Patent Abstract:
Disclosed is a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened, capable of preventing the piston coupled to a cylinder rod of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder from being loosened by the vibration or the like generated during work. Provided is a caulking method for preventing a piston of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder from being loosened, the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder comprising a tube, a cylinder rod reciprocating linearly within the tube, a piston coupled to a screw part of the cylinder rod, and a set screw for preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod, the caulking method comprising a step of forming screw holes in the screw coupling part of each of the cylinder rod and the piston and coupling the set screw into the screw holes; and a step of compressing the residual space of the screw holes in the direction of coupling the set screw by a compression device after coupling the set screw to the screw holes so as to deform the pitch of the thread in an inlet portion of the screw hole.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, in which the piston fastened to a cylinder rod of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can be prevented from being loosened from the cylinder rod due to vibration occurring during the work. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a general hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder includes: 
         [0003]    a cylindrical tube  1  that is opened at both ends thereof; 
         [0004]    a cylinder rod  3  that linearly reciprocates in the tube  1  and includes a screw portion  2  formed at one end thereof; 
         [0005]    a piston  4  that is screw-fastened to the screw portion  2  and is configured to partition the inside of the tube  1  into a large chamber and a small chamber to form a pressure when the cylinder rod  3  reciprocates in the tube; 
         [0006]    a head cover  5  that prevents a hydraulic fluid from leaking through an opening formed at one side of the tube  1 ; and a cushion ring  6  that absorbs a mechanical shock of the piston  4  and the head cover  5  when the cylinder rod  3  is driven to extend to a maximum position. 
         [0007]    In the drawings, non-explained reference numerals  7  and  8  denote a head rod and a cover end that allow the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder to be rotatably mounted on an attachment of an excavator. 
         [0008]    The fixed position of the piston of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder should be always constant in order to secure a stroke to completely perform a function of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. 
         [0009]    Meanwhile, the excavator is mainly used in an environment where the work conditions are poor. The piston of the hydraulic cylinder is exposed to an propulsive force, a severe vibration, and a shock by a high-pressure hydraulic fluid repeatedly applied to the piston. 
         [0010]    For this reason, various loosening preventive mechanisms are used to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3 . However, a loss of torque of the piston  4  with respect to the screw portion  2  of the cylinder rod  3  frequently occurs due to the shock repeatedly applied to the piston  4 , and there is a high possibility that the internal parts of the hydraulic cylinder will be damaged due to the loosening of the piston  4 . 
         [0011]    Thus, hydraulic cylinder manufacturers employ the following methods as means for preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod after screw-fastening the piston to the cylinder rod: 
         [0012]    1) A method for fixing the piston using a set screw, a key or a bolt; 
         [0013]    2) A method for fixing the piston using a lock nut; 
         [0014]    3) A method for fixing the piston using a nylon nut; and 
         [0015]    4) A method for fixing the piston using a double nut of a left and right screw. 
         [0016]    As shown in  FIGS. 2(   a ),  3 ( a ) and  3 ( b ), a set screw for preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the prior art is configured such that after a piston  4  is screw-fastened to a screw portion  2  of the cylinder rod  3 , a screw hole  9  is axially formed in a mutual screw engagement portion of the cylinder rod  3  and the piston  4  and the set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with the screw hole  9 . 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 2(   b ), a set screw for preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the prior art is configured such that a piston  4  is screw-fastened to a first screw portion  3   a  of the cylinder rod  3  and a lock nut  11  formed integrally with the piston  4  is screw-fastened to a second screw portion  3   b  formed to have a diameter smaller than that of the first screw portion. In this case, a radial set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with a screw hole penetratingly formed in the lock nut  11  in a radius direction of the lock nut  11  so as to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIG. 2(   c ), a set screw for preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the prior art is configured such that a piston  4  is screw-fastened to a first screw portion  3   a  of the cylinder rod  3  and a lock nut  11  is screw-fastened to a second screw portion  3   b  formed to have a diameter smaller than that of the first screw portion. In this case, a set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with a screw hole penetratingly formed in the lock nut  12  in a radius direction of the lock nut  12  so as to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod. 
         [0019]    As described above, in the case where a torque of the set screw  10  additionally engaged with the screw hole to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3  is lost due to vibration applied to the piston  4 , the set screw  10  is loosened or is separated from a fixed position thereof, and thus a function of completely preventing the loosening of the piston  4  cannot be expected. 
         [0020]    For this reason, as shown in  FIGS. 3(   a ) and  3 ( b ), the piston  4  is screw-fastened to the screw portion  2  of the cylinder rod  3  and the set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with the screw hole  9  in an axial or radial direction in such a manner as to caulk an inlet portion of the screw hole  9  so as to completely prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), in the case where a worker strikes four points around the inlet portion of the screw hole to caulk the inlet portion into a depth of 1-3 mm using a punching tool, a striking force or a caulking position of the punching tool is not uniform or a problem associated with stability of caulking modification is caused. For this reason, the set screw  10  engaged with the screw hole  9  to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3  may be separated from the screw hole. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 3(   b ), in the case where the set screw  10  engaged with the screw hole  9  to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened or separated from the cylinder rod  3  is loosened from the screw hole or separated from a fixed position thereof, the internal parts of a hydraulic cylinder may be damaged to degrade a performance thereof. In addition, a problem is involved in that the hydraulic cylinder may be damaged, leading to physical losses or casualties during the work. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the aforementioned problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, in which the piston is fastened to a cylinder rod and a pitch of a screw thread of a remaining screw portion is modified after assembling a set screw for preventing the piston from loosened from the cylinder rod so that resistance of the piston against being loosened from the cylinder rod can be maximized owing to a relative pitch difference between a screw thread of an assembly portion and a screw thread of the remaining screw portion, thereby preventing the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod. 
