JP2001355772A - Member for flange connection, and flange connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a member for flange connection that causes no uneven clamping of flanges in connecting work, excels in operability and has high water stopping performance even for piping of a large bore diameter, and a flange connection structure using the member. SOLUTION: Taper rings 1 each have a tapering inclined face 11 at the external side, a flat plate wall 13 for covering a side of a flange F, F' at the opposite side to the inclined face, and a collar portion 12 located on the peripheral end face of the flange at the peripheral end of the inclined face. The taper rings 1 are fitted to cover the peripheral end faces of the flanges opposed via a seal member S. A clamp ring 2 having a groove where the taper rings are fitted, inclined faces 21 matching the inclined faces of the taper rings at the inner circumferential surface of the groove, and two-divided elements whose ends on one side are hinged together and whose other ends are provided with a locking element 23, is fitted on the peripheral end faces of the taper rings. Tightening the clamp ring clamps the taper rings to clamp the flanges together.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flange connecting member for fastening opposed flanges via a sealing member, and a flange connecting structure using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a pipe is connected by using a flange, a flange having a connection structure in which four or more sets of bolts and nuts are tightened while sandwiching a sealing member is often used. In addition to the flange of the structure, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-065261, flanges are attached to opposite connection ends of pipes to be connected, and are opposed via an O-ring. The O-ring receiving portion and the ring portion are integrally protruded from one of the tubes, the O-ring receiving portion holds the O-ring, and the ring portion is provided on the other tube. Position it by engaging it with the groove,
The thing of the connection structure which clamps this with a clamping wheel is known.

[0003] However, if the pipe is not rounded and the pipe end is not accurately treated at the same time, the O
Since the ring does not accurately contact the receiving part or the annular groove, it is not possible to secure water stoppage, and advanced technology is often required for pipe production and on-site construction. Since more sophisticated skills are required, it is desirable that the method be applied to pipes having a small diameter in practice, and it is not suitable for pipes having a large diameter.

[0004] Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-082831, a connection structure using a resilient curved member provided with a flange fitting hole is used. As disclosed, there is known a connection structure in which flanges are connected to each other using a clip having a rotation preventing mechanism that swallows and engages the flanges.

[0005] However, when this is applied to a relatively small-diameter pipe, it can sufficiently stop water, but when applied to a relatively large-diameter pipe, the connection strength is weak and water leaks from the connection portion. Can be seen.

[0006] Because of the above-mentioned problems, in the conventional method, in the case of a large diameter, a flange having a structure fastened with a bolt and a nut has been used in most cases.
When tightening with bolts and nuts, all bolts and nuts must be tightened with a uniform torque in order to ensure waterproofness. However, it is difficult to tighten the bolts and nuts with a constant torque even if they are tightened using a torque wrench. Particularly in the case of plastic flanges, the flexibility of the material is large, so the bolts and nuts are located around the bolt holes. Only the tightening force is generated, and the tightening force is not secured in a portion other than the vicinity of the bolt hole, and it is likely to be in a one-sided tightening state, which causes a problem that water leakage occurs. In addition, the angle between the flanges must be adjusted so that the bolt holes formed in the flanges accurately face each other, and there is a problem that workability is poor.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems in the conventional flange connection structure, and does not cause one-sided tightening of the flange at the time of connection even in a large-diameter pipe.
An object of the present invention is to provide a flange connection member having good workability and high water blocking properties, and a flange connection structure using the same.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flange connecting member (Invention 1) for solving the above-mentioned problems, which comprises a sealing member attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected. An annular flange connecting member composed of a tapered ring and a tightening ring for connecting a pair of flanges opposed to each other via a taper core,
The outer peripheral side surface is a tapered inclined surface that becomes thinner toward the outer peripheral end surface, the opposite side surface is a flat plate wall that covers the side surface of the flange, and the outer peripheral end of the inclined surface is the inclined surface. The flange is bent in the opposite direction and disposed on the outer peripheral end surface of the flange, and the bent length of the flange is substantially equal to the thickness of the flange and is large, and is divided into at least two or more. The fastening ring has a groove for fitting the tapered core, and the inner peripheral surface of the groove is an inclined surface having an inclination angle substantially matching the inclination angle of the inclined surface provided on the tapered core, It is divided into two or more sectors,
A flange connection member characterized in that an end of each of the divided members is sequentially connected to each other, and a locking member is provided for connecting opposed final ends formed in an annular shape.

