Pipe joints or couplings – Particular interface – Tapered
Reissue Patent
1999-03-03
2001-06-26
Luu, Teri Pham (Department: 3627)
Pipe joints or couplings
Particular interface
Tapered
C285S382400, C285S906000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037246
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tube and fitting assemblies have been constructed in many variations. Some have been for hose couplings where a main problem is the high ductility and flexibility of the hose, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,447,900. Many have been a multi-part assembly such as a threaded nut and fitting to secure a tube to a fitting and to seal the tube to the fitting and then separately some other second member must be sealed to the fitting. This type is embodied in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,463,883; 2,545,168. U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,946 relies on three separate operations to expand and contract a tube. U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,090 uses two separate mandrels to expand a tube for sealing with a gasket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,298 utilizes longitudinal compression of a tube to seal against a fitting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,280 utilizes an expanding tool to expand an end of a conduit inside a fitting having a sharp shoulder to bite into the conduit, and another conduit threads into the fitting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,301 teaches how to expand a tube into a header with a sealant therebetween. U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,761 utilizes an expander
30
to expand a tube into sealing engagement with a fitting
14
which then must have a seal at
16
with a mating part. U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,661 teaches a longitudinal compression of a pipe
6
into a fitting tube, and a threaded nut on the fitting holds a second pipe with a seal at a gasket
14
. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,945 has a fitting with a recess and teaches a four-part fitting with a mandrel expanding the tube inside a first fitting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Many of the prior art structures have the defect of having several different places at which a fitting and tube assembly may leak. Consequently, each of these places must make a seal before the fitting and tube assembly is fluid-tight. The present invention avoids this defect by utilizing a tube and fitting assembly which comprises a fitting having first and second ends and an internal bore extending through the fitting from end-to-end, a tube closely engaging the bore and extending through the bore from end to end and being longitudinally compressed to be radially expanded into tight engagement with the bore of the fitting and with a shoulder in the fitting bore, an internal thread in one of the tube and fitting, and a second member threaded into the threads and sealed against the tube.
The present invention is also directed to a method of making a tube and fitting assembly which comprises the steps of providing a fitting having first and second ends, establishing an internal bore extending through the fitting from end-to-end, relatively moving a tube into said internal bore, longitudinally compressing the tube to radially expand it into engagement with the wall of said internal bore, threading internally one of said tube and fitting, and the threads adapted to receive a second member until sealed against the tube wherefore there is no need for a fluid-tight seal between the tube and fitting.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a method of making a tube and fitting assembly wherein the tube is longitudinally compressed to be radially expanded and then a second member engages internal threads in the tube or in the fitting to seal against the tube rather than seal against the fitting.
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
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