Abstract:
A thread-cleaning tool comprises a partially hollow nut for use with a pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical nut-running power tool. The nut comprises a plurality of brushes mounted in alignment with the outside corners of the nut, and facing inward to the central orifice of the nut, such that the nut abrasively removes corrosion and particulates from the threads of a shaft. In an embodiment, the brushes of the nut are mounted upon brush assemblies comprising rotating cam members, located in recesses spaced to align with the outer corners of the nut, providing a mechanism for the brushes to move back and forth as the nut is rotated up and down the thread. The brush assemblies can be easily removed or substituted as wear and tear accumulates.

Description:
FIELD 
     Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure relate, generally, to apparatuses, and methods usable to apply abrasive friction to threaded members, such as flanges, studs, or bolts, for purposes of easily removing corrosion and dirt. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the detailed description of various embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure, presented below, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a top down view of an embodiment of a brush nut usable within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a detail top view of a corner of a brush nut usable within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a detail cross-section view of a corner of a brush nut usable within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  depicts an embodiment of a brush nut interacting with a partially corroded threaded member according to the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     One or more embodiments are described below with reference to the listed Figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Before describing selected embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein. The disclosure and description herein is illustrative and explanatory of one or more presently preferred embodiments and variations thereof, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in the design, organization, order of operation, means of operation, equipment structures and location, methodology, and use of mechanical equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     As well, it should be understood the drawings are intended to illustrate and plainly disclose presently preferred embodiments to one of skill in the art, but are not intended to be manufacturing level drawings or renditions of final products and may include simplified conceptual views as desired for easier and quicker understanding or explanation. As well, the relative size and arrangement of the components may differ from that shown and still operate within the spirit of the invention. 
     Moreover, it will be understood that various directions such as “upper,” “lower,” “bottom,” “top,” “left,” “right,” and so forth are made only with respect to explanation in conjunction with the drawings, and that the components may be oriented differently, for instance, during transportation and manufacturing as well as operation. Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the concept(s) herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments described herein, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and non-limiting. 
     Embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure include an apparatus capable of abrasively cleaning and removing corrosion and dirt from a threaded member in the field, including, but not limited to, flanges, studs, and bolts. Conventionally, such cleaning is accomplished either by manual use of abrasive brushes, or with specialized power tools designed to abrade the threaded member. Examples of such conventional power tools include U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,244 to Muraguchi, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,369 to Falvo. While these inventions may often utilize the same power base (e.g., electric, pneumatic) as other power tools, their design generally requires at least the attachment of a swappable brush head. Additionally, positioning the tool over and around the threaded member may not be feasible, either due to the length, or due to the member being in an inconvenient position for access. 
     A need therefore exists for an apparatus or method that can clean the threaded member and can be used with conventional fastening tools without requiring a separate device, or the use of unconventional angles which may be unavailable. Embodiments described in the present disclosure meet these needs. Specifically, the embodiment described herein is a specialized nut comprising a plurality of bristles positioned on the edge of the nut and pointing inwardly towards the orifice of the nut. As the nut is threaded, the bristles push into the threads of the member and drag. These bristles are generally constructed of brass or stainless steel and are of sufficient stiffness to abrasively clean a threaded member as they are used. While the invention described herein can be used in conjunction with manual turning of the nut (i.e., a wrench), preferred embodiments are utilized in conjunction with a nut-running power tool, as described, e.g., in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/507,102. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that it allows any flange, stud, or bolt to be cleaned without the need for any more tools or clearance than would be required to receive a conventional threaded nut. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention obviate the need for a specialized cleaning tool, as any device (or manual force) capable of threading nuts can be utilized in conjunction with the present invention. 
     Embodiments described herein can include any number of brushes positioned on either the top or bottom surface of the nut (depending on the orientation of the inner threads), or within gaps in the inner surface of the nut orifice. These brushes may be either affixed to the nut directly or mounted to, for example, small cams positioned along the edge of the nut in sized gaps within the primary orifice of the nut. Leaf or coil springs further bias the brushes and prevent the brushes from rapidly losing their stiffness. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the invention is shown in which a nut  10  has a central orifice  11  and six outer sides  12   a - 12   f . Each pair of six sides  12   a - 12   f  meets at corners  13   a - 13   f  ( 13   e ,  13   f  not visible in  FIG. 1 ). While the embodiments herein are depicted with six sides, it can be appreciated that any shape, number of sides, and configuration of nut can be used, such as a square or octagonal nut, without departing from the scope of this disclosure. 
