JP2689095B2 - Flexible tube - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible tube suitable for connecting one end side to a water supply piping system via a pipe joint and connecting the other end side to a sprinkler head via a pipe joint. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional flexible tube of this kind, as shown in FIG. 5, a corrugated stainless flexible tube 1 is used.
00 and a blade 101 made of glass fiber that covers the flexible tube 100 while leaving both ends in the tube axial direction of the flexible tube 100, and has non-corrugated portions at both ends in the tube axial direction of the flexible tube 100. A mounting portion 100A is formed. Then, a metal receiving ring 102 is externally fitted to the mounting portion 100A, the pipe axial direction outer end and the pipe axial direction outer end of the mounting portion 100A are integrally coupled by, for example, welding 103, and the receiving ring 102 is formed. Annular groove 102A formed on the outer periphery of
The outer end portion of the blade 101 in the tube axial direction is fitted into the blade, and the metal holding ring 104 is fitted to the outer periphery of the blade 101.
The outer axial end portion of the blade 101 in the tube axial direction is sandwiched between A and the pressing ring 104, so that the outer axial end portion of the blade 101 is fixed to the receiving ring 102. Further, the union nut 105 is rotatably fitted on the receiving ring 102 so that the union nut 105 does not come off.
No. 02 has a structure which is prevented by a flange portion 102B formed at the outer end portion in the tube axial direction.

However, the conventional flexible tube of this type has a large number of parts, a complicated structure, and a complicated assembly work. Further, there is a possibility that the boundary portion P between the non-sandwiched portion and the portion sandwiched by the annular groove 102A and the retaining ring 104 at the outer end portion of the blade 101 in the tube axis direction may be damaged over time, and the welding is performed. There is also a possibility that damage may occur with time in the portion 103, and there is a drawback that fluid leakage occurs due to these damages.

[0004]

The problems to be solved are that the number of parts is large, the structure is complicated, the assembling work is complicated, and fluid leakage occurs due to damage over time.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one corrugated portion formed by a group of folds which are spaced apart in the tube axial direction and are radially expanded, and the corrugated portion in the tube axial direction. A diametrically enlarged portion formed at least at one end, a flange portion formed by bulging the pipe wall of the diametrically enlarged portion in the pipe axial direction in an outward radial direction, and rotatably around the pipe axis in the diametrically enlarged portion. A tubular connection member that is fitted externally, has an interference portion for preventing removal that interferes with the flange portion on the inner side, and forms a female screw on the inner circumference on the inlet side of the interference portion; and the corrugated portion. A cross-section rectangular portion formed at a selected position excluding the enlarged diameter portion, the corrugated portion, the enlarged diameter portion,
The flange and the square cross-section are integrally formed , reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure, making the assembly work almost unnecessary and preventing fluid leakage due to damage over time. In addition, the object of improving the holding property with respect to the fixing member has been achieved. The invention of claim 2 is
A tubular connection member in which a tubular body having both ends in the tubular axis direction opened is liquid-tightly fitted and fixed to at least one end in the tubular axis direction without the enlarged diameter portion, and a female screw is formed on the inner circumference of the tubular body. Is rotatably fitted around the pipe axis through a retaining mechanism, and a seal member is provided between the inner peripheral portion of the tubular connecting member and the outer peripheral portion of the tubular body. Characteristic,
It is not necessary to form the enlarged diameter portion, and the tubular body can be attached after the corrugated portion is formed, and the tubular connecting member can be externally fitted.

