BACKGROUND
Conduits are typically bent to a variety of different angles by a conduit bender for use in electrical wiring installation projects. Such conduits can vary in size and material. In order to accommodate these variations, conduit benders can utilize multiple bending shoes and roller support assemblies that can be interchanged based on the conduit to be bent. For example, a first type of bending shoe and roller support assembly can be mounted on a conduit bender to accommodate bends in an Intermediate Metal Conduit (“IMC”) conduit and can be replaced by a second type of bending shoe and roller support assembly mounted on the conduit bender to accommodate bends in an Electric Metallic Tube (“EMT”). However, the interchangeability of the bending shoes and the roller support assemblies of a conduit bender can result in conduit bending defects. For instance, movement of a bending shoe while turning during a bending process can cause the bending shoe to be misaligned with the roller support assembly, resulting in conduit bending defects. Additionally, failure to correctly adjust the height of the roller support assembly can lead to conduit bending defects.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for mounting shoes to conduit benders. According to various embodiments of the concepts and technologies described herein, the system for mounting a shoe to a conduit bender includes a bolt having a flared portion. The system can also include a drive sprocket having a countersunk hole for receiving the bolt.
The present disclosure is also directed to a roller support assembly tool. The roller support assembly tool includes a first section having a first height, a second section having a second height, and a third section having a third height. Each of the first height, the second height, and the third height of the roller support assembly tool is different.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a conduit bender, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIG. 2 illustrates bending shoe and drive sprocket mounting devices, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate a bolt of the bending shoe, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIG. 4 illustrates a bolt secured on a bending shoe, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a drive sprocket, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the assembly of the drive socket, bolt, and bending shoe, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a roller support assembly tool, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method of using the roller support assembly tool, according to an illustrative embodiment.
FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate a process of using the roller support assembly tool, according to an illustrative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following detailed description is directed to systems and methods for mounting shoes to conduit benders and systems and methods for adjusting the height of roller support assemblies of conduit benders. More particularly, the detailed description is directed to conduit bender shoe and sprocket mounting devices and a roller support assembly tool. Although the systems and methods are sometimes described in the aforementioned context in terms of use with conduit, it should be understood that the systems and methods described herein may additionally or alternatively be used in other contexts such as bending piping and tubing. This description provides various components, one or more of which may be included in particular implementations of the systems and methods disclosed herein. In illustrating and describing these various components, however, it is noted that implementations of the embodiments disclosed herein may include any combination of these components, including combinations other than those shown in this description.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conduit bender 100 in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. According to embodiments, the conduit bender 100 generally includes a frame 102, a bending shoe 104 rotatably mounted to the frame 102, and a roller support assembly 106. The bending shoe 104 is generally cylindrically-shaped and includes a set of arc-shaped channels along the outer circumference. Each of the arc-shaped channels is configured to receive and bend a conduit having a particular size.
According to embodiments, the conduit bender 100 is configured to accommodate a plurality of different bending shoes. In particular, the bending shoe 104 can be removed from the conduit bender 100 and exchanged for another bending shoe (not shown) to accommodate conduits made from a variety of materials and/or conduits of a plurality of sizes. For instance, the bending shoe 104 can be installed on the conduit bender 100 to accommodate bends in an IMC conduit and can be removed and replaced by a second type of bending shoe on the conduit bender 100 to accommodate bends in an EMT conduit. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the bending shoe 104 is removably mounted to the frame 102 via mounting devices including bolts 108. Although only two bolts 108 are illustrated, according to embodiments, the bending shoe 104 can include three, four, or more bolts to removably mount the bending shoe 104 to the frame 102. As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the bolts 108 are received by countersunk holes 110 in a drive sprocket 112 mounted within the frame 102 of the conduit bender 100. Once the bolts 108 of the bending shoe 104 are inserted into the countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112 and the drive sprocket 112 begins to rotate, the bending shoe 104 is secured to the conduit bender 100, as described further below.