     Nut  10  also comprises two surfaces,  14   a  and  14   b , which close off the top and bottom surfaces of the nut, respectively. Each surface  14   a ,  14   b  is fixed to the body of the nut  10  via a plurality of countersink fasteners  15   a - 15   f ,  16   a - 16   f  (only  15   a - f  visible in the depicted embodiment, in conjunction with the top surface  14   a ;  16   a - f  occupy corresponding locations on the bottom side.) 
     Also, in the depicted embodiment, the central orifice  11  comprises an inner edge  17 , with threads  18  that can be of varying thickness and size to interact with threaded studs and shafts. Threads  18  of inner edge  17  are interrupted by two brush assemblies,  20   a  and  20   b  ( 20   b  only partially visible), which occupy the space near two of the corners  13   c ,  13   d  of nut  10 . As with the number of sides in the nut body itself, while the depicted embodiment shows two brush assemblies  20   a ,  20   b  in conjunction with a six-sided nut, it can be appreciated that any number of brush assemblies could be used, ranging from a single brush assembly up to a 1:1 ratio of brush assemblies to corners (depending on the configuration of the body of nut  10 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an exemplar brush assembly  20  is shown in a top-down view, with the top surface  14   a  absent from the drawing for clarity. Each brush assembly  20  can be located within a recess  25  located in the body of the nut  10 , and can be preferentially located near a corner  13  to maximize the space available for the brush assembly  20  and the countersink fastener  15 . Brush assemblies  20  each comprise three core components: brush bristles  21 , cam  22 , and biasing member  23 . 
     Brush bristles  21  can be mounted on cam  22 , and may be composed of any material with sufficient stiffness to abrade and remove corrosion from the threads of a corresponding threaded member  24  (shown in  FIG. 4 ); exemplar materials may include brass and/or stainless steel bristles. 
     In  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the cam  22  is allowed a limited degree of side-to-side movement as dictated by the dimensions of the gap created by recess  25  within inner edge  17 . This allowance prevents bristles  21  from excess deformation during use, in either the threading or un-threading direction. 
     Similarly, biasing member  23  may be a spring, for example a leaf-spring or a coil-spring, or any configuration sufficient to bias cam  22  outward to counteract the tendency of brush bristles  21  to turn inward in the threading/unthreading direction of inner edge  17 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a cross-section view of the brush assembly  20  is shown with the bristles  21 , cam  22 , and biasing member  23 . It can be seen that the bristles  21  extend down the vertical length of the inner edge  17  to maximize the abrasive coverage during use of the nut. 
       FIG. 3  also shows the top and bottom surfaces of the nut  14   a ,  14   b , which are attached at this corner utilizing countersink fasteners  15 ,  16 , depicted as screws in this embodiment. Countersink bores  19   a ,  19   b  extend through surfaces  14   a ,  14   b  respectively, and further extend at least partially into to the body of the nut  10  at corner  13 . 
     Thus, the countersink fasteners  15 ,  16  and surfaces  14   a ,  14   b  act to fix the brush assembly  20  within the recess  25  of the inner edge  17  of the nut  10 , and also permit the brush assembly  20  to be easily removed, cleaned, flipped vertically, or replaced as required by the normal wear and tear of the tool. 
       FIG. 4  shows the nut  10  being driven along a corresponded threaded member  24 , to remove corrosion and/or dirt. In use, the nut  10  can be mounted on a threaded member  24  and turned rapidly, allowing the brush assemblies  20  (not visible in  FIG. 4 ) to abrade against threaded member  24 , while the inner edge  17  (not visible in  FIG. 4 ) directs the nut along the threaded member  24  in the usual fashion. The nut  10  can be turned by hand or with the use of a wrench or socket, however, a preferred embodiment of the method involves threading the nut  10  through the use of a pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric nut-running tool, which maximizes the abrasive force of the brushes against the threads to be cleaned. 
     Although the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4  utilizes countersink fasteners to allow for fastening and removal of the brush assembly, it can be appreciated that other embodiments may utilize alternative fasteners and/or methods for removal of the brush assembly. For instance, fasteners  15 ,  16  may be pins or camlocks. Alternatively, one or more surfaces of the recess  25 , brush assembly  20 , or the surfaces  14   a  and  14   b  may be magnetized, either with or without the use of countersinks, to better retain the brush assemblies  20  within their respective recesses  25 . Alternatively, surfaces  14   a  and  14   b  may be chemically or mechanically affixed to the nut by gluing, soldering, or welding. 
     Additionally, while the depicted embodiment positions countersink fasteners  15   a - f , and  16   a - f  at the corners  13   a - f  of the nut  10 , it can be appreciated that other embodiments may locate the fasteners elsewhere on the nut, including along the sides  12   a - 12   f  of the nut. 
     While various embodiments usable within the scope of the present disclosure have been described with emphasis, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention can be practiced other than as specifically described herein.