Claims
- 1. An apparatus for radially expanding and anchoring a sleeve within a tube, which is contained within a bore in a surrounding structure having a primary side and a secondary side but extends axially beyond said secondary side of said structure, so as to repair a defective area of said tube and form a tight and substantially leakproof joint between said tube and sleeve, comprising:
- a fluid source for supplying a first pressurized fluid and a second fluid;
- a hydraulic expanding mandrel positioned axially within said sleeve, said mandrel having an elongated body with two axially separated seals, said mandrel and said sleeve together defining a substantially annular hydraulic pressure zone situated between said sleeve, said body and said seals with a certain portion of said pressure zone being situated beyond said secondary side, said mandrel being further connected to said fluid source and having a passage for conveying said second fluid to said pressure zone;
- a first pump, which is linked to said fluid source and to said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said first pump further being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause said second fluid to enter said pressure zone until said second fluid reaches a predetermined pressure which is above the radial yield point of said sleeve but below the aggregate radial yield point of said sleeve and tube, whereby said sleeve pre-expands into said tube substantially radially throughout said pressure zone;
- a second pump, which is linked to said fluid source and said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said second pump being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause a predetermined total volume of said second fluid to enter said pressure zone at a predetermined maximum pressure which is above said aggregate yield point, whereby said sleeve further expands substantially radially throughout said pressure zone and said tube expands substantially radially along with said sleeve; and
- fluid control means for selectively activating said second pump after said sleeve has substantially pre-expanded into said tube and for controlling the total volume of said second fluid passage by said second pump through application of fluid stroke signals to said second pump, said control means being linked to said fluid source and being driven by said first fluid.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fluid control means includes:
- pilot switch means for sensing the pressure of said second fluid and for generating a pilot switch fluid signal when said first pump has pressurized said second fluid to a pressure which is above said radial yield point but below said aggregate yield point, said pilot switch means being linked to said fluid source driven by said first fluid;
- logic means, responsive to said pilot switch fluid signal and, for selectively activating said second pump and controlling the stroking of said second pump by presenting said fluid stroke signals to said second pump after the pressure of said second fluid within said pressure zone is above said yield point but is below said aggregate yield point, said logic means being further linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid; and
- operator switch means, supplied by said first fluid and interactive with said first pump and said logic means, for selectively activating said first pump via generating an operator fluid signal that is presented to said first pump and for pre-pressurizing said control means by presenting said operator fluid signal to said logic means.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pilot switch means is preset so that it selectively activates when said pressure is midway between said yield point and said aggregate yield point.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said fluid control means further includes fluid counter means, responsive to said fluid stroke signals and linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid, for counting the number of strokes of said second pump and comparing said number of strokes with a predetermined total number of expansion strokes and selectively deactivating said second pump via terminating said fluid stroke signals when said number of strokes equals said total number of expansion strokes.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus further including release valve means, responsive to said operator fluid signal, for selectively recycling substantially all of said second fluid back to said fluid source upon termination of said operator fluid signal.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second pumps are of the pneumatically driven reciprocating type.
- 7. An apparatus for radially expanding and anchoring a sleeve within a tube, which is contained within a bore in a surrounding structure having a primary side and a secondary side but extends axially beyond said secondary side of said structure, so as to repair a defective area of said tube and form a tight and substantially leakproof joint between said tube and sleeve, comprising:
- a fluid source for supplying a first pressurized fluid and a second fluid;
- a hydraulic expanding mandrel positioned axially within said sleeve, said mandrel having an elongated body with two axially separated seals, said mandrel and said sleeve together defining a substantially annular hydraulic pressure zone situated between said sleeve, said body and said seals with a certain portion of said pressure zone being situated beyond said secondary side, said mandrel being further connected to said fluid source and having a passage for conveying said second fluid to said pressure zone;
- a first pump, which is linked to said fluid source and to said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said first pump further being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause said second fluid to enter said pressure zone until said second fluid reaches a predetermined pressure which is above the radial yield point of said sleeve but below the aggregate radial yield point of said sleeve and tube, whereby said sleeve pre-expands into said tube substantially radially throughout said pressure zone;
- a second pump, which is linked to said fluid source and said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said second pump being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause a predetermined total volume of said second fluid to enter said pressure zone at a predetermined maximum pressure which is above said aggregate yield point, whereby said sleeve further expands substantially radially throughout said pressure zone and said tube expands substantially radially along with said sleeve; and
- fluid control means for selectively activating said second pump after said sleeve has substantially pre-expanded into said tube and for controlling the total volume of said second fluid passage by said second pump through application of fluid stroke signals to said second pump, said control means being linked to said fluid source and being driven by said first fluid, said fluid control means including
- (a) pilot switch means for sensing the pressure of said second fluid and for generating a pilot switch fluid signal when said first pump has pressurized said second fluid to a pressure which is above said radial yield point but below said aggregate yield point, said pilot switch means being linked to said fluid source driven by said first fluid,
- (b) logic means, responsive to said pilot switch fluid signal and, for selectively activating said second pump and controlling the stroking of said second pump by presenting said fluid stroke signals to said second pump after the pressure of said second fluid within said pressure zone is above said yield point but is below said aggregate yield point, said logic means being further linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid, and
- (c) operator switch means, supplied by said first fluid and interactive with said first pump and said logic means, for selectively activating said first pump via generating an operator fluid signal that is presented to said first pump and for pre-pressurizing said control means by presenting said operator fluid signal to said logic means.
