TUBE BENDING

Abstract: A method of providing a bent tube made of a heat sensitive e.g. thermoplastics material includes the step of causing the circumferential wall of the tube (2) to be selectively heated, such as by high frequency excitation, whereby the parts (9) of the circumferential wall corresponding to the inside and outside of the bend of the bent tube are heated more than the remaining parts (10) of the circumferential wall.

Description: Tube Bending This invention relates to tube bending and relates more especially to a method of bending tubes made of heat sensitive e.g. thermoplastics material into required shapes or configurations. As used herein, the term "tube" includes hoses, pipes and similar conduits, whether of single or multi-layer construction. Tubes of plastics material are used in a wide number of applications and are commonly used in the automotive field as pipe connections for vapour, vent, hydraulic, fuel, coolant or oil lines. In such applications, the tube is often required to be of a specific shape or configuration. Previously such shapes or configurations have been obtained by heating a plastic tube, placing it in a bending mould and allowing it to cool in the deformed state. Alternatively, an unheated or warmed tube is placed in a bending mould and is heated, either locally only in the vicinity of the bend or bends or all over (globally), together with the mould, and is then cooled in the mould before being removed. It is important that stresses induced in the tube wall by the bending mould due to the effect of temperature and time relax so that the desired shape is retained after cooling and removal. The following methods for heating are found in practice: 1. Hot air heating (heating local or global). 2. Hot fluids: oils, steam from inside or from outside (heating usually global). 3. Heated and fiuidized bed of sand (heating global). 4. Use of heated moulds, e.g. resistance heating, induction heating or with heat transfer media (heating usually local). 5. Irradiation with rays of different wavelengths (heating local or global). The common objective of all variants is to generate a uniform and as high a temperature as possible (5 - 15 °C below the melting point) in the area of the tube to be bent. In the technical handling of this problem there are also, depending on the characteristics of the heating device, areas with higher and lower temperatures; these anomalies are, however, unwanted. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of bending tubes made of thermoplastics material. According to the present invention there is provided a method of providing a bent tube made of a heat sensitive material, including the step of causing the circumferential wall of the tube to be selectively heated whereby the parts of the circumferential wall corresponding to the inside and outside of d e bend of the bent tube are heated more than the remaining parts of the circumferential wall. In carrying out the invention it may be arranged that the step of causing the circumferential wall of the tube to be selectively heated is carried out before the tube is bent, but advantageously is carried out subsequent to the tube being bent. A preferred mediod for carrying out me invention comprises the steps of bending the tube, and applying a high frequency electric field to d e or each bend of the tube for causing d e circumferential wall thereof to be selectively heated. In carrying out the preferred method it is arranged diat said high frequency electric field is applied by means of a pair of spaced apart flat electrodes disposed in die vicinity of the or each bend in die tube and between which said mbe extends, said electrodes being disposed perpendicularly to d e plane of the bend or bends, and being energised at said high frequency for causing d e circumferential wall of said tube to be selectively heated. Advantageously, said electrodes are energised for a period between 6 and 10 seconds. The mediod according to the invention advantageously comprises me subsequent step of cooling die bent tube, said cooling conveniently being effected by a cooling medium applied internally and/or externally to me tube. It may be arranged d at die tube is made of a mermoplastics material. Alternatively, said tube may be a multi-layer tube which includes at least one layer which may be heated by said high frequency electric field, or it may be made of material which is not heated to any great extent by said high frequency electric field but which includes additional material therein which may be heated by said high frequency electric field to effect said selective heating. An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described, reference being made to me accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 depicts somewhat diagrammatically apparams for carrying out a method of making a bent mbe in accordance widi me present invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 depict how selective heating of the circumferential wall of the mbe of Fig. 1 is effected. It has been appreciated mat in existing methods for producing bent mbes, e.g. of thermoplastics material, large amounts of heat are generated for heating die mbe, whedier locally or globally, which necessarily requires a high input of power, but which also means that large quantities of heat have to be dissipated when me mbe is being cooled which necessarily increases me time necessary to carry out me mediod. In d e method to be described, heat is generated in a very controlled manner and mainly in those areas of the mbe where stresses are induced by d e bending process. In d is way much less heat is generated making the mediod much more energy and time efficient. In Fig. 1 of d e drawings there is depicted apparams for producing a bent mbe comprising a first curved former 1 around which an unheated mbe 2, conveniently of a thermoplastics material, is manually bent, me mbe 2 being retained in position by retaining members 3 located at each end of me former 1 , only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. The mbe 2 is then manually bent around a second curved former 4 disposed at right angles to me curved former 1, the mbe 2 being retained in position by retaining members 5 located at each end of d e former 4. Such an arrangement of formers 1 and 4, when me mbe forming mediod as will be described has been effected, will result in die mbe 2 being provided wid two right-angle bends, disposed at right angles to one anodier. It will be appreciated however that such an arrangement is given by way of example only, and suitable formers may be provided to allow die mbe 2 to be bent into any required shape or configuration. Each of die formers 1 and 4 in Fig. 1 is provided widi opposed pairs 6 and 7 respectively of electrodes which are secured to die respective former 1 ,4 so that me tube 2 extends between diem. The pairs of electrodes 6 and 7 are shaped to correspond to d e bends in the mbe 2 and are disposed perpendicularly to die plane of me respective bends in me mbe 2 so as to centrally sandwich die bent mbe 2 between them. It has been found that by energising each of me pairs of electrodes 6 and 7 widi a short burst, typically of 6 - 10 seconds, of high frequency excitation, selective heating of the circumferential wall of the mbe 2 in die vicinity of each of me formers 1 and 4 is effected, sufficient to create a stable bend. In diis specification by high frequency is meant frequencies in die range 10 - 100 MHz, and in practice frequencies of 27.12 MHz and 40.68 MHz have been found to be satisfactory. The process of selectively heating die circumferential wall of die mbe 2 will now be described wid reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of d e accompanying drawings. In Fig. 2 of die drawings mere is depicted, somewhat diagrammatically, a cross-sectional view on the lines A-A in Fig. 1 widi die former 1 removed. Thus in Fig. 2, a cross-sectional view of me mbe 2 is shown centrally disposed between d e pair of electrodes 6. When die electrodes 6 are excited with a high frequency signal, because die relative permittivity of the mbe material is greater man diat of air (or of a vacuum), the mbe 2 positioned between die electrodes 6 causes the lines of electric field 8 between the electrodes 6 to be distorted. This distortion of die electric field causes die flux density in the circumferential wall of die mbe 2 to vary, and as die heating affect of d e high frequency excitation is proportional to d e flux density, diose parts 9 of ie circumferential wall of the mbe 2 furdiest from the electrodes 6 have die greatest flux density and so are heated more than diose parts 10 of the circumferential wall which have lower flux density. Accordingly it is arranged d at diose parts 9 of die circumferential wall of die mbe 2, as depicted in Fig. 3, correspond to diose parts of die mbe 2 which constimte die inside and outside bends of die tube 2 where the greatest tensile and compressive stress takes place and where die greatest heating is required. Thus, it will be appreciated that the use of such selective heating enables me heat to be directed in die main only to diose parts of the mbe 2 which require to be heated and is tiius very heat efficient. When the mbe 2 has been selectively heated as has been described, it may then be cooled in d e normal way, by directing a cooling medium e.g. air or omer cooling fluid, internally through d e mbe 2 and/or externally to d e outside of die mbe 2. However, it has been found diat because of die low temperamres required, and the short time periods involved, sufficient cooling can in some instances be obtained dirough tiiermal conduction into unheated parts of die mbe 2, and typically cooling down can take place widiin a period of 3 to 20 seconds. In die apparams of Fig. 1, it has been found diat die shape of die electrodes 6 and 7 and dieir spacing is not very critical, but what is important is the position of die elecϋ-odes 6 and 7 in relation to die axis of die tube 2. In practice rounded plate electrodes are used which have a widtii of 0.5 d to 5 d, where d is die diameter of the tube 2, and follow die shape of die bend in die mbe 2 in the bend area. The distance of die electrodes 6 and 7 from the surface of die mbe 2 is usually between 0 and 30 mm. The mediod of bending mbes which has been described is applicable to materials whose relative permittivity is greater than 1, and preferably greater man 2, and whose dissipation factor is greater diat 0.01, and preferably greater d an 0.03. This condition is met with most mbe materials such as PA6, PA66, PAH and PA12. Multi-layered mbes can also be bent witiiout difficulty using diis method, if at least one layer in the mbe wall consists of a high frequency excitable material. In the case of tubes made of materials where me values of relative permittivity and dissipation factor are too low, diis can be remedied by including special additives in the material, such as plasticisers, water, etc., which can be heated by high frequency excitation in order to effect die required selective heating. The method of providing a bent mbe which has been described is advantageous compared widi previous memods for die following reasons: 1. The cycle time is shorter by a factor of 3 - 10 widi die same quality of bend. 2. Ovalness in the area of die bend even witiiout additional measures such as supporting springs is extremely slight, thereby enabling smaller bending radii. 3. Inexpensive bending moulds in plastic, such as PE or PTFE can be used. 4. The bending process can be easily automated, because only low temperamres occur in the area of die bending zone and die electrodes necessary for building up the high frequency field take up only little space. 5. Energy consumption is very low.

