Width-expandable shoe for conduit bending apparatus and an associated method
A conduit bending apparatus having a shoe mounted for rotation about an axis and having an arcuate-shaped periphery defining an outwardly-opening groove having sidewalls for closely accepting the outer surface of a conduit desired to be bent utilizes a shoe comprised of a pair of platen half-sections which are joined in a side-by-side relationship and which collectively define the outwardly-opening groove. In addition, the groove has a width as measured laterally across the opening thereof, and the pair of half-sections are joined together in a manner which permits the pair of half-sections to be moved toward and away from one another to alter the width of the outwardly-opening groove so that the outwardly-opening groove can closely accept the outer surface of a conduit having a width which falls within a range of outer diameters.
1 . In a conduit bending apparatus having a conduit-bending shoe mounted for rotation about an axis and having an arcuate-shaped periphery defining an outwardly-opening groove having opposing sidewalls for accepting an outer surface of a conduit to be bent having a predetermined outer diameter and wherein the outwardly-opening groove has a width as measured laterally across an opening thereof and which is sized to accept the outer surface of the conduit so that by positioning the outwardly-opening groove of the conduit-bending shoe about the conduit so that the outer surface of the conduit is accepted by the outwardly-opening groove and then pressing the shoe against the conduit while rotating the shoe about the axis so that the outwardly-opening groove rolls along a length of the conduit, a bend is formed in the conduit, the improvement characterized in that:
the outwardly-opening groove is provided by a plurality of sections arranged adjacent each other and forming the arcuate-shaped periphery, said plurality of sections including two half-sections configured to move relative to each other along the axis;
the outwardly-opening groove has a width configured to expand to accept one conduit having a diameter which is greater than the predetermined outer diameter; and
the improvement further comprising biasing means for continually biasing the two half-sections toward each other, such that when the two half-sections are pressed against the one conduit, the two half-sections are forced to spread apart in opposition to a force of the biasing means.
2 . The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the two half-sections form the opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove and the opposing sidewalls are adapted to move toward and away from one another to accommodate an alteration in the width of the outwardly-opening groove.
3 . The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the width of the outwardly-opening groove is configured to expand by pressing the sidewalls of the groove against the outer surface of the one conduit, thereby forcing the opposing sidewalls of the groove to spread apart so that the width of the outwardly-opening groove accepts the outer surface of the one conduit; and
wherein the outwardly-opening groove has an imaginary mid-plane arranged substantially midway between the opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove, and one of the two half-sections is disposed on one side of the mid-plane, and the other of the two half-sections is disposed on an opposite side of the mid-plane.
4 . The improvement as defined in claim 3 wherein the two opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove having two opposing surfaces which, when the two half-sections are joined together, face one another.
5 . The improvement as defined in claim 4 wherein the one of the two half-sections defines one of the two opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove and the other of the two half-sections defines the other of the two opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove, and the two half-sections are joined to one another in a manner which accommodates movement of the two opposing sidewalls relative to one another to thereby alter the width of the outwardly-opening groove between an expanded condition and an unexpanded condition.
6 . The improvement as defined in claim 5 wherein the two half-sections define a set of aligned through-openings which extend through the two half-sections along a path which is substantially parallel to the axis of the shoe, and the two half-sections are joined together with a bolt having a shank which extends through the set of aligned through-openings.
7 . The improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein the biasing means includes a spring having a central opening through which the shank of the bolt extends and two opposite ends which are spaced from one another along the shank of the bolt, and the spring is adapted to resist compression forces acting upon the two opposite ends.
8 . The improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein the biasing means includes at least one spring washer having a central opening through which the shank of the bolt extends.
