GB2042115A

GB2042115A - Universally movable lateral compensator

Info

Publication number: GB2042115A
Application number: GB7943632A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: PFORZHEIM METALLSCHLAUCH
Current assignee: PFORZHEIM METALLSCHLAUCH
Priority date: 1979-01-31
Filing date: 1979-12-19
Publication date: 1980-09-17
Also published as: FR2448096B1; DE2903570B1; IT1220956B; FR2448096A1; DE2903570C2; IT7927977A0; GB2042115B

Abstract

A universally movable lateral compensator device for a pipeline comprises two terminal tubular connector pieces (4, 5) interconnected by at least one bellows body (1, 2), a pair of laterally extending members (7, 8) arranged on oppositedly disposed sides of each connecting piece and depending therefrom, said two pairs of members being connected together by a respective pair of tie bars (9, 10) which extend along both sides of the bellows body parallel to the axis thereof by means of universal joints (11-14) pivotally connected to said members, each universal joint comprising a body having a pair of stubs defining one pivotal axis and a centrally disposed opening traversed by a pivot pin defining a second pivotal axis. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Universally movable lateral compensator The invention relates to a universally movable lateral compensator device for insertion in a pipeline to take account of lateral movements to which the pipeline might be subjected.

Particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a universally movable, heavily ioadable lateral compensator for pipe lines, of the type comprising at least one bellows body and two terminal tubular connector pieces extending therefrom, wherein the connector pieces comprise each a plate surrounding them and arranged transversely of the pipe axis, or pairs of radial rails arranged on oppositely located sides, and the plate, or the rails, respectively, are connected together by rod-like tie bars extending on both sides of the bellows body parallel to the axis thereof, the ends of the tie bars being pivotally connected to universal joints which in turn are directly pivotally connected to the pairs of rails, or which are indirectly pivotally connected to the pairs of rails or the plates, respectively, by means of further rod-like members which have a rigid connection with the plates or rails, wherein always one axis of a universal joint is arranged radially in respect of the pipe axis and the other one is arranged tangentially in the peripheral direction in respect of the connector piece or the bellows body, respectively.

In such known devices wherein plates surround the connector pieces, the rod-like members are arranged in pairs between the universal joint and these plates. They are rotatably connected to the oppositely disposed sides of the associated universal joint by means of a pin which traverses them and the body of the universal joint. Their other ends extend through openings of the plates and are welded to the plates. In the case of tie bars of small cross-section, a weld seam is sufficient for transmitting the traction forces. If, however, lateral compensators for heavy load-bearing ability are involved, rod-like members with a larger cross-section must be used and for the purpose of welding them to the plates a plurality of welding passes must be deposited manually one above the other; this is time consuming and expensive.

Moreover, two openings for the pairs of rod-like members must be cut out of the plates referred to, on each side. Consequently these plates for universally movable lateral compensators cannot be produced together with such pairs as are employed for unilaterally movable lateral compensators in which always only one rod-like member is arranged between the universal joint and the plate, the tie bars then being arranged in pairs between the universal joints.

In cases in which the rod-like members are secured between the universal joint and radial rails of the pipe connector pieces, these rod-like members are likewise necessary in pairs; this leads to a corresponding space requirement and renders corresponding welding expenditure necessary. This is necessary even in the case of a compensator of heavy load-bearing ability, because of the radially projecting construction of the tie bar arrangement and thus the relatively large operative lever arms.

Finally in cases which the universal joints are pivotally mounted directly in pairs of radial rails on the pipe connector tubes (the tie bars must be provided in pairs in any case, as in the other cases described) this necessitates a corresponding radial spacing and necessitates correspondingly large lever arms at the radial rails, so that again the welding operations for connecting the radial rails to the pipe connector tubes are particularly expensive.

It is an object of some embodiments of the invention to provide a universally movable lateral compensator of the kind referred to in a simpler and economically more favourable manner, in orderto have a standard configuration and otherwise to reduce the expenditure for the production of the weld seams. Moreover, the number of parts necessary for the tie bar arrangement may be reduced.

The invention provides a universally movable lateral compensator device for a pipeline, which comprises two terminal tubular connector pieces interconnected by at least one bellows body, a pair of laterally extending members arranged on oppositely disposed sides of each connecting piece and depending therefrom, said two pairs of members being connected together by a respective pair of tie bars which extend along both sides of the bellows body parallel to the axis thereof by means of universal joints pivotally connected to said members, each universal joint comprising a body having a pair of stubs defining one pivotal axis and a centrally disposed opening traversed by a pivot pin defining a second pivotal axis.

In one preferred embodiment, each laterally extending member comprises a rod extending parallel to the axis of the respective connecting piece and having its free end pivotally connected to said pivot pin, said pair of stubs being pivotally mounted on a respective tie bar.

In a second preferred embodiment, the end of each tie bar is pivotally connected to said pivot pin, and said pair of stubs is pivotally mounted on a respective laterally extending member.

When the laterally extending members are plates surrounding the pipe connector tubes, only one opening for the rod-like members need be provided on both sides in the plates, so that the same plates may be employed for the unilaterally movable lateral compensators described above. Thereby the production of these plates for a plurality of compensator types is rendered uniform and manufacture may be effected more simply and economically. Moreover, one component part may be omitted from each of the previous pairs of rod-like members, so that the number of parts necessary for the tie bar arrangement is smaller. Finally, only one rod-like member need be welded into the plate, so that the welding operations are reduced to one half in relation to what is known.

In lateral compensators in which the laterally extending members were rod-like members welded between radial rails on the pipe connector tubes, substantially the same applies, because according to the invention the pairs of rod-like members may be replaced by a single member. In this case a reduction of the radial spacing of the single rod-like member from the pipe connector tube is possible because then the welding may be designed for the transmission of correspondingly smaller forces.

Finally, in such lateral compensators in which the universal joint body is pivotally mounted between radial rails on the pipe connector tubes, according to the present invention the number of tie bars may be reduced to one half, in that only one tie bar is required on each side of the device. In this case, too, the tie bars approach radially more closely to the compensator axis, so that welding operations for the radial rails are correspondingly reduced.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings, wherein there is shown in: Figure 1 a first lateral compensator of conventional manner of construction, in side view; Figure 2 the lateral compensator according to Figure 1 with a construction according to the invention as a partial section in the region of a universal joint location; Figure 3 a universal joint body according to the invention in side view and in a view from above; Figure 4 a second constructional form of a known lateral compensator; Figure 5the compensator according to Figure 4 in a construction in accordance with the invention, and Figure 6 a third constructional form of a lateral compensator, at the one end in known construction, at the other end in a construction according to the invention.

The known lateral compensator illustrated in Figure 1 consists of bellows bodies 1, 2 which at the one end are connected to each other by means of a tubular member 3 and at the other end comprise terminal tubular connector pieces 4, 5. The connector pieces 4, 5 are surrounded by plates 7, 8 which are arranged transverse to the pipe axis 6 and are connected to the said plates.

Tie bars extend on both sides of the compensator between the plates 7, 8. These tie bars consist of pairs of rod-like members 9, 10 which are arranged parallel to the pipe axis 6. At the ends they are pivotally connected to universal joint bodies 11 to 14, the pivot axis being disposed in the peripheral direction tangential in relation to the bellows bodies 1,2. By means of pivotal connection which is radial in respect of the pipe axis 6, but is not visible, the universal joint bodies are pivotally connected to pairs of rod-like members 15 to 18 extend through the plates 7, 8 and are welded to these plates.

For the novel constructional form illustrated in Figure 2 the same reference numerals have been used, in as much as they agree with Figure 1. The description of the component parts thereof is not repeated again.

The constructional form according to Figure 2 differs from that of Figure 1 in that in place of the pairs of members 15 to 18 single members 20 are provided which traverse the universal joint body 21 centrally and which are pivotally connected to the universal joint body by means of a pin 22 and are pivotal about the axis which in the present example is radial in relation to the pipe axis 6.

The universal joint body used in Figure 2 is illustrated in Figure 3. it comprises terminal stubs 23, 24 to which the pairs of members 9, 10 are pivotally connected. Moreover, it comprises an opening 25 for the single members 20. Transverse to the opening direction it possesses cylindrical bores 26 in its walls, and the pin 22 may be pushed therethrough.

Figure 4 illustrates a lateral compensator of another kind of construction. In the same, pairs of radial rails 32 to 35 are welded to the pipe connector tubes 30,31. Pairs of rod-like members 36 to 39 are welded between the same and receive between them at their mutually facing ends in a pivotal manner universal joint bodies 40 to 43 which in turn pivotally connected together by means of pairs of tie bars 44,45.

Figure 5 illustrates the compensator according to Figure 4 in the form modified in accordance with the invention. Therein the pairs of rod-like members 36 to 39 of Figure 4 are reduced to single members 46, 47 which are located in the openings illustrated with reference to Figure 3, of the universal joint bodies 48, 49 and are movable therein pivotal about the axes 50,51.

Finally Figure 6 illustrates a further type of a lateral compensator. The known constructional form is shown in the left-hand half of Figure 6. Therein the universal joint body 63 is pivotally mounted between the radial rails 60,61 of the pipe tube 62. On the other side, pairs of tie bars 64 are pivotally jointed to the universal joint body 63; this is clearly visible even from Figures 4 and 5.

On the right-hand side of Figure 6 a universal joint body 68 according to the invention is pivotally mounted between radial rails 65,66 of the pipe tube 67 and receives in its central opening (see Figure 3) again a single tie bar member 70 pivotal about the axis 69.

Claims

1. Universally movable lateral compensator device for a pipeline which comprises two terminal tubular connector pieces interconnected by at least one bellows body, a pair of laterally extending members arranged on oppositely disposed sides of each connecting piece and depending therefrom, said two pairs of members being connected together by a respective pair of tie bars which extend along both sides of the bellows body parallel to the axis thereof by means of universal joints pivotally connected to said members each universal joint comprising a body having a pair of stubs defining one pivotal axis and a centrally disposed opening traversed by a pivot pin defining a second pivotal axis.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein one pivotal axis of each universal joint is arranged radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device and the second pivotal axis extends tangentially.

3. Device according to either preceding claim, wherein each laterally extending member comprises a rod extending parallel to the axis of the respective connecting piece and having its free end pivotally connected to said pivot pin, said pair of stubs being pivotally mounted on a respective tie bar.

4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the end of each tie bar is pivotally connected to said pivot pin, and said pair of stubs is pivotally mounted on a respective laterally extending member.

5. Universally movable lateral compensator device substantially as described with reference to and as shown in Figures 2,3,5 and the right hand side of Figure

6.