Abstract:
Forging machine for the cold forging of deformed steel bars includes upsetting and clamping dies housed in the same casings. The dies bear a continuous cavity so as to enable forging of long products.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
       [0003]     Not applicable.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The invention relates to head-forging, also known as “upsetting”, of long metal bars, and in particular to the cold forging of deformed steel bars for the reinforcement of concrete constructions.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Deformed bars are notoriously difficult to handle by mechanical means not only because of their length and weight, but also because of their extremely wide variations in shapes, dimensions, chemical composition, strength, stiffness, and other related mechanical properties.  
         [0006]     These bars need however to be mechanically handled in order to provide continuity of reinforcement in concrete structures. This continuity of reinforcement is best provided by not reducing the properties of the bars themselves at the location of their connection, while still being feasible in a convenient and economical way.  
         [0007]     The first method imagined to create such a convenient and economical connection was to make a thread on the bar ends as shown on  FIG. 1 , thereby enabling to link them to another bar by means of an internally-threaded connector. Such a solution presents the disadvantage of reducing the bar properties at the location of their connection because of the reduction of cross-section area from the machining of the thread.  
         [0008]     This method was then improved into making the thread conical rather than parallel, as illustrated on  FIG. 2 . By taking advantage of the mechanical lock effect of a cone-to-cone contact, the conical-threaded bar connector can reach a performance close to that of the bar itself, and is at present the most widely used system on the market.  
         [0009]     However, although providing a tensile strength close to that of the bar, the conical thread connector fails to maintain the ductility of the bar, because of the brittle nature of its failure mode under tensile load.  
         [0010]     In order to remedy this, it has been imagined to enlarge the bar end prior to making a thread on it, thereby avoiding to reduce the cross section area of the bars at the location of their connection.  
         [0011]     Such an enlargement is best done by forging, but unfortunately lacked the industrial means to produce it effectively and economically. Indeed, forging machines have so far been developed for the mechanical industry, and not for the construction industry. Materials used in the mechanical industry are of regular and accurate dimensions, and of homogeneous properties from one batch to another. By contrast, manufacturers of deformed bars for the reinforcement of concrete are not bound to any dimensional accuracy other than a weight tolerance of up to 5% on the tonnage produced. Worse, the regulations and habits regarding the steel grade used, the shape and dimensions of their ribs and surface vary greatly from one country to another. All of this made the use of an industrially-designed forging press all but impossible.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The purpose of the present invention is to provide a forging machine that enables to prepare deformed steel bars in view of their subsequent threading that is versatile enough to adapt to any steel grade and bar shape and dimension, yet remains convenient and economical to use.  
         [0013]     According to the invention, the forging machine for the preparation of steel reinforcement bars in order to connect them by an internally-threaded coupler is characterized by having means to upset the ends of deformed steel bars while its frame and construction design allow long products to go through at least one side of the machine. In order to withstand the forging effort on a long product, it also has means of holding the bar into position. Finally its forging die is specifically designed to accept bars with considerable variations of properties.  
         [0014]     Another important novelty is that the face of the forging piston may be used in its retracted position as a stopper for the material to be forged, so that the adjustment of the retracted position of said forging piston will enable to adjust the volume of material to be pressed into the mold.  
         [0015]     The present invention will be better understood from the following description together with the drawings that are an integral part of it. These are however only given as an example and are not intended to limit its scope. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    
       FIG. 1 
     
         [0017]    
       FIG. 2 
     
         [0018]    
       FIG. 3 
     
         [0019]    
       FIG. 4 
     
         [0020]    
       FIG. 5 
     
         [0021]    
       FIG. 6 
     
         [0022]    
       FIG. 7 
     
         [0023]    
       FIG. 8 
     
         [0024]    
       FIG. 9 
     
         [0025]    
       FIG. 10 
     
         [0026]    
       FIG. 11 
     
         [0027]    
       FIG. 12 
     
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]      FIG. 3  shows the forging machine in a particular embodiment. The forging means ( 1 ) and the clamping means ( 2 ) are housed in the same housing ( 3 ).  
         [0029]     The forging means and the clamping means may be in approximately perpendicular configuration as shown in  FIG. 3 , or in approximately parallel configuration as shown in  FIG. 4 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the forging means comprise a cylinder ( 4 ), that could be hydraulically powered. The clamping means comprise another cylinder ( 5 ), that could also be hydraulically powered. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , a single cylinder ( 6 ) actuates through its piston ( 7 ) both the forging means and the clamping means. The forging and clamping means ( 8 ) have the ability to slide into their casing ( 9 ). Retractable means ( 10 ), that could be springs, bring back the forging and clamping means to their original position at the end of the cycle.  
         [0030]     The frame of the machine could be made of plates ( 11 ) held together by tension bars ( 12 ) as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . Or it could be made of a single part ( 13 ), whether monolithic or of welded assembly, as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0031]     Because the long bars to be processed are generally of considerable weight, it is often more economical to bring the machines to the bars, be it to the steel mill, to the cut-and-bend factory, or directly to the construction site, rather than bring these bars to the machine. The frame of the machine may thus be fitted with lifting devices as shown on  FIG. 5 . Also shown on  FIG. 5  is an embodiment where the power unit is conveniently housed inside the frame or housing of the machine.  
         [0032]     Another important novelty of the forging means is shown on top view  FIG. 6 , where a die ( 14 ) bears a go-through cavity ( 15 ) designed approximately to the dimension of the long bar to be processed, so that said long bar can go all the way through said die. The die also bears a larger, upsetting cavity ( 16 ) that is designed approximately to the dimension of the enlargement that is sought to strengthen enough the bar end before threading.  
         [0033]     In order to accept deformed bars of varying dimensions and sizes, and in particular of varying rib shapes and sizes, said upsetting cavity ( 16 ) may bear flow-out hollowings ( 17 ) as shown on front view  FIG. 7 . Said flow-out hollowings allow the extra-material coming from over-sized bars to find extra space, avoiding the accumulation of stresses inside both the bar end and the forging means.  
         [0034]     The go-through cavity may be machined or fitted with gripping teeth ( 18 ) as shown on  FIG. 8  in order to improve the clamping action.  
         [0035]     In order to accept deformed bars of varying mechanical properties and shapes, several forging dies with increasingly progressive variations ( 19 ) of diameter enlargement may be provided as shown on  FIG. 9 .  
         [0036]     In some occasions, for example when the bars are too heavy to be rotated, or when its location or configuration at the construction site makes it impossible or difficult to rotate, it may be convenient that the internally-threaded connector can be screwed completely onto one of the bars to be connected. The present invention easily solves this problem by continuing the threading of the bar end on the ribs beyond the upset area, or on a longer upset area made by a forging die bearing an extended upsetting cavity ( 20 ) as shown on  FIG. 10 .  
         [0037]     Another novelty of the present invention is to enable the machine to adapt itself to bars of varying sizes and shapes by having its stroke easily adjustable. Standard industrially-designed forging presses are controlled by the pressure of their power unit. Their stroke may be adjustable by a lengthy down time and by qualified technicians, both of which are not available on a construction site. The present invention solves this problem by a simple device, shown on  FIG. 11 , that can be understood and operated by any worker, be it at a steel mill, cut-and-bend workshop, or construction site: a support ( 21 ) is fitted on the piston ( 7 ) of the forging cylinder ( 6 ). A stroke-adjusting device ( 22 ) is fitted on this support, leaving the desired forging length l between the extremity ( 23 ) of the piston ( 7 ) and the forging means ( 1 ). The novelty of this feature comes from the fact that simply inserting the bar until it touches said extremity of the forging piston will provide the required forging length. The embodiment shown on  FIG. 11  is of a mechanical type but is given only as illustration purpose and is not intended to limit its scope. Other variations, electric or otherwise, may be developed by the Man-of-the-Art while still being covered by the present invention.  
         [0038]     Another novelty of the present invention, also shown on  FIG. 11 , are marks or relief shapes ( 24 ) that may be added to the extremity ( 23 ) of the forging piston ( 7 ) in order for example to leave a trace-ability mark or a brand name on the bars being processed, or else to solve the problem of weak or bent bars that otherwise would be buckling under the compression effort. In the past, an additional process step to mark each and every bar was too expensive, and the only batch identification provided was by means of labels affixed to each bundle. Identification of bundles rather than individual bars was far from error-free as some bars could slip out of a bundle, or simply be forgotten, and thus loose their trace-ability. The labels tend also to be destroyed during handling or transportation, by the crane hooks or on the truck beds. Their ink tends also to be washed away by rain or sun.  
         [0039]     Another novelty of the present invention, also shown on  FIG. 11 , is a device ( 25 ) that prevents the rotation of the piston ( 7 ) of the forging cylinder ( 6 ) under the forging effort. Indeed, unlike industrially-manufactured pieces, where the material to be processed is prepared accurately at the required shape and dimensions, deformed bars have a very uneven end from bending, sawing or cutting. This uneven end creates dissymetrical efforts during the forging operation that are transmitted to the piston head and make it turn in the predominant direction of these efforts. This phenomenon is solved by the device of the invention, shown as sliding pads ( 25 ) that glide over a wear-off guideway ( 26 ) that is fixed on the frame of the machine.  
         [0040]     Many other uses of the invention, accessible to the Man-of-the-Art, may be developed without exiting the scope of the invention. For example, such a development could be to use the machine reversely, as shown on  FIG. 12 : an adapter ( 27 ) is fixed on the extremity ( 23 ) of the piston ( 7 ) of the forging cylinder ( 6 ) and can be fixed or screwed onto the upsetted or threaded end ( 28 ) of the bar ( 29 ). The machine can thus also pull on the threaded bar instead of pushing on it, for example for the purpose of straightening it or pre-loading it.