Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L41/00—Branching pipes; Joining pipes to walls
  • F16L41/04—Tapping pipe walls, i.e. making connections through the walls of pipes while they are carrying fluids; Fittings therefor
  • F16L41/06—Tapping pipe walls, i.e. making connections through the walls of pipes while they are carrying fluids; Fittings therefor making use of attaching means embracing the pipe

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to improvements in and relating to pipe tapping methods and means therefor.
• One of the traditional methods of providing a side branch connection to a watermain is to fit and assemble a tapping band to the watermain and then fit a connecting ferrule or pipe to the tapping band.
• This method permits a connection to be made to an unpressurized watermain, or with suitable equipment, to a pressurized watermain. Whilst this system provides a cheap, effective method of connection it is possible that severe corrosion problems can develop under certain conditions due to the materials that are used in the various components and to environmental effects.
• Traditional materials used in the watermain structure include cast iron, steels and asbestos cement.
• Materials used in tapping bands are generally cast iron whilst the ferrules are most invariably manu ⁇ factured in gunmetal. It is the combination of the tapping band and ferrule materials that provide the bimetallic corrosion problem especially in the presence of ground water and stray D.C. electricity.
• D.C. electricity has its major use in the traction purposes for tramways and railways and the like and special protection can be provided to underground pipe installations in those areas that may be subjected to stray D.C. currents.
• A.C. appliances with speed control or energy selection, especially with single diode control resulting in the production of D.C. electricity is spreading the areas effected by stray D.C. electricity to encompass residential districts. Some of these areas affected may never have been previously subjected to D.C. electricity and so are inadequately protected.
• the material selection of watermains and the like laid in such areas at an earlier date did not take the current situation into account and thus such watermains may not be adequately protected against those effects.
• this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a pipe tapping assembly for making a fluid connection with a pipe, said pipe tapping assembly including a mounting
• the aperture in the tapping assembly is non-circular so that the connector may be retained
• the circular aperture could be provided and other locking means could be provided to prevent rotation of the connector within the tapping assembly.
• the connector could be provided with an outwardly projecting tab adapted to
• the connector 35 be received in a corresponding slot associated with the tapping assembly.
• the connector could be rotatably and sealably secured in said tapping assembly whereby it could be rotated for example for screw threaded engagement with a branch pipe.
• the connector be provided with an enlarged base portion whereby it may be retained between the tapping assembly and the pipe to which it is to be connected.
• the connector may be otherwise formed such as tapered, to achieve retention between said tapping assembly and the pipe.
• the connector is electrically insulated from the tapping assembly. This may be achieved for example, by coating the surface of the connector which would normally engage the tapping assembly with a non-conducting material such as an elastomeric substance.
• the connector itself may be formed of a non-conductive plastics or other suitable material.
• the connector is detachably securable to the mounting part of said tapping assembly but of course it could be glued into position if desired or otherwise permanently secured in place.
• this invention resides broadly in a method of making a fluid connection with a pipe wherein there is provided a pipe mounting part having support means thereon for a detachable connector assembly and a plurality of connector assemblies, the method comprising the steps of:-
• v ⁇ --- c-_ ⁇ receive a ferrule and the method further comprises the steps of;- (d) inserting said ferrule in said connector assembly, and
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tapping band assembly of the type adapted to be connected to a pressurized watermain or the like;
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 2.
• the tapping band assembly 10 includes a band-like mounting part 11 which is adapted to be clamped about a pipe or watermain 12 and having a raised outlet housing 13 which supports a connector assembly 14 adapted for connection to a ferrule whereby a branch connection may be made to the watermain 12.
• the outlet housing 13 communicates with an aperture 9 in the pipe or watermain 12 and a sealing assembly 15 is interposed between the connector assembly 14 and the watermain 12 whereby the connector is disposed in operative sealed relationship with the pipe to permit a pressured connection to be made to the pipe 12 through the connector assembly 14.
• the sealing assembly 15 may be of the type more fully described in our Australian Patents Nos. 496,168; 505,509; and 506,839. Of course, other types of sealing arrangements for forming a pressured connection can be
