JP5488992B2 - Branch joint - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a branch joint for connecting resin pipes and branching them at the same time, and more particularly to a branch joint for supplying / discharging a heat medium to / from a snow extinguishing panel unit.

  Conventionally, there is a branch joint described in Patent Document 1 proposed by the present applicant. In this branch joint, a branch portion is integrally protruded from a joint main body connecting the resin main pipes, and the branch portion is inserted from the inside of the joint main body toward the branch portion to fix the branch pipe and the branch pipe. It has a fixture, and a sealing means for sealing the branch portion and the fixture in a watertight manner. And this branch joint is used as a piping member which supplies or discharges a heat medium to a snow-melting panel having a twisted heat-radiating pipe.

  In more detail about the snow-melting panel, as described in Patent Document 2, a plurality of snow-dissipating radiators are handled as one set. However, since it is necessary to perform water supply / drainage for each snow-dissipating heat radiator, two branch joints are required for each snow-dissipating heat radiator, which increases the cost. There is also a demand to make the space for installing the branch joint as compact as possible.

  Under such a background, Patent Document 3 discloses a sprinkler head capable of connecting a branch cheese to a main pipe, further connecting a branch joint to the tip of the branch cheese, and taking out a plurality of branch ports. Yes. According to such a configuration, the fluid can be supplied to a plurality of supply destinations (for example, the above-described snow-dissipating radiator) after branching from the main pipe with a few branch joints.

JP 2008-121732 A (FIGS. 1 and 7) JP 11-152701 A (paragraph numbers 0018 to 0020) JP-A-5-68721

However, when the sprinkler head described in Patent Document 3 is applied to the branch joint described in Patent Document 1, the following problem occurs.
(1) Although the sprinkler head described in Patent Document 3 can freely select the branch takeout direction by 360 °, there is a problem that the number of parts is large and the cost is increased.
(2) Since there are many connecting parts, the number of connecting steps increases, and there is a problem that pressure loss increases and the risk of occurrence of leakage increases.
(3) Further, since the main pipe is often laid along a structure (for example, a wall surface), there is a problem that it is difficult to construct the branch pipe when the branch outlet is directed toward the structure.
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a branch joint that has a simple structure and can fix the branch outlet direction in a predetermined direction.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a branch joint according to the present invention includes a joint main body having a flow path hole that connects resin pipes and connects the resin pipes, and a branch part that branches the flow path to the outside. The branch joint includes a neck portion integrally projecting from the joint body, a seat surface formed at a projecting root of the neck portion, the flow path hole, and a neck portion of the joint body. A branch pipe having a cylindrical portion that is fitted into the communicating through hole and has an internal thread formed on the inner peripheral surface, and a flange portion that is locked to the inner surface of the flow path hole; and connected to the branch pipe. A male screw threadedly engaged with a female screw of the branch pipe, a communication hole communicating with the flow passage hole of the joint body, a branch outlet opening further branched from the communication hole, and a receiver that receives the neck portion. A branch extraction member having a flange portion formed with a mouth, and a front The branch pipe, which is constituted by a seal member that seals the neck portion of the joint body and the branch take-out member in a water-tight manner, and an elastic member that is sandwiched between the seating surface of the joint body and the end face of the flange portion, and is screwed together The branch extraction member is characterized in that a fixing treatment is performed after the branch extraction port is directed in a predetermined direction.
Here, the fixing treatment refers to treatment for preventing relative positions of both the branch pipe and the branch take-out member from changing, and examples thereof include welding, brazing, and adhesion.

According to the technical means of claim 1, it comprises a simple structure of a joint body provided with a neck portion, a branch pipe, a branch take-out member and a sealing means, and the cylindrical portion of the branch pipe is supported by the neck portion of the joint body. Therefore, the strength is high and stable even when a force for tilting the cylindrical portion, a rotational force, or vibration is applied, and the sealing performance is not impaired. In addition, the collar part is locked along the inner peripheral curved surface around the through-hole, so that the collar part itself cannot rotate forward and backward, and is clamped by clamping the joint body with the branch takeout member. Since the branch extraction port is oriented in a predetermined direction and then fixed, the branch extraction port is determined in a predetermined direction.
Further, since the branch take-out member integrally forms the communication hole and the branch take-out port, it contributes to a reduction in leakage risk.

  The branch joint according to claim 2 is characterized in that the elastic member has a hardness lower than the hardness of the seating surface and the flange portion. For example, a rubber member or a non-asbestos gasket is preferable.

