JP5797041B2 - Lock ring for joint and joint using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint lock ring for joining stainless steel pipes used for waterworks and the like, and a joint using the same, and in particular, it exerts a slip-out preventing force on a thin stainless steel pipe, and changes or vibration of the ground. The present invention relates to a lock ring having expansion / contraction flexibility that can cope with the above and a joint using the same.

  Conventionally, a joint having expansion / contraction flexibility is known as a joint for joining stainless steel pipes. As shown in FIG. 11, this type of expansion / contraction flexible joint 1 has a cap nut member 3 for holding a pipe 2 connected to a barrel 4, and the inner portion of the barrel 4 is tightened as the cap nut member 3 is tightened. The packing member 5 mounted on the circumference 4a is pushed into the body end side to maintain watertightness with the pipe 2. At this time, the lock ring member 6 mounted in the cap nut member 3 at the same time as tightening bites into the tapered surface portion 3a of the inner periphery of the cap nut member 3 and the outer peripheral surface 2a of the pipe 2, and prevents the pipe 2 from being pulled out. The structure is such that the joint 1 and the pipe 2 are joined while absorbing the fluctuation (expansion / contraction) in the axial direction and the fluctuation (deflection) in the lateral direction due to the external force.

  The expansion and contraction type flexible joints used for such stainless steel pipes for water supply are of the grooved type that is pre-grooved and joined to the pipe, and the grooveless type that is grooved after construction without pregrooving the pipe. There are two types of joints, and these joints differ in the construction method during pipe joining. For example, in the case of a grooved type, marking is performed at a position of 49 mm from the pipe end surface before joining to the joint, and a groove of 0.75 mm in depth is formed using a grooved tool dedicated to the telescopic flexible joint. On the other hand, in the case of a grooveless type, a method is used in which, for example, 20A and 25A pipes are subjected to marking at a position of 81 mm from the end face, and the pipes of 30A, 40A, and 50A are provided with markings at 85 mm. ing. In any case, the joint and the pipe are joined via the lock ring, but the mounting position of the lock ring at this time varies depending on the presence or absence of the groove.

  As a lock ring used for the above joint, for example, a pull-out preventing member for a buried pipe joint disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This pull-out preventing member is configured by two annular halves joined together in an integral manner to form an annular ring member, and a ball is sandwiched between the ring members at equal intervals. On both end faces of the ring member, split portions are alternately provided at equal intervals, and the split portions extend so as to reach the opposite half of the ring member.

  On the other hand, in the telescopic flexible joint of Patent Document 2, a tube gripping member is provided. The tube gripping member has a ball and a ball guide for holding the ball, and is further fitted with a snap ring for holding the tube gripping member in a predetermined circular shape.

JP 2009-74569 A Registered Utility Model No. 3000711

  However, when joining a pipe to an expansion / contraction flexible joint, an incorrect type of pipe may be joined to a grooved or non-grooved joint. It is not uncommon for errors to connect non-pipe to occur. In this case, the lock ring is strongly sandwiched between the grooveless pipe and the cap nut, and the lock ring may not be disposed at a predetermined position and may be deformed and damaged. When the lock ring is damaged, for example, the pulling prevention force and flexibility required in the joint of FIG. 11 cannot be exhibited.

  In addition, the strength of the lock ring is insufficient even though such destruction of the lock ring is assumed. In this lock ring, the ring member is expanded in diameter by the cut portion and the elasticity of the resin. In order to reduce the resistance when the ring member is expanded by inserting a pipe, the pull-out of Patent Document 1 is used. In the blocking member, it is easy to crack by making the alternately provided split portions into the opposite half.

  In the extendable / flexible joint of Patent Document 2, since the snap ring is fitted on the outer periphery of the ball guide, the number of parts increases and the number of assembling steps increases. In addition to this, the snap ring is disposed at a portion in contact with the tapered surface of the inner periphery of the cap nut, so that when the cap nut is tightened or a pulling force is applied to the pipe, the ball guide is reduced in diameter. There was also a fear.

