Apparatus for shaping the end of a tube

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSINGG A SETTABLE MATERIAL COMPRISING EXTRUSION MEANS INCLUDING A CORE FOR EXTRUDING MATERIAL TO THE FORM OF A HOLLOW TUBE; MEANS FOR URGING SAID MATERIAL THROUGH SAID EXTRUSION MEANS AT A DETERMINABLE SPEED; TREATING MEANS ADJACENT SAID EXTRUSION MEANS TO CAUSE MATERIAL EMERGING FROM THE LATTER TO SET AT LEAST IN PART; DRAWING MEANS TO ENGAGE THE MATERIAL TREATED BY SAID TREATING MEANS AND TO CONVEY THE MATERIAL AWAY FROM SAID EXTRUSION MEANS AT A SPEED HAVING A DETERMINABLE RELATIONSHIP TO SAID DETERMINABLE SPEED; CONTROL MEANS TO REGULARLY AND PERIODICALLY VARY SAID RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY AN ACCUMULATION OF SAID MATERIAL IS EFFECTED IN SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF THE EXTRUDED HOLLOW TUBE, SAID EXTRUSION MEANS COMPRISING MEANS ENGAGING THE HOLLOW TUBE THUS FORMED ALONG THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF TO FORM THE TUBE WITH A CONSTANT OUTER DIAMETER SUCH THAT THE ACCUMULATION OF MATERIAL IS FORMED ALONG THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TUBE AT REGULAR INTERVALS ALONG SAID TUBES; MEANS FOR SEVERING THE TUBE AT THE LOCATIONS THEREIN WHEREAT THERE IS AN ACCUMULATION OF MATERIAL TO THEREBY FORM A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR UNITS HAVING A UNIFORM OUTER DIAMETER AND AT LEAST ONE END WITH AN INCREASED THICKNESS; MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE UNITS ONE BY ONE; AND MEANS RELATED TO THE EXTRUSION MEANS FOR DEFORMING THE UNITS AT THE ENDS OF INCREASED THICKNESS IN RELATION TO THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID INCREASED THICKNESS TO PRODUCT UNITS EACH WITH WIDENED ENDS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME THICKNESS AS THE REMAINDER OF THE UNIT, SAID MEANS FOR DEFORMING THE UNITS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ANGULAR SPACED FIRST CORE SECTIONS DISTRIBUTED ABOUT A DETERMINABLE AXIS, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SECTIONS FOR MOVEMENT IN RESPECTIVE RADIAL PLANES RELATED TO SAID AXIS, SAID CORE SECTIONS BEING OF WEDGE-SHAPED CROSSSECTION, A PLURALITY OF SECOND CORE SECTIONS DISTRIBUTED ABOUT SAID AXIS, MEANS SUPPORTED THE SECOND CORE SECTIONS FOR MOVEMENT IN RADIAL PLANES RELATED TO SAID AXIS, SAID SECOND CORE SECTIONS BEING POSITIONED FOR INTERDIGITATION WITH THE FIRST CORE SECTAIONS TO CONSTITUTE A CORE, MEANS FOR RADIALLY DISPLACING THE SECOND CORE SECTIONS, INTO AND OUT OF POSITIONS FOR ENGAGING WITH THE FIRST CORE SECTIONS, AND MEANS TO MOVE THE CORE SECTIONS RELATIVELY ALONG SAID AXIS INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER.