Other

Eco-products, Inc.

Eco Products, Inc. a California Corporation

Stanley J Ellis

Donald H Siiter

A method and apparatus are for use in the manufacture of self-sealing reinforcement tie rods for reinforcing HVAC ducts, of the type including an elongated threaded rod having fastened inwardly of each end thereof an abutment structure comprising an elongated hollow tubular body having a bore therethrough for coaxially receiving the rod, the tubular body having a longitudinally inwardly located tubular crown portion for attachment to the rod, and a longitudinally outwardly located, radial outwardly protruding annular flange portion for abutting and bracing a duct wall. The apparatus includes a work plate having in the upper surface thereof a slot having a lower wall which slopes downwardly and radially inwardly towards the center of the work plate, on which are positioned a single file line of abutment structures, flange down. The inner radial end of the slot terminates in a generally semi-circularly-shaped end wall which defines with the lower slot wall of the slot a cavity for locating a single abutment structure coaxially over a pilot bore which protrudes downwardly from the lower slot wall. The apparatus includes at least a first pair of diametrically opposed ram punches having a radially inwardly directed line of action centered on the longitudinal axis of the pilot bore, and preferably a second pair of such ram punches rotated ninety degrees with respect to the first pair, each ram punch having at an inner longitudinal end thereof at least a first and preferably two vertically aligned chisel points. A linear actuator pivotably coupled by lever arms to outer radial ends of the ram punches reciprocally moves the ram punches. According to the method of the invention, a rod is inserted downwardly through an abutment structure into the pilot bore to a predetermined protrusion distance below the abutment structure flange, whereupon a sensor switch at the bottom of the pilot bore energizes the linear actuator to drive the ram punches radially inwardly to crimp the tubular portion of the abutment structures to the rod, and withdraw the punches after a predetermined time interval.

Method for manufacturing self-sealing reinforcement tie rods for HVAC ducts

A method for making air turning vanes each having formed therein a pair of locking protuberances which adapt the vanes to self-gripping attachment between a pair of rails to fabricate an air turning vane and rail assembly utilizes an elongated length of double plate airfoil vane stock including a front plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the plate, and a rear plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the rear plate. A vane of a desired length is severed from the vane stock, and the outer concave surface of the rear vane plate is impacted by a punch with sufficient force to deform from the inner surface of the plate a generally hemispherically-shaped button having a lower severed wall which forms a locking lip. The apparatus according to the present invention includes a guillotine-like shearing structure/vane stock support fixture which vertically slidably supports shear blade. The fixture has through front and rear walls thereof longitudinally aligned, crescent-shaped apertures for longitudinally slidably receiving vane stock. A pair of longitudinally aligned, downwardly pointing punches attached to the front and rear surfaces of the shear blade, rearward or upward from a wedge-shaped piercing point of the shear blade, are effective in forming a locking protuberance forward of the rear transverse edge of a severed vane, and a locking protuberance in the vane stock, rearward of the front transverse edge of the vane stock, when the shear blade is forced sharply downward to sever a vane from a length of vane stock.

Apparatus for making self-gripping air turning vanes

A method and apparatus are for use in the manufacture of self-sealing reinforcement tie rods for reinforcing HVAC ducts, of the type including an elongated threaded rod having fastened inwardly of each end thereof an abutment structure comprising an elongated hollow tubular body having a bore therethrough for coaxially receiving the rod, the tubular body having a longitudinally inwardly located tubular crown portion for attachment to the rod, and a longitudinally outwardly located, radial outwardly protruding annular flange portion for abutting and bracing a duct wall. The apparatus includes a work plate having in the upper surface thereof a slot having a lower wall which slopes downwardly and radially inwardly towards the center of the work plate, on which are positioned a single file line of abutment structures, flange down. The inner radial end of the slot terminates in a generally semi-circularly-shaped end wall which defines with the lower slot wall of the slot a cavity for locating a single abutment structure coaxially over a pilot bore which protrudes downwardly from the lower slot wall. The apparatus includes at least a first pair of diametrically opposed ram punches having a radially inwardly directed line of action centered on the longitudinal axis of the pilot bore, and preferably a second pair of such ram punches rotated ninety degrees with respect to the first pair, each ram punch having at an inner longitudinal end thereof at least a first and preferably two vertically aligned chisel points. A linear actuator pivotably coupled by lever arms to outer radial ends of the ram punches reciprocally moves the ram punches. According to the method of the invention, a rod is inserted downwardly through an abutments structure into the pilot bore to a predetermined protrusion distance below the abutments structure flange, whereupon a sensor switch at the bottom of the pilot bore energizes the linear actuator to drive the ram punches radially inwardly to crimp the tubular portion of the abutment structures to the rod, and withdraw the punches after a predetermined time interval.

Apparatus for manufacturing self-sealing reinforcement tie rods for HVAC ducts

Method for making self-gripping air turning vanes

An apparatus for assembling air turning vane and rail structures of the type having a plurality of turning vanes consisting of longitudinally spaced apart curved airfoil plates disposed between a pair of parallel upper and lower plate-like rails, and used to promote laminar air flow in heating, ventilating and air conditioning ducts, compresses an array of vanes between a pair of rails to interlock upper and lower transverse edges of the vanes with the upper and lower rails. The apparatus includes a work table for holding the lower rail of a vane and rail structure to be assembled, and lower and upper laterally disposed comb-like vane guides disposed above the work table provided with laterally spaced apart, vertically aligned pairs of slots, each adapted to receive a vane in an upstanding position above an intended fastening location in the lower rail. A ram plate driven downwardly by a linear actuator presses downwardly on an upper rail placed in position above the upper transverse ends of the vanes, causing the upper transverse ends of the vanes to lockingly engage with the upper rail, and to couple downward translational motion of the ram plate and upper rail into downward motion of the lower transverse edge walls of the vanes, causing the latter to lockingly engage the lower rail.

Apparatus for assembling air turning vane and rail structures

A tie rod for reinforcing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts against excessive wall flexure in response to positive and/or negative static or dynamic pressure differentials between the interior and exterior of the duct includes a threaded steel rod having a pair of abutment structures irrotatably fastened to longitudinally opposed end portions of the rod. Each abutment structure has a central coaxial bore which receives the rod, and includes a tubular portion terminated at an outer longitudinal end thereof by a transversely disposed, radially outwardly protruding annular flange. The bore wall of the abutment structure's tubular portion flares in an arcuate curve radially and axially outwardly to join the outer transverse wall surface of the flange, forming a tapered annular cavity between the bore wall and the end portion of the threaded rod protruding out from the abutment structures. An O-ring is slipped over each end portion of the threaded rod, the rod placed within a duct, and opposed ends of the rod inserted into respective ones of a pair of perpendicularly aligned perforations provided through opposed walls of the duct. A separate one of a pair of flare nuts is then tightened down onto the outer surface of each duct wall, compressing the O-ring between the inner surface of the duct wall and the outer transverse flange wall of the abutment structure, thus causing the O-ring to cold flow partially into the tapered annular cavity, and thereby forming a highly effective hermetic seal of each duct wall perforation.

Self-sealing reinforcement tie rod for ventilating ducts

An air turning vane and rail assembly for promoting laminar air flow in angled duct work transition sections includes longitudinally spaced apart air turning vanes transversely disposed between a pair of flat rails. Each turning vane is a hollow double-plate airfoil having a convex front airfoil plate, and a concave rear airfoil plate joined at their edges. Each rail has a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart, upstanding tabs each having an upper trapezoidally-shaped portion and a lower rectangularly-shaped pedestal portion. Each tab has a pair of laterally opposed, outwardly and downwardly angled edge walls, each joined at its lower end to a vertically disposed pedestal edge wall. The width of the pedestal is greater than the maximum lateral spacing between the front and rear airfoil plates. Thus, when a rail tab is inserted into an entrance opening between front and rear vane plates, wedging action of the angled tab side walls on the inner surfaces of the plates deforms the end portions of the plates to a flatter, less curved contour, causing the vane to firmly grip the tab. A protuberance protruding forward from the rear airfoil plate towards the front airfoil plate snaps into an aperture provided through the tab near its base, when a vane is pushed down on a tab sufficiently far, causing locking engagement in addition to a gripping engagement between vane and rail.

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Orange, CA, United States of America

Stanley J Ellis