the size of grinding surface 22, the shape and dimensions of alignment block 41 may be based on the dimensions of tubular body 100 being treated.

Alignment block 41 or its outer surface 43 may be made from a high friction material, such as a resilient polymer, that grips tubular body 100 when engaged, such that alignment block 41 is held in place by friction. Alignment block 41 may also be sufficiently deformable based on manually applied pressure to allow grinding surface 22 to move downward as outer edge 108 is reduced. For an alignment block 41 that is frustoconical in shape, the diameter at a top 44 of outer surface 42 may be greater than the diameter of inner edge 106 such that alignment block 40 is compressed as it is inserted into tubular body 100. Alternatively, alignment block 40 may be substantially incompressible or deformable, and may allow an even profile to be achieved by preventing one side of grinding surface 22 to be pressed lower on end surface 102 of tubular body 100. To ensure alignment block 41 remains stationary, the friction between alignment block 41 and tubular body 100 is greater than the friction between alignment block 41 and grinding wheel 20.

Referring again to FIG. 1, alignment block 41 is mounted to grinding wheel 20 by rotary mount 50. As shown, rotary mount 50 is a mounting pin 51 that has a bearing surface 52 that permits relative rotation of alignment block 41 and grinding wheel 20 about rotary axis 30. When alignment block 40 is inserted into tubular body 100, mounting pin 50 permits alignment block to remain stationary relative to tubular body 100 as grinding wheel 20 is rotated and grinding surface 22 grinds end surface 104. Mounting pin 50 may be a compression nut and may be mounted to grinding wheel 20 at a threaded connection, such as threaded connector 38, or otherwise rigidly mounted.

Mounting pin 50 may include a shaft portion 54 that passes through alignment block 40 to connect to grinding wheel 20 and a flange portion 56 that contains alignment block 40. Referring to FIG. 3, bearing surface 52 may include a sleeve bearing 58 located between shaft portion 54 and alignment block 41 and a thrust bearing 60 located between flange portion 56 and alignment block 41. Grinding tool 10 may have additional bearings between the components that rotate relative to one another.

Referring to FIG. 9—alignment guide 40 may be an alignment sleeve 70, and the alignment surface 42 may be an inner surface 72 of alignment sleeve 70 that is sized to contact an outer surface 110 of tubular body 100. Referring to FIG. 10, alignment sleeve 70 may be a substantially cylindrical sleeve that is positioned surrounding end 102 of tubular body 100. As depicted, alignment sleeve 70 may be a disconnected cylinder, such that it can be positioned around tubular body 100, and then clamped with a clamp 74 to be secured to tubular body 100.

Referring to FIG. 11, alignment sleeve 70 may be clamped by clamp 74 to outer surface 110 of tubular body 100 and define a receptacle 76 that. Referring to FIG. 12, receptacle 76 is sized to receive griding wheel 20 and retain grinding surface 22 in contact with outer edge 108 of tubular body 100. Receptacle 76 may be a portion of alignment sleeve 70 that extends past end surface 104 of tubular body 100. The portion of inner surface 72 that extends past end surface 104 may be a guide portion 78 that aligns grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108.

Referring to FIG. 13, alignment sleeve 70 may be mounted adjacent to grinding wheel 20 by rotary mount 50 such that when alignment sleeve 70 is positioned surrounding end 102 of tubular body 100, grinding surface 22 is aligned with outer edge 108. Alignment sleeve 70 may be clamped to tubular body 100, or may have a surface with sufficient friction to prevent rotation relative to tubular body 100 grinding wheel 20 is operated.

An example of a method of using grinding tool 10 to grind end surface 104 of tubular body 100 will now be described. Alignment guide 40 is brought into engagement with tubular body 100 and used to align grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108 of tubular body 100.

In one example, alignment block 41 is inserted into end 102 of tubular body 100. Alignment block 41 may be brought into contact with inner edge 106 to help align grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108. Alignment block 41 may be pressed against end 102 of tubular body 100 to create sufficient friction between alignment block 40 and inner surface 106 such that alignment block 41 remains stationary as grinding wheel 20 rotates. Alternatively, alignment block 41 may engage inner edge 106 as outer edge 108 is reduced by grinding surface 22 to a desired profile.

In another example, alignment sleeve 70 is brought into contact with outer surface 110 such that inner surface 72 of alignment sleeve 70 aligns grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108. Alignment sleeve 70 may be independent of grinding wheel 20, and clamped to tubular body 100 to define receptacle 76. Grinding wheel 20 may then be inserted into receptacle 76 to align grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108. Alternatively, alignment sleeve 70 may be carried with grinding wheel 20 and receive tubular body 100 and engage outer surface 110 to help align grinding surface 22 with outer edge 108 of tubular body 100.

Once aligned, drive engagement 24 is driven to rotate grinding wheel 20, such as by a user activating powered hand tool 34, with grinding surface 22 in contact with end surface 102 as shown in FIG. 8. As grinding wheel 20 rotates, grinding surface 22 grinds end surface 104 until a desired shape is achieved. While grinding tool 10 is grinding tubular body 100, alignment guide 40 may remain substantially stationary, with grinding wheel 20 rotating relative to alignment guide 40.

As material of end surface 104 is removed, alignment block 40 may be pressed further into tubular body 100, or come into engagement with end surface 104 and ensure an even profile of outer edge 108 is achieved. In either case, alignment block 40 is designed to remain stationary relative to grinding wheel 20 when engaged with tubular body 100.

In the discussion herein, different components are described as being in contact with or engaging other components. It will be understood that the type of engagement will depend on the purpose of the engagement. By way of example, grinding wheel 20 is intended to engage tubular body 100 in a manner that permits grinding wheel 20 to treat tubular body 100, either to debur, to smooth, or to taper the outer edge of tubular body 100, while alignment guide 40 engages tubular body 100 sufficiently to assist in aligning grinding wheel 20 with tubular body 100.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.