US2247972A - Pipe fitting - Google Patents

Description

July 1, 1941. T, J, SULLNN 2,247,972

PIPE FITTING Filed may 29; 1940 A im,

Patented July 1, 1941 A PIPE FITTING y Timothy J. Sullivan, Butte, Mont., assignor to Sullivan Valve and Engineering Company, Butte, Mont., a corporati on of Montana Application May 29, 1940, Serial No. 337,908

(Cl. 13S-37) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe fittings, and more particularly to :fittings for use in the so-called one pipe hot Water heating systems.

It has been proposed to dispense with the cold water return pipe that is commonly employed in household heating systems by connecting the individual radiators as loop or branch circuits on a single pipe line that extends from the hot Water outlet to the cold Water return of the heating boiler. entirely satisfactory in view of the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining a proper distribution of the heating medium to the several radiators of the system. The arrangements previously employed for diverting a part of the main stream of heating medium to the individual radiators were not adjustable and therefore failed to effect a proper distribution of the heating medium. Some improvement could be obtained by using different sizes of pipe, but this method of adjusting the frictional resistance to ilow in different parts of the system does not permit of accurate design and the net result has been that the prior hot water heating sytsems of the one pipe design have usually failed to function eliiciently.

An object of the present invention is to provide pipe fittings for use in hot water heating systems, the iittings including an adjustable valve that may be locked against accidental displacement. An object is to provide a pipe fitting-` of T form for use in a one pipe hot Water heating system, the fitting including a valve that is pivotally mounted at a point spaced from the axis of the side opening of the fitting. A further object is to provide pipe fittings that include a pivotally mounted baille valve having a stem that terminates in a non-circular head at the exterior of the fitting, and a locking cap having an opening for receiving the non-circular end of the stem, and means for securing the cap against rotation on the fitting.

'I'hese and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specication when taken with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary schematic View of a heating system in Which the novel fittings are used, and With a temperature measuring apparatus connected to one of the branch lines for determining the adjustment of the valved fitting;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of one radiator and .the connections to the main circulating pipe of the system;

The prior constructions have not beenV pump 5.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section through a T fitting embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5v is a fragmentary central section through another form of valved fitting and associated pipe connections;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another form of the invention; and f Fig. 7 is a central section through the same.

In Fig. lof the drawing, the reference numeral l identiiies a hot Water boiler having outlet and inlet connections 2, 3, respectively, that are connected by piping 4, 4 that forms a single path throufgh Whiqh the Water is circulated by a A vplurality of branch lines for the severalradiators 6a, 6b, 6c are formed by connecting the radiator inlet and outlet pipes l, 8, respectively, to Tv fittings that join the main pip-r ing 4 to the short pipe sections 4 that bypass the separate, radiators. The T fittings 9 at the outlet'side of each radiator are of conventional form` but the T fittings l0 at the inlet side of radiators 6a and 6b are valved fittings that embody the present invention. As illustrated, both T fittings for the radiator 6c are of the usual design and a valve `fitting I0 is included in the bypass section 4 to divert a desired quantity of the heating medium to the radiator 6c. i

The quantity of Water to be supplied to each radiatordepends upon the size of the radiator and its location along the main path of Water ovv; The proper distribution of the heating medium to the several radiators may be readily determined by measuring the drop in' temperature across'the individual radiators. As shown in Fig. I 1, a convenient form of temperature measuring apparatus includes thermocouples that are attached to the inlet and outlet pipes 1, 8 of a radiator by straps I2, and measuring instruments inV aportable case I3. Readings are made at each radiator, With all radiator valves fully open andthe adjustable fittings set for a minimum diversion of water from the circulating line' 4, 4 to the radiators. The adjustable fittings are then set -to divert more Water to those radiators that showed the larger temperature drops, and the temperature drops across the radiators are again measured. These steps are repeated until the fittings are so adjustedthat the same temperature drop obtains across all of the radiators. Each radiator then develops its calculated heat output and carries its proper share of the total heating load.

