JPH0193692A - Pipe joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To completely seal pressuring a gasket with a big tightening force by stably providing a thrust bearing which allows a relative rotation of a joint piece and a cap nut member within the cap nut member by a position control means. CONSTITUTION: A pipe joint is comprised with a joint piece 10, another joint piece 20, a cap nut member 30, a gasket 40 as a seal packing, a positioning device 50, a thrust bearing 60, and a position control means 70. The position control means 70 is for controlling positioning the thrust bearing 60 within a cap bottom section 37 of the cap nut member 30 to keep a stable position to prevent the thrust bearing 60 from sliding to an axis direction or from inclining.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a pipe joint, and in particular, to a pipe joint that can provide a perfect seal without twisting the pipe.

[Background technology and its problems]

For example, in the semiconductor industry of ICs, LSIs, and the like, work is done in clean rooms that exclude particulate dust, and the manufacturing and working environments and conditions have become even more severe. The special gas used in semiconductor manufacturing is introduced into the clean room from outside the clean room through piping, but it is extremely difficult to mix other unnecessary gas molecules such as air into this special gas, so sealing is required. In order to make complete pipe connections, not only the piping itself, but also
Ultra-precise changes are required for the pipe fittings that connect the pipes.

By the way, in a conventional general pipe joint, a gasket 40 is interposed between a pair of joint pieces 10 and 20, and one joint piece 10 is connected to the other joint piece 20, as shown in FIG.
Both joint pieces 10 are assembled by screwing together the cap nut member 30 from the side.
It was something that tightened 20.

In other words, the protruding part 22 of the other joint piece 20 and the protruding part 12 of one of the joint pieces 10 are butted together with the gasket 40 interposed and supported, and then the through hole 38 is used in the other pipe 25. By screwing together the female screw 33 of the fitted cap nut member 30 and the male screw 11 of one of the joint pieces 10 and rotating the cap nut member 30, the double convex strips 12 and 22 are attached to the gasket 40. The structure was such that the two pipes 15 and 25 were connected by pressing the pipes so close that they bit into each other a little.

Therefore, the conventional pipe joint described above has the following problems.

That is, when the cap nut member 30 is rotated and tightened, the other joint piece 20 rotates together and twists the gas get 40 as a seal packing, which may damage the gasket 40. Not only that, but the other pipe 25 connected to the other joint piece 20 is also twisted, resulting in damage to the pipe itself. At this time, a metal C-ring may be used as the gasket 40, and in this case, there is a particular problem because the metal C-ring is deformed by twisting and has a characteristic that the sealing force is significantly reduced. Furthermore, it has the economic disadvantage that it cannot be reused due to deformation.

For this reason, a structure has been considered in which a large number of balls are supported on the end face of the other joint piece 20 and the balls are brought into contact with the inner end face of the cap nut member 30 to prevent the other joint piece 20 from twisting. However, since both the surface of the ball receiving surface of the other joint piece 20 and the surface of the ball receiving surface of the cap nut member 30 are flat, the ball digs into these flat surfaces and forms a groove when tightening. Alternatively, the portion corresponding to each ball may be recessed and the plane surface may become uneven, which may not only make it impossible to produce an appropriate tightening torque, but may even result in twisting the gasket.

On the other hand, this has the problem that the tightening force (pressing force) cannot be increased, resulting in poor sealing performance.

In addition, in piping and fittings used in clean rooms in the semiconductor industry, the special gas flowing through the piping may be changed, but in this case, the inner surface roughness of the piping may be rough, or the sealing structure of the fitting may be changed. If it is not appropriate,
In addition to creating flow path resistance, molecules of the previously used gas may remain in the uneven parts of the inner surface of the pipe, or the previous gas may leak from the seal part of the joint to the back side of the seal.
There is an inconvenience that when the changed gas flows next time, it gradually flows out from the sealing part and mixes with the newly flowing gas, causing defects in semiconductor products.

Therefore, the conventional piping joints have a problem in that they are inappropriate for use in clean room piping and the like.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a pipe joint that can press a gasket with a large tightening force without causing deformation of the pipe or the like, and can ensure perfect sealing performance.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The present invention has the following features:
Instead of supporting the ball on the other joint piece,
In addition to using a thrust bearing that can rotate while allowing a large thrust load, the test research showed that if the components of the thrust bearing are tightened with slight deviation or inclination in the radial direction, the intended purpose cannot be achieved. Based on the results, the present invention attempts to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems by creating a structure that can stably support a thrust bearing within a cap nut member.

For this reason, the male screw provided on one joint piece and the female screw of the cap nut member fitted on the other joint piece are screwed together while pressing the gasket interposed between both joint pieces. In a pipe joint for making a connection, the pipe joint is capable of withstanding the pressing force when the cap nut member is rotated to press the gasket with both of the joint pieces, and allows relative rotation between the other joint piece and the cap nut member. A position regulating means for mounting a thrust bearing in the cap nut member and regulating the position of the thrust bearing at the bottom of the cap nut member regardless of the relative position in the axial direction between the other joint piece and the cap nut. The above-mentioned object is achieved with the provided configuration.

Therefore, since the thrust bearing is installed inside the bag bottom of the cap nut member, there is no deviation in the radial direction, and the position control means prevents deviation or inclination in the axial direction, so the cap nut member can be rotated. Even if both joint pieces are tightened with a large force, the cap nut member and the other joint piece can rotate relative to each other. A perfect seal is achieved with b, which allows the gasket to be strongly pressed without inducing deformation or damage to the pipe.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the pipe joint according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is an overall configuration diagram, the pipe joint of this embodiment has one joint piece 10 and the other joint piece 20.
, a cap nut member 30, a gasket 40 as a seal packing, a positioning device W50, a thrust bearing 60, and a position regulating means 70.

One of the joint pieces 10 is a concentric two-piece of different diameter that is integral with one pipe 15 and presses a gasket 40 on the distal end side.
11 annular protrusions 12a and 12b are provided, and a male thread 11 is carved on the outer peripheral surface.

The other joint piece 20 is integral with the other pipe 25, and has two sets of concentric annular protrusions 22a, 22b of different diameters formed on the distal end side for pressing the gasket 40. Note that the convex portions 12a (12b) and 22a (22b) have the same diameter.

Here, each convex portion 12a, 12b, 22a of 2&Il,
22b is provided to further ensure sealing performance while preventing inclination by utilizing the fact that a large clamping force (pressing force) is guaranteed in relation to the thrust bearing 60 described later.

The bag nut member 30 has a hexagonal nut shape as a whole, and the bag bottom side 37 is provided with an inner diameter portion 35 and the open side 31 is provided with a female thread 33.
A through hole 38 is provided in the inner wall surface 39 so as to intersect with each other. Further, the ore inner diameter portion 35 is provided with a groove 34 extending in the circumferential direction.

Here, the inner diameter De of the ore inner diameter portion 35 is 13.5 mm, and the female thread 33 is a 9/16-18υNF thread with an inner diameter of 12.9+ms. Note that the axial dimension of the ore inner diameter portion 35 will be described later in relation to the thrust bearing 60.

The gasket 40, which is a sealing gasket, is attached to the pipe 15 (2
It has an annular shape with a hole 41 having an inner diameter equal to or larger than the inner diameter of item 5), and is stamped and formed from a nickel material. Both protrusions 12 (12a, 12b) of both joint pieces 10, 20
), 22 (22a, 22b) and both pipes 15, 2
5 is connected and sealed in a watertight manner. Note that a hole penetrating from the outside to the inside is provided in the cap nut member 30 at a position corresponding to the position of the gasket 40 mounted for inspection and the like, but it is omitted in the figure.

Next, the positioning device 50 includes a holding portion 100 for holding the gasket 40, one positioning member 51 that engages with one joint piece 10, and another positioning member 55 that engages with the other joint piece 20. Consists of gasket 4
This is to reactively position the champion 10°40.20 with 0 as the center.

In this embodiment, the glasses are shaped like glasses as shown in FIG.

A cylindrical inner surface 5 is formed by drawing on both ends of the steel plate.
2.56 and is bent at the center to provide a concave holding portion 100 (FIG. 3 shows the bent portion), and is integrally formed. Further, the other positioning member 55 is provided with a claw portion 101 that supports the gas scaler 40 auxiliarily. Therefore, if the gasket 40 is inserted into the space corresponding to the thickness of the gasket 40 between the positioning members 51.55 and the gasket 40 is supported using the holding portion 100 and the end surface 53.57, the three members 51. .40.5
5 are integrated concentrically, and the gasket 40 shown in FIG. 3 (
The lateral position in B) is regulated by claws 101 and 101, and the inner surface 52 (52,
52) is guided and engaged with the large diameter portion 13 of one joint piece 1O, and the inner surface 56 (56, 56) of the other positioning member 55 is fitted onto the large diameter portion 23 of the other joint piece 20. Once they are fitted, the three joint pieces 1O1 gasket 40 on one side and the joint piece 20 on the other side are held in the same position before the cap nut member 30 is rotated by the positioning device 50 and both joint pieces 10, 20 are tightened in the axial direction. supported by the core.

That is, the positioning device 50 is formed so that, before rotating the cap nut member 30, positioning can be performed by pressing the gasket 40 from the left and right with the convex strips 12 and 22 concentrically pressed. Therefore, the cap nut member 30 (
Even if there is a normal gap between the through hole 38) and the other pipe 25, the double convex strip 12 is removed while the cap nut member 30 is rotating.
．． 23 pinches the gasket 40, there is no room for positional deviation, and even if the inside cannot be visually confirmed, the three parties 1
0 (12), 40.20 (22) equality is guaranteed. For this reason, two sets of both convex stripes 12 and 22 are provided.
2a, 12b, 22a, and 22b can also provide a perfect seal.

In addition, the thrust bearing 60, which is a feature of the invention, has an outer diameter D0 of 13.5 mm, contains 11 balls 60B, is made of a material mainly made of alloy steel, and has a thrust load of 250 g. It is something that has.

For boat fishing, a thrust bearing of the same type with an outer diameter of 12 ffil can only tolerate a thrust load of about 142 kg; similarly, if the outer diameter is 15 ffil, it can have a thrust load of 310 kg.

By the way, the thrust bearing 60 is formed to include a pair of receiving plates 60A and 60C that receive the above-mentioned 11 balls 60B (held by a retainer not shown) on both sides. The diameter is the inner diameter part 35 of the ore.
The inner diameter is approximately the same as (13,5), and the thrust bearing 60 is formed so as not to shift in the radial direction within the cap nut member 30. Furthermore, receiving plates 60A, 60C
, a notch 61. is formed by cutting out the opposing outer peripheral surface and has a diameter Dm smaller than the inner diameter of the female thread 33 of the nut member 30.
61 (indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). Note that the inner diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter Dt of the through hole 38 of the cap nut member 30, and allows the other tube 25 to pass therethrough. On the other hand, the axial dimension of the inner diameter portion 35 of the cap nut member 30 is the same as the entire thrust bearing 60 (
60A, 60B, 60C) as one body or as individual components, and the receiving plate 60A, which is inserted last, has a female thread 330.
The dimensions are sufficient to allow the receiving plate 60A to change direction or rotate after being inserted sideways. In other words, thrust bearings 60 (60A, 60B, 6
0C) when inserting it as one piece, L ” Do
When inserting the components individually, the dimension T between the receiving plate 60C inserted first and the receiving plate 60A inserted last. and Do, that is, L-To +DO.However, considering that one half of it is rotated by protruding into the space where the female thread 33 is provided, it can also be obtained as It should be determined from the inner diameter of the thrust bearing 60 or the relationship between the outer diameter D0 of the thrust bearing 60 and the inner diameter D3 of the female thread 33 of the cap nut member 30. Therefore, there may be cases where it is possible.

Further, the position regulating means 70 is for regulating the position of the thrust bearing 60 within the bag bottom portion 37 of the cap nut member 30, and is for ensuring a stable posture so that the thrust bearing 60 does not shift or tilt in the axial direction. be. Specifically, it is formed of a spring ring (see FIG. 2) fitted into a groove 34 extending in the circumferential direction of the inner diameter portion 35 of the cap nut member 30. This position regulating means 70 is
Each element of the thrust bearing 60 (60A, 60B, 6
It also has the function of being able to be set in the bag bottom 37 even in a mold that is not integrally formed in advance using special parts.

Next, the function of the pipe joint of the present invention will be explained together with the assembly method.

First, the receiving plate 60C forming the thrust bearing 60 is turned sideways from the open side 31 of the cap nut member 30, that is, with the notches 61, 61 facing the radial direction of the cap nut member 30 (
(As shown in FIG. 1, the notches 61, 61 are facing up and down) through the space provided with the female screw 33, and ≦Ds
) Insert the receiving plate 60C into the inner diameter part 35 of the ore (D, ≧D, >D,), and change the direction of rotation of the receiving plate 60C by 90 degrees within the inner diameter part 35 of the ore, so that one side 62 of the receiving plate 60C is in the bag. The nut member 30 is mounted in parallel so as to be in contact with the inner wall surface 39 of the nut member 30.

Next, 1 was integrally supported by a retainer (not shown).
One ball 60B is attached from the open side.

Subsequently, the receiving plate 60A to be inserted last is replaced with the receiving plate 60C.
Insert it into the ore inner diameter part 35 in the same way as when inserting it, rotate it 90 degrees to change the direction, and install it. And thrust bearings 60 (60A, 60B).

60C) is rotated 90 degrees around the axis.

Subsequently, the spring ring serving as the position regulating means 70 is inserted from the open side 31 and fitted into the groove 34 of the bag nut member 30 to position the thrust bearing 60 within the bag bottom 37. Thereby, even if the attitude of the cap nut member 30 is changed, the thrust bearing 60 is maintained in a stable attitude. Moreover, assembly with the other joint piece 20 can be facilitated.

Next, the assembly and operation of the positioning device 50 will be described.The state in which the zero-bag nut member 30 (equipped with the thrust bearing 60) is fitted onto the other tube 25 at a position shifted to the right in FIG. Below, the other positioning member 55 of the positioning device 50 with the gasket 40 already mounted and supported on the holding member 100 is fitted and engaged with the large diameter portion 23 of the other joint piece 20 using the inner surfaces 56, 56.56. let Thereafter, while moving one of the tubes 15, which is relatively flexible in the radial direction (in this embodiment, the right end of the other tube 25 is fixed to a tank or the like in FIG. 1), one positioning member 51 is moved.
is fitted into the large diameter portion 13 of one of the joint pieces 10 using the inner surface 52 (52, 52). That is, both joint pieces 10.20 are forcibly moved to both positioning members 51.55.
By inserting the joint pieces 1O120 into the gasket 40, both joint pieces 1O120 are positioned at the same position. Here, the annular convex portion 12 (12a) of both joint pieces 10.20
, 12b) and 22 (22a, 22b) are brought into contact with the thick portion of the gasket 40 as the same.

Thereafter, the cap nut member 30 is rotated to connect both tubes 15°25. As a result, it is assembled as shown in FIG. Note that as the gasket 40 is tightened between the two pipes 15 and 25, the rotational force of the cap nut member 30 is transmitted to the other pipe 25, etc., but in the present invention, since the thrust bearing 60 is interposed, the rotational force of the cap nut member 30 is transmitted to the other pipe 25, etc. There is no possibility that twisting may occur.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the thrust bearing 60 is provided between the cap nut member 30 and the other joint piece 20 to withstand a large axial force while allowing the relative rotation of the two pieces 20, 30. piece 20 and tube 2
The gasket 40 can be tightened with a large pressing force without inducing deformation or damage to the gasket 5, etc., and a reliable seal can be achieved.

Further, since the thrust bearing 60 is supported in a stable position within the bag bottom part 37 of the bag nut member 30 by the position regulating means 70, the components of the thrust bearing 60 are not shifted or tilted in the axial direction, so that the thrust bearing 60 can be placed in a predetermined position. The function is exhibited, and the above-mentioned relative rotation etc. is further ensured. Further, since the position regulating means 70 is formed of a spring ring, it has a simple structure and is easy to handle, and also has the effect that the entire pipe joint does not need to be made large (large diameter). Further, since the position of the thrust bearing 60 is regulated within the cap nut member 30 by the position regulating means 70 regardless of the relative positional relationship with the other joint piece 20, it can be set in the cap nut member 30 in advance. In addition to facilitating assembly such as insertion of the other joint piece 20, each component 60A of the thrust bearing 60 can be easily assembled.
, 60B, and 60C must be integrally formed in advance by special means, which eliminates the inconvenience and is also economical.

Further, at each end of both the joint pieces 10, 20, two sets of circular annular protrusions 12a, 12b, 22a are provided.

22b, the sealing performance with the gas scaler) 40 can be dramatically improved.

In particular, a thrust bearing 60 provided with notches 61, 61 (D,) having a dimension equal to or smaller than the inner diameter DS of the female thread 33 of the cap nut member 30 is inserted horizontally from the open side 31, and the female thread 33 The inner diameter of the inner diameter of the inner diameter of the ore is changed within the inner diameter of the ore of the larger inner diameter of the inner diameter of the ore.
Since the thrust bearing 60 has an outer diameter D0 larger than the inner diameter D3 of the female thread 33, it is attached to the cap nut member 3.
Can be installed at ゜. Therefore, the permissible thrust load can be dramatically increased without increasing the size of the pipe joint, so that the pipes can be connected to achieve a perfect seal.

This means that the inner diameter of the ore inner diameter portion 35 can be further increased and the thrust load can be further increased. Therefore, even if the outside diameter of the pipe joint is regulated by the piping or its equipment, the thrust load can be selected arbitrarily, and the pipe 15.25 will not be torsionally deformed or damaged. This has the effect of dramatically improving productivity and extending life. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to make the bag bottom side 37 of the bag nut member 30 large in diameter and provide the notches 61, 61 in the receiving plates 60A, 60C, it can be easily and economically adopted in existing pipe joints. It also has the effect of eliminating technical defects that have been suffering from leakage of fluids such as gas and liquid. Furthermore, it eliminates the trouble of having to change the design of the cap nut member 30 and the like each time in order to conform to the specifications of the thrust bearing 60 corresponding to the permissible thrust load, and also has practical advantages such as simple and economical structure. The profit is large.

Furthermore, since a positioning device 50 is provided that positions the champion 10.40.20 in the same position by simply engaging both the joint pieces 10.20 around the gasket 40, which is a seal packing, the cap nut member 30 Rotating the gasket will not deform or damage the gasket, ensuring a perfect seal. Therefore, the gasket 40 can be reused, resulting in great economic benefits.

Further, since the positioning device 50 can control the position of the three parties 10, 40, 20 in the same manner, the gasket 40 can be made small, so it is economically advantageous even when it is formed from nickel material or the like. Not only is it large, but it is also effective in downsizing the entire pipe joint.

In addition, the positioning device 50 has one positioning member 51 and the other positioning member 55 that are attached to the holding member 10 of the gas scaler) 40.
0, each positioning member 51.
Just by engaging the fitting piece 1O320 that corresponds to 55, you can establish the sameness of the champion 10, 40.2O, so you can assemble it.
Disassembly work can be dramatically improved. In other words, if the temporary gasket 4G is dropped during work, or if the cap nut member 3o
Avoid misalignment caused by increasing the gap between the through hole 38 and the other tube 25, rework due to deformation of the gasket 40, and repeated leak tests. This allows you to work quickly. This is beneficial in achieving early completion and smooth operation of the entire device that employs pipe joints.

Further, since the positioning device 50 can be integrally formed by press working or the like, it has high strength, has a simple structure, and is easy to install. Another advantage is that it can be used immediately with existing pipe joints.

In addition, according to the above embodiment, 71J to the thrust
The receiving plate 60A, the ball 60B, and the receiving plate 60C are inserted and attached in this order to the 7-gage 60, but the temporarily fixed entirety (60
0A, 60B, 60C) may be inserted at - degrees. In this case, the axial length of the ore inner diameter portion 35 can be made smaller. Of course, the horizontal orientation of the thrust bearing 60 means that the outer circumferential portion of the receiving plate 60A (60C) should not come into contact with the female thread 33 and can be inserted smoothly without damaging the female thread 33, for example, the receiving plate 60C.
The one side 62 of the cap nut member 30 is not limited to being completely parallel to the axis of the nut member 30.