[0006]

According to the invention of claim 1, since at least one corrugated portion is formed by a group of pleats which are spaced in the tube axial direction and are radially expanded, the corrugated portion is flexible. Become. Therefore, a plurality of pleats can be provided with a curvature that minimizes the radius of curvature that abuts each other. Further, the corrugated portion, the flange portion, the expanded diameter portion and the rectangular cross-section portion are inserted and fixed in the molding die with one end of the pipe closed, and the high pressure fluid is supplied to the inside of the pipe from the other end side of the pipe. It can be formed by plastically deforming the pipe wall, and the cylindrical connecting member can be assembled in advance before forming the corrugated part, the flange part, the expanded diameter part and the rectangular cross-section part, so the assembly work after molding is omitted. it can. Furthermore, since the corrugated portion, the flange portion, the enlarged diameter portion and the rectangular cross-section portion can be integrally formed by plastically deforming the pipe wall, fluid leakage due to damage over time does not occur. Furthermore, since the rotation around the tube shaft can be reliably prevented by band-fastening the square-shaped rectangular cross-section, it is possible to improve the retainability of the fixing member. According to the invention of claim 2, since the corrugated portion and the rectangular cross-sectional portion can be formed by the mold in which the molding recess of the flange portion and the expanded diameter portion and the cylindrical connection member accommodating recess are omitted, the structure of the molding die can be formed. Will be easier.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a semi-vertical longitudinal side view showing an embodiment according to the invention of claim 1, in which a flexible tube 1 is made of a stainless steel tube and has a relatively small interval 1 in the tube axis C direction. A corrugated portion 3 formed by a group of folds 2, 2 ... Radially expanded in radial direction is provided at three positions deviated to the central portion and both end portions in the pipe axis C direction. Also,
The enlarged diameter portion 4 is formed at one end in the pipe axis C direction, and the enlarged diameter portion 4 is formed.
The flange portion 5 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 5 by overlapping the pipe wall in the pipe axial direction and projecting in the radially outward direction. A tubular connecting member 6 made of a nut is fitted around the pipe axis C so as to be rotatable around the pipe axis C on the inner side of the expanded diameter portion 4 in the pipe axis C direction with respect to the flange portion 5. The tubular connecting member 6 has an interference portion 6 on the inner side thereof for preventing slipping off which interferes with the flange portion 5.
A is formed so as to project radially inward, and the interference portion 6 is formed from the opening end.
A tapered female screw 6B is formed so as to gradually reduce its diameter toward A. The parallel female screw 6B is used instead of the tapered female screw 6B.
May be formed. Further, an annular seal member 7 made of synthetic resin or rubber is interposed between the interference portion 6A for preventing the slip-off and the flange portion 5.

On the other hand, a rectangular cross section 8 having a regular octagonal cross section is formed near the other end of the flexible tube 1. The socket 9 is liquid-tightly fitted and fixed to the other end of the flexible tube 1. That is, after the other end of the flexible tube 1 is press-fitted into the socket 9 to be externally fitted, the inner end of the socket 9 and the outer periphery of the other end of the flexible tube 1 are joined by welding 9A. A socket 9 is liquid-tightly fitted and fixed to the other end portion of the connector 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible tube 1 having the above-mentioned structure has a tubular connecting member 6 and an annular seal member 7 fitted in advance on a stainless steel tube 10 having a uniform outer diameter, and the other end. The corrugated molding concave portion 1 in a state where the portion is closed by the closing member 12.
1A, flange forming recess 11B, expanded diameter forming recess 11
C, the cross-section rectangular portion forming concave portion 11D and the tubular connecting member accommodating concave portion 11E are placed in two split molds 11, 11 and one end opening of the hydraulic pressurizing device or the hydraulic pressurizing device. By connecting to the discharge port 13 and feeding a high-pressure fluid (350 Kg / cm ² ) into the steel pipe 10, the pipe wall is plastically deformed, and as shown in FIG. Section 4, rectangular section 8 and expanded diameter section 4
After forming a temporary flange portion 5A in which the pipe walls of the above are opposed to each other in the pipe axis C direction and taking out from the molding dies 11 and 11, the temporary flange portion 5A is pressed in the pipe axis C direction by press working,
As shown in FIG. 1, it is manufactured by a procedure of forming a flange portion 5 in which the pipe wall of the expanded diameter portion 4 is overlapped in the pipe axis C direction.

When the flexible pipe 1 is used, a pipe joint such as a nipple (not shown) is connected to the tubular connecting member 6, and a water supply piping system is connected to this pipe joint. By this connection, a seal member (not shown) interposed between the tip of the pipe joint and the flange portion 5 is pressed by the pipe joint in the direction of the flange portion 5 to compress the seal member in the pipe axis C direction, and
It is expanded inward and outward in the radial direction to perform sealing (primary seal) between the pipe joint and the tubular connecting member 6 and the expanded diameter portion 4. Further, the secondary seal between the tubular connecting member 6 and the expanded diameter portion 4 is performed by the annular seal member 7. On the other hand, a sprinkler head (not shown) or the like is connected to the socket 9, and the rectangular cross-section 8 is attached to a horizontal holding bar (fixing member) in a state of being fitted in a metal sandwiching band (not shown). Fixed.

In the above structure, the corrugated parts 3, 3,
3 is formed by a group of pleats 2, 2 ... Which are spaced apart in the tube axis C direction and are expanded in the radial direction, so that flexibility is obtained in the corrugated portions 3, 3, 3. That is,
It is possible to provide a curvature that minimizes the radius of curvature in which a plurality of pleats 2, 2 ... Contact each other. Further, the corrugated portions 3, 3, 3, the flange portion 5, the enlarged diameter portion 4 and the rectangular cross-section portion 8 can be formed by supplying a high-pressure fluid into the inside of the pipe to plastically deform the pipe wall. Since the 6 and the seal member 7 may be assembled in advance before the corrugated parts 3, 3, 3, the flange part 5, the expanded diameter part 4 and the rectangular cross-section part 8 are assembled, the assembly work after the molding can be omitted. further,
Since the corrugated portions 3, 3, 3, the flange portion 5, the enlarged diameter portion 4 and the rectangular cross-section portion 8 can be integrally formed by plastically deforming the pipe wall, fluid leakage due to breakage with time as in the past is caused. Will not occur. Furthermore,
Since the rotation around the tube axis C can be reliably prevented by tightening the rectangular section 8 in a cross section with a band, for example, the holding property with respect to the fixing member formed of the horizontal bar described above is improved, and stable holding can be achieved.

FIG. 4 is a semi-vertical longitudinal sectional side view showing an embodiment according to the second aspect of the invention. The same or corresponding parts as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the structure and operation will be omitted. In this embodiment, a cylindrical body 14 having both ends in the tube axis direction opened to one end in the tube axis C direction without the expanded diameter portion 4 is liquid-tightly fitted and fixed to the inside of the cylindrical body 14 with an internal thread 6B. The tubular connecting member 6 formed of a hexagonal rotary socket having the above is rotatably fitted around the pipe axis C via a retaining mechanism 15, and the inner peripheral portion of the tubular connecting member 6 and the tubular body 14 are fitted together. Between the outer peripheral portion of the seal member 1
6, 16 are provided. That is, after the cylindrical body 14 is press-fitted into one end portion of the flexible tube 1 at the back side thereof, the welding 14A
Is connected to one end of the flexible tube 1. And
The retaining mechanism 15 includes an annular groove 15A formed in the outer peripheral portion of the tubular body 14, an annular groove 15B formed in the inner peripheral portion of the tubular connecting member 6 and a metal interposed between the annular grooves 15A and 15B. The retaining ring 15C is made of synthetic resin and has a cutout portion. Further, the seal members 16 and 16 made of O-rings are fitted into the annular grooves 17 and 17 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical body 14, and these seal members 1
The cylindrical body 14 and the cylindrical connecting member 6 are sealed by elastically pressing the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting member 6 with the members 6 and 16.

With such a structure, the flange portion 5 and the enlarged diameter portion 4 provided in the embodiment described in FIG. 1 are not required to be formed. Since the corrugated part 3 and the rectangular cross-section part 8 can be formed by the molding die 11 in which the expanded-diameter portion molding recess 11C and the tubular connection member accommodating recess 11E (see FIG. 2) are omitted, the structure of the molding die 11 is It has the advantage of being simple.

In the embodiment according to the invention of claim 1, 3
Although the description has been given with the configuration in which one corrugated portion 3, 3, 3 is provided, the number of corrugated portions 3 is arbitrary. Further, an enlarged diameter portion 4 is formed at one end portion in the pipe axis C direction, a cylindrical connecting member 6 is rotatably fitted on the enlarged diameter portion 4, and a socket 9 is placed at the other end portion in the pipe axis C direction. Although it has been described that the structure is closely fitted and fixed, the expanded diameter portions 4 are formed at both ends in the pipe axis C direction,
A configuration in which a tubular connecting member 6 is rotatably fitted over each of the expanded diameter portions 4 may be used. Further, although the description has been given of the configuration in which the cross-section square portion 8 having a regular octagonal cross-section is formed, the cross-sectional shape of the cross-section square portion 8 is not limited to the regular octagon, and a polygon having a rectangular shape or more may be used. If Further, the formation position of the rectangular section 8 is not limited to the vicinity of the other end of the flexible tube 1. That is, the corrugated part 3 and the expanded diameter part 4 may be selected and formed at any position.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the corrugated portion, the flange portion, the enlarged diameter portion and the rectangular cross-section portion can be formed by supplying a high pressure fluid into the inside of the pipe to plastically deform the pipe wall. Since the tubular connecting member and the seal member may be assembled in advance at the stage before forming, the assembling work after molding can be omitted. In addition, since the corrugated portion, the flange portion, the enlarged diameter portion and the rectangular cross-section portion can be integrally formed, fluid leakage due to breakage over time unlike the conventional case does not occur. Furthermore, by rotating the rectangular section with a band, for example, it is possible to reliably prevent rotation around the tube axis.
The holding property with respect to the fixing member is improved. Therefore,
By reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure, almost no assembly work is required, fluid leakage over time is prevented, and the holding property with respect to the fixing member is improved, so that stable holding can be achieved.
According to the invention of claim 2, the corrugated portion and the rectangular cross-sectional portion can be formed by a die in which the forming recesses of the flange portion, the expanded diameter portion and the tubular connection member accommodating recess are omitted, so that the forming die has a simple structure. It is possible to form a corrugated part and a rectangular part in cross section.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a semi-vertical longitudinal sectional side view showing an embodiment according to the invention of claim 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a half-vertical vertical cross-sectional side view showing the progress of manufacturing.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing an embodiment according to the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 flexible tube 2 pleats 3 corrugated section 4 expanded diameter section 5 flange section 6 tubular connection member 6A interference section for preventing removal 6B female screw 8 cross-section square section 14 tubular body 15 retaining mechanism 16 sealing member C tube axis 1 tube Axial spacing

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. At least one corrugated portion formed by a group of folds that are radially expanded at intervals in the tube axial direction, and an expanded diameter portion formed at least at one end in the tube axial direction. A flange portion in which the pipe wall of the expanded diameter portion is opposed to the pipe axial direction and is formed so as to project outward in the radial direction; and a flange portion that is rotatably externally fitted around the expanded diameter portion around the pipe axis and that has the flange on the back side. A cylindrical connecting member having an interference preventing portion that interferes with the portion and having an internal thread formed on the inner circumference on the inlet side of the interference portion, and formed at a selected position excluding the corrugated portion and the enlarged diameter portion. anda transverse section rectangular section that is, the Col
The gate part, expanded part, flange part and rectangular cross-section part are
A flexible tube formed on the body . 2. A tubular body having both ends in the axial direction of the pipe axially fitted to at least one end in the axial direction without the enlarged diameter portion is liquid-tightly fitted and fixed, and an internal thread is formed on the inner circumference of the tubular body. The tubular connecting member is rotatably fitted around the pipe axis via a retaining mechanism, and a seal member is provided between the inner peripheral portion of the tubular connecting member and the outer peripheral portion of the tubular body. The flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tube is provided.