GB2071246A

GB2071246A - A jointing means primarily for pipes

Info

Publication number: GB2071246A
Application number: GB8007600A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-03-06
Filing date: 1980-03-06
Publication date: 1981-09-16
Also published as: GB2071246B

Abstract

A jointing device for connecting two pipes, for example, comprises a block saddle 1 with a liner formed of two layers 2 and 3 of an electrically insulated meltable material between which an annular metallic wire 4 is located positioned around aperture 5. The wire includes leads 6 for connection to an electrical source. In use a pipe with an aperture in the wall is positioned and clamped in the saddle with the aperture aligned with aperture 5 and electric current then passed through the wires 6 to melt the layers 2 and 3 thereby forming a seal. In a further embodiment the meltable material comprises solder with a fluxing agent forming an insulating layer or layers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A jointing means primarily for pipes This invention relates to a joint device for establishment of a sealing joint between two metal members having communicating holes.

When attaching a connecting piece to a tubular pipe to establish flow communication between a hole in the pipe and the connection piece it is difficult to achieve sealing readily and efficiently.

This problem is further accentuated with regard to pipes subject to vibration or temperature changes as a weld joint is not suitable, due to the fact that vibrations and changes of dimensions caused by temperature variations considerably reduce safety against leakage.

An object of this invention is to provide a joint around a hole through the wall of one pipe, when the hole communicates with another pipe extending at an angular relationship to the axis of the one pipe.

A jointing device according to this invention for the aforementioned purpose broadly comprises an element, arranged to surround a hole in a metal connecting piece said element comprising a material having a relatively high electrical resistance surrounded by a layer of electrically insulating material which surrounding layer includes a second layer or a number of channels containing a fluxing agent, said element being connected to two electrical conductors in a generally opposed relationship to each other, whereby connection of said conductors to an electrical power source increases the temperature of the element, thereby melting the surrounding layer which with the fluxing agent forms a bond and seal between the metal members surrounding the holes located in the metallic members.

A number of embodiments and preferred features of devices according to this invention are more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:~ Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connecting piece, arranged to embrace a pipe with a generally correspondingly shaped member (not shown), attachable thereto by screws or bolts, the member being a first embodiment of a device according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a device according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment according to the invention, before establishing a sealing joint between two connection flanges, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 5, when a sealing joint has been established, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of a connecting piece, intended to be attached against the outside peripheral portion of a pipe, Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment of a sealing element according to the invention, and Figure 9 is a further modified embodiment of the sealing element shown in Figure 8.

With reference to Figure 1, a connecting piece 1 is shown, intended to be attached against the outside peripheral portion of a tubular pipe, and to establish flow communication with a hole in the wall of said pipe. The connecting piece 1 is attached together with a second part (not shown) in an embracing relationship to the pipe, said parts being joined to each other by means of screws or bolts.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a first electrically insulating layer 2, attached to the curved abutment surface of the connecting piece. A second layer of an electrically insulating material 3 is arranged in contact with the first layer 2, and a ring of metallic wire 4 is arranged between the electrically insulating layers, 2 and 3 respectively, surrounding a cylindrical hole 5 in the connecting piece 1, intended to communicate with the hole located in the wall of the pipe. Two electrical conductors 6, 6' are connected to the annual wire 4, intended to facilitate connection to an electrical power source.

Advantageously, said conductors 6, 6' are also located as shown, between the electrically insulating layers 2, 3. Furthermore, the annular metallic wire consists of a material having high electrical resistance, whereby connection of the conductors 6, 6' to a power source causes liberation of heat from the wire 4. The electrically insulating layers 6, 6' are manufactured from such a material, that the heat liberated from the wire causes the material to completely or partly melt, thereby forming a preferably elastic joint between the outer wall surface of the pipe and the connecting piece 1, said joint surrounding the hole in the wall of the pipe.

By varying the wire with regard to resistive properties, as well as with regard to power supplied, the temperature can be varied within broad limits, which means that a welded joint can be achieved for certain cases of application.

Furthermore, the material of the surrounding electrically insulating layers, 2 and 3 respectively, can be varied, in order to accomplish a sealing joint between different types of material and for different cases of application.

The embodiment shown in Figure 3 is intended to show that the conductors 6, 6' do not necessarily have to be manufactured from the same material as the annular parts 4, i.e. the conductors 6, 6' can advantageously be manufactured from a material having a lower electrical resistance, in order to avoid that the conductors 6, 6' are heated resistively when the conductors 6, 6' are connected to a power source.

Figure 4 shows how the electrically insulating layers 2, 3 and the annular parts 4 can be manufactured as a laminate. Said laminate includes a first layer 2 of an electrically insulating material attachable to the connecting piece 1, a second electrically conductive and heatable layer 4, and an outer, electrically insulating layer 3. A conductor 6 supplying an electrical current is also indicated, shown as a conventional electrically insulated conductor, attached to the intermediate layer 4. In difference to previously mentioned embodiments, the electrically heatable layer has a rectangular cross-section, which causes an extremely favourable heat dissipation. The insulating layer 2 attachable against the connecting piece 1, is advantageously arranged with a self-adhesive layer, in order to facilitate application of the laminate.

With reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, two connecting pieces 1, 1' attachable to each other are shown, e.g. a flange connection. The invention can be used for such joints, even though reference has previously only been made to pipes. In this embodiment, an annular wire 4 surrounded by an electrically insulating wire 7 is arranged in an intermediate position between the connecting pieces 1, 1'. As shown in Figure 5, the electrically insulating layer 7 is slightly deformed when the members 1, 1' are joined. By means of conductors for electrical current (not shown), electrical current is thereafter supplied to the annular member 4, resulting in liberation of heat from the annular member 4, whereby the surrounding layer 7 is melted and adheres to the members 1, 1'.Advantageously, the members 1, 1' are brought in a more adjacent position to each other when the annular member 4 is heated, thereby further improving the sealing properties of the resulting joint.

Figure 7 shows an embodiment, based on two adhering foils 2, 3 of an electrically insulating material, between which an annular wire 4 is located. According to this embodiment, only the parts of the foils 2, 3 adjacent to the wire 4 are moulted, thereby forming a sealing joint between the connecting piece 1 and a pipe. This embodiment makes it also possible to locate a number of annular wires 4 concentrically to each other, arranged to be heated together, in order to form a number of each other surrounding joints, or, arranged with independent conductors 6, 6' for individual heating, e.g. to form a first sealing joint, which later, e.g. when leakage occurs, can be replaced by a second sealing joint surrounding the first joint.

The embodiments described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 are preferred when the surrounding electrically insulating material has such properties, that complete adherence is achieved when the material is heated. However, this is not always the case, e.g. when a welded or soldered joint is desirable, in which case existing oxide layer at the outside wall of the pipe and/or at the abutment surface of the connecting piece 1 first must be removed. In order to accomplish this, a fluxing agent must be supplied. Figures 8 and 9 intend to disclose two examples how this can be achieved. Figure 8 shows the electrically heatable wire 4 surrounded by a layer of fluxing agent 8, which in turn is surrounded by the electrically insulating material 7.An interesting development is thus achieved, since the fluxing agent in certain cases can consist of an electrically insulating layer, whereby the outer layer 7 can be of an electrically non-insulating material. Alternatively, a thin electrically insulating layer can be arranged between the wire 4 and the fluxing agent 8, or surrounding the fluxing agent 8, thus insulating same and the wire 4 from the outer layer 7. It is thus possible to achieve a soldered or welded joint, since the outer layer 7 can consist of a metallic layer of electrically conductive material.

A modified embodiment is shown in Figure 9, the fluxing agent 8 being arranged as a number of separate channels in the layer 7 surrounding the electrically heatable wire 4. Also in this case, a thin electrically insulating layer can be arranged between the wire 4 and the surrounding layer 7, whereby said layer 7 can consist of electrically conductive material.

The embodiment described above with reference to the drawings only intend to show examples of embodiments within the scope of the invention, since obviously many modifications are possible.

However, it is obvious, that the possibility to accomplish a sealing joint, e.g. surrounding the hole in the wall of a cylindrical pipe, creates large advantages, since the resistance against vibrations is increased, as well as the resistance against changes of diameter in the pipe, e.g.

caused by temperature variations.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A device for establishment of a sealing joint between two metallic members (1, 1') having communicating holes, preferably between a hole extending through the wall of a metallic pipe and a metallic connecting piece (1) attachable against the pipe and extending in a different angular relationship to the length axis of the pipe, characterised in, that it includes an element (4), arranged surrounding a hole in a metallic connecting piece (1), said element (4) comprising of a material with a relatively high electrical resistive coefficient, surrounded by a layer (2, 3, 7) of an electrically insulating material, which surrounding layer (2, 3, 7) includes a layer or a number of channels with a fluxing agent (8) said element (4) being arranged connected to two electrical conductors (6, 6') connected in a mainly opposed relationship to each other, connection of said conductors (6, 6') to an electrical power source being arranged to cause liberation of heat from the element (4), thereby melting the surrounding layer (2, 3, 7), which together with existing fluxing agent (8) forms a sealing joint between the metallic members (1, 1') and surrounding the holes in the metallic members (1,1'). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterised n that a layer of an electrically conductive material, intended to form a part of the joint formed between the metallic members (1, 1') when the element (4) is heated, is arranged electrically insulated from the element (4) by means of the surrounding electrically insulating layer (2, 3, 7). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that a layer of fluxing agent (8) is used as an electrically insulating layer. 4. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that a layer of fluxing agent (8) is arranged between the electrically insulating layer (2, 3, 7) and an outer layer of an electrically conductive material. 5. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that the surrounding layer is arranged with one or a number of channels with fluxing agent (8). 6. Device according to any of claims 1-5, characterised in that the element (4) and surrounding layers (2, 3, 7, 8) consists of a laminate with adjacent and mainly parallel layers. 7. Device according to any of claims 1-6, characterised in that at least one outer layer surrounding the element (4) consists of an adhesive coating, preferably of self-adhesive type. New claims or amendments to claims filed on 2 June 1980 Superseded claims 1 to 7. New or amended claims~

1. A jointing device for effecting a connection between two members having communicating apertures, the-device including a sealing element which is arranged to surround an aperture in one member to be joined, the element comprising an electrical conductor surrounded by an electrically insulating material which is or includes a part meltable when the conductor is heated by connection to an electrical current source, the meltable part forming a seal between the two members when connected.

2. A jointing device according to Claim 1, comprising a saddle adapted to seat around a pipe with an aperture through the wall of the pipe aligned and communicating with an aperture in the saddle, the sealing element being located around the aperture in the saddle.

3. A jointing device according to Claim 1, comprising a plate with an aperture therethrough with the sealing element positioned around the aperture.

4. A jointing device according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical conductor is a metal wire surrounded by the meltable part.

5. A jointing device according to any preceding claim wherein the meltable part incorporates a fluxing agent.

6. A jointing device according to Claim 5, wherein the electrical conductor is surrounded by an electrically insulating fluxing agent and covered by solder.

7. A jointing device according to any preceding claim, wherein the sealing element is arranged asa liner or gasket on one of the members to be joined.

8. A jointing device according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical conductor and insulating material forming the sealing element and arranged as a laminated assembly.

9. A jointing device substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 or any one of Figures 4 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.