9 . In a conduit bending apparatus having a conduit-bending shoe which is mounted for rotation about an axis and having an arcuate-shaped periphery defining an outwardly-opening groove which extends there-along and having two opposing sidewalls for accepting an outer surface of a conduit to be bent having a predetermined outer diameter and wherein the outwardly-opening groove has a width as measured laterally across the opening thereof which is sized to accept the conduit so that by positioning the outwardly-opening groove of about the outer surface of the conduit and then pressing the conduit-bending shoe against the conduit while rotating the conduit-bending shoe about the axis of rotation so that the outwardly-opening groove rolls axially along the conduit, a bend is formed in the conduit, the improvement characterized in that:
the width of the outwardly-opening groove of the conduit-bending shoe is capable of expanding from an unexpanded condition toward an expanded condition for accepting a conduit having an outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined outer diameter; and
the shoe further includes biasing means for biasing the width of the outwardly-opening groove from the expanded condition toward the unexpanded condition.
10 . The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the conduit-bending shoe has an imaginary mid-plane which bisects the outwardly-opening groove between the opposing sidewalls thereof, and the conduit-bending shoe includes a platen half-section which is arranged on one side of the mid-plane and includes another platen half-section which is arranged on an opposite side of the mid-plane;
the platen half-sections collectively form the outwardly-opening groove which extends along the arcuate-shaped periphery of the conduit-bending shoe; and
the platen half-sections are joined together in a manner which accommodates a spreading apart of the platen half-sections at the outer periphery of the conduit-bending shoe so that as the platen half-sections are spread apart, the width of the outwardly-opening groove expands by a corresponding amount.
11 . The improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein the platen half-sections define at least one set of aligned through-openings which extend through the platen half-sections along a path which is substantially parallel to the axis of the shoe, and the platen half-sections are joined together with a bolt having a shank which extends through the at least one set of aligned through-openings and a nut which is threaded about the shank of the bolt.
12 . The improvement as defined in claim 11 wherein the biasing means includes a spring washer having a central opening through which the shank of the bolt extends.
13 . The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the biasing means includes a spring for continually urging the two opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove toward one another so that when the opposing sidewalls of the groove are urged against the outer surface of the conduit having an outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined outer diameter, the opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove are forced apart in opposition to a biasing force of the spring.
14 . The improvement as defined in claim 13 wherein the biasing means includes a plurality of spring washers which are positioned about the shank of the bolt which extends through the at least one set of aligned through-openings for acting between a head of the bolt and the nut.
15 . The improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein the platen half-sections define a plurality of sets of aligned through-openings which extend through the half-sections along paths which are substantially parallel to the axis of the shoe, and the platen half-sections are joined together with bolts wherein each bolt has a shank which extends through a corresponding set of the plurality of sets of aligned through-openings, and a nut is threaded about the shank of each bolt opposite a head thereof so that the platen half-sections are captured between the heads of the bolts and the nuts threaded thereon.
16 . The improvement as defined in claim 15 wherein the biasing means includes a plurality of spring washers which are positioned about the shank of each bolt which extends through a corresponding set of the plurality of sets of aligned through-openings for acting between the head of each bolt and each nut which is threaded about the shank of each bolt.
17 . The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the rotation of the conduit-bending shoe about the rotation axis is powered cordlessly.
18 . In a method for bending a cylindrical conduit with a conduit-bending shoe mounted for rotation about an axis and having an arcuate-shaped periphery defining an outwardly-opening groove having two opposing sidewalls for accepting an outer surface of a conduit to be bent having a predetermined outer diameter and wherein the outwardly-opening groove has a width as measured laterally across the opening thereof and which is sized to accept the outer surface of the conduit so that by positioning the conduit-bending shoe against the conduit so that the outer surface of the conduit is accepted by the outwardly-opening groove and then pressing the outwardly-opening groove of the conduit-bending shoe against the conduit while rotating the conduit-bending shoe about the axis so that the outwardly-opening groove rolls along a length of the conduit, a bend is formed in the conduit, the improvement characterized in that:
the step of pressing the outwardly-opening groove of the conduit-bending shoe against the conduit includes a simultaneous step of expanding the width of the outwardly-opening groove of the shoe to enable the groove to accept an outer surface of a conduit having a diameter which is greater than the predetermined outer diameter.
19 . The improvement as defined in claim 18 wherein the step of expanding the width of the outwardly-opening groove includes pressing the two opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove against the outer surface of the conduit having an outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined outer diameter thereby forcing the opposing sidewalls of the outwardly-opening groove to spread apart.