FR3072245A1 - ANIMAL DRINKING FACILITY - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a watering device comprising a nozzle (20) implanted in the ground and a drinking trough (10) fixed to the top of the nozzle (20) by means of an insertable fastening flange (30). in an upper opening of the nozzle (20), said flange (30) being a single piece with the drinking trough (10). It also relates to a method of fixing the drinking trough (10) on a nozzle (20) using such a flange (30).

Description

The present invention relates to an installation for drinking trough for animals and also relates to a method for fixing the drinking trough to a nozzle made of concrete or synthetic material.

It therefore relates to the field of devices for watering animals and more particularly the drinkers which are secured on the upper end of a cylindrical nozzle itself fixed vertically in the ground, such a nozzle accommodating, internally, in particular the means for connecting the drinker to a water supply network. The installation basically comprises mainly a nozzle implanted in the ground and a drinker fixed to the top of said nozzle.

It is currently widely known to use drinkers overcoming the end of such nozzles, whether these are made of synthetic material or concrete, nozzles that can moreover adopt different diameters in particular according to their constituent material. The nozzles are installed in the ground, outdoors on grazing land or inside livestock buildings. The part sunk into the ground gives access to a water supply network to which the drinking trough fixed to the upper end of the nozzle can be connected by means of specific connection means. Depending on the case, the installations are also connected to the electricity network.

Usually, the drinker is fixed to the nozzle by means of a suitable fixing flange consisting of an independent piece attached to the upper end of the nozzle, the drinker itself being fixed to said flange. .

With regard to the operating mode, the operator first positions the flange above the nozzle for a preliminary phase of positioning of the nozzle and the flange. The latter comprises fixing lugs intended to extend, as the case may be, internally or externally in or around the nozzle, said lugs comprising openings for the passage of fixing screws. The operator spots the correct positioning of these openings on the nozzle before drilling through the latter.

Once this drilling has been carried out, it reposition the flange on the nozzle, install the fixing screws passing simultaneously through the flange fixing lugs and the wall of the nozzle, then tighten these fixing screws using nuts generally positioned on the inside of the nozzle.

Then, after the connection to the water network, or even to the electrical network, of the drinker has been made, it is positioned and fixed on the flange.

It is easily understood that this fixing flange, necessary to attach and secure a drinking trough above such a nozzle, constitutes an additional part representing a non-negligible manufacturing cost. This does not take into account that the operator must comply with two fixing and screwing operations, one to secure the flange to the nozzle, the other to bring the drinker back onto the flange, these operations representing an exposure time not negligible, with the additional risk of losing the screws and other nuts.

It should also be taken into account that, for the same nominal external diameter, the internal diameter of a nozzle made of synthetic material is often smaller than the internal diameter of a concrete nozzle. This results from a wall thickness which is smaller for a concrete nozzle than if the nozzle is made of synthetic material, for obvious reasons of strength and mechanical strength.

Therefore, to guarantee proper centering of the drinker on nozzles of different types, it is essential for the manufacturer to offer two types of flanges: one more suited to synthetic material nozzles while the other is dedicated to concrete nozzles. Failing this, manufacturers must plan and make available suitable centering rings, allowing the drinkers to be adapted to all types of nozzles.

It has already been imagined, moreover, to pre-equip the lower part of a drinker with a positioning flange intended to come, as the case may be, to fit into or on a nozzle. The fixing is then ensured, exclusively, via fixing screws taking in the thickness of the material of this flange or of the nozzle, according to the nature of said material.

In fact, when the nozzle is made of synthetic material, it is generally designed with a double wall and hollow inside, and therefore does not offer sufficient grip for screw threading.

But in the event of attachment to the flange, it is advisable to pre-equip said flange with tapped holes, which poses the problem of the drilling precision to be produced at the nozzle to guarantee the correct positioning of these holes. at the locations of the tapped holes in the flange. In addition, in this case, the flange must necessarily be made of a metallic material of suitable thickness to offer a sufficient fixing grip to the fixing screws fixed from outside the nozzle.

Note, moreover, that being exposed to corrosion, these flanges are, most of the time, designed in aluminum, which only increases their manufacturing cost.

In reality, the previous solutions, for all these reasons and in particular due to the existence of separate nozzles (made of different materials), require components and solutions specific to each assembly, complicating the operations for the assemblers, and leading too often at mounting times far from negligible.

The solution according to the invention remedies this state of the art by proposing an innovative configuration which overcomes the shortcomings presented by considerably simplifying the structure of the installations, with the immediate corollary of a substantial reduction in assembly operations.

For these purposes, the drinking water installation of the invention, conventionally comprising a nozzle implanted in the ground and a drinking trough fixed to the top of the nozzle by means of a fixing flange insertable in an upper opening of the nozzle, is such that said flange is in one piece with the trough.

The separate part which until now has constituted the fixing flange, which required a double operation of joining on the one hand to the trough and on the other hand to the nozzle, whatever it is, disappears. From an economic point of view, the cost of manufacturing a single piece, which is in a way universal, turns out to be much more favorable than the preceding scheme, which requires the design and manufacture of a drinker and fixing components specific to the nozzles used. The single flange coming in one piece with the drinker therefore displaces the problem of adaptability to different nozzles, in particular of concrete or synthetic material, to the fixing solutions used.

In this regard, according to the invention, the installation comprises a plurality of systems for fixing the flange to the nozzle distributed over their periphery, each system having first fixing means linked to the flange and second fixing means linked to the nozzle, said means being able to cooperate with a view to fixing from one to the other, said first fixing means being of reversible arrangement with respect to a peripheral partition of the flange inserted in said opening and being dimensioned for form, in one of their arrangement relative to the partition, spacer between the outer surface of said partition and the inner surface of the

opening

the fixing means themselves, without other words,

spatially structured, can be

achieve

organized adaptation to

as soon as the above nozzles. A single drinker / flange assembly when fixed to the top of the different nozzles, the connection resulting from an arrangement of the fixing means

considered.

first

with precisely behave,

cooperative

flange and are reversible fastening to the partition of the located at an orifice made in said partition,

for

a screw

constituting the second fixing means, passing through the wall of the nozzle along a conduit coaxial with said orifice of the partition.

The fixing is therefore done by bolting and comprises a through screw, as in the devices of the prior art, and an internal nut cooperating with said screw, the position of which relative to the partition of the flange is capable of being

a possible configuration,

nut,

behave

second

second nuts

placed

the

other of the hole made in the bulkhead of the first nut having a

flange claws,

a

fitted partition

suitable external thread

screwing into the internal thread of the second nut, which is pressed in the tightening phase against the other face of the partition.

The nut provided for fixing, the main one, in cooperation with the screw, is easy to fix by driving the claws into the internal or external face of the peripheral partition of the flange, which amounts to orienting its threaded body respectively towards the 'outside or inward of said flange. The second nut, positioned on the other side of the partition, extends and therefore protrudes in a radial-looking orientation also inward or outward from the flange.

Preferably, the second nut has a base and is positioned relative to the flange with said base in abutment against the internal face of the partition when it is inside the flange, or against or in the vicinity of the internal face. nozzle when it is outside the flange. In essence, the base rests against the internal face of the partition when the second nut is placed inside the flange, but it does not bear against the external face of the same partition when the second nut is positioned. outside the flange. The base is then on the contrary positioned at a distance from the partition and can make it fully play its role of spacer, in support or at least in the vicinity of the internal face of the wall of the nozzle.

According to one possibility, in particular linked to mechanical strength and resistance requirements, the peripheral partition of the flange has a grooved profile and, in this case, the fixing systems are applied to the protruding portions between the grooves.

The drinker also has marks distributed on its periphery and located in the vicinity of the upper edge of the nozzle when the flange is inserted into the nozzle, said marks being drawn in line with the midpoints of the protruding portions of the bulkhead of the flange. so as to identify the latter even when the drinker is inserted via the flange into the upper opening of the nozzle, state in which the grooves are invisible.

The invention also relates to a method of fixing a drinker to a nozzle located on the ground in an installation in which the drinker is fixed to the nozzle by means of a flange in one piece with the drinker as described before.

Depending on the nature of the material constituting the nozzle, the thickness of the peripheral wall of said nozzle changes, as previously mentioned, which leads to a difference in internal diameter. The drinker being in one piece with a single configuration flange, the assembly is not the same depending on the type of nozzle considered.

The operator is therefore led to adapt the assembly to the existing nozzle, according to the following methods:

- Mapping of the marks of the drinker with marks on the outer face of the wall of the nozzle in at least a plurality of selected locations on the periphery of the nozzle;

- Drilling at said locations on the periphery of the nozzle, including drilling the partition of the flange;

- If the respectively external flange and internal diameter of the nozzle have a differential greater than a predetermined threshold, fitting of the first and second nuts in an arrangement forming a spacer between the partition and the nozzle;

- Otherwise, reverse positioning of said first and second nuts without spacer arrangement;

- Placement of screws in the locations that have been drilled;

- Fixing of the drinker on the nozzle at the level of the flange by tightening the screws in the nuts.

In fact, in the case of a polyethylene nozzle, the operations are carried out more precisely as follows:

- Mapping of the marks of the drinker with the mouths of the conduits appearing on the external face of the wall of the nozzle;

Drilling of the partition of the flange in using the conduits as gun of drilling to the selected locations; Implementation of the first and second nuts according to a

compact arrangement comprising the first nut oriented towards the inside of the flange.

The external diameters of the flange and internal of the nozzle are in this case, as will be seen more precisely in particular with reference to the figures, neighbors and this arrangement of the nuts is the only possible.

In the hypothesis of a concrete nozzle, on the contrary, these diameters are significantly different and, in this case, the following methods of assembly are to be expected:

- Mapping of the marks of the drinker with marks to be traced on the external face of the wall of the nozzle at the selected locations, at a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the nozzle;

- Drilling at these locations of the wall of the nozzle and, then, of the partition of the flange;

- Installation of the first and second nuts in a spacer arrangement comprising the first nut oriented towards the outside of the flange.

This arrangement allows, as will be more apparent hereinafter, to better center the flange in the opening of the concrete nozzle despite the difference in diameter, and also to use the same lengths of screws for mounting.

To allow mounting of the nuts, the diameters of which are obviously greater than the screws, the holes in the partition of the flange are then generally the subject of a second drilling of greater diameter, then of deburring.

The invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended figures, which represent nonlimiting examples of implementation of the invention, and for which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a watering installation according to the invention;

- Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a flange, the fixing means being mounted to cooperate with a polyethylene nozzle;

- Figure 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of said flange attached to a polyethylene nozzle, in the "compact" manner appearing in Figure 2;

- Figure 4 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a flange drinker in one piece according to the invention attached to a polyethylene nozzle;

- Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a flange intended to cooperate with a concrete nozzle, the arrangement of the fixing means being provided accordingly;

- Figure 6 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the flange, with the fixing means arranged according to the previous figure, fixed to a concrete nozzle; and

- Figure 7 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a one-piece flange drinker according to the invention attached to a concrete nozzle.

Referring to Figure 1, which aims to show the overall structure of an installation according to the invention, the drinker 10 itself is mounted on a nozzle 20 by means of a flange 30 which is, in the hypothesis of the invention, in one piece with the drinker 10. According to one possibility,

this drinker

molded synthetic material and, in this case, the flange 30 is molded with

trough

eminently

economic terms

to produce that in become

solutions of the prior art are much cheaper with two separate parts. A first mold would then have to be designed for the upper trough, then two molds - in the hypothesis of two nozzles for example of polyethylene and concrete - for the flanges, whereas a single mold is now sufficient. FIG. 1 represents a concrete nozzle 20, on which the single form of drinking trough 10 provided with its flange 30 is fixed from above, according to methods which will be more precisely considered with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

The fixing of the same single piece 10-30 to a polyethylene nozzle 20 is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Thus, the flange 30 is in this case fixed to the nozzle 20 via identical fixing systems placed on the periphery at the times of the flange 30 and of the nozzle 20, at the locations shown in FIG. 2. These are not regularly distributed over the periphery but may depend on additional parameters, in particular practicality, for example the ease of access to the points of fixing, in order to improve the convenience of mounting. In the figures, the assembly is ensured by four fixing systems, one of which is shown in exploded representation to better specify its composition. These fastening systems actually comprise, on the one hand, members linked to the flange 30, essentially a first nut 40 (shown enlarged in FIG. 2) with claws 41, a second nut 42 with base 43 and a washer 44.

They also have members linked to the nozzle, in this case a screw 50 and a washer 51 (see in particular in FIGS. 3 and 4). These fixing means cooperate by forming a bolt allowing fixing by bolting of the flange 30, and therefore of the drinker 10, to the nozzle 20.

When assembled, the members linked to the flange 30 are such that the body of the nut 40, having an internal thread allowing the screw 50 to be screwed, is oriented towards the inside of the flange 30, as shown Figure 2, the base with the claws 41 then being disposed outside of the fluted partition 31 of the flange 30. The second nut 42 and its washer 44 are placed inside the partition 31, the base 43 being supported on the washer 44, that is to say towards the internal face of the partition 31. When mounted, this “complex” nut is compact and has a useful thread (for the screw 50) which is re-entrant.

This arrangement is particularly well suited to the polyethylene nozzles 20 which are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the peripheral wall of which is hollow and which have an internal diameter smaller than that of the concrete nozzles, for example, in particular for reasons of resistance. and mechanical strength. In this case, the nuts 40 42, assembled on either side of orifices 46 drilled in a slightly wider upper part of the flange 30 (see in FIGS. 3 and 4), are practically in contact with the internal face. of the nozzle 20. This in practice means that the useful threading of this complex nut, in this case that of the first nut 40, is immediately in the continuity of the conduit 22 through which the screw 50 passes through the upper peripheral wall 21 of the nozzle 20. It will be noted that the bolts are made at the level of the protruding portions of the partition 31 located between the grooves, portions which are closest to the internal face of the nozzles and in this case define the outside diameter of the flange 30. These portions are slightly curved and allow precise centering of the flange 30, and therefore of the drinker 10, relative to the nozzle 20. Markers 11 are also placed outside the wall of drinker 1 0, allowing the orifices 46 formed in the partition 31 of the flange 30 to coincide with the conduits 22 passing through the wall 21 of the nozzle 20.

The nozzle 20 is immediately manufactured with its conduits 22 for passing the screws 50, but the partition 31 is not pierced with the orifices 46 at the time of molding. It is therefore necessary to align the outer mouth of said conduits 22 with the marks 11, when the drinker 10 is well centered on the nozzle 20, then use these conduits 22 as a drilling gun for drilling the orifices 46. The diameter of the orifices 4 6 of the partition 31 is then optionally adjusted by a larger hole.

Once the nut 40 / washer 44 / nut 42 assemblies mounted on either side of the orifices 46, and the relative positioning of the drinker 10 / nozzle 20 carried out using the markings 11, it is sufficient to screw the screws 50 after having positioned the washers 51. The fixing operations using the four fixing systems thus described are simple and take only a few minutes.

This is no more complicated with a concrete nozzle whose inner diameter is greater than the previous one, the fixing methods coming out from Figures 5 to 7. Exactly the same mechanical components as above are used, which consequently benefit from the same reference numbers . There is however a difference in mounting in that when they are assembled, the fixing members linked to the flange 30 are such that the body of the nut 40, having an internal thread allowing the screw 50 to be screwed in, is now oriented towards the outside of the flange 30, as shown in FIG. 5. The base of the nut 40 provided with claws 41 is this time placed inside the fluted partition 31 of the flange 30, then that the second nut 42 and its washer 44 are now placed outside the partition 31. In this case, the base 43 is located opposite the washer 44, towards the internal face of the wall 21 of the nozzle 20, in support or in any case in the vicinity of said internal face. When assembled, the "complex" nut is no longer as compact as in the previous assembly, intended for the polyethylene nozzles, and on the contrary forms a sort of spacer between the respectively external faces of the partition 31 and internal of the upper wall 21: the “useful” thread (for the screw 50) is now outgoing, which is understandable since it is a matter of “making up” the difference between the respective dimensions of the outside diameter of the flange 30 and inside of the concrete nozzle 20. The same screws are used, and it is therefore not useful to bother with different types of screws. With the exception of the nozzle 20, the material used in the two cases is strictly the same, which is clearly one of the advantages of the invention since the operator only has to bring the same kit in any circumstance, without being obliged to select components according to the type of installation to be fitted, at the risk of making a mistake.

In the case of concrete nozzles, the bolts take place in a slightly narrower lower part of the flange 30 (see in FIGS. 6 and 7) and are always made at the level of the protruding portions between the grooves of the partition 31, which this time define flats no longer having a centering function. In addition to the holes 46 to be made in the partition 31, it is also necessary in this case to perforate the upper wall 21 of the concrete nozzle 20 to make the passages for the screws 50. The marks 11 are again used when the drinker 10 is well centered on the nozzle 20, then marks are drawn in line with the markers 11 at the locations to be perforated, at a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the nozzle 20, before drilling the wall 21 of the nozzle 20 and, then, from the partition 31. The diameter of the orifices 46 of the partition 31 is then optionally adjusted in the direction of widening, by means of a drill of larger diameter. As for the assembly already described with reference to polyethylene nozzles, when the nut 40 / washer 44 / nut 42 assemblies are fixed on either side of the orifices 46, it suffices to carry out the relative positioning of the drinker 10 / nozzle 20 at by means of the marks 11, then screwing the screws 50 after positioning the washers 51.

The operations leading to the mounting of a drinker on a nozzle are, in all cases, easy and quick to carry out, for example by being limited to four fixing locations distributed around the periphery of the installation, by means of four systems. fixing according to the invention.

This is not limited to the examples described with reference to the figures, which are only possibilities of nonlimiting implementation of the invention, which also includes the configuration variants in terms of bolting as well as non-material mentioned for the nozzles, as long as they are suitable for mounting such an installation.

Claims (10)

1. Drinking trough installation comprising a nozzle (20) located in the ground and a trough (10) fixed to the top of the nozzle (20) by means of a fixing flange (30) insertable in an upper opening of the nozzle ( 20), characterized in that said flange (30) is in one piece with the trough (10). 2. Drinking trough installation according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of systems for fixing the flange (30) to the nozzle (20) distributed around their periphery, each system having first fixing means ( 40, 42), linked to the flange (30) and second fixing means (50) linked to the nozzle (20), said means (40, 42, 50) being able to cooperate with a view to fixing the one to the other, said first fixing means (40, 42) being of reversible arrangement with respect to a peripheral partition (31) of the flange (30) inserted in said opening and being dimensioned to form, in one of their arrangement relative to the partition (31), spacer between the outer surface of said partition (31) and the inner surface of the wall (21) of the opening of the nozzle (20). 3. Drinking trough installation according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the first fixing means comprise a first nut (40) cooperating with fastening means (41) reversible to the partition (31) of the flange (30) and are located at an orifice (46) formed in said partition (31), said first nut (40) used for fixing a threaded screw (50) constituting the second fixing means, passing through the wall (21) of the nozzle (20) along a conduit (22) coaxial with said orifice (46) of the partition (31). 4. Drinking trough installation according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the reversible fastening means comprise a second nut (42), the first and second nuts (40, 42) being placed on either side of the orifice ( 46) formed in the partition 31 of the flange (30), the first nut (40) comprising a base provided with claws (41) for fixing in one face of the partition (31) of the flange (30) and an external thread suitable for screwing into the internal thread of the second nut (42), which bears in tightening phase against the other face of the partition (31). 5. Drinking trough installation according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the second nut (42) has a base (43) and is positioned relative to the flange (30) with said base (43) bearing against the internal face of the partition (31) when it is inside the flange (31), or against or in the vicinity of the internal face of the nozzle (20) when it is outside the flange (30). 6. Drinking trough installation according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the partition (31) peripheral of the flange (30) has a grooved profile, the fixing systems applying to the protruding portions between the grooves . 7. Drinking trough installation according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the trough (10) has pins (11) distributed over its periphery and located in the vicinity of the upper edge of the nozzle (20) when the flange (30) is inserted into the nozzle (20), said marks 11 being traced to the right of the midpoints of the protruding portions of the partition (31) of the flange (30). 8. Method for fixing a drinker (10) to a nozzle (20) located on the ground in an installation in which the drinker (10) is fixed to the nozzle by means of a flange (30) of a single part with the drinker (10) according to the preceding claims, characterized by: - Mapping of the marks (11) of the drinker with marks on the outer face of the wall (21) of the nozzle (20) in at least a plurality of selected locations on the periphery of the nozzle (20) ; - Drilling at said locations on the periphery of the nozzle (20), comprising the drilling of the partition (31) of the flange (30); - If the diameters respectively of the external flange (30) and internal of the nozzle (20) have a differential greater than a predetermined threshold, place the second nuts (40 partition arrangement (20); spacer between (31) placing Otherwise, reverse place second nut arrangement (40, without spacer; place screw locations (50) object having drinker (10) on (20) level of the flange (30) by tightening the screws 50 in the nuts (40, 42). 9. Method for fixing a drinker (10) to a nozzle (20) in polyethylene implanted on the ground according to the preceding claim, characterized by: - Mapping of the marks (11) of the trough (10) with the mouths of the conduits (22) appearing on the external face of the wall (21) of the nozzle (20); - Drilling of the partition (31) of the flange (30) using the conduits (22) as a drilling gun at the selected locations; - Positioning of the first and second nuts (40, 42) in a compact arrangement comprising the first nut (40) oriented towards the inside of the flange (30). 10. Method for fixing a drinker (10) to a nozzle (20) of concrete implanted on the ground according to claim 8, characterized by: Setting correspondence of landmarks (11) of 1'abreuvoir with benchmarks at plot on the face outer of the wall (21) of the nozzle (20) to the selected locations, predetermined upper edge one (20); wall (21) of the nozzle (20) these locations and, then, of the partition (31) place put (30); second nuts (40, spacer arrangement comprising (40) facing outward (30). drinker (10) claim ion partition (31) flange (30) make upper then a one (20) the subject of a second boring diameter deburring.