Tube coupling

• US 3,907,335 A
• Filed: 06/03/1974
• Issued: 09/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Parker Intangibles LLC (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Donald G. Burge, Norris J. Mcphillips
• Inventors: Burge, Donald G., McPhillips, Norris J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Callaghan, Thomas F.
• Application Number:
  US05/475,507
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 285/249,248,250,259,258,257,256,245,242,244,23,321,174,382.7,246,247,254,255
• US Class Current: 285/23
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 33/224 a clamping ring being arranged between the threaded member and the connecting member

Abstract

A coupling for elastomeric tube wherein a body and nut having screw-threaded engagement with each other are operative to radially contract a tube embracing sleeve into gripping engagement with the tube while the tube is supported by a nipple therewithin, said coupling being characterized in that the tube supporting nipple is axially retained in the body during shipment, storage, and handling and is radially movable to coaxial position with respect to the tube receiving bores of said body, and sleeve, and nut or to compensate for eccentricity between the outside and inside diameters of the tube. The coupling herein is further characterized in that, after the sleeve has been contracted to grip the tube against the nipple, subsequent unscrewing of the nut and axial withdrawal of the tube will axially withdraw therewith the contracted sleeve and the nipple.

Claims

1. A tube coupling comprising a body and nipple assembly including a body having a tube receiving bore which at its axially inner end has a radially inwardly extending shoulder, a tube supporting nipple radially spaced within said body bore and extending axially outwardly therebeyond and having a radially outwardly extending flange at its axially inner end which has radial clearance with said body bore, and a retaining ring having an interference fit in said body bore and axially positioned in said body bore to frictionally grip said flange between said shoulder and the axially inner end of said ring to axially retain said nipple in said body in coaxial relation to said body bore during shipment, handling, and storage of said assembly, said ring having an inside diameter which provides a radial clearance around said nipple adjacent to said flange;

a sleeve having a tube receiving bore of substantially the same diameter as said body bore which surrounds the portion of said nipple which extends axially outwardly beyond said body bore;

a nut having threaded engagement with said body and having a radially inwardly extending annular surface which is engageable with the axially outer end portion of said sleeve;

a deformable tube having its end portion inserted through said nut and sleeve into the annular space between said sleeve and body bores and said nipple with its axially inner end in abutting engagement with the axially outer end of said retaining ring;

said nipple being radially movable in said body by radial sliding of said flange between said shoulder and said retaining ring to accommodate eccentricity between the outside and inside diameters of said tube;

one of said body and nut and said sleeve having cooperating cam surfaces effective, upon screwing together of said body and nut, to radially contract an end portion of said sleeve to grip said tube against the portion of said tube supporting nipple which is within the contracted portion of said sleeve;

said tube, nipple, retaining ring, and contracted sleeve being axially withdrawable as a unit from said body bore upon unscrewing of said nut from said body.

2. The tube coupling of claim 1 wherein the interference fit between said retaining ring and said body bore is such as to stress said ring beyond its proportional elastic limit thus to facilitate re-insertion of said nipple, ring, sleeve, and tube as a unit into said body bore.

3. The tube coupling of claim 1 wherein said body and the axially inner end portion of said sleeve have said cooperating cam surfaces effective to radially contract said axially inner end portion of said sleeve to grip said tube as aforesaid against the nipple portion therewithin as said sleeve is axially moved toward said body by engagement with said nut thus to axially crowd said tube against said ring and to deform the tube material against said body bore and said nipple in a region axially inward Of the axially inner end of said sleeve.

4. The tube coupling of claim 1 wherein the other of said body and nut and said sleeve have cooperating cam surfaces effective upon screwing together of said body and nut to radially contract the other end portion of said sleeve to grip said tube against the portion of said nipple which is within said other end portion of said sleeve.

5. The tube coupling of claim 4 wherein said sleeve has a peripheral rib between its ends engaged by a shoulder in said nut following radial contraction of the axially outer end portion of said sleeve effective to positively advance said sleeve axially toward said body to effect further radial contraction of the axially inner end portion of said sleeve and to axially crowd said tube against said ring and to deform the tube material against said body bore and said nipple in a region axially inward of the axially inner end of said sleeve.

6. The tube coupling of claim 1 wherein said ring has a beveled radially outer corner to facilitate initial entry thereof into said body bore;

and wherein said nipple and ring are metallic, the nipple being harder than said ring whereby said beveled corner reduces the possibility of the peripheral portion of said ring being deformed into the radial clearance between said flange and said body bore by application of extreme axial pressure on said ring when engaged with said flange.

7. A tube coupling body and nipple assembly comprising a body having at one end a tube receiving bore which has a radially inwardly extending shoulder at the axially inner end of said bore and an outwardly flaring cam surface at the axially outer end of said bore;

a nipple extending axially outwardly through said bore in radially spaced relation thereto and having a radially outwardly extending flange at its axially inner end adjacent to said shoulder; and

a retaining ring having an interference fit in said bore and axially positioned in said bore to frictionally grip said flange between said shoulder and the axially inner end of said ring thus to axially retain said nipple in said body in coaxial relation to said body bore;

said flange having radial clearance with said bore to permit coaxial positioning of said nipple in the event of slight eccentricity of the periphery of said flange with respect to said nipple; and

said nipple having radial clearance with the inside diameter of said ring to permit in conjunction with the first mentioned clearance, radial movement of said nipple in said body by forceful radial sliding of said flange between said shoulder and said inner end of said ring.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said ring has a beveled radially outer corner to facilitate initial axial insertion of said ring into said body bore to a position engaging said flange;

and wherein said nipple and ring are metallic, the nipple being harder than said ring whereby said beveled corner reduces the possibility of the peripheral portion of said ring being deformed into the radial clearance between said flange and said body bore by application of extreme axial pressure on said ring when engaged with said flange.

9. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said ring has an initial inside diameter larger than the diameter of said nipple by an amount sufficient to provide said radial clearance therebetween in the radially contracted condition of said ring due to the interference fit and to the axial compression of said ring into frictional engagement with said flange.

10. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the interference fit between said retaining ring and said body bore is such as to stress said ring beyond its proportional elastic limit to facilitate re-insertion of said nipple and ring following axial withdrawal of said nipple and ring from said body bore.