Efficient Pipe Fitting Assembly with Seal Protection
Here’s PatSnap Eureka !
Summary
Problems
Existing pipe fitting installation methods require disassembly and reassembly, which is time-consuming and can damage seals due to uncontrolled distortion, and involve handling multiple pieces.
Innovation solutions
The design of pipe fittings with housing portions that allow pipe elements to be inserted while attached, featuring adjustable fasteners and eccentrically shaped receptacles to control seal distortion and prevent damage, enabling assembly without disassembly.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If the fitting is assembled with housing portions bolted together and seals captured between them, then the seal can be protected during storage and transport, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and complex requiring disassembly and reassembly
Why choose this principle:
The seal is pre-installed on the pipe element before the fitting is assembled, so that when the fitting is later disassembled for installation, the seal is already in position and does not require handling or reinstallation. This preliminary positioning of the seal eliminates the time-consuming steps of removing, handling, and reinstalling the seal during the actual installation process.
Principle concept:
If the housing portions are tightly assembled to ensure fluid-tight connection, then the seal effectiveness is improved, but the seal may be distorted and damaged during assembly
Why choose this principle:
The seal is pre-positioned on the pipe element before the fitting is assembled, allowing the seal to be already in place when the fitting is disassembled for installation. This eliminates the need to handle and stretch the seal during assembly, preventing distortion and damage while still achieving fluid-tight connection when the fitting is tightened.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
The design of pipe fittings with housing portions that allow pipe elements to be inserted while attached, featuring adjustable fasteners and eccentrically shaped receptacles to control seal distortion and prevent damage, enabling assembly without disassembly.
Abstract
Elbow and tee fittings for joining pipe elements together include housing portions held preassembled in spaced apart relation to permit pipe elements to be inserted without disassembly of the fitting, the fittings having a receptacle of varying depth for receiving a sealing element. The varying depth of the receptacle is used to control the distortion of the sealing element between a round shape and a non-round shape when the housing portions are arranged in spaced apart relation around the sealing element.