Abstract:
This disclosure relates generally to hose couplings useful for mining applications, more particularly to a fluid coupling capable of generally fully tightened by hand, including a visual lock for visual indication and safety when in a hand-tightened position. The coupling generally includes a male portion, a female portion, a retaining member and a locking member. The male portion passes through the retaining member, and the retaining member threadingly engages the female member. The locking member prevents unthreading of the retaining member from the female member.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/580,269, filed Dec. 26, 2011, also entitled “Hand Tightened Hydraulic Fitting,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates generally to hose couplings for mining and other applications, more particularly to a fluid coupling capable of being fully tightened by hand, including a visual lock. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods which provide a threaded hydraulic fluid coupling capable of being hand-tightened. The coupling system may also include a visual lock feature which may allow for visual indication that the coupling system is coupled. 
         [0004]    Threaded hydraulic connections may not be preferred in dirty environments such as mining applications. Water and grime may cause some threads to bind up and/or rust together. Grime may also affect frictional characteristics such that, even with the proper torque applied, there may be inadequate preload to overcome the pressure load. Typical threaded fittings may have no visual indication as to whether they have adequate torque applied. 
         [0005]    However, there may be advantages to threaded connections because they may be able handle impulse applications very well, they may make a very solid connection, and they may leak rather than blow off if inadvertently disconnected while under pressure. 
         [0006]    Non-threaded terminations such as the staple lock design may be difficult to insert and remove since there is no mechanical advantage available to overcome the inherent resistance involved with cylindrical seals. Also, rust and grime, as well as damage to the flange and staple may often cause binding. 
         [0007]    What is needed is a coupling system that is relatively easy to attach (for example, by hand), and may be able to handle impulse applications. The present invention is directed to systems and methods which meet these needs. 
         [0008]    The invention is directed to a coupling system with a male portion, a female portion, a hand-tightenable threaded retaining member which draws said male portion and said female portion into sealing engagement when threadingly engaged, and a locking member which locks said hand-tightened retaining member to prevent it from unthreading. In one embodiment, the retaining member has internal threads, the female portion has corresponding external threads which so threadingly engage, and the retaining member has an abutment portion that abuts a boss of the male portion and thereby draws the male portion into sealing engagement with the female portion. In another embodiment, the retaining member has internal threads, the male member has corresponding external threads which so threadingly engage, and the retaining member has an abutment portion that abuts a boss of the female portion and thereby draws the female portion into sealing engagement with the male portion. 
         [0009]    The male portion has an insert portion configured to generally matingly couple to a receptacle portion of the female portion of the coupling system. There is generally a seal between the insert portion and the receptacle portion. The seal may be an O-ring, which may seat in a groove on the male insert portion or on the female receptacle portion. 
         [0010]    The assembly of the coupling system can generally be done by hand. Once assembled and hand tight, the locking member is inserted which prevents the retaining member from disengaging, backing off or unthreading. The locking member provides a visual indication the coupling is secured in a hand-tight position. The coupling parts can be provided with wrenching portions to assist hand assembly or disconnecting, or to assist attachment to hydraulic fittings if necessary. 
         [0011]    The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of the specification in which like numerals designate like parts, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a coupling system according to an embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a partially exploded view of a coupling system according to an embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a coupling system according to an embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cut-away view of a coupling system according to an embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a coupling system according to another embodiment; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a cut-away view of a male portion and retaining member according to another embodiment; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is partially fragmented view of a coupling system according to another embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    According to an embodiment, a coupling system  100  is shown in  FIG. 1 . Coupling system  100  may include a male portion  110 , a female portion  120 , a retaining member  130 , and a locking member  140 . An alternate locking member  150  may also be included in the system  100 . 
         [0021]    According to embodiments, male portion  110  may include an insert portion  112 , a boss  114 , and a hose receiving portion  116 . Female portion  120  may include a receptacle portion  122 , threads  124 , a ridge  125 , a wrenching section  126 , locking groove  127 , and connection portion  128 . Retaining member  130  may include threads  132 , an abutment portion  134 , retainer orifice(s)  136 , a lip  137 , knurling  138  and a wrenching section  139 . 
         [0022]    Insert portion  112 , of male portion  110  may be capable of generally coupling with receptacle portion  122  of female portion  120  in a non-interference-type fit. Boss  114  may then generally provide a stop or may be adjacent to or abut female portion  120 . There may be created a seal between male portion  110  and female portion  120 , preferably between their cylindrical surfaces. This may allow fluid to pass therebetween. 
         [0023]    Female portion  120  may also include a seal groove  129 , which may be capable of retaining a seal such as an O-ring (not shown). This may be one configuration which may enhance the sealing ability of the coupling system  100 . Alternately, a seal groove capable of retaining a seal such as an O-ring may be included on male insert portion  112 . Optionally, dust seal(s) (not shown) may be included, for example near ridge  125  or groove  127  or near abutment portion  134 , for example, in order to keep foreign matter out of the threads. It should be understood that ridge  125 , aspects of groove  127 , and lip  137  are optional and may be omitted or reconfigured as desired provided the requisite locking functionality is present. 
         [0024]    Retaining member  130  may then generally slide over male portion  110 , such that threads  132  of retaining member  130  may engage corresponding threads  124  of female portion  120 . Male portion  110  may generally extend through retaining member  130 . Boss  114  of male portion  110  may then be in contact with abutment portion  134  of retaining member  130 . This may secure together male portion  110 , female portion  120  and retaining member  130 , and may enhance the sealing between male portion  110  and female portion  120 . Once male portion, female portion  120  and retaining member  130  are generally secured together, extension(s)  142  of locking member  140  may extend through retainer orifice(s)  136  of retaining member  130  and engage female portion  120  at locking groove  127  such that retaining member may not uncouple from female portion  120 . 
         [0025]    Retaining member  130  may be hand tightened, but if there is an application that requires the male portion  110  and female portion  120  to be locked against a possible live swivel, torque may be applied to retaining member  130  similar to other threaded connection systems and methods. For a faster connection, multiple-start threads may be used. 
         [0026]    According to embodiments, locking member  140  may include an indication portion  146  which may be made to be a visible color such as red, to indicate the coupling system  100  is engaged. This may be used as a safety indicator, and/or lockout to indicate if the coupling system is engaged and able to withstand pressure. 
         [0027]    Furthermore, locking member  140  may be of different configurations, such as locking member  150 . Locking member  150  may include an extrusion  152  which may be capable of extending through a retainer orifice  136  to engage locking groove  127  of female portion  120  to generally secure retaining member  130  to other portions of the system. Locking member  150  may also include indication portion  154  which be made to be a visible color and/or configuration such as red, to indicate the coupling system  100  is engaged, for safety and/or other reasons. 
         [0028]    In various embodiments, the locking member may be in the form of a special clip, staple, a snap-in button, or a wire threaded through the nut. This locking feature may not be able to be applied until the threads are fully-engaged, so it may be very clear by visual inspection as to whether a connection is properly made. 
         [0029]    In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , holes  236  may be drilled or formed roughly tangent to locking groove  127  within the retaining member  230 . A plastic or metal wire tie  240 , or other locking member may be threaded through the holes  236 , engaging both locking groove  127  and a locking groove in retaining member  230  (not visible) thereby keeping the retaining member from backing off and providing a visual indication of a proper connection. The wire cable tie  240  shown in  FIG. 5  is in the form of a cable seal which may be designed for single use (cut to remove) or multiple use. Seal or tag  246  provides further visual indication of a proper connection and may be labeled for various identification or record-keeping purposes. Likewise other kinds of metal or plastic ties or seals may be utilized which may be for single or multiple use, with or without an identification tag, 
         [0030]    In an embodiment, coupling system  100  may be a coarse-thread connector which may be hand-tightened, having a locking feature that keeps retaining member  130  from backing off, and may further provide a visual indication of a proper connection via indication portion  146 ,  154 ,  246  of locking member  140 ,  150 ,  240 . Because the seal is generally along a cylinder, or between two cylinders, preload may not be required in the retaining member  130 , and it may not have a torque load requirement. Thus hand-tightening is sufficient to fully engage the coupling and withstand the design pressure. 
         [0031]    Once tightened, a visible locking feature (locking member  140 ,  150 ,  240 ) may be applied. Therefore, this coupling system  100  may provide a visual indicator of a proper connection. An advantage is a threaded retaining member  130 , which provides a mechanical advantage to draw the sealing cylinder in and out of female portion  120  for connection and removal. 
         [0032]    Male portion  110  may include a hose receiving portion  116 , which may be capable of receiving, and coupling to, a hose, manifold or other system or apparatus. In the embodiment of attaching to a hose, hose receiving portion  116  may be generally in the form of a barb or other configuration capable of coupling to a hose. Portion  116  may also include a wrenching section to allow torque to be applied to the male portion  110 . 
         [0033]    Female portion  120  may also include a connection portion  128  which may be capable of coupling to a hose or manifold or other suitable structure. It will be appreciated that connection portion  128  may be of many forms to couple to various hoses and other structures. Female portion  120  may also include a wrenching portion  126  to allow torque to be applied to the female portion  120 . 
         [0034]    Retaining member  130  may also include knurling  138  or similar surface modification, which may enhance gripping and turning of retaining member  130 , especially during hand tightening. Retaining member  130  may also include wrenching adaptations such as a hex, holes, slots, flats, or orifice(s)  139  as shown, which are capable of receiving a wrench or other tool used to tighten/loosen and/or generally apply torque to said retaining member. 
         [0035]      FIG. 2  shows coupling system  100  with retaining member  130  slid over male portion  110 , before coupling to female portion  110 .  FIG. 3  shows coupling system  100  fully engaged with retaining member  130  coupling together with male portion  120  and female portion  110 , with locking member  140  extending through retainer orifices  136  and engaging locking groove  127  (not shown). 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  is a cut away view of a portion of coupling system  100 , according to an embodiment. As can be seen in this embodiment, retaining member  130  includes threads  132  which threadingly engage threads  124  of female portion  120 . This configuration does not allow retaining member  130  to unthread from female portion  120  when locking member  140  is in place between lip  137  and the side of groove  127  near the threads  124 . 
         [0037]    Insert portion  112  of male portion  110 , generally fits within, and is coupled to, receptacle portion  124  of female portion  120 . A first side of boss  114  may generally abut and/or be adjacent to female portion  110 . A second side of boss  114  may abut or generally be adjacent to abutment portion of retaining member  130 . The threading of retaining member  130  with female portion  120  may move and/or generally secure male portion  110  to female portion  120  and retaining member  130 , via abutment portion  134 . 
         [0038]    Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 5  to illustrate some of the variations possible within the scope of the invention. Coupling system  200  includes male portion  210 , coupled to female portion  220 , held together by retaining member  230 . As discussed above, locking member  240  is in the form of a cable seal with extending cable  242  threaded through tangential holes  236  with seal or tag  246  preventing unwanted removal and as additional visual indication the coupling is secure. Wrenching section  239  on retaining member  230  takes the form of a series of notches which may be suitable for use of a spanner wrench. Wrenching section  226  on female portion  220  takes the form of a hex nut. Retainer orifices in the form of tangential holes  236  are also shown on retaining member  230  in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment with male portion  310  having a hose receiving portion which includes hose barb  312  and ferrule  317 . Retaining member  230  may be slid over male portion into the position shown. Then ferrule  317  may be staked or swaged or otherwise attached in place as shown. The rear face  234  of retaining member  230  is in fairly close proximity to and opposes the front face  334  of the ferrule. Thus, when retaining member  230  is unthreaded from a coupled female portion, rear face  234  will abut front face  334  and thereby draw the male portion out of the female portion thus disconnecting the coupling. Other arrangements for connection to pipes, hose or manifolds may be envisioned which provide the abutment needed to draw the male portion out of the female portion when the retaining member is unthreaded, such as a two-piece, stake-collar and ferrule arrangement. On the other hand, the hose receiving portion could be threaded for receiving a hydraulic fitting with mating threads. Generally, if the threads are male threads on the hose receiving portion, any mating female fitting that connects via such male threads on the connection portion may have a face equivalent to face  334  which can abut the end  234  of the retaining portion and thus facilitate disconnection. As an alternate to relying on connected fittings, there may instead be a C-clip or other retaining clip or feature attached to the male portion which is specifically adapted to abut the end  234  of retaining portion  230  in order to facilitate disconnection of the coupling. 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  shows an embodiment of the invention in which the external threads which correspond to the retaining member are on the male portion. In  FIG. 7 , coupling system  400  includes male portion  410 , female portion  420  and retaining member  430 . Female portion  420  has receptacle portion  422 . Insert portion  412  of male portion  410  fits into receptacle portion  422  with O-ring  425  housed in seal retaining groove  429  on insert portion  412 . The  0 -ring thus provides a seal between the male and female portions. Retaining member  430  has internal threads  432  which mate with external threads  424  on male portion  410 . Retaining member  430  has abutment portion  434  which abuts boss  414  when slipped over female portion  420 . Thus when retaining member  430  is threadingly engaged with the threads  424  on male portion  410 , the male portion may be drawn into sealing engagement with female portion  420 . When fully engaged, locking member  240 , shown as a cable tie, may be inserted through holes or openings or orifices in retaining member  430  and thus threaded around the coupling in a passageway defined by or between groove  427  on male portion  410  and lip  437  on retaining member  430 . Note that features shown for other embodiments may be adapted for this embodiment and vice versa, including seal placement(s) and type(s), hose receiving portion(s), connection portion(s), wrenching section(s) or portion(s), knurling, orifice style, locking member type, and indication portion. 
         [0041]    In use, to connect an embodiment of the inventive coupling system, the retaining member may be hand-tightened to pull the male sealing surface into the female with the seal there between. To keep the retaining member from backing off, the cable tie or other locking member is inserted through holes in the retaining member into a groove in the female (or male, depending on the embodiment) and locked. To disconnect, the cable may be cut and/or pulled out and removed so that the retaining member can be loosened. Unlike conventional staple-lock mine couplings, for example, the cable or locking member does not carry the pressure load. The threads carry the pressure load and therefore the design is capable of much higher pressure rating than a staple-lock coupling of similar diameter. If the retaining member happens to back off enough during operation to resist the locking member pulling out, simply tightening the retaining member farther will eliminate this resistance. Once the cable (or other locking device) is removed, loosening or unthreading the retaining member may separate the fitting. If necessary, a spanner wrench or other suitable tool may be used to turn the retaining member and release the fitting. The threaded retaining member may even provide enough mechanical advantage to overcome the resistance of debris and corrosion present at assembly or disassembly by hand. 
         [0042]    Coupling system  100 ,  200 ,  400  or other embodiment of the invention may overcome many issues of other threaded connections, such as assuring adequate preload in the retaining member to overcome the pressure load, easily damaged threads, and having no visual indication of complete connection. It also overcomes issues in non-threaded designs, such as high insertion force, unprotected seals, poor impulse performance, and installation of heavy locking devices such as hammer unions, clamshells or thick staples. The advantages of the invention include the ease of hand tightening or loosening, the greater safety factor of threads over conventional staples, no torque required to seal and hold, and less mass required to achieve a given rating. 
         [0043]    Furthermore, this system may be used with lower pressure systems. This may allow the use of less expensive materials and configurations. The system may be configured to connect hose, pipes, fittings, manifolds or the like. 
         [0044]    Systems disclosed herein may be used with, but are not limited to, 2-4″ chemical hose, and/or with volume control regulators. The inventive coupling system offers advantages over hammer unions in the oil field industry, including those used for cementing hose, slim hole rotary hose, and the like. 
         [0045]    It should be noted that other types of locking methods may optionally be used instead of the preferred locking member described above. For example, the locking member could be a c-clip inserted in a suitable groove adjacent a suitable flange. The locking method could be a frictional engagement, or it could be a bayonet style engagement or a latch, or multiple bayonets or latches. 
         [0046]    Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. The disclosure disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.