GB2291947A

GB2291947A - A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore

Info

Publication number: GB2291947A
Application number: GB9414616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Malcolm Tomlinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-07-20
Filing date: 1994-07-20
Publication date: 1996-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-20
Also published as: GB9414616D0; GB2291947B

Abstract

A pipe fitting for locating a pipe 1 in a bore 6 comprises a threaded nut 5 for urging a flange formed in the pipe 1 into engagement with a seat 7 provided in the part having the bore 6. The bore 6 has an axially extending groove 8 for locating a pip 4 formed in the end of the pipe 1. The groove 8 and pip 4 orientate the pipe within the bore. The pipe 1 can be in the form of a bend. A plurality of grooves and pips having a unique spacing pattern can be provided to ensure that only the correct pipe is fitted in the bore. <IMAGE>

Description

A MEANS OF ORIENTING A PIPE WHEN FITTED TO A BORE This invention relates to a means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore, preventing rotation when tightening the clamping nut and ensuring that only the correct pipes are fitted to a particular bore.

There is a variety of methods used for seating and sealing a pipe into into a bore and several ways of retaining the pipe in position such that a fluid or gas tight joint results. The most common methods used with relatively small dia pipes are; to flare the ends, bead the ends, add a flange with an 0 ring seal on an extension, or fit an olive made from ductile material and then secure the pipe in position by engaging / fitting a retaining circlip or tightening a co-axial nut internally or externally threaded. These retaining nuts are invariably free to move along the pipe and free to rotate about it but are retained on the pipe by the forementioned sealing features.

These fittings suffer the disadvantage of no positive orientation, for the pipe, e.g., many pipes have bends immediately they exit the tightening nut and are then connected to flexible hoses whereby it is often essential that the orientation of the bent pipe is sufficiently precise as to route the flexible hose in a prescribed form so that it will neither contact or chafe on other parts or become strained during dynamic movements.

Currently this requires diligence by the fitters, an anchoring tag or clip, or as described in a previous U.K. application 8618780, whereby a tubular insert is fitted inside the bore of the port and has an endform which nests with a complementary formed end on the extended portion of the pipe. However, this last method has not emerged, possibly because it has inherent disadvantages which could make this proposal non viable, namely: The insert has to be correctly orientated during insertion and rigidly secured in position - a fiddly operation with little guarantee of accuracy or that the insert would not rotate under torque.

It is not a simple operation to produce these endforms and the more complex ones could be prone to damage prior to or during insertion, or by the pipe end itself if mis-oriented before the nut is tightened.

Either of which would prevent correct seating of the fitting.

Each diameter of pipe would require its own range of inserts.

There must always be a clearance between the insert and the end form to permit correct seating of the pipe flange, yet accuracy of orientation depends on close proximity of the parts, thus requiring pipes to be firmly seated throughout nut tightening.

The depth of the port would need to accommodate the extra length of the insert.

In summary this design appears to be insufficiently robust and an impracticable and unreliable method of achieving the desired goals.

t is an object of the present invention to overcome all the above disadvantages and provide a variety of fittings all of which can be made from the same simple tooling, require no bore inserts and can also be arranged to make each bore unique in that it will only accept the correct pipe fitting intended for that port even though it may have the same thread as others.

According to the present invention one or more grooves or keyways are incorporated in the bore of the port such that pips or lips formed on the extended portion at the end of the pipe will locate in these grooves and not only orientate the pipe relative to the bore but also prevent any rotation of the pipe during tightening of the retaining nut or the application of other retention means.

A single groove will provide a precise orientation for the pipe and the angular spacings of more than one groove can create individual bore patterns into which only a pipe with the same number of correspondingly spaced pips or lips will fit, provided the pipe does not have fewer pips than grooves.

It will also be apparent that a pipe can be orientated at a number of positions by using a single pip and a number of grooves.

The grooves may be shaped, machined or otherwise added to the bore after it has been machined , or alternatively, a small hole whose dia is similar to the width of the groove, may be drilled prior to the port machining operations which will remove a portion of the hole leaving a groove or semi circular sectioned keyway.

It will be appreciated that either a pip or lip could be used with either of the principal fittings described below, thus in the following text the term pip will also include any type of protuberance on the periphery of or at the end of the pipe extension which will locate in a groove in the bore.

It should also be made clear that the term bore refers to the smaller dia. at the innermost end of the port, and that the term port refers to the whole form into which the pipe and retention means is assembled.

Examples of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a cross section of a beaded type pipe seating with an extension onto the end of which a lip is formed which locates in a corresponding groove in the bore prior to tightening the nut.

Figure 2 shows a cross section of a flange and 0 ring type fitting which already has an extension, but to which a pip has been added which not only locates in the bore groove but might also prevent the 0 ring becoming detached from the extension prior to pipe fitment to the port.

Figure 3 shows alternative angular positions (30 and 60 degrees) available by varying the pip location relative to the plane of the bend.

Figure 4 shows a variety of spacing of 2 pips to ensure that only the correct '2 pip' pipe can be fitted.

Figure 5 shows a 3 pip version which can significantly increase the number of individual groove patterns.

Figure 6 shows that different groove lengths, or different diameters of the pipe extension could be employed to prevent incorrect fitment of a pipe whose sealing method is incompatible with the port seat.

Figure 7 shows the pip and groove principle employed when two pipes need to be connected and oriented relative to each other.

Figure 8 shows a separate connector achieving the same objective as the previous item, although not limited to the 2 ports shown.

The features will now be described in detail.

Refering to Figure 1, a pipe 1, has a beaded section 2, which seats on a face 7, of an internally threaded port 9. The pipe has an extended end 3, on the end of which is formed a pip 4, which locates in a groove 8, in the bore 6, the sealing faces 2, 7, being compressed together by tightening a co-axial nut 5.

Figure 2 is a similar arrangement whereby pipe 11, has a raised flange 12, which seats on a face 17, of an internally threaded port 19, such that the 0 ring primary seal 12a, is compressed against the chamfer 17a. The pipe has an extended end 13, which locates in bore 16, and a raised pip 14, which locates in groove 18, the primary sealing 0 ring 12a, being compressed against the chamfer 17a, and the flange 12, being compressed against the face 17, by tightening of the co-axial nut 15.

Figure 3 shows a right angle bend pipe 30, positively located at any desired orientation, (30 and 60 degrees are shown) by the relative locations of the pips 14a, 14b, to the plane of the bend 30a, 30b.

Figure 4 is a series of end views wherein there are 2 pips 14c, 14d, at various angles to each other such that only '2 pip' pipe ends with the same angular spacing can be fitted. It should be noted that this is limited to less than 180 degrees since angular spacing above 180 degrees would allow mis-orientated fitment of a pipe with the same pip spacing less than 180 degrees.

Figure 5 shows an end view wherein there are 3 pips to provide a greater number of unique combinations of pip and groove spacings; only 3 equally spaced angles of 120 deg. would permit incorrect orientation.

figure 6 shows different lengths P, L, for the grooves 8, 18,(Figs 1 & 2) such that the length of the groove might also be used to prevent seating of a pipe whose sealing features are incompatible with the port seat. In this instance, the upper half of the split view shows a pipe with a sealing principle as shown in fig. 1, but with the pip 4a, at the end of a shorter extension 3a, and locating in a shorter groove 8a. The lower half view shows a mirror image of the Fig. 1, port but with a pipe whose sealing features are as shown in fig. 2, but with a pip 4a, at the end of the longer extension 13a, located in the shorter groove (length P) which will prevent seating of the flange 12, and damage to the 0 ring seal 12a, which require a groove 18a, of length L.It conjunction with figures 1 & 2 it also illustrates that if the shorter extension 3a, has a larger diameter D, than the dia. d, of the longer extension 13a, then this could also prevent assembly of the shorter extension to the port with the longer groove, thus incompatible combinations of fittings and ports can be prevented in either combination.

Fig 7 shows a pipe 21, to which is secured and sealed a hexagonal fitting 22, containing an orientation groove 28, into which the orientation pip 24, of another pipe, described in Fig 1, is located prior to clamping the pipes together by tightening of the nut 25, into the threaded bore 29, thus orientating the joined pipes relative to each other.

Fig 8 shows an non integral hexagonal double port connector 23, with threaded ports 29a, 29b, each end, and an orientation groove 28a, into which the orientation pips 24a, 24b, will fit prior to tightening the clamping nuts 25a, 25b, to seat each pipe and effect a sealed joint with the pipes 21a, 21b, orientated with respect to each other.

Claims

1. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore such that the orientation of the pipe is positively and securely determined by having one or more pips formed on the extension of the pipe beyond the seating bead or flange, which locate in one or more axial grooves formed in the bore, the pipe being axially clamped by the tightening of co-axial nuts or otherwise axially located to effect a sealed joint.

2. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in claim 1 wherein an orientation pip or pips is/are formed on the end of the pipe extension.

3. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in claim 1 wherein an orientation pip or pips is/are formed part way along the pipe extension.

4. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein one or more grooves is/are formed in the bore of the port into which the pipe extension fits and into which the pips in claims 2 or 3 will locate to positively orientate the pipe.

5. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein unsupported pipes are robustly orientated both during and after the application of the retention means.

6. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the angular spacing patterns of a multiple pip and groove design, are unique for a given application to ensure that only the correct pipe is fitted to that port.

7. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the length of the grooves may be used to prevent fitment to the port of a pipe whose sealing method and/or clamping face may be incompatible with the port.

8. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the diameter of the pipe extension may be used to prevent fitment to the port of a pipe whose sealing method and/or clamping face may be incompatible with the port.

9. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the port, bore and grooves may be part of a fitting integral with another pipe.

10. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the ports, bores and grooves may be at the ends of a non integral fitting into which pipes with orientation pip ends can be fitted to produce a desired orientation of the pipes relative to each other.

11. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore such that the orientation of the pipe is positively and securely determined by having one or more pips formed on the extension of the pipe beyond the seal / seating bead or flange, which locate in one or more axial grooves formed in the bore, the pipe being axially clamped by the tightening of co-axial nuts or otherwise axially located to effect a sealed joint.

4. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein one or more axial grooves is/are formed in the bore of the port into which the pipe extension fits and into which the pips in claims 2 or 3 will locate to positively orientate the pipe.

6. A means of orienting a pipe when fitted to a bore as in any previous claim wherein the angular spacing patterns of a multiple pip and groove design, are unique for a given application to ensure that only the correct pipe is fitted to that port if ports and pipes were otherwise compatible.