Benteler Werke Ag

Hubertus Benteler

Egon Olszewski

Rainer Hansen

Ferdinand Wecker

Wolfgang Streubel

A method for the continuous production of exhaust pipes for automotive vehicles comprises the steps of continuously withdrawing an elongated substantially flat metal strip from a coil and subsequently bending and forming the moving strip into a longitudinally slitted tube strand. The opposite faces of the slitted pipe strand are then welded together and subsequently the pipe strand, while still moving, is severed into pipe sections of predetermined length and the pipe sections are then transferred to at least one bending apparatus for bending the pipe sections into exhaust pipes with predetermined bends; and an apparatus for carrying out the above method.

Method and apparatus for the production of exhaust pipes for automotive

A tube bending apparatus comprises an elongated mandrel having a length at least three times the length of a tube to be bent in the apparatus. A first mandrel holder is arranged at the rear end of the mandrel and a second mandrel holder is forwardly spaced from said first by a distance slightly greater than the length of a tube. Each of the mandrel holders comprises a pair of clamping jaws and a fluid operated cylinder-and-piston unit connected to each clamping jaw for alternatingly moving the clamping jaws of the first and the second mandrel holder between a closed position engaging the mandrel and an open position permitting a tube about the mandrel to be moved in axial direction by a plurality of transport rollers into an axially movable slide provided with a clamping collet so that a tube clamped in the region of the rear end thereof by the clamping collet is during forward movement of the slide moved into a bending mechanism arranged in the region of the front end of the mandrel and bent during operation of the bending mechanism. The bent tube is pushed out in forward direction from the mandrel while the collet is open as a second tube located between the second mandrel holder and the slide is moved into the latter to be clamped by the collet and a third tube located between the mandrel holders is transported between the slide and the second mandrel holder while the latter is opened and the first mandrel holder is closed.

Tube bending apparatus with elongated inner mandrel

A tube bending machine comprises a tube bending mechanism per se for bending a front portion of a tube inserted therein and fluid operated units for moving a mandrel in axial direction into the tube to be bent and for withdrawing the mandrel through a rear end of the tube after bending. A tube magazine is located to one side of the bending mechanism and a tube depositing station for receiving the bent tube is located at the other side thereof. A gripping and transfer apparatus is provided which includes two transversely spaced grippers on opposite ends of an arm movable in vertical direction, preferably by a fluid-operated cylinder-and-piston unit, and the whole gripping and transfer apparatus is movable on a horizontal guide rail with the grippers on the arms spaced from each other in such a manner that when the gripper and transfer apparatus is in the region of one end of the rail one of the grippers can grip a tube at a receiving station of the magazine and the other gripper a finished bent tube in the bending mechanism, while when the gripper and transfer mechanism is in the region of the other end of the guide rail the one gripper can place the one tube into the bending mechanism, while the other gripper places the finished bent tube onto the depositing station.

Tube bending machine with axially movable inner core

A safety steering column assembly for automobiles comprising a steering shaft of variable axial length for connecting a steering wheel with a steering gear mechanism. A portion of the steering shaft adjacent the steering wheel is surrounded by a guide and support tube in which a bearing for turnably supporting the steering shaft is mounted. The guide and support tube, in turn, is surrounded by a corrugated tube serving as an impact absorber in which the corrugations of the tube are compressed into a block to reduce the axial length thereof. The stiffness of the corrugations of the corrugated tube varies along the length of the latter and the end of the corrugated tube distance from the steering wheel is fixedly attached to the guide and support tube, whereas the other end adjacent the steering wheel is releasably attached by means of a bracket to a portion of the body of the automobile so that upon impact on the steering wheel, for instance when during an accident the body of the driver hits the steering wheel, the corrugated tube is stressed in tension, whereby the compressed corrugations of different stiffness are gradually extended to provide a gradually increasing impact absorbing force.

Safety steering column assembly for automobiles

Apparatus for forming a corrugated tube from a smooth walled starting tube comprises a pair of receiving mandrels aligned spaced from each other along a preferably vertical axis and movable toward and away from each other to be engaged in opposite end portions of a starting tube. The halves of split corrugation forming discs and the halves of an end member above the uppermost of the discs, coupled together for limited movement in axial direction, are respectively carried and guided for movement in axial direction by a pair of clamping jaws tiltable between an open position permitting to align a starting tube with the mandrels and a closed position closing the split discs and the split end member and fluid tightly clamping opposite end portions of the starting tube located about said mandrels respectively between one of the mandrels and the closed end member and between the other mandrel and the clamping jaws. A channel for introducing pressure fluid into the interior of the starting tube leads through the other mandrel, while a ventilating channel in which a ventilating valve is arranged serves to discharge air from the starting tube during introduction of pressure fluid thereinto. A fluid operated cylinder and piston unit cooperates with the end member and the receiving mandrel engaged thereby for moving both elements in axial direction towards the other mandrel to thereby offset the starting tube and to deform the same into a corrugated tube.

Apparatus for producing a corrugated tube

A method for series production of an outer column for a safety steering column for motor vehicles in which a first tubular blank is stepwise moved to a plurality of working stations in which the blank is deformed respectively punched to form a substantially smooth-walled protecting tube of the outer column. A second tubular blank is simultaneously moved to a working station in which it is transformed into a corrugated tube and subsequently the two tubes are fed against each other so that end portions of the tube overlap and the overlapping tubes are then welded together in a main welding station. Thereafter at least one pressed metal part is welded to one of the tubes at an auxiliary welding station. At least one control station is coordinated with at least one working station for the first tubular blank and at least one additional control station is coordinated with at least one of the welding stations for checking the work performed by the at least one working and the at least one welding station. After ascertaining of a faulty part in one of the control stations; at least operation of all working and welding stations upstream of the one control station is stopped under simultaneous arresting the part in the upstream working and welding station. Resuming of operation of the working and welding station is then permitted only after removing of the faulty part.

Method series production of an outer column of a safety steering column

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations of different configuration from a tubular blank of uniform diameter mainly comprises a central pin having a shaft portion fixed only at one end to a stationary support and having at the other end a radially enlarged head portion cooperating with radially inwardly movable clamping and forming jaws to clamp a portion of a tubular blank therebetween. The apparatus includes further a tubular member guided on the shaft portion of the central pin and movable in axial direction by hydraulically operated members cooperating therewith. The tubular member supports the blank on the inner surface of the latter and cooperates with a plurality of clamping fingers arranged axially spaced from the head portion about the outer periphery of the blank and being movable by a hydraulically operated clamping piston between a clamping and a releasing position, whereby between the head portion, one end of the tubular member and the clamped portion of the blank an annular expansion space is formed into which fluid under pressure is fed, to cause outward bulging of the blank between the clamped portion thereof. The above-mentioned hydraulically operated members comprise an upsetting cylinder connected at one end to the other end of the tubular member and including a radially enlarged portion in which the clamping piston is housed, and a corrugation cylinder cooperating with the upsetting cylinder for moving the latter between a rest position and an advanced position. In order to adjust the upsetting stroke and therewith the radial extension of the corrugations to be formed, a pair of annular discs are turnably, but axially immovably mounted on opposite ends of the corrugation cylinder and having a plurality of circumferentially displaced axial projections of different axial lengths which can be respectively brought into alignment with abutment members provided on the enlarged portion of the upsetting cylinder and the support.

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations of different

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations from a tubular blank of constant diameter comprises a central pin having a shaft portion fixed only at one end to a stationary support and having at the other end a radially enlarged head portion cooperating with radially inwardly moving clamping and forming jaws to clamp a portion of a tubular blank therebetween. The apparatus includes further a tubular member guided on the shaft portion of the central pin and movable in axial direction by hydraulically operated members connected thereto. The tubular member supporting a blank on the inner surface thereof and cooperating with a plurality of clamping fingers arranged axially spaced from said head portion about the outer circumference of the blank and movable by a hydraulically operated clamping piston between a clamping and a releasing position, whereby between the head portion, one end of the tubular member and the clamped portions of the blank an annular expansion chamber is formed into which fluid under pressure may be fed through bores in the central pin.

Growing community of inventors

Bielefeld, Germany

Hubertus Benteler