Patent ID: 7396053
Filing Date: 2008-07-08
Classification: F16L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A pipe coupling for connecting together the ends of two pipes, comprising: a tubular casing, having circumferentially extending end flanges projecting inwardly from axial ends of the casing; a tubular sealing sleeve inside the casing; tensioning means for tightening the casing around the sealing sleeve, said tensioning means comprising two sets of screw bolts and nuts, and frustoconical gripping rings located within the casing at opposite ends of the casing, the inner edges of the gripping rings being formed with teeth; the casing comprising a strip of metal formed into a tube with a gap extending longitudinally of the casing between the free ends of the strip, the tensioning means interconnecting the free ends of the strip, the arrangement being such that when the coupling is placed around the ends of two pipes to be connected and the tensioning means are tightened, the casing presses the sealing sleeve against the pipe ends to form seals and forces the teeth on the gripping ring to bite into the surface of the pipes to grip the pipes, wherein the free ends of the strip are bent outwardly to form radially projecting flanges extending longitudinally of the casing on opposite sides of the gap, the two radially projecting flanges being placed between two reinforcing members which extend substantially the length of the coupling, the tensioning means passing through two sets of aligned holes in the reinforcing members and the radially projecting flanges, the reinforcing members each having an angled cross-section, a web portion through which the holes for the tensioning means pass, and a reinforcing member flange extending along the longitudinal edge of the web portion that is nearer to the axis of the coupling, wherein each said web portion of each said reinforcing member is in surface-to-surface contact with a planar surface of a respective said radially projecting flange.