Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Shaping one-piece blank by removing material
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-12
2001-02-20
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Shaping one-piece blank by removing material
C029S890140, C029S890144, C072S267000, C285S256000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189199
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a hose coupling, an intermediate blank material for making the same and a hose assembly using the same, and more particularly to, a hose coupling, an intermediate blank material for making the same and a hose assembly using the same, which is suitable for an industrial hose, such as a brake hose.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A hose coupling or hose mouthpiece, such as used in automotive hydraulic brake lines have been used by considering its features of detachability, reliability and leakproof. A conventional hose coupling comprises a tubular nipple portion having an axial bore, a tubular sleeve portion axially extending over the nipple portion, and a head portion, to one end of which one ends of the nipple portion and the sleeve portion are joined such that the axial bore is provided therethrough. In general the head portion is internally provided with a female thread by which the hose coupling is connected to a nozzle member. These kinds of hose coupling or hose mouthpiece have been produced according to a variety of methods, such as (a) cutting each portion of the hose coupling from a blank material, (b) producing a nipple portion, a sleeve portion and a body portion including a head portion separately and securing the separate parts together by brazing, (c) securing a body portion including a head portion and a separate sleeve portion together by caulking.
According to the first method, however, there are disadvantages in that it is not suitable for mass production because cutting generates a large quantity of chips and its relatively slow operation speed results in high cost. In addition to that, it causes lack of stability in finished dimensions.
The second method of brazing has an advantage in mass production.
FIG. 1
shows an example of a conventional hose coupling produced by this method. The hose coupling
10
comprises an inner tube
11
and an outer tube
12
separately. The outer tube
12
includes a head portion
13
, a sleeve portion
14
extending from one end of the head portion
13
, a female thread
15
internally provided on the side wall of a bore
22
produced on another end of the head portion
13
, an annular groove
16
and a flange portion
17
in its periphery. The inner tube
11
comprises a conical seal portion
18
, a nipple portion
19
, and a flange portion
23
such that an axial bore
20
is provided therethrough, as shown in FIG.
2
A. The inner tube
11
is formed by plastic deformation using a former, while the outer tube
12
is usually produced from a round rod or pipe by cutting. The inner tube
11
is inserted into an inner bore
24
of the outer tube
12
(see
FIG. 2B
) such that the flange portion
23
fits to the inner bore
24
, and secured to the outer tube
12
by brazing using copper solder, etc. The sleeve portion
14
and the nipple portion
19
produce a cylindrical receiving pocket
21
in which an end of a hose member is inserted and secured by crimping.
FIG. 3
also shows a similar conventional hose coupling, wherein like parts are indicated by like reference numerals as used in FIG.
1
. In this case, a step-like annular groove
36
is provided in the periphery of a head portion
13
.
Since brazing is done at higher temperature than a melting point of a solder, it is done at 1,100~1,150° C. for copper solder, for example.
According to the second method, however, there are disadvantages set out below.
(1) cutting is necessary to form the nipple portion
11
. It generates chips as wastes and the yield of production is not so good.
(2) the nipple portion
19
is so small in its diameter and so long that it takes longer time to produce the axial bore
20
. The bore may be oblique, which results in a deterioration of crimping conditions.
(3) at least inner tube
11
and outer tube
12
must be produced separately. The flange portion
23
and the inner bore need to be made in precise dimensions to be fit to each other securely and brazed. It requires more stages for manufacturing and quality management and is not cost-effective.
(4) the heat of brazing anneals the nipple portion
19
and makes it softer. As a result, the nipple portion
19
is easy to collapse when the sleeve portion
14
is crimped together with the hose member.
(5) fluid leak may happen due to an incomplete seal or inappropriate brazing of a joint, such as skipping the stage and falling off of a solder.
(6) the nipple portion
19
may be eccentrically fitted into the inner bore
24
, which results in difficulty in inserting an end of a hose member.
According to the third method, securing a body portion and sleeve portion together by caulking, it has been considered that it has advantages of less stages of manufacture, less possibility of nipple collapse and low cost. However, there is disadvantage in that it is more likely that leak of fluid from a joint than in the brazing method, and it does not seem to be practically implemented.
On the other hand, besides the conventional hose couplings having a female thread shown in
FIGS. 1 and 3
, other types of hose coupling are known.
FIG. 4
shows a conventional hose coupling having a male thread
40
, which also comprises an inner tube
41
as a nipple portion, and an outer tube
42
, separately. The outer tube
42
includes a head portion
43
, a sleeve portion
44
extending from one end of the head portion
43
, a male thread
45
externally provided in the periphery of the head portion
43
, a flange portion
47
in its periphery. One end of the inner tube or nipple portion
41
is inserted into a bore
46
such that an axial bore
20
is provided therethrough.
FIG. 5
shows a conventional hose coupling having an eye ring
53
a
, which comprises a inner tube or nipple portion
59
, a sleeve portion
54
, and a head portion
53
. The head portion
53
includes an eye ring
53
a
which provides an eye opening
53
b
, and a neck portion
53
c
to join the eye ring
53
a
to the sleeve portion
54
. One end of the nipple portion
59
is inserted into a hollow portion of the neck portion
53
c
and joined thereto.
FIG. 6
shows a conventional hose which comprises a nipple portion
69
, a sleeve portion
64
and a flat head portion
63
having a rectangular shape cross-section. The flat head portion
63
is provided with an opening
67
and a female thread
65
at one end of an axial bore
66
, which is bent in L shape inside the flat head portion
63
. The nipple portion
69
and the sleeve portion
64
are co-axially attached to a surface on which an opening of another end of the bore
66
is located.
Regardless these variations of head portions, the sleeve portion and nipple portion need to have a different hardness. If sleeve portion is harder than a certain hardness, it may crack due to a crimping work. On the contrary, if the nipple portion is not harder than a certain hardness, it may collapse due to the crimping work, resulting in the possibility of seal deterioration, or deviation of inner diameter of a hose member. According to the conventional hose couplings, the inner tube or nipple portion is made of relatively harder material like chromium-molybdenum steel, while the outer tube or sleeve portion
91
is made of steel. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that mechanical strength of a female or male thread is insufficient to ensure leakproof of joint between the hose coupling and a nozzle member. Because the female or male thread is internally or externally formed in or on a head portion by like machining, which is made of the same material as the outer tube or sleeve portion, the female or male thread may be not hard enough to avoid breakage or to transfer sufficient stress to a seal portion of the hose coupling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hose coupling, an intermediate blank material for making the same, and hose assembly using the same which may be manufactured at lower cost more and suitable for mass production.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hose coupling and hose asse
Aoyagi Katsuhiro
Hagiwara Hideki
Hirose Kenji
Kanamaru Hisanobu
Maeno Tokuju
Hitachi Cable Ltd.
Hughes S. Thomas
McDermott & Will & Emery
Omgba Essama
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