KR100193346B1 - Pipe couplings and plugs of coupling fastenings on them - Google Patents

Abstract

A coupling for rigidly or flexibly connecting adjacent ends of a pair of aligned pipes formed from a circular casing made of a pair of aligned semicircular parts surrounding the flexible pipe gasket. At both ends of these parts there are radially outwardly extending projections forming pairs of overlapping fastening projections. Each of the at least one pair of projections has transversely aligned bolt holes and opposing sockets that are substantially concentric with and open toward each other. Bolts extending through the sockets and bolt holes fasten the protrusions together and allow some flexible relative movement and allow the parts to radially inwardly secure the pipes to join the pipes together. The plug has both ends and with the bolt extending through the center bolt hole, the bolt hole is removably fitted in the opposing protrusion sockets. The plug ends are axially displaced from each other in the axial direction of the coupling such that when the nut is tightened on the bolt, wedging acts to axially separate the overlapping pairs of projections so that these parts cannot move relatively relative to the pipes. Direction and radially fixed.

Description

Pipe couplings and plugs of coupling fastenings on them

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a coupling casing in which two parts are bolted together;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view along arrow 2-2 in FIG. 1 showing an annular gasket and two connected pipe ends. FIG.

3 is a plan view along arrow 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing one of the components.

4 is a side view of the assembled coupling.

FIG. 5 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 4, showing two coupling parts in a displaced state.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the projection of the aligned part before the plug and bolt are in place and tightened with the nut.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the plug is in the correct position and the protrusion is displaced, taken along the direction of arrows 7-7 of FIG.

Perspective view of the plug of FIG.

9 is a front view of the plug, showing the displaced upper and lower plug portions.

10 is a side view of the plug.

11 is a schematic view showing a component axially displaced due to the displacement of the plug.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: casing 11, 12: parts

13,14: pipe 15: groove

20: key 23: gasket

25: projection 27: socket

30: bolt 40: plug

The present invention relates to a coupling for connecting a pipe provided with an external connection groove, in particular for converting a coupling, which normally flexibly connects the pipe ends to each other and allows for limited movement of the connected pipe, into a rigid non-movable coupling. A pluggable removable insert.

Conventional couplings used to connect the ends of pipes with external connection grooves are formed from circular casings made of two semicircular segments connected to one another to surround the pipe. Typically, such parts have a U-shaped cross section whose legs extend radially inward. Thus, the free end of the leg forms a key or tenon that extends into a groove formed in the outer surface of the pipe.

In general, a gasket such as rubber is arranged around an adjacent pipe end, and the two parts are arranged around the gasket by its key or tenon, ie with the free end of the part surrounding the gasket. At this time, the two parts are connected to each other to surround the connection.

This coupling is somewhat flexible in that it provides some allowable relative movement between the pipe ends and between the pipe and the coupling because the component legs are narrower than the grooves in the pipe with the key or free end. That is, there is some acceptable movement between the key and the pipe groove. This is particularly useful for piping systems where the pipe may be somewhat misaligned during installation, or may expand or contract or misalign due to ambient temperature or the temperature of the fluid flowing through the pipe.

However, in some cases it is necessary to have a stationary coupling in which the pipe ends are held relative to one another or relative to the coupling. In such a case, a typical coupling of the type described above is not suitable for holding a pipe against relative movement. Thus, other couplings are used to obtain a tight connection. An example of a fixed coupling structure of this type is described in US Pat. No. 4,639,020, issued January 27, 1967. In this patent, the coupling element has overlapping side projections in which the bolts extend to bolt the parts together. The adjacent surfaces of the two parts are angled in two directions, axially and radially, in the bolt projection. Thus, when the bolts are tightened, the two parts are offset against each other and locked in the pipe. This is described with reference to FIG. 10 of US Pat. No. 4,639,020.

Where it is necessary to use a coupling that provides a rigid connection between adjacent pipe ends, a coupling as described above, together with a generic coupling that provides a flexible connection to the work location while creating an inventory of these couplings. Need to provide Therefore, it is necessary to make the separation lines of the couplings of various sizes in order to provide the rigid connection required for use.

In order to eliminate the need for such additional coupling, it is desirable to have couplings having the function of selectively forming a flexible coupling connection or a rigid connection as necessary. The present invention is directed to providing a means for selectively converting a referencely flexible type coupling into a rigid coupling using a particular connector insert.

The present invention relates to converting a conventionally flexible coupling used for connecting a grooved pipe at both ends into a fixed coupling. Thus, the coupling comprises a circular casing made of two semicircular parts which are connected to each other by bolts or the like extending through overlapping projections while extending outwardly radially formed at both ends of the part.

The overlapping or aligned protrusion pairs have aligned bolt holes through which the fastening bolts extend. However, the protrusions are formed to have enlarged sockets open toward each other in the bolt holes. These sockets are typically formed in the coupling part to reduce the metal wall thickness in the fixing projections. Thus, such a socket generally consists of an enlarged open area aligned with the bolt hole at the adjacent protruding surface.

Thus, the part and the casing have a U-shaped cross section in which the U-shaped legs extend radially inward. The free end of the leg is narrow and may form a tenon or key that is inserted into a groove surrounding the end of the pipe to be joined. In addition, a gasket such as annular rubber is used to surround the ends of the two pipes to seal the connection. The gasket is aligned in the channel formed by the casing. Due to the loose fastening of the tenon in the groove and the elastic gasket, there is a relative looseness of the parts that allow the pipes to flex or finely move relative to each other and to the coupling while the seal is held by the gasket.

The present invention secures the connection formed in the above-described configuration by inserting a plug or insert into at least one pair of aligned projections such that the two parts are axially inclined such that the tenon is clamped radially and axially against the wall of the groove. . The plug includes two integral ends and one central bolt receiving hole. The end has a shape that is inserted into the opposing socket of the projection. The hole in which the plug is arranged to closely fit the fastening bolt extends through the projection.

Both ends of the plug are generally axially displaced with respect to each other, so that when the two ends are inserted deeply into the socket, they displace the socket-like protrusion in the axial direction. The plug also has a shape that narrows toward its free end to act as a wedge. That is, the inclined surface wedges against the corresponding inclined surface defining the socket to wedge the component in the axial direction when the bolt and the fastening nut are firmly held in place.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple means in the form of a simple and inexpensive plastic plug which can be used by simply inserting into the adjacent protrusion of a conventional flexible coupling whenever a fixed coupling is required. Thus, plumbing workers can store a large number of such plugs, which only require less space and very little cost, and plumbing workers can select and use appropriate sizes as needed. Thus, there is no need to store and transport various types of fixed couplings.

It is a further object of the present invention to immediately convert a conventional flexible type coupling into a fixed type coupling whenever necessary without any increase in cost or labor.

It is another object of the present invention to make it possible to selectively use conventional couplings as flexible couplings or fixed couplings, depending on the particular task.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood by the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coupling is formed from a circular casing 10 made of two semicircular parts 11, 12. When connected to each other, the coupling parts are arranged to surround adjacent ends of the pair of pipes 13, 14 to be connected. These pipes have a conventional groove 15 formed near the end of the pipe to achieve the purpose of fastening.

The part and casing have a U-shaped cross section to form an outer base 18 and a leg 19 extending radially inwardly. The inner or free end of the leg is narrowed to form a key or tenon 20 inserted into each pipe groove 15 as shown in FIG.

A conventional rubber gasket 23 having a U cross section is disposed around the end of the pipe and embedded in a casing of a U cross section. This gasket seals the gap between the pipe ends to prevent leakage of fluid.

The casing part is fastened by bolts extending through aligned protrusions formed on opposite ends of the part. Thus, the projection 25 is integrally formed on the opposite end of the component 11, and similar projections are integrally formed on the opposite end of the component 12. The two parts and the projections have shapes similar to each other.

Thus, the projections are hollow bodies and provide sockets 27 extending outwardly towards each other for each aligned pair of projections. The protrusion also has an aligned bolt hole 28 for receiving the fastening bolt 30 which is fixed in place by the nut 31. The bolt hole extends in the axial direction, ie in the axial direction of the coupling as shown in FIG.

As shown in sectional view in FIG. 7, the protruding socket 27 has side legs 34 and has a U-shaped cross section. The inner side wall 35 of these protrusions is inclined.

The plug 40 shown in FIGS. 8-10 is made of a cast plastic material, such as nylon or the like. This plug is formed of two integral parts, the upper part 41 and the lower part 42. As shown, the top and bottom are inclined and inserted into the socket between the hollow legs of this inclined wall. This plug has a central bolt hole 43 that is sized to be in close contact with the fastening bolt 30.

In operation, when a coupling is typically used to connect a flexible tube, the coupling is used without a plug and is mounted around the pipe end, as shown in FIG. In this case, the key or tenon 20 of the leg 19 of the U-shaped part is inserted into the pipe groove 15 to fix the pipe in position.

When the use of a coupling is desired for a tight connection, a plug is used. In this case, the projection bolt is removed from the projection and the plug is inserted into the hollow socket of the projection. This is illustrated in FIG. 6. Thereafter, bolts are inserted into the protruding bolt holes 28 and the plug bolt holes 43. Then, the nut is tightened.

When the nut is tightened, as shown in FIG. 9, the plugs begin to be inserted in close contact with the sockets, and the inclined plug walls wedge against the inside of the inclined protrusions in order to transport parts to each other. As shown in FIG. 5, by insertion of the plug, the top 11 is moved axially relative to the bottom 12. This same operation is also shown schematically in FIG. 11, which shows the state in which the upper part is moved laterally with respect to the lower part when the plug is inserted.

By inserting the plug, the key or tenon of the part can be raised at an angle to engage into the groove with the side wall, or optionally axially pressed against the wall forming the groove 15 in the pipe. In any case, not only radially inward forces but also axial forces are applied to the pipes. Thus, the pipe is firmly fixed in the coupling and prevents the flexible movement of the pipe as described above. Thus, conventional couplings can be used by inserting the plug as described above to provide a secure connection.