The flange connection structure according to claim 2 of the present invention (invention 2) includes a plurality of flange connection structures which cover the outer peripheral end faces of a pair of opposed flanges via a seal member attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected. The number of taper rings is fitted, a tightening ring is fitted on the outer peripheral end surface of the taper ring, and the taper ring is tightened by tightening the tightening ring with a locking tool, whereby the flanges are fastened to each other. It is a flange connection structure.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flange connection structure according to a third aspect of the present invention, wherein a pair of flanges, each of which has a tapered inclined outer peripheral end face attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected, The fastening ring according to claim 1, which is disposed to face the sealing member and covers the outer peripheral end surfaces of the flanges, the flanges are fastened by tightening the fastening ring with a locking tool. It is a flange connection structure.

The flange applied to the present invention may have any shape and material, and is not particularly limited. That is, the bolt holes for fastening the flanges may or may not be opened, and the material may be metal or synthetic resin.

The tapered ring of the present invention has strength not to be damaged even when repeatedly tightened with a tightening ring when mounting or removing the flange, is hard to be fatigued, and is suitable for tightening. The material is not particularly limited as long as it has a property of obtaining a shape having resilience and elasticity. For example, as an example,
Metals and alloys such as aluminum, iron, steel, copper, bronze, and stainless steel, and metals that prevent corrosion; thermoplastic resins such as vinyl chloride resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and acrylic butadiene styrene copolymer resin; Fiber-reinforced resins and fiber-reinforced resins; fiber-reinforced thermosetting resins such as polyester, polyurethane, and epoxy resins compounded with glass fiber, carbon fiber, and the like. It is preferably used because it is high and has the above properties in a well-balanced manner.

When the inclination angle of the tapered inclined surface provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the tapered ring and becoming thinner toward the outer peripheral end surface is in the range of 5 to 70 degrees, the outer periphery thereof can be tightened with a tightening wheel. Sometimes sufficient tightening strength is obtained. If it is less than 5 degrees, the groove depth of the tightening ring must be increased to obtain a sufficient tightening force.
If it is greater than 0 degrees, there is a risk that the tightening force will be weak.

The flat wall provided on the side opposite to the inclined surface and in contact with the side of the flange is preferably as close as possible to the length covering the entire outer surface of the flange. If it is short,
This is because when the flange connector is tightened, only the vicinity of the outer peripheral end of the flange is tightened, and the flange may be distorted.

The outer peripheral end of the inclined surface which is bent in the opposite direction to the inclined surface and disposed on the outer peripheral end surface of the flange has an inner peripheral radius of the flange substantially equal to the outer peripheral radius of the flange. The inner radius of the flange is matched to be large, so that the outer peripheral end face of the flange is not locally pressed when the taper ring is tightened. Further, the bent length of the flange portion may be equal to or less than the thickness of the flange. If the bent length is greater than the thickness of the flange, when tightened, the sealing member arranged between the flanges will be compressed, and the opposite sides of the flange will contact each other, and the flat wall of the tapered ring will This is because there is a risk that the side will not come into contact.

[0016] The taper ring may be divided. The number of divisions may be any number, but it suffices if the combination makes a round around the flange when fitted to the flange. If the pipe is not divided, it is attached to the pipe before attaching the flange to the connection end of the pipe.

The groove for fitting the taper ring provided on the tightening ring has an inclined surface whose inner peripheral surface coincides with the inclined surface. If they do not match, only a part of the taper will come into linear contact, and the taper ring will tighten the flange unevenly, causing leakage.

The tightening wheel is divided into two or more in a fan shape. In this case, the divided tightening rings are connected to each other by, for example, a hinge or the like, and are formed in an annular shape.
Opposing final ends, which are free ends, are locked with each other by a locking tool.

Since the tightening wheel functions to tighten the locking member and tighten the tapered ring to the flange, the tightening force must exert a tightening force when the locking member is tightened.
For this reason, the inner diameter when the tightening ring is tightened is made smaller than the outer diameter of the taper ring when mounted on the flange. Therefore, when the fastener is tightened, the diameter of the tightening wheel is reduced while the inclined surface on the inner surface of the tightening wheel slides on the outer inclined surface of the taper ring, and the taper ring is tightened. As a result, the flange is fastened. .

Since the tightening wheel main body operates in this manner, the material is not particularly limited as long as the material is elastic and hardly fatigued by repeated stress.
In addition, since the locking tool must withstand the elasticity of the tightening ring, there is no particular limitation as long as the structure is easy to tighten and does not loosen after tightening. For example, a method using a combination of a bolt and a nut, a so-called one-touch fastener, may be used.

(Operation) As described above, the annular connecting member for connecting the opposed flanges via the seal member is constituted by the tapered ring and the tightening ring, and the tapered ring has an outer peripheral side surface having an outer peripheral end surface. A tapered inclined surface that becomes thinner toward the front surface, a side surface opposite to the inclined surface is a flat plate wall that covers a side surface of the flange, and an outer peripheral end of the inclined surface is bent in a direction opposite to the inclined surface to form the flange. The flange portion is disposed on the outer peripheral end surface, the inner peripheral radius of the flange portion is the inner peripheral radius substantially coincident with the outer peripheral radius of the flange, is divided into at least two or more, this tapered ring is a seal member The outer peripheral end faces of the flanges facing each other are fitted over the outer peripheral end faces, and the outer peripheral end faces of the tapered rings have grooves for fitting the tapered rings, and the inner peripheral surfaces of the grooves coincide with the inclined surfaces. It is an inclined surface, and one end portion divided into two is sequentially connected by a hinge or the like, and a fastening ring provided with a locking tool at the final end is fitted, and the tapered ring is tightened by tightening the fastening ring. Therefore, even in a large-diameter pipe, it is possible to prevent the flange from being partially tightened at the time of connection, to achieve a connection with good workability and high waterproofness.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a flange connection member and a flange connection structure of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 (a) is a front view of an example of the tapered ring 1 of the flange connecting member of the present invention, FIG. 1 (b) is a partial sectional view of its side, and FIG. 1 (c) is its rear view. It is.
Although the example of this figure shows a member divided into two, the number of divisions is not limited to this. The taper ring 1 includes an inclined surface 11, a flange 12, and a flat plate wall 13.

It is desirable that the end of the inclined surface 11 on the side of the flat plate wall 13 is located at a position covering the side surface of the flange. If the position does not reach the end face of the flange, when the taper ring 1 is tightened, the corner ridge of the outer peripheral end face of the flange abuts against the flat plate wall 13 of the taper ring 1, and this serves as a fulcrum, and This is because a force acts in the direction in which the flat plate wall 13 spreads, and the flanges may not be uniformly fastened over the entire flange surface, or the flanges may be subjected to deformation stress and may be easily damaged.

The bent length of the flange portion 12 is reduced substantially in accordance with the thickness of the flange. Thus, when the taper ring is tightened, the flange portions of the taper ring facing each other do not come into contact with each other, so that the flat wall of the taper ring can abut on the side surface of the flange.

It is desirable that the inner surface of the flange portion 12 is formed in an arc shape which is equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral end surface of the flange. If the diameter is small, the flange may be damaged when the tapered ring is tightened and pressed against the flange.

In this example, the sum of the arc-shaped lengths of the inner peripheral surface of the flange 12 of each of the divided members of the tapered ring 1 is slightly shorter than the length of the outer peripheral end surface of the flange. Therefore,
When the divided taper ring 1 is mounted on a flange, a slight gap is formed between adjacent taper rings 1. This gap is provided to facilitate mounting of the tapered ring 1 and to prevent the end faces of the tapered ring 1 from abutting each other when the tapered ring 1 is tightened, but this is not always necessary. .

FIG. 2A is a front view of another example of the tapered ring 1 of the flange connecting member of the present invention, and FIG.
Is a partial cross-sectional view of the side surface, and FIG. 2C is a rear view thereof. In this embodiment, the flat plate wall 13 is provided with a notch 131 for avoiding a reinforcing rib provided on the flange. Of course, this notch 131 is unnecessary when applied to a flange not provided with a reinforcing rib.
There is no problem even if a taper ring with 31 is applied.

FIG. 3A is a partial sectional view of an example of the fastening ring 2 of the flange connecting member of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a front view thereof. The example in this figure shows that the part is divided into two parts, connected by hinges, and the free ends at both ends are fastened with bolts and nuts as fasteners, but the number of divisions and fasteners are not limited to this. Absent. The tightening ring 2 is an inclined surface 2
1, a hinge 22, and a locking member 23.

The angle of inclination of the inclined surface 21 is desirably substantially the same as the angle of inclination of the inclined surface 11 provided on the tapered ring 1. Even if there is a slight angle difference between the inclined surface 21 of the tightening ring 2 and the inclined surface 11 of the tapered ring 1 in a linear manner, if the tapered ring 1 has sufficient rigidity, the tightening ring 2 It is possible to tighten the taper ring 1 sufficiently by tightening,
If the material of the tapered ring 1 is synthetic resin or aluminum, the difference may be minimized because the tapered ring 1 may be damaged or the tightening force may be uneven due to uneven pressing. Should be.

The number of divisions of the tightening wheel 2 is appropriately changed according to the size and applied. The hinge 22 is only required to be able to connect the member pieces of the divided individual tightening rings 2 and to expand the individual divided pieces so that the tapered ring 1 can be fitted thereon, and the method is particularly limited. There is no.

The individual divided pieces of the divided tightening ring 2 do not necessarily have to be connected by the hinge 22.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), when arranged in an annular manner, adjacent ends of the individual divided pieces of the tightening ring have one end folded back and the other end engaged therewith. It may be folded in a possible direction. In this way, when the tightening wheel 2 is fitted on the tapered ring 1, the individual divided pieces can be connected while being engaged with the folded portions. Also, in this case, since the individual divided pieces can be disassembled and stacked, there is also an advantage that transportation and storage become easy.

The locking member 23 is provided at an end to be finally connected, that is, a free end, in which the divided tightening rings 2 are sequentially connected to form an annular shape. The locking method is tightening ring 2
There is no particular limitation as long as it can be connected and tightened, but for example, as an example, a projection having a through hole formed at the free ends facing each other may be screwed with a bolt and a nut. Alternatively, a so-called patchon fastener may be attached and fastened with this.

FIG. 4 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention in which a flange is connected using a taper ring 1 and a tightening ring 2 of a flange connection member, and FIG. 4 (b) is a front view thereof. FIG. The drawing of this example is a drawing in which the tapered ring 1 is divided into two, and the fastening ring 2 is divided into two and connected by the hinge 22, but the number of divisions is not limited to this. . In the following drawings, bolt holes provided in general flanges are omitted.

Flange F opposed via seal member S
And four tapered rings 1 are fitted on the outer peripheral end surfaces of F ′ and F ′ so that the flange portions 12 thereof are opposed to each other, and further on the outside thereof, a fastening ring 2 divided into two parts and connected by hinges 22 is provided.
The inclined surface 21 is attached so as to be in contact with the inclined surface 11 of the tapered ring 1, and the free ends at both ends thereof are provided with locking members 23.
(Bolts and nuts).

Accordingly, the flat plate wall 13 of the tapered ring 1 is pressed against the side walls of the flanges F and F ', and the flanges F and F' are securely fastened to each other.

FIG. 5 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which a flange whose outer peripheral edge is a tapered inclined surface is connected using only the tightening ring 2 of the present invention.
(B) is a front view thereof. The illustration of this example shows the fastening ring 2
Is a diagram of the two parts connected by the hinge 22, but the number of divisions is not limited to this.

The outer edges of the flanges F and F 'are formed as tapered inclined surfaces, and the inclination angle of the inclined surfaces is substantially the same as the inclination angle of the inclined surface 21 provided on the tightening wheel 2. . Therefore, the fastening ring 2 divided into two and connected by the hinges 22 has the inclined surfaces 21 with the flanges F and F ′.
When the free ends of both ends are tightened by the locking members 23 (bolts and nuts), the inclined surfaces slide with each other to tighten the flanges F and F ′. And the opposed flanges are fastened.

If the inclination angle of the taper outside the outer peripheral portion of the flange used in this connection structure is in the range of 5 ° to 70 °, sufficient tightening strength can be obtained when the outer periphery is tightened by the tightening wheel. If the angle is smaller than 5 degrees, the groove depth of the tightening ring must be increased in order to obtain a sufficient tightening force. If the angle is larger than 70 degrees, the tightening force may be weakened.

[0040]

According to the flange connecting member of the present invention, since the flange is fastened on the entire surface of the flange, there is no local fastening portion, so that the flange can be prevented from being partially tightened. The workability is good because it is only necessary to tighten the nut and the nut or the one-touch fastener, and there is no need to position the bolt holes provided in the flange. In the connection structure of the flanges connected in this manner, the flanges are evenly fastened to each other, so that a connection structure having high waterproofness even in a large-diameter pipe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of an example of a tapered ring of a flange connection member of the present invention. (B) is a partial cross-sectional view of the side surface. (C) is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 2 (a) is a front view of another example of the tapered ring of the flange connection member of the present invention. (B) is a partial cross-sectional view of the side surface. (C) is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 3 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of an example of a fastening ring of a flange connection member of the present invention. (B) It is the front view.

FIG. 4 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which a flange is connected using a taper ring and a tightening ring of the flange connection member of the present invention. (B) It is the front view.

FIG. 5 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which a flange whose outer peripheral edge is a tapered inclined surface is connected using only a tightening ring of the present invention. (B) It is the front view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Taper ring 11 Tapered ring inclined surface 12 Flange part 13 Flat wall 2 Clamping ring 21 Clamping ring inclined surface 22 Hinge 23 Locking tool F, F 'Flange S Sealing member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An annular flange connection comprising a tapered ring and a fastening ring for connecting a pair of opposed flanges via a seal member attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected. A member, wherein the tapered core is a tapered inclined surface whose outer peripheral side is thinner toward the outer peripheral end surface, and a side opposite to the inclined surface is a flat wall covering the side surface of the flange; The outer peripheral end of the flange is bent in the opposite direction to the inclined surface to form a flange disposed on the outer peripheral end of the flange, and the bent length of the flange is substantially equal to the thickness of the flange and is large. And
The clamping ring is divided into at least two or more parts, and the tightening ring has a groove for fitting the tapered core, and the inner peripheral surface of the groove substantially matches the inclination angle of the inclined surface provided on the tapered core. The end surface of each of the divided individual members is sequentially connected to each other and is provided with a locking member for connecting the opposed final ends formed in an annular shape. Features flange connection members. 2. A plurality of tapered rings are fitted over an outer peripheral end face of a pair of opposed flanges via a seal member attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected. A flange connection structure, wherein a fastening ring is fitted on an end face, and the flange is fastened by tightening the tapering by tightening the fastening ring with a locking tool. 3. A pair of flanges, each of which has a tapered slope at an outer peripheral end face attached to a pipe end of a pipe to be connected, are disposed to face each other with a seal member interposed therebetween. A flange connection structure, wherein the fastening ring according to claim 1 is fitted over the outer peripheral end face, and the flanges are fastened to each other by fastening the fastening ring with a locking tool.