Improvements in Pipe Joints, Unions, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 25th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pipe Joints, Unions, and the like.
I, THORVALD FREDERIK HAMMER, residing in Branford, in the county of New
Haven and State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
This invention relates to unions for pipe joints, and aims to provide certain
improvements therein.
Heretofore unions have consisted of two screw-threaded thimbles adapted to
be screwed respectively on the adjacent ends of lengths of pipe, the one having
an external screwthread and the other a head or enlargement by means of which
they have been coupled together with a nut, consisting of an internally threaded
ring screwing on the outer thread of one thimble, and having a flange embracing
the head of the other thimble for drawing them together. Their adjoining ends
have been variously formed in attempts to make a compensating joint for taking
up any imperfections in construction and making a tight joint, a ring of packing
material being usually fixed in a recess in one for engaging the face of the other.
In unions as heretofore constructed, difficulty has been encountered in making a
joint either tight or sufficiently flexible to adapt itself to imperfections or to
imperfect alignment of the pipes, and much care and expense has been required
in so dressing off the various faces of the members of the union that a tight joint
could be obtained.
My invention provides an improved construction of union in which simplicity
and cheapness are attained, while a tight joint is provided, and the union is
sufficiently flexible to compensate for any slight cant in the pipes.
In carrying out the preferred form of my invention, I provide in addition to
the two thimbles and the nut, a separate ring of soft metal or other suitable
material seated between the ends of the thimbles and separating the latter slightly,
and I construct this ring of spherical or bulbous contour externally, and form
reciprocal concavities or sockets in the ends of the thimbles, into which sockets
the ring seats in such way that the thimbles can oscillate slightly about the ring, .
or the ring can oscillate in the sockets, until a true seat is found; and I form the
head on the one thimble and the bearing flange on the nut screwing on the other
thimble, with reciprocal faces of such shape that tilting of the one thimble
relatively to the other is permitted to a slight extent, preferably forming the head
and flange as segments of a sphere, the center of which coincides with the center of
the sphere of which the adjacent face of the ring is a segment; and I construct
the thimbles and nut in such manner that no dressing or finishing of their sur-
faces is required, other than the formation of the screwthreads and of the sockets
for receiving the ring.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an axial section of a union embodying the preferred form of my inven-

page_text: Fig. 2 is a similar section of the screwthreaded thimble alone;
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the headed thimble alone;
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the ring alone; and,
Fig. 5 is an axial section of a union in which the ring has bearing faces in the
shape of segments of cones, and the sockets, and, head and nut have similar faces.
Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, let A indicate the union as a
whole, BC the end of two pipes united thereby, which are shown in
dotted lines, D the externally threaded thimble or member of the union, E the
headed member thereof, F the nut uniting the members D) and E, G the flange of
this nut, H the head of the member E, I the compensating ring, and JJ the sockets
therefor in the members D) and E. Each member has an internal screwthread K,
and the member D has an enlarged screwthreaded end L over which the thread M
of the nut F screws.
According to the preferred form of my invention, the ring I is of soft metal,
although it may be of any other suitable material, and is of bulbous or spherical
exterior, being preferably formed with two bearing faces a each in the form
of a segment of a sphere, the sphere for each face in the construction shown being
struck from a different center than that for the other, and each center being
equidistant from the center line b surrounding the ring. The sockets J are
formed in the hollow ends of the thimbles, and are of a contour reciprocal to that
of the adjacent face of the ring. Each socket is sufficiently shallow to limit the
entrance of the ring into it, so that a space c is preserved between the end faces d
of the thimbles when the ring is between them, which space is necessary to
permit tilting movement of one thimble relatively to the other, and to permit
movement of the ring to a properly seated position in case the turning of the
sockets in the thimbles should not be entirely true. The faces being thus kept
separate and performing no function, need not be trued or dressed off. The same
is true of the surfaces a within each thimble between the screwthreads K and the
sockets J.
To permit independent movement between the thimble E and nut F, the outer
wall of the head H is made of less diameter than the inner wall g of the nut F,
and the outer wall of the thimble is made of less diameter than the inner wall i
of the flange G, so that there is room for lateral movement of the thimble rela-
tively to the flange.
To permit tilting of the thimble, the bearing faces of the head and flange are
so constructed that the thimble can be tilted without impairing the tightness of
the joint. Preferably the flange has a concave annular bearing face ), and the
head a convex annular bearing face k, each being shown as segments of a sphere
concentric to the sphere of which the adjacent face a of the ring I is a segment,
and all consequently struck from the same center. This permits an extensive
tilting movement between the thimbles D and E, without disturbing or impairing
the joint, and ensures the proper and uniform seating of the thimbles and ring
when the nut F is screwed home.
When the parts are constructed as described, all the external faces of the thimble E
may be undressed surfaces, so that the only dressing required will be the cutting
of the thread K and turning of the socket J: all the surfaces of the nut can be
undressed except that of the thread M, which must be cut, and all the surfaces
of the thimble D can be undressed except its thread K and socket J. The union
is thus very cheaply and easily constructed. A great economy is effected by the
fact that with the new unions it is unnecessary to true and dress off the faces & of
the thimbles and the faces j k of the nut and head, so that a true joint could be
made by clamping the thimbles together. The making of the ring separate from
and unattached to any of the other parts, enables its ready application and con-
venient renewal, as well as permitting it to compensate for irregularities, which
compensation is sufficient to avoid the necessity for dressing the faces j and k.
With the improved ring these faces may be of any form which will give a loose
movable connection between the thimble E and nut F. The formation of the ring

