AU2012241063B2 - Secure nozzle insert assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization l International Bureau 111111111 N 1111111 IN 1iii IN (43) International Publication Date (10) International Publication Number 29 November 2007 (29.11.2007) PCT WO 2007/134389 Al (51) International Patent Classification: AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, B05B 1/00 (2006.01) B05B 15/06 (2006.01) CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, B05B 13/02 (2006.01) F23D 11/00 (2006.01) FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, (21) International Application Number: LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, PCT/AU2007/000695 MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, SV, SY, TJ, TM, TN, (22) International Filing Date: 21 May 2007 (21.05.2007) TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (25) Filing Language: English (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (26) Publication Language: English GM, KE, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, (30) Priority Data: ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), 2006902696 19 May 2006 (19.05.2006) AU European (AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, 2006904114 31 July 2006 (31.07.2006) AU FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, MC, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): SPRAY GA, GN, GQ, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). NOZZLE ENGINEERING PTY. LIMITED [AU/AU]; P.O. Box 467, Cheltenham, VIC 3192 (AU). Declarations under Rule 4.17: - as to applicant's entitlement to apply for and be granted a (72) Inventors; and patent (Rule 4.17(ii)) (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only): MORGAN, Stuart - as to the applicant's entitlement to claim the priority of the [AU/AU]; PO Box 457, Cheltenham, VIC 3192 (AU). earlier application (Rule 4.17(iii)) MORGAN, Sean [AU/AU]; PO Box 467, Cheltenham, - of inventorship (Rule 4.17(iv)) VIC 3192 (AU). Published: (74) Agent: A TATLOCK & ASSOCIATES; P.O. Box 155, - with international search report Carlton South, VIC 3053 (AU). For two-letter codes and other abbreviations, refer to the "Guid (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every dance Notes on Codes andAbbreviations" appearing at the begin kind of national protection available): AB, AG, AL, AM, ning of each regular issue of the PCT Gazette. (54) Title: SECURE NOZZLE INSERT ASSEMBLY O (57) Abstract: The invention is a metallic spray nozzle having a counterbore from one side thereof into which an insert to control the spray is located and retained by means of a retaining lip formed by deformation of the outer periphery of the counterbore. This deformation can be towards an axis of the nozzle or alternatively this deformation can subsequently direct the tip of the periphery outwards at its extremity such that flow into the counterbore is smooth. Also provided are an 0 ring or other sealing membrane between a locating shoulder in the nozzle body and the insert and an insert shield between the insert and the retaining lip.

Description

1 SECURE NOZZLE INSERT ASSEMBLY Area of the Invention This invention relates to a nozzle which contains inserts and particularly to a spray nozzle for use in applications where extreme temperatures are met by 5 the nozzle or where fragile components must be retained without damage. Background to the Invention Nozzles of the type to which this specification will refer are a commodity item used in very large numbers and can be threaded directly into pipe, or to attachments to which pipes are connected to provide a spray and in a .o conventional application there can be a substantial number of these nozzles along a particular length of pipe-work. The nozzles themselves can vary from nozzles which are very small, having an overall body diameter of the order of 1 centimetre up to nozzles which are substantially larger than this. 15 In practice the nozzles may be turned from a metallic rod, normally brass but possibly stainless steel, or are cast and later milled. In order to ensure good distribution and spray pattern from the nozzle it is quite usual that the line end of the nozzle is counter-bored and receives an insert which can, for example, impart a rotatory motion to the fluid as it passes into the nozzle and a variety 20 of other types of patterns such as solid jet, needle jet or flat fan. These inserts may be cast or machined and are normally a frictional fit within the nozzles. Such nozzles are quite satisfactory in general use. However, 2 there are situations where the conventional nozzles are less than satisfactory and one of these is where the nozzles are used to spray very hot materials. In one such application the nozzles may be used to spray a liquid onto a metal rod or sheet before rolling where the metal is "red hot". 5 For the liquid to reach the surface of the metal it is necessary that the nozzles be located very close to the surface and in practice it has been found that the expansion of the nozzle tends to be differential so that the inserts are no longer held within the nozzles but are in effect basically free floating. If there then happens to be any form of reverse pressure, either because of a .o fluctuation in the fluid line pressure or possibly even through evaporation of liquid in the nozzles, or should there be any physical movement as by vibration or hammer in the pipes, then the insert can leave the nozzle and pass into the line. If this occurs then there can be a partial blockage of the line or of a particular .s other nozzle, if the insert stops in the line, and in order to correct this the spraying operation has to be stopped, the insert has to found and removed and, of course, the faulty nozzle has to be replaced. Where the system is being used in a time critical situation, such as with a steel rolling mill, this can be extremely expensive as the line may have to be stopped for repair. 20 It has been known to provide a retaining means for an insert in a nozzle by at least partially peening over the end of the counter-bore to prevent movement of the insert. In that particular type of nozzle the lip of the end of the counter-bore is shaped during manufacture to be tapering towards the end of the lip and a die or the 3 like is used to form the lip so as to retain the insert whilst at the same time ideally providing no specific intrusion which could adversely affect fluid flow in the line. In practice however it has been found that the crimping does cause some degree of turbulence in the flow into the back of the nozzle. 5 A further problem with the inserts as retained in this manner is that they are subject to high pressure leakage. In addition they can be damaged during the crimping process, this is particularly so for Ruby or ceramic inserts as used in high pressure washing, trimming and cutting applications of the type typically found in paper mills and other such industries. .o An additional problem that relates to ruby and ceramic inserts is that in brush showers, and the like, where the internal longitudinal rotating brush cleans the nozzle nipple that protrudes into the pipe, damage can be caused to the inserts. This is because such edges are more fragile in shear and can be chipped or damaged by the brush bristles. .s Outline of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a nozzle having an insert which is retained by crimping as described above but having smoother flow into the back of the nozzle when compared with previous such nozzles. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a nozzle which is sealed 20 so as to prevent high pressure leakage without the use of glues and the like. It is also an object of the invention to provide a means for protecting that part of the insert, where it is ruby or ceramic, from damage by cleaning brush bristles.

4 The invention in one aspect is a metallic spray nozzle having a counterbore from one side thereof into which an insert to control the spray is located and retained by means of deformation of the outer periphery of the counterbore. This deformation can in one embodiment of the invention be towards an axis 5 of the nozzle. In a further embodiment of the invention this deformation can be firstly towards an axis of the nozzle and subsequently outwards at its extremity such that flow into the counterbore is smooth. The invention in a second aspect is a metallic spray nozzle having a .o counterbore from one side thereof into which a Ruby or ceramic or other such insert is located and retained by means of deformation of the outer periphery of the counterbore towards an axis of the nozzle having an 0 ring or other sealing membrane between a locating shoulder in the nozzle body and the inside edge of the insert. .s The invention in a third aspect is an insert shield which is an annular shape with a central aperture and extends in a tapering fashion from within the outer periphery of the nozzle towards the aperture. In order that the invention may be more readily understood we shall describe by way of non limiting example embodiments of the nozzle made in 20 accordance with the invention as shown in the drawing figures. Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Fig. 1 Is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle after peening; 5 Fig. 2 Shows a schematic view of the formation of an inwardly directed crimp; Fig. 3 Shows a schematic view of the formation of a retaining lip having an outwardly directed upper edge; 5 Fig. 4 Shows a perspective view of an insert shield; and Fig. 5 Shows a diagrammatic cross-section through an assembled nozzle with sealing means, insert, insert shield and retaining lip. Description of Embodiments of the invention The nozzle of the invention 10 can basically be considered conventional and .o is shown in Figure 1. It can be either machined from a metallic rod or cast and machined. The nozzle 10 is generally cylindrical, having part way along its outer length lands 11 or the like which provide a hexagonal shape to permit the nozzle to be rotated by a spanner or the like. At one end 12 the nozzle is closed with an aperture 15 therethrough forming 15 the actual orifice of the nozzle while the other end 13 is open by the formation of a counter-bore thereinto and is threaded 14 on its outer surface. The nozzle 10 of the invention differs from conventional nozzles only in that there is a tapered portion 20 at the outer end of the thread 14, which can be peened or otherwise deformed towards a counterbore axis. This tapered 20 portion 20 can be formed after the thread 14 has been cut and, possibly, in the same operation as the thread 14 cutting operation. The tapered portion 20 includes an inner part and an outer edge 26 forming an outer edge of the nozzle 10.

6 The nozzle 10 is assembled by locating an insert 21 in the counterbore. An outer edge of the insert 21 terminates adjacent the inner part of the tapered portion 20. An annular die 30 in a press can then be moved down over the tapered portion 20 and cause an inward deformation or crimping of the outer 5 edge 26 of the nozzle 10 which provides a retaining lip which acts as a barrier to prevent the insert 21 from leaving the nozzle 10. A flaring tool 40 can then be inserted into the counterbore to deform the outermost edge 26 outwards to create a flared crimp 45 as shown in Figure 3 so that the fluid entering the nozzle 10 (as the skilled person will appreciate, from left to right in Fig. 1 and .o from top to bottom in Fig. 5) passes a smooth curved edge when it passes the retaining lip which does not contribute to turbulence of the fluid in this area. Where the insert 21 is a ceramic, ruby or other such insert having a central aperture 15 these inserts also are retained by the rolled lip procedure described earlier. Such an insert 21 requires a very good seal to be achieved .s as higher pressures are involved and there is a greater opportunity for liquid streams to find a passage between the insert 21 and the nozzle body and to intersect the primary liquid jet emitted, as the skilled person will appreciate, from the nozzle orifice 15 thereby severely disturbing it. In order to provide such a seal, as shown in Figure 5 an 0 ring 50 or other 20 sealing membrane is located between a shoulder 55 in the nozzle body and an inner face 24 of the insert 21. While this provides the effective seal required there is the added advantage that the crimping pressure required to create a seal is reduced as the compression on the rubber 0 ring 50 enhances the seal.

7 A further advantage is that the insert 21 is cushioned by the 0 ring 50 during the crimping process and is therefore less likely to be damaged. As previously stated, however, ruby and ceramic inserts 21 are vulnerable to damage caused by the bristles of cleaning brushes. As stated above, the 5 insert 21 made from ruby or ceramic material used in the nozzle assemblues for brush shower pipes, can be damaged by the normal cleaning action of an internal longitudinal rotating brush that is designed to clean the nozzle nipple that protrudes into the pipe. The nozzle nipple protrudes a small distance into the brush shower pipe for exposure to the cleaning brush bristles and damage .o can be caused to the insert 21. This is because the ruby and ceramic insert 21 edges are more fragile in shear and can be chipped or damaged by the brush bristles. This problem is addressed in the invention by providing an insert shield 60 as shown in Figure 4 which generally covers the ruby or ceramic surface 27 of .s the insert 21 and is located within the peened periphery of the tapered portion. This insert shield 60 is a circular component with a central aperture 65 which is located inside the peened periphery of the nozzle 10 and tapers in thickness from its periphery 61 towards its central aperture 65 and the nozzle orifice 15. This tapering effect further stabilizes the spray by allowing liquid not entering 20 the nozzle orifice 15 to smoothly exit the orifice area 15 by following the taper out rather than exiting across the insert face, hitting the crimp and causing turbulence. The profile of the central shield aperture 65 is, as shown in Fig. 5, extremely thin and tapers to a substantially narrow annular edge, such that, in the cross-sectional profile shown in Fig. 5 an upstream surface of the shield 25 60 is inclined at an angle of about 200 to a plane normal to the nozzle 10 axis 8 and terminates to define the central aperture 65 with a narrow annual edge that in axial length is about 10 - 15% smaller in the axial dimension than the outer periphery of the shield 60, whereby the shield 60 defines a shallow frusto-conical cavity giving protection to the insert 21 whilst also providing 5 cleaning access to the central aperture 65. By the means described above significant improvements are provided in prior rolled lip insert retaining type nozzles and whilst we have described herein specific embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that other embodiments of the invention will exhibit any number of and any combination of the features o previously described and it is to be understood that variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. A brush shower spray nozzle assembly-comprising: (a) a metallic spray nozzle having a nozzle body for fixment in a bore of a brush shower, a nozzle orifice, and a counterbore for retaining an insert; (b) the insert for controlling- spray through said nozzle orifice in said brush shower, said insert having a central aperture; (c) an insert shield having a central shield aperture coaxial with the central insert aperture and tapered in thickness from its periphery toward said central shield aperture for allowing brush access to said central insert aperture.

2. A spray nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insert and said insert shield are retained in said counterbore by a retaining lip which is formed by deformation of the outer periphery of the counterbore.

3. A spray nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, having sealing means between a locating shoulder in the nozzle body and the inner face of the insert.

4. A spray nozzle assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 3, wherein the insert shield has an annular shape.

5. A spray nozzle assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 4 wherein the insert shield is a ruby insert shield.

6. The spray nozzle assembly accordingly to any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein said retaining lip is formed by deformation or peening of an outer periphery of the counterbore, initially toward an axis of said metallic spray nozzle and, subsequently, outwardly so that flow into the outerbore is smooth.

7. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 2 to 6, wherein a threaded portion formed on an outer surface of said metallic spray nozzle includes a tapered portion at an outer end of said threaded portion capable of being peened or deformed toward an axis of the counterbore for providing said retaining lip. 10

8. The spray nozzle assembly according to Claim 7, wherein said retaining lip acts as a barrier for preventing said insert or said insert shield from exiting said metallic spray nozzle.

9. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said nozzle body is threadably secured to said brush shower.

10. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein said retaining lip acting as a barrier for preventing said insert from exiting said metallic spray nozzle via said outlet.

11. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the insert shield has an annular shape and radially tapers inwardly from a periphery of said insert shield toward said central shield aperture.

12. A spray nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which the sealing means is an 0 ring.

13. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 and 6 to 12, wherein the metallic spray nozzle protrudes a small distance into the brush shower pipe for exposure to rotatable cleaning brush bristles.

14. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the shield tapers to a substantially narrow annular edge defining the central shield aperture.

15. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the shield has a cross-sectional profile whereby an upstream surface of the shield is inclined at an angle of about 20' to a plane normal to the nozzle 10 axis and terminates to define the central aperture. 11

16. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 15, wherein the central aperture is defined by a narrow annual edge that in axial length about 10 15% smaller in the axial dimension than the outer periphery of the shield 60

17. The spray nozzle assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, wherein the shield defines a shallow frusto-conical cavity giving protection to the insert whilst also providing cleaning access to the central aperture.

18. The spray nozzle assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. I to 5.