Water inlet pipe connecting structure

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of water pipe connection, and particularly relates to a water inlet pipe connecting structure; the water inlet pipe connecting structure comprises a body, a nut and a sleeve; further comprises a fixing mechanism for reinforcing pipe connection and an executing mechanism for converting water hammer energy; the present application adopts the design of replacing the cutting-in with the lining-up, and integrates the executing mechanism for adapting to the water hammer impact, solves the failure problem of the traditional sleeve connection in the water hammer environment, specifically, the fixing mechanism replaces the harmful cutting-in mode with the non-damaging lining-up mode, eliminates the damage and stress concentration hidden danger of the pipe body, and forms a long-term reliable static connection basis; at the same time, the executing mechanism converts the dynamic impact into the instant locking force in real time, and actively resists the loosening trend caused by the impact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of water pipe connection technology, and in particular to a water inlet pipe connection structure. Background Technology

[0002] In fluid transport systems, the inlet pipe connection structure is crucial for ensuring the pipeline is sealed and connected, and for the media to be transported without leakage. It is usually achieved through various connections such as welding, flanges, threads, and compression fittings. Among them, compression fittings are widely used in applications with frequent maintenance due to their compact structure and convenient assembly and disassembly. The core of the fitting consists of a connector body, a clamping nut, and a ferrule with a cutting edge. During installation, tightening the nut pushes the ferrule forward, and it is constrained by the conical surface of the inner wall of the connector body, causing the cutting edge of the ferrule to radially contract and cut into the pipe wall, thus achieving a seal and fastening.

[0003] However, the following problems exist with the current ferrule-type connection of the water inlet pipe: When this structure is used in environments with severe pressure fluctuations, such as water inlet pipes, it will face the water hammer effect. The water hammer effect refers to the phenomenon in which the fluid momentum changes suddenly due to the rapid opening and closing of valves or water pumps in the pipeline, causing the pressure to rise and fall rapidly in a very short time and forming a shock wave. This periodic, high-frequency impact load is very harmful to the connection. For the traditional method of fixing by local cutting of the ferrule edge, continuous water hammer impact can easily cause cyclic stress at the biting part between the ferrule and the pipe wall, leading to increased fretting wear and causing the plastic deformation zone of the cutting part to gradually lose its tightness due to stress relaxation. Ultimately, it weakens the sealing performance and pull-out resistance of the connection, posing a potential risk of system leakage. Secondly, the traditional ferrule connection mainly relies on its sharp edge to directly cut into the outer wall of the pipe to achieve fixation. Under the water hammer effect, the cutting edge will form a sharp annular groove on the pipe surface, causing severe local stress concentration. Under alternating impact loads, fatigue cracks can easily start from this point.

[0004] Therefore, traditional compression fittings suffer from inherent stress concentration and weak resistance to cyclic loads due to their reliance on cutting into the pipe with a cutting edge. Under water hammer impact, they exhibit insufficient long-term stability, leading to sealing failure and loosening of the connection. These are technical problems that need to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a water inlet pipe connection structure to solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a water inlet pipe connection structure, comprising a body, a nut and a clamp; further comprising a fixing mechanism for reinforcing the pipe connection and an actuator for converting water hammer energy.

[0007] The fixing mechanism includes a locking ring and a bushing; the pipe to be connected passes through the nut, ferrule, locking ring and bushing in sequence. The outer surface of the ferrule is a conical surface one that mates with the conical surface set at the port of the locking ring, and the port of the ferrule is provided with a rubber pressure block that compresses against the pipe; the outer surface of the locking ring is a conical surface two that mates with the conical surface set at the inner cavity of the main body port; tightening the nut pushes the ferrule to drive the locking ring axially, and the locking ring generates radial contraction to compress the bushing and distribute the compression to grip the pipe.

