Flexible connector

• US 5,340,165 A
• Filed: 06/21/1901
• Issued: 08/23/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Senior Engineering Investments B.V.
• Original Assignee: Senior Engineering Investments B.V.
• Inventors: Sheppard, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicholson, Eric K.
• Application Number:
  US07/720,223
• Time in Patent Office: 34,031 Days
• Field of Search: 285/226, 285/263, 285/227, 285/228, 285/299, 285/300
• US Class Current: 285/226
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1811 with means permitting relative movement, e.g. compensation of thermal expansion or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/111 the bellows being reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/12 allowing substantial longitudinal adjustment or movement by use of screw-thread F16L15/02

Abstract

A flexible connector for connecting adjacent ends of substantially successive pipes in an exhaust system. An input coupler and an output coupler have at least one articulated joint arranged between them. A flexible tubular bellows substantially surrounds at least part of the input and output couplers, as well as the at least one articulated joint. A flexible closure member substantially surrounds the bellows to protect it from external forces.

Claims

1. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said first and second pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes;

at least one articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means including mating portions;

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular bellows means substantially surrounding said at least one articulated joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said first and second successive pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in one or more of said at least one articulated joint means, so as to enable said one or more of said at least one articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersecting orientation,

said means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members including said mating portions of said at least one articulated joint means being resiliently fabricated so as to undergo elastic deformation during the application of stress transversely to said at least one articulated joint means,

said at least one articulated joint means being fabricated from tubular elements, each tubular element having a predetermined wall thickness, and the at least one articulated joint means having an overall diameter, such that the ratio of the overall diameter to the wall thickness of each said tubular element is at least 50 to 1.

2. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis, in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said first and second pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes;

two articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, at least one of said two articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, at least one of said two articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, at least one of said two articulated joint means including mating portions;

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said first and second successive pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other;

tubular liner means operably arranged between said two articulated joint means, inside of said tubular bellows means, said tubular liner means, said input and output coupler members and said tubular bellows means, defining an air gap region, providing thermal and audio insulation and protecting said tubular bellows means from excess heat from said exhaust gases,

said tubular liner means including a substantially cylindrical central portion, with a circumferentially disposed outwardly-projecting stiffening ridge arranged therearound; and

at least one pair of interengaging outwardly extending projections operably disposed in said central portion of said tubular liner means, and in said central portion of said tubular bellows means to preclude relative axial movement between said tubular liner means and said central portion of said tubular bellows means;

a first of said two articulated joint means being formed from opposed mating surfaces on the outside surface of a free end of the input coupler member and on an inner surface of a first end of said tubular liner means, a second of said two articulated joint means being formed from opposed mating surfaces formed on an outside surface of a second end of the tubular liner means, and on an inside surface of the output coupler member;

said mating surface of said input coupler member being formed as a convex, spherical outwardly-projecting surface, and said mating surface at said second end of said tubular liner means being formed as a convex spherical outwardly-projecting surface; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in at least one of said two articulated joint means, so as to enable said at least one of said two articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersection orientation.

3. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said first and second pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes;

at least one articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means including mating portions,

said at least one articulated joint means including two tubular elements having opposed mating surfaces, one tubular element disposed on a free end of the input coupler member, with the mating surface disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the other tubular element disposed on a free end of the output coupler member, with the other mating surface disposed on an inner surface thereof,

said tubular element of the input coupler member having a circular cross-sectional configuration, the tubular element of the output coupler member having a substantially polygonal cross-sectional configuration, and said mating surface of said tubular element of said input coupler member being formed as a spherical, outwardly-projecting surface;

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular bellows means substantially surrounding said at least one articulated joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said first and second successive pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other,

said at least one articulated joint means, said input coupler member and said output coupler member thereby forming a liner defining, at least in part, an air gap region between said liner and said tubular bellows means, providing thermal and audio insulation and protecting said tubular bellows means from excess heat form exhaust gases; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in one or more of said at least one articulated joint means, so as to enable said one or more of said at least one articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersection orientation.

4. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said first and second pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes;

at least one articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means including mating portions,

said at least one articulated joint means including two tubular elements having opposed mating surfaces, one tubular element disposed on a free end of the input coupler member, with the mating surface disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the other tubular element disposed on a free end of the output coupler member, with the other mating surface disposed on an inner surface thereof,

said tubular element of the input coupler member having a circular cross-sectional configuration, the tubular element of the input coupler member having a substantially elliptical cross-sectional configuration, said mating surface thereon having a convex, elliptical cross-sectional configuration and a convex, ellipsoidal, outwardly-projecting surface;

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular bellows means substantially surrounding said at least one articulated joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said first and second successive pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other,

said at least one articulated joint means, said input coupler means and said output coupler member thereby forming a liner defining, at least in part, an air gap region between said liner and said tubular bellows means, providing thermal and audio insulation and protecting said tubular bellows means from excess heat from exhaust gases; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in one or more of said at least one articulated joint means, so as to enable said one or more of said at least one articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersecting orientation.

5. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said first and second pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes, and having a convex, spherical, outwardly-projecting surface, having an annular slot arranged circumferentially therein;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes, and having a cylindrical inner surface;

at least one articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means including mating portion;

said at least one articulated joint means including two tubular elements having opposed mating surfaces, one tubular element disposed on a free end of the input coupler member, with the mating surface disposed on said outer surface thereof, and the other tubular element disposed on a free end of the output coupler member, with the other mating surface disposed on said inner surface thereof,

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular bellows means substantially surrounding said at least one articulated joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said first and second successive pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other.

said at least one articulated joint means, said input coupler member and said output coupler member thereby forming a liner defining, at least in part, an air gap region between said liner and said tubular bellows means, providing thermal and audio insulation and protecting said tubular bellows means from excess heat from exhaust gases;

a substantially porous, vibration-absorbing spacer member, formed as a flexible annular member, operably arranged between the mating surfaces of the input and output coupler members, to provide frictional resistance to relative axial and angular movement between the input and output coupler members, positioned within the inner surface of the output coupler member and substantially circumscribing the convex, spherical, outwardly-projecting surface of the input coupler member, said flexible annular member being arranged within said annular slot; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in one or more of said at least one articulated joint means, so as to enable said one or more of said at least one articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersecting orientation.

6. A flexible connector for sealably connecting adjacent ends of a first pipe having a first longitudinal axis in a substantially successive relationship with a second pipe having a second longitudinal axis in an exhaust system, in either a colinear, angled, offset-parallel or skewed successive orientation, to direct fluid flow from one of said pipes to the other of said first and second pipes, while precluding transmission of vibration between said pipes, said flexible connector comprising:

an input coupler member, connectable to one of said adjacent ends of said first of said successive pipes;

an output coupler member connectable to the other of said adjacent ends of said second of said successive pipes;

said input and output coupler members each being fabricated from concentrically disposed inner and outer layers of tubular material, wherein the inner and outer layers are free to undergo limited, frictionally resistive relative axial and lateral movement;

at least one articulated joint means arranged between said input coupler member and said output coupler member, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable substantially unrestricted angular movement of said input and output coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means being configured to enable a range of axial movement of the coupler members relative to each other, said at least one articulated joint means including mating portions;

said at least one articulated joint means including two tubular elements having opposed mating surfaces, one tubular element disposed on a free end of the input coupler member, with the mating surface disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the other tubular element disposed on a free end of the output coupler member, with the other mating surface disposed on an inner surface thereof;

flexible tubular bellows means, having two ends, with bellows portions arranged adjacent to at least said two ends, said tubular bellows means substantially surrounding said at least one articulated joint means, said ends of said tubular bellows means also substantially surrounding at least portions of said input and output coupler members, respectively, to maintain said successive first and second pipes in flexibly secured, sealed, joined relation to each other regardless of said successive orientation, to accommodate ranges of axial and angular movement of the input and output coupler members relative to each other;

said at least one articulated joint means, said input coupler member and said output coupler member thereby forming a liner defining, at least in part, an air gap region between said liner and said tubular bellows means, providing thermal and audio insulation and protecting said tubular bellows means from excess heat from exhaust gases; and

means for accommodating lateral offsetting of said input and output coupler members, operably arranged in one or more of said at least one articulated joint means, so as to enable said one or more of said at least one articulated joint means to accommodate angular and axial movement, and lateral offsetting, to, in turn, be capable of operably and successively connecting said first and second successive pipes when said first and second longitudinal axes are in a non-intersecting orientation.