As shown in Figs. 2-4, each valved fitting l0 inportion I8 of Q the fitting. i nalled in a recess in the inner Walliof the fitting i' 'and the outer end of the counterbored boss .2. lcludes a disk or deflecting baille I4, of appreciably `smaller diameter than the bore of the fitting, on `the squared section I of a stem that is pivotally supported Within the the stem being normal to the axis of the branch head section of the T fitting,

section and displaced from that axis byv at least I4 is preferbrazed tothe shaft I5.

and provide the pivotal mounting of the stem .on

The cylindrical `inner end Il isjourand extends through the internally threaded'and by the gland nut 2| to axial 'displacement "andtoseai 'the borleof the boss I9. The outer end 220i the stem vis given a ynon-circular .cross-section by cutting away' op- Vposite sides to leave an elongated'central zone of 'the original cylindrical stem section, and the disk Mislassembled on the' stem With'the plane of the disk parallel to the flattened section .of the stem." A cap'23 is telescoped over the cylindrical boss I9 of the fitting and has an elongated opening in its outer wail'to receive lthe fiattened'end 22 of thestem,'the outer surface of thecap being hexagonal to -rec'zreivie a'wrench forv adjusting the .extends through` the cap' the baiie' disk' I 4,' against` stem. A setrscrew 2H to Vlock it, and thereby displacement Aafter the balile'isA set to divert the desired-quantty of water to the radiator.

f A smooth-'non-turbulent flow'of Water is -obtained when the vbaffle is located y beyond the branch connection,-see Figf, and an arrow or'other symbol isp-cast or cut into the ttingto indicate' the proper direction of flow through the ttingf# I'he flattened end 22 of the stem is in` dicative of the setting of the baille disk I4, and thus serves tof -prevent adjustment of the disk into a position that vwould cause 'a turbulent iiow or ja high kresistance Ito iiow through `the -ntting Vv'It is preferable to locate the baille vdisk VinY a T fitting 'for Anew installations as the vdistribution of Water to the several-radiators is then obtained With ,a -minimum of resistance to flow. The vdistribution of the heating medium to the radiators of `existing one pipe `'systems can 'be improved through the use of coupling members I0', as shown in Fig. 5, that are provided with a baiile disk i4' on an adjustable stem I5. vA valved fitting of this type can be introduced into ex` isting piping by cutting thebypass section 4' and inserting the tting vin the usual manner'through the use fof a compression coupling that may be aseparate unit or apart of the valved'iitting.

As shown in Figs. 6'and 7, the invention may be embodied in copper fittings IUaof the type that are ito be sweated or soldered tocopper pipe. The

internal construction is substantially as shown and described in connection with the threaded fittings of Figs. l5. The cap 23a and its set screw 24a are similar to the corresponding parts of the Fig. 4 construction, and an arrow 25a is cast or marked upon the exterior of the fitting to indicate the proper direction of flow through the string, .v .i

The valvedttings may be employed with any typerv of radiator but are particularly useful in Y.systems that employ a pump for circulating the hot water through and iin type. The resistance to flow through such radiators of the tubular core s radiators is relatively high and it is therefore de- `st`em is `journalled in I9, of the t'ting. The packing i 1 20 is compressed upon the shouldered portion I8A anchor the stem against' sirable to distribute'the correct amount of water to .eachnradiator without unduly increasing the total flow resistance. Y he valve T ttings divert thedesired quantity of Water to the radiators with a `minimum of disturbance that would increase" the flow resistance.

. VLfA'iF-fitting'forfuse1in a one pipe vhot Water heating system;.said 'fitting comprising a head portion having alined lsections for connectingY the ttinginto the-main pipe line of the heatingy system Aand ,a branch portion terminating in means for connecting to the inlet .pipeV to a radiator, afdeflecting ldisk within the head portion of .said fitting and having a diameter substanless than :the bore of the vhead portion, a shaft `carryingsaid d'eec'ting disk, said shaft having ianiinnerend and a shouldered intermediateportion'of circularcross-section, and means pivotally `mounting said shaft on theV head portion of the zfitting 'with Ithe axis of the shaft Vnormal to Vthe axis of'the branch portion and displaced .therefrom by :substantial-ly the radius of thef'bore of the branch portion; `said mounting meansvr comprising a recess inthe inner wall of the fitting to receive the inner end of said shaft, a counterbored andinternally threaded boss on saidfititing constituting a journal for said shouldered-'intermediateportion of the shaft, vand a glandrpacking compressed into said boss to anchorsaid shaft against y'axial displacement.

2. A T-fitting as claimed in claim l, lwherein said shaft extends through said boss and has a non-circular outer endyin combination with a lockingcap fitting overr said boss and mechanically |interlocking with' the lnon-circular .outer endv of the shaft, pand means to secure said cap against displacement with respect to' said boss.

3." A T-'tting as "claimed in claim l, wherein said shaft extendsthrough said boss and termina'tes 'in a flattened outer end, the major trans-V verse axis V4of the outer vend `of the shaft being parallel Vto the 'plane of the deecting disk, in

' combination with a locking cap fitted upon said boss and having -an` end `Wall with an elongated opening within which the outer end of the shaft is seated, and aisetscrew threaded into said cap for locking engagement with said boss.

' TIMOTHY J. SULLIVAN.

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