  Furthermore, the ratio of the inner diameter of the communication hole and the inner diameter of the branch outlet is preferably set to 1.6: 1. By setting in this way, the fluid can be distributed in a balanced manner to the two branch outlets with a minimum pressure loss.

According to the branch joint according to the present invention, the joint body has a simple structure including a joint body provided with a neck portion, a branch pipe, a branch take-out member and a sealing means, and the cylindrical portion of the branch pipe is supported by the neck portion of the joint body. Therefore, even when a force for inclining the cylindrical portion, a rotational force, or vibration is applied, the strength is high and stable, and the sealing performance is not impaired. In addition, the collar part is locked along the inner peripheral curved surface around the through-hole, so that the collar part itself cannot rotate forward and backward, and is clamped by clamping the joint body with the branch takeout member. Since the branch extraction port is oriented in a predetermined direction and then fixed, the branch extraction port is determined in a predetermined direction.
Further, since the branch take-out member integrally forms the communication hole and the branch take-out port, it contributes to a reduction in leakage risk.

Since the elastic member has a lower hardness than the hardness of the seat surface and the flange portion, the branch take-out member can be easily temporarily fixed to the joint body without deforming the resin seat surface.
Furthermore, by regulating the ratio of the inner diameter of the resin tube, the inner diameter of the branch flow path, and the inner diameter of the branch outlet, it is possible to supply and discharge the fluid flowing in a branched manner with a minimum pressure loss.

It is a perspective view of the branch joint which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the branch joint which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the multilayer pipe connected to the branch joint which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the multilayer pipe to the branch joint which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the side view which laid the branch joint and multilayer pipe concerning an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the branch joint A according to the embodiment includes a joint body 11 and a branch portion 21.
As shown in FIG. 1, the joint body 11 is integrally formed with a pipe-like straight pipe portion 12 having a required length made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene and a neck portion 14 that forms a through hole 13 in the middle portion thereof. ing. A circular seating surface 15 is integrally formed around the base where the neck portion 14 protrudes from the straight tube portion 12. Heating wires 18 are spirally arranged over a predetermined length on the inner peripheral surfaces of both ends of the straight pipe portion, and metal terminals 19 connected by welding or the like are connected to the outer surfaces of the joint body 11 at both ends of the joint body 11. Standing up to be exposed to
As shown in the figure, the heating wire 18 is disposed so that both end sides of the joint body 11 are dense with the through hole 13 interposed therebetween, and the heating wire on the inner surface side is exposed. This dense heating wire 18 part is a main pipe connecting part 16 for connecting the resin pipe B (composite resin pipe), and the entire communicating pipe is a flow path hole 17.

  In addition, an annular reinforcing ring 6 is fitted on the outer surface of the joint body 11 corresponding to the fused portion by the heating wire. The reinforcing ring 6 is made of a member such as resin or metal, and the reinforcing ring 6 is heated and thermally expanded in advance, and the thermally expanded reinforcing ring 6 is fitted to the above-described portion of the joint body 11 at normal temperature. Let As a result, the diameter of the ring is reduced with cooling, and the ring can be attached in an interference fit state. The reinforcing ring 6 literally has a reinforcing effect, but has an effect by holding a tightening force. In the case of this example, since the joint body 11 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, the entire joint body 11 is thermally expanded when a heating wire is energized. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain a fusion interface pressure necessary for filling the gap between the resin pipe with the expansion resin and fusing. Thus, by providing a reinforcing ring, the expansion pressure is tightened so as not to escape outward, and the thermal expansion in the radial direction of the joint body 11 can be suppressed to exert the function of maintaining the fusion interface pressure. . For this reason, by providing the reinforcing ring 6, the branching joint A and the resin pipe B are held by holding the tightening force to reduce the diameter toward the inner diameter side, and suppressing the escape of the expansion pressure at the time of fusion by electric heating. Can be reliably fused.

  In addition, annular concave grooves are provided at both ends of the joint body so as not to adversely affect the heating wire and the fused portion, and a packing 7 is provided here. This packing 7 has a sealing action to seal between the inner peripheral surface of the joint body and the resin pipe to be connected, and even after the pipe is connected, moisture and dust can enter the channel hole 17 from the end opening of the joint body. I try not to get in.

  Further, the packing 7 plays a role of temporary fixing before the branch joint A and the resin pipe B are fusion bonded. Specifically, when a branch pipe S described later is connected to the branch portion 21 (see FIG. 5), the branch pipe S needs to be arranged in a predetermined direction. Since the packing 7 moderately supports the resin pipe B with its elastic force, it is easy to arrange the branch pipe S in a predetermined direction, and the branch joint A rotates even during fusion bonding. It can be held moderately to the extent that it does not.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the resin tube B is formed by integrating a tubular metal plate b1 provided with a plurality of opening holes b2 inside a wall of a tube body b3 made of thermoplastic resin. This is a resin composite resin tube that can be fused to the main pipe connecting portion 16 by electric heating, while at the same time increasing the mechanical strength and suppressing the thermal expansion that is a high degree of physical properties of the resin tube B. It can be done.
The tubular metal plate b1 provided with the plurality of opening holes b2 may be a punching metal or a metal plate b1 incorporated in a net shape, and is not particularly limited. Further, the above-described resin tube B (composite resin tube) is only required to be composed of a thermoplastic resin at least on the outer peripheral surface side, and is a tube metal plate b1 provided with a plurality of opening holes b2. A layer structure or a three-layer structure in which the inner peripheral surface side is made of different types of resin materials or other structural materials may be used.

  Further, it is possible to adjust the tube strength and the fusion strength of the fusion part by the magnitude of the aperture ratio of the opening hole b2. For example, when the aperture ratio is increased, the bonding between the inner and outer resin layers is increased and the fusion strength is increased, while the tube strength is decreased and the elongation due to thermal expansion is increased. Conversely, if the aperture ratio is small, the fusion strength is low, but the tube strength is high and the elongation is small. It is desirable to select these according to the situation.

Next, the configuration of the branching unit 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The branch portion 21 includes the neck portion 14 and the seating surface 15 of the joint body 11, the branch pipe 22, the branch takeout member 31, and the sealing means 8.
The branch pipe 22 has a substantially rectangular flange portion in plan view formed by convexly bending a metal plate-like member along the inner peripheral surface of the flow path hole 17, and stands vertically from the center of the flange portion 23. A cylindrical portion 24 made of a hollow metal pipe having a required length is integrally formed. It is made of a metal that does not easily rust, such as stainless steel, brass, or bronze, and can be integrally formed by welding the two together or by forging. Further, the cylindrical portion 24 is supported on the inner peripheral surface of the neck portion 14 of the joint body, and a female screw 25 is formed on the inner surface of the distal end to be screwed with a branch take-out member 31 described later.

The branch pipe 22 is assembled by being inserted into the through-hole 13 from the end opening of the joint main body 11, but the cylinder portion 24 is inserted into the neck portion 14 of the joint main body 11, and the base portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path hole 17. It is provided so that the flange portion 23 having a curved surface shape along the substantially rectangular shape in a plan view is brought into contact with and locked to the inner surface of the joint body. Accordingly, the branch pipe 22 has the flange 23 locked to the inner peripheral surface of the flow path hole 17 so as not to rotate forward and backward, and is supported by the neck 14, so that the branch pipe 22 is stably placed upright. The structure is strong against external forces such as rotational force and vibration.
The locking structure incapable of forward / reverse rotation is not limited to the shape of the flange portion along the inner peripheral surface described above. For example, a concave portion that matches the shape of the flange portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface, and the flange portion is provided on this. It can be configured to be fitted, or a locking member such as a pin can be separately provided so as not to rotate.
Further, a plurality of convex portions (preferably a sharp shape) may be provided in the collar portion so as to bite into the inner peripheral surface of the flow path hole 17 around the through hole. In other words, the flange portion 23 is not particularly limited as long as the flange portion 23 is locked to the inner peripheral surface of the flow path hole 17 so as not to rotate forward and backward.

  The branch take-out member 31 is a metal member, and a male screw 32 that is screwed with a female screw 25 formed on the cylindrical portion 24 on one end side is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tip portion and protrudes to the outer periphery of the midway portion. A flange portion 33 is formed. The flange portion 33 is formed with a receiving port 34 into which the neck portion 14 of the joint body 11 is inserted, and a groove 35 for a seal member that seals the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 14 inserted into the receiving port 34. Further, a circular contact surface 36 facing the seat surface 15 of the joint body 11 is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 33.

