Abstract:
An improved apparatus for repairing pipes and tubes, such as EGR pipes, is disclosed. The apparatus can be readily mounted to the pipe or tube via a flange that fits inside the pipe or tube and thus generally avoids the need to remove any adjacent components. The apparatus further provides holes or bushings that allow for the precise alignment of various repair tools.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/163,145, filed on May 18, 2015, and co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/204,635, filed on Aug. 13, 2015, the contents of both are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for repairing pipes and tubes such as an exhaust gas recirculating valve and surrounding assemblies. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Internal combustion engines often have an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) assembly that recycles a portion of an engine&#39;s exhaust gas back into the engine cylinders. This exhausted gas is at a much higher temperature than intake air, which dilutes the air in the cylinders and absorbs some of the combustion heat in order to reduce the temperature inside the cylinders. The EGR pipe and EGR valve regulate the gas recirculation of fuel exhaust by monitoring temperatures and exhaust emissions. EGR assemblies can be used in both gas and diesel engines. 
         [0004]    EGR valves and surrounding assemblies require regular maintenance to ensure proper fuel combustion and to maintain low engine emission standards as designed. Due to repetitive hot and cold duty cycles, which are amplified during more strenuous engine use, such as towing, plowing, and hauling, engine temperatures change dramatically. These temperature changes cause linear expansion and contraction of the EGR assembly and corresponding EGR pipe flange mounting that can exceed the tensile strength of the common fasteners that connect the EGR assembly to the remaining engine components. Exposed to variations in climate, temperature, moisture, and contaminates, the EGR valve and corresponding assemblies often need service or replacement when certain conditions are present, such as fuel injector failure, turbocharger failure, or the EGR valve pipe or other associated assemblies that handle exhaust emissions are replaced. 
         [0005]    Currently, removing and repairing the EGR pipe involves removing fastener bolts on both the EGR valve and the exhaust manifold. Often, a technician is unable to remove the bolts due to corrosion and contaminants as well as expansion and contraction of key components that seize the fastener inside the manifold. Technicians struggle and can damage the retaining bolts that retain the EGR pipe/valve making the exhaust manifold or EGR value irreparable/non-usable. To replace or repair the EGR assembly, the technician must remove key engine components, such as the intake manifold, turbocharger, and in cases of a broken mounting fastener, the exhaust manifold. This process is time consuming, creates the risk of exposing the internal engine components to dirt and other contaminants, and creates the risk of breaking components and fasteners. 
         [0006]    Thus, there is a need for a simpler and more cost-effective means for repairing EGR pipes and manifolds. Moreover, these problems are not unique to EGR pipes and manifolds. They also exist in other circumstances that involve tubes or pipes located in complex, bulky, or crowded apparatuses, machines, structures, or assemblies. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention addresses some of the issues regarding the time, ease, and expense of repairing pipes such as EGR pipes and manifolds (as well as other types of pipes and valves) by providing a simple device that can facilitate the repair in situ and generally without the need to remove too many components in and around an engine or assembly. 
         [0008]    Embodiments of the disclosed invention avoid or minimize some of these issues by facilitating and mating the precise alignment of repair tools to the exhaust manifold itself to repair damaged or broken fasteners and facilitate machining of the old fasteners for replacement with the new ones while the EGR assembly and mating components remain fixed in the vehicle. 
         [0009]    While embodiments of the present invention have been designed to repair broken flange fasteners in Ford 6.7 liter diesel engines, the invention is not limited to this precise engine, type of engine, or part. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the invention can be used with a variety of different types and makes of engines (diesel, gas, or otherwise) or a variety of different pipes or valves through simple variations on the principles disclosed. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment, an apparatus for repairing a pipe, comprising a body with a top surface and a bottom surface; a repair hole located in the body; a mounting hole located in the body; a flange protruding from the bottom surface of the body about the mounting hole; and an arbor extending through the flange and the mounting hole. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment, an apparatus for repairing a pipe, comprising a body with a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the body is generally rhomboid in shape; two repair holes located in the body; a mounting hole located in the body; two mounting pins extending from the top surface of the body; a flange protruding from the bottom surface of the body about the mounting hole, wherein the flange has a plurality of slots; an arbor extending through the flange and the mounting hole, wherein the arbor is comprised of a threaded end and a frustoconical end; and a nut attached to the threaded end of the arbor. 
