Self-adjusting pipe clamp and coupling

• US 4,639,020 A
• Filed: 06/05/1986
• Issued: 01/27/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Victaulic Company of America
• Original Assignee: Victaulic Company of America
• Inventors: Ache, Lani G., Rung, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Cornelius J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicholson, Eric K.
• Application Number:
  US06/871,453
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 285/112, 285/367, 285/373, 285/114, 285/354, 285/420, 285/421, 285/419, 285/411, 24/279
• US Class Current: 285/367
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 17/04 with longitudinally split or divided sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 21/06 with a divided sleeve or ring clamping around the pipe-ends flanged joints F16L23/00; couplings of the quick-acting type F16L37/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/1441 Tangential screw

Abstract

A segmented coupling for use in sealing adjacent pipe ends includes coupling segments having bolting pads at their ends, the ends of the coupling segments including inclined end faces for cooperation with correspondingly inclined end faces of an adjacent coupling segment to produce self-adjustment of the coupling and rigid clamping of the pipe ends upon tightening down of the coupling.

Claims

1. A segmented pipe coupling comprised of at least two arcuate coupling segments to be assembled in end-to-end relationship and encircling the juxtaposed ends of pipes to be coupled, the coupling segments having means providing for the reception of a sealing gasket and having radially inward extending engagement means for clamping engagement with the ends of the respective said pipes, further including:

end faces at each end of the respective coupling segments for direct sliding engagement with a juxtaposed end face of an adjacent coupling segment;

said end faces extending perpendicular to the X-Y plane of the coupling, and extending at an oblique angle to the diametral X-Z plane of the coupling; and

,

traction means for urging said end faces towards each other to produce sliding of respective juxtaposed pairs of end faces relative to each other, in order to produce a reduction in the internal circumference of the coupling and cause said engagement means to clamp onto the exterior surface of said pipes to immobilize said pipes.

2. The coupling of claim 1, in which the respective pairs of end faces of each coupling segment diverge radially outwardly in opposite directions relative to the Y-Z plane of the coupling, whereby, tightening down of said traction means will produce a wedging action between the respective coupling segments and will cause one of said coupling segments to contract to a smaller internal diameter, while simultaneously causing expansion of the adjacent coupling segment to a larger internal diameter, in order to produce said reduction in the internal circumferential length of the coupling and permit clamping of said engagement means onto the exterior surface of said respective pipes.

3. The coupling of claim 1, in which the respective pairs of end faces of each coupling segment extend in the same direction relative to the Y-Z plane of the coupling, whereby, tightening down of said traction will cause lateral displacement of said coupling segments relative to each other in the X-Y plane, and will produce sliding of said juxtaposed end faces relative to each other in order to reduce the internal circumferential length of said coupling and permit clamping of said engagement means onto the exterior surface of said respective pipes.

4. The coupling of claim 1, in which said traction means comprise radially extending bolting pads formed on the respective ends of the respective coupling segments, and traction bolts extending through respective pairs of said bolting pads.

5. The coupling of claim 1, in which said traction means comprise abutment members at the respective ends of said coupling segments, and a yoke having a bridge and substantially parallel arms interconnected by a pin, said pin being engaged with one of said abutment members, the other of said abutment members being engaged by a bolt threadedly extending through a threaded core through said bridge.