         [0024]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, in which the piston is semi-permanently prevented from loosened from a cylinder rod so that damage of the internal parts of a hydraulic cylinder can be prevented and safety accidents and casualties occurring due to damage of the hydraulic cylinder during the work can be prevented. 
       Technical Solution 
       [0025]    To achieve the above object, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder including a tube, a cylinder rod that linearly reciprocates in the tube, the piston fastened to a screw portion of the cylinder rod, and a set screw that prevents the piston from being loosened from the cylinder rod, the method comprising the steps of: 
         [0026]    forming a screw hole in a mutual screw engagement portion of the cylinder rod and the piston and fasteningly engaging the set screw with the screw hole; and 
         [0027]    pressing a remaining space portion of the screw hole in an engagement direction of the set screw using a press mechanism after fasteningly engaging the set screw with the screw hole to modify a pitch of a screw thread of an inlet portion of the screw hole. 
         [0028]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the press mechanism may include: 
         [0029]    a hammer; and 
         [0030]    a press tool detachably mounted on the hammer, the press tool including a caulking guide portion coupled to a wrench hole of the set screw to secure a center position of caulking around the set screw and the screw hole during the caulking, and a stopper formed so as to extend from an inner end of the caulking guide portion to adjust a depth of the remaining space portion during the caulking. 
         [0031]    A pitch of a screw thread of the pressed remaining space portion is modified to be equal to at least ⅓ of the pitch of the screw thread of the screw hole. 
         [0032]    An impact hammer may be used as the hammer. 
         [0033]    A vibrator may be used as the hammer. 
         [0034]    A punching device may be used as the hammer. 
         [0035]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder including a tube, a cylinder rod that linearly reciprocates in the tube, the piston fastened to a first screw portion of the cylinder rod, a lock nut fastened to a second screw portion formed so as to extend from the cylinder rod, the second screw portion having a diameter smaller than that of the first screw portion, and a set screw that prevents the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod, the method including the steps of: 
         [0036]    penetratingly forming a screw hole in the lock nut in a radius direction of the lock nut and fasteningly engaging the set screw with the screw hole; and pressing a remaining space portion of the screw hole in an engagement direction of the set screw using a press mechanism after fasteningly engaging the set screw with the screw hole to modify a pitch of a screw thread of an inlet portion of the screw hole. 
         [0037]    The lock nut may be formed so as to extend integrally with the piston or may be formed so as to be separated from the piston. 
       Advantageous Effect 
       [0038]    The caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention as constructed above has the following advantages. 
         [0039]    The piston can be semi-permanently prevented from loosened from the cylinder rod through the modification of the pitch of the screw thread of the remaining space portion of the screw hole with which the set screw is fasteningly engaged for the purpose of preventing the piston from being loosened. In addition, damage of the internal parts of a hydraulic cylinder or the like can be prevented by preventing the piston from being loosened, and safety accidents and casualties occurring due to damage of the hydraulic cylinder during the work can be prevented. 
         [0040]    Besides, the caulking operation is performed using a hammering tool so that fatigue of a worker due to the caulking can be reduced and the caulking time can be shortened, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. 
         [0041]    Further, the caulking position of the press tool around the center of the screw hole with which the set screw is engaged can be accurately secured and the depth of the screw thread whose pitch is modified can be adjusted, thereby improving precision of the modification of the pitch of the screw thread of the remaining space portion during the caulking. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0042]    The above objects, other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing a general hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder; 
           [0043]      FIGS. 2   a  to  2   c  are schematic views showing a set screw for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the prior art; 
           [0044]      FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are schematic views showing a caulking operation for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the prior art; 
           [0045]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0046]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing a press tool used in a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0047]      FIG. 6  is a process flow chart showing a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0048]      FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b  are schematic views showing a state in which a set screw is fastened to a lock nut in a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     EXPLANATION ON REFERENCE NUMERALS OF MAIN ELEMENTS IN THE DRAWINGS 
       [0049]      10 : set screw 
         [0050]      15 : screw hole 
         [0051]      16 : remaining space portion 
         [0052]      17 : screw thread 
         [0053]      18 : screw thread 
         [0054]      19 : caulking guide 
         [0055]      20 : stopper 
         [0056]      21 ; press tool 
         [0057]      22 : lock nut 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0058]    Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The matters defined in the description, such as the detailed construction and elements, are nothing but specific details provided to assist those of ordinary skill in the art in a comprehensive understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed hereinafter. 
         [0059]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the present invention is directed to a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder including a tube  1 , a cylinder rod  3  that linearly reciprocates in the tube  1 , the piston  4  fastened to a screw portion  2  of the cylinder rod  3 , and a set screw  10  that prevents the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3 . 
         [0060]    The caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: 
         [0061]    axially forming a screw hole  15  in a mutual screw engagement portion of the cylinder rod  3  and the piston  4  and fasteningly engaging the set screw with the screw hole; and 
         [0062]    pressing a remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  in an engagement direction of the set screw using a press mechanism after fasteningly engaging the set screw  10  with the screw hole  10  to change a screw thread pitch of an inlet portion of the screw hole  15 . 
         [0063]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the press mechanism includes 
         [0064]    a hammer (not shown); and 