Turning now to FIGS. 3A-3C, an embodiment of the bolt 108 of the bending shoe 104 is illustrated. The bolt 108 can include a head 302 and a shaft 304. According to embodiments, the shaft 304 includes a straight shank portion 306, a flared portion 308, and a threaded portion 310. The head 302 and the shaft 304 may be integral with one another forming a unitary structure by virtue of being machined from a single piece of stock metal, such as steel, or from other material. Alternatively, one or more parts of the bolt 108 may be machined as separate pieces that are attached to one another via an adhesive, welding, or other mechanical connection. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the bolts 108 are screwed into holes, such as a hole 602 illustrated in FIG. 6, on the underside of the bending shoe 104 via the threaded portion 310 to secure the bolts 108 to the bending shoe 104.
Once the bolts 108 are secured to the bending shoe 104, the bending shoe 104 can be removably installed on the conduit bender 100 by aligning the bolts 108 with the countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112 of the conduit bender 100, as illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6, and inserting the bolts 108 within the countersunk holes 110. According to embodiments, the countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112 include a straight portion 604 and a chamfered portion 606, as best illustrated by FIG. 6. The chamfered portion 606 of each of the countersunk holes 110 allows for easier alignment of the bolts 108 with the countersunk holes 110 because the chamfered portion 606 naturally guides the bolts 108 into the countersunk holes 110. When the bolts 108 of the bending shoe 104 are inserted within the countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112 and the drive sprocket 112 begins to rotate, the bending shoe 104 and the drive sprocket 112 slide together causing the underside 608 of the head 302 of each of the bolts 108 of the bending shoe 104 to be captured by the edge 610 of the corresponding countersunk hole 110 of the drive sprocket 112, as best illustrated by FIG. 6. According to embodiments, the diameter of the head 302 of each of the bolts 108 is sufficiently bigger than the diameter of the straight shank portion 306 of each of the bolts 108 to allow for more surface area of the underside 608 of the head 302 to be captured by the edge 610 of the corresponding countersunk hole 110. Additionally, when the bolts 108 of the bending shoe 104 are inserted within the countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112 and the drive sprocket 112 begins to rotate, the flared portion 308 of each of the bolts 108 mates with the chamfered portion 606 of each of the countersunk holes 110, allowing for a close tolerance assembly of each of the bolts 108 within the corresponding countersunk holes 110 of the drive sprocket 112. Such an assembly reduces the in-and-out movement, or movement perpendicular to the drive sprocket 112, of the bending shoe 104 during the bending process of the conduit bender 100. Reducing the in-and-out movement of the bending shoe 104 prevents the bending shoe 104 from becoming misaligned with the roller support assembly 106 which, in turn, reduces the amount of conduit bending defects experienced when using the conduit bender 100.
When bending certain types and sizes of conduit, the roller support assembly 106 of the conduit bender 100 must be fully engaged in order to apply the appropriate amount of squeeze pressure around the circumference of the conduit to maintain its cylindrical shape during a bend process. Different diameters and types of conduits require different squeeze pressures. Squeeze pressure adjustment is performed by adjusting a pair of threaded bolts 114 associated with a roller assembly arm 116, illustrated on FIG. 1, to raise and lower the roller support assembly 106. Conventionally, a user runs a test bend on a piece of conduit to determine if the roller support assembly 106 is at the correct height to provide the appropriate amount of squeeze pressure for the bend and then raises or lowers the roller support assembly 106 based on the results of the test bend until the correct height is established. Such an iterative process to establish the correct height is time consuming and expensive since each test bend wastes a piece of conduit.
FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a roller support assembly tool 700 in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The roller support assembly tool 700 reduces the need to iteratively test different heights of the roller support assembly 106 to determine a correct height and corresponding squeeze pressure for a particular bend. According to embodiments, the roller support assembly tool 700 includes at least three sections, each having a different height. The roller support assembly tool 700 may be machined from a single block of metal, plastic, or other material. Alternatively, the roller support assembly tool 700 may be machined as at least three separate pieces that are attached to one another via an adhesive, welding, or other mechanical connection. As illustrated by FIGS. 7A-7B, the roller support assembly tool 700 can have a first section 700A having a first height higher than a second section 700B that has a second height higher than a third section 700C that has a third height. According to embodiments, the first section 700A has a height of approximately 1.5 inches. The first section 700A can be used when bending IMC conduit with diameters of 1.5 inches and 2 inches. The second section 700B can have a height of approximately 1.375 inches. The second section 700B can be used when bending EMT conduit with a diameter of 1.5 inches. The third section 700C can have a height of approximately 1.188 inches. The third section 700C can be used when bending EMT conduit with a diameter of 2 inches. As should be understood by one skilled in the art, these heights are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting in any way. Also, although only three sections are illustrated, it should be understood that the roller support assembly tool 700 can have more or less sections of differing heights. According to further embodiments, each section 700A, 700B, and 700C of the roller support assembly tool 700 may be marked to indicate the type and size of conduit corresponding to each section.
Turning now to FIG. 8 with further reference to FIGS. 9A-9C, a method 800 of using a roller support assembly tool, such as the roller support assembly tool 700, will be described, according to an illustrative embodiment. It should be understood that the operations of the methods disclosed herein are not necessarily presented in any particular order and that performance of some or all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possible and is contemplated. The operations have been presented in the demonstrated order for ease of description and illustration. Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously, without departing from the scope of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein. It also should be understood that the methods disclosed herein can be ended at any time and need not be performed in its entirety.
The method 800 begins at operation 802, where a determination is made, based on the type and/or size of a conduit to be bent using the conduit bender 100, regarding which section of the roller support assembly tool 700 to use to adjust the roller assembly arm 116 of the roller support assembly 106 to establish the correct squeeze pressure for bending the conduit using the conduit bender 100. From operation 802, the method 800 proceeds to operation 804, where the positioning of the roller assembly arm 116 relative to a support leg 118 of the conduit bender 100 can be adjusted to allow clearance for the roller support assembly tool 700 to be inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118. According to embodiments, the roller support assembly tool 700 may include a wrench tool 702 at one end that can be used to adjust the pair of threaded bolts 114 associated with the roller assembly arm 116 to raise and/or lower the position of the roller assembly arm 116 relative to the support leg 118.
From operation 804, the method 800 proceeds to operation 806, where the roller support assembly tool 700 is inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 of the conduit bender 100 until the section of the roller support assembly tool 700 determined in operation 802 is positioned between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A-9B, the roller support assembly tool 700 is inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 until the third section 700C of the roller support assembly tool 700 is positioned between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118. According to embodiments, for the third section 700C, the roller support assembly tool 700 can be inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 until the roller assembly arm 116 contacts a step edge 706 of the second section 700B. As illustrated in FIG. 9C, the roller support assembly tool 700 is inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 until the second section 700B of the roller support assembly tool 700 is positioned between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118. For the second section 700B, the roller support assembly tool 700 can be inserted between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 until the roller assembly arm 116 contacts a step edge 708 of the first section 700A.
From operation 806, the method 800 proceeds to operation 808, where a wrench is used to adjust the pair of threaded bolts 114 until the roller assembly arm 116 contacts the top surface of the section of the roller support assembly tool 700 selected for the bend. According to embodiments, the pair of threaded bolts 114 can be adjusted until the roller assembly arm 116 sits flush with the top surface of the section of the roller support assembly tool 700 selected for the bend. According to embodiments, to ensure that both sides of the roller assembly arm 116 have been adjusted evenly relative to the support leg 118, the roller support assembly tool 700 can be inserted adjacent one of the pair of threaded bolts 114 and then adjacent the other of the pair of threaded bolts 114 to check that the amount of resistance when sliding the roller support assembly tool 700 in and out at the two positions is similar. From operation 808, the method 800 proceeds to operation 810, where the roller support assembly tool 700 can be removed from between the roller assembly arm 116 and the support leg 118 and stored. According to embodiments, the roller support assembly tool 700 can include a magnet 704, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, that allows the roller support assembly tool 700 to be mounted on the conduit bender 100 for storage when not in use. The magnet 704 can be secured on the roller support assembly tool 700 by a bolt, screw, weld, or another other connection mechanism. According to embodiments, the roller support assembly tool 700 may include an opening 710 for receiving the connection mechanism of the magnet 704 to secure the magnet 704 to the roller support assembly tool 700. From operation 810, the method 800 proceeds to operation 812, where the method 800 ends.
The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is encompassed in the following claims.
Patent Application
20250100040