• the operative sealed connection between the connector assembly and the pipe may be formed in various manners as will become apparent.
• the connector assembly 14 includes a body portion 16 formed of a selected material such as gunmetal and which is internally threaded at 17 for screw threaded connection to a ferrule (not shown) , while the outer face 18 thereof is hexagonal shaped so as to engage non-rotatably in a hexagonal shaped aperture 19 in the outer end portion of the raised outlet housing 13.
• the body portion 16 is suitably formed of a material which is electrically compatible with that of the ferrule.
• the lower end of the body portion 16 is provided with a radially extending flange 20 which is adapted to be retained behind a complementary shoulder 21 formed in the inner surface of the outlet housing 13.
• the shoulder 21 is disposed beneath the inner extremity of the hexagonal aperture 19.
• a locating lip 22 extends around the underside of the body portion 16.
• the sealing assembly 15 includes a plurality of flexible sectoral leaves 8 which in their closed position abutt tightly against one another to form a seal but which may be parted to enable a drill or like tool to pass therethrough for drilling the aperture 9 in the pipe 12.
• An elastomeric covering or shroud 23 is interposed between the connector assembly 14 and the outlet housing 13 so that no direct metal to metal contact is made between the connector assembly 14 and the mounting portion 11 whereby the connector assembly 14 is electrically insulated from the mounting portion 11. It will be seen that the covering 23 extends about the hexagonal external face 18 and the flange 20.
• the cov ⁇ ering 23 is bonded to the body portion 16 or the connector assembly 14.
• a further feature of the present invention is that the elastomeric or other suitable covering for the body portion 16 suitably has a resilience which enables the connector assembly 14 to be forced into the aperture 19 by finger pressure in such a manner that it will remain in its operative position during further jostling or jolting of the components during assembly.
• the elastomeric or other suitable covering for the body portion 16 suitably has a resilience which enables the connector assembly 14 to be forced into the aperture 19 by finger pressure in such a manner that it will remain in its operative position during further jostling or jolting of the components during assembly.
• the connector assembly 30 is not associ ⁇ ated with a seal of the type which permits a pressured connection to be formed, unless a special type of ferrule or connector is used.
• the connector assembly 30 is formed of a plastics or suitable elastomeric material.
• the connector assembly 30 includes a body portion 31 which is internally threaded and hexagonal shaped on the outside.
• a peripheral flange 32 is formed at the inner end of the hexagonal portion of the body and this flange 32 en ⁇ gages behind a corresponding shoulder 33 formed in the raised portion 38 of the pipe tapping band 34.
• the inner. portion of the connector assembly adjacent the pipe 36 is substantially frusto-conical shaped and has an annular base portion 35 . adapted to engage sealably with the pipe 36.
• the body portion 31 is formed of material which may be compressed against the pipe 36 upon tightly ..securing the pipe tapping band to the pipe 36.
• the underside surface 37 of the peripheral base portion 35 may be patterned such as to provide areas of high pressure contact to ensure the formation of an effective seal between the connector assembly 30 and the pipe 36.
• the peripheral base portion 35 may be in the form of a pressure actuated seal of the type typified by an oil seal or the like and having a resilient lip adapted to bear tightly against the pipe and/or tapping band as fluid pressure is formed.
• the base portion could be a combination of the two systems described.
• a tapping band for a particular pipe size may include a hexagonal aperture which is common for ferrules of a range of types and sizes and varying threads which can be attached to the pipe tapping band, theuconnector assembly being selected to suit the particular application.
• this feature of the invention can be utilized singularly where corrosion is not a problem such that a connector assembly could be formed wholly of metal as desired and connected directly to the tapping band such as by being threadedly engaged therewith.
• a non-removable connector assembly with insulating properties could be used to advantage in selected operations.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Branch Pipes, Bends, And The Like (AREA)
• Quick-Acting Or Multi-Walled Pipe Joints (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3769372

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (10)

• 1983
  • 1983-02-24 JP JP50079783A patent/JPS59500380A/ja active Pending
  • 1983-02-24 EP EP19830900692 patent/EP0101473A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1983-02-24 WO PCT/AU1983/000025 patent/WO1983002990A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1983-10-21 DK DK4854/83A patent/DK485483D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1983-10-24 FI FI833880A patent/FI833880A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (10)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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