Pipe Coupling for Steam and Air Pipes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 20th Apr., 1895
Pipe Coupling for Steam and Air Pipes.
I, LOUIS FRIEDMANN, of II Am Tabor 6, Vienna, Austria, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The metallic couplings heretofore employed for coupling together steam and air
pipes in railway vehicles necessitate a greater or less number of moveable joints
between the several parts of the coupling.
The present invention relates to a pipe coupling which may either be without
any moveable joint at all or may be employed in combination with a rotary joint;
the arrangement being such as to permit of movement of the coupled part in all
directions.
This coupling consists substantially of two casings fixed to the pipes to be
coupled, and of one or two connecting tubes connected together and inserted in the
said casings so as to loosely fit therein. Each of those connecting tubes is rendered
tight by means of a stuffing box, and by reason of the peculiar form and construction
of this stuffing box is capable of freely moving in all directions.
In the accompanying sectional drawings which illustrate three forms of this
coupling, S is one of the two casings fixed by Hauges to one of the pipes to be
coupled together.
is the connecting tube inserted in the casing S, and P is the packing occupying
an annular space therein.
This annular space as shewn in Fig. 1 is formed between a ring U which is tightly
screwed into the casing, and a moveable ring E which is pressed by a helical
spring V, within a portion d of the inner surface of the cosing outside of the outer
surface of the tube F, also between two rings R and R which bear with their
outer surfaces against the inner sides of the rings U and E, and surround the
connecting tube F.
The outer surfaces of the rings R R are preferably turn to convex form,
whilst the inner faces of the rings U and E are preferably made concave, and of
the same curvature as the rings R R which thus fit them.
The inner faces of the rings U and E, and the outer faces of the rings R R
anay however be of other form. Also the ring U may he in one piece with the
casing S.
The coupling acts as follows.
When the connecting tube F moves in the direction of its axis, the packing P
acts like that of an ordinary stuffing box, and remains stationary with relation to
the rings U ER and R'.
When the connecting tube has a pendulous motion, the packing P moves with
the rings R R relatively to the rings U D.
In case of deformation of the packing which may happen when the inner surfaces
of the rings U and E have not the preferable shape shewu in the drawings, the
pressure of the spring V (which can be adjusted by means of the outside nut T)
upon the packing causes the packing to quite fill up the space provided for it and
so to make a tight joint with the connecting tube.
As shewn in Fig. 2 the helical spring may be dispensed with, the ring E being
pressed by the outside uut T directly or through a flat spring y.

page_text: The inner diameter of the rings UE must be so much greater than the outer
limeter of the tube F as to permit the tube to oscillate as required whilst the
rings R and R' prevent the packing from escaping.
Fig. 3 shows another modification providing for only an oscillating movement of
the connecting tube. In this case the stuffing box is arranged as a ball and socket
joint. The packing P can be adjusted by the ring E (which is formed with cross
ribs) and the scrow spindle M. To prevent the connecting tube from being forced
out by the pressure a projection O formed thereon is guided on the rounded part G
of the casing.
In order to provide a coupling capable of movement in all directions, two con-
meeting tubes Figs. 1 and 2 may be connected together by a coupling of the
kind shewn in Fig. 3 or by an ordinary rotary joint. When there is no longitudinal
movement of the connecting tube F one of the two rings R R may be fixed to the
connecting tube.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A pipe coupling comprising two casings connected respectively to the pipes to
be coupled together, a connecting tube locsely inserted into the said onsings, and a
stuffing box arranged to allow longitudinal and oscillatory movements of the
connecting tube substantially as described.
2. A pipe coupling comprising two casings connected respectively to the pipes
to be coupled together, two connecting tubes movably jointed together and inserted
loosely one into each casing, and a stuffing box in each casing, substantially us
described.
3. For flexibly coupling two pipes together, a stuffing box of spherical form,
consisting of packing held between a pair of rings R R surrounding the one pipe
and capable of movement in all directions within another pair of rings held within
the other pipe substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of March 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicaut.