JP2000230683A - Structure of connecting bellows pipe and another pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leakage and improve durability by drastically improving a structure of connecting a bellows pipe and another pipe, stabilizing the structure and suppressing deformation of the parts. SOLUTION: This bellows pipe 2 formed out of a plurality of recessions 2a on a pipe wall surface is connected to another pipe 5. This connection structure is composed of a split ring 11 fitted in one of the circular recessions of the bellows pipe, a backing member 12 fitted around the outer periphery of the bellows pipe, and abutted against the split ring on the opposite side of the pipe 5, a flange 13 arranged on the pipe 5, and a spacer 14 arranged between the flange and the split ring. The split ring, backing member, flange and spacer have plate-like forms and samely shaped at their outer surface. They are unitely connected to each other without clearances by means of fastening members 21, 22 penetrating therethrough.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting structure for connecting a bellows tube having a plurality of annular concave portions to a corrugated bellows tube as a metal flexible tube and another tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, when connecting a bellows tube of this type to another tube, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-8-49792 and JP-A-8-334192, A split ring is fitted into the annular concave portion, and a bellows pipe side flange fixed to the split ring and mounted on the outer periphery of the bellows pipe is connected to a flange provided on another pipe by a fastening bolt. In this case, packing is usually provided between the end of the bellows tube and the end of another tube. Also, in order to enhance the aesthetic appearance, the outer circumference of the bellows pipe is covered with a braid made of mechanically braided stainless steel wire or the like, and the end of this blade is sandwiched and fixed between the split ring and the bellows pipe side flange. I have.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional connection structure, the split ring is merely fitted and fixed in the annular concave portion of the bellows tube, and the bellows tube engaged with the split ring is fixed. Since there is a gap between the side flange and the flange provided on the other pipe, it is structurally unstable, the fastening force is biased, and the member is easily deformed, the watertightness is reduced, and leakage accidents etc. May occur. In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent No. 49792 discloses that a split ring is formed so as to fit over two annular concave portions of a bellows tube, but it cannot be said that the split ring is structurally sufficiently stable.

In fixing the end of the blade that covers the outer periphery of the bellows pipe between the split ring and the bellows pipe side flange, the inner diameter of the end of the blade is larger than the outer diameter of the split ring. There is also a problem that it is necessary to increase the diameter, and this work is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to drastically improve the connection structure between a bellows tube and another tube, and is structurally stable, so that each member has a stable structure. It is intended to suppress deformation and thereby prevent leakage accidents and the like and improve durability.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 connects a bellows tube whose wall surface is formed into a corrugated shape having a plurality of annular concave portions to another tube. As a structure, a split ring fitted in one annular concave portion of the bellows tube, a backing material fitted on the outer periphery of the bellows tube and abutting on a side surface of the split ring opposite to another tube, A flange provided on the pipe;
A spacer is provided between the flange and the split ring. And the split ring, backing material,
The flange and the spacer are both formed in a plate shape and have the same outer shape, and are integrally connected by a fastening member penetrating these four members without any gap between the members. In this configuration, since the members are integrally connected without any gap, they hardly deform in the short term or the long term.

[0007] The invention according to claim 2 provides a preferred form for ensuring watertightness, particularly in the connection structure between the bellows pipe and another pipe according to claim 1.
That is, the end of the bellows tube is formed so as to have a cut surface in the annular concave portion adjacent to the annular concave portion into which the split ring is fitted, and to hold the O-ring.
When the four members are joined by the fastening member, the bellows tube is compressed to seal between the bellows tube and another tube, and the amount of compression is determined by the spacer. In this configuration, the end of the bellows tube has a function as a seat for holding the O-ring,
With the O-ring held at this end, the bellows tube can easily be connected to another tube. And this O
The ring is not tightened more than necessary because the amount of compression is determined by the spacer at the time of fastening, and the ring maintains good watertightness.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting structure for connecting a bellows pipe to another pipe according to the first or second aspect.
The present invention provides a preferred embodiment in the case where the outer periphery of the bellows tube is covered with a flexible blade. That is, the split ring is configured to be fitted into the annular concave portion with the end of the blade wound around and fixed to the annular concave portion of the bellows tube. In this configuration, when fixing the end of the blade, it is sufficient to simply push the split ring from the outer periphery of the end of the blade into the annular concave portion of the bellows tube so as to fit it. There is no need to expand the diameter.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the connecting structure of the bellows tube and the other tube according to any one of the first to third aspects, the spacer is made of hard rubber. In this configuration, the adhesion between the spacer and the flange and split ring on both sides thereof is increased, and the bonding strength between them is also increased.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a flexible pipe. The flexible pipe 1 includes a stainless steel bellows pipe 2 having a pipe wall formed into a corrugated shape having a plurality of annular concave portions 2a, 2a,. The blade 3 is formed by mechanically braiding a stainless steel wire into a cylindrical shape. Reference numeral 5 denotes a joint pipe for connecting the flexible pipe 1 to another pipe.

The connecting structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the case where the above-mentioned bellows pipe 2 or flexible pipe 1 is connected to the joint pipe 5, and is fitted into one annular recess 2a of the bellows pipe 2. A split ring 11, a backing material 12 fitted on the outer periphery of the bellows pipe 2 and abutting against a side surface of the split ring 11 opposite to the joint pipe 5, a flange 13 provided on the joint pipe 5, and a flange 13 13
Spacer 14 interposed between the ring and the split ring 11
And

As shown in FIG. 2, the flange 13 is made of a steel plate having a substantially square outer shape and a circular opening 13a in the center, and is fixed to the joint pipe 5 around the opening 13a by welding. The split ring 11 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in detail in FIG.
A pair of stainless steel half-plates 17, 17 having a semi-circular cutout 17a to be fitted in the half-plates 17, 17 are cut by the two half-plates 17, 17 so as to sandwich the bellows pipe 2. When the notch 17a is pushed into the annular recess 2a from the outer periphery of the blade 3, the end of the blade 3 is fitted into the annular recess 2a while being wound and fixed. The thickness of the split ring 11 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the width at the narrowest point of the annular concave portion 2a, and the outer shape of the split ring 11 is fitted in the annular concave portion 2a of the bellows tube 2. Is formed in the same substantially square shape as the flange 13.

The backing member 12 has a substantially square outer shape similar to the split ring 11, and has a fitting opening 12 for fitting the outer periphery of the bellows tube 2 (specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the blade 3) at the center.
The thickness of the split ring 11 is set to be larger than the thickness of the split ring 11. The spacer 14 is formed of a plate-like hard rubber having a substantially square outer shape similar to that of the flange 13 and the split ring 11 and having a fitting port 14a fitted to the outer periphery of the bellows tube 2 at the center. That is,
The split ring 11, the backing material 12, the flange 13, and the spacer 14 are all formed in a plate-like shape and a substantially square shape having the same outer shape. And these members 11 to 14
Are integrally connected at four corners thereof by bolts 21 and nuts 22 as fastening members penetrating therethrough without any gap between the members. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 23 are through holes provided at four corners of the split ring 11 and through which bolts 21 pass.

The end of the bellows tube 2 is
An annular recess 2a adjacent to the annular recess 2a into which the wire 1 is fitted has a cut surface 2b, and an annular ring seat 27 for holding the O-ring 26 is formed at this position. Before the O-ring 26 comes into contact with the flange 13 on the joint pipe 5 side, as shown in FIG. 5, the spacer 14 fitted to the outer periphery of the end of the bellows pipe 2 and brought into contact with the split ring 11 is used. When the flange 13 on the joint pipe 5 side comes into contact with the end face of the spacer 14 to fasten the flexible pipe 1 and the joint pipe 5 with bolts 21 or the like, the O-ring 26 Is compressed by the dimension s to seal between them, and the amount of compression is determined by the spacer 14.

Next, the connection procedure in the connection structure of the above embodiment will be described. First, a flange 13 is fixed to the end of the joint pipe 5 in a factory or the like, and the outer periphery of the bellows pipe 2 is braided with a blade 3. A coated flexible tube 1 is prepared.

Then, at the connection work site, first,
After the backing material 12 is fitted around the outer periphery of the flexible tube 1, the notches of the respective half plates 17 are cut so as to sandwich the flexible tube 1 between the two half plates 17, 17 of the split ring 11 as shown in FIG. The portion 17a is pushed into the annular concave portion 2a closest to the cut surface 2b of the bellows tube 2 from the outer periphery of the blade 3 so as to be fitted into the annular concave portion 2a with the end portion of the blade 3 wound.

Subsequently, the bellows tube 2 of the flexible tube 1
The O-ring 26 is placed on the ring seat 27 at the end. Thereafter, the spacer 14 is fitted to the outer circumference of the end of the bellows pipe 2 to a position where it comes into contact with the split ring 11, and the backing material 12 previously fitted to the outer circumference of the bellows pipe 2 is brought into contact with the split ring 11. (State shown in FIG. 5). Next, the flange 13 of the joint pipe 5 is
, The flange 13, the spacer 14, the split ring 11, and the backing material 12 are overlapped with each other, and bolts 21 are inserted into through holes 23 at four corners thereof and screwed and fastened to the nut 22. The four members are integrally connected with no gap between the members. With the above, the connection operation is completed.

In such an operation, the flexible pipe 1 and the joint pipe 5 can be easily connected without bending or welding the members on site. Moreover, the fixing of the blade 3 of the flexible tube 1 is simply performed by the blade 3
By pressing the split ring 11 into the annular concave portion 2a of the bellows pipe 2 from the outer periphery of the end of the blade 3 and winding the end of the blade 3, it is not necessary to expand the end of the blade as in the conventional case. The efficiency of the connection work can be further improved.

The O-ring 26 disposed on the ring seat 27 of the bellows pipe 2 is used for the ring seat 2 during the connection operation.
7 does not come off and does not come off unless it is tilted more than just beside, so that the efficiency of the connection work can be further improved. In addition, since the O-ring 26 is not tightened more than necessary because the amount of compression is determined by the spacer 14 at the time of fastening, the O-ring 26 can maintain good watertightness.

Further, a flange 13, a spacer 14, a split ring 11, and a backing material 12, which are connecting members between the flexible pipe 1 and the joint pipe 5, are provided with bolts 2 passing therethrough.
Since they are integrally connected to each other with no gap by the nut 1 and the nut 22, they are unlikely to be deformed in a short term or a long term. In particular, split ring 11
Is that the two half-split plates 17, 17, which are constituent members thereof, are simply fitted into the annular concave portion 2a of the bellows pipe 2 and the joint portion between them is not fixed by welding. That is, since the half-split plate 17 is held between the spacer 14 and the backing material 12, the split ring 11 is fastened by the fastening force of the bolt 21 and the nut 22.
Does not bend or deform. Further, since the spacer 14 is made of hard rubber, the adhesion between the spacer 14 and the flanges 13 and the split ring 11 on both sides thereof is enhanced. As a result, in addition to being able to maintain the water tightness of the O-ring 26 well, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a leak accident or the like while maintaining the water tightness at the connecting portion high and permanent. The durability can be improved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various other forms.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the outer circumference of the bellows pipe 2 is covered with the blade 3 is used as the flexible pipe 1 is described. It can be widely applied to connection structures with

In the above embodiment, the flange 13 is fixed to the end of the joint pipe 5 by welding. However, the present invention can be applied to a case where the flange is integrally formed at the end of the joint pipe 5. Good. Further, it is needless to say that the other pipe connected to the bellows pipe 2 is not limited to the joint pipe 5.

[0023]

As described above, according to the connecting structure of the bellows pipe and another pipe according to the present invention, the split ring, the backing material, the flange, and the spacer involved in the connection are integrally formed without any gap. Since they are connected, they rarely deform, suppressing a decrease in water tightness, preventing a leak accident or the like, and improving durability.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the bellows pipe can be easily connected to another pipe while holding the O-ring at the end of the bellows pipe. The ring is not tightened more than necessary, and the watertightness can be maintained well.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the outer periphery of the bellows tube is covered with a flexible blade, the split ring is inserted into the annular recess of the bellows tube from the outer periphery of the end of the blade. Since the end portion can be fixed, it is not necessary to increase the diameter of the end portion of the blade as in the related art, and there is also an effect that the workability can be improved.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 4, since the spacer is made of hard rubber, the adhesion between the spacer and the flanges and split rings on both sides thereof can be increased, so that the occurrence of leakage accidents and the like can be prevented. And the improvement of watertightness can be achieved more reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view in which a lower half of an embodiment of the present invention is cut.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion Y in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a split ring is attached to the bellows tube.

FIG. 5 is a partially cut-away side view showing a state immediately before connection with a joint pipe on the bellows pipe side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible pipe 2 Bellows pipe 2a Annular concave part 2b Cut surface 3 Blade 5 Joint pipe (other pipes) 11 Split ring 12 Backing material 13 Flange 14 Spacer 21 Bolt (fastening member) 22 Nut (fastening member) 26 O-ring 27 Ring Seat

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A connecting structure for connecting a bellows tube whose wall surface is formed into a corrugated shape having a plurality of annular concave portions to another tube, wherein a split ring fitted into one annular concave portion of the bellows tube is provided. A backing material fitted on the outer periphery of the bellows tube and abutting against a side surface of the split ring opposite to the other tube;
A flange provided on the other pipe, and a spacer interposed between the flange and the split ring, wherein the split ring, the backing material, the flange and the spacer are both plate-shaped and have an outer shape. Are formed in the same shape, and are integrally connected by a fastening member penetrating these four members without any gap between the members. . 2. An end of the bellows tube has a cut surface in an annular recess adjacent to the annular recess into which the split ring is fitted.
The O-ring is formed to hold the ring, and the O-ring is compressed at the time of the four-way connection by the fastening member to seal between the bellows tube and another tube, and the amount of compression is determined by the spacer. The connecting structure of the bellows tube according to claim 1 and another tube. 3. The outer circumference of the bellows tube is covered with a flexible blade, and the split ring is fitted into the annular recess with the end of the blade wound and fixed in the annular recess of the bellows tube. Claim 1 or 2
Connection structure between the bellows tube described above and another tube. 4. The connecting structure according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is made of hard rubber.