  The present invention has been developed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is a lock ring for a joint that can be used for connecting both pipes with and without grooves, To provide a joint lock ring capable of firmly joining a joint and a connected pipe while preventing breakage in any case, allowing easy insertion of the connected pipe and stabilizing the pull-out prevention force, and a joint using the same. It is in.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a plurality of balls embedded at equal intervals and in the center in the width direction project on the circumference of the annular ball retainer in the centripetal direction , An inclined surface having the same gradient angle is formed along the width direction on both sides from the center position of the outer peripheral surface of the ball retainer , and the inclination angle of each inclined surface is set on the opening side of the inner peripheral surface of the joint cap nut. It is substantially the same as the taper surface on the back side formed at a smaller angle than the taper surface, and incisions are provided alternately from both ends between adjacent balls of the ball retainer. The length of one inclined surface of the inclined surface is formed to the depth to the center position of the annular outer peripheral surface of the ball retainer, and the pipes to be connected are connected to both ends of the annular inner peripheral surface of the ball retainer toward both ends. A tapered surface with a reduced diameter is provided. Doo both have the same width and the notch by providing continued cut towards the end of the ball retainer to one of said notch, and a joint forming an opening disconnecting It is a lock ring.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a packing to be inserted into the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to be connected is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the joint main body, and the inner side of the inner peripheral surface of the cap nut screwed into the joint main body is arranged on the inner side and the opening side. An inner peripheral taper surface having a step taper angle is formed, and the gradient angle of the inner peripheral taper surface on the back side is made smaller than the gradient angle of the inner peripheral taper surface on the opening side, and a lock ring is attached to the inner peripheral taper surface. This is a joint using a lock ring that prevents the connected pipe from being pulled out by biting the lock ring into the outer peripheral surface of the connected pipe when the cap nut is fastened.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the slope angle formed by the inner circumferential tapered surface on the back side and the inner circumferential tapered surface on the opening side is within a range of 2 ° to 5 °, and the connection is made with or without the groove. This is a joint using a lock ring in which the diameter of the ball retainer is reduced by fastening the cap nut when the pipe is fastened, and the ball is moved from the inner circumferential tapered surface on the opening side to the inner circumferential tapered surface on the back side.

According to the present invention, notches are provided alternately from both ends between adjacent balls of the ball retainer, and an opening is formed by providing a notch in one of the notches. The diameter of the ball retainer can be made larger than when only the cut portion is formed, and it can be used to connect both types of pipes with and without grooves. Moreover, even when any type of connected pipe is connected, the ball retainer fits in the position of the inner peripheral tapered surface on the back side of the joint cap nut due to the inclination angle of the inclined surface, which causes damage. Therefore, the joint and the pipe can be firmly connected to each other, and since the ball retainer is easily deformed in the diameter increasing direction when the pipe is inserted, the pipe can be easily inserted.

Moreover , the entire depth can be made symmetrical by setting the depth of the notch to the depth of the substantially central position of the annular outer peripheral surface, and it is possible to avoid use errors by enabling bidirectional use. . At the time of fastening, the entire strength can be maintained and damage such as tearing can be prevented.
In particular, the lock ring at the time of molding and before joining the connected pipe (pipe) has a substantially round shape, and when the diameter of the lock ring is increased, the diameter is increased along the circumferential direction with the opening as a base point. It can be reliably joined to pipes without or with grooves, and when the diameter of the lock ring is reduced, the notches including the openings are evenly narrowed and the diameter of the balls is reduced evenly. The expansion and contraction function is exhibited at the same time as the bending is absorbed, and the rigidity of the lock ring is high, and the stress at the time of expansion and contraction of the lock ring can be relieved without damage during use. Applicable to both connected pipes.

In addition , when the tip of the pipe to be connected comes into contact with the annular inner peripheral surface when the pipe to be connected is inserted, the tip can be easily inserted by guiding it to the tapered surface, thereby improving workability. it can.

In addition , when the cap nut is tightened, the ball retainer is guided from the opening side inner taper surface to the inner taper surface on the back side to reduce the diameter, resulting in damage in both the grooved and non-grooved connected pipes. It can connect firmly while inserting this to-be-connected pipe. Absorbing fluctuations in the axial direction and lateral direction of the pipe due to external force can exhibit excellent stretch flexibility, and the connected pipe can be connected while improving the sealing performance while preventing the pipe from coming off.

By providing the inner peripheral tapered surface of the two-stage by Jo Tokoro slope angle of, along the tapered surface in accordance with the pulling force of the connecting pipe in the case of the connecting tube of any type without fluted and grooved ball Since the retainer can be reduced in diameter and can be connected in an appropriate state, the workability at the time of joining is enhanced, and when the fastening is completed, the connected pipe can be surely brought into a predetermined retaining state to exhibit a strong retaining property.

It is the side view which showed the lock ring for couplings of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the lock ring for couplings of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the lock ring for couplings of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the connection state of a coupling and a to-be-connected pipe. FIG. 5 is a half-sectional view showing a mounting state of the joint lock ring of the present invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the lock ring for joints of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the state before the connection of a to-be-connected pipe | tube with a groove | channel. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the state before the connection of a to-be-connected pipe | tube without a groove | channel. It is sectional drawing which showed the movement of the ball | bowl at the time of a drawing load load. It is a half hook cross-sectional view which shows the conventional expansion-contraction flexible joint. It is a partially cutaway sectional view showing a state in which a pipe to be connected is inserted into a joint equipped with a lock ring in another invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the lock ring of FIG. FIG. 14 is a right side view of FIG. 13. It is AA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which showed the connection part of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which showed the connection part of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state which inserts a to-be-connected pipe | tube in the state which tightened the cap nut. It is a partial enlarged view of FIG.

  An embodiment of a joint lock ring and a joint using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view of the joint lock ring of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the joint lock ring.

  First, in FIG. 1, a lock ring body 10 according to the present invention has a ball retainer 12 having an annular outer peripheral surface 11 and a plurality of balls 13, and the balls 13 are centripetally arranged at substantially equal intervals on the circumference of the ball retainer 12. It is buried in a protruding state in the direction. In this example, 18 balls 13 are arranged at equal intervals, and are integrally provided on a ball retainer 12 made of a synthetic resin material such as polyacetal. The number of balls 13 is not limited.

  Between the adjacent balls 13 of the ball retainer 12, cut portions 15 are alternately provided from both end portions 14, 14, and an opening portion formed by cutting one end of the cut portion 15 toward the end portion is separated. 16 is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting depth D of the cutting portion 15 is a depth up to a substantially central position of the annular outer peripheral surface 11 of the ball retainer 12 in this example.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, an inclined surface 17 is formed at a substantially central position of the outer peripheral surface 11 of the ball retainer 12 along the width direction on both sides from the substantially central position. The inclined surface 17 has a predetermined gradient angle θ that is inclined from the direction of the tube axis P, and this gradient angle θ is an inner peripheral tapered surface 20 formed on the inner peripheral side of the joint cap nut 18 described later. Of the inner taper surface 21 on the back side and the inner peripheral taper surface 22 on the opening side, the inner peripheral taper surface 21 that is the inner peripheral taper surface at the completion of tightening is provided at substantially the same angle.
In addition, tapered surfaces 24 having a predetermined angle are formed at both ends of the annular inner peripheral surface 23 of the ball retainer 12.

  The lock ring body 10 has an opening 16 formed along the circumferential direction of the ball retainer 12 with the opening 16 of the ball retainer 12 as a base point. Specifically, when the lock ring main body 10 is molded with the opening opened, the inside of the resin ball retainer 12 is cooled and hardened by the cooling function of the stainless steel balls 13, and at that stage The diameter of the ball retainer 12 is expanded to the outside that has not yet been solidified. Thereby, insertion of a to-be-connected pipe becomes easy.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the lock ring main body 10, the opening 16 may be molded and cooled into a shape in which the openings 16 are partially connected so as to be unnecessarily widened, thereby providing a connecting portion (connecting portion) 19. Good. The connecting portion 19 is configured such that the opening portion 16 is cut off when the tube is inserted. This makes it possible to suppress the diameter of the ball retainer 12 from being increased more than necessary. The connecting portion 19 is formed integrally with the ball retainer 12 so as to be cut after the lock ring main body 10 is mounted, and is provided between the opposing end surfaces of the opening portion 16. Therefore, the number of parts does not increase, and the diameter reducing action of the ball retainer 12 is not hindered.

  The width of the opening 16 in the circumferential direction is formed to be equal to that of the notch 15, and the lock ring body 10 at the time of forming has a substantially perfect circle shape as shown in FIG. 1. Thereby, the positions of the ball 13 and the connected pipe 25 of the lock ring body 10 are in the state shown in FIG. When the diameter of the lock ring main body 10 is increased by inserting the connected pipe 26 into the lock ring main body 10, the circumferential width of the opening 16 is twice or more that of the cut portion. When the diameter is expanded, the connecting portion 19 may be cut, that is, the connecting portion 19 only needs to exist at least when the lock ring body 10 is formed.

  The lock ring body 10 is provided in the joint with the above-described configuration, and a grooved connected pipe 25 made of a stainless steel pipe and a grooved connected pipe 26 can be joined to the joint via the lock ring main body 10. Is provided.

  The joint includes a joint body 30, a cap nut 18, a packing 32, an O-ring 33, and a dust seal 34, and the lock ring body 10 described above is mounted inside the joint. This joint can also be used for connecting each type of connected pipe, such as the grooved connected pipe 25 or the grooved connected pipe 26.

  In this joint, the joint main body 30 and the cap nut 18 are formed of stainless steel or the like, and the joint main body 30 is formed to have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the connected pipes 25 and 26, as shown in FIG. The enlarged diameter portions 35, 35 are formed in the inner diameter surface of the enlarged diameter portions 35, 35. A tapered surface 36 and a flat surface 37 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portions 35, 35. An external threaded portion 39 that is provided on the inner peripheral side of the cap nut 18 and can be screwed into the threaded portion 38 is provided at the outer peripheral end of the joint body 30. A packing 32 to be inserted into the outer peripheral surfaces of the connected pipes 25 and 26 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the joint body 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, an engagement surface 47 is formed on the inner surface of the cap nut 18 following the female screw portion 38, and a flange portion 42 and a mounting groove 43 are provided on the innermost side. As described above, in FIG. 6, the inner peripheral tapered surface 20 having a two-step taper angle formed by the back side inner peripheral tapered surface 21 and the opening side inner peripheral tapered surface 22 is formed on the inner periphery of the cap nut 18. The lock ring body 10 is mounted on the inner peripheral tapered surface 20. In the inner peripheral tapered surface 20, the gradient angle α ₁ formed by the back inner peripheral tapered surface 21 and the tube axis P is formed smaller than the gradient angle α ₂ formed by the opening-side inner tapered surface 22 and the tube axis P. .
When the cap nut 18 is fastened to the joint main body 30, the lock ring main body 10 is bitten into the outer peripheral surfaces of the connected pipes 25 and 26, thereby preventing the connected pipes 25 and 26 from being pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the two-step inner peripheral tapered surface 20, the slope angle β formed by the rear inner peripheral tapered surface 21 and the opening inner peripheral tapered surface 22 is in the range of 2 ° to 5 °, and the groove is provided. When the connected pipes of both the connected pipe 25 and the grooveless connected pipe 26 are fastened, the diameter of the ball retainer 12 is reduced by fastening the cap nut 18, and the ball 13 is moved away from the inner peripheral tapered surface 22 on the opening side. The inner circumferential tapered surface 21 is moved. In the inner peripheral tapered surface 20, for example, when the gradient angle α ₁ of the back inner peripheral tapered surface 21 is 11 °, the gradient angle α ₂ of the opening-side tapered surface 22 is desirably 13 ° to 16 °, In this embodiment, this gradient angle is set to 14 °. Further, if the gradient angle β between the two inner tapered surfaces 21 is within a range of 2 ° to 5 °, the respective gradient angles α ₁ of the inner inner tapered surface 21 and the inner inner tapered surface 22 are set. , Α ₂ can also be changed. In the present embodiment, the gradient angle β is set to 2 ° to 3 °.

  Furthermore, an inclined portion 45 is provided from the inner circumferential tapered surface 21 to the flange portion 42 at an inclination angle γ of about 45 ° from the tube axis P. By providing the inclined portion 45 at such an inclination angle γ, when the ball retainer 12, which is a synthetic resin portion of the lock ring body 10, comes into contact with this portion, the ball retainer 12 portion is released to the dust seal 34 side. By exerting the role and locking the ball 13 to the flange portion 42, it becomes possible to improve the pull-out prevention force.

  The packing 32 is made of an elastic annular member such as rubber and has an outer peripheral surface 46 that comes into contact with a tapered surface 36 provided on the joint body 30 and a diameter-expanded portion 35 of the flat surface 37. By attaching the packing 32, when the connected pipes 25 and 26 are joined, the connected pipes 25 and 26 are supported in a flexible state. A washer 49 is mounted between the engagement surface 47 provided on the cap nut 18 and the packing 32, and an O-ring 33 is mounted on the outer peripheral side of the washer 49. By this O-ring 33, the sealing performance between the joint body 30 and the cap nut 18 is exhibited.

  The dust seal 34 is mounted in the mounting groove 43 of the cap nut 18. The dust seal 34 exhibits a sealing function between the connected pipes 25 and 26 and the cap nut 18, and prevents dust from entering the connected pipes 25 and 26 and the cap nut 18 from this portion. .

  When the grooved connected pipe 25 is connected to the above-described joint, it is confirmed that there is no scratch or deformation in the cutting range of the connected pipe 25, and this connected pipe is used with a tool such as a rotary tube cutter (not shown). 25 is cut. Then, after dust or foreign matters adhering to the inner and outer surfaces of the tube to be connected 25 are wiped off with a waste cloth or the like, the groove position is marked with a pen or the like (not shown). Thereafter, a groove 50 having a predetermined depth of, for example, a depth of about 0.75 mm is formed at a position marked with a dedicated groove tool (not shown).

  In the cap nut 18, the lock ring body 10 is inserted into the inner peripheral tapered surface 20 in the cap nut 18, and a washer is inserted into the cap nut 18 so as to engage with the O-ring 33 and the engaging surface 47 from above. 49 is attached. At this time, the lock ring main body 10 is formed with the symmetrically inclined surfaces 17 along the width direction on both sides from the substantially central position on the outer peripheral surface side of the ball retainer 12, so that it can be used in both directions. ing. As a result, the lock ring main body 10 can be mounted while preventing assembly errors without sticking to the mounting direction.

  In the joint body 30, the packing 32 is mounted in the enlarged diameter portion 35. In this case, it is not necessary to insert the packing 32 to the back side with respect to the joint body 30. The joint body 30 and the cap nut 18 are incorporated into an integrated temporarily assembled state by screwing the external thread portion 38 and the internal thread portion 39 together.

  The grooved connected pipe 25 is inserted into the joint from the dust seal 34 side of the joint. At this time, the cap nut 18 is loosened until a screw thread (not shown) is screwed into the joint body 30 by about 1 to 2 threads. When the connected pipe 25 is inserted, it is pulled out after being inserted all the way into the joint, and it is confirmed that the ball 13 fits into the groove 50 and the connected pipe 25 cannot be removed simultaneously with the extraction sound.

  When the grooved connected pipe 25 is inserted into the joint body 30 as described above, the ball retainer 12 is contracted by the elastic force when the groove 50 reaches the position of the ball 13 as shown in FIG. Thus, the ball 13 is accommodated in the groove 50. In this case, the inclined surface 17 of the lock ring body 10 is positioned on the inner circumferential tapered surface 21 which is the inner circumferential tapered surface when the tightening is completed, and the cap nut 18 is fastened to the joint body 30 from this state to lock the lock ring body 10. The main body 10 is tightened.

  On the other hand, when connecting the grooved connection pipe 26 to the joint body 30, after confirming that there is no scratch or deformation in the cutting range as in the case with the groove, this cover is used with a tool such as a rotary tube cutter. Disconnect the connecting pipe. Then, after wiping off dust or foreign matter adhering to the inner and outer surfaces with a waste cloth or the like, a confirmation line (not shown) is attached with a pen or the like at a position where the insertion length is confirmed.

  The groove-less connected pipe 26 is inserted into the joint body 30 in which the screw of the cap nut 18 is loosened by about one or two threads as in the case with the groove. At the time of insertion, the connected pipe 26 is inserted to a position where the insertion length confirmation line is aligned with the end face of the cap nut 18.

  When the grooveless connected pipe 26 is inserted into the joint body 30 in this way, the ball 13 does not fit in the groove 50 as shown in FIG. 9, and the inclined surface 17 of the lock ring body 10 is tapered on the opening side inner peripheral side. It will be in the state located in the surface 22. From this state, the cap nut 18 is fastened to the joint main body 30, and the lock ring main body 10 is tightened.

  At the time of insertion into the joint, the tapered surface 24 is provided at both end portions of the inner surface 23 of the ball retainer in any case of the grooved connected pipe 25 or the grooved connected pipe 26. This makes it easy to guide the pipe ends 25a, 26a to the tapered surface 24 when the pipe ends 25a, 26a of the pipes 25, 26 reach the ball retainer 12. Can be inserted into.

  When the connected pipes 25, 26 are inserted and the connected pipes 25, 26 get over the inside of the ball 13, the elasticity of the lock ring body 10 along the circumferential direction with the opening of the ball retainer 12 as a base point. The diameter is expanded by. When the diameter of the lock ring body 10 is increased, it is desirable that the ball 13 is in close contact with the connected pipe 25. Therefore, as described above, since it is possible to prevent an unnecessarily large diameter by forming the shape in which the openings are partially connected, in particular, when the grooved construction is performed, the connected pipe 25 is inserted into the joint, When the connected pipe 25 is pulled back, the ball 13 is housed in the groove and the connected pipe 25 is not pulled out, so that the workability can be improved.

  Subsequently, the cap nut 18 is fastened from the temporarily assembled state. When fastening the cap nut 18 of the joint into which the grooved connected pipe 25 is inserted, the cap nut 18 is manually tightened to such an extent that the lock ring main body 10 and the groove 50 do not shift, and then a pipe wrench (not shown) is used. Then, the cap nut 18 is tightened until it cannot rotate.

At this time, by the slope angle of the slope angle alpha ₁ and the ball retainer 12 of the rear side inner peripheral tapered surface 21 theta has become substantially equal, the lock ring body 10 is pressed against the inner circumferential direction by the cap nut 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the locked position of the lock ring body 10 after tightening is the same as the position before tightening, and the ball retainer 12 is reduced in diameter through the notch 15 and the opening 16. As a result, the ball 13 fits into the groove 50 and the connected pipe 25 is connected.

  On the other hand, when fastening the cap nut 18 of the joint into which the non-grooved pipe 26 is inserted, the cap nut 18 is manually tightened to such an extent that the insertion length confirmation line is not displaced, and then cannot be rotated with a pipe wrench or the like. Tighten to the state. At this time, care should be taken not to rotate the joint body 30 together with the cap nut 18.

At this time, as the cap nut 18 moves in the axial direction, the ball retainer 12 slides while being in contact with the gradient angle α ₁ of the inner circumferential tapered surface 21 from the opening inner circumferential tapered surface 22. And the to-be-connected pipe | tube 26 can be connected by deform | transforming so that the lock ring main body 10 may be diameter-reduced along the shape of this back side inner peripheral taper surface 21, and it may be settled in gradient angle (alpha) ₁ . The ball 13 is adapted to fit into the connected pipe 26 while forming the groove 50 by the diameter reduction deformation of the lock ring body 10. As described above, even in the case of the grooved connected pipe 26, as in the case of the grooved connected pipe 25, it is possible to connect only by fastening the cap nut 18.

  FIG. 4 shows a connection state between the joint and the connected pipe 25 or 26. As shown in the figure, the pipes 25 or 26 can be connected by using joints having connecting portions on both sides, and in this case, the pipes 25 or 26 are connected to both sides of the joint by the same procedure as described above. Can connect 26 one by one.

  FIG. 10 shows the movement of the ball 13 when a load due to a pulling load is applied to the joint. When a pulling load is applied to the joint, the ball 13 first moves to the flange 42, and the ball retainer 12 made of resin strikes the inclined portion 45 having an inclination angle γ of approximately 45 ° of the flange 42 while deforming. And move so as to escape to the dust seal 34 side. When the ball 13 reaches the flange 42, the ball 13 gets over the flange 42 and moves to the gap of the dust seal 34. At this time, the load when the ball 13 moves to the gap portion of the dust seal 34 becomes the maximum pulling load. Further, the ball 13 moves to the gap between the dust seals 34 so that the lock ring main body 10 does not come out, and the drawing load can be maintained until the pipe end comes out.

In the lock ring of the present invention, a plurality of balls 13 embedded on the circumference of the ball retainer 12 are projected in the centripetal direction, and notches 15 are alternately provided between the balls 13 from both ends 14 and 14. An opening 16 is formed in one of the cut portions 15, an inclined surface 17 is formed from a substantially central position of the outer peripheral surface of the ball retainer 12, and the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 17 is a taper at the end of tightening. Since it is substantially equal to the gradient angle α ₁ of the inner circumferential tapered surface 21 which is a surface, it can be connected to the joint in any case of the grooved connected pipe 25 and the grooved connected pipe 26. . In addition, the lock ring main body 10 is bitten on the outer peripheral surfaces of the pipes 25 and 26 when the cap nut 18 is fastened by the inner peripheral tapered surfaces 20 having two inner tapered surfaces 21 and 22 on the opening side and the rear side. Since the connection pipes 25 and 26 are prevented from being pulled out, any of the connection pipes 25 and 26 can be firmly connected, and a joint having excellent functionality can be provided. It becomes possible.

  Moreover, in any of the connected pipes 25 and 26, the widths of the cut portions 15 provided alternately from both ends of the ball retainer 12 when the diameter of the lock ring main body 10 is reduced, and the balls 13, The connected pipes 25 and 26 are evenly connected while reducing the diameter while the widths of the 13 are uniformly narrowed, and stable tensile performance can be exhibited. Further, since the ball 13 and the connected pipes 25 and 26 are in point contact with each other, they exhibit flexibility and absorb the bending of the connected pipes 25 and 26, and at the same time, the expansion and contraction function is effectively exhibited.

  Further, since the cutting depth D of the cutting portion 15 is a shallow depth up to the substantially central position of the ball retainer annular outer peripheral surface 11, the rigidity of the lock ring main body 10 is increased, and the diameter reduction operation by the inner peripheral tapered surface 20 is performed. There is no damage such as tearing of the lock ring body 10. The cut depth D of the cut portion eliminates the need for a contact surface beyond the parting line for forming slits in the mutual mold plates (not shown) when the mold of the lock ring body 10 is manufactured. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the accuracy of the mold. For this reason, the mold cost for shape | molding the lock ring main body 10 also becomes cheap. By providing the opening 16, it is possible to relieve stress when the diameter of the ball retainer 12 is expanded.

  By providing the inclined portion 45 having the inclination angle γ of about 45 ° from the inner circumferential tapered surface 21 of the cap nut 18 to the flange portion 42, the strength of the flange portion 42 is increased and the pull-out preventing force is stabilized. Furthermore, it is possible to improve this pull-out preventing force by adjusting the dimension of the collar portion 42.

  Next, an embodiment showing a joint lock ring and a joint using the same according to another invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 17, the same parts of the lock ring and the joint illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description is omitted.

  The above-described lock ring of the present invention has a shape in which the opening 16 of the ball retainer 12 is partially connected. However, there is a problem that the connecting portion 19 is not easily cut when the connected pipes 25 and 26 are inserted. In addition, the connected pipes 25 and 26 are inserted in a state in which the position of the lock ring at the time of construction is unclear, which gives the operator anxiety. Other inventions to be described later have been developed to solve the above-described problems in the present invention.

  13 to 15, a plurality of balls 13 embedded at substantially equal intervals on the circumference of the annular ball retainer 12 are projected in a centripetal direction, and from both ends between adjacent balls 13 of the ball retainer 12. The cut portions 15 are alternately provided, and one of the cut portions 15 is cut toward the end portion to form an opening portion 16 in the ball retainer 12. A connecting portion (connecting portion) 19 for partial connection is formed integrally with the ball retainer 12.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the connecting portion 19 is provided on the array line of the balls 13 embedded in the ball retainer 12 to form the opening portion 16. By doing so, the lock ring has no directionality, which is convenient for assembling and the like, and the force for cutting is surely easily transmitted.

  In FIG. 16, V-shaped or U-shaped groove portions 51, 51 are formed on both sides of the connecting portion 19 in a plan view of the outer peripheral surface of the ball retainer 12. Therefore, when the insertion end surface 53 of the connected pipes 25 and 26 comes into contact with the ball 13 of the lock ring, the diameter of the ball retainer 12 is expanded and stress is concentrated on the groove portions 51 and 51 to cut the joint portion 19. be able to.

  Further, in FIG. 17, a V-shaped or U-shaped groove portion 52 is formed on the bottom side of the connecting portion 19 in a side view of the thickness side of the ball retainer 12. In this case, since the groove portions 51 and 51 on both sides of the connecting portion 19 and the groove portion 52 on the bottom portion are formed at two locations, stress can be concentrated at two locations in the axial direction and the outer peripheral direction of the connecting portion 19. It is possible to cut more smoothly than the portion 19.

  The groove portions 51 and 52 provided in the connecting portion 19 are preferably V-shaped, but may be groove portions having a U-shape close to a V-shape. Moreover, the thickness of the groove part 52 is 1/4 or less of the thickness of the ball retainer 12 in this example, and according to this example, the thickness of the part where the groove parts 51 and 51 are connected is 0.1 to 0.6 mm. It was confirmed that it could be easily cut by setting the range, and that it could not be cut smoothly when the thickness was 0.7 mm or more.

  In FIG. 12, a packing 32 to be inserted into the outer peripheral surface of the pipes 25 and 26 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the joint body 30, and the inner peripheral taper surface is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the cap nut 18 screwed into the joint main body 30. 20 and when the grooved connected pipe 25 or the grooved connected pipe 26 is inserted into the joint incorporating the lock ring located on the inner peripheral tapered surface 22 on the opening side, the connected pipe 25 26, the lock ring is enlarged in diameter by the insertion end face 53, so that the connecting portion 19 can be surely cut, and a stable pull-out preventing force can be obtained.

  As described above, the insertion state of the connected pipes 25 and 26 is confirmed by a cutting sound when the connecting portion 19 is cut. Therefore, it is possible to inform the installer that the insertion has been made normally, and the workability can be improved.

  Next, the construction situation of the joint in this invention is shown in FIG. First, when connecting the pipes 25 and 26 to the joint, the initial position of the lock ring for both grooving and non-grooving is, in this example, an inclination angle of 13 ° to 16 ° on the opening side of the inner circumferential tapered surface 22. It will start from. When the end surface of the pipe to be connected comes into contact with the ball 13 of the lock ring, the portion connected to the opening is cut by expanding the diameter of the lock ring, and a cutting sound is made at the time of cutting. Therefore, it is possible to notify the builder that the connected pipes 25 and 26 have been normally inserted by the cutting sound. Furthermore, since the lock ring has a symmetrical shape, there is no directionality of the parts together with the packing 32 and the washer. Therefore, when the cap nut 18 is removed and disassembled, the direction of the parts is lost, so that the installer can improve the workability without worrying about the incorporation of the parts.

  By the way, when the connected pipes 25 and 26 are inserted into the cap nut 18, the cap nut 18 is loosened and the connected pipe is inserted. However, the cap nut 18 is loosened too much, and the cap nut inner circumferential tapered surface from the end face of the joint body. When the dimension up to the starting point of the lock ring increases, the lock ring does not hang on the opening side of the cap nut 18 and falls into the gap so that the connected pipe cannot be inserted. Even if the above-mentioned dimensions are small, the lock ring is excessively applied to the opening side of the cap nut 18 and the diameter expansion necessary for the insertion of the connected pipe cannot be obtained, and the construction side is unable to insert the connected pipe. It is difficult to do.

  Therefore, when the lock nut is loosened at a position where the lock ring is applied to the tapered surface 20 on the opening side of the cap nut 18, the lock ring prevents misalignment and is only necessary when inserting the connected pipe. It is necessary to increase the diameter of the lock ring.

  For this purpose, the maximum loosening amount of the cap nut 18 is limited, and the state in which the hook of the cap nut 19 and the joint thread 30 of the joint body 30 is 1 to 1.5 threads is the optimum state for inserting the connected pipe. And Therefore, adjustment of the dimension A shown in FIG. 18 is important, and it is preferable to adjust by changing the screw length or by inserting the thinning portion 54 at the inlet portion of the female screw portion 38 or the distal end portion of the male screw portion 39.

  That is, when the cap nut 18 is loosened to the point where the lock ring falls by providing the thinning portion 54 at the inlet portion of the female screw portion 38 or the tip of the male screw portion 39, the cap nut 18 is detached and cannot be installed. As a result, the trouble of inserting the pipe can be prevented and the range of the optimum cap nut loosening position for inserting the pipe can be narrowed, so that the lock ring ball fits into the groove of the pipe, especially in the case of the grooved type. In this state, when the pipe is pulled back, the lock ring fits within the taper on the opening side and becomes easy to fix.

  In the joint manufacturing stage, the cap nut 18 is sufficiently screwed into the joint body 30 as shown in FIG. At the time of construction, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the connected pipe is in a slightly loosened state. This state is a state in which the cap nut 18 and the joint main body 30 are screwed together so as not to be detached, and the lock ring is disposed at a position on the inner peripheral tapered surface 20 of the cap nut 18. The state which has the clearance gap 55 between the outer periphery of this and the inner peripheral taper surface 20 of the cap nut 18 is said.

  In this example, the state in which the cap nut 18 is not detached from the joint body 30 is, for example, when the nominal diameter of the screw is M42 × 2 in the nominal diameter 20A of the joint, the thread hook is 1 to 1.5. Set in the mountains.

  In this example, in order to secure a predetermined screw engagement or A dimension while using the same material for the cap nut 18, the inner diameter of the end portion of the cap nut 18 is cut away, and a relief portion is formed as shown in FIG. 54 is provided, and a female thread portion 38 is formed on the back side of the thinning portion 54.

  Moreover, the form which applied the lock ring in another invention to the lock ring of another example is shown. The lock ring projects a plurality of balls embedded at substantially equal intervals on the circumference of an annular ball retainer in a centripetal direction, and forms an opening separated along the width direction of the ball retainer. The retainer is formed in a substantially C shape. Further, a snap ring or a rubber ring is fitted around the outer periphery of the ball retainer so that the opening of the ball retainer is reduced in diameter and held in a substantially circular shape. By providing the connecting portion in the present invention described above in the opening formed in the ball retainer of the lock ring shown in this example, the same effect as in the present invention can be obtained without using the snap ring or the rubber ring. Is possible.

  Table 1 shows the expanded width after molding in a state where the opening 16 is not connected and a state where the opening 16 is partially connected. From this, when compared with the case where the openings 16 are not connected (comparative example) and the case where the openings 16 are connected (the present invention), a difference in diameter expansion of about twice was confirmed. By partially connecting the opening 16, the ball 13 of the lock ring comes into close contact with the connected pipes 25 and 26, and the ball 13 is easily caught in the groove formed in the connected pipe 25, and the construction position becomes clearer. Therefore, troubles that occur in this type of lock ring can be prevented, and an increase in the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be suppressed by forming the opening 16 in a partially connected shape.

  As mentioned above, although the various embodiments of the lock ring for joints in this invention and the joint using the same were explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to the description of the said embodiment, and the claim of this invention Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention described in.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lock ring main body 11 Annular outer peripheral surface 12 Ball retainer 13 Ball 14 End part 15 Notch part 16 Opening part 17 Inclined surface 18 Cap nut 19 Connection part (connection part)
20 Inner taper surface 21 Back inner taper surface 22 Open side inner taper surface 23 Annular inner surface 24 Tapered surface 25 Grooved pipe 26 Grooved pipe 30 Joint body 32 Packing θ Gradient angle D Cutting depth Α ₁ , α ₂ Gradient angle β Gradient angle 51 Groove part 52 Groove part 53 Insertion end face 54 Thinning part 55 Gap

Claims (3)

On the circumference of the annular ball cage, at equal intervals, and a plurality of balls embedded in the width direction center is projected in centripetal direction, along both sides of the width direction from the center position of the outer peripheral surface of the ball retainer Each of the inclined surfaces having the same inclination angle is formed, and the inclination angle of each inclination surface is substantially the same as the tapered surface on the back side formed at a smaller angle than the taper surface on the opening side of the inner peripheral surface of the joint cap nut. It is equivalent, and cut portions are provided alternately from both ends between adjacent balls of the ball retainer, and the cut depth of the cut portions is formed by the length of one inclined surface of the inclined surface. the depth Satoshi to the center position of the annular outer peripheral surface of the ball cage, each end portion of the annular inner peripheral surface toward the opposite ends co the provision of the tapered surface of the reduced径状for the connecting tube guiding the ball cage, the the ball retainer to one of the notches Has the same width as the notch by towards the end provided continue to cut and detached lock ring fitting, characterized in that the openings are formed. An inner surface of the joint body is fitted with a packing to be inserted into the outer peripheral surface of the connected pipe, and the inner side of the inner surface of the cap nut screwed into the joint body has a two-step taper angle on the opening side. Forming a circumferential taper surface, making a gradient angle of the inner circumferential taper surface on the back side smaller than a gradient angle of the inner circumferential taper surface on the opening side, and mounting the lock ring on the inner circumferential taper surface to The joint using the lock ring according to claim 1, wherein pulling of the connected pipe is prevented by causing the lock ring to bite into an outer peripheral surface of the connected pipe at the time of fastening. The inclination angle formed by the inner circumferential taper surface on the back side and the inner circumferential taper surface on the opening side is in the range of 2 ° to 5 °, and the cap nut is tightened when either the grooved or the grooved connected pipe is fastened. The joint using the lock ring according to claim 2 , wherein the diameter of the ball retainer is reduced by fastening, and the ball is moved from the inner peripheral tapered surface on the opening side to the inner peripheral tapered surface on the back side.

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