WO2005103553A1

WO2005103553A1 - Lid for sealing the end of a pipe

Info

Publication number: WO2005103553A1
Application number: PCT/DK2005/000266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lars Jørgen BAUNGAARD; Frede Madsen
Original assignee: Wavin B.V.
Priority date: 2004-04-20
Filing date: 2005-04-19
Publication date: 2005-11-03

Abstract

A lid for sealing the end (2a) of a pipe (2) has at least one circumferential groove (3) a the pipe end. A pivotable locking plate (5) is arranged at the centre of the lid (1) by means of a central pivot (6). Said locking plate is provided with a plurality of hinged (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) locking arms (7a-7d). Each locking arm is guided through at least one sliding guide (9a-9d) on the lid (1), preferably in the vicinity of the periphery of the lid in order to ensure that the end of the locking arm distal to the locking plate (5) can execute a radial movement and engage in the groove (3), when the locking plate is pivoted. A stop means (27) for limiting the rotation of the locking plate (5) is provided on the locking plate (5). As a result, a considerably simpler construction compared to the known lid is obtained. The lid is particularly suitable for unpressurized pipes and low-pressure pipes.

Description

Lid for sealing the end of a pipe:

Background Art

The invention relates to a lid for sealing the end of a pipe having at least one internal circumferential groove at the pipe end, and wherein a locking plate pivotable by means of a central pivot is arranged at or adjacent to the centre of the lid, said locking plate being provided with a plurality of hinged locking arms.

A known pipe lid for sealing pressure pipes is provided with an internal circumferential groove. At the bottom side the pipe lid has a central pivotable locking plate provided with a pivot. An arm is hinged to each corner of said locking plate, the end of said locking arm distal to the locking plate being hinged to a guide plate pivotable on a fixed journal on the lid. Further, a curved locking body is hinged to the guide plate, said locking body being either pressed into the groove of the pipe in order to lock the lid or loosened a little theref om in order to release the lid, when the guide plate is turned by the arm.

This lid is not quite satisfactory in connection with an unpressurized pipe or a "low- pressure pipe", as it is too complex (and thus too expensive to manufacture), especially because of the guide plate and the curved locking body.

The term "low-pressure pipe", as used herein, refers to a pressure pipe tolerating a pressure in the range of -0,5 bar to +1,0 bar, said pipe being preferably odour-tight and water-tight in this range.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to provide a lid of the type disclosed in the preamble, said lid being particularly suitable for unpressurized pipes or low-pressure pipes and being simpler than the known lid and thus less expensive to manufacture. The lid according to the invention is characterized in that each individual locking arm is guided through at least one sliding guide on the lid, preferably in the vicinity of the periphery of the lid, in order to ensure that the end of the locking arm distal to the locking plate can execute a radial movement and engage in the groove, when the locking plate is pivoted, and that the lid is provided with stop means for limiting the rotation of the locking plate. In this way, a considerably simpler construction is obtained, because the end of the locking arm distal to the locking plate itself is directly used to lock the lid against said groove. The construction has been shown to be suf- fϊcient for reliably locking the lid in unpressurized pipes and low-pressure pipes.

According to the invention the sliding guide of each individual locking arm may be comprised of a guide pipe formed in an annular body arranged above or below the lid plate of the lid. Thus, each individual locking arm is provided with a simple and reliable guide both during locking and unlocking.

Moreover, according to the invention, the annular element may be formed by the substantially plane lid plate and two coaxial walls, preferably a substantially conical and/or cylindrical internal wall and a substantially cylindrical external wall, as well as a plane annular disc connecting said walls, between which said guide pipe is arranged. Again, a very reliable guide for each individual locking arm is thus provided.

According to the invention the guide of each individual locking arm may be formed in a circumferential bead on the lid plate, resulting in a particularly simple embodiment. Furthermore, according to the invention, the dimensions of the pivotable locking plate may be selected in such a way that the outermost end of each individual locking arm may be moved 1.25-25 mm in an outwardly or inwardly projecting radial direction, when the locking plate is pivoted. This embodiment has been shown to be particularly suitable for plastic pipes.

Further, according to the invention, each individual sliding guide may be provided by an eyelet means, optionally two eyelet means arranged in succession, thus providing a particularly simple locking construction.

Moreover, according to the invention, the central portion of the lid plate and the internal wall, respectively, may be joined to form an enlarged part containing a second guide pipe for the pivot of the locking plate. As a result, a particularly secure retention - although with the possibility of rotation - of the pivot of the locking plate is obtained.

Moreover, according to the invention, the axial length of the annular element may be substantially equal to the radius of the lid plate. In this way it is possible for the lid to be held effectively in place at the pipe end, since a portion of the lid acts as a type of plug.

According to the invention the lid may be made of plastic or metal and may be provided for plastic pipes having an internal diameter of 100-1300 mm. This embodiment has been shown to be particularly suitable.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the annular body may have an axial length 1 such that it extends passed a groove in the pipe provided with a sealing ring or packing, said groove being situated above the pipe groove cooperating with the locking arms. This ensures that the seal formed by the lid is odour-tight and water-tight. Furthermore, according to the invention, the hinging of the locking arms on the locking plate may be provided by means of openings formed in the locking plate, one end of the locking arm bent substantially 90° being guided down into each opening, and said end bent 90° optionally being provided with a retaining element for re- taining the bent end in the hole. This provides a very reliable and at the same time simple hinging of the locking arms to the locking plate.

Moreover, according to the invention, the locking plate may be circular, while the stop means of the locking plate may be provided by at least one plate section formed at the periphery of the locking plate by cutting, said plate section being bent upwards substantially 90° with respect to the locking plate and said plate section preferably projecting substantially in radial direction with respect to the locking plate. Since the locking arms can move only a little, when the locking plate is pivoted, said plate section will form a pivot stop for the locking plate, as the locking plate is piv- oted and the plate section comes to abut a locking arm.

Finally, according to the invention and when the pipe is smooth on the outside, the internal groove with which the hinged locking arms can cooperate may be formed in such a way that two auxiliary rings are coaxially positioned, preferably glued, in the vicinity of the end of the pipe, said auxiliary rings having a mutual axial distance somewhat larger than the diameter of each individual locking arm, preferably 2- 15 times the diameter of each individual locking arm, at the end distal to the locking plate. As a result, a particularly effective sealing of the lid in the pipe is obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the lid according to the invention arranged in a pipe, the entire figure being shown as a centrally vertical section, Fig. 2 shows a top view at an angle of an embodiment of the lid,

Fig. 3 shows a bottom view of another embodiment of the lid according to the invention, where the sliding guides are formed in an annular bead of the lid in the vicinity of the edge of the lid,

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a further embodiment of the lid according to the invention, where each individual locking arm has two sliding guides in the form of eyelets arranged in succession,

Fig. 5 shows the area delimited by a circle in Fig. 4 on a greater scale, where the pivot, however, is not shown,

Fig. 6 shows a top view of a circular locking plate for four locking arms, and

Fig. 7 shows the same along the section Nil- VII of Fig. 6, where the stop means are clearly visible.

Best Modes for Carrying out the Invention

The lid shown in Fig. 1 and 2, designated as a whole with the reference numeral 1, is used to seal one end 2a of a pipe 2, a portion of the lid being pushed into the pipe end 2a. The pipe 2 has at least one internal circumferential groove 3.

Below the centre of the lid 1 there is a pivotable locking plate 5. Said locking plate is rigidly connected with a vertical central pivot 6 projecting upward through the lid, as shown in Fig. 1, the top of said pivot optionally being provided with an arrow- shaped body or a head with a slot, said body or head being pivotable to assume one of two positions: "locked" or "unlocked". Two locking arms 7a and 7c are hinged on the locking plate 5 by means of several hinge openings 4a and 4c (hinge openings 4b and 4d as well as locking arm 7b are not visible) in order to ensure that the end of the locking arm distal to the locking plate can execute a radial movement and engage in the groove 3, when the locking plate is pivoted by means of the pivot (nor- mally manually). Fig. 1 shows the locking arms in "extended position", i. e. when they project into the groove 3. Fig. 1 shows clearly that the outermost end of each individual locking arm 7a, 7c projects beyond the lid in this situation.

Each individual locking arm 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d is guided through its own sliding guide 9a, 9c and 9d, said sliding guide being preferably arranged in the vicinity of the periphery of the lid. In the embodiment shown herein, each individual sliding guide is comprised of a guide pipe formed in an annular body 12 arranged below the lid plate 1' of the lid. Said annular body may be a separate body welded or glued or riveted to the lid or it may be integrally cast with the lid plate 1'.

A stop means 27 for limiting the rotation of the locking plate 5 is provided on one portion of said locking plate 5. This stop means may, for example, be provided by a journal or a projection on the locking plate, cf. below.

The annular body 12 may be composed of a portion of the lid plate 1 and two coaxial wall portions (cf. Fig. 1), such as a conical and/or cylindrical internal wall 16 and cylindrical external wall 17, as well as an annular portion 18 connecting said walls; the guide pipes 9a and 9c are arranged between the walls 16 and 17 (the guide pipes 9b and 9d are not visible in Fig. 1). As shown in Fig. 3, the sliding guide of each individual arm 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d may be formed in a circumferential bead 22 on the lid plate 1', cf. also Fig. 3. The sliding guide of the locking arm 7c consists herein of two openings 9d' and 9d".

The dimensions of the pivotable locking plate 5 may be selected in such a way that the outermost end of each individual locking arm 7a, 7c can be moved 1.5-25 mm, preferably 1.0-15 mm, in an outwardly or inwardly projecting radial direction, when the locking plate 5 is pivoted, in order to provide an effective locking.

As shown in Fig. 4, each individual sliding guide may be comprised of two eyelets 20a, 20b arranged in succession.

The lid plate 1' may have a circumferential edge portion 1" covering the end 2a of the pipe 2, cf. Fig. 1. The central portion of the lid plate 1' and the internal wall 16, respectively, may be joined to form an enlarged part 1"' containing a second guide pipe 22 for the pivot 6, cf. Fig. 5.

The axial length 1 of the annular body, cf. Fig. 1, may be substantially equal to the radius R of the lid plate 1', cf. Fig. 1. Preferably, however, the annular body ought to have such an axial length that it can extend passed a groove 3 a provided with a sealing ring or packing 24, said groove being situated above the groove 3 cooperating with the locking pins 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d.

The lid 1 may be made of plastic or metal and may be provided for plastic pipes having an internal diameter of l00-1300 mm.

Above the lid 1 is described as being horizontal and the pipe 2 as being vertical. This has been done only to facilitate the explanation of the invention. In practice, the lid and the pipe may assume any position, however such that the lid is always ar- ranged substantially at right angles to the longitudinal centre axis of the pipe 2. δ

Preferably, the annular body 12 has such an axial length 1 that it extends passed a groove 3 a in the pipe provided with a sealing ring or packing 24, i. e. the groove situated above the pipe groove 3 cooperating with the locking arms 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d.

The hinging of the locking arms 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d on the locking plate 5 may be achieved by means of openings 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d formed in the locking plate (cf. Fig. 6 and 7), one end of a locking arm 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d bent substantially 90° being guided down into each opening. Said end bent 90° is optionally provided with a retaining element for retaining the bent end in the hole. However, the retaining element is not shown.

As shown in Fig. 6, the locking plate 5 may be circular. The stop means 27 may be provided by at least one plate section 27 formed at the periphery of the locking plate by cutting, said plate section being bent upwards substantially 90° with respect to the locking plate 5 and said plate section preferably projecting substantially in radial direction with respect to the locking plate.

The term "pipe" is used herein in a broad sense and covers also pipe-like profiles provided with for example grids, covers, valves etc. besides pipes per se.

There is no reason for the lid not being provided with breakthroughs, so that the pipe itself may represent a grid.