[0008] The actuator includes an eliminator connected to the upper part of the body. The upper part of the eliminator is connected to two cylinders. A piston rod is slidably installed inside the cylinder. The body is provided with a pushing assembly corresponding to the nut. The pushing assembly consists of two L-shaped pushing plates slidably installed on the front and rear sides of the body. The body is provided with a driving part. A connecting part is provided between the pushing plate and the corresponding sleeve.

[0009] The piston rod responds to the water hammer pressure to drive the drive unit, which in turn drives the push plate to move. The push plate converts the water hammer impact force into an additional axial clamping force on the ferrule through the connecting part, and simultaneously restricts the rotation of the nut.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the drive unit includes a connecting rod rotatably mounted on the main body and corresponding to the push plate one by one. Both ends of the connecting rod are provided with waist grooves. A guide post that slides through the waist groove below the corresponding connecting rod is fixedly mounted on the push plate. The piston rod, at the end away from the eliminator, slides through the cylinder and is fixedly mounted on a fixing plate. A drive rod that slides through the waist groove above the corresponding connecting rod is fixedly mounted on the fixing plate.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the connecting part includes sliding columns. Multiple sliding columns are uniformly fixedly installed along the circumference of the two sleeves at their ends that are far apart from each other. After the sliding columns slide through the corresponding nuts, they are jointly fixedly installed with a fixing ring. A limiting post corresponding to the push plate is fixedly installed at the end of the fixing ring that is far away from the nut. The limiting post slides through the corresponding push plate.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the locking ring is densely provided with serrations, and its tooth profile has an asymmetrical structure, wherein the angle of the tooth surface facing the inside of the connector body is steeper than the angle of the tooth surface facing the nut.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the bushing is provided with micro-knurling or serrations to enhance the adhesion to the pipe surface.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the bushing is made of a soft metal with higher ductility than the pipe material.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the rotation point of the connecting rod is close to the side of the corresponding push plate.

[0016] As a preferred option, a sealing ring is installed at the end of the pipe that fits into the body.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the edge of the nut port is provided with a guide slope.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, the nut port is provided with a buffer pad.

[0019] The above-mentioned one or more technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention have at least one of the following technical effects: First, the present invention solves the failure problem of traditional ferrule connections in water hammer environment by adopting a bushing wrapping design instead of a cutting edge, and integrating an actuator that is adaptive to water hammer impact. Specifically, the fixing mechanism replaces the harmful cutting method with a non-destructive wrapping method, eliminating the hidden dangers of damage and stress concentration to the pipe body, and forming a long-term reliable static connection foundation. At the same time, the actuator converts dynamic impact into instant locking force in real time, actively resisting the loosening tendency caused by impact.

[0020] Second, this invention uses a locking ring to compress a flexible bushing, so that the microstructure of the inner wall of the bushing is uniformly attached to and bites the outer surface of the pipe. This avoids the material damage and annular stress concentration groove caused by the cutting edge of the traditional ferrule cutting the pipe wall. As a result, the pipe connection is no longer a weak point from which fatigue cracks originate from the pipe base material, thus significantly improving the durability and safety of the connection structure under alternating loads.

[0021] Third, the present invention converts the impact energy into an additional axial clamping force on the ferrule without delay through the mechanical transmission between the drive unit and the connecting unit, and locks the nut simultaneously. This makes the instantaneous fastening force obtained by the connecting structure proportional to the current water hammer impact intensity, realizing an instantaneous response of impact and reinforcement. This directly and effectively offsets the connection loosening that may be caused by each impact event, ensuring the instantaneous stability of the system during the process of violent pressure fluctuations.

[0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the connection part of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the eliminator of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the image.

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of the structure at point B in the image.

[0029] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the fixing mechanism structure of the present invention.

[0030] Reference numerals: 10. Body; 11. Nut; 110. Guide slope; 111. Buffer pad; 12. Sleeve; 13. Sealing ring; 2. Fixing mechanism; 20. Locking ring; 200. Serrated edge; 21. Bushing; 3. Actuator; 30. Eliminator; 300. Housing; 301. Floating piston; 302. Air valve; 31. Cylinder; 32. Piston rod; 33. Push plate; 4. Drive unit; 40. Connecting rod; 41. Guide post; 42. Fixing plate; 43. Drive rod; 5. Connecting part; 50. Sliding column; 51. Fixing ring; 52. Limiting post. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0032] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a water inlet pipe connection structure includes a body 10, a nut 11, and a clamping sleeve 12; it also includes a fixing mechanism 2 for reinforcing the pipe connection and an actuator 3 for converting water hammer energy.

[0033] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the fixing mechanism 2 includes a locking ring 20 and a bushing 21; the pipe to be connected passes through the nut 11, the ferrule 12, the locking ring 20 and the bushing 21 in sequence. The outer surface of the ferrule 12 is a conical surface one that mates with the conical surface provided at the port of the locking ring 20, and the port of the ferrule 12 is provided with a rubber pressure block that presses against the pipe; the outer surface of the locking ring 20 is a conical surface two that mates with the conical surface provided at the port cavity of the body 10; the bushing 21 is sleeved on the outside of the pipe and is located between the locking ring 20 and the pipe.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the actuator 3 includes an eliminator 30 connected to the upper part of the body 10. The eliminator 30 includes a housing 300 connected to the body 10. A floating piston 301 is slidably installed inside the housing 300. An air valve 302 is provided at the upper end of the housing 300. Two cylindrical cylinders 31, which are symmetrically arranged on the upper part of the housing 300, are connected to the interior of the housing 300. A piston rod 32 is slidably installed inside the cylindrical cylinder 31. The body 10 is provided with a pushing assembly corresponding to the nut 11. The pushing assembly consists of two L-shaped pushing plates 33 slidably installed on the front and rear sides of the body 10. A drive part 4 is provided on the body 10. A connecting part 5 is provided between the pushing plate 33 and the corresponding sleeve 12.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, a sealing ring 13 is installed at the end of the pipe that fits into the body 10.

[0036] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the nut 11 has a guide slope 110 at its port edge.

[0037] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a buffer pad 111 is provided at the port of the nut 11.

[0038] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the bushing 21 is made of a soft metal with higher ductility than the pipe material.

[0039] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the inner surface of the locking ring 20 is densely provided with serrations 200, and its tooth profile is an asymmetrical structure, wherein the tooth surface angle facing the inside of the connector body 10 is steeper than the tooth surface angle facing the nut 11.

[0040] like Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the inner wall of the bushing 21 is provided with micro-toothed or knurled patterns to enhance the bonding force with the pipe surface.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 6As shown, during actual operation, the operator sequentially places the nut 11, ferrule 12, locking ring 20, and bushing 21 onto the pipe. The nut 11 has a guide slope 110 at its end to facilitate initial pipe insertion and alignment. Subsequently, the pipe is inserted into the body 10 until its end is pressed against the built-in sealing ring 13. At this point, the nut 11 is tightened with an external wrench, and the buffer pad 111 between the nut 11 and ferrule 12 begins to function, preventing hard impacts between the two during the initial and later stages of tightening. The rotation of the nut 11 pushes the ferrule 12 to move axially, and the conical surface of the ferrule 12 pushes the locking ring 20 to slide inward along the inner conical surface of the body 10. In this step, the locking ring 20 undergoes radial contraction due to the conical surface engagement, and the densely distributed reverse serrations 200 on its inner surface begin to press into the soft bushing 21. Since the cross-section of the serrations 200 is designed with an asymmetrical structure and the tooth surface facing the inside of the body 10 is steeper, mechanical self-locking is ensured when subjected to potential tension from the pipe.

[0042] At the same time, the compressed bushing 21 undergoes plastic deformation, and the micro-toothed or knurled pre-processed on its inner wall is embedded into the pