JP2009197926A - Connector for piping and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cut down on costs for manufacturing connectors for piping, and contribute to resource saving. <P>SOLUTION: An annular spacer member 2 is fitted to the tip end of a plastic pipe 1 having an intermediate layer of a plastically deformable metal layer 11. Through the spacer member 2, the tip end of the plastic pipe 1 is connected to a joint 3, a protrusion 1a is formed on the outer circumference of the tip-end of the plastic pipe 1, and a connection recess 2a is formed in the inner circumference of the spacer member 2. The protrusion 1a of the plastic pipe is press-fit in the connection recess, the plastic pipe 1 and the spacer member 2 are connected to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pipe connection body through which a fluid such as water, hot water, cold water, or a refrigerant flows, and a method for manufacturing the same.

For example, in the water faucet mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-151501 (hereinafter referred to as “conventional example 1”), as shown in FIGS. Insert a water supply pipe and a hot water supply pipe with an O-ring fitted into the insertion section and a connecting member from the outside of the inner casing and the flange. The clip ring is inserted to connect the two.
In a joined body of a copper tube and an aluminum tube disclosed in JP-A-2005-262248 (hereinafter referred to as “conventional example 2”), one end of a copper tube and one end of a stainless steel tube are brazed. In this structure, one end of the aluminum tube and the other end of the stainless steel tube are brazed.
In the pipe joint structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-32598 (hereinafter referred to as “conventional example 3”), a connection pipe made of a crosslinked polyethylene pipe is connected to one end of one relay pipe, and the other joint pipe is connected. It is a structure in which a connected pipe made of a crosslinked polyethylene pipe is connected to one end, and the relay pipe and the joint pipe are firmly joined by a clip body that is a connecting member.
JP-A-9-151501 JP 2005-262248 A JP 2007-32598 A

In Conventional Example 1, the water supply pipe and the hot water supply pipe are presumed to be metal pipes such as copper because the state in which the nut passes through the front panel and is fixed is shown in FIG. Durability and high strength are ensured that the water supply pipe and hot water supply pipe are made of metal, but the cost of metal parts recently has increased due to the increased cost, and in particular, it is rare for copper. Considering the nature, there was a problem in resource conservation.
Also in Conventional Example 2, there are the same problems as in Conventional Example 1 because copper pipes and aluminum pipes are used as piping.
In Conventional Example 3, when the connecting pipe and the connected pipe are plastic pipes, the problems of Conventional Example 1 and Conventional Example 2 are solved, but the relay pipe and the joint pipe are not made of plastic but made of metal. It is not easy to connect the plastic connecting pipe and the connected pipe.
Recently, it has been expected that pipes can be connected without using metal pipes as much as possible to reduce manufacturing costs and save resources.
An object of the present invention is to reduce manufacturing costs and contribute to resource saving.

The first feature of the connection body for piping according to the present invention is that it has a plastic pipe that can be plastically deformed, and an annular (tubular, sleeve-like, ring-like, etc.) inner hole that is fitted to the distal end side of this plastic pipe. (Including the shape) spacer member and a connecting member connected to the spacer member. A convex portion is formed on the outer periphery of the plastic tube at the tip end side, and the spacer member has a connection concave portion formed on the inner periphery thereof, and the convex portion of the plastic tube is press-fitted into the connection concave portion. .
The second feature of the pipe connection according to the present invention is that the plastic tube is a three-layer structure tube, and the intermediate layer is a metal layer that can be plastically deformed. is there.
A third feature of the pipe connection body according to the present invention includes the second feature, and the spacer member is provided with an annular body in one end opening, and the outer peripheral surface of the annular body and the inner hole of the spacer member A bag-like groove is formed between them, and the tip of the plastic tube can be inserted into the groove.
The fourth feature of the pipe connection body according to the present invention includes the third feature, and the outer peripheral surface of the annular body forming one inner wall of the groove is an inclined surface that rises toward the opening. It is in that.
According to a fifth feature of the pipe connection body according to the present invention, there is provided any one of the first to fourth features, a step is provided in the inner hole of the spacer member, and the plastic which is one side of the inner hole is provided. The diameter on the insertion side of the tube is larger than that on the other side.
The sixth feature of the connection body for piping according to the present invention is that it has any one of the first to fifth features and the connection member is a joint.

The first feature of the method for manufacturing a pipe connection body according to the present invention is that the inner surface of the annular spacer member having a connection recess on the inner peripheral surface is plastic so that the outer peripheral surface is in contact with the peripheral surface of the inner hole. After inserting the tip of the deformable plastic tube, it is pressed from the inner peripheral surface side of the plastic tube toward the peripheral surface of the inner hole of the spacer member, and is opposed to the connection recess by this pressing force. The outer peripheral portion of the plastic tube is plastically deformed to form a convex portion, the convex portion of the plastic tube is press-fitted into the connection concave portion, and the convex portion and the connection concave portion are integrally coupled, and then a spacer The connection member is connected to the member.
A second feature of the method for manufacturing a pipe connection body according to the present invention is a metal layer having the first feature, wherein the plastic pipe is a three-layer structure pipe, and the intermediate layer is plastically deformable. There is to be.

  According to this invention, since it can connect to members, such as piping, using a plastic pipe instead of a metal pipe by simple structure, it can aim at the cost reduction of manufacture and can contribute to resource saving.

A connection body for piping according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The pipe connection body shown in the figure includes a plastic pipe 1, a spacer member 2 attached to the plastic distal end side, and a joint 3 which is a connecting member into which the plastic pipe distal end side is inserted.

The plastic tube 1 is a three-layer structure tube that can be plastically deformed. In the illustrated example, the intermediate layer is a metal layer 11 that can be plastically deformed. In the plastic tube 1, the first layer and the third layer are resin layers made of, for example, cross-linked polyethylene, and the intermediate layer, which is the second layer, is a metal layer 11 made of aluminum.
On the distal end side of the plastic tube 1, a convex portion 1a is formed on the entire outer periphery thereof.
The plastic tube 1 can pass a fluid such as cold water or hot water.

The spacer member 2 is made of metal and has a main body formed in an annular shape. A connection recess 2 a is provided on the inner periphery of the inner hole 2 b of the spacer member 2. One end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the spacer member 2 is provided with a flange portion 2c, and a seal groove 2d is provided on the outer periphery on the other end portion side. A sealing ring 4 is mounted in the seal groove 2d.
The spacer member 2 is fitted into the distal end side of the plastic tube 1 through the inner hole 2b. Since the convex portion 1a of the plastic tube 1 is press-fitted into the connection concave portion 2a of the spacer member 2, the plastic tube and the spacer member are firmly coupled to each other.

The joint 3 is made of metal, and is provided with a flange 3b at one end (the right end in FIG. 1), and the other end is narrowed toward the inside of the inner hole 3a. .
In the joint 3, the distal end side of the plastic tube 1 and the main body of the spacer member 2 are inserted.
In the joint 3, the spacer member 2 is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the joint 3 and the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side of the plastic pipe 1. The sealing ring 4 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the joint 3 and seals the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the joint and the outer peripheral surface of the spacer member 2.
The flange portion 2 c of the spacer member 2 and the flange portion 3 b of the joint 3 face each other in an adjacent state, and both are connected by a connecting member 5.
A member 6 such as a pipe is connected to the other end of the joint 3.

The manufacturing method of the connection body of piping is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.
In the figure, details of the three-layer structure of the plastic tube 1 are omitted.
In the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 4, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the spacer member 2 is arranged so that the flange portion 2c faces the distal end portion side of the plastic tube 1.
Next, as shown in (a), the tip end side of the plastic tube 1 is inserted into the inner hole 2 b of the spacer member 2.
Thereafter, a cylindrical expansion member 7 indicated by a chain line is arranged opposite to the outside of the tip portion of the plastic tube 1.
The expanding member 7 has a pressing protrusion 7a on the entire outer periphery on the tip side, and is provided with a split groove 7b that can be divided into two vertically, over the entire length.
In the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 5, as shown in (c), the expanding member 7 is inserted backward from the distal end side in the plastic tube 1, and the pressing protrusion 7a is located outside the spacer member. The insertion is stopped at the stage where the two connecting recesses 2a are reached.
After the insertion of the expanding member 7 is stopped as shown in (d), the rod-shaped pressing jig 8 is inserted from the rear end opening of the expanding member, and then the rear end of the pressing jig is pressed to a predetermined pressing force. The pressing jig is sequentially pushed toward the tip end side of the expanding member while pressing with.
Then, since the diameter of the pressing jig 8 is larger than the diameter of the expanding member 7, the expanding member 7 expands outward as the pressing jig advances, and at the same time, the pressing protrusion 7a also faces outward. Accordingly, the inner peripheral surface of the plastic tube 1 that is in contact with the pressing projection is plastically deformed into a convex shape by the pressing force of the pressing projection, and eventually becomes the convex portion 1a. Is press-fitted into the connecting recess 2a.
As a result, since the convex portion 1a is press-fitted into the connecting concave portion 2a of the spacer member 2, the plastic tube 1 is firmly connected to the spacer member.
In the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 6, after press-fitting as shown in (e), driving of the pressing jig 8 is stopped, this is pulled out from the expanding member 7, and this expanding member is taken out from the plastic tube 1 and sealed. The sealing ring 4 is attached to the groove 2d.
Then, as shown in (f), the joint 3 is fitted through the spacer member 2 on the outer side of the distal end portion of the plastic tube 1.
After that, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 1, the flanges 2 c and 3 b are connected by the connecting member 5, and the member 6 is connected to the joint 3.

In the illustrated example, the plastic pipe 1 is not a metal pipe, but can be connected to the metal joint 3 by press-fitting the convex portion 1 a using the connection concave portion 2 a of the spacer member 2.
Thus, by using a simple connection method, the plastic pipe 1 can be connected to a metal connection member including a metal joint, and a plastic pipe can be used instead of the metal pipe. The use of pipes can be reduced as much as possible, contributing to cost reduction and resource saving.

Another embodiment of the spacer member will be described with reference to FIGS.
The feature of the spacer member 2A shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is that an annular body 2Ae is provided in an opening at one end (right end in FIG. 7), and a bag is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the annular body and the inner hole 2Ab of the spacer member. The other configuration is the same as that of the spacer member 2.
The bag-like groove 2Af serves to protect the distal end portion 1b of the plastic tube 1 inserted into the spacer member 2A through the inner hole 2Ab. The distal end portion 1b of the plastic tube 1 is covered while being inserted into the groove 2Af.
The inner surface forming one inner surface of the groove 2Af is an inclined surface 2Ae1 that rises toward the opening (upward to the right shoulder), and therefore, the distal end portion 1b of the plastic tube 1 inserted into the groove. Is maintained and the degree of adhesion with the groove inner surface is increased.
The tip of a member 6A such as a tube can be inserted into the annular body 2Ae.
In FIG. 7, the connection recess 2Aa and the seal groove 2Ad correspond to the connection recess 2a and the seal groove 2d of the spacer member 2, respectively.
The space between the spacer member 2A and a joint (not shown) fitted outside the spacer member is sealed by a sealing ring (not shown) mounted in the seal groove 2Ad.
Next, a manufacturing method of the connection body will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the plastic tube 1 and the spacer member 2A in the positional relationship shown in FIG.
In this coupling method, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the plastic tube 1 is inserted into the inner hole 2Ab of the spacer member 2A, and the tip 1b is strongly pushed into the bag-like groove 2Af of the spacer member 2A.
Thereafter, by using an expanding member and a pressing jig (not shown), the inner peripheral surface of the plastic tube 1 facing the connecting recess 2Aa shown in FIG. The surface is plastically deformed into a convex shape by the pressing force, and eventually becomes a convex portion 1a and is press-fitted into the connection concave portion of the spacer member 2A. As a result, since the convex portion 1a is press-fitted into the connecting concave portion 2Aa of the spacer member 2A, the plastic pipe 1 is firmly connected to the spacer member.
The advantages of the spacer member 2A shown in FIG. 7 will be described. In the coupled state of the plastic tube 1 and the spacer member 2A shown in FIG. 9 (c), the plastic tube has its tip 1b in close contact with the bag-like groove 2Af. Since it is press-fitted into the state, it is immersed in between the metal layer 11 that is the intermediate layer and the upper and lower layers (first layer and third layer) to prevent the adjacent layers from peeling off over time. It is. Since the inner surface of the groove 2Af is the inclined surface 2Ae1, the pressing force applied to the tip 1b of the plastic tube 1 is increased, and the adhesion between the three layers including the metal layer 11 is increased, thereby further preventing flooding. Become effective.

The spacer member 2B shown in FIG. 10 is a modification of the spacer member 2A, and its feature is that the inner hole 2Bb has a predetermined step h. That is, the diameter of the inner hole 2Bb of the spacer member 2B is smaller than the diameter of the inner hole 2Bb1 on one end (left end in FIG. 10) opening side.
The advantage of providing the level difference h is that the plastic tube is acceptable as long as the plastic tube has an allowable error when an error occurs with respect to the planned diameter of the plastic tube inserted into the spacer member 2A. Can be inserted into the spacer member 2B, and the width of the diameter of the plastic tube to be inserted can be provided.
The configuration of the spacer member 2B is the same as that of the spacer member 2A except that there is a step h.
In FIG. 10, the connection recess 2Ba, the seal groove 2Bd, the annular body 2Be, the inclined surface 2Be1 and the groove 2Bf of this annular body are the connection recess 2Aa, the seal groove 2Ad, the annular body 2Ae of the spacer member 2A, and the inclined surface of this annular body. This corresponds to 2Ae1 and the groove 2Af, respectively.

The spacer member 2C shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is formed in a ring shape, and a connection recess 2Ca is provided on the inner peripheral surface.
The connection recess 2 </ b> Ca corresponds to the connection recess 2 a of the spacer member 2. The inner hole 2Cb corresponds to the inner hole 2b of the spacer member 2.

The spacer member 2D shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is formed in a ring shape, and is provided with a connection recess 2Da on the inner peripheral surface and a flange 2Dc on the outer periphery.
The connection recess 2Da, the inner hole 2Db, and the flange 2Dc in the spacer member 2D correspond to the connection recess 2a, the inner hole 2b, and the flange 2c of the spacer member 2, respectively.

The configuration of the spreading member and the pressing jig is not limited to the spreading member 7 and the pressing jig 8 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and may be, for example, those shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. That is,
In the illustrated example, the expanding member 7A includes a cylindrical main body 7A1, a movable body 7A2 that is held so as to be movable in the radial direction with respect to the main body, and a pressing protrusion 7A3 provided on each movable body. Consists of. The movable bodies 7A2 are arranged with an interval of 120 degrees in the illustrated example. The pressing protrusion 7A3 is formed of a spherical body, is fixed to the holding portion 7A2a at the tip of each movable body 7A2, and the upper half portion is exposed. The inner surface of the holding portion 7A2a of each movable body 7A2 is an inclined surface 7A2a1 that is inclined downward toward the tip.
The pressing jig 8A has a rod-like shape, and the tip thereof is a pressing surface 8Aa formed in a taper.
The relationship between the spreading member 7A and the pressing jig 8A will be described. When the pressing jig 8A is pushed out from the position shown in FIG. 15 in the direction of the arrow, the pressing surface 8Aa gradually contacts the inclined surface 7A2a1 of each movable body 7A2. In order to push up the inclined surface, each movable body moves in the radial direction of the main body 7A1, and each pressing projection 7A3 moves in the same direction as shown by a chain line in FIG.
Through such movement of the respective pressing projections 7A3, the inner peripheral surface of the plastic tube is plastically deformed, and is coupled to the connection recess to the spacer member.

Piping connections are not limited to equipment installed inside or outside equipment that requires a fluid circulation system such as water, hot water, cold water, or refrigerant. Water distribution equipment such as hot water and drainage, and equipment that uses refrigerant Including those installed in.
The configuration of the plastic tube 1 does not need to be the three-layer structure tube shown in FIG. 1, and is not limited to the illustrated example as long as plastic deformation is possible. The materials of the spacer members 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and the joint 3 are not limited, and may be metal or plastic. The connecting member is not limited to the joint 3. Although the shape of the spacer member is expressed as “annular” in the example shown in FIG. 1, the annular shape includes a shape having an inner hole such as a tubular shape, a sleeve shape, and a ring shape.
The expansion member is not limited to the example shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and if the pressing protrusions are arranged at three or more locations, the plastic tube is strengthened in connection with the spacer member via the connection recess. In order to reinforce such coupling, the movable body 7A2 may be rotatable about the axis.

It is sectional drawing which shows the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. It is the II-II line expanded sectional view of FIG. It is a partially notched front view which shows the attachment state of the spacer member with respect to the plastic pipe in the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the connection body of the piping which concerns on this invention, Comprising: (A) is a figure which shows the step before attaching a spacer member to a plastic pipe, (A) is a figure which shows a spacer member in a plastic pipe. It is a figure which shows the state fitted. It is sectional drawing which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the connection body of piping concerning this invention, Comprising: (c) is a figure which shows the state which inserted the expansion member in the plastic pipe, (D) is in the expansion member. It is a figure which shows the state which is driving in the pressing jig. It is a sectional view showing the process of the manufacturing method of the connection body of the piping according to the present invention, wherein (e) is a diagram showing a state in which the spacer member is fixed to the tip of the plastic pipe and the sealing ring is attached. (F) is a figure which shows the state which has attached the joint via the spacer member to the front-end | tip part of the plastic pipe of the state shown to (e). It is an expanded sectional view which shows the other example of the spacer member used for the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. It is the VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the connection body of piping using the spacer member shown in FIG. 7, Comprising: (A) is a figure which shows the step before attaching a spacer member to a plastic pipe, (A) is a plastic pipe. The figure which shows the state which fitted the spacer member in (c) is a figure which shows the combined state of a plastic pipe | tube and a spacer member. It is a partially notched enlarged front view which shows the further another example of the spacer member used for the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the further another example of the spacer member used for the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. It is the XII-XII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a partially notched front view which shows the further another example of the spacer member used for the connection body of piping which concerns on this invention. FIG. 14 is a right side view of FIG. 13. It is sectional drawing which shows each principal part of the expansion member and the pressing jig inserted in this expansion member. It is the XVI-XVI line expanded sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plastic pipe 1a Convex part 1b Tip part 11 Metal layer 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D Spacer member 2a, 2Aa, 2Ba, 2Ca, 2Da Connection recessed part 2b, 2Ab, 2Bb, 2Bb1 Inner hole of spacer member 2Cb, 2Db spacer Inner hole of member 3 Joint (connecting member)
3a Joint inner hole 4 Sealing ring 5 Connecting member 7 Expanding member 7a Pressing projection 7b Split groove 7A Expanding member 7A1 Main body 7A2 Movable body 7A3 Pressing projection 8 Pressing jig 8A Pressing jig 8Aa Pressing surface

Claims (8)

It is composed of a plastic tube that can be plastically deformed, an annular spacer member that is fitted to the tip of the plastic tube, and a connection member that is connected to the spacer member.
A convex portion is formed on the outer periphery of the plastic tube on the tip side,
The connection member for piping, wherein the spacer member has a connection recess formed on an inner periphery thereof, and the protrusion of the plastic pipe is press-fitted into the connection recess.   The pipe connection body according to claim 1, wherein the plastic pipe is a three-layer structure pipe, and the intermediate layer is a metal layer that can be plastically deformed.   The spacer member is provided with an annular body in the opening at one end, and a bag-like groove is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the annular body and the inner hole of the spacer member, and the tip of the plastic tube can be inserted into the groove. The connection body for piping according to claim 2, wherein:   4. The pipe connection body according to claim 3, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the annular body forming one inner wall of the groove is an inclined surface rising toward the opening.   5. The step according to claim 1, wherein a step is provided in the inner hole of the spacer member, and the diameter of the insertion side of the plastic tube which is one side of the inner hole is larger than that of the other side. Piping connection body.   The connecting member for piping according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting member is a joint.   After inserting the tip of a plastic deformable plastic tube whose outer peripheral surface is in contact with the peripheral surface of the inner hole into the inner hole of the annular spacer member having the connection concave portion on the inner peripheral surface, Pressing from the inner peripheral surface toward the peripheral surface of the inner hole of the spacer member, the outer peripheral portion of the plastic tube facing the connection concave portion is plastically deformed into a convex shape by the pressing force, and a convex portion is formed. The convex part of the plastic tube is press-fitted into the connection concave part, the convex part and the connection concave part are integrally coupled, and then the connection member is connected to the spacer member. Method.   8. The method of manufacturing a pipe connection body according to claim 7, wherein the plastic pipe is a three-layer structure pipe, and the intermediate layer is a metal layer capable of plastic deformation.

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