page_text: with like sides, and of each thimble with similar sockets, avoids the necessity for
care in locating the ring, and permits its reversal if desired.
The new union as described constitutes a new article of manufacture which
is sold with the parts assembled ready for use, and which in case of necessity
can be repaired by simply uncoupling the thimbles and substituting a new ring I
for an impaired one.
In use, the union may be applied to the pipes while its parts are assembled, by
screwing the pipe ends into the thimbles, or the union can be separated and the
ends screwed on separately to the respective pipes, after which the ring I may
be placed between the adjacent ends of the thimbles, and the joint can be completed
and made tight by screwing up the nut F. Excessive tightening of the nut will
not impair the joint, since the adjacent faces of the ring and thimbles are of
reciprocal formation, and the ring is free to move to a true position between them,
and there are no opportunities for sharp corners to cut it, or for unequal compres-
sion at any point.
It will be seen that my invention provides an improved union which can be
readily and advantageously availed of, and it will be understood that it is not
limited to the exact details of construction and arrangement set forth as consti-
tuting the preferred form of my invention, since it can be employed according to
such modifications as circumstances, or the judgment of those skilled in the art
may dictate, without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Fig. 5 shows a modification in which the ring I has oppositely tapering faces a¹
in the form of segments of cones, and the sockets J¹ are similarly formed. The
ends d of the thimbles are here widely separated from each other by reason of the
cylindrical wall 7 between the conical faces of the ring. The thimbles D¹ and E¹
and the nut F are here similar in construction to those before described, except
in the respects noted, and in that as to the face of the nut and the face of the
head H only one is parallel with the adjacent face of the ring, the one shown being
the face, which is formed as a segment of a cone instead of as a segment of a
sphere. The faces f and g of the head and nut, and i and h, are separated in this
construction, substantially as before described and for the same purpose.
It will be understood that so far as my invention is concerned the members D
and E may be of any suitable or usual construction for such members of a pipe
joint, and that they may be coupled together against the ring in any suitable way,
the term "nut" as herein used being intended to cover any means for fastening
together the adjacent ends of the two tubular members of a pipe joint. When
such means permit a play or lost motion between the members, as described, the
latter are permitted to center and properly seat themselves on the separate ring
between their ends.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
is :-
1. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members having adjacent
ends, and having concave sockets in said ends, and a nut coupling said ends together,
in combination with a ring clamped between said ends, unattached to either of
said members, and having a convex exterior fitting in said sockets and separating
the ends of said members, said members clamped by said nut against said ring,
and relatively movable laterally of each other, said nut permitting relative lateral
movement of said members, and said ring free to move in said sockets to compensate
for imperfections.
2. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members the one having
an external screwthread and the other an external head on their adjacent ends,
and having opposite sockets in such ends, in combination with a separate ring
between and separating said ends, and seated in said sockets, and a nut screwing on
said thread and having a flange embracing said head and drawing said parts
together against said ring, said nut and head having engaging faces j and k for

page_text: drawing said parts together, and separated walls f g h and i permitting lateral
movement of the headed member relatively to the nut.
3. In unions for pipe joints and the like, the combination with two tubular
members having adjacent ends having flaring sockets in such ends, the one having
an external screwthread and the other an external head at such ends, of a ring
between and separating said ends, having a bulbous exterior entering said sockets
and free to move therein to seat itself, and a nut screwing on the end of the
threaded member, and having a flange engaging the head of the headed
member for drawing the members together against said ring, said nut
loosely engaging the headed member and permitting axial tilting thereof, and said
nut and headed member having engaging concave and convex faces, whereby the
headed member can be tilted around said ring.
4. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members having adjacent
ends having sockets therein having the forms of segments of a sphere, the one
member having an external screwthread and the other having an external head
on their adjacent ends, in combination with a separate ring having an exterior in
the form of a segment of a sphere between and separating said ends, and fitting in
said sockets, and a nut screwing on said thread and having a flange engaging said
head and drawing said parts together against said ring.
5. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members having adjacent
ends having opposite sockets, the one member having an external screwthread and the
other an external head near their ends, in combination with a ring having a
bulbous exterior between and separating said ends and fitting in said sockets, and
a nut screwing on said thread and having a flange engaging said head and clamp-
ing said members against said ring, said head having a bearing surface engaged
by said flange which is parallel with the adjacent bulbous-shaped surface of said
ring, whereby said headed member can be tilted around said ring within said
flange.
6. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members having adjacent
ends having opposite sockets in said ends, the one having an external screwthread
and the other an external head, in combination with a ring between and separating
said members, having a bulbous-shaped exterior fitting in said sockets, and a nut
screwing on said thread and having a flange engaging said head and clamping
said members against said ring, said flange having a bearing surface engaging
said head and parallel with the adjacent bulbous-shaped surface of said ring,
whereby the headed member can be tilted axially without disturbing said ring.
7. In unions for pipe joints and the like, two tubular members having adjacent
ends, and having concave sockets in said ends, and means coupling said ends
together, in combination with a separate ring clamped between said ends, unat-
tached to either of said members, and having a convex exterior fitting in said
sockets and separating the ends of said members, said members clamped by suid
means against said ring and movable laterally relatively to each other, said means
permitting relative lateral movement of said members, and said ring free to move
in said sockets to compensate for imperfections.
TY
1
0011
P A 1000
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
Chartered Patent Agents, 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London.