GB2124724A

GB2124724A - Compression end reducers

Info

Publication number: GB2124724A
Application number: GB08319597A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Muhammad Iqbal
Original assignee: Pegler Ltd
Current assignee: Pegler Ltd
Priority date: 1982-08-04
Filing date: 1983-07-20
Publication date: 1984-02-22
Also published as: GB8319597D0

Abstract

A compression fitting for making a fluid-tight connection to a hydraulic part such as a valve or tap includes a female socket part into which can be entered a male pipe part, a sleeve formation and means for imposing an axial compression on the sleeve formation. The compression end reducer constitutes the normal sleeve formation (14) and includes a major tubular part (18) which can be entered into the female socket part and a secondary tubular part (20) provided with a shoulder portion (28) and with an axially projecting thin-walled portion arranged to abut against a tunnel shaped end portion (26) of the major tubular part (18). The fitting may be used for a range of sizes of pipes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Compression end reducers The invention relates to so-called compression end reducers for compression fittings.

Compression fittings are widely used in order to make a fluid-tight connection to a hydraulic part such as a valve or tap, such a fitting including a female socket part into which can be entered the end of a male pipe part and also including a sleeve formation and means for imposing an axial compression on the sleeve formation so that at least a portion thereof adjacent the mouth of the socket part is deformed radially inwards to form a fluid-tight seal around the male pipe part.

Such fittings work effectively but it will be understood that a compression fitting can usually receive only one particular diameter of male pipe part. The object of the invention is to provide a compression end reducer for a compression fitting by means of which the fitting is adapted to receive a range of sizes of male pipe part.

According to the invention, there is provided a compression end reducer for a compression fitting, the reducer constituting the normal sleeve formation and including a major tubular part which can be entered into the female socket part and a secondary tubular part provided with a shoulder portion and with an axially projecting relatively thin-walled portion which is arranged to abut against a funnel shaped end portion of the major tubular part, the arrangement being such that, in use of the reducer, the means for imposing an axial compression on the sleeve formation act against said secondary tubular part and urge its relatively thin-walled portion along the funnel shaped end portion of the major tubular part so that said relatively thin-walled portion becomes inwardly deformed to form a fluid-tight seal around the male pipe part.The major tubular part and the secondary tubular part may initially be provided as a one piece compression end reducer, the two parts of the reducer being connected together by a frangible element. The angle of the contacting face of the shoulder portion of the secondary tubular part may be somewhat steeper than the angle of the flared mouth of the female socket part, this being so that when the fitting is assembled there is initially line contact around the outer edge of said shoulder portion.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is an axial section through a compression fitting incorporating a 2-piece compression end reducer embodying the invention, Figure 2 is an exploded view of the two pieces of the reducer before their assembly in the compression fitting, Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 and illustrating the fitting incorporating a one piece compression end reducer embodying the invention, and Figure 4 is an axial section of the one piece compression end reducer illustrated in Figure 3, drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Figure 3.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, the compression fitting there illustrated includes a female socket part 10 into which can be entered the end of a male pipe part 12 shown in chain-dotted lines. A sleeve formation generally indicated 14 is located in the female socket part as shown, and is acted upon at its outer end by a nut 16 which engages an external screwthread formed on the female socket part. However, it will be seen that in this case the sleeve formation is constituted by a compression end reducer provided in two separate parts, that is to say a major tubular part 18 which is entered into the female socket part and a secondary tubular part 20 with a shoulder portion 22 and an axially projecting relatively thin-walled portion 24 which is arranged to abut, as shown, against a funnel shaped end portion 26 of the major tubular part.An inner end of the major tubular part has an inturned shoulder portion 28 against which an inner end of a male pipe part can abut. It will be seen that at its outer end the major tubular part has a frusto conical shoulder portion 30 which bears against a flared mouth portion of the female socket part 10.

(The angle of the contacting face of the shoulder portion is somewhat steeper than the angle of the flared mouth of the female socket part, this being so that when the fitting is assembled, as shown in Figure 1, there is initially line contact around the outer edge of said shoulder portion. When the fitting is tightened, the sharp edge of said shoulder portion tends to bite into the flared mouth of the socket part to produce a fluid-tight seal at that point).

The arrangement is such that when the nut 16 is tightened, it acts against the shoulder portion 22 of the secondary tubular part 20 so that the latter is urged towards the major tubular part 18. Consequently, the relatively thin-walled portion 24 of said secondary tubular part is urged along the funnel shaped end portion 26 of said major tubular part so that it becomes inwardly deformed to form a fluid-tight seal around the male pipe part. As indicated by the chain-dotted lines in Figure 2, the relatively thin-walled portion of the secondary tubular part is capable of considerable plastic deformation so that, if necessary, it can form a fluid-tight seal around a male pipe part a good deal smaller than the nominal size of pipe part for which the compression fitting is intended, that is to say upon a male pipe part which is quite a loose fit in the major tubular part.

Thus, it will be seen that there is provided a compression end reducer for a compression fitting by means of which the fitting is adapted to receive a range of sizes of male pipe part, that is to say a range of sizes extending downwards from the nominal size for which the compression fitting is intended.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, this illustrates a compression fitting basically the same as that just described and in which the same reference numerals are used to indicate like parts.

However, in this case the fitting incorporates a one piece compression end reducer generally indicated 32 which to all intents is the major tubular part and the secondary tubular part of the first described embodiment connected together by a frangible element 34.

In Figure 3 the component part of the fitting are shown to be loosely connected together. When the nut is tightened, the frangible element 34 is sheared through and the separated parts of the reducer then act as in the first described embodiment. That is to say, as shown in chain-dotted lines in Figure 4, the two separate parts of the initially one piece compression end reducer are forced one against the other so that the relatively thin-walled portion 24 is urged along what has become the funnel shaped portion 26, said thin-walled portion then becoming inwardly deformed to form a fluid-tight seal around the male pipe part. Thus it will be seen that, in use, the one piece compression end reducer acts in just the same way as the first described embodiment so that by its use a compression fitting is adapted to receive a range of sizes of male pipe part.

Various other modifications may be made.

Claims

1. A compression end reducer for a compression fitting, the reducer constituting the normal sleeve formation and including a major tubular part which can be entered into the female socket part and a secondary tubular part provided with a shoulder portion and with an axially projecting relatively thin-walled portion which is arranged to abut against a funnel shaped end portion of the majortubular part, the arrangement being such that, in use of the reducer, the means for imposing an axial compression on the sleeve formation act against said secondary tubular part and urge its relatively thin-walled portion along the funnel shaped end portion of the major tubular part so that said relatively thin-walled portion becomes inwardly deformed to form a fluid-tight seal around the male pipe part.

2. A compression end reducer according to claim 1, in which the major tubular part and the secondary tubular part are initially provided as a one piece compression end reducer, the two parts of the reducer being connected together by a frangible element.

3. A compression end reducer according to either one of the preceding claims, in which the angle of the contacting face of the shoulder portion of the secondary tubular part is somewhat steeper than the angle of the flared mouth of the female socket part, this being so that when the fitting is assembled there is initially line contact around the outer edge of said shoulder portion.

4. A compression end reducer constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the acccompanying drawings.