Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A rotopeening apparatus comprising a plurality of peening spindles, a rotary and orbital drive assembly coupled to the spindles, and an oscillatory drive means for reciprocating the spindles within the interior of an array of tubes is disclosed herein. Each peening spindle includes a rotatable mandrel connected to at least one peening flapper, as well as means for orbiting the mandrel peening flapper around the longitudinal axis of the tube. The rotary and orbital drive assembly includes an orbital driveshaft and a rotary driveshaft which are concentrically disposed with respect to one another and are detachably connectable to the rotatable and orbital mandrel of the peening spindle. Finally, the oscillatory drive assembly includes a frame having a translatable saddle plate for carrying and moving the rotary and orbital drive assembly within the frame, and four threaded rods journalled within the frame and coupled to a reversible motor which are screwed through nut assemblies fixed onto the corners of the saddle plate. As the reversible motor simultaneously rotates the threaded rods, the saddle plate translates and reciprocates the peening spindle detachably connected to the rotary and orbital drive assembly in 'riding nut' fashion. The apparatus is particularly useful in simultaneously rotopeening a plurality of heat exchange tubes mounted within the tubesheet of a nuclear steam generator.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim