GB2114694A - Bibcock assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

Bibcocks are normally secured to a wallplate by external threads on the bibcock inlet engaging with internal threads on the wallplate, and the joint tightened by rotating the bibcock body. Suitable tape is wrapped around the bibcock threads adjacent to a shoulder, and the amount of tape is adjusted by trial and error until the bibcock body is found to be approximately vertical when the joint is sealed. This is a difficult operation to perform satisfactorily. The assembly described employs a keyed connection between the bibcock body inlet pipe (10) and the wallplate outlet (13) which is sealed by an olive (15) and cap nut (16). The keyed connection consists of an octagonal end portion (11) on the bibcock body inlet which is received within a complementary shaped socket in the wallplate, providing a choice of eight possible relative orientations of the bibcock body and wallplate. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bibcock assemblies This invention relates to bib cock assemblies, and is concerned with the manner in which a bibcock body is connected to a supply pipe.

When a bibcock is to be fitted as a termination to a pipe running across a surface, a wallplate is usually attached to the end of the pipe, the usual wallplate being provided with an internally threaded outlet pipe stub to receive the externally threaded inlet of the bibcock. After mounting the wallplate on the surface the bibcock inlet is then screwed into the wallplate outlet by rotation of the bibcock body. If a bibcock is to be fitted intermediately of a run of pipe, a T-piece is fitted into the pipe and the bibcock screwed into the stub of the T-piece in a similar manner.

Sealing the joint between the wallplate or T-piece outlet and the bibcock inlet is usually achieved by the use of string or P.T.F.E. tape which is wrapped around the tap inlet stub against a stop flange on the body prior to attaching the tap to the mounting member. This method of connecting the bibcock body to a wallplate or T-piece frequently results in the tap being inclined with respect to the vertical upon reaching the end of the travel dictated by the sealing material and stop flange, necessitating the addition of further sealing material until by trial and error the bibcock is arranged to be vertical when the joint is sealed.

According to the invention a bibcock assembly comprises a bibcock body and a connector body, the connector body having an inlet adapted to be connected toe supply pipe and an outlet extending substantially perpendicularly of the inlet and adapted to be connected to an inlet of the bibcock body, the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet being provided with complementary interengageable formations for keying the bodies together against relative rotation about the axis of the bibcock body inlet and permitting a plurality of relative orientations about the axis to be chosen, and means for effecting a compression joint between the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet.

With this arrangement the relative orientations of the bibcock body and connector body are unaffected by tightening of the compression joint.

Preferably the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet fit coaxially one within the other.

Preferably the bibcock body inlet is received within the bore of the connector body outlet.

The formations may comprise a portion of one body of polygonal outline and a complementarily shaped socket in the other body.

Preferably said portion is of octagonal shape to provide eight available relative orientations of the bodies.

Alternatively the formations may comprise one or more splines on one body and a plurality of circumferentially spaced grooves on the other body.

When the bibcock body inlet is received within the connector body outlet, the bibcock body formations are preferably provided adjacent to the free end of the bibcock body inlet where they may easily be formed.

The compression joint may utilise a gland nut, but preferably a cap nut is employed which is engageable with external screw threads on the connector body outlet.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view, partially in crosssection, of a bibcock assembly in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 2 is a partial view of the wallplate looking from the right in Figure 1; The bibcock assembly of Figure 1 comprises a bibcock body 1 arranged to dispense water at the termination of pipe 2, the connection between the bibcock body 1 and the pipe 2 being made by means of a connector body in the form of a wallplate 3 which also serves to affix the bibcock to a vertical surface 4 by means of screws 5, only one of which is shown.

The bibcock body 1 has an inlet pipe 10 which is of plain tubular shape for most of its length but adjacent to its free end comprises a portion 11 of regular octagonal outline in cross-section, having flats 12. An outlet socket 13 of the wallplate 3 extends substantially perpendicular to an inlet socket 6 which receives the pipe 2. The outlet socket 1 3 has a plain internal bore for most of its length which is dimensioned slidably to receive the bibcock body inlet pipe 1 0, but the inner end of the outlet socket bore is formed of octagonal cross-section complementary to that of the bibcock body portion 11 which it receives, having flats 1 4 (best shown in Figure 2).The bibcock body 1 can therefore be fitted to the wallplate 3 in any one of eight different relative orientations thereto, so that whatever is the orientation of supply pipe 2, the bibcock body can be oriented substantially verticaliy.

The bibcock body inlet pipe is sealed to the wallplate outlet socket by a brass olive 1 5 trapped between the internal flange of a cap nut 1 6 and the free end 1 8 of the outlet socket 1 3 to effect a compression seal in well known manner when the cap nut 1 6 is tightened on an external screw thread 8 provided on the outlet socket 1 3.

The pipe 2 is sealed to inlet 6 of the wallplate 3 by a similar compression joint, not shown in the drawings.

It will be appreciated that once the bibcock body inlet 1 0 has been pushed sufficiently far into the wallplate outlet to bring the octagonal end portion 11 into engagement with flats 14.

tightening of the cap nut 16 on threads 8 will not result in turning of the bibcock body.

Although the number of possible orientations of the bibcock body 1 relative to the wallplate 3 is in this case eight, any number can be chosen by the provision of suitable polygonal cross-sections of the interengaging parts.

Claims (7)

1. A bibcock assembly comprising a bibcock body and a connector body, the connector body having an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply pipe and an outlet extending substantially perpendicularly of the inlet and adapted to be connected to an inlet of the bibcock body, the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet being provided with complementary interengageable formations for keying the bodies together against relative rotation about the axis of the bibcock body inlet and permitting a plurality of relative orientations about the axis to be chosen, and means for effecting a compression joint between the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the connector body outlet and the bibcock body inlet fit coaxially one -within the other.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the formations comprise a portion of one body of polygonal outline and a complementarily shaped socket in the other body.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which the bibcock body inlet is received within the bore of the connector body outlet.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which the bibcock body formations are provided adjacent to the free end of the bibcock body inlet.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which the compression joint means comprises a cap nut engageable with external screw threads on the connector body outlet.

7. A bibcock assembly substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.