  On the other end side of the branch take-out member 31, a branch take-out port 37 that is bifurcated into a T shape is formed, and on the outer peripheral surface thereof, a pipe taper screw for connection with another pipe member is formed. Further, a communication hole 38 that communicates with the flow path hole 17 of the joint body 11 and a branch flow path 39 that communicates with the branch extraction port 37 are formed inside the branch extraction member 31. The material is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that the material is rust-resistant metal such as stainless steel, brass or bronze.

  Then, an O-ring 8 is mounted as a seal member on the branch take-out member 31, a gasket 9 is mounted as an elastic member on the seat surface 15 of the joint body 11, and is screwed and twisted into a female screw 25 formed on the cylindrical portion 24. Then, the flange 9 and the branch takeout member 31 sandwich the edge of the through hole 13, whereby the seat 9 and the contact surface 36 of the branch takeout member 31 sandwich the gasket 9. The branch outlet 37 is directed in a predetermined direction (for example, parallel to the straight pipe portion 12 of the joint body 11). At this time, since the gasket 9 is an elastic material, the branch outlet 37 can be temporarily fixed in a predetermined direction, and thereafter, the female screw 25 of the branch pipe 22 and the male screw 32 of the branch pickup member 31 are not loosened. Fixed treatment is given.

The fixing treatment refers to a treatment that prevents the relative positions of both the branch pipe 22 and the branch take-out member 31 from changing, and examples thereof include welding, brazing, and adhesion.
The gasket 9 is made of a material having elasticity lower than the hardness of the seating surface 15 of the joint body 11 and the flange portion 33 of the branch takeout member 31, and is preferably a rubber member or a non-asbestos gasket, for example.

  The ratio of the inner diameter of the communication hole 38 to the inner diameter of the branch flow path 39 of the branch outlet 37 is set to 1.6: 1. Specifically, the inner diameter of the communication hole 38 is 34 mm, and the inner diameter of the branch channel 39 is 20.8 mm. Theoretically, since there are two branch flow paths for one communication hole, the cross-sectional area ratio of both flow paths should be balanced by 2: 1. The cross-sectional area ratio between the inner diameter and the inner diameter of the branch flow path 39 is about 2.6: 1. By setting in this way, the pressure loss of the flowing fluid is minimized, and the fluid can be distributed to the two branch outlets 37 in a balanced manner.

Subsequently, a working example of the branch joint A will be described.
To connect the branch joint A and the resin pipe B, first, the resin pipe B is inserted into the main pipe connection portion 16 until the end of the resin tube B comes into contact with the flange portion 23. By connecting a metal terminal 19 and an energizing device (not shown) and applying a voltage, a current flows, the heating wire 18 generates heat due to Joule heat, and the joint body 11 and the resin tube B, which are made of thermoplastic resin, are mutually connected. Can be fused and connected (see FIG. 4).
Further, for connection between the branch joint A and an external device such as the branch pipe S, the external device is screwed into the branch outlet 37. As described above, the branch joint A can strengthen the connection with the resin pipe B.

FIG. 5 exemplifies a snow-melting panel unit PU using the branch joint A of the above embodiment. In addition, as will be described later, the snow-removal panel p1 of the snow-removal panel unit PU is in a state where it is lifted upward with one end as a fulcrum so that the bottom surface can be seen.
This snow extinguishing panel unit PU is constructed by including a snow extinguishing panel p1, a water supply pipe p5, a return water pipe p6, a first connection pipe p7, and a second connection pipe p8.

  The snow extinguishing panel p1 includes a substantially rectangular heat sink p2 having a snow receiving surface on the surface, and a folded heat sink p3 formed by folding back at the end of the heat sink p2 on the back surface of the heat sink p2. And a support base p4 for supporting the heat sink p2. And so that the heat radiating pipe p3 can be inspected and repaired, one side of the heat radiating plate p2 and the support base p4 are connected by a hinge (not shown) and can be lifted upward using this as a fulcrum.

The water supply pipe p5 is made of the above-described resin pipe B, and is connected to each main pipe connection portion 16 provided at both ends of the branch joint A of the embodiment. It connects so that the water of the required temperature which is the heat medium sent from may branch from the water pipe p5.
The return water pipe p6 is made of the resin pipe B described above, and is connected to each main pipe connection portion 16 provided at both ends of the branch joint A of the embodiment. Water is fed from the branch portion 21 of the branch joint A. It is connected to return the water from the incoming (discharged) snow-dissipating panel p1 to the supply source.

The first connecting pipe p7 has one end connected to the inlet of the heat radiating pipe p3 and the other end connected to the branch outlet 37 of the branch joint A connected to the water pipe p5. The water is supplied to the heat radiating pipe p3 to heat and maintain the heat radiating plate p2 at a required temperature.
The second connection pipe p8 has one end connected to the outlet of the heat radiating pipe p3 and the other end connected to the branch outlet 37 of the branch joint A connected to the return water pipe p6. Water is collected in the return pipe p6.
In addition, the 1st connection pipe p7 and the 2nd connection pipe p8 consist of flexible pipes, and the adjustment valve which is not shown in figure is connected to the middle part.

In the snow-breaking panel unit PU configured as described above, for example, a plurality of snow-breaking panels p1 are laid along the railroad track, and each of the snow-breaking panels p1 is connected from one branch joint A to each of the snow-breaking panels p1. Constructed by connecting in parallel to the water supply pipe p5 via the first connection pipe p7 connected to the snow-dissipating panel p1, and connecting from one branch joint A to the return water pipe p6 via each second connection pipe p8. To do.
And the water supplied from the water supply pipe p5 enters the heat radiating pipe p4 through the first connecting pipe p7, warms the heat radiating plate p2, and collects water in the return water pipe p6 through the second connecting pipe p8. The snow that falls on the heat sink p2 is melted.

Therefore, the snow-dissipating panel unit PU using the branch joint A can be easily connected to the first connection pipe p7 and the second connection pipe p8 because the branch outlet 37 is determined in a predetermined direction. Since the number of locations is minimized, the risk of leakage can be reduced, and the entire snow-melting panel unit PU can be made compact.
In addition to the advantages of both the strength and low expansion / contraction of the steel pipe and the weight reduction by the resin pipe, the snow-fighting panel unit PU using the resin pipe B has heat retention because the pipe body is made of resin. The temperature of the water supplied from the water pipe can be reduced, and energy consumption can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the branch joint concerning this embodiment was explained, the embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the suitable embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to it, Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

A ... Branch joint,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Joint main body, 12 ... Straight pipe part, 13 ... Through-hole, 14 ... Neck part, 15 ... Seat surface, 16 ... Main pipe connection part, 17 ... Channel hole, 18 ... Heating wire, 19 ... Metal terminal,
21 ... Branch part, 22 ... Branch pipe, 23 ... Bridge part, 24 ... Cylinder part, 25 ... Female screw,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Branch extraction member, 32 ... Male screw, 33 ... Flange part, 34 ... Receptacle, 35 ... Concave groove, 36 ... Contact surface, 37 ... Branch extraction port, 38 ... Communication hole, 39 ... Branch flow path,
6 ... reinforcing ring, 7 ... packing, 8 ... sealing means (O-ring), 9 ... elastic member (gasket)
B ... Resin pipe, b1 ... Metal plate, b2 ... Opening hole, b3 ... Pipe body,
PU ... Snow-discharging panel unit, p1 ... Snow-discharging panel, p2 ... Radiation plate, p3 ... Radiation pipe, p4 ... Support base, p5 ... Water supply pipe, p6 ... Return water pipe, p7 ... First connection pipe, p8 ... Second connection tube

Claims (2)

A joint body including a joint body provided with a flow path hole for connecting the resin pipes and connecting the resin pipes, and a branch part for branching the flow path to the outside,
The branch portion is
A neck part integrally projecting from the joint body, and a seating surface formed at the base of the neck part,
A cylindrical portion that is inserted into a through-hole in which the flow passage hole and the neck portion of the joint main body communicate with each other, and has an internal thread formed on an inner peripheral surface; and a hook portion that is locked to the inner surface of the flow passage hole. A branch pipe
A member connected to the branch pipe, a male screw threadably engaged with a female screw of the branch pipe, a communication hole communicating with the flow passage hole of the joint body, and a branch outlet port further branched from the communication hole A branch takeout member having a flange portion formed with a receiving port for receiving the neck portion;
A seal member for watertightly sealing the neck portion of the joint body and the branch extraction member;
An elastic member sandwiched between the seating surface of the joint body and the end surface of the flange portion,
The branch pipe and the branch take-out member screwed together are fixed after the branch take-out port is directed in a predetermined direction.   2. The branch joint according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member has a hardness lower than that of the seating surface and the flange portion.

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