GB2172071A - Improvements in or relating to tube couplings - Google Patents
Improvements in or relating to tube couplings Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2172071A GB2172071A GB08505818A GB8505818A GB2172071A GB 2172071 A GB2172071 A GB 2172071A GB 08505818 A GB08505818 A GB 08505818A GB 8505818 A GB8505818 A GB 8505818A GB 2172071 A GB2172071 A GB 2172071A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- throughway
- tube
- washer
- bore
- counter
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 25
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 25
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 25
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L37/00—Couplings of the quick-acting type
- F16L37/08—Couplings of the quick-acting type in which the connection between abutting or axially overlapping ends is maintained by locking members
- F16L37/084—Couplings of the quick-acting type in which the connection between abutting or axially overlapping ends is maintained by locking members combined with automatic locking
- F16L37/091—Couplings of the quick-acting type in which the connection between abutting or axially overlapping ends is maintained by locking members combined with automatic locking by means of a ring provided with teeth or fingers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L19/00—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on or into one of the joint parts
- F16L19/08—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on or into one of the joint parts with metal rings which bite into the wall of the pipe
- F16L19/083—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on or into one of the joint parts with metal rings which bite into the wall of the pipe the longitudinal cross-section of the ring not being modified during clamping
- F16L19/086—Joints in which sealing surfaces are pressed together by means of a member, e.g. a swivel nut, screwed on or into one of the joint parts with metal rings which bite into the wall of the pipe the longitudinal cross-section of the ring not being modified during clamping with additional sealing means
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Quick-Acting Or Multi-Walled Pipe Joints (AREA)
Abstract
The disclosure relates to a tube coupling having a hollow body 12 with a throughway 13 having a counter bore 18 in which an O-ring seal 22 is mounted to seal with the tube. In order to lock the tube in the throughway a spring washer 26 is mounted in the throughway having a plurality of radially inwardly extending resilient fingers 28 angled outwardly towards the open end of the throughway. A clamping sleeve 29 is screwed into the end of the throughway to bear against the resilient fingers and force them into gripping engagement with the outer periphery of a tube in the throughway to lock the tube in place. The arrangement is particularly suitable for a soft-walled tube such as plastic tubing. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Improvements in or relating to tube couplings
This invention relates to tube couplings and is particularly although not exclusively applicable to tube couplings for receiving relatively small diameter plastics or metal tubing for attachment of the tube to a further component.
The invention provides a tube coupling comprising a hollow body having a throughway with an opening at one end of the throughway into the body, a part of the throughway adjacent said opening being adapted to receive a tube end inserted into the body, a seal mounted in the body in said part of the throughway to seal with a tube inserted therein, and a washer supported at its outer periphery in the throughway between the seal and said opening to encircle a tube received in said part of the throughway, the washer having resilient teeth around its inner periphery inclined outwardly from a plane containing the outer periphery of the washer at their free ends towards the open end of the throughway and clamping means mounted in the throughway between the washer and the open end of the throughway bearing against the resilient teeth to force the teeth inwardly towards the plane of the periphery of the washer and thereby causing the inner edges of the teeth to move inwardly for gripping or engaging with a tube passing through the washer.
The teeth of the washer may be used to grip a surface of a tube received in the coupling body and thereby lock the tube in the body or the tube may have a recess or recesses in its surface in which the inner ends of the teeth engage to hold the tube in the body whilst permitting the tube to be rotated with respect to the body.
The clamping means may be adjustably mounted along the throughway to vary the clamping pressure applied to the resilient fingers of the washer and thereby vary the gripping force on the tube.
The clamping means may comprise an externally threaded cylindrical member one end of which engages the resilient fingers of the spring washer and the other end of which projects from said end of the throughway and the part of the throughway between the washer and said open end comprises a cylindrical bore having an internal screw thread with which the thread on the sleeve engages whereby rotation of the sleeve adjusts the sleeve along the throughway to vary the clamping action of the sleeve on the resilient fingers.
The throughway may have a first counterbore forming a step with the remainder of the throughway to receive an end of a tube to be fixed in the body, a second counter-bore spaced from the first counter-bore and forming a step facing towards said open end of the throughway to receive the seal for sealing with the tube and a spacer ring and a further counter-bore forming a further step facing towards the open end of the throughway against which the spring washer bears, the part of the throughway between the further step and said open end of the throughway being adapted to receive said clamping means.
In any of the above arrangements the body may have a screw threaded projecting spigot through which the throughway extends for attachment of the body to a further component.
The following is a description of some specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view through a tube coupling according to the invention; and
Figure 2 is a similar view through a coupling incorporating a number of modifications; and
Figure 2A shows a further modification.
The drawing shows a tube coupling indicated generally at 10 for connecting a length of tubing 11 which may be plastics or metal walled to a further component not shown.
The tube coupling comprises a generally cylindrical body 12 having a central circular section throughway 13 extending coaxially through the body from one end 14 thereof to the opposite end 15. At the end 15 of the body, the outer diameter of the body is reduced to form a spigot 16 having an external screw thread 17 for engagement in a screw threaded bore in a further component to which the body is to be coupled which is not shown.
Partway along the throughway 13 from the end 14 of the body the throughway is formed with a counter-bore 18 equivalent in diameter to the outer diameter of the tube 11, the counter-bore forming a step 19 with the throughway 13 facing towards said one end
14 of the body. The counter-bore 18 receives an end of the tube 11 as shown in the drawings and the end of the tube lodges against the step 19.
The counter-bore 18 has itself a counterbore 20 which forms a step 21 with the counter-bore 18 which faces towards the end
14 of the body. A resilient O-ring seal 22 is located in the counter-bore 20 against step 21 to seal with the outer surface of the tube
11 and a spacer ring 23 is located in the counter-bore adjacent the seal to constrain the seal axially.
The counter-bore 20 gives way to a further counter-bore 24 and the step 25 is formed between the further counter-bore 24 and counter-bore 20 again facing towards the end
14 of the body. A spring washer 26 is mounted against the step 25, the washer having an outer peripheral ring 27 which lies against the step 25 and a plurality of resilient fingers 28 spaced apart around the inner periphery of the ring and inclined out of the plane of the ring 27 towards the end 14 of the body. The inner diameter formed by the inner ends of the resilient fingers 28 is marginally greater than the outer diameter of the tube 11 so that the tube can be threaded through the washer when the latter is in its relaxed condition. The counter-bore 24 is formed with an internal screw-thread in which an externally screw threaded sleeve of a clamping member 29 engages.The sleeve has an internal bore 30 through which the tube 11 passes with clearance and projects from the end 14 of the body and is formed at said projecting end with an external manually engageable flange 31 to facilitate turning of the sleeve. The other end of the sleeve 29 bears against the resilient fingers 28 and by turning the sleeve to screw the sleeve into the body, the sleeve gradually presses the resilient fingers 28 inwardly towards the plane containing the outer ring of the spring washer. In so doing the inner ends of the spring fingers 28 are forced into gripping engagement with the tube 11 to lock the tube in the body.The gripping force applied by the spring fingers can be readily adjusted by turning of the clamping sleeve 29 to suit the form of tubing engaged in the coupling, a relatively low force being required for a soft wall tubing such as plastics tubing whereas a considerably higher force is required for hard plastics or metal walled tubing.
When it is required to release the tube from the coupling, the clamping sleeve is simply unwound sufficiently to release the gripping action of the spring washers with the tubing or, if the spring fingers of the washer have become permanently engaged with the tubing, the sleeve can be screwed fully out from the body and the tube and washer removed together. after which the washer can simply be drawn off the end of the tube.
The O-ring seal 22 provides an effective barrier against loss of fluid from the end of the tube past the counter-bore 18 to prevent escape of fluid from the coupling.
Reference is now made to Figs. 2 and 2A of the drawings which show some modifications to the above embodiment and, for the sake of convenience, like parts have been allotted the same reference numeral. Firstly, the inner ends of the resilient fingers 28 of the spring washer 26 each have a tab 28a bent out of the end of the washer towards the plane containing the outer ring of the washer. The length of the tab is such that as the corner of the adjacent part of the finger 28 fits into the surface of the tube 11 to grip the tube, so the end face of the tab 28a comes into engagement with the surface of the tube to limit the penetration of the corner of the finger into the tube surface. Thus damage to the tube particularly in the case of soft walled tubes such as some plastic tubes is limited whilst allowing the spring fingers to grip the tube.
In a second modifcation, the tube 11 is formed with an annular groove 1 1a at the location where the spring fingers will engage the tube to receive the ends of the spring fingers and thereby hold the tube 11 in the coupling body 12 to prevent the tube from being withdrawn whilst enabling the tube to swivelled, for example, for alignment of the other end of the tube with a further component. The counter-bore 24 is extended to accommodate the spacer ring 23 which may be of comparable axial thickness ot that of the originally described embodiment or a ring of reduced thickness can be used comparable to the thickness of the spring washer. Further, for low pressure applications, the spacer ring 23 may be omitted altogether.
Claims (10)
1. A tube coupling comprising a hollow body having a throughway with an opening at one end of the throughway into the body, a part of the throughway adjacent said opening being adapted to receive a tube end inserted into the body, a seal mounted in the body in said part of the throughway to seal with a tube inserted therein, and a washer supported at its outer periphery in the throughway between the seal and said opening to encircle a tube received in said part of the throughway, the washer having resilient teeth around its inner periphery inclined outwardly from a plane containing the outer periphery of the washer at their free ends towards the open end of the throughway and clamping means mounted in the throughway between the washer and the open end of the throughway bearing against the resilient teeth to force the teeth inwardly towards the plane of the periphery of the washer and thereby causing the inner edges of the teeth to move inwardly for gripping or engaging with a tube passing through the washer.
2. A tube coupling as claimed in claim 1 wherein the clamping means is adjustably mounted along the throughway to vary the clamping pressure applied to the resilient fingers of the washer and thereby vary the gripping force on the tube.
3. A tube coupling as claimed in claim 2 wherein the clamping means comprises an externally threaded cylindrical member one end of which engages the resilient fingers of the spring washer and the other end of which projects from said end of the throughway and the part of the throughway between the washer and said open end comprises a cylindrical bore having an internal screw thread with which the thread on the sleeve engages whereby rotation of the sleeve adjusts the sleeve along the throughway to vary the clamping action of the sleeve on the resilient fingers.
4. A tube coupling as claimed in claim 3 wherein the end of the sleeve projecting beyond the open end of the throughway has a peripheral flange adapted for manual engagement to turn the sleeve.
5. A tube coupling as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein each resilient finger has means to engage the tube and limit penetration of the tube surface by the finger.
6. A tube coupling as claimed in claim 5 wherein the free end of each resilient finger has a tab bent out of the end of the finger towards the plane of the washer periphery, the angle and length of the tab being such that the full end face of the tab bears on the tube as the remaining part of the finger digs into the tube to limit that penetration.
7. A tube coupling as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the throughway has a first counter-bore forming a step with the remainder of the throughway to receive an end of a tube to be fixed in the body, a second counter-bore spaced from the first counter-bore and forming a step facing towards said open end of the throughway to receive the seal for sealing with the tube and a further counter-bore forming a further step facing towards the open end of the throughway against which the spring washer bears, the part of the throughway between the further step and said open end of the throughway being adapted to receive said clamping means.
8. A tube coupling as claimed in claim 7 wherein a spacer ring is located in the throughway between the seal and the washer, the spacer ring being mounted either in the first counter-bore with the seal or in the second counter-bore with the washer.
9. A tube coupling as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the body has a screw threaded projecting spigot through which the throughway extends for attachment of the body to a further component.
10. A tube coupling substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in
Fig. 1, Fig. 2 or Figs. 1 or 2 as modified by
Fig. 2A of the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08505818A GB2172071B (en) | 1985-03-06 | 1985-03-06 | Improvements in or relating to tube couplings |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08505818A GB2172071B (en) | 1985-03-06 | 1985-03-06 | Improvements in or relating to tube couplings |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8505818D0 GB8505818D0 (en) | 1985-04-11 |
| GB2172071A true GB2172071A (en) | 1986-09-10 |
| GB2172071B GB2172071B (en) | 1988-08-24 |
Family
ID=10575550
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08505818A Expired GB2172071B (en) | 1985-03-06 | 1985-03-06 | Improvements in or relating to tube couplings |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2172071B (en) |
Cited By (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2246405A (en) * | 1990-07-28 | 1992-01-29 | Ford Motor Co | A pipe coupling |
| US5603532A (en) * | 1994-01-19 | 1997-02-18 | Guest; John D. | Grab rings |
| US5695226A (en) * | 1994-02-08 | 1997-12-09 | Gouda; Osamu | Conduit coupling |
| EP0930083A2 (en) * | 1998-01-15 | 1999-07-21 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| US6190372B1 (en) | 1998-08-14 | 2001-02-20 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| USRE39499E1 (en) * | 1998-01-15 | 2007-02-27 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| CN100395474C (en) * | 1999-07-13 | 2008-06-18 | 恩文图尔环球技术有限公司 | Expandable joint connector |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN107559523A (en) * | 2017-10-30 | 2018-01-09 | 江苏新中信电器设备有限公司 | A kind of air source distributor of no-welding type branch pipe line structure |
-
1985
- 1985-03-06 GB GB08505818A patent/GB2172071B/en not_active Expired
Cited By (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2246405A (en) * | 1990-07-28 | 1992-01-29 | Ford Motor Co | A pipe coupling |
| GB2246405B (en) * | 1990-07-28 | 1994-05-04 | Ford Motor Co | A pipe coupling |
| US5603532A (en) * | 1994-01-19 | 1997-02-18 | Guest; John D. | Grab rings |
| US5695226A (en) * | 1994-02-08 | 1997-12-09 | Gouda; Osamu | Conduit coupling |
| EP0930083A2 (en) * | 1998-01-15 | 1999-07-21 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| EP0930083A3 (en) * | 1998-01-15 | 1999-10-13 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| USRE39499E1 (en) * | 1998-01-15 | 2007-02-27 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| US6190372B1 (en) | 1998-08-14 | 2001-02-20 | Epimed International, Inc. | Catheter connector |
| CN100395474C (en) * | 1999-07-13 | 2008-06-18 | 恩文图尔环球技术有限公司 | Expandable joint connector |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2172071B (en) | 1988-08-24 |
| GB8505818D0 (en) | 1985-04-11 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20030306 |