COUPLING FOR CONNECTING PIPE ENDS AND BRIDGING FOR USE IN A COUPLING

• US 20170002962A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower Nv (Atlas Copco AB)
• Original Assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower Nv (Atlas Copco AB)
• Inventors: CORNE, Jan Pieter Robert, MEUL, Bert Hendrik Hilda
• Granted Patent: US 10,184,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 19/075 specially adapted for spigot-and-socket joints for pipes of the same diameter
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 19/086 with additional sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 25/01 specially adapted for realising electrical conduction between the two pipe ends of the joint or between parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/091 by means of a ring provided with teeth or fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/005 Electrical coupling combined with fluidic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/643 for rigid cylindrical bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/646 for cables or flexible cylindrical bodies

Abstract

A coupling for connecting pipe ends, comprising a hollow body with an entrance for each pipe end provided with a radial seat for a pipe end and a coupling nut for clamping the pipe end, whereby an electrically conductive bridge is provided, which at the location of the seats is provided with a clamping element that is elastically deformable in the radial direction with respect to the respective seat, and is provided with a contact section, which in a rest situation is at a distance from the axis of the seat that is smaller than an outside radius of the pipe end for which the seat concerned is intended.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A coupling for connecting pipe ends comprising a hollow body with an entrance for each respective pipe end to be connected, whereby each aforementioned entrance is provided with a radial seat for an aforementioned pipe end with an outside radius, whereby a coupling nut is provided at each end of the body for clamping a pipe end concerned in the coupling, wherein the body is provided on the inside with a bridge, at least partially of electrically conductive material, with at least two ends that are provided with a clamping element at the location of a seat, which is elastically deformable in the radial direction with respect to the respective seat, and is provided with a contact section, which in a rest situation, i.e. in the absence of a pipe end, is at a distance from the axis of the seat that is smaller than the aforementioned outside radius of the pipe end for which the seat concerned is intended.

26. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein the contact section of at least one clamping element is provided with one or more teeth oriented inwards.

27. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein at least one entrance of the body of the coupling is provided with an axial end stop for the insertion of a pipe end.

28. The coupling according to claim 27, wherein the end stop is formed by a shoulder that is formed by a stepped narrowing of a wide section of the entrance with a radius that is greater than the radius of the pipe end for which the seat of the entrance concerned is intended, and a narrow section with a radius that is smaller than the radius of the pipe end.

29. The coupling according to claim 28, wherein the seat is provided in the wide section of the entrance and is formed by a series of radial ribs oriented inwards.

30. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein the bridge is formed by a clamping bracket that can be clamped or snapped into the body of the coupling.

31. The coupling according to claim 30, wherein the bridge is provided at at least two ends with a clamping section intended for clamping the bridge in the body of the coupling by snapping these clamping sections in place behind an aforementioned end stop of an entrance.

32. The coupling according to claim 31, wherein the bridge in the form of a clamping bracket comprises a slat-shaped connecting part between two aforementioned clamping sections that are formed by a perpendicular folded section at the ends of this slat-shaped connecting part.

33. The coupling according to claim 32, wherein a protrusion or a notch is provided on at least one end stop, and a notch or protrusion respectively engaging therewith is provided in at least one perpendicular folded clamping section of a bridge to be able to snap the bridge in place.

34. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein at least one clamping element of the bridge is formed by a U-shaped or V-shaped folded element whose arms are elastically compressible towards one another, and which is connected by one arm to a clamping section concerned in a position whereby the opening between the arms is oriented away from the opening of the entrance concerned.

35. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein the bridge is folded from one single slat.

36. The coupling according to claim 32, wherein the bridge is essentially composed of three parts, which are a connecting part that is formed by a slat and two separate heads that are each folded from one metal slat to form a clamping element and a clamping section connected therewith that is folded perpendicularly to form a lip with which such a head is fastened to an end of the connecting part.

37. The coupling according to claim 28, wherein in the mounted situation the clamping element rests on the inside wall of the wide section of an entrance.

38. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein locking means are provided to prevent the clamping elements turning around the axis of the respective entrances of the coupling.

39. The coupling according to claim 38, wherein the aforementioned means are formed by ribs or protrusions that are provided in a wide section of an entrance, and between which a clamping element concerned can be held with a close fit.

40. The coupling according to claim 25, wherein in the axial direction the slat-shaped connecting part of the bridge has the form of the inside wall of the body of the coupling and consequently has a straight, curved or elbow shape depending on whether the bridge is intended for a straight coupling, a curved or elbow coupling or a T-coupling.

41. A bridge for use in a coupling for connecting pipe ends, whereby this bridge is at least partially made of electrically conductive material for an electrical connection between the pipe ends, comprising one or more clamping elements that are connected together by means of a connecting part, whereby each clamping element is elastically compressible and is provided with a contact section that is intended to make contact with this pipe end due to the compression of this clamping element concerned upon assembly of a pipe end in an aforementioned coupling.

42. The bridge according to claim 41, wherein the contact section of at least one clamping element is provided with one or more teeth.

43. The bridge according to claim 41, wherein the bridge is constructed as a clamping bracket that is intended to be clamped or snapped into the coupling.

44. The bridge according to claim 43, wherein the connecting part that connects the clamping elements is constructed as a slat-shaped connecting part whose ends are folded perpendicularly to form clamping sections with which the bridge can be clamped or snapped into the coupling.

45. The bridge according to claim 44, wherein at least one perpendicular folded clamping section is provided with a notch or protrusion that can engage with a protrusion or notch respectively of the coupling in order to be able to snap the bridge into the coupling.

46. The bridge according to claim 45, wherein at least one clamping element of the bridge is formed by a U-shaped or V-shaped folded element whose arms are elastically compressible towards one another, and which is connected by one arm to a clamping section concerned in a position whereby the opening between the arms is oriented towards the connecting part.

47. The bridge according to claim 41, wherein the bridge is folded from one single slat.

48. The bridge according to claim 41, wherein the bridge is essentially composed of three parts, which are a connecting part that is formed by a slat and two separate heads that are each folded from one metal slat to form a clamping element and a clamping section connected thereto that is folded perpendicularly to form a lip with which such a head is fastened to an end of the connecting part.