IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE SONNENTHAL of 85 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London
Engineer trading as Selig Sonnenthal & Co do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS, to be as follows:-
The invention has reference to improvements in tools used to expand and fix
tubes in boilers and other vessels.
The objects of the improvements are to afford greater facility for effecting the
work of expanding the tube ends and fixing them in the plates of the vessel by
enabling one and the same implement to be used for expanding more than one size
of tubes and to gain other advantages.
The improved tube expander is constructed with a central stem, a screwed sleeve
rotating thereon and an outer shell or cylinder, into a corresponding screw thread
of which the screwed sleeve engages, said outer shell being formed as a cylinder of
more than one operating diameter and with each of these operating diameters
pierced with a series of slots or openings, in each of which is located a roller or
rollers of parallel or coned section against the inner sides of which the tapered
central stem presses and expands them through the openings in the shell or cylinder
at the different diameters throughout its length, under the forward pressure of the
screw sleeve and this expansion being communicated to the tube causes it to be
effectually expanded and fixed. This forward movement to the tapered central
stem is obtained by means of leverage applied to the screwed sleeve which by
collars or enlargements thereon carries forward the tapered stein and the stem itself
is rotated in a like manner. An adjustable gauge piece or ring carried by the butt
end of the shell serves to determine the prearranged extent of insertion of the
expander.
One form of the implement is as follows (but the number of the different
diameters more than one and the arrangement of the series of cooperative parts to
each of these different diameters may vary with circumstances), viz; A central
stem with squared end for applying rotative power a screwed sleeve about half its

page_text: length rotating freely on that stem, retained endwise thereon by a shoulder and a
fixed collar the other part of the stem formed tapered terminating with a shoulder
and plate or stop adapted to prevent entire separation of the parts of the implement.
An outer case or cylinder having three diameters, the first being the butt carrying
the adjustable ring guide the next smaller and the last smaller still, both being
pierced with openings having sides enlarging inwards three to each diameter,
each holding a roller and all these rollers rolling on the central coned or tapered
stem and to be protruded by it in its endway traverse to an extent limited by
the slots.

page_text: I GEORGE SONNENTHAL of 85 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London
Engineer trading as Selig, Sonnenthal & Co do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
The invention has reference to improvements in tools used to expand and fix
tubes in boilers and other vessels in which tubes are required to be so fixed.
The objects of the improvements are to afford greater facility for effecting the
work of expanding the tube ends and fixing them in the plates of the vessel by
enabling one and the same implement to be used for expanding more than one size
of tubes and thus to lessen the number of tools and to gain other advantages
whilst maintaining autonomy or inseparability of the parts of the implement
and avoiding liability of mislaying, or loss of members of the sets of cooperative
parts.
The accompanying drawings shew one of my improved tube expanders con-
structed with two diameters of tube or shell carrying the expanding rollers or
parts at A B. A being the lesser diameter and B the geater diameter Figure
being a longitudinal section. Figure 2 an outside view Figure 3 a cross section
and Figure 4 an end view of the implement.
This improved tube expander is constructed with a central stem a, a, screwed
sleeve b rotating thereon and an outer shell, or cylinder d into a corresponding
screw thread of which the screw thread 61 of the screwed sleeve b engages, said
outer shell & being formed as a cylinder of more than one operating diameter as
already mentioned at A B and with each of these operating diameters pierced with
three openings 1. 2. 3, or the number of these series of slots or openings may be
varied, and in each of these openings is located a roller e, or rollers of parallel, or
coned, section against the inner sides of which the tapered central stem a presses
and expands them through the openings 1. 2. 3 in the shell or cylinder d at A, B,
or the other different diameters, adopted throughout the length of the implement
under the forward pressure of the screw sleeve b and this expansion being com-
municated to the tube causes it to be effectually expanded and fixed. This forward
movement to the tapered central stem a is obtained by means of leverage applied
to the part 62, or an equivalent part of the screwed sleeve b which by collars, or
enlargements were constituted by a shoulder a' and a fixed collar b¹ thereon carries
forward the tapered stem a and this stem a itself is rotated in a like manner by
means of its squared end a² An adjustable guage piece, or ring f carried by the
butt end of the shell & serves to determine the prearranged extent of insertion of
the expander into the tubes to be expanded.
The form of the implement shown is capable of variation as to the number
of the different diameters more than one and the arrangement of the series of
cooperative parts to each of these different diameters may vary with circum-
stances in detail as for instance in place of urging the mauudril a forward by
a screw b, the maundril may work in a plain barrel or cylinder being hammered or
forced forward to its work.

page_text: The taper stem a terminates with a shoulder a³ and plate a pinned at a5 on the
stem a or other stop adapted to prevent entire separation of the parts of the
implement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction and use of a tube expander having in one and the same
implement two or more sets of expanding parts of different diameters as
at A, B adapted for use in expanding more than one size of tube substantially as
set forth.
2. In a tube expander the combination in one and the same implement of
parts adapted in use to form two or more expanders of distinctly different
diameters, arranged one diameter of lesser size before the other diameter of
larger size, or diameters of larger and increasing sizes, or in steps, each diameter
being pierced with three or more slots wherein rollers work, in order to adapt the
same for use in expanding, at will, different sizes of tubes without exchange of
parts being necessary as set forth.