How to use a mechanical expander correctly?

The mechanical expander for diameter expansion of steel pipes has many advantages: a steel pipe of constant inner diameter can be produced regardless of wall thickness and yield strength; mechanical expansion can expand walls, high yield strength and large diameter steel pipes; expanding the diameter of the short pipe without adjustment within the specified range, etc. However, beforehand, you should operate the mechanical expander correctly first.

The Content list:

1/ What is expanding

2/ The structure of a mechanical expander

3/ The guidance of mechanical expander maintenance

What is expanding

Primarily, the expander consists of a cylindrical horizontal housing with a rotating shaft with a screw-like shape. During the expanding process, the temperature may rise up to > 150°C starting from the ambient temperature. Due to a very short retention time of the product in the expander of approximately 1 minute, this heat treatment has hardly any negative impact on the product, in particular protein quality.

Upon discharge of the pressurized product into the atmosphere, intense flash evaporation of the water in the seed can be observed. The flash evaporation destroys some of the cellular structure of the seed thus giving access to the oil droplets within the seed and improving the oil yield in the subsequent oil separation process. The flash evaporation also creates new capillaries in the product to improve diffusion and mass transfer processes during solvent extraction. The capillaries make the product more porous, as it expands at the discharge of the machine. This phenomenon gave the machine and the process its name.

The structure of a mechanical expander

Mechanical expander consists of cylinder-piston assembly, cone, and dies. Piston reciprocates in the boom. Boom acts as a casing of the piston to protect it. Over the piston on the other side, there is an attachment of a cone that can easily assemble and dis-assemble from the piston.

Cone is having an angular cross-section that is nearer to 4 degrees or it can be made according to the requirement. Dies are attached to the cone with the help of liners. Liners facilitate die to reciprocate inside and outside. Grooves are provided on the cone where liners can be attached easily with the help of bolts. Liners are generally having a T cross-section over which dies can easily move forward and backward.

Hydraulic oil is supplied from the reservoir to the pump. The pump supplies hydraulic oil to the cylinder via a control valve, by which the piston can move forward and backward in the cylinder. A mechanical expander can expand the pipe from 1 mm to few centimeters. Hydraulic energy is converted to mechanical energy to perform the task in the case of an expander.

The guidance of mechanical expander maintenance

To make sure you are achieving the maximum tool life for your mechanical expanders, you should firstly ensure that the expanders stay clean and lubricated. If there are any visible signs of wear on the expander’s rolls and mandrel, replace these items immediately. The roll and mandrel must be well lubricated to prolong tool life. Another way to expand tool life is for each operator to use two expanders alternatively.

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