         [0065]    a press tool  21  including a shank portion  21   a  detachably mounted on the hammer, a body portion  21   b  formed so as to extend from the shank portion  21   a , a caulking guide portion  19  formed so as to protrude from one end of the body  21   b  and coupled to a wrench hole  10   a  of the set screw  10  to secure a center position of caulking around the set screw  10  and the screw hole  15  during the caulking, and a stopper  20  formed so as to extend from an inner end of the caulking guide portion  19  to adjust a depth of the remaining space portion  16  during the caulking. 
         [0066]    A pitch of a screw thread of the pressed remaining space portion  16  can be modified to be equal to at least ⅓ to ½ of the pitch of the screw thread of the screw hole  15 . 
         [0067]    The hammer that can be used in the present invention is an impact hammer. 
         [0068]    The hammer that can be used in the present invention is a vibrator. 
         [0069]    The hammer that can be used in the present invention is a punching tool. 
         [0070]    As shown in  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b , the present invention is directed to a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder including a tube  1 , a cylinder rod  3  that linearly reciprocates in the tube  1 , the piston  4  fastened to a first screw portion  3   a  of the cylinder rod  3 , a lock nut  22  fastened to a second screw portion  3   b  formed so as to extend from the cylinder rod  3 , the second screw portion having a diameter smaller than that of the first screw portion, and a set screw  10  that prevents the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3 . 
         [0071]    The caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: 
         [0072]    forming a screw hole  22   a  in the lock nut  22  in a radius direction of the lock nut and fasteningly engaging the set screw  10  with the screw hole  22   a ; and pressing a remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole in an engagement direction of the set screw  10  using a press mechanism after fasteningly engaging the set screw  10  with the screw hole  22   a  to modify a pitch of a screw thread of an inlet portion of the screw hole  22   a.    
         [0073]    As shown in  FIG. 7(   a ), the lock nut  22  can be formed so as to extend integrally with the piston  4 . 
         [0074]    As shown in  FIG. 7(   b ), the lock nut  22  can be formed so as to be separated from the piston  4 . 
         [0075]    In this case, a configuration of the caulking method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as that of the caulking method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, except that the set screw  10  that prevents the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3  is fastened to the lock nut  22 . Thus, the detailed description thereof will be omitted to avoid redundancy. 
         [0076]    Hereinafter, a use example of a caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0077]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the piston  4  is fastened to the screw portion  2  of the cylinder rod  3  and the screw hole  15  is axially formed in the mutual screw engagement portion of the cylinder rod  3  and the piston  4  (S 10 ). 
         [0078]    In step S 20 , the set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with the screw hole  15  so as to prevent the piston  4  from being loosened from the cylinder rod  3 . 
         [0079]    In step S 30 , the caulking guide portion  19  of the press tool  21  of which the shank portion  21   a  is mounted on the hammer is fittingly inserted into the wrench hole  10   a  of the set screw  10  through the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15 . 
         [0080]    In step S 40 , the remaining space portion  16  is pressed in an engagement direction of the set screw  10  due to the caulking of the press tool  2  mounted on the hammer so that a pitch of a screw thread  18  of the inlet portion of the screw hole  15  is modified. In this case, the modification amount of the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the remaining space portion  16  is determined by a thickness (t) of the stopper  20  of the press tool  21 , and the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is preferably modified to be equal to about ⅓ of a pitch of a screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . 
         [0081]    In this case, the caulking guide portion  19  of the press tool  21  is fittingly inserted into the wrench hole  10   a  after passing through the remaining space portion  16 , and thus the caulking position of the press tool  21  around the center of the screw hole  15  can be accurately secured and a striking force of the hammer can be maintained uniformly during the caulking of the press tool using an impact hammer, leading to an increase in the precision of the modification of the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the remaining space portion  16  during the caulking. 
         [0082]    As a result of a modification test of the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the inlet portion of the screw hole  15  after the set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with the screw hole  15 , the values listed in Table 1 below could be confirmed. 
         [0083]    In case of a test A, if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  is 1 mm and a modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is 0.7 mm, the pitch of the screw thread  18  is modified to be equal to about ½ of the pitch of the screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . Thus, it was confirmed that the set screw  10  can be loosened and mass production is impossible due to occurrence of a serious burr. 
         [0084]    In case of a test B, if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  is 3 mm and a modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is 0.8-1.2 mm, the pitch of the screw thread  18  is modified to be equal to about ⅓ to ½ of the pitch of the screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . Thus, it was confirmed that the value of the modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is desirable. 
         [0085]    In case of a test C, if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  is 4 mm and a modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is 0.8-1.3 mm, the pitch of the screw thread  18  is modified to be equal to about ⅓ to ½ of the pitch of the screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . Thus, it was confirmed that the value of the modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is desirable. 
         [0086]    In case of a test D, if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  is 2.5 m and a modified pitch of the screw thread  18  of the pressed remaining space portion  16  is 1.2 mm, the pitch of the screw thread  18  is modified to be equal to about ½ of the pitch of the screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . Thus, it was confirmed that mass production is impossible due to occurrence of a serious burr. 
         [0087]    As can be been in the modification test results of the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the inlet portion of the screw hole  15 , if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  exceeds 4 mm, a pitch is created which is not modified during the caulking due to an excessive depth of the remaining space portion  16 , resulting in a shift of the set screw  100  in the screw hole  16 . On the other hand, if the depth of the remaining space portion  16  of the screw hole  15  is less than 3 mm, the pitch of the screw thread  18  is modified to be equal to about ½ of the pitch of the screw thread  17  of the screw hole  15 . Thus, the set screw  10  can be loosened and a serious burr may occur. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 A 
                 B 
                 C 
                 D 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Depth (mm) 
                 1 
                  3 
                  4 
                 2.5 
               
               
                 of remaining 
               
               
                 space portion 
               
               
                 Modified 
                 0.7 
                 0.8-1.2 
                 0.8-1.3 
                 1.2 
               
               
                 pitch (mm) 
               
               
                 Max torque 
                 130 
                 150 
                 150 
                 120 
               
               
                 Caulking 
                 Mass production 
                 Excel- 
                 Excel- 
                 Mass production 
               
               
                 ability 
                 is impossible 
                 lent 
                 lent 
                 is impossible 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0088]    As described above, the remaining space portion  16  is caulked by the press tool  21  fitted into the wrench hole  10   a  of the set screw  10  after the set screw  10  is fasteningly engaged with the screw hole  15  so that the piston  4  can be semi-permanently prevented from loosened from the cylinder rod  3  due to a relative pitch difference between the screw thread  17  of an assembly portion to which the set screw  10  is fastened and the screw thread  18  of the remaining space portion  16  (i.e., the pitch of the screw thread  18  of the remaining space portion  16  is relatively smaller than that of the screw thread  17  of the assembly portion) 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0089]    In accordance with the caulking method for preventing a piston from being loosened in a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in accordance with the present invention as constructed above, the piston can be semi-permanently prevented from loosened from the cylinder rod through the modification of the pitch of the screw thread of the remaining space portion of the screw hole with which the set screw is fasteningly engaged for the purpose of preventing the piston from being loosened. In addition, the caulking operation is performed using a hammering tool so that fatigue of a worker due to the caulking can be reduced and the caulking time can be shortened. Further, the caulking position of the press tool around the center of the screw hole with which the set screw is engaged can be accurately secured and the depth of the screw thread whose pitch is modified can be adjusted. 
         [0090]    While the present invention has been described in connection with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, they are merely illustrative, and the invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is to be understood that various equivalent modifications and variations of the embodiments can be made by a person having an ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention should not be defined by the above-mentioned embodiments but should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8