Pipe perforating machine

Claim 2

A pipe perforating machine comprising: a. a frame, b. traverse rollers carried rotatably by said frame, said traverse rollers being adapted to support a pipe for movement in a direction parallel to its axis a distance greater than the length of said pipe, c. cooperating perforation cutting elements carried at a fixed position by said frame and operable to cut a line of perforations in the wall of said pipe during movement of said pipe, said cutting elements being disposed midway between the limits of movement of the pipe, whereby said pipe is disengaged from said cutting elements at each limit of its movement, whereby said pipe may be angularly indexed about its axis at each limit of its axial movement, so that another line of perforations will be cut therein by said cutting elements during the next successive pass of said pipe, d. power means operable to move said pipe in either direction, e. index rollers carried for rotation by said frame on axes parallel to said pipe, said index rollers normally not engaging a pipe supported by said traverse rollers, but being movable relative to said frame to an operative position in which they lift and support said pipe above saId traverse rollers, and f. means carried by said frame and operable to move said index rollers to and from said operative position.

Claim 3

A pipe perforating machine comprising: a. a frame adapted to support a pipe for movement in a direction parallel to its axis a distance greater than length of said pipe, b. cooperating perforation cutting elements carried by said frame at a fixed position midway between the limits of movement of the pipe, and operable to cut a line of perforations in the wall of said pipe during movement of said pipe in either direction, said pipe being disengaged from said cutting elements at each limit of its movement, whereby said pipe may be angularly indexed about its axis at each limit of its axial movement, so that another line of perforation will be cut therein by said cutting elements during the next successive pass of said pipe, and c. power means operable to move said pipe in either direction, said power means comprising an elongated bar extending parallel to said pipe, and carried by said frame for longitudinal movement, a pair of fingers carried by said bar at spaced apart points therealong and extending laterally therefrom, the ends of said pipe being engageable between said fingers, said fingers engaging the wall of said pipe in angularly offset relation from said cutting elements so as to be movable past said cutting elements without interference therebetween, and power means carried by said frame and operable to move said bar longitudinally, selectively in either direction.

Claim 4

A pipe perforating machine comprising: a. a frame adapted to support a pipe for movement in a direction parallel to its axis a distance greater than length of said pipe, b. cooperating perforation cutting elements carried by said frame at a fixed position midway between the limits of movement of the pipe, and operable to cut a line of perforations in the wall of said pipe during movement of said pipe in either direction, said pipe being disengaged from said cutting elements at each limit of its movement, whereby said pipe may be angularly indexed about its axis at each limit of its axial movement, so that another line of perforation will be cut therein by said cutting elements during the next successive pass of said pipe, and c. power means operable to move said pipe in either direction, said power means comprising an elongated bar extending parallel to said pipe, and carried by said frame for longitudinal movement, a pair of fingers carried by said bar at spaced apart points therealong and extending laterally therefrom, the ends of said pipe being engageable between said fingers, said fingers engaging the wall of said pipe in angularly offset relation from said cutting elements so as to be movable past said cutting elements without interference therebetween, and power means carried by said frame and operable to move said bar longitudinally, selectively in either direction.

Claim 5

A pipe perforating machine comprising: a. a frame adapted to support a pipe for movement in a direction parallel to its axis a distance greater than the length of said pipe, b. cooperation perforation cutting element carried by said frame at a fixed position midway between the limits of movement of the pipe, and operable to cut lines of perforations in the wall of said pipe during movement of said pipe in either direction, said pipe being disengaged from said cutting elements at each limit of its movement, whereby said pipe may be angularly indexed about its axis at each limit of its axial movement, so that other lines of perforations will be cut therein by said cutting elements during the next successive pass of said pipe, said cutting elements consisting of a plurality of pairs of cooperating cutter wheels, said pairs being angularly spaced apart relative to said pipe to engage the wall of said pipe at different parallel longitudinal lines thereof, said cutter wheels of each pair being adapted to roll respectively along the interior and exterior surfaces of the pipe wall during movement of said pipe, one of said wheels being toothed and the other having a recess adapted to receive said teeth, the radial projection of the teeth of said one wheel being such that a tooth thereof is always engaged in the recess of said other wheel, the interior cutter wheels of said pairs being carried rotatably by a cutter head affixed to one end of a push-pull beam extending longitudinally of and parallel to said pipe, and of greater length than said pipe, the remote end of said beam being affixed to and forming a portion of said frame, whereby said beam extends completely through said pipe when the latter is at one limit of its movement, and c. power means operable to move said pipe.

Claim 6

A pipe perforating machine comprising: a. a frame adapted to support a pipe for movement in a direction parallel to its axis a distance greater than the length of said pipe, b. cooperation perforation cutting element carried by said frame at a fixed position midway between the limits of movement of the pipe, and operable to cut lines of perforations in the wall of said pipe during movement of said pipe in either direction, said pipe being disengaged from said cutting elements at each limit of its movement, whereby said pipe may be angularly indexed about its axis at each limit of its axial movement, so that other lines of perforations will be cut therein by said cutting elements during the next successive pass of said pipe, said cutting elements consisting of a plurality of pairs of cooperating cutter wheels, said pairs being angularly spaced apart relative to said pipe to engage the wall of said pipe at different parallel longitudinal lines thereof, said cutter wheels of each pair being adapted to roll respectively along the interior and exterior surfaces of the pipe wall during movement of said pipe, one of said wheels being toothed and the other having a recess adapted to receive said teeth, the radial projection of the teeth of said one wheel being such that a tooth thereof is always engaged in the recess of said other wheel, the interior cutter wheels of said pairs being carried rotatably by a cutter head affixed to one end of a push-pull beam extending longitudinally of and parallel to said pipe, and of greater length than said pipe, the remote end of said beam being affixed to and forming a portion of said frame, whereby said beam extends completely through said pipe when the latter is at one limit of its movement, and c. power means operable to move said pipe.

Claim 7

A pipe perforating machine as recited in claim 3 wherein the axes of all of said pairs of cutter wheels are inclined diagonally to horizontal, whereby when said pipe emerges from said cutter wheels, the tendency of the cutter heat to drop due to the flexibility of said push-pull beam will bring a tooth of each toothed cutter wheel into engagement with a wall of the recess of its associated recessed cutter wheel, whereby any further dropping of the cutter head is arrested, and whereby any further rotation of said toothed cutter wheels is prevented.

Claim 8

A pipe perforating machine as recited in claim 4 wherein said toothed cutter wheels have circumferenCes so related to the length of said pipe as to provide that said toothed cutter wheels, provided they are properly angularly indexed before the initial engagement thereof by said pipe, will not cut perforations through either extreme end edge of the wall of said pipe.