- 8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said pilot switch means is preset so that it selectively activates when said pressure is midway between said yield point and said aggregate yield point.
- 9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said fluid control means further includes fluid counter means, responsive to said fluid stroke signals and linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid, for counting the number of strokes of said second pump and comparing said number of strokes with a predetermined total number of expansion strokes and selectively deactivating said second pump via terminating said fluid stroke signals when said number of strokes equals said total number of expansion strokes.
- 10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus further including release valve means, responsive to said operator fluid signal, for selectively recycling substantially all of said second fluid back to said fluid source upon termination of said operator fluid signal.
- 11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first and second pumps are of the pneumatically driven reciprocating type.
- 12. An apparatus for radially expanding and anchoring a sleeve within a tube, which is contained within a bore in a surrounding structure having a primary side and a secondary side but extends axially beyond said secondary side of said structure, so as to repair a defective area of said tube and form a tight and substantially leakproof joint between said tube and sleeve, comprising:
- a fluid source for supplying a first pressurized fluid and a second fluid;
- a hydraulic expanding mandrel positioned axially within said sleeve, said mandrel having an elongated body with two axially separated seals, said mandrel and said sleeve together defining a substantially annular hydraulic pressure zone situated between said sleeve, said body and said seals with a certain portion of said pressure zone being situated beyond said secondary side, said mandrel being further connected to said fluid source and having a passage for conveying said second fluid to said pressure zone;
- a first pump, which is linked to said fluid source and to said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said first pump further being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause said second fluid to enter said pressure zone until said second fluid reaches a predetermined pressure which is above the radial yield point of said sleeve but below the aggregate radial yield point of said sleeve and tube, whereby said sleeve pre-expands into said tube substantially radially throughout said pressure zone;
- a second pump, which is linked to said fluid source and said passage and pressurizes said second fluid upon being driven by said first fluid, said second pump being preset so as to pressurize said second fluid and cause a predetermined total volume of said second fluid to enter said pressure zone at a predetermined maximum pressure which is above said aggregate yield point, whereby said sleeve further expands substantially radially throughout said pressure zone and said tube expands substantially radially along with said sleeve; and
- fluid control means for selectively activating said second pump after said sleeve has substantially pre-expanded into said tube and for controlling the total volume of said second fluid passage by said second pump through application of fluid stroke signals to said second pump, said control means being linked to said fluid source and being driven by said first fluid, said fluid control means including
- (a) pilot switch means for sensing the pressure of said second fluid and for generating a pilot switch fluid signal when said first pump has pressurized said second fluid to a pressure which is above said radial yield point but below said aggregate yield point, said pilot switch means being linked to said fluid source driven by said first fluid,
- (b) logic means, responsive to said pilot switch fluid signal and, for selectively activating said second pump and controlling the stroking of said second pump by presenting said fluid stroke signals to said second pump after the pressure of said second fluid within said pressure zone is above said yield point but is below said aggregate yield point, said logic means being further linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid,
- (c) operator switch means, supplied by said first fluid and interactive with said first pump and said logic means, for selectively activating said first pump via generating an operator fluid signal that is presented to said first pump and for pre-pressurizing said control means by presenting said operator fluid signal to said logic means, and
- (d) fluid counter means, responsive to said fluid stroke signals and linked to said fluid source and driven by said first fluid, for counting the number of strokes of said second pump and comparing said number of strokes with a predetermined total number of expansion strokes and selectively deactivating said second pump via terminating said fluid stroke signals when said number of strokes equals said total number of expansion strokes.
- 13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said pilot switch means is preset so that it selectively activates when said pressure is midway between said yield point and said aggregate yield point.
- 14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said apparatus further including release valve means, responsive to said operator fluid signal, for selectively recycling substantially all of said second fluid back to said fluid source upon termination of said operator fluid signal.
- 15. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first and second pumps are of the pneumatically driven reciprocating type.
Parent Case Info
This is a division, of application Ser. No. 07/463,367, filed Jan. 11, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,002.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
463367 |
Jan 1990 |
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