Claims: AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 16 January 1997 (16.01 .97) ; original claim 1 amended; remaining claims unchanged (1 page ) ] 1. A method of providing a bent mbe made of a heat sensitive material, including die step of subjecting die mbe to a high frequency electric field for causing die circumferential wall of the mbe to be selectively heated such diat d e parts of the circumferential wall corresponding to die inside and outside of die bend of die bent mbe are heated more than die remaining parts of the circumferential wall. 2. A metiiod as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of causing die circumferential wall of the mbe to be selectively heated is carried out before me mbe is bent. 3. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which die step of causing die circumferential wall of the mbe to be selectively heated is carried out subsequent to die mbe being bent. 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, comprising the steps of bending die mbe, and applying a high frequency electric field to die or each bend of die be for causing the circumferential wall thereof to be selectively heated. 5. A mediod as claimed in claim 4, in which said high frequency electric field is applied by means of a pair of spaced apart flat electrodes disposed in the vicinity of die or each bend in die mbe and between which said mbe extends, said electrodes being disposed perpendicularly to die plane of d e bend or bends and being energised at said high frequency for causing die circumferential wall of said mbe to be selectively heated. 6. A method as claimed in claim 5, in which said electrodes are energised for a period between 6 and 10 seconds. 7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the subsequent step of cooling die bent mbe. 8. A method as claimed in claim 7, in which said cooling is effected by a cooling medium applied internally and/or externally to d e mbe. 9. A mediod as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the mbe is made of a tiiermoplastics material. STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19 Claim 1 has been amended by inserting a limitation which clearly differentiates the claim from the cited prior art. A corresponding amendment is required to page 2, line 6 of die specification at present on file.

Inventors: REYMEN HUGO, TACK ERIC, VANGEEL JEAN, REYMEN, HUGO, TACK, ERIC, VANGEEL, JEAN
Applicants: BUNDY INT LTD, REYMEN HUGO, TACK ERIC, VANGEEL JEAN, BUNDY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, REYMEN, HUGO, TACK, ERIC, VANGEEL, JEAN
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B29C53
IPC codes: B29B13, B29C35, B29C53