JP5290237B2 - Flexible Tube - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible tube capable of maintaining sufficient strength without only depending on welding fixation. <P>SOLUTION: The flexible tube1 1 is provided with: a corrugated hose 2 having an outer circumference whose entire surface is nearly covered with a wire braid 3; a copper tube 4 which is welded, fixed and connected to at least one end of the corrugated hose; and a collar 5 which is fitted and inserted by covering the outer circumference of an end of a connection side of the corrugated hose and the wire braid. The end of the connection side of the copper tube 4 is formed into an enlarged diameter part. The head of the enlarged diameter part is welded, fixed, and connected the corrugated hose, and the end of the copper tube side of the collar is formed into a reduced diameter part so as to cover the outer circumference of the enlarged diameter part. The head of the reduced diameter part is welded, fixed and connected to the copper tube at the enlarged diameter part engageably in the axial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible tube used for various pipes such as a refrigerant circulation pipe of an air conditioner, and in particular, not only strength by welding fixation but also other strength factors, so that only welding technology can be connected to the pipe. The present invention relates to a technology capable of maintaining a strong strength without being influenced.

  Conventionally, as this type of flexible tube, for example, those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are known. That is, the flexible tube 1a of FIG. 4 includes a corrugated hose 2a whose outer periphery is entirely covered with the wire blade 3a, the end of the wire blade, the opposite end of the copper tube 4a, and the outer periphery of the end of the wire blade 3a. The ends of the collar 5a covering the two are welded and fixed together. The flexible tube 1b shown in FIG. 5 includes a corrugated hose 2b whose outer periphery is entirely covered with a wire blade 3b, an end of the wire blade, an opposing end formed in an expanded shape of the copper tube 4b, and a wire blade 3b. The end portions of the collar 5b covering the outer periphery of the end portions are welded and fixed together.

  By the way, both the flexible tubes 1a and 1b in FIGS. 4 and 5 have a structure in which the strength relies exclusively on welding. Therefore, the strength of the connection depends on the welding technology, and if the welding technology of the welding engineer is inferior, the strength becomes weak, and the connection between the corrugated hoses 2a, 2b and the copper tubes 4a, 4b and the collars 5a, 5b There has been a problem that it has become insufficient, resulting in a decrease in product quality or an accident after use. In addition, during brazing welding, a large amount of brazing material (for example, silver brazing) is included in the stepped portion of the collar 5a and the copper tube 4a or the stepped portion of the collar 5b and the copper tube 4b as indicated by a solid black portion. There was also a problem that it was expensive because it had to be.

  In addition, when prior art investigation was performed regarding this invention, there exists Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2005-201412 (patent document 1), and this patent document 1 includes a metal bellows tube and a tubular metal braided body covering the metal bellows tube. Are connected to a base to form a vibration absorbing tube, and it can be said that this is a technique close to the flexible tube 1a of FIG. 4 described above. However, the vibration-absorbing tube disclosed herein is not strong enough as described above because the strength is maintained only by welding and fixing.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-201412

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible tube that solves the problems of the conventional ones and can maintain sufficient strength without relying only on welding and fixing.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a corrugated hose having a substantially entire outer periphery covered with a wire blade, and a copper connected by welding and fixing to at least one end of the corrugated hose. In a flexible tube comprising a tube and a collar that is fitted and inserted over the outer periphery of the connection side end of the corrugated hose and the wire blade, the connection side end of the copper tube is formed in an enlarged diameter portion. The end of the collar part is welded and fixed to the corrugated hose, and the copper tube side end of the collar is formed in the reduced diameter part so as to cover the outer periphery of the enlarged diameter part. The tube is welded and fixed to the expanded diameter portion so as to be engageable in the axial direction.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the flexible tube described in claim 1, the maximum outer diameter of the expanded portion of the copper tube is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the corrugated hose.

  The invention described in claim 3 is that in the flexible tube according to claim 1 or 2, the minimum outer diameter of the reduced diameter portion of the collar is slightly larger than the outer diameter that does not form the expanded diameter portion of the copper tube. Features.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the flexible tube according to any one of the first to third aspects, the connection side end of the wire blade is fitted between the enlarged diameter portion of the copper tube and the reduced diameter portion of the collar. The tip is welded and fixed to the copper tube together with the tip of the reduced diameter portion of the collar.

  This invention is as described above, and the connection side end portion of the copper tube is formed in the enlarged diameter portion, and the distal end of the enlarged diameter portion is welded and fixed to the corrugated hose. The collar tube side end portion of the collar is formed in the reduced diameter portion so as to cover the outer periphery, and the tip of the reduced diameter portion is welded and fixed to the expanded tube portion so as to be engageable in the axial direction. Therefore, not only the welding fixation but also the strength by the enlarged diameter portion and the reduced diameter portion that are engaged with each other can be expected at the time of connection, and the effect of significantly increasing the strength of the connection can be obtained. For this reason, there is no worry about a decrease in product quality as in the prior art, and the flexible tube is sufficient in strength. In addition, since the amount of brazing material used for welding at the time of connection can be reduced as compared with the prior art, an effect that manufacturing costs can be suppressed at a low cost can be obtained.

It is the front view which fractured | ruptured the flexible tube which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the usage example installed in the pipe line of the refrigerant | coolant circulation piping of an air conditioner. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows a prior art example. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows another prior art example.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a flexible tube according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is a cylindrical flexible tube. The flexible tube 1 includes a corrugated hose 2, a wire blade 3 covering almost the entire outer periphery of the corrugated hose 2, a pair of copper tubes 4 welded and fixed to both ends of the corrugated hose 2, and a wire blade 3 and a pair of collars 5 which are fitted and inserted so as to cover the outer periphery of both end portions. Hereinafter, each component will be described with reference to FIG.

  The corrugated hose 2 is also referred to as a bellows tube and is made of stainless steel (SUS) and has a length of about 300 mm and an outer diameter of about 10 to 60φ. A bellows-like bellows portion 6 is formed between the cylindrical portions at both ends of the corrugated hose 2. The bellows portion 6 is formed so that the pitch of the peaks and valleys at both ends is smaller than the pitch of the peaks and valleys at the center. With such a configuration, it is easy to bend, has strong characteristics of impact and compression, and has excellent workability.

  The wire blade 3 is also referred to as a braided body, and the braided structure is formed by arranging a plurality of stainless steel materials in parallel to form one bundle, according to the outer diameter of the corrugated hose 2 at an intersection angle and the number of strikes that do not cause a gap. The structure knitted into a tubular shape is a basic one layer, which prevents the corrugated hose 2 from stretching and protects the corrugated hose 2 from trauma. That is, if only the corrugated hose 2 is applied, the bellows portion 6 will be mainly stretched when pressure is applied, but it is covered with the wire blade 3 in order to prevent such elongation. Although it is usually a single layer, depending on the application, multiple layers may be overlapped to improve the tensile strength. The wire blade 3 covers almost the entire outer periphery of such a corrugated hose 2, and both ends of the wire blade 3 are covered with a length slightly protruding outward from both ends of the corrugated hose 2.

  The pair of copper tubes 4 have the same structure. One copper tube 4 will be described. It is made of copper, has a length of about 100 to 200 mm, and an outer diameter of about 6 to 50φ, which is formed slightly smaller than the corrugated hose 2 as a whole. The end portion is formed in a diameter-expanded portion 7 that is gradually expanded. The maximum outer diameter at the tip of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the corrugated hose 2.

  The pair of collars 5 have the same structure. The one collar 5 will be described. It is made of stainless steel (SUS) and has a length of about 30 to 60 mm and an outer diameter of about 14 to 70φ. The collar 5 is fitted into the connection side end of the corrugated hose 2 so as to cover the outer periphery of the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 4. The collar 5 is formed in a reduced diameter portion 8 that is gradually reduced in diameter at the end on the connection side and engages with the enlarged diameter portion 7 in the axial direction. The minimum outer diameter at the tip of the reduced diameter portion 8 of the collar 5 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tube main body portion 9 that is an outer diameter that does not form the expanded diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 4. That is, as apparent from FIG. 2, the diameter-decreasing inclination of the diameter-reducing portion 8 of the collar 5 is substantially equal to the diameter-increasing inclination of the enlarged-diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 4, and its tip and the copper tube 4 A slight annular gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the tube main body 9 that does not form the enlarged diameter portion 7. This annular gap serves as a brazing material filling portion during welding together with the annular gap between the end edge of the wire blade 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the tube main body 9.

  In order to manufacture the flexible tube 1 as described above, first, the corrugated hose 2 whose almost entire outer periphery is covered with the wire blade 3 is cut to an arbitrary length, and the copper tubes 4 are respectively formed at both ends of the cut. The distal end of the enlarged diameter portion 7 is opposed to each other, and the distal end of the enlarged diameter portion and the corrugated hose 2 are fixed by welding. In FIG. 2, the black solid portion B shows the brazing material used for welding. Next, the collar 5 to be inserted from the side of the copper tube 4 on the outer periphery of the end of the wire blade 3 arranged so as to cover the welded portion is interposed between the reduced diameter portion 8 and the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 4. It superposes and positions so that the edge of wire blade 3 may be pinched. Next, the annular gap is formed between the tip of the reduced diameter portion 8 of the collar 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 9 of the copper tube 4 and between the end portion of the wire blade 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the tube main body portion 9. It is fixed by welding so that it is filled with brazing material. In FIG. 2, the black solid portion C shows the brazing material used for welding. As a result, the flexible tube 1 as shown in FIGS.

  As is apparent from the drawing, the welding may be performed only on a limited portion as indicated by the black solid portions B and C. In particular, as indicated by the black solid portion C, the annular gap has a small radial area. Well, it is not necessary to weld over a large area in the radial direction formed at the step between the collar and the copper tube as before, so the amount of brazing material can be saved and the production cost can be kept low. Can do.

  Next, the operation will be described. The flexible tube 1 as described above is used by being installed in a refrigerant circulation pipe of an air conditioner as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In this example, specifically, the multi-air conditioner (outdoor unit) 11 installed on the roof of the building and the refrigerant circulation pipe 12 are connected. The outdoor unit 11 is installed on a base 14 via a vibration isolation mechanism 15, and a compressor or the like is accommodated therein. In addition, the piping 12 arrange | positioned on the mount frame 13 is accommodated in the rack box which is not shown in figure.

  In the above use example, for example, vibration generated from a compressor or the like in the outdoor unit through the vibration isolation mechanism 15 during the operation of the outdoor unit 11 reaches the flexible tube 1 which is a pipe connection portion, and a load is applied to the flexible tube. However, in the flexible tube 1, the bellows portion 6 of the corrugated hose 2 is appropriately bent to absorb the vibration. Further, in the flexible tube 1, a force may also act in a direction in which the corrugated hose 2 and the copper tube 4 are separated from each other in the axial direction. In such a case, the diameter-reduced portion 8 of the collar 5 and the diameter of the copper tube 4 are increased. The portions 7 are engaged with each other in the axial direction, resulting in a resistance force that prevents the portions 7 from being separated. For this reason, the corrugated hose 2 and the copper tube 4 are not only the welded portions, but also a strong force in which the resistance due to the engagement is added. Therefore, the connection strength between the corrugated hose 2 and the copper tube 4 or the collar 5 is sufficient, and the product quality is not lowered as in the conventional case. In addition to the vibration in the outdoor unit 11, the same force is applied even when the outdoor unit 11 is greatly shaken by a typhoon or an earthquake. In this case, the flexible tube 1 absorbs the vibration caused by the shake. In other words, the engagement between the reduced diameter portion 8 of the collar 5 and the enlarged diameter portion 7 of the copper tube 4 exerts a detachment resistance, and the same effect can be expected.

  In the above example, conventionally, the outdoor unit 11 and the refrigerant circulation pipe 12 are directly connected. For this reason, when the vibration generated from a compressor or the like is greatly shaken by a typhoon or an earthquake, the vibration reaches the pipe 12 and a load is applied to the pipe connection portion, and there is a concern about leakage of refrigerant gas circulating in the pipe 12. . However, when the outdoor unit 11 and the refrigerant circulation pipe 12 are connected by the flexible tube 1 as described above, the bellows portion 6 of the corrugated hose 2 as described above is transmitted even if vibration accompanying such a vibration is transmitted. Is moderately bent and absorbs its vibrations. Therefore, there is no concern about the refrigerant gas leakage as described above.

  In some cases, the outdoor unit 11 connected by the pipe 12 is lifted for repair or replacement of the vibration isolating mechanism 15, and the bellows portion 6 of the corrugated hose 2 is appropriately bent and vibrates during such lifting. To absorb.

  Furthermore, if the flexible tube 1 is used, piping work in an air-conditioning pipe or the like can be easily performed, and vibration and vibration can be absorbed after the piping work. It becomes possible to absorb the amount of displacement.

  The above-described embodiment is merely a preferred example, and the present invention includes various other appropriate embodiments within the scope of the claims. The corrugated hose 2, the wire blade 3, the copper tube 4, and the collar 5 are only examples, and can be replaced with other structures having the same effect. Needless to say, the specific structures of the enlarged diameter portion 7 formed on the copper tube 4 and the reduced diameter portion 8 formed on the collar 5 may be other than those illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible tube 2 Corrugated hose 3 Wire blade 4 Copper tube 5 Collar 6 Bellows part 7 Expanded part 8 Reduced part 11 Multi air conditioner (outdoor unit)
12 Refrigerant circulation pipe 14 Base 15 Vibration isolation mechanism

Claims (4)

A corrugated hose with almost the entire outer periphery covered with a wire blade, a copper tube welded to and connected to at least one end of the corrugated hose, and an outer periphery of the connecting side end of the corrugated hose and the wire blade. In a flexible tube with a collar that is covered and inserted,
The connection side end of the copper tube is formed in the enlarged diameter portion, the distal end of the enlarged diameter portion is welded and fixed to the corrugated hose, and the copper tube of the collar so as to cover the outer periphery of the enlarged diameter portion A flexible tube characterized in that a side end portion is formed in a reduced diameter portion, and a tip of the reduced diameter portion is welded and fixed to a copper tube so as to be engageable with the enlarged diameter portion in the axial direction.   2. The flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein the maximum outer diameter of the expanded portion of the copper tube is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the corrugated hose.   3. The flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein a minimum outer diameter of the reduced diameter portion of the collar is slightly larger than an outer diameter that does not form an enlarged portion of the copper tube.   The flexible tube according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection side end of the wire blade is fitted between the diameter-expanded portion of the copper tube and the diameter-reduced portion of the collar, and the tip thereof is the diameter-reduced portion of the collar. A flexible tube characterized by being welded and fixed to a copper tube together with the tip of the tube.

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