Pipe joints or couplings – Packed – Cam
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-16
2003-12-09
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3679)
Pipe joints or couplings
Packed
Cam
C285S302000, C285S363000, C285S376000, C285S913000, C285S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659511
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible pipe joint apparatus for use in a fluid (e.g., water) transport pipe system for maximally absorbing an external force such as a compression or tensile force applied to a pipe of the fluid transport system due to an earthquake, differential settlement, thermal expansion or contraction of the pipe per se, thus preventing resultant damage at a weak portion of the pipe. The invention more particularly relates to a flexible pipe joint apparatus of the above-noted type which includes a receiving tubular member, an inserting tubular member insertable into and connectable with the receiving tubular member along a tube axial direction, a stopper portion formed on an outer peripheral face of the inserting tubular member, the stopper portion projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral face, and a retaining portion formed in an inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member, the retaining portion coming into contact with the stopper portion of the inserting tubular member so as to prevent relative slidable displacement between the two tubular members at least on a withdrawal side beyond a predetermined relative axially slidable range of the tubular members.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional flexible fluid-transport pipe joint apparatus is shown in FIG.
13
. As shown, this apparatus includes a receiving tubular member
1
having a connecting flange
1
A for connection to a fluid transport device such as a sluice valve, a fluid transport pipe, etc. and an inserting tubular member
5
insertable into the receiving tubular member
1
and having a connecting flange
5
A for connection to the fluid transport pipe such as a transport pipe. In the inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member
1
, there are formed a first annular groove
7
for restricting a relatively slidable range between the two tubular members
1
,
5
and also a second annular groove
9
for fitting therein an elastic seal
8
in order to seal the gap formed between the inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member
1
and the outer peripheral face of the inserting tubular member
5
. Adjacent the axial end of the outer peripheral face of the inserting tubular member
5
, there are formed a third annular groove
51
for fitting therein a substantially C-shaped retaining ring
50
elastically deformable for radial expansion to act as a ‘stopper portion’ and a tapered guide face
52
for guiding the retaining ring
50
into the third annular groove
51
while allowing radial elastic expansion of this ring
50
. The first annular groove
7
is formed by and between a wall portion
1
B on the base-end side and a further wall portion
1
C on the opening side of the inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member
1
. These wall portions
1
B and
1
C together constitute a ‘retaining portion’ for coming into abutment against the retaining ring
50
fitted in the third annular groove
51
of the inserting tubular member
5
and also with a leading end face of this inserting tubular member
5
along the tube axial direction X, thereby to limit relative slidable displacement between the two tubular members
1
,
5
on the withdrawal (pulling) side and on the inserting (pushing) side, respectively, within a certain tolerance.
With such conventional fluid-transport flexible pipe joint apparatus, when the receiving tubular member
1
and the inserting tubular member
5
are to be connected with each other, the inserting tubular member
5
cannot be inserted into and connected with the receiving tubular member
1
, with the retaining ring
50
being kept fitted within the third annular groove
51
of the inserting tubular member
5
. Then, as illustrated in
FIGS. 14 and 15
, prior to the connecting operation of the tubular members
1
,
5
, it is necessary first to attach a first fitting jig
53
and a second fitting jig
54
within the receiving tubular member
1
. The first fitting jig
53
is capable of receiving the retaining ring
50
inserted into the receiving tubular member and can be disassembled into a plurality of sections in the peripheral direction. Like the first fitting jig
53
, the second fitting jig
54
also can be disassembled into a plurality of sections in the peripheral direction. And, this second fitting jig
54
includes an annular receiving face
54
a
for retaining the retaining ring
50
from the radially inside thereof coaxially with the receiving tubular member
1
and a tapered cam face
54
b
for radially expanding and shifting the retaining ring
50
received by the first fitting jig
53
to the tapered guide face
52
of the inserting tubular member
5
as the face
54
b
comes into contact with the leading end of the inserting tubular member
1
and is subsequently moved therewith during the insertion of the tubular member
1
. After completion of the connecting operation of the two tubular members
1
,
5
, it is necessary to disassemble and remove the first and second fitting jigs
53
,
54
set inside the receiving tubular member
1
one after another. In this manner, the connecting operation of the two tubular members
1
,
5
is very troublesome.
Moreover, the entire fluid transport flexible pipe joint apparatus requires the retaining ring
50
in addition to the two tubular members
1
,
5
; and the fitting grooves therefor need to be formed with high machining precision in the inserting tubular member
5
. Hence, high manufacture costs tend to ensue due to the great number of the parts and the great number of the manufacturing steps as well.
The present invention has addressed the above-described state. A primary object of the invention is to provide a flexible pipe joint apparatus for fluid transport, which apparatus allows the connecting operation of the receiving tubular member and the inserting tubular member to be effected efficiently and easily without using any special jigs and which also achieves reduction in the manufacturing costs of the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For accomplishing the above-noted object, according to the present invention, a flexible fluid-transport pipe joint apparatus includes a receiving tubular member, an inserting tubular member insertable into and connectable with the receiving tubular member along a tube axial direction, the apparatus comprising:
a stopper portion formed in an outer peripheral face of the inserting tubular member, the stopper portion projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral face; and
a retaining portion formed in an inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member, the retaining portion coming into contact with the stopper portion of the inserting tubular member so as to prevent slidable displacement between the two tubular members at least on a withdrawal side in a predetermined relative slidable range of the tubular members;
wherein the stopper portion includes a plurality of projections formed at a plurality of positions along a periphery of the inserting tubular member; and
the retaining portion of the receiving tubular member includes a plurality of detaching recesses, each said recess allowing passage of each of the projections axially relative to the detaching recess only when the receiving tubular member and the inserting tubular member are located in a predetermined phase relationship with each other.
Here, the term “phase” means a relative rotational relationship between the two tubular members about the tube axis.
According to the above-described construction proposed by the invention, for connecting the receiving tubular member and the inserting tubular member with each other, the two tubular members are first adjusted in the peripheral direction into a predetermined phase relationship (i.e. a predetermined connecting position) with each other so as to bring the projections and the detaching recesses into agreement. Under this condition, the tubular members are then moved axially closer or deeper to each other for allowing each recess to pass each projec
Totsugi Akihito
Yoneyama Hideki
Dunwoody Aaron M
Waterworks Technology Development Organization Co., Ltd.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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