The plugs may be arranged in two aligned protrusion pairs, respectively. Optionally, the plug may be placed in only one pair of aligned protrusions and the opposite pair of protrusions may simply be tightened with bolts as is usual. In this case, the upper part and the lower part are raised at an angle to each other to provide a rigid coupling.

Although the coupling consists of protrusion pairs arranged symmetrically, the coupling may comprise only one pair of protrusions and hinges may be used on both sides of the coupling depending on the required strength and the size of the pipe involved. Thus, the present invention may use only one pair of projections and one plug or two pairs of projections and plugs depending on the requirements for the coupling.

The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, and is not limited thereto, and one of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the appended claims.

Claims (12)

In a pipe coupling for the flexible or rigid connection of adjacent ends of a pair of aligned pipes by joining means, a circular casing formed of a pair of coplanar aligned semicircular parts 11, 12 and surrounding adjacent ends (10), aligned bolt receiving holes (28) formed at both ends of the part and extending radially outwardly (25) aligned with adjacent protrusions of the opposing parts, and partially enlarged sockets (27) opening toward one another. Radially inward with respect to the aligned pipe end surrounding the casing to extend through at least one pair of adjacent protrusions having an) and through the aligned bolt hole and the enlarged socket 27 and to connect the pipe end to an acceptable constant relative moving limit. A bolt 30 having a fastener such as a nut for coupling the protrusions to each other to clamp the component with a screw, and one removable to the socket 27. And a opposite end plug 40 having opposite ends that are tightly inserted into the socket, the plug 40 having a central bolt hole into which the bolt is extended and tightly inserted, the end of the plug being about a coupling axis. By slightly shifting each other in the axial direction, tightening the nut causes the plug to space the projection in the axial direction to move the component axially, thereby clamping the component axially and radially to the joining means of the pipe to end the pipe. Pipe coupling, characterized in that to firmly combine. 2. The at least one plug end projection of claim 1, wherein the at least one plug end projection has an inclined wedge surface that cooperates with a corresponding surface in the socket 27 to space the projection into wedge action when the nut 31 is tightened to the bolt. Pipe coupling comprising a. The device of claim 1, wherein the parts have a leg spaced apart from the base and have a U-shaped cross section to form an annularly open annular channel, the free end of the opposite leg of the channel being spun to engage with the joining means. Forming an inward key, the joining means comprising a fastening groove and enclosing an adjacent pipe end, the key forming a groove of the pipe end when the part is axially moved and spaced apart by a plug in the protrusion. Pipe coupling, characterized in that coupled to the wall. 4. The adjacent ends of the aligned pipes according to claim 3, in order to seal and resiliently bend the pipes to permit movement of the pipes with respect to each other and with respect to the coupling when the plugs 40 are removed from the sockets 27. And an annular elastic gasket (23) positioned in the casing (10) to enclose and seal it. The at least one bolt hole 28 formed in one of the protrusions extends axially relative to the coupling so that the bolt can move in an axial direction transverse to the elongated hole. The pipe coupling characterized in that the nut (31) is movable in the transverse direction with respect to the bolt when tightened. 5. The inclined socket of claim 4 wherein the socket of the projection is inclined at the plug end to be inserted into the socket such that the fastening of the nut causes the end of the plug 40 to move deeper into the socket 27, thereby causing transverse movement. A pipe coupling comprising a sloped surface complementary to the wedge surface. 7. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 6, wherein the opposite socket and plug ends are supplementally inclined to move the projection of the part laterally. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising opposite adjacent protrusion pairs in which opposite sockets 27, bolt holes 28, and plugs 40 are formed, similar to the protrusion pairs, and bolts penetrate the opposite protrusion pairs. Spaced laterally so that the two parts are axially displaced relative to one another. A pair of semi-circular parts arranged in a common plane to form a circular casing 10 which surrounds adjacent ends of the pair of pipes 13 and 14 and connects the ends to each other, and means for mechanically fastening the parts, The means comprises a bolt protrusion formed at one end of each coupling, the protrusion having an overlapping and aligned bolt hole through it, the bolt hole extending at an adjacent surface of the protrusion and concentric with the bolt hole and the bolt In the plug of the coupling fastening projection for pipe coupling which forms an opposing socket through which the pipe passes, the upper and lower portions 41 and 42, which are a pair of opposing ends having a shape that is tightly inserted into the opposing socket, are fastened through the fastening bolt. A plug having both ends with a central bolt hole 43 inserted therein, the upper and lower portions 41 and 42 of the plug being in a direction along the axial direction of the coupling; Coupling fastening projections, characterized in that the projections and parts are axially displaced by the misaligned plug ends when the bolts are tightened by mechanical fastening means through the plug bolt holes and the projection bolt holes by overlapping with each other. Plug in. 10. The coupling fastening plug of claim 9 wherein each plug end is inclined inwardly toward its free end so as to be tightly inserted into the supplemental inclined wall forming the protruding socket for wedge action. The plug of a coupling fastening protrusion according to claim 10, wherein the plug is formed of a plastic material integrally with the plug end. 12. The coupling fastening protrusion according to claim 11, wherein the bolt hole extending through the plug is centered with one plug end, and the opposite plug end is displaced with respect to the central axis of the bolt hole of the plug. plug.