System for conduit squeeze retainer

• US 10,550,979 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North American PIPE Corporation (TTWF LP)
• Original Assignee: North American PIPE Corporation (TTWF LP)
• Inventors: Clapper, Joshua E., Yashin, Dmitry, Dean, Roy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunwoody, Aaron M
• Application Number:
  US15/882,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20180216766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 285 93, 285305, 285307, 285308, 285309, 285321, 285403, 285902
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 2201/10 Indicators for correct coupling
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/088 by means of a split elastic ring
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0885 with access to the split elastic ring from a radial or tangential opening in the coupling

Abstract

A pipe system includes a tubular body with an axis, a bore that is axial and a retainer groove formed in the bore of the tubular body. A retainer is mounted in the retainer groove. An entirety of the retainer is both axially movable and radially movable relative to the retainer groove during formation of a pipe assembly with a pipe in the bore.

Claims

1. A pipe system, comprising:

a tubular body having an axis, a bore that is axial, a bore inner surface, and a retainer groove formed in the bore inner surface, wherein the retainer groove has a shallow portion with a shallow radius and a deep portion with a deep radius that is greater than the shallow radius;

a retainer configured to be received in the retainer groove, wherein the retainer comprises;

a radial thickness T₁ that is greater than a radial depth T₂ in the bore inner surface of the shallow portion of the retainer groove, and

a split ring with circumferentially overlapping ends; and

the radial thickness T₁ of the retainer is less than or equal to a radial depth T₃ in the bore inner surface of the deep portion of the retainer groove,

wherein the circumferentially overlapping ends are at least partly within the retainer groove.

2. The pipe system of claim 1, wherein the retainer is configured to be fully radially expanded into and seat completely within the deep radius of the retainer groove in the tubular body.

3. The pipe system of claim 1, wherein a radial size of the retainer is configured to radially expand relative to the axis when a pipe is axially inserted through the retainer in the tubular body.

4. The pipe system of claim 3, wherein a chamfer on the retainer or on the pipe is configured to translate axial motion of the pipe through the retainer into a radial motion of the retainer.

5. The pipe system of claim 3, wherein the tubular body is one of a coupling or an integrated bell on an axial end of the pipe.

6. A pipe system, comprising:

a tubular body having an axis, a bore that is axial, a bore inner surface, and a retainer groove formed in the bore inner surface; and

a retainer configured to be received in the retainer groove, and an entirety of the retainer is configured to be both axially movable and radially movable relative to the retainer groove during formation of a pipe assembly with a pipe in the bore,

wherein the retainer comprises a split ring with circumferentially overlapping ends that are at least partly within the retainer groove,

wherein the retainer groove has a shallow portion with a shallow radius and a deep portion with a deep radius that is greater than the shallow radius, and

wherein the retainer is axially movable from the shallow portion to the deep portion during formation of the pipe assembly.

7. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer is configured to automatically engage the pipe without manual intervention with the retainer when the pipe is inserted into the bore of the tubular body.

8. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the pipe assembly is configured to be reversible such that actuation of the retainer releases the pipe from the tubular body.

9. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the pipe assembly is configured to be repeatably reversible such that the tubular body, retainer, and pipe can repeatably form and un-form the pipe assembly.

10. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer comprises a radial inner surface having a chamfer on a corner thereof configured to face in an axial direction of the pipe.

11. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the split ring comprises a first diameter in a relaxed state, and a second diameter in a radially expanded state, and wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.

12. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein tubular body comprises visual indicia configured to indicate if the tubular body and the pipe are in tension.

13. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein, in response to tension being applied to the pipe assembly, the retainer is configured to engage in the retainer groove at a shallowest radial depth thereof.

14. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer is configured to:

radially expand when the pipe is inserted into the tubular body; and

move axially into the shallow portion of the retainer groove when the pipe assembly is put in tension.

15. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer comprises a nominal configuration, an expanded configuration, and an engaged configuration, and wherein:

in the nominal configuration the retainer comprises a nominal diameter relative to the axis prior to formation of the pipe assembly with the pipe;

in the expanded configuration the retainer comprises an expanded diameter relative to the axis during formation of the pipe assembly, and the expanded diameter is greater than the nominal diameter; and

in the engaged configuration the retainer comprises an engaged diameter after formation of the pipe assembly, and the nominal diameter <

the engaged diameter <

the expanded diameter.

16. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer consists of one retainer, configured to retain the pipe to the tubular body.

17. The pipe system of claim 6, wherein the retainer comprises radial extensions relative to the axis, and the radially extensions are configured to be manipulated to change a dimension of the retainer.

18. The pipe system of claim 17, wherein the radial extensions are configured to only slidingly engage each other and do not lock together, and the radial extensions are configured to extend through an aperture in a wall of the tubular body;

and

the aperture comprises recesses, the radial extensions are configured to have an unrestrained position in the aperture, the radial extensions are configured to have a restrained position in the recesses, and the radial extensions and the retainer are configured to be axially movable between the unrestrained and restrained positions.

19. The pipe system of claim 18, wherein, in the unrestrained position the radial extensions are configured to be circumferentially movable and the retainer is radially movable, and in the restrained position the radial extensions are configured to be not circumferentially movable and the retainer is not radially movable.

20. A pipe system, comprising:

a tubular body having an axis, an axial end, a bore that is axial, a bore inner surface, a retainer groove formed in the bore inner surface, and the retainer groove comprises a plurality of different radial depths relative to the axis;

a retainer comprising a split ring with circumferentially overlapping ends at least partly within the retainer groove, and configured to be;

received in the retainer groove, and

radially movable relative to the retainer groove from one of the plurality of different radial depths to another of the plurality of different radial depths; and

a pipe is configured to be mounted in the bore of the tubular body and retained by the retainer.

21. A pipe system, comprising:

a tubular body having an axis, an axial end, a bore that is axial, a bore inner surface, and a retainer groove formed in the bore inner surface;

a pipe configured to be mounted in the bore of the tubular body and having a pipe retainer groove in an exterior surface thereof, and the retainer groove of the tubular body has an axial length that is greater than an axial length of the pipe retainer groove; and

a retainer comprising a split ring with circumferentially overlapping ends at least partly within the retainer groove and configured to be mounted in the retainer groove and the pipe retainer groove for retaining the pipe in the tubular body,

wherein the retainer groove has a shallow portion with a shallow radius and a deep portion with a deep radius that is greater than the shallow radius, and

wherein the retainer has a radial thickness T₁ that is greater than a radial depth T₂ in the bore inner surface of the shallow portion, and

wherein the radial thickness T₁ of the retainer is less than or equal to a radial depth T₃ in the bore inner surface of the deep portion.