WO2008022357A1

WO2008022357A1 - Pipe coupling

Info

Publication number: WO2008022357A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2007/000049
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eugene Fourie
Original assignee: Eugene Fourie
Priority date: 2006-08-13
Filing date: 2007-08-10
Publication date: 2008-02-21

Abstract

The invention provides a pipe coupling 10 having a coupling zone 12 and two pipe connection zones 14, 15 remote the coupling zone 12. The coupling zone 12 includes a first portion 16 having a spigot 18 having a sealing ring receiving formation 20 configured to snugly receive a sealing ring 22 on the outside of the spigot 18 said sealing ring 22 being located remotely from a free end 24 of the spigot 18. The coupling zone 12 includes a second portion 26 having a socket 28 for receiving said spigot 18 and a sealing zone 30 extending circumferentially along an inner surface 32 of the socket 28 for sealingly seating the sealing ring 22 thereon thereby to seal the pipe coupling 10 at the coupling zone 12 of the first and second portions 16, 26. The sealing zone 30 is located adjacent the free end 34 of said socket 28. The spigot 18 is provided with a screw thread formation 19 on the outer surface thereof.

Description

PIPE COUPLING

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to pipe couplings. In particular the invention provides a pipe coupling for water and other liquid reticulation systems, for example, using plastics piping.

Background to the Invention

The inventor is aware that presently the final step in coupling water reticulation systems to water meters at the point of use, or elsewhere, often includes the difficult step of bringing the free end of the water reticulation system pipe into register with a free end of the water meter installation, usually by means of a bush, an elbow, or the like.

The difficulty experienced with bringing the two ends into register for coupling is that very seldom are pipes and/or meters placed with such precision that the coupling step would merely require a fitting to be fastened. Thus, plumbers often wrestle with either one or both of the free ends, or even the bush or elbow, eventually achieving a coupling of the water reticulation system to the meter which results in out of register coupling and stressed components which have been forced together and are a ticking time bomb as regards possible leaks.

The inventor has considered the above problem, and the practicalities of the installation process, at great length, and now proposes a pipe coupling which could reduce substantially the problems described above. Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a pipe coupling having a coupling zone and two pipe connection zones remote the coupling zone, said coupling zone including: a first portion having a spigot having a sealing ring receiving formation configured to snugly receive a sealing ring on the outside of the spigot, in use, said sealing being located remotely from a free end of the spigot; and a second portion having a socket for the receiving said spigot and a sealing zone extending circumferentially along an inner surface of the socket for, in use, sealingly seating the sealing ring thereon thereby to seal the pipe coupling at the coupling zone of the first and second portions.

The sealing zone may be located adjacent the free end of said socket.

Said spigot may be provided with a screw thread formation on outer surface thereof.

Said screw thread may commence at or about a free end of the spigot and terminate remote from the free end at the sealing ring receiving formation.

Said socket may be provided with an internal screw thread complementary to the screw thread on said spigot, said socket screw thread commencing remotely from the free end of said socket providing a sufficiently dimensioned sealing zone at the free end thereof. The screw threaded portions may be dimensioned to have at least three turns, typically at least 5 turns before the end of the screw thread is reached and the coupling is said to be fastened and leak free.

An abutment shoulder may be provided at the base of the spigot thereby to limit the depth to which the spigot penetrates the socket.

The abutment shoulder may improve the seating of the sealing ring on the sealing zone by ensuring that, if the spigot and socket are fastened until the abutment shoulder prevents further turns the sealing ring is snugly seated against the sealing zone.

The sealing ring may be made of nitrile rubber, PTFE₁ or any number of sealing materials selected to be compatible with the fluid in the reticulation system.

The pipe coupling may be made from PVC, Polypropylene, or any other plastics material.

The pipe connection zones at either end of the pipe coupling remote from the coupling zone may be screw threaded, tapered, flanged, or the like, to match the pipe which the coupling of the invention is used on.

In one embodiment, in use, the spigot is inserted into the socket and they are screw threadedly secured to each other, the sealing ring provides a sealing mechanism which permits relative rotational axial displacement of the spigot and the socket while maintaining a water tight seal when an installer is attempting to bring the pipe connection zones in register with the pipe and/or meter which are to be secured to the pipe coupling.

The spigot and/or the socket may be a portion of an elbow fitting. Description of the Drawing

The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying diagram.

In the diagram, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a pipe coupling broadly in accordance of the invention.

The pipe coupling 10 has a coupling zone 12 and two pipe connection zones 14, 15 remote the coupling zone 12.

The coupling zone 12 includes a first portion 16 having a spigot 18 having a sealing ring receiving formation 20 configured to snugly receive a sealing ring 22 on the outside of the spigot 18 said sealing ring 22 being located remotely from a free end 24 of the spigot 18.

The coupling zone 12 includes a second portion 26 having a socket 28 for receiving said spigot 18 and a sealing zone 30 extending circumferentially along an inner surface 32 of the socket 28 for sealingly seating the sealing ring 22 thereon thereby to seal the pipe coupling 10 at the coupling zone 12 of the first and second portions 16, 26.

The sealing zone 30 is located adjacent the free end 34 of said socket 28.

The spigot 18 is provided with a screw thread formation 19 on the outer surface thereof.

The screw thread 19 commences at or about the free end 24 of the spigot 18 and terminates remote from the free end at the sealing ring receiving formation 20. The socket 28 is provided with an internal screw thread 29 complementary to the screw thread 19 on the spigot 18, said socket screw thread 29 commencing remotely from the free end 34 of said socket 28 providing a sufficiently dimensioned sealing zone 30 at the free end thereof.

The screw threaded portions 19, 29 are dimensioned to have at least 5 turns before the end of the screw thread is reached and the coupling is said to be fastened and leak free.

An abutment shoulder 40 is provided at the base of the spigot 18 thereby to limit the depth to which the spigot 28 penetrates the socket.

The abutment shoulder improves the seating of the sealing ring 22 on the sealing zone 30 ensuring that, if the spigot 18 and socket 28 are fastened until the abutment shoulder 40 prevents further turns the sealing ring 22 is snugly seated against the sealing zone 30.

The sealing ring 22 may be made of nitrile rubber, PTFE, or any number of sealing materials selected to be compatible with the fluid in the reticulation system.

The pipe coupling 10, except for the sealing ring, may be made from PVC, Polypropylene, or any other plastics material.

The pipe connection zones 14, 15 at either end of the pipe coupling 10 remote from the coupling zone 12 are screw threaded to match the pipe which the coupling of the invention is used on.

The spigot 18 and the socket 28 are provided on elbows in the embodiments shown in the diagram. In use, the spigot 18 is inserted into the socket 28 and they are screw threadedly secured to each other, the sealing ring 22 provides a sealing mechanism which permits relative rotational axial displacement of the spigot 18 and the socket 28 while maintaining a water tight seal when an installer is attempting to bring the pipe connection zones 14, 15 in register with the pipe and/or meter which are to be secured to the pipe coupling.

Claims

1. A pipe coupling having a coupling zone and two pipe connection zones remote the coupling zone, said coupling zone including: - a first portion having a spigot having a sealing ring receiving formation configured to snugly receive a sealing ring on the outside of the spigot, in use, said sealing being located remotely from a free end of the spigot; and a second portion having a socket for the receiving said spigot and a sealing zone extending circumferential Iy along an inner surface of the socket for, in use, sealingly seating the sealing ring thereon thereby to seal the pipe coupling at the coupling zone of the first and second portions.

2. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sealing zone is located adjacent the free end of said socket.

3. A pipe coupling as claimed in claimi or claim 2, wherein said spigot is provided with a screw thread formation on outer surface thereof.

4. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 3, wherein said screw thread commences at or about a free end of the spigot and terminates remote from the free end at the sealing ring receiving formation.

5. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said socket is provided with an internal screw thread complementary to the screw thread on said spigot, said socket screw thread commencing remotely from the free end of said socket providing a sufficiently dimensioned sealing zone at the free end thereof.

6. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the screw threaded portions are dimensioned to have at least three turns, typically at least 5 turns before the end of the screw thread is reached and the coupling is said to be fastened and leak free.

7. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein an abutment shoulder is provided at the base of the spigot thereby to limit the depth to which the spigot penetrates the socket.

8. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 7, wherein the abutment shoulder improves the seating of the sealing ring on the sealing zone by ensuring that, if the spigot and socket are fastened until the abutment shoulder, it prevents further turns once the sealing ring is snugly seated against the sealing zone.

9. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing ring is made of nitrile rubber, PTFE, or any number of sealing materials selected to be compatible with the fluid in the reticulation system.

10. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pipe coupling is made from PVC, Polypropylene, or ABS.

11. A pipe coupling as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spigot and/or the socket are a portion of an elbow fitting.

12. A pipe coupling as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein in use, the spigot is inserted into the socket and they are screw threadedly secured to each other, the sealing ring providing a sealing mechanism which permits relative rotational axial displacement of the spigot and the socket while maintaining a water tight seal when an installer is attempting to bring the pipe connection zones in register with the pipe and/or meter which are to be secured to the pipe coupling.

13. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein described and illustrated.

14. A new pipe coupling substantially as herein described.