AU616348B2 - An improved crimping tool - Google Patents

Description

61 48 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventors: KING SONS PTY. LTD.

114-178 Montpelier Road Bowen Hills Qid 4006 Australia Robert Alexander KING Kenneth John Mark WOOD G,R. CUT, 'EN COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 79 Eagle Street, B :isbanet Qld, 4000, Australia.

0 0 0 0U 0 0 0 00 00 Address for Service: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTic% ENTITLED: 0 000 0 0 0 00 I 0 00 00 0 0004 0004 AN IMPROVED CRIMPING TOOL t 0*0 a S The fo~llowing statement is a full description of the invention iticlud\ing the best method of perfor~ming it known to 4 THIS application 's a further application under Section 51 of the Australian Patents Act in respect of an invention disclosed in Australian patent application no.

593,426 (22901/88). The disclosure of atent application no.

593,426 (22901/88) is incorporated herein by reference.

This invention relates to improvements in crimping and decrimping tools. In particular, the invention is directed to improved tools for crimping the tabs on automotive radiators.

0 A large proportion of modern automotive radiators now coaprise a radiator core having a plastic tank fitted o thereon. Typically, the radiator core is surmounted by a 0 header having )s formed around the periphery thereof and adapted to be crimped to retain flanged edge portions of the 0 tank against the header. Alternatively, separate crimping strips can be placed around the header and the tank flanges, and crimped to maintain a sealed joint between the tank and the header, .4 .4 .4o .4.

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1 .4' oI .0 oo4 .4 4G °United States patents nos. 4,462,146 and 4,823,455 204 describe ",t:irLping tools for crimping tabs on eLutomotive a radiators. These tools are nornally used on an automotive radiator held in a clamping jig. These known crimping tools 0 4 6 4 possess an inherent drawback. Namily, the proper operation of the crimping tools is dependent to a large degree on the skill of the user. The tools are manually controlled and the user must exercise great skill in ensuring that the correct

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rQr 3 crimping pressure is applied to each tab. If excessive pressure is applied, the tab may break. On the other hand, if inadequate pressure is applied, a proper seal will not be formed between the tank and the header.

Since the known tools rely on the skill of the user, they are not suitable for auto.ation. Furthermore, the crimping tool of U.S. patent no. 4,462,146 requires two-handed operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved crimping tool which overcoir-s or ameliorates the abovedescribed disadvantages of known crimping tools, or at least provides the public with a useful choice.

In one broad form the present invention provides a crimping tool suitable for crimping the tabs on an automotive radiator, comprising: a tool bit mounted on a tool holder; actuating means connected to the tool holder for imparting movement thereto; and means for constraining movement of the tool holder such that the tool bit moves in a predetermined manner in response to the actuating means, comprising a first forward motion followed by a downward motion.

The actuating means may comprise a manually cperated lever arm in a manual hand held version of the tool, In a semi-automatic version of the tool, the actuating means compises a pneumatic piston controlled by a manually Ii 4 operated switch. In yet another form of the invention, the actuating means comprises a foot operated pneumatic cylinder.

In the preferred embodiment, the constraining means comprises a stop which abuts against a profiled surface of the tool holder to thereby constrain the tool holder, and the tool bit, to move in a predecermined manner in response to the actuating means, Thus, the tool bit will consistently move in the same two-part motion to the same degree, regardless of the particular user of the tool.

In order that the invention may be more fully ooo. understood and put into practice, embodiments thereof will oa o *o g now be described with reference to the accompany drawings, in o0 0 S..o which: oh o o oo0 o" a" Fig. 1 is a side view of a manual crimping tool 0 a S according to an embodiment of the invention; Figs, 2A to 2D are side elevational views illustrating the operation of the tool of the embodiment of Fig. 1; SFig, 3 is a side elevational view of a post-mounted $o4 crimping tool according to another embodiment of the invention; I 0 Fig, 4 is an end elevation view of the tool of Fig.

3 mounted on a post; Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the crimping mechanism of the tool of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a part sectional elevational view of a f r pneumatic crimping device; Figs. 7A to 7C are part sectional elevational views illustrating the operation of the crimping mechanism of Fig.

6; Figs. 8A to 8F are side elevational views illustrating a manual decrimping tool and its operation; and Figs. 9A to 9H are elevation and plan views of tool bits for use with tha crimping and decrimping tools and mechanisms of Figs. 1 to 8.

I The crimping tool of this invention can be constructed in a number of forms, including a hand held 0 00 manual tool, a post-mounted semi -automated tool, or a pneumatically powered semi-automated tool.

Fig. 1 illustrates a hand held manual crimping tool kccording to a first embodiment of the invention. As shown a0 6 in the drawing, tho crimping tool 10 comprises a tool body 11 which is mounted on a support block 12 having a transverse 0 recess or slot 14 at its leadinq end. A p 'Ln 13 is inserted through aligned bores in the support block 12 and the tool o~&obody 1' to maintain alignment between the tool body 11 and thie support block 12, However, the bore in the tool body 11 is oval in cross-section to allow some tolerance in the pin Joint. This enables the tool body 11 to pivot or rock to a slight degree on the support block 12, This tolerance is provided to enable the leading end of the tool body 11 to be raised or lowered slightly relative to the support block 12 r 6 by means of a threaded member 35, to thereby vary the height of the crimping tool bit.

A handle 15 is pivotally connected to the support block 12 by a pivot pin 16. Typically, the handle includes a handle extension 17 which is connected to the handle 15 by pins 18. The handle extension 17 is provided to enable greater leverage to be obtained. The tool body 11 is also provided with a short handle-like extension 38, and a leaf spring 34 is provided between the handle 15 and the handle 38. The leaf spring 34 is provided for eas of o.o operation as it biases the two handles apart, thereby oo enabling the two handles to be squeezed together and released 00 under bias using one-handed operation.

0000ao A tool bit 20 is mounted on a tool holder 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The height of the tool bit 20 relative to the tool holder 21 is adjustable by sci:ew 37, which also serves to mount the tool bit 20 to the tool holder 21. (A ooo pin also passes through the rear of the tool bit 20 into the tool holder 21 in order to maintain the tool bit 20 in alignment with the tool holder 21.).

A first pair of link arms 26 is provided on respective sides of the tool body 11. The top end portion of 9 each link arm 26 is pivotally connected to the tool holder 21 on respective sides thereof by means of a pin joint 28.

The link arms 26 are also pivotally connected to respective sides of the tool body 11 by means of pin joint 27. A bottom !i ii 7 portion 29 of each link arm 26 extends along a respective side of the support block 12 in order to retain the support block 12 in alignment with the tool body it.

A second pair of link arms 23 is provided on respective sides of the tool body 11 behind the first pair of link arms 26. The top end of each link arm 23 is pivotally connected to the tool holder 21 on respective sides thereof by means of pin joint 25, while the bottom end of each link arm 23 is pivotally connected to the handle 15 on a respective side thereof by means of pin joint 24, A stop member 30 is mounted to the top of the tool body 11 by means of a threaded fastener 31 located in a slot 0Oq in the stop member 30. By loosening the nut on the thread fastener 31, the position of the stop member 30 can be o adjusted in small increments, The stop member 30 is provided with a profiled stop 33 which is adapted to be received in a recess 32 provided in the top of tool holder 21 to define the limit of travel of the tool holder 21, and hence the tool bit o a ?IQ, The operation of the crimping tool 10 will now be described with reference to Figs. 2A to 2D of the drawings, The crimping tool is adapted to crimp 'the tabs of an 0 04 automotive radiator while beld in a clamping jig, typically 0 0 of the type described in Aiistralian patent application no.

593,426. The suppc'rt bar 68 of the clamping jig is fi.nst depressed to enable the transverse slot 14 at the leading end 4, Jl i i lf *r i~P of the support block 12 to engage under the rail 66 on one side of the clamping jig. The support bar 68 is then released so that it supports the weight of the crimping tool (see Fig. 2A).

Adjustments are then made to the tool in order to provide the correct setting for the tool bit 20. For example, the height of the tool bit 20 relative to the support block 12 can be adjusted by the nut on the threaded member 35. The height of the tool bit 20 relative to the tool holder 21 can be adjusted by screw 37, The spacing between the leading face of the tool body 11 and the rail 66 0 0 can be adjusted by screw 37 provided in the leading face of o o o tool body 11. Finally, the desired limit of travel of the o oo tool bit 20 is set by loosening the nut on threaded member 31 9 Q o and adjusting the position of the stop member 30 (see Fig.

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4 Once the settings have been made for the particular 04 radiator and clamping jig being used, the tool is moved along the rail and support bar 68 so that the tool bit 20 is aligned with the first tab to be crimped. Typically, the tool bit 20 has a bifurcated tip to enable two tabs to be crimped at once. To crimp the tab(s), the handles 15, 38 are squeezed together. As the handle 15 is raised, the link arms 23 will cause the tool holder 21 to slide across the top flat portion of the tool body 11 so that the leading end of the tool bit 20 will abut the tab(s) to be crimped and bend the 0s

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i 9 tab(s) The profiled stop 33 abuts against the top of the tool holder 21 to maintain generally linear motir of the tool holder 21, and hence the crimping tool bit 20. iCowever, when the tool bit 20 reaches its preset limit of forward travel, the profiled stop 33 will be aligned with the recess 32 in the tool holder 21 The reactive force on the tip of the tool bit 20, combined with the lifting component of the force provided by the link arms 23, will cause the rear portion of the tool holder 21 to pivot upwardly about pivot pin 28 so that the profiled stop 33 will be received in the recess 32, This pivotal movement results in a downward 0 movement at the tip of the tool bit 20 (as shown in Fig. 2D).

It will bt apparent to those skilled in the art that, as a result of the design of the crimping tool. 10, an 0 YD"1f3 upward movement of the handle 15 will result firstly in a forward movement of the tool bit 20 to bend the tab(s) directly in front of the tool bit, and subsequently a 0 downward movement to crimp the tab(s) under pressure. The o forward and downward movements are defined by the preset settings on -the crimping tool 10 and can be repeated precisely for suw'ce~siVe tabs on the radiator without exercising a great degree of skill.

The lever mechanisms of the crimping tool 10 result in a significant force multipUication, Typically, the downward foroe applied at the tip of the tool bit 20 is twelve times the force app2lied by the operator on the handle This enables two tabs to be crimped simultaneously using a bifurcated tool bit. The handle extension 17 can also be used to provide added leverage.

Once the tabs have been crimped, the handle 15 is simply released downwardl, under the bias of leaf spring 34, and the tool is slidably Ioved to the next tab(s). A ball bearing 39 is preferably provided on the underside of the support block 12 to facilitate sliding movement on the support bar 68.

The crimping tool 10 has several advantages over known crimping tools.

o a o The crimping tool does not require a high degree of skill, 0 .0 (ii) Uniform crimping of tabs can be easily 0 0 SIIS, obtained.

(iii) The tool allows one handed operation since the two handles can be squeezed with one hand, ao (iv) The position and travel of the tool bit can a o be adjusted on the crimping tool to suit different radiators S and clamping jigs.

AQb A high degree of leverage can be obtained.

(vi) Consequently, two or more tabs can be crimped simultaneously, As the tool illustrated in Fig. 1 is designed to run along the side rails of a clamping jig, it is unsuitable for crimping the tabs at the ends of a radiator held in the r 11 jig as these tabs are not accessible from the side rails.

To cater for crimping of the tabs at the ends of radiators, anc /or situations in which a clamping jig is not available, this invention also provides a post-mounted crimping tool, and an embodiment thereof is illustrated in Figs, 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figs, 3 to 5, the post-mounted crimping tool comprises a crimping mechanism 40 similar to thu crimping tool 10 shown in Fig. 1 except that the handle has been replaced by a lever 42 which is connected to one end of a pneumatic cylinder 43 which is operated by a pedal So switch (not shown). The other end of the pneumatic cylinder a 43 is connected to the bottom of a sleeve 41 on which the 0 0 crimping mechanism 40 is mounted, The sleeve 41 is adjustably mounted on a post 50 by means of pin 52 (Fig. 4).

The post 40, in turn, is mounted on base 51 which in use is fixed rigidly to the floor, SThe crimping mechanism 40 also includes some minor S variations from the crimping tool 10 Thown in Fig. 1.

Namely, the pin 13 has been replaced by a pivot mounting 46 and a resilient member 45 has been interposed between the support block and the tool body to allow a small degree of pivotal or rocking movement between the tool body and the support block, The resilient member 45 can be made of a suitable elastomeric material.

The crimping mechanism 40 further comprises a li r 12 support member 47 to suppor-t the radiator while the tabs are being crimped. The support member 47 effectively replaces the rail of the clamping jig. As shown in Fig. 5 the support member 47 is fastened to the front face of the crimping mechanism 40 by a pair of threaded fasteners, typically Allen screws in recessed sockets. The spacing of the support member 47 from the front face of the crimping mechanism can be adjusted by means of the screws 48, while the height of the support member 47 can also be finely adjusted by means of screw 49, 00 In use, the settings on thae crimping mechanism 0 '0 and the support member 47 are first adjusted so that the tabs are correctly positioned and the tool bit has the desired 0 D 0 o0o travel. The tank on the radiator is temporarily clamped to the header by removable clamps. The header and tank flange are then placed in the recess on top of the support member 47 S. so that the tab(s) to be crimped are aligned with the tool bit. While holding the radiator in this position with his hands, the operator then presses the foot switch to operate 0000 the pneumatic cylinder 43, The ram of the pneumatic cylinder 43 raises the lever 42 which causes the crimping tool bit to 0 0 move from the position shown in full outline to the position siiown in broken outline in Fig. 5, This movement is similar to the movement described with reference to Pig. I and serves to crimp the tab(s) placed in front of the tool bit, The radiator is then moved along to the next tab(s), and the foot

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A*d 13 pedal is again depressed to crimp ti,, jab(s) newl' positioned in front of the tool bit. This procedure is repeated until all of the tabs have been crimped.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the post-mounted crimping tool of this invention enables accurate and consistent crimping of tabs to be obtained without the need for a specialized clamping jig.

Moreover, the post-mounted crimping tool can be used to crimp the tabs at the ends of the radiator as well as those along its sides.

0 00 As the crimping force is not applied manually in 0 0 0 00 O the semi-automated post-mounted crimping tool, minimum 0 u 0 0 u 0 S effort is required from the operator.

Q Q The manual crimping tool 10 of Fig. 1 can be 00 0 automated, and 'ig, 6 illustrates a pneumatically operated semi-automatic crimping machine 80 suitable for use with a 0o clamping jig, o 0 0 0 ~The crimpin machine 80 is provided on iti front face with a hooked flange or top jaw 98 which eInables it to hang from a rail 66 of a clamping jig. The front face of the crimping machine 80 is also provided with a stub axle 97 on 0 which are mounted co-axial rollers 95, 96. Roller 96 is S designed to roll along the bottom face of rail 66 while rolle4 95 rolls along a support bar 68 located below the rail. The crimiping machine 80 can be inserted onto, and removed from, either end of the rail 66 quickly and simply, r It 14 and is free to slide along the rail to crimp the tabs of a radiator clamped within the clamping jig. (The crimping machine 80 can crimp the tabs on the other side of a radiator simply by transferring it to the rail on the opposite side of the jig,) As shown in Fig. 6, the air-operated crimiping machine 80 has an inlet 81 for connection to a source of compressed air. The inlet 81 is connected to chamber 86 of a piston assembly within t~ie crimping machine via a push button valve 82, On depressing valve button 82, the valve is opened to pressurise the chamber 86 of the piston assembly. One 00 0 U Swall of the chamber 86 is defined by a flexible diaphragm 87 0 1t.0 00 which expands outwardly on pressurization of chamber 86 to 0 0 1O 0 a extend piston ram 89.

A crimping mechanism, similar to that of tool. 10 of Fig, 1, is connected to the distal end of piston iam 89.

o This crimping mechanism comprises a tool holder 85 which is o pivotally connected at pivot pin joint 40 to a clevis fitting 88 at te end of piston 89. The forward end of the tool 2 0 holar 85 iv provideu with a crimping tool bit 85A, typically of hardened steel. The tool holder 85 is also pivotally 0 00* o* connected at pivot-. pin joint 91 to the top of a link arm S whose bottom end is pivotally connected at pivot pin 92 to a clevis mount 47 of adjustable height.

A transverse slot o^r recess 94 is provided on the top side of the cool holde 85. A profiled stop 93 is 0: located above the tool holder as sh,,-n i1 Fig. 4. The recess 94 is dimensioned to receive the profiled stop 93. The profiled stop 93 and recess 94 act as a cam follower mechanism as explained below.

Operation of the crimping machine 90 is illustrated sch6iatically in Figs. 7A to 7C. Upon pressurization of chamber 86, an axial force will be ilkparted to piston ram 89 and this force will be transmitted to pivot point 90 When resolved into its components, the force acting on piv,.t point 10 90 consists of an upward force and a forward force. As the o 00 00 0 tool holder 85 is prevented from moving upward by stop 93, it 00 0 is constrained to move forward against the tab(s) to be crimped) pivoting on pivot point 92 as shown in Fig. 7B.

o o Once the tool holder 85 has moved forwArd to a position where 000 0 the recess 94 is aligned with the profiled stop 93, the tool holder 85 pivots upwardly about pivot pc nt 91 so that stop 93 will be received within recess 94, This causes a downward 4000 a o Movement of the tool bit 85A as 5hown in Fig. 7C. Thus, the 00 pneumatically-operated crimping action of the tc.ol tip comprises an initial forward movement followed by a downward movement, similar to the crimping action provided by hand tool 10 Of Fig. 1, The height and forward travel limit of the tool bit are adjustable by thumbwheel mechanisms, 84, 63, respectively, to suit diffsrent header flariges and crimping strips. The height and forward ti:avel limit are preferably 16 adjusted so that during the initial forward thrust of the tool holder 85, th?, tool bit 85A engages the crimping tab(s) and only partially bends it/them over the edge of the plastic tank flange (which is held down on the header gasket under pressure). Subsequently, during the downward movement of the tool bit 85A, the tab(s) is/are crimped onto the tank flange to maintain the pressure seal between the tank and header.

Preferably, the tool bit 85A is bifurcated to enable two tabs to be crimped simultaneously.

Release of button 82 will close its associated 0009 o 4, o0 0 valve to thereby depn:essurize chamber 86. The piston 89 is 00 0 0 0 S 0 reversed biased so that when the chamber 86 is depressurized, 0 00 0*00 0 (1 it will retract the tool holder 85 to its initial position, 0 0 a 00 The crimping operation is therefore performed simply by 0 0 depressing and releasing the valve button 82, The crimping ma.'!hine $0 is then moved on to the next tab(s) by sliding along r'il 66, Fnd the procedure is repeated. It will be 00-0-saht h ei o 0U apparent to t1~e skilled in the art that the semi- 0. o automatic operation of the crimping machine facilitates the crimping operation ani. enables it to be completed in far less time than the manual crimping devices hereto used.

A decrimping tool is shown in Figures 8A to 8F.

The decrimping tool comprises a first handle 60 having a handgrip 65 at one end thereof. The first handle 60 is provided with a transverse slot or channel 61 on the upper side of its leading end for engaging under the rail of a ii 17 clamping jig. A pivot bar 3 is pivotally connected at its bottom end to the first handle 60 and a second handle 64 is fastened at right angles to the top of the pivot bar 63 as shown in Fig. 8A. A decrimping tool bit 73 having a claw end is provided at the leading end of the second handle 64.

Typically, the tool bit is removably mounted by threaded fasteners, e.g. Allen screws. The tool bit may be bifurcated.

A third handle 71 is pivotally mounted to the 10 second handle at its leading end adjacent the tool bit 73, 0 0) e.g. by means of a clevis fitting 70 and pivot pin 72.

Operation of the decrimping tool will now be 0 co 0o 0 described with reference to Figures 8A to 8F.

0 o The first handle 60 is inserted between a rail 66 and a 3pring-loaded support aar of a clamping jig. The support bar will thereby bear" at least some of the weight of the decrimping tool. The second handle 64 is then raised to coo0 bring the claw end of the decrimping tool bit 73 up against the tank 6 as shown in Fig. 8B. Downward pressure is then 0004 Yo applied to the first handle 60 to force the claw end of the decrimping tool bit 73 behind the edge of th(. tab 5, as shown in Figs. 8C and 8D.

The second and third handles 64, 71 are then squeezed together to pull the tab 5 back just clear of the tank as shown in Figures 8E and 8F, When the second and third handles 64, 71 are squeezed together, the third handle 4i r 18 71 pivots about the abutment of its protruding lower lip 74 against the rail 62 of the clamping jig (not shown). As the tool bit 73 is offset from the centre of rotation of handle 71, the tool bit 73 is withdrawn in an arc to open out the crimped tab During the uncrimping of tab 5, moderate pressure is maintained on the first handle 60 to prevent the claw tip from coming off the tab, yet controlled upward movement of the first handle 60 is allowed to enable the tab to be uncrimped in an are rather than being pulled straight back 0 '0f against itself. By pulling tab back in an arc, it will be left in an open position suitable for recrimping.

Advantageously, a leaf or coil spring (not shown) o0 is provided between handles 64, 71 for ease of operation.

0 0 Figure 9 illustrates (in elevaton and plan views) various crimping and decrimping tool bits which can be used u e with the crimping/decrimping tools and mechanisms of this application. Typically, the tool tips are made from annealed tools steel, and are suitably hardened and tempered.

r 1 The foregoing describes only some of the embodiments of the invention and modifications which are 1 o obvious to those skilled in the art may be made thereto dagoo o S without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the following claims.

Claims (9)

1. A crimping tool suitable for crimping tabs on an automotive radiator, comprising: a tool bit mounted on a tool holder; actuating means connected to the tool holder for imparting movement thereto; and means for constraining movement of the tool holder such that the tool bit moves in a predetermined manner in response to the actuating means, comprising a first forward motion followed by a downward motion.

2. A crimping tool as claimed in claim 1, .herein the actuating means compr:Lses a manually operated lever arm.

3. A crimping tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tool is mounted on a fixed support, and wherein the actuating o 0 means comprises a pneumatic cylinder, the tool further io°"o comprising a foot-operated air valve for operating the o°O pneumatic cylinder.

4. A crimping tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means comprises a hand-controlled pneumatically too. S° operated piston, A crimping tool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the constraining means comprises a stop member in cam Sfollower relationship with a profiled surface of the tool holder.

6. A crimping tool as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising adjustment means for varying the height and forward travel of the tool bit.

7. A crimping tool suitable for crimping tabs on an r O rI automotive radiator, comprising a body member mounted on a support member; a tool bit mounted on a tool holder. the tool holder being pivotally connected to the body member; a lever member pivotally connected to the support member; a link member pivotally connected between the lever member and the tool holder; whereby the movement of the tool holder is controlled by the lever member; the tool further comprising means for constraining the movement of the tool holder to move in a predetermined manner in response to an operative movement of the lever member, comprising a first forward motion of the tool bit followed by a downward motion. o 8, A crimping tool, suitable for crimping tabs to 0Ob.O retain a header tank on a heat exchanger core, comprising: 4 a tool bit holder adapted in use to iave a crimping tool bit mounted thereon, Sactuating means connected to the tool bit holder for imparting movement thereto, means for constraining such movement of the tool bit holder in response to the actuating means such that the tool A *bit moves in a predetermined path comprising a forward movement to abut and bend a tab, followed by a downward movement to crimp the tab.

9. A crimping tool as claimed in claim 8 wherein the t constraining means includes a cam follower device, A crimping tool substantially as hereinbefore $WA1V 21 described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A crimping tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A crimping tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-third day of July 1991 I:NG SONS PTY. LTD. By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. t8#4 g *I i i ii b'