         [0012]    In yet another embodiment, an apparatus for repairing a pipe, comprising a body with a surface; a repair hole located in the body; a mounting hole located in the body; a flange protruding from the surface of the body about the mounting hole; and a plug inserted into the mounting hole. 
         [0013]    In yet another embodiment, an apparatus for repairing a pipe, comprising a body with a surface; a repair hole located in the body; a mounting hole located in the body; a flange protruding from the surface of the body about the mounting hole; a plug inserted into the mounting hole; and a bushing configured to fit inside the repair hole; wherein the bushing is generally cylindrical in shape with a flattened portion along the circumference of the bushing; wherein the body is generally rhomboid in shape; wherein the repair hole is generally rectangular in shape; and wherein the flange contains a plurality of slots. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded side view of one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a top view of one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view of one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a flange. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a flange. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a side view of an arbor. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a side view of a pin. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is an exploded side view of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a side view of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is an exploded side view of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a side view of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , one embodiment of the invention consists of body  10  that is generally rhomboid in shape (with four curved vertices) and formed from a rigid material, such as type 6061 hard-coated aluminum, for example. Body  10  has two repair holes  12  and  14  oriented perpendicular to the top surface  11  of body  10 . Body  10  has a long axis (defined by a line running between the vertices adjacent to repair holes  12  and  14 ) and a short axis (defined by a line running between the other two vertices and perpendicular to the long axis). At the center of body  10  (at the intersection of the long and short axes) is mounting hole  16 . Body  10  is approximately 3.25″ long along the long axis, 1.85″ wide along the short axis, and 0.625″ thick in the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the long and short axes. While this embodiment has a body with a generally rhomboid shape, other body shapes (such as rectangular, square, or other geometric or non-geometric shapes) could be used and fall within the scope of the invention. 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , repair holes  12  and  14  are approximately 0.75″ in diameter and are centered on either side of the center of body  10  along the long axis. The centers of each repair hole are separated by approximately 2.376″, to correspond to the bolt separation on a 6.7 L Ford diesel EGR pipe. Different number of holes, hole sizes, hole shapes (rectangular, square, hexagonal, etc.), and hole spacings (either more or less or bigger or smaller) could be used to correspond to the particular component that the embodiment is designed to repair. More specifically, an embodiment of the invention could have only one repair hole, for example. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , mounting pins  18  and  20  are located between repair holes  12  and  14  and mounting hole  16 . Pins  18  and  20  are also made from a rigid material, such as type 304 stainless steel, for example. Pins  18  and  20  extend outward perpendicularly from top surface  11  of body  10  by approximately 0.275″. As shown in  FIG. 7 , pins  18  and  20  are approximately 0.25″ in diameter at the end furthest from body  10  and are approximately 0.09″ in diameter at the end next to and extending from body  10 . Pins  18  and  20  can have a further extent that fits into additional holes  15  and  17  in body  10  to attach them to body  10 , but pins  18  and  20  can also be formed with or attached to body  10  in a variety of ways, such as being integral with body  10  or welded to body  10 , among other things. Pins  18  and  20  provide a mechanism to allow various tools and attachments to be secured to body  10  during the repair process. Therefore, pins  18  and  20  could be different sizes, shapes, dimensions, and locations to accommodate the securing of different tools and attachments and fall within the scope of the invention. In addition, a different number of pins (more or less) could be used, depending on the needs of the operator and the type of component being repaired. More specifically, an embodiment of the invention could have only one mounting pin, for example. 
         [0030]    In order to facilitate the repair of attachment bolts on an EGR pipe, body  10  is secured directly to the interior of the EGR pipe via expandable flange  22  that protrudes from bottom surface  13  of body  10  and is about (or surrounding) mounting hole  16 . While mounting hole  16  is circular in cross section in this embodiment, other shapes could be used, such as square, hexagonal, or circular with a flattened side, among other things. As shown in  FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 , flange  22  is cylindrical in shape with a plurality of slots  32  along the perimeter that allow flange  22  to expand under pressure and lock into the inside surface of the EGR pipe. In this particular embodiment, flange  22  is made from a dense polymer such as Nylon or Delran (although other expandable materials could be used) and is approximately 1.18″ in diameter and 0.75″ thick. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the inside portion  24  of flange  22  is frustoconical in shape and slopes inward (i.e., the diameter of the opening at outside surface  28  of flange  22  is larger than the opening at inside portion  30  of flange  22 ) with a slant angle  26  of 63.5°. It has been found that this slant angle provides for the optimal performance to attach body  10  to the EGR pipe, although other slant angles could also be used and fall within the scope of the invention. An optimal range of slant angle  26  has been found to be between 55° and 65°. Again, other types and sizes of flanges could be used depending on the specific application. 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , threaded shaft or arbor  36  then slides through flange  22  and mounting hole  16  in body  10  and is secured by nut  38  on the opposite side of body  10  from flange  22 . Arbor  36  is made from type  304  stainless steel, but other rigid materials could also be used. In order to prevent flange  22  from rotating relative to body  10 , roll pin  34  is used. Roll pin  34  fits into holes in both bottom surface  13  of body  10  and flange  22  to prevent the rotation of flange  22  relative to body  10 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , threaded arbor  36  is approximately 1.8″ long, with a diameter of approximately 0.875″ at frustoconical end  40 , which is nearest to flange  22  when engaged, and a diameter of approximately 0.37″ along shaft  42  towards threaded end  41 . Arbor  36  also has a frustoconical portion  44 , whose angle matches slant angle  26  of inside portion  24  of flange  22 . 
         [0032]    To attach body  10  to an EGR pipe, a user first attaches flange  22  to bottom surface  13  of body  10  and then threads arbor  36  through flange  22  and mounting hole  16  before loosely threading nut  38  onto shaft  42  of arbor  36  at top surface  11  of body  10 . This entire assembly is placed into the EGR pipe and repair holes  12  and  14  are aligned with the mounting threads on the EGR pipe. Then, nut  38  is tightened on arbor  36 , which pushes the frustoconical portion  44  of arbor  36  into the inside portion  24  of flange  22  and expands flange  22  to securely attach the assembly to the interior of the EGR pipe via a frictional connection. 
         [0033]    Once body  10  is securely attached to the EGR pipe, various guides and accessories can be attached to body  10  via pins  18  and  20 . For example, guide or pilot holes can be attached to pins  18  and  20  that allow an operator to precisely drill holes in the EGR pipe or to insert bushings through repair holes  12  and  14 . In this embodiment, the guides and accessories have slots that fit over pins  18  and  20 , which securely fix these accessories to body  10  during the repair process. For example, drill bits or taps (among other things) are inserted through repair holes  12  and  14 , which are precision machined to accurately guide the tools to the desired location on EGR pipe to facilitate repairs. These tools are removable and interchangeable with other accessories that are designed to be used in subsequent machining steps for removing and repairing all damaged fasteners and fastener remnants (such as drilling out broken fasteners, re-tapping or re-threading holes, and inserting new fasteners, among other things). Once the machining operation is complete, replacement inserts and corresponding fasteners are used to mate to the EGR pipe to complete the repair. 
         [0034]    Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 8-10 . Body  10  is also generally rhomboid in shape and is 3.25″ long along the long axis, 1.85″ wide along the short axis, and 0.625″ thick in the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the long and short axes. Two cylindrical repair holes  12  and  14  are located on the long axis near the edge of body  10  and have a diameter of approximately 0.75″. Mounting hole  16  lies at the center of body  10  at the intersection of the long and short axes. Mounting hole  16  is a generally cylindrical hole with a flattened portion  46  that can accommodate threaded arbor  36 . 
         [0035]    Cylindrical flange  22  fits onto bottom surface  13  of body  10 , and arbor  36  fits through flange  22  and body  10  to engage nut  38  on top surface  11  of body  10 . Both mounting hole  16  and arbor  36  have flattened portions  46  and  48  (respectively) that align together, and flattened portions  46  and  48  prevent arbor  36  from rotating as nut  38  is tightened on arbor  36 . As nut  38  is tightened, arbor  36  engages flange  22 , which causes flange  22  to expand and engage the inside of the EGR pipe, thereby fixing body  10  to the EGR pipe to facilitate repairs. Both flange  22  and arbor  36  have frustoconical portions (e.g., portion  44 ) that mate together as nut  38  is tightened, which causes flange  22  to expand. As with the previous embodiment, pins  18  and  20  protrude from top surface  11  of body  10  and allow various tools and attachments to couple to body  10  to repair the EGR pipe. 
         [0036]    As with the prior embodiment, different dimensions, shapes, sizes, and locations of the various components can be used and fall within the scope of the invention. More specifically, an embodiment of the invention could have only one repair hole or one mounting pin, for example. 
         [0037]    Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 11-13 . Body  50  is also generally rhomboid in shape with a long-axis length of approximately 3.5″, a short-axis length of approximately 1.9″, and a main body thickness of approximately 0.625″. Body  50  can be made of a rigid material, such as type 304 stainless steel, for example. Two generally rectangular repair holes  52  and  54  are located on the long axis near the edge of body  50 . Repair holes  52  and  54  have cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 0.64″×0.585″. Repair holes  52  and  54  can be of different shapes (square, pentagonal, octagonal, etc.), sizes, and locations and fall within the scope of the invention. 
         [0038]    Mounting hole  56  lies at the center of body  50  at the intersection of the long and short axes. Mounting hole  56  is a ⅜″ NPT threaded hole that can accommodate plug  58 , which is a threaded insert that can be threaded into mounting hole  56  from top surface  51 . Note that plug  58  can take other forms (such as a wedge, an expandable member, or other type of threaded piece, among other things), shapes, and sizes and fall within the scope of the invention. As plug  58  is tightened into mounting hole  56 , it passes through body  50  and begins to engage flange  60 , which is on bottom surface  53  of body  50 . Flange  60  is cylindrical in shape with multiple slots  62  along the perimeter that allow flange  60  to expand under pressure and lock into the inside surface of the EGR pipe when engaged by plug  58 . In this particular embodiment, flange  60  is made from a dense polymer such as Nylon or Delran (although other expandable materials could be used) and is approximately 1.18″ in diameter and 0.625″ thick. Body  50  is attached to the EGR pipe in a similar manner as the previous embodiment is. 
         [0039]    Various attachments and tools can be inserted into repair holes  52  and  54  by using replaceable mounting sleeves or bushings  64  and  66  to facilitate the repair of the EGR pipe. In one particular example, bushings  64  and  66  are generally cylindrical in shape, but they have a flattened portion  68  along the circumference of the bushings that engages the side of repair holes  52  and  54  to prevent rotation of bushings  64  and  66  during the repair process. The lower cylindrical part of bushings  64  and  66  is approximately 0.5″ in diameter, while the upper partially cylindrical part is approximately 0.61″ in diameter. Other shapes and sizes of bushings could also be used and fall within the scope of the invention. Various tools and accessories can then be inserted through bushings  64  and  66  to facilitate the repair of the EGR pipe. Bushings  64  and  66  allow for different standardize tools to be used in repair holes  52  and  54 , without the need to create specialized tools that specifically fit repair holes  52  and  54 . Alternatively, repair holes  52  and  54  could be made to match a particular size of tool, which would eliminate the need for bushings  64  and  66  with that particular tool. 
         [0040]    Again, as with the prior embodiment, different dimensions, shapes, sizes, and locations of the various components can be used and fall within the scope of the invention. More specifically, an embodiment of the invention could have only one repair hole or one mounting pin, for example. 
         [0041]    The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions were selected to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although particular constructions of the present invention have been shown and described, other alternative constructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the intended scope of the present invention.