Furthermore, although the position regulating means 70 is formed from a spring ring fitted into the groove 34 provided in the cap nut member 30,
The point is that the thrust bearing 60 is not limited to a spring ring as long as it can be regulated in a stable position within the bag bottom 37. However, if a spring ring is used, the structure is simple and economical, and the overall size can be reduced.

Further, on the distal end side of each joint piece 10.20, annular protrusions 12 (12a, 12b), 22 having the same and different diameters are provided.
(22a, 22b), but since the purpose is to improve the sealing effect in conjunction with the introduction of the thrust bearing 60, the number of protrusions 12 (22) is not limited to two, but three sets. The above may be sufficient, and on the other hand, it may be provided on the joint piece 10 (20) on either side.

Further, although the gasket 40 serving as a sealing gasket was made of nickel material, the material form is not limited. However, when the gasket 40 is formed from an expensive material such as nickel, the main pipe joint is particularly economically effective in terms of reusability of the gasket, and the joint piece 10.
The shape of the protruding portions 12 and 22 of 20 can be freely selected. Of course, the present invention is also applicable to the case where a means for preventing the over-pushing amount of the gasket 40 is employed.

Furthermore, the positioning device 50 can be connected to the claw 10 shown in FIG.
1.101 was adopted as an integrally molded structure, but Fig. 4 (A),
As shown in (B), in order to more reliably and stably support the gasket 40, both positioning members 51 and 55 have recesses 54 and 57.
It may be an integrally molded structure with a bushing 59 for adjusting the pipe diameter as shown in FIG.
0.20 with a larger force, the work becomes easier and the positioning device 50 itself becomes less expensive.

Of course, the pipe joint of the present invention is applicable to all industrial fields without being limited in terms of pipe diameter, type of fluid in the pipe, etc.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention has the excellent effect of providing a thrust bearing whose position is regulated within the cap nut member, and ensuring perfect sealing by pressing the gasket with a large tightening force without inducing deformation or damage to the joint components. have

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional overall configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a pipe joint according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external view of a position regulating means, and FIG. 3 is an external view of a positioning device. 4 is an overall side view, (B) is a front view based on the arrow line ■B-BIB line in (A), and FIG. 4 is an external view of the positioning device showing another embodiment, (A). (B) corresponds to (A) and (B) in FIG. 3, respectively. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a positioning device according to another embodiment, in which a bushing is attached, and FIG. 6 is an overall sectional view of a conventional pipe joint. 10...One joint piece, 11...Male thread, 12
(12a, 12b)... Convex portion, 15... One pipe, 20... Other joint piece, 22 (22a, 2
2b)... Convex portion, 25... Other tube, 30...
Cap nut member, 33...Female screw, 34...Groove, 40
...Gasket, 50...Positioning device, 60...
- Thrust bearing, 70...Position regulating means. Agent Patent attorney Minoru Kinoshita (and 1 other person) Figure 1 Blade 11-11 Junsho Nenoa 0---I L1 left p year'I + *, Figure 3

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) While screwing together the male thread provided on one joint piece and the female thread of the cap nut member fitted on the other joint piece, the gasket interposed between both joint pieces is pressed, and both pipes are connected. In the pipe joint that makes the connection, the pipe joint is capable of withstanding the pressing force when the cap nut member is rotated to press the gasket with both of the joint pieces, and allows relative rotation between the other joint piece and the cap nut member. Position regulating means for mounting a thrust bearing in the cap nut member and regulating the position of the thrust bearing at the bottom of the cap nut member regardless of the relative axial position between the other joint piece and the cap nut member. A pipe joint characterized by being provided with. (2) The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the position regulating means is formed of a spring ring that is engaged with a groove provided on the inner wall surface of the cap nut member. . (3) In claim 1 or 2, at least one of the two joint pieces is formed to press against the gasket with a plurality of annular protrusions having different diameters. A pipe fitting characterized by: