Pipe joints or couplings – With fluid pressure seal – Flexible lip
Patent
1996-06-03
1998-06-30
Arola, Dave W.
Pipe joints or couplings
With fluid pressure seal
Flexible lip
285373, 285423, 285906, F16L 1704
Patent
active
057722579
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to pipe couplings for connecting together two pipes in a fluid-tight manner of the type comprising a tubular casing formed with a longitudinal gap, a sealing sleeve of resilient flexible material arranged within the casing, and tensioning means for reducing the width of the longitudinal gap. In use, the sealing sleeve is placed around the adjacent pipe ends and the tensioning means are tightened to clamp the sleeve against the outer surfaces of the pipe ends to form a fluid tight seal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In some applications pipe couplings have to be able to withstand enormous axial forces produced by the hydrostatic pressure within the pipeline. These forces may typically produce a load of the order of 15 tons. It is difficult to construct a coupling that can reliably withstand such forces.
In our patent application GB-A-2,249,366A we described a pipe coupling for connecting together two plain-ended pipes in a Fluid-tight manner comprising of a tubular casing, a tubular sealing sleeve, and tensioning means for tightening the casing about the sealing sleeve. At each end the sealing sleeve has a circumferential slot in its outer surface and a gripping ring with inwardly projecting gipping teeth is located in each slot. Tightening the tensioning means causes the sealing sleeve to be pressed into sealing engagement with the pipe ends and the gripping teeth of the gripping rings to penetrate the bottoms of the slots and to engage the outer surfaces of the pipe ends.
The gripping teeth bite into the surface of the pipe to provide an anchoring effect against the axial loads.
There are applications for pipe couplings where the coupling has to withstand high axial loads and where the pipes are made of relatively soft material such as plastics or glass fibres. Such materials may not be sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure of the gripping teeth and may be displaced under large axial load allowing the teeth to slip and thus provide unsatisfactory anchoring of the pipe to the coupling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects and purposes of the invention include overcoming the disadvantages of the above-discussed prior art.
The present invention in a first aspect provides a pipe coupling for connecting in a fluid-tight manner to the end of a pipe. The pipe has a radial abutment surface facing away from the pipe end on its outer surface. The coupling includes a tubular casing, a tubular sealing sleeve, tensioning means for tightening the casing about the sealing sleeve and a frustoconical gripping ring located within the tubular casing at the end of the sealing sleeve. The arrangement is such that, in use, tightening the tensioning means causes the sealing sleeve to be pressed into sealing engagement with the outer surface of the pipe ends. The tubular casing has a tubular web portion and a radially projecting flange at one end of the web portion, and the outer surface of the gripping ring makes contact with the angle or corner between the flange and web of the tubular casing. The inner surface of the gripping ring is plain and smooth and projects inwardly beyond the inner surface of the sealing sleeve when the casing is tightened around the sleeve whereby, in use, when the coupling is fitted around the pipe end, the inner surface of the sealing sleeve engages the outer surface of the pipe end and the inner surface of the gripping ring engages the abutment surface. When the pipe and coupling are placed under axial tension, the ring between the pipe and the coupling is placed under compression between the angle or corner in the tubular casing and the angle or corner at the bottom of the abutment surface.
The present invention in a second aspect provides an assembly of a pipe coupling connected in a fluid-tight manner to the end of a pipe. The pipe has a radial abutment surface facing away from the pipe end on its outer surface. The coupling comprises a tubular casing, a tubular sealing sleeve, tensioning means for tightening the casing about the
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Taylor Neil John Thornton
Taylor William
Webb Ian Richard
Arola Dave W.
Taylor Kerr ( Couplings) Limited
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