The pipe used may be smooth on the outside. In this case, two auxiliary rings may be inserted, and preferably fastened to by means of gluing, in the vicinity of the end of the pipe, said auxiliary rings having a mutual axial distance. This distance is somewhat larger than the diameter of each individual locking arm; preferably said distance is greater than 2-15 times the diameter of each individual locking arm at the end distal to the locking plate. The invention may be modified in many ways without thereby deviating from its scope.

Claims

1. A lid for sealing the end (2a) of a pipe (2) having at least one internal circumferential groove (3) at the pipe end, and wherein a locking plate (5) pivotable by means of a central pivot (6) is arranged at or adjacent to the centre of the lid, said locking plate being provided with a plurality of hinged locking arms (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d), characterized in that each individual locking arm (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is guided through at least one sliding guide (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) on the lid (1), preferably in the vicinity of the periphery of the lid, in order to ensure that the end of the locking arm distal to the locking plate (5) can execute a radial movement and engage in the groove (3), when the locking plate (5) is pivoted, and that the locking plate (5) is provided with a stop means (27) for limiting the rotation of the locking plate.

2. A lid as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sliding guide of each individual locking arm (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) may be comprised of a guide pipe (9a, 9b, 9c,

9d) formed in an annular body (12) arranged above or below the lid plate (V) of the lid and connected with the lid plate.

3. A lid as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the annular element is formed by the substantially plane lid plate (l¹) and walls, preferably a substantially conical and/or cylindrical internal wall (16) and a substantially cylindrical external wall (17), as well as a plane annular portion (18) connecting said walls (16, 17), between which said guide pipe (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) is arranged.

4. A lid as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the sliding guide (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) of each individual locking arm is formed in a circumferential bead (19) on the lid plate (!').

5. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-4, characterized in that the dimensions of the locking plate (5) are selected in such a way that the outermost end of each individual locking arm (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) can be moved 1.5-25 mm, preferably 1.0-8 mm, particularly 2-7 mm, in an outwardly or inwardly projecting radial direction, when the locking plate (5) is pivoted.

6. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-5, characterized in that each individual sliding guide is provided by an eyelet means, optionally two eyelet means arranged in succession (20a, 20b).

7. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-6, characterized in that the lid plate (V) has a circumferential edge portion (1") covering the end (2a) of the pipe (2).

8. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-7, characterized in that the central portion of the lid plate (V) and the internal wall (16), respectively, are joined to form an enlarged part (1'") containing a second guide pipe (22) for the pivot (6) of the locking plate (5).

9. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-8, characterized in that the axial length (1) of the annular body is substantially equal to the radius (R) of the lid plate (1').

10. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-8, characterized in that it is made of plastic or metal and provided for plastic pipes (2) having an internal diameter of 100-1300 mm.

11. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-10, characterized in that the annular body (12) has such an axial length (1) that it extends past a groove (3 a) in the pipe (2) provided with a sealing ring or packing (24), said groove being situated above the pipe groove (3) cooperating with the locking arms (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d).

12. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-11, characterized in that the hinging of the locking arms (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) on the locking plate is provided by means of openings (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) formed in the locking plate, one end of a locking arm (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) bent substantially 90° being guided down into each opening, and that said end bent 90° is optionally provided with a retaining element for retaining the bent end in the hole.

13. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-12, characterized in that the locking plate (5) is circular and that the stop means (27) are provided by at least one plate section formed at the periphery of the locking plate by cutting, said plate section being bent upwards substantially 90° with respect to the locking plate and said plate section preferably projecting substantially in radial direction with respect to the locking plate.

14. A lid as claimed in one or more of the claims 1-13 where the pipe is smooth on the outside, characterized in that the internal groove with which the hinged locking arms (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) can cooperate is formed by means of two auxiliary rings coaxially and internally positioned in the vicinity of the end of the pipe, and preferably fastened to the pipe by gluing, said auxiliary rings having a mutual axial distance somewhat larger than the diameter of each individual locking arm, preferably 2-15 times the diameter of each individual locking arm, at the end distal of the locking arm to the locking plate (5).