HINGED PIPE COUPLING

Abstract: A circular pipe coupling (10) for coupling aligned pipe ends (11, 12) is formed of arcuate segments (15, 16) arranged end to end. Each segment (15, 16) has outwardly extended lugs (25, 26, 31, 33) formed on its opposite ends, with the lugs on the adjacent segment ends being interconnected. One of each pair of interconnected lugs (31, 33) is formed with an integral hook (32), with a corresponding opening (34) for receiving the hook (32) formed on the opposite lug (31) and providing an axle (35) upon which the hook (32) is engaged to form a hinge connection, except that one of the pairs of lugs (25, 26) is connected together by a manually releasable mechanical fastener (28, 29), such as a bolt. One of the segments may be manually positioned upon the adjacent pipe ends (11, 12) to be coupled, with one or more segments freely dangling downwardly therefrom under the force of gravity, which sections may be manually pivoted upwardly for encircling the pipes (11, 12) and for applying the releasable mechanical fastener (28,29).

Description: This invention relates to an improved pipe coupling of the type which is formed of arcuate segments that provide a circular housing which encircle and connect pipes together. A typical coupling, of the type involved, is formed of a pair of semi-circular segments which have radially outwardly extending lugs formed on their opposite ends. The lugs of one segment overlap and are aligned with the lugs of the adjacent segment. The pairs of overlapped lugs are fastened together with bolts and nuts or the like mechanical fasteners. The housing formed by the alignment segments is typically U-shaped in cross-section to form a radially inwardly opening, continuous channel. Usually, a rubber-like gasket is inserted within the channel. The gasket encircles and seals against the adjacent edges of the two pipe ends to be connected. The legs of the housing channel may be directly engaged against the pipe surfaces or within grooves formed in the pipe surfaces for fastening the coupling to the pipes. These couplings are produced by metal casting techniques in various sizes for coupling together different size pipes. Because the couplings are relatively heavy, they are awkward for a plumber to manipulate and to hold in position while coupling pipes together on a job site. An example of such a coupling is shown in US-A-4 561 678. Consequently, there have been numerous designs and variations of this type of coupling which have been made with a view towards simplifying the application of the coupling and to more effectively provide a sealed junction or coupling. Nevertheless, there has been a need for couplings which can be more easily positioned and held in place by the plumber and, particularly, which permit the plumber to free one hand while holding a coupling and its parts in position upon the pipe ends. Thus, the invention herein relates to such an improved coupling which makes it possible for the plumber to position the coupling and hold it in place with one hand while utilising the other hand for use in manipulating the pipe ends and the coupling. CH-A-390 637 discloses a pipe coupling in accordance with the prior art portion of claim 1. This prior construction uses a wedging action for drawing two pipes rigidly together compressing a gasket trapped between the facing edges of the pipes with a substantial extent being given to the hook whereby substantial movement is required to position one segment so that it can be disconnected from the other, making it more cumbersome to handle than the coupling of the present invention, as defined in claim 1, where a small degree of movement from its vertical hanging position is required to disconnect the lower segment from the upper segment. This also facilitates assembly of the coupling of the present invention in that the plumber can hold one segment in location about the pipe ends with the gasket also held in position and can then readily attach the or a succession of segments, one below the other to dangle from the first segment, before using that same free hand to swing it round into position for connection with the free end of the first segment by the mechanical coupling. This invention contemplates a coupling formed of a number of arcuate segments, such as two, three or four segments, which are hingedly connected together, with the exception that adjacent ends of the first and last of the pairs of segments are fastened together with a manually applied mechanical fastener, such as a bolt. Thus, a plumber may position, and hold, a first segment upon a pair of adjacent pipe ends, while permitting the remaining segments to freely dangle beneath the positioned segment ready for application. Thus, one of his hands is free for use in completing the coupling work, such as positioning the necessary sealing gasket or the like. Then, when he is ready the plumber may use his free hand to pivot the dangling segments into their positions around the pipe and to complete the coupling by inserting the bold through the aligned ends of the first and last segments. Integral, outwardly extending, lugs are formed on the opposite ends of each of the segments. With the exception of the first and last overlapping lugs, the adjacent overlapping pairs of lugs are interconnected by a curved hook formed on one lug and an opening, which provides a hook receiving axle, formed on the other lug. Where more than two segments are used, the segments form a chain of segments joined together by hook and axle connections, so that the first segment may be manually held on a pipe end while the remaining segments dangle beneath. Each hook and the opening through which each hook extends over the hook axle portion is formed so that the hook is slightly over center, relative to a vertical plane through the axle. Consequently, when its segment is freely dangled under the influence of gravity, the segment is suspended by the hook and axle. However, further pivoting of its segment, to further separate the segments, causes the hook to rotate off its supporting axle so that the hook slides endwise through its opening for completely separating the segments. One object of this invention is to provide a multi-segment coupling which may be used for coupling large pipes of substantial diameter. For example, the coupling may be formed of four segments, which are hingedly interconnected together so that the plumber may position and hold one segment upon the pipes to be coupled and the remaining segments may simply be hung beneath that one segment in position and ready to be pivoted into coupling connection when the plumber is ready. This simplifies the positioning of the coupling and permits the plumber to have one hand free while utilizing the other hand to hold the coupling in place during the coupling manipulation. Another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive coupling construction which may be formed of cast iron or the like segments which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and which reduce the labor required for installation of the coupling upon the ends of the pipes to be coupled. These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an assembled coupling. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling, taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 of Fig. 1, and shows the coupling mounted upon and connecting together the adjacent ends of a pair of pipes. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling in assembled position. Fig. 4 is a side view of the coupling taken in the direction of arrows 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a a view of the opposite side of the coupling taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling showing the segments pivoted apart. Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the upper segment taken in the direction of arrows 7-7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a top view, taken in the direction of arrows 8-8 of Fig. 3, of the lower segment. Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, showing the hinge, hook and axle, construction. Fig. 10 shows a modified coupling formed of four interconnected segments, with the segments pivoted into open position. Fig. 11 is an assembled view of the four-segment coupling of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 illustrates a second modification of the coupling, and Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling of Fig.12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Fig. 2 illustrates the coupling 10 connecting the adjacent ends of a pair of pipes 11 and 12. These pipes are provided with annular grooves 13 for engaging the coupling. The coupling is formed of an upper, arcuate segment 15 and a lower, arcuate segment 16 which are aligned to form the complete circular coupling housing. These segments are U-shaped in cross-section so as to provide a continuous, annular groove 17 within the housing formed by the aligned segments. The opposite sides or legs 18 which define the continuous grooves 17 are narrowed at their free edges to form annular engagement edges or keys 19 which fit into the surface grooves 13 which they respectively overlap. In order to seal the joint between the two adjacent pipe ends, a rubber-like gasket 20, which may be U-shaped as illustrated in cross-section in Fig. 2, is inserted within the groove 17 for surrounding the pipe junction and for engaging the ends of the pipes. Thus, the pressure of the fluid passing through the pipes causes tighter sealing of the gasket against the pipes due to the shape of the gasket. This gasket construction is conventional and is described here by way of background. Each of the segments have radially outwardly extending lugs which are overlapped to form pairs of lugs that are fastened together in order to align and secure the segments to each other. Thus, the upper segment 15 is provided with an outwardly extending lug 25, which may be formed hollow. The opposite, lower segment is provided with a lug 26 which is a mirror image of the lug 25. Thus, the two lugs are overlapped and are engaged together for fastening. For that purpose, each of the lugs are provided with aligned, elongated slot-like, openings 27 (see Figs. 7 and 8), which receive a bolt 28. The bolt is secured in place by a suitable nut 29 for fixing the lugs 25 and 26 together. The lower segment 16 has a radially outwardly extending lug 31 formed on its opposite end. This lug is extended to provide a curved hook 32 which is substantially an arc of a circle. The lug 33 extending radially outwardly from the upper segment is provided with an elongated, narrow, hook receiving opening 34 (see Fig. 7). The portion of the lug 33 which is outwardly of the opening 34, that is, which defines the outer edge of the opening 34, forms an axle 35. Preferably, the axle is rounded, at least along the portions engaged by the curved hook 32. The hook is of a rectangular cross-section, which is uniform, so as to substantially fill the opening 34. In addition, the hook is of a sufficient length (see Fig. 9) so that when the lower segment is allowed to freely dangle downwardly under the influence of gravity, while the upper segment is held in a horizontal position around a pipe (as illustrated in Fig. 6), the hook end will still be slightly over center of the vertical center line of the axle 35. This is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 9 where the end of the hook is marked with the numeral 36. In operation, the plumber arranges the upper segment 15, generally horizontally, over the adjacent ends of the pipes, while allowing the lower segment to gravity hang beneath, suspended by the hook and axle. After he aligns the gasket, applies any sealing compounds or the like, and is ready to close the coupling, the plumber may swing the lower segment upwardly and apply the bolt 28. The bolt may be left in place through the lug 25 on the upper segment 15 so that it may be easily slipped into the opening 27 in the lower lug 26 and the nut may be manually applied to hold the lower segment in place. Then, the nut can be tightened with a suitable wrench. Consequently, the plumber may use one hand to hold the coupling in place while the other hand is free to take care of the necessary manipulations and preparations to complete the coupling. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate a modified form of the coupling 40 which is made of a number of arcuate segments arranged end to end to form the circular coupling housing. Three, four or more segments may be utilized depending upon the size of the pipes to be coupled. This construction permits coupling the ends of very large pipes by using enough segments to make the coupling handleable by a plumber. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate the use of a lead segment 41 which is substantially identical to the previously mentioned upper segment 15 with respect to the opposite lugs, except that the lugs span a 90 degree arc. A final segment 42 is substantially identical to the lower segment 16, except for spanning a 90 degree arc. Intermediate segments 43 are substantially identical to the previously described segments, with the exception that they each have a hook on one end and a hook receiving opening on their opposite end, similar in construction so that previously described. Consequently, the intermediate segments, along with the final segment, may gravity hang or dangle beneath the lead segment which may be held in place upon the pipes manually by one hand. The segments form a chain hanging beneath the lead segment. When the plumber is ready to close the coupling, such as after arranging the gasket in place properly and utilizing any desired sealing compounds, he can grasp the final segment in one hand and pull that segment up and around, as illustrated by the arrow in Fig. 10, until its end lug aligns with the end lug of the lead segment. At that time these two lugs can be bolted together in the manner described above. Figs. 12 and 13 show another modified form of coupling 49 formed with an upper segment 50 and a lower segment 51. These segments are substantially the same as the upper segment 15 and lower segment 16. However, the pairs of lugs are somewhat modified. That is, the hook-lug 52 of the lower segment 51 is somewhat more streamlined or narrowed to reduce the amount of metal required. Its hook 53 extends through the opening 54 in the upper lug 55. The opposite pair of lugs, that is, the upper lug 56 and the lower lug 57, are U-shaped in cross-section. Thus, the upper lug 56 has a horizontal base 58 and a pair of spaced apart side legs 59 which are notched at their edges to form alignment notches 60. A radially opening slot 61 is formed in the base 58 so that the slot opens radially sideways of the coupling as well as upwardly and downwardly. The radial slot 61 receives the bolt sideways as well as endwise as will be further described. The base 62 of the lower lug has integral, parallel, spaced apart legs 63, each of which has upwardly extending projections or teeth which closely fit into the respective edge notches 60 of the upper lug legs. In operation, the upper segment 50 is positioned upon the aligned pipe ends with the lower segment gravity hanging beneath it. A bolt 65, having a nut 66 loosely held within the opening 67 of the lower lug is used to fasten the two lugs together. Thus, when the plumber is ready, he swings the lower segment into alignment with the upper segment, for surrounding the pipes, and manually pushes the bolt sideways as indicated by the dotted arrow 68, until the bolt fits into the radial slot 61. Then, the plumber may tighten the nut manually until the parts are held together, at which point he can release his grasp of the coupling segments and tighten the nut with a wrench for completing the coupling assembly.

Claims: A pipe coupling for coupling together the adjacent ends of a pair of axially aligned pipes (11,12), comprising: a substantially circular casing formed of arcuate segments (15,16) which are aligned end to end along the arc of a circle and which are connected together, with the segments similarly U-shaped in cross-section so as to provide a continuous, inwardly opening, annular channel (17) within the casing, and with the casing channel being generally defined by an annular base and a pair of spaced apart, annular, radially inwardly directed legs (18) whose free, annular inner edges (19) encircle and enclose the adjacent end portions of the aligned pipes; an annular, resilient gasket (20) for sealing against the adjacent end portions of the aligned pipes (11,12) for sealing the coupling joint of the pipes; each segment (15,16) having radially outwardly extending lugs (31,26;33,25) formed on each of its opposite ends, with the lugs (31,26) of each segment (16) arranged to overlap the adjacent lug (33,25) of its adjacent aligned segment (15); hinge-like means (32) for interconnecting at least one pair of the overlapped lugs (31,33) of each pair of adjacent, aligned segments; said hinge-like means comprising a hook (32) formed on one (31) of the lugs and an elongated, narrow, opening (34) formed in the other (33) of the pair of overlapped lugs for receiving the hook (32), with the opening (34) being elongated in a direction parallel to the casing axis; and with the portion (35) of the free end of the lug defining one elongated edge of the opening (34) forming an elongated axle which is axially parallel to the axis of the coupling; said hook (32) being elongated in width closely to fit within the axially directed width of the opening (74), so that the hook (32) fits over the axle (35) and extends around the axle, and the hook may be pivoted around the axle; the segment (16) upon whose lug (31) the hook (32) is formed being pivotally movable downwardly and, therefore, supported by the hook and axle connection while dangling downwardly under the influence of gravity, so that one segment (15) may be manually placed in position around a pipe end portion while its adjacent segment (16) may dangle downwardly therefrom for subsequent manual pivoting around the pipes; and a manually releasable mechanical fastener (28,29) for interconnecting and locking together at least one pair of adjacent overlapped lugs (25,26) when the segments (15,16) are circularly aligned with each other for encircling the adjacent coupled pipe ends, characterised in that the gasket (20) is positionable within the casing channel (18) for encircling and sealing against the outer peripheries of the aligned pipe ends ,in that the hook (32) is of a cross-sectional size to substantially fit within the opening (34), and in that the hook (32) has its hook curved portion of a length to slightly extend (at 36) beyond the vertical axis through the corresponding axle when the axle is arranged generally horizontally and the segment (16) upon which the hook (32) is formed dangles downwardly under the force of gravity, but with the length extending beyond the vertical axis being sufficiently short so that a further relatively small amount of manual pivoting of the segment will permit the hook (32) to slide through the opening (34) and clear of the axle so that the hook may be disengaged from the axle for separating the segments (15,16) and conversely, the hook may be readily re-engaged with the axle by inserting the hook endwise within its opening and relatively pivoting the segments until the hook extends slightly over the axle. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook (32) is of a uniform, rectangular cross-section along its curved length. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said mechanical fastener comprises a bolt-type fastener (28) extending through aligned openings (27) in the aligned lugs (25,26) for manually releasable interconnection thereof. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 3, wherein an integral projection (63) is formed on one of the mechanically fastened lugs and a corresponding notch or socket (60) is formed on the other (56) of the mechanically fastened lugs for interengagement of the projection and slot for alignment of the lugs when fastened together. A pipe coupling as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of the aligned openings in the mechanically fastened lugs along opens (at 61) transversely of its respective segment so that the fastener may be manually moved in a generally radial direction, relative to the coupling, for insertion within said opening. A pipe coupling as claimed in any preceding claims, wherein at least three segments (41,43) are provided, each of the pairs of overlapping lugs (45,44) of each adjacent pair of segments being connected together by substantially identical hook and axle interconnections, except for one pair of overlapping lugs (42) being connected together by said manually releasable mechanical fastener. A pipe coupling as claimed in any preceding claims, wherein four segments (41 to 43) are provided, each of the pairs of overlapping lugs (44,45) of each adjacent pair of segments being connected together by substantially identical hook and axle interconnections, with each segment (43) having a hook (44) on one end and an opening with an axle on its opposite end, except for one overlapping pair of lugs (42) which are connected together by said manual releasable mechanical fastener.

Inventors: PALATCHY, JOSEF
Applicants: QUIKCOUP INCORPORATED
Application year: 1990
Main classification: F16L17
IPC codes: F16L17