APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HYDRAULICALLY FORMING JOINS BETWEEN TUBES AND TUBE SHEETS

摘要

A hydraulic swaging mandrel (10) with a cylindrical body (12) is inserted in the end portion of a steam generator tube (16) positioned in a bore in a tube sheet (18). To define the ends of an internal volume (24) between the mandrel body (12) and the tube (16), O-ring seal members (26) and (28) carried by the mandrel body (12) fit within the tube (16). To reduce frictional resistance by the seal members (26, 28) to insertion of the body (12) into the tube (16), the body (12) has conical ramp sections (34) and (36) tapering towards each other so that the seal members (26, 28) can lodge at the smaller diameter ends of these ramp sections (34, 36) while the body (12) is being inserted. One seal member (26) is driven to the smaller end of the section (34) by the frictional forces during insertion, and a spring (52) is provided on the body (12) to drive the other seal member (28) to the smaller end of the other section (36). When the mandrel body (12) is fully inserted, pressurised hydraulic fluid is forced into the annular space (24) between the seal members (26, 28) which are thereby driven back up the respective ramp sections (34, 36) to fixed positions defining the ends of the volume (24) to be expanded by radially outward deformation of the tube (16) into sealing contact with the surface of the bore in the tube sheet (18).