AN EQUIPMENT AND A METHOD FOR BEND RECTIFICATION

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a portable equipment and a method for removal of unintended bends formed in tubes, pipes, bars, rods and like materials. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a portable equipment that can be moved to various locations of finished/semi-finished assemblies of tubes in heat exchangers, boilers, etc. and can also be utilized for rectification of tube bends of various sizes and materials.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
In fabrication of components of boilers, heat exchangers, etc., tubes of various sizes and materials are used. Sometimes these tubes are subjected to unintended bends due to mishandling or wrong machining. This bends need to be removed for the proper functioning and aesthetics of the component. Sometimes this bend occurs in finished or semi-finished products such as boiler Re-heater/Super-heater coils. In closely pitched heat exchangers with pitches less than 70 mm, with very less gap between each other the rectification of the bends will be tedious as nearby tubes to the bend tube should not get affected during the rectification process.
Additionally, some bends can be rectified using a conventional bending machine or a straightening machine, however a portable machine which can work in close space and finished or semi-finished products are not available. Another way of tackling bends is by manual correction. However manually correcting the bends is time consuming and requires skilled personnel. For instance, manual correction of the damaged tubes with crow bars and levers, even with heating (hot correction) can take two-man hour days. Further manual correction may also lead to damage of adjacent tubes/pipes in coils.
In places where manual correction is not possible, it can only be done by cutting the bent portion and replace it with a straight piece which leads to further welding and heat treatment. This increases the cost.
Therefore, in view of the above mentioned scenario, there is a pressing need for development of an equipment such that the bend tubes can be rectified precisely without requiring consumption of a good amount of time.

PRIOR ARTS OF THE INVENTION
There are some systems/methods known in the art for removal of unintended bends formed in tubes, pipes, bars, rods and like materials. These are discussed herein below:
CN201760476U titled “Straightening machine for small-sized steel tubes” relates to a straightening machine for small-sized steel tubes, belonging to straightening machines. The straightening machine is characterized by comprising an upper longitudinal beam, a left support, a right support, pressing-down screws, nuts, and arc-shaped pressure heads, wherein the upper longitudinal beam is formed by welding two vertical channel steels, with notches facing to each other.
EP0641265131 titled “Straightening machine” discusses a bending and a straightening machine for elongated work pieces such as camshafts, pinion shafts and which subject the work-piece to a bending strain between straightening supports arranged on the machine bed.
US4021905A titled “Method of straightening flue walls in a carbon anode ring furnace” discusses a method of prolonging the life of a carbon anode ring furnace wherein portions of the confronting refractory brick flue walls of the furnace which have partly collapsed can be readily straightened. The refractory bricks of the collapsed portion of a flue wall are urged back into the plane of the wall by interposing a hydraulic jack between the closely spaced flue walls and actuating the jack to apply opposing forces to the wall.
CN103386667A titled “Miniature straightening device for flame path wall of baking furnace” discloses a miniature straightening device for a flame path wall of a baking furnace, and belongs to hydraulic expansion devices, in particular to a hydraulic device for straightening deformed devices. The miniature straightening device can be used for completing repair of deformed parts of the flame path wall and improving the local deformed flame path wall.
From the prior arts, it is observed that there is no mechanized machine which is portable and can be placed in closely pitched coils/heat exchanger to rectify bends formed in assembled job. These are either for individual tubes or for individual jobs like shafts, strips etc., that can only be used at manufacturing stage of tubes and cannot be used in an assembled stage. On the other hand, some of the prior arts provide solution for a complete wall correction and not particularly applicable to individual tubes in a coil/heat exchanger. Even though CN103386667A discusses about a miniature device but this is not exactly a compact device that can be placed on coil or heat exchanger and rectify individual bends formed in tubes of coil. It is particularly applicable to a wall surface than an individual tube in a coil/heat exchanger.
Therefore, the drawbacks in the prior art discussed above can be summarized as:
a) Conventional bending machines or straightening machines cannot be used in finished goods/ assembled coils.
b) Difficult to rectify heat exchangers with pitch less than 70 mm.
c) Deployment of skilled worker in manual correction
d) More cycle time
e) Increased expenditure
Therefore, it will be beneficial to develop a mechanized equipment to rectify bends formed in coils and heat exchangers for enhanced quality and productivity. Towards this direction, a tailor-made bend remover capable of removing bends from closely pitched coils (approximately 30 mm and above) and capable of handling various materials ranging from carbon steel to alloy steel has been developed in the world for the first time and implemented in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). The invention and the related features are discussed in the present disclosure.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present subject matter to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks existing in the prior art systems and methods.
It is a principal object of the present subject matter to rectify bends formed in the coils and heat exchangers, even in an assembled stage in a mechanized mode.
It is another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment that is portable and compact and can be deployed anywhere accessible.
It is yet another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment such that it can work in closely pitched heat exchangers for example for pitches as low as around 30 mm.
It is yet another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment that can equally be used for minor corrections (as low as 10 mm) as well as major corrections as high as length of a plunger of the equipment.
It is yet another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment that can reduce hot working of the finished heat exchangers, welding and heat treatment cycles.
It is still another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment that can reduce cost of the heat exchanger.
It is even another object of the present subject matter to provide an equipment that can improve quality of work and subsequently reduce requirement of skilled personnel.
These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taking into consideration with accompanied drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a system capable of bend rectification in tube like structures and like products. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
According to this invention, there is provided an equipment for rectification of bends in tubular products and like products. The equipment comprises of a wedge housed in a wedge holder, a plunger configured to push the wedge holder forward, where the plunger is placed in a hydraulic cylinder. The equipment further includes a hydraulic cylinder housing configured for housing the hydraulic cylinder and a base plate above which the wedge, the wedge holder, the plunger, the hydraulic cylinder and the hydraulic cylinder housing are positioned.
In an aspect, in the equipment, the wedge holder moves through a guide way, where the guide way is configured to restrict motion of the wedge holder across a single axis in linear direction.
In an aspect, in the equipment, the wedge holder is brought back to an initial position by a return spring, where the return spring is positioned by a spring holder.
In an aspect, in the equipment, the hydraulic cylinder is operated by a hydraulic pumping system.
In an aspect, in the equipment, the base plate includes a plurality of rectangular slots at a first end and a multitude of cylindrical holes at a second end other than the first end. Here the plurality of rectangular slots and the plurality of cylindrical holes are present in the first end and the second end of the base plate, respectively and includes a multitude of clamping pins.
In an aspect, the base plate of the equipment includes a plurality of lifting hooks at a third end other than the first end and the second end, where the plurality of lifting hooks is used for movement of the equipment from one place to another.
Additionally, the present disclosure discloses a method for rectification of bends in tubular products. The method comprises of placing an object to be rectified such that a bend tube of the object is facing a wedge, positioning of the bend tube by a clamping pin, activating the plunger, pushing of the wedge along with a wedge holder from an initial position against the bend portion of the bend tube while the bend tube is held from behind by the clamping pin, rectifying the bend portion of the bend tube, stopping the plunger on reaching the intended rectification in the bend tube and deactivating the plunger until the wedge along with the wedge holder returns to the initial position. Herein, the wedge and the clamping pin are interchangeable.
Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING(S)
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which
Figure 1 (a) depicts an arrangement of an equipment and its parts projecting a left side view along a X-Y plane in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 1 (b) depicts an arrangement of the equipment and its parts projecting a left side view along the X-Y plane in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 depicts an arrangement of the equipment from underneath showcasing a wedge and a clamping pin position and arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 depicts a heat exchanger (super heater coil) and the bend portion for rectification in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 depicts working of the equipment on a finished product in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 depicts working of the equipment on a semi-finished product in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 depicts operation of the equipment on activation of the plunger in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 7 depicts operation of the equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
While the embodiments of the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof have been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, system, assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.
The present disclosure relates to a portable and a compact equipment for removal of unintended bends formed in different parts of coils or heat exchangers and these may include tubes, pipes, rods/bars, etc. Herein, the equipment includes a wedge and a clamping pin for supporting a bend tube. The wedge and the clamping pins are interchangeable in nature. Further, the plunger present in the equipment can be operated by hydraulic, pneumatic or by electric means. All in all, the equipment facilitates rectification of bend tubes or like materials in an efficient manner without involving tedious operations by manpower. The characteristic features of the equipment are discussed in the subsequent section with reference to the figures.
Figure 1 (a) and Figure 1 (b) illustrates a complete arrangement of the equipment (100) aligned in an X-Y plane projected from left hand side and right hand side, respectively. In an embodiment, as referred to in Figure 1 (a) and (b), the arrangement comprises of an interchangeable wedge (101) placed inside a wedge holder (102). The wedge holder is placed inside a guide way (107) and accompanied by a return spring (108) in order to move along the line. The return spring (108) is supported by a spring holder (109). Further there is provided a plunger (103) along with a hydraulic cylinder (104) housed in a hydraulic cylinder housing (105) and operated by a hydraulic pumping system (106). The equipment (100) further includes a base plate (110), where the base plate (110) further comprises of multiple rectangular slots (111) and a multitude of cylindrical holes (112) for accommodating a multitude of clamping pins (113). The base plate (110) is additionally provided with multiple lifting hooks (114) for lifting the equipment (100) from the target.

In an aspect, the interchangeable wedge (101) is placed on the wedge holder (102) and the wedge holder (102) is pushed by the plunger (103). Herein, the plunger (103) is a hydraulic piston housed in the hydraulic cylinder (104). The hydraulic cylinder (104) is in turn securely placed in the hydraulic cylinder housing (105) thereby limiting movement of the hydraulic cylinder (104). Hydraulic oil can be pumped into the hydraulic cylinder (104) using the hydraulic pump system (106), either manually or with an aid of an electricity.

In an aspect, the hydraulic pump system (106) further includes a release valve that releases the pressure depending on requirement. In operation, while enabling the hydraulic pump system (106), the piston (103) pushes the wedge holder (102) which in turn pushes the wedge (101) placed inside it. The wedge holder (102) moves through the guide way (107) which restricts motion of the wedge holder (102) across a single axis maintaining a linear direction.

In an aspect, the piston recedes to its initial position after release of the hydraulic valve when the wedge holder (102) has moved in the desired position. In order to bring the wedge holder (102) back to its initial position there is provided a return spring (108), which in turn is kept in position by the spring holder (109).

In an aspect, the equipment (100) is placed on the base plate (110). The end sections of the base plate (110) are provided with multiple rectangular slots (111) and a multitude of cylindrical holes (112) to accommodate the plurality of clamping pins (113). The clamping pins (113) are removable in nature. Additionally, the base plate (110) is also provided by a multitude of lifting hooks (114) to move the whole entity into intended direction.

Figure 2 depicts an arrangement of the equipment (100) from underneath showcasing the position and arrangement of the wedge (101) and the clamping pins (113) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Herein, there are nearly no objects visible protruding from the equipment (100) apart from the removable clamping pin (113) and the removable wedge (101). This ensures that the equipment (100) can be kept in any plane surfaces.

In an aspect, in order to remove the bend, the whole entity that needs to be rectified is placed on the heat exchanger after selecting the clamping pins (113) suitably followed by placing into one of the slots of the plurality of slots (111, 112). The plunger (103) is activated until the wedge holder (102) comes close to the bend portion. Then the wedge (101) is placed into the wedge holder (102) such that the wedge (101) lies between a bend tube (115) (as shown in Figure 3) and an adjacent tube.

The whole entity is now placed in such a way that the clamping pins (113) are located behind the bend tube (115) (as shown in Figure 3) and the wedge (101) is placed facing the bend portion of the tube/pipe with the base plate (110) resting on a heat exchanger (116). On applying the hydraulic pressure, the wedge (101) pushes against the bend portion, while the clamping pin (113) holds the bend tube (115) from behind. On reaching the yield point, the bend portion starts to budge. The hydraulic pressure can be stopped and the valve can be released and the wedge (101) is returned to its initial position after the intended correction. If the bend still persists, the process can still be continued to rectify. On completion it can be lifted using the lifting hooks (114) and placed on the next bend portion.

In an aspect, this kind of removable wedge (101) ensures that the invention can be used in closely pitched heat exchangers and the wedge (101) can even access the tubes that are in the middle of the coil. Wedge material, shape, size, and design can be chosen as per the requirement (coil material, pitch etc.).

In an aspect, the clamping pin (113) may be rectangular or cylindrical in shape or may be in any shape that suits the purpose. Generally, rectangular clamps pins are provided for tougher material as their area moment of inertia is higher and they have less tendency to yield to bending forces. For softer materials regular cylindrical pins may be used.

In an aspect, as already mentioned, the base plate (110) is provided with multiple slots (111/112) Here slots provided at farther ends is used for fine corrections while slots provided at nearer ends is used for major corrections. This ensures that the same equipment (100) can be incorporated for both major and minor corrections. Fine corrections as close as 10 mm can be done with this instrument. The equipment can also permit major corrections up to length of the plunger (103) as well.

Referring to Figure 3, in an aspect, considering the spring back of the material of the bend tube (115), the hydraulic pressure has to be continued until the bend portion becomes straight and starts bending in an opposite direction. The length traversed by the bend tube (115) in opposite direction is determined by the properties of the materials used.

In an aspect, the equipment (100) has utilized a hydraulic pump system (106) for activation of the plunger (103). While of course it is more convenient to use a hydraulic pump system, yet it is to be understood that any other actuating means for the plunger (103) might be applied as desired. Therefore, in this context, it is to mention that the scope of the present disclosure includes utilization of a pneumatic cylinder or electrically activated plunger for effective movement of the plunger (103) as desired.

Working of the invention
The present subject matter aims towards a novel portable, compact equipment (100) and the corresponding procedure for removing unintended bends formed in coils/heat exchanger parts such as tubes, pipes, rods /bars, etc. This novel equipment (100) involves development of an equipment (100) that comprises of the base plate (110) holding the plunger (103), the wedge holder (102), the interchangeable wedge (101) and the multitude of interchangeable clamping pins (113). The object to be rectified is kept stationary with placement of the equipment (100) on the object, such that the bend portion is facing the interchangeable wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) is holding the bend tube (115) in position. On activating the plunger (103), the interchangeable wedge (101) pushes against the bend portion, while the clamp holds the bend tube (115) from behind. On reaching the yield point, the bend portion starts to budge. On reaching the intended correction the plunger (103) can be stopped and the plunger pressure can be released until the interchangeable wedge (101) returns to its initial position. The wedge (101) and clamping pins (113) are interchangeable and any design of the wedge (101) and clamping pin (113) that suits the pitch and material of the coil/heat exchanger (116) can be used. As already mentioned, the base plate (110) is provided with multiple slots (111) and holes (112) for the clamping pin (113) that permits major correction and minor correction with the same machine. Herein, the plunger (103) can be activated either by pneumatic or by hydraulic or electric means. In view of this, operation of the equipment (100) on a finished and semi-finished product has been pictorially represented in terms of Figure 4 to Figure 7.
Test results
The equipment (100) was tested in actual shop floor of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tubular products shop. During a period of 6 months it was able to rectify more than 600 bends formed in various heat exchanger coils, including a range of economizer coils, super heater coils (including platen super heater) and re-heater coils. It has handled materials ranging from carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, such as T91 (9 Cr-1, Mo), T92 (9 Cr-2, Mo), etc. It has taken bends as low as 10 mm and as high as 250 mm. It rectified the tubes in the coil as intended with no adverse effects on the coils.
Advantages of the invention
The equipment (100) described in the present disclosure is associated with the following advantages:
a) The equipment (100) leads itself very readily for rectification of tubes/pipes in coils/heat exchangers of various sizes and material
b) The equipment (100) allows rectification of major and minor corrections without having a compromise on design of the equipment (100)
c) The equipment (100) can work in closely pitched heat exchangers for example for pitches as low as around 30 mm
d) The equipment (100) involves less manpower as compared to the conventional designs
e) The equipment (100) is easy to operate and saves time
f) The equipment (100) is compact, portable and can be utilized at any stage of assembly of coil/heat exchanger in a finished/semi-finished stage
g) The equipment (100) can employ any variant of the plunger (103) operated either by hydraulic, pneumatic or by electrically
h) The equipment (100) can utilize interchangeable wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) depending on types of pitches and design of the heat exchangers
i) The equipment (100) can be operated for any diameter or size of tubes/pipes/rods/bars
j) The equipment (100) and the method thereof can be implemented widely for any type of coils, any range of boilers or pressure vessels, heat exchangers of any pitch size and various tube material ranging from carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, for example, T91 (9 Cr-1, Mo), T92 (9 Cr-2, Mo), etc.
k) The equipment (100) enhanced quality of work as compared to the conventional designs

It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various systems that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to package features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/device of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present invention contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.

We Claim:
1. An equipment (100) for rectification of bends in tubular products and like materials, the equipment (100) comprising:
- a wedge (101) housed in a wedge holder (102);
- a plunger (103) configured to push the wedge holder (102) in forward direction, wherein the plunger (103) is placed in a hydraulic cylinder (104);
- a hydraulic cylinder housing (105) configured for housing the hydraulic cylinder (104); and
- a base plate (110), wherein the wedge (101), the wedge holder (102), the plunger (103), the hydraulic cylinder (104) and the hydraulic cylinder housing (105) are positioned above the base plate (110).
2. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wedge holder (102) moves through a guide way (107), wherein the guide way (107) is configured to restrict motion of the wedge holder (102) across a single axis in linear direction.
3. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wedge holder (102) is brought back to an initial position by a return spring (108), wherein the return spring (108) is positioned by a spring holder (109).
4. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydraulic cylinder (104) is operated by a hydraulic pumping system (106).
5. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate (110) includes a plurality of rectangular slots (111) at a first end and a multitude of cylindrical holes (112) at a second end other than the first end.
6. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of rectangular slots (111) and the plurality of cylindrical holes (112) present in the first end and the second end of the base plate (110), respectively includes a multitude of clamping pins (113).
7. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base plate (110) includes a plurality of lifting hooks (114) at a third end other than the first end and the second end, wherein the plurality of lifting hooks (114) are provided for movement of the equipment (100) from one place to another.
8. A method for rectification of bends in a tubular products and like materials, the method comprising:
- placing an object to be rectified that a bend tube (115) of the object is facing a wedge (101);
- positioning of the bend tube (115) by a multitude of clamping pins (113);
- activating a plunger (103);
- pushing of the wedge (101) along with a wedge holder (102) from an initial position against the bend portion of the bend tube (115) while the bend tube (115) is held from behind by the clamping pin (113);
- rectifying bend portion of the bend tube (115);
- stopping the plunger (103) on reaching the intended rectification in the bend tube (115); and
- deactivating the plunger (103) until the wedge (101) along with the wedge holder (102) returns to the initial position.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) are interchangeable.

Dated this 8th day of November, 2021

SOMA RANI MISHRA
PATENT AGENT
IN/PA – 1159
OF L. S. DAVAR & CO.
APPLICANT’S AGENT

ABSTRACT

TITLE: AN EQUIPMENT AND A METHOD FOR BEND RECTIFICATION

The present disclosure relates to a novel portable, compact equipment and a method for removing unintended bends formed in coils/heat exchanger parts such as tubes, pipes, rods /bars. The equipment includes a base plate (110) holding a plunger (103), a wedge holder (102), a wedge (101) and a plurality of clamping pins (113). The wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) are interchangeable and any design of the wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) suitable to the pitch and material of a coil/heat exchanger (116) can be used. The base plate (110) is provided with a multitude of slots (111) for the clamping pin (113) that permits major correction and minor correction with the same equipment (100). The equipment (100) can be deployed to any stage of assembly, in finished or semi-finished object and serves the purpose of ensuring increased quality and reduce rework in fabrication of heat exchangers.

We Claim:

1. An equipment (100) for rectification of bends in tubular products and like materials, the equipment (100) comprising:
- a wedge (101) housed in a wedge holder (102);
- a plunger (103) configured to push the wedge holder (102) in forward direction, wherein the plunger (103) is placed in a hydraulic cylinder (104);
- a hydraulic cylinder housing (105) configured for housing the hydraulic cylinder (104); and
- a base plate (110), wherein the wedge (101), the wedge holder (102), the plunger (103), the hydraulic cylinder (104) and the hydraulic cylinder housing (105) are positioned above the base plate (110).
2. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wedge holder (102) moves through a guide way (107), wherein the guide way (107) is configured to restrict motion of the wedge holder (102) across a single axis in linear direction.
3. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wedge holder (102) is brought back to an initial position by a return spring (108), wherein the return spring (108) is positioned by a spring holder (109).
4. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydraulic cylinder (104) is operated by a hydraulic pumping system (106).
5. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate (110) includes a plurality of rectangular slots (111) at a first end and a multitude of cylindrical holes (112) at a second end other than the first end.
6. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of rectangular slots (111) and the plurality of cylindrical holes (112) present in the first end and the second end of the base plate (110), respectively includes a multitude of clamping pins (113).
7. The equipment (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base plate (110) includes a plurality of lifting hooks (114) at a third end other than the first end and the second end, wherein the plurality of lifting hooks (114) are provided for movement of the equipment (100) from one place to another.
8. A method for rectification of bends in a tubular products and like materials, the method comprising:
- placing an object to be rectified that a bend tube (115) of the object is facing a wedge (101);
- positioning of the bend tube (115) by a multitude of clamping pins (113);
- activating a plunger (103);
- pushing of the wedge (101) along with a wedge holder (102) from an initial position against the bend portion of the bend tube (115) while the bend tube (115) is held from behind by the clamping pin (113);
- rectifying bend portion of the bend tube (115);
- stopping the plunger (103) on reaching the intended rectification in the bend tube (115); and
- deactivating the plunger (103) until the wedge (101) along with the wedge holder (102) returns to the initial position.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wedge (101) and the clamping pin (113) are interchangeable.