External Deburring of Welded Pipe

Abstract

An external weld bead is removed and processed from a welded pipe traveling in a downstream direction. The weld bead is separated from the pipe, guided through a guide passage having an inlet and an outlet, and cut into pieces at the guide passage outlet in a location above the pipe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus to remove and process an external weld bead from a welded pipe traveling in a downstream direction, comprising:
 a first cutter to separate the external weld bead from the welded pipe;   a guide including a passage to guide the separated weld bead from the first cutter and having an inlet adjacent the first cutter and an outlet located above the inlet;   a movable, second cutter located above the first cutter; and   an actuator to reciprocate the second cutter to cut the separated weld bead into pieces between the second cutter and the stationary cutting tool.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a stationary cutting tool carried by the guide at the guide passage outlet. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the stationary cutting tool is of a circular ring-shape. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the second cutter is spaced downstream of the first cutter in the downstream direction of travel of the pipe. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a first support body carrying deburring tooling including the following elements: the first cutter, the guide, the stationary cutting tool, the second cutter, and the actuator. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a second support body to carry the first support body and an actuator to move the bodies vertically. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the guide passage inlet generally corresponds to the separated weld bead and the guide passage outlet is transversely offset with respect to the guide passage inlet to permit the pieces to fall away from the pipe, and wherein the first support body includes an upstream end to support the first cutter, and an outboard side including an a downstream end to support the second cutter. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5  further comprising a tool holder to hold the first cutter and that includes a tool holder passage corresponding to the guide passage and through which the separated weld bead flows, wherein the first support body includes an upstream end to support the tool holder, which is adjustably coupled to the upstream end, and further comprising an adjustment apparatus coupled between the first support body and the tool holder to adjust the tool holder, and including an adjustment shaft and an adjustment wheel rotatably supported on the first support body by a block coupled to the first support body, wherein the adjustment wheel is threadingly engaged on the adjustment shaft, which is coupled at one end to the tool holder. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 5  further comprising a depth setting device coupled to a downstream end of the first support body, and including a yoke adjustably coupled to the first support body, and a guide roller rotatably coupled to the yoke, and further comprising an adjuster coupled to the first support body to adjust the yoke. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second cutter includes an aperture through which the pieces may pass, and wherein the second cutter includes a cutting blade adjacent the aperture. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first cutter includes a cutting edge and a guide feature downstream of the cutting edge to direct the separated weld bead downstream over the first cutter. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a first support body;   a second support body coupled to the first support body;   deburring tooling carried by the second support body, and including:
 a first cutting device to separate an external weld bead from a welded pipe, 
 a guide including a passage to guide the separated weld bead away from the first cutting device and having an inlet and an outlet, 
 a second cutting device to receive the separated weld bead from the guide and cut the separated weld bead into pieces at a location above the guide passage inlet, 
   an actuator coupled to the first support body to move the deburring tooling vertically with respect to the pipe.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the second cutting device includes:
 a movable, second cutter located above the guide passage inlet; a stationary cutting tool carried by the guide at the guide passage outlet; and another actuator to reciprocate the second cutter. 
 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the stationary cutting tool is a circular ring. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the second cutting device is spaced downstream of the first cutting device in the downstream direction of travel of the pipe. 
     
     
         16 . A weld deburring apparatus comprising a machine frame and the apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the actuator is coupled between a portion of the machine frame and the first support body. 
     
     
         17 . A method of removing and processing an external weld bead from a welded pipe traveling in a downstream direction, comprising:
 separating the weld bead from the pipe so that the separated weld bead is not disposed at an acute angle with respect to the weld bead on the pipe;   guiding the separated weld bead through a passage of a guide, wherein the passage includes an inlet and an outlet; and   cutting the separated weld bead into pieces at the guide passage outlet in a location above the pipe.   
     
     
         18 . The method set forth in  claim 17  wherein the separating step includes allowing the separated weld bead to flow downstream at an obtuse angle with respect to the weld bead on the pipe. 
     
     
         19 . The method set forth in  claim 17  wherein the guiding step includes guiding the separated weld bead above the pipe and in the downstream direction of travel of the pipe, and wherein the cutting step includes cutting the separated weld bead at a location spaced downstream of the guide in the downstream direction of travel of the pipe and between a movable cutter and a stationary cutting tool carried by the guide at the guide passage outlet. 
     
     
         20 . A pipe produced by the method set forth in  claim 17 .