Heat-recoverable coupling assembly
First Claim
1. A coupling assembly, comprising:
- a connector body positioned inside a substrate outer wall such that mating areas of the substrate outer wall and the connector body are at least in part adjacent the substrate outer wall having an undeformed outside diameter; and
dimensionally-recoverable driver member made from a heat recoverable material having the property of plasticity, the driver member being capable of dimensional recovery from an unrecovered configuration in which an inside diameter thereof is greater than the undeformed outside diameter of the substrate outer wall to a recovered configuration in which the inside diameter is smaller than the undeformed outside diameter;
the driver member surrounding the substrate outer wall over at least a portion of the mating areas;
a hood for protecting the driver member from direct flame and for uniformly warming the driver member;
such that upon heating the driver member to its recovery temperature, the driver member (a) recovers toward its recovered configuration with sufficient force to deform the substrate outer wall and retains the substrate and the connector body together.
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Abstract
A heat recoverable coupling assembly for substrates having a relatively rigid outer wall, which includes a connector body and a driver member made from a band of heat recoverable material. The connector body includes a mating area for engaging a mating area on the rigid wall of the substrate. The connector body is positioned inside or outside the substrate and the driver member is positioned around the outside member. The driver member has an unrecovered transverse dimension larger than the outside member and a recovered transverse dimension smaller than the outside member. The driver member is positioned around the outside member over at least part of the mating areas. Upon heating the driver member to its recovery temperature, the driver member deforms the outside member and itself plastically deforms to a shape suitable for retaining the substrate and the connector body together. The driver member is made from heat recoverable engineering plastics.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A coupling assembly, comprising:
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a connector body positioned inside a substrate outer wall such that mating areas of the substrate outer wall and the connector body are at least in part adjacent the substrate outer wall having an undeformed outside diameter; and dimensionally-recoverable driver member made from a heat recoverable material having the property of plasticity, the driver member being capable of dimensional recovery from an unrecovered configuration in which an inside diameter thereof is greater than the undeformed outside diameter of the substrate outer wall to a recovered configuration in which the inside diameter is smaller than the undeformed outside diameter; the driver member surrounding the substrate outer wall over at least a portion of the mating areas; a hood for protecting the driver member from direct flame and for uniformly warming the driver member; such that upon heating the driver member to its recovery temperature, the driver member (a) recovers toward its recovered configuration with sufficient force to deform the substrate outer wall and retains the substrate and the connector body together. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification