JP3278643B2 - Flexible tube fitting and method of construction - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joint for a flexible tube and a method for constructing the same, and more particularly, to a joint for a flexible tube composed of a corrugated pipe used for a gas pipe or the like, which is connected to a connected object such as a gas pipe. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a joint for a flexible tube for screwing and connecting to a joint, and a method for constructing the joint.

[0002]

As a conventional joint for this type of flexible tube, for example are those described in JP-A-8-159350, which has a configuration shown in FIGS. 2-3. That is, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a flexible tube, which is composed of a thin-walled stainless steel corrugated tube 2 and a resin-made tubular covering body 3 that covers the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 2. The flexible tube 1 is connected to the joint 10 in a state where the coating 3 has been removed at several peaks of the corrugate tube 2.

In this joint 10, reference numeral 11 denotes a cylindrical main body, which is formed of metal such as brass, and has an external thread 12 formed at one end thereof, so that a connected body 4 such as a gas pipe is formed.
It is configured so that it can be connected to. 13 is a hexagon,
It is used for the screwing operation of the outer screw portion 12. On the inner circumference on the other end side of the cylindrical main body 11, in order from the opening side, an inner thread portion 14, an inner peripheral portion 15 having substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the thread root of the inner thread portion 14, A tapered surface 16 whose inner diameter gradually decreases toward the inner side of the tubular main body 11, an annular packing receiving groove 17 formed toward the opening at the other end of the cylindrical main body 11, and a packing receiving groove An abutment surface 18 formed in the radial direction on the inner peripheral side than 17 is formed. An O-ring 19 as a packing is housed in the packing housing groove 17.

[0004] Reference numeral 20 denotes a pressing wheel, which is formed in a cylindrical shape with a metal such as brass and has a cylindrical main body 11 at one end thereof.
Has an external thread 21 that can be screwed into the internal thread 14. Reference numeral 22 denotes a tip surface of the pressing wheel 20. A hexagonal portion 23 for screwing operation is formed on the other end side of the pressing wheel 20. A packing 24 is housed on the inner periphery of the pressing wheel 20.

[0005] An annular retainer 25 is attached to the tip of the pressing wheel 20.
Is mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the pressing wheel 20. A protrusion 26 is provided on the inner periphery of the tip of the retainer 25.
Are formed, and the retainer 25 is configured to be able to expand in diameter at the portion of the protrusion 26. As shown in FIG. 3, a C-shaped spacer 27 is interposed between the end surface of the hexagonal portion 23 of the pressing wheel 20 and the end surface of the tubular main body 11 in a detachable state. When the spacer 27 is sandwiched between the pressing wheel 20 and the cylindrical main body 11, a portion of the retainer 25 where the protrusion 26 is formed corresponds to the inner peripheral portion 15 of the cylindrical main body 11. It is formed in such a size as to be positioned at a right angle. The retainer 25 is formed such that the portion where the protrusion 26 is formed is the inner peripheral portion 15 of the cylindrical main body 11.
, The diameter can be expanded inside the cylindrical main body 11.

In such a configuration, when joining the flexible tube 1 to the joint 10, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressing ring 20 is temporarily screwed into the cylindrical main body 11, and the hexagonal portion 23 of the pressing ring 20 is screwed. The spacer 27 is loosely sandwiched between the cylindrical body 11. As a result, the portion of the retainer 25 where the protrusion 26 is formed is located corresponding to the inner peripheral portion 15 of the tubular main body 11 as described above.

[0007] Next, as shown in FIG.
The flexible tube 1 from which the coating 3 has been removed for several hills at the tip end is inserted into the inside of the push ring 20 from the end of the push ring 20. Then, the ridge at the tip of the corrugated tube 2 pushes open the projection 26 of the retainer 25 and passes through the position of the projection 26, and the tip hits the contact surface 18 of the cylindrical body 11 as shown in FIG. . The projection 26 of the retainer 25 engages with the valley of the corrugated tube 2.

[0008] Then, the spacer 27 is removed, and the pressing wheel 20 is further screwed into the tubular main body 11. Then press ring 2
0 pushes the retainer 25 at the distal end surface 22 thereof to the rear side of the cylindrical main body 11, and the projection 26 of the retainer 25 presses the peak of the distal end of the corrugated tube 2 toward the contact surface 18 of the cylindrical main body 11. I do. And when the screw 20 is further screwed in,
As shown in FIG. 2, the projection 26 squeezes the corrugated tube 2 between itself and the contact surface 18. Thereby, the corrugate tube 2 and the cylindrical main body 11 can be joined in a metal-sealed state, and required sealing performance can be secured. At this time, the crushed portion of the corrugated tube 2 compresses the O-ring 19, thereby further securing the sealing performance.

Further, in this state, the retainer 25 enters the inner peripheral side of the tapered surface 16 of the cylindrical main body 11 as shown in the figure, and the taper surface 16 prevents the diameter from expanding.
The state of engagement between the protrusion 26 and the crushed portion of the corrugate tube 2 is maintained. Therefore, even if a force for pulling out from the joint 10 acts on the flexible tube 1, the pull-out is reliably prevented.

The space between the press wheel 20 and the covering 3 of the flexible tube 1 is sealed by a packing 24. The packing 24 is mainly used to prevent water or the like from entering the inside of the joint 10.

[0011]

As shown in FIG. 2, the joint 10 and the flexible tube 1 which are joined together as described above have a structure in which the flexible tube 1, the cylindrical main body 11 and the pressing ring 20 are integrated. If you rotate it, the whole will rotate together. That is, the tubular main body 1 in this state
When the screw 1 is screwed into the connected object 4, the screwing operation also causes the flexible tube 1 to rotate integrally. As a result, a harmful twist is generated in the flexible tube 1, and the piping cannot be properly performed.

In order to prevent such a situation from occurring,
In this type of joint 10, as shown in FIG. 3, first, the tubular body 11 to which the pressing ring 20 is temporarily fixed is completely screwed into the connected body 4 in advance, and the flexible tube 1 is inserted through the joint in that state. Then, it is necessary to remove the spacer 27 and screw the push ring 20 into the tubular main body 11.

However, in this case, since the operation of inserting the flexible tube 1 into the joint 10 is the operation of inserting the joint 10 already fixed to the connected body 4, the flexibility in the operation direction is increased. In general, the connected object 4 and the flexible tube 1 are often installed along the wall of the building, so that the operation of inserting the flexible tube 1 into the joint 10 is difficult and time-consuming. . In addition, the flexible tube 1 is connected to the joint 10.
, It is necessary to screw the press ring 20 into the cylindrical body 11 after the insertion, but also in this case, since the cylindrical body 11 is already screwed into the connected body 4, the work becomes less flexible, and furthermore, , The press ring 20 and the retainer 25 are configured to be rotatable with respect to each other.
When screwing the pressing ring 20, the retainer 25 and the corrugated tube 2 also cause the corrugated tube 2 to rotate. There is also a problem that the occurrence of the twisting of the film cannot be avoided.

In addition, when the flexible tube 1 is laid, inspection may be performed inside the flexible tube 1 through an in-tube inspection robot, or the flexible tube 1 arranged along the wall of the building may be nailed by mistake.
If the gas leaked from the corrugated pipe 2 into the inside of the covering 3 leaks from the joint 10, the joint 1
It is necessary to take measures after removing 0 from the connected object 4. In this case, in the conventional device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to prevent the flexible tube 1 from rotating together, the pressing ring 20 is loosened and removed from the cylindrical body 11, and then the flexible tube 1 is removed from the cylindrical body 11. And the tubular body 11 must be removed from the connected body 4 for the first time.
0 cannot be removed from the connected object 4.

Therefore, the present invention solves such a problem and connects the flexible tube, the joint, and the object to be connected without causing twisting of the flexible tube and with good workability. It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to remove the joint from the connected object without disassembling the joint.

In order to achieve this object, the following invention for a flexible tube joint was invented. A first invention is a joint for a flexible tube constituted by a corrugated pipe, wherein the joint is screwed into a connected body and fixed.
A collapsible tubular body, and a retaining ring fixed to the tubular body and having a tapered surface formed on the inner periphery thereof, the diameter of which increases toward the distal end. It is configured to be able to be inserted from the opening at the end of the ring toward the inside of the retaining ring and the cylindrical body, and an annular sealing material housing portion and a rear end surface of the sealing material housing portion are formed inside the cylindrical body. An annular sealing material that is provided in this order from the opening side to the back and seals the outer periphery of the corrugated tube inserted through the inside of the tubular main body is housed in the sealing material housing portion, and the back end face is An end portion of the back end surface, which is formed along the radial direction of the tubular main body to an inner peripheral side of the seal material, and an annular protrusion is on an inner peripheral side of the seal material housed in the seal material housing portion. So as to project in the axial direction toward the opening side of the cylindrical body from An annular retainer is formed in a space between the retaining ring and the seal material, the annular retainer being formed so as to enter into the inside of the corrugated pipe inserted into the inner periphery of the seal material; A radially inward protruding portion is formed in a row in the circumferential direction on the side to be formed, and an outer peripheral tapered surface having an inclination in the same direction as the tapered surface of the retaining ring is formed on the side facing the retaining ring, The retainer is configured so that cuts in the axial direction are formed at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction from the side having the protrusion toward the side facing the outer peripheral tapered surface so that the diameter can be increased, and the flexible tube is inserted. When the protrusion is pushed and expanded by the peak on the outer periphery of the corrugated pipe, the passage of the peak is allowed, and when the protrusion passes through the peak, the protrusion is formed into a valley on the outer periphery of the corrugated pipe. And Is formed so as to create a gap between the retainer and the retaining ring, by pressing the corrugated pipe into the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material, a flexible tube is relatively rotatably connected to the joint, When a release force is applied to the flexible tube, the retainer receives a radially inward reaction force by an outer tapered surface abutting on the tapered surface of the retaining ring, and the radially inwardly projecting portion of the corrugated tube is A flexible tube joint characterized by holding down the outer periphery of a valley. The second invention is for a flexible tube according to the first invention, wherein the tubular body has an inner thread portion and the retaining ring has an outer thread portion, and the retaining ring is fixed to the tubular body by screwing both screws together. Fittings. Third invention The joint for a flexible tube according to the first invention or the second invention, wherein the tubular main body has an external thread for screwing into the connected body. Fourth invention A joint for a flexible tube according to the first invention, the second invention or the third invention, wherein a ring spring for urging the projection of the retainer to a reduced diameter state is fitted around the outer periphery of the retainer.

In order to achieve this object, the invention of the following construction method using a joint for a flexible tube was made. Fifth invention A flexible tube is inserted into the flexible tube joint according to the third or fourth invention in which the cylindrical main body has an external thread for screwing into the connected body, and the flexible tube is connected to the flexible tube joint. After that, the tubular main body is screwed into the connected body, and a method for installing a joint for a flexible tube is provided.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the joint and the flexible tube can be freely rotated relative to each other in a state where the joint is completed. Therefore, after the flexible tube is joined to the joint, the joint is screwed into the connected body. Can be fixed. Therefore, the work of inserting the flexible tube into the joint can be performed in a free state in which the joint is not connected to the connected object, and therefore, the work can be provided with flexibility and the workability is good. become. Further, since the joint and the flexible tube can be freely rotated relative to each other, there is an advantage that when the joint is screwed into the connected body and fixed, the flexible tube does not cause twisting which causes torsion. Furthermore, since the joint and the flexible tube are rotatable relative to each other, simply unscrewing the tubular body without disassembling the joint and without causing the flexible tube to twist, allows the joint to be easily connected to the connected body. There is also an advantage that it can be detached from.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a structure of a joint for a flexible tube applied to the present invention. In this joint 30, reference numeral 31 denotes a cylindrical main body, which is formed so that an external thread portion 32 is formed at one end thereof so that it can be connected to the connected object 4. A hexagonal portion 33 is used for screwing the outer thread portion 32.

On the inner circumference at the other end of the cylindrical main body 31, in order from the opening side, an inner screw portion 35, an inner peripheral surface 36, an annular sealing material accommodating portion 37 and the sealing material accommodating portion 37. A rear end face 38 is provided. An annular rubber sealing material 55 is housed in the sealing material housing portion 37. The sealing material 55 is provided on a refractory portion 56 located on the back side of the
And a normal rubber portion 57 located closer to the opening side of the tubular main body 31 than the refractory portion 56 is integrated in the axial direction.

The rear end face 38 is formed along the radial direction of the cylindrical main body 31 to the inner peripheral side of the sealing material 55. An annular projection 58 is formed continuously to the inner peripheral end of the rear end face 38. The annular protruding portion 58 has a cylindrical shape from the back end face 38 at a position corresponding to the sealing material accommodating portion 37 along the axial direction and at a position on the inner peripheral side of the sealing material 55 accommodated in the sealing material accommodating portion 37. It is formed so as to protrude in the axial direction toward the opening side of the main body 31, and when the corrugated tube 2 is inserted into the sealing material 55 as shown in the drawing,
It is formed so as to enter the inside of the corrugated tube 2 without a large gap.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a retaining ring, which is formed of a metal such as brass and has a cylindrical shape.
Has an external thread 41 that can be screwed into the internal thread 35. An outer peripheral surface 42 is formed on the outer periphery on the other end side of the retaining ring 40. The outer peripheral surface 42 is formed to have a larger diameter than the outer thread portion 41. The flexible ring 1 is attached to the retaining ring 40.
Is formed in a penetrating state. A packing 44 is accommodated in the inner periphery of the hole 43 on the other end side of the retaining ring 40. A tapered surface 45 whose diameter increases toward one end of the retaining ring 40 is formed on the inner periphery of one end of the retaining ring 40 in the hole 43. The tapered surface 45 is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the seal material accommodating portion 37 of the tubular main body 31 on one end side, that is, the opening side of the retaining ring 40.

As shown, when the retaining ring 40 is screwed into the cylindrical main body 31, the inner peripheral taper surface 45 of the retaining ring 40, the inner peripheral surface 36 of the cylindrical main body 31, and the end surface of the sealing material 55 A space 46 surrounded by is formed. In this space 46, an annular retainer 47 is arranged. The retainer 47 is formed of a metal material such as brass, and has a radially inward projection 48 formed at one end thereof, that is, at the opening side of the retaining ring 40. An outer peripheral tapered surface 49 having the same inclination as the tapered surface 45 of the retaining ring 40 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end of the retainer 47. Further, the retainer 47 is configured so that the diameter of the retainer 47 can be increased at the position of the protrusion 48 by forming cuts in the axial direction from one end side having the protrusion 48 toward the other end at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction. Have been. An annular groove 50 having a rectangular cross section is formed on the outer periphery of one end of the retainer 47. A ring spring 51 formed in an annular shape by a wire is fitted in the annular groove 50. This ring spring 51 is
Is for urging the projection 48 of FIG. A resin washer 52 is interposed between the retainer 47 and the seal member 55.

In such a structure, when the joint 30 is formed, first, the seal member 55 is fitted into the accommodation portion 37 of the tubular main body 31, and the washer 52 is disposed in front of the seal member 55. Then, with the retainer 47 in which the ring spring 51 is fitted in the annular groove 50 housed inside the tapered surface 45 of the retaining ring 40, the retaining ring 40 is screwed into the cylindrical main body 31. Then, the retainer 47 is accommodated in the space 46.

In joining the joint 30 and the flexible tube 1 in this state, the sheath 3 is cut off at the valley of the corrugated tube 2 and the coating 3 is removed at several peaks at the tip of the corrugated tube 2 as shown in the figure. The inserted flexible tube 1 is inserted into the hole 43 from the end of the retaining ring 40. Then, the peak of the corrugated tube 2 is
Acting on the projection 48, the outer peripheral tapered surface 49 of the retainer 47 is
A state where there is no restriction due to the tapered surface 45 of the retaining ring 40,
That is, the outer peripheral tapered surface 49 is separated from the tapered surface 45 of the retaining ring 40.
In the separated state, the retainer 47 is pushed and expanded against the elasticity of the spring 51 to pass through the inner periphery of the projection 48. After that, the projection 48 can be reduced in diameter by the spring 51 and can be engaged with the valley on the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 2.

In this manner, as shown in the figure, the plurality of peaks of the corrugated pipe 2 are passed through the inner periphery of the retainer 47 and further pushed into the inner periphery of the sealing material 55, thereby completing the joining operation. In this joint completed state, the sealing member 55 seals the space between the tubular main body 31 and the corrugate tube 2. In this manner, the flexible tube 1 and the joint are securely sealed to each other in a one-touch operation only by inserting the flexible tube 1 into the joint 30 without any other operation such as screwing of members. Can be joined.

When a pulling force from the joint 30 is applied to the flexible tube 1, the outer peripheral tapered surface 49 of the retainer 47 in which the protrusion 48 is engaged with one valley of the corrugated pipe 2 is formed by the taper of the retaining ring 40. The retainer 47 receives a radially inward reaction force from the retaining ring 40 on the surface 45.
Then, the projection 48 of the retainer 47 presses the outer circumference of one valley of the corrugated pipe 2 over the entire circumference, and the engagement between the retainer 47 and the corrugated pipe 2 is ensured. The detachment of the flexible tube 1 from the joint 30 is prevented.

In such a joint completed state, the corrugated tube 2, ie, the flexible tube 1
Is that the corrugated pipe 2 is only in contact with the sealing material 55, the retainer 47, etc., but is not restricted by the joint 30 in the rotational direction, and can freely rotate relative to each other with respect to the joint 30. . For this reason, as shown in the drawing, after the flexible tube 1 is joined to the joint, the joint, that is, the tubular main body 31 can be screwed into the connected body 4 and fixed.

Therefore, the operation of inserting the flexible tube 1 into the joint 30 can be performed in a free state in which the joint is not connected to the connected object 4, so that the operation can be provided with flexibility. , Its workability is improved. At this time, since the joint and the flexible tube 1 can freely rotate relative to each other, there is an advantage that when the joint is screwed into the connected object 4 and fixed, the flexible tube 1 does not rotate.

The joint 30 and the flexible tube 1
Are freely rotatable with each other, so that the joint 30 is easily disengaged from the connected body 4 only by unscrewing the tubular body 31 without disassembling the joint 30 and without causing the flexible tube 1 to be twisted. There is also the advantage that it can be removed.

[0031]

As described above, according to the joint of the present invention and the invention of the method of using the same, the following effects can be obtained. The joint can be joined simply by inserting the flexible tube into the joint, and the joint and the flexible tube are free to rotate relative to each other when the joint is completed. For this reason, after joining a flexible tube to a joint, this joint can be screwed and fixed to a to-be-connected body. Therefore, the work of inserting the flexible tube into the joint can be performed in a free state in which the joint is not connected to the connected body, and therefore, the work can be provided with flexibility and the workability is improved. Can be Since the joint and the flexible tube are freely rotatable relative to each other, there is an advantage that when the joint is screwed into the connected body and fixed, the flexible tube does not twist and cause twisting. Since the joint and the flexible tube are freely rotatable relative to each other, the joint can be easily removed from the connected object simply by unscrewing the tubular body without disassembling the joint and without twisting the flexible tube. There is also the advantage that it can be done. Since the protrusions of the retainer are radially inward in one row over the entire circumference, when a pulling force is applied to the corrugated tube, the protrusion of the retainer can reliably receive the corrugated tube and prevent the corrugated tube from coming out. The ring spring that urges the retainer to the reduced diameter state more reliably reduces the diameter of the retainer and more reliably prevents the corrugate tube from coming off.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a flexible tube joint and a method of installing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional flexible tube joint.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a method of installing the conventional flexible tube joint of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible tube 2 Corrugated tube 4 Connected body 30 Joint 31 Cylindrical main body 40 Retaining ring 47 Retainer 55 Seal material

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Mikio Nakaoka 2-10-16 Minamikagaya, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Shinwa Sangyo Co., Ltd. chome No. 10 No. 16 Shinwa intra-industry Co., Ltd. (56) reference Patent flat 7-174276 (JP, a) JitsuHiraku flat 3-80187 (JP, U) (58 ) investigated the field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16L 33/00 F16L 37/12

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A joint for a flexible tube constituted by a corrugated tube, wherein the joint is fixed to the cylindrical body by being screwed to a connected body, and is fixed to the cylindrical body at the distal end. And a retaining ring having a tapered surface formed on an inner periphery thereof, the distal end of the corrugated pipe being inside the retaining ring and the cylindrical body from an opening at an end of the retaining ring. And an annular sealing material housing portion and a rear end face of the sealing material housing portion are provided in this order from the opening side to the back inside the cylindrical main body, and the inside of the cylindrical main body is An annular sealing material that seals the outer periphery of the corrugate pipe inserted into the cylindrical body is accommodated in the sealing material accommodating portion, and the inner end surface is formed along the radial direction of the tubular body to an inner peripheral side of the sealing material. The annular protrusion is the seal material storage A corrugated tube inserted into the inner periphery of the sealing material so as to protrude in the axial direction from the end of the back end surface toward the opening side of the cylindrical main body on the inner periphery side of the accommodated sealing material. An annular retainer is disposed in a space between the retaining ring and the seal material, and the retainer has a radially inward projection on a side facing the seal material. The retaining taper is formed on the side facing the retaining ring with an outer peripheral tapered surface having a slope in the same direction as the tapered surface of the retaining ring. Cuts in the axial direction toward the side facing the surface are formed at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction so that the diameter can be increased, and when the flexible tube is inserted, the corrugated tube is cut off by a crest on the outer periphery. The protrusion is pushed out Allows the passage of this peak, and by passing through this peak, the projection engages with the valley on the outer periphery of the corrugated pipe, and a gap is created between the retainer and the retaining ring. By pushing the corrugated tube into the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material, a flexible tube is relatively rotatably connected to the joint, and when the pull-out force is applied to the flexible tube, the retainer is A flexible tube, wherein the outer peripheral taper surface receives a radially inward reaction force by hitting the taper surface of the retaining ring, and the radially inward projection presses the outer periphery of the valley of the corrugate tube. Fittings. 2. The flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body has an inner thread portion and the retaining ring has an outer thread portion, and the retaining ring is fixed to the tubular body by screwing both screws. Fittings. 3. The joint for a flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein the tubular main body has an external thread for screwing into the connected body. 4. The flexible tube joint according to claim 1, wherein a ring spring for urging the projection of the retainer to reduce its diameter is fitted around the outer periphery of the retainer. 5. The flexible tube coupling according to claim 3, wherein the tubular main body has an external thread for screwing into the connected body, and a flexible tube is inserted into the flexible tube coupling to connect the flexible tube to the flexible tube coupling. After that, the tubular main body is screwed into the connected body, and a method for installing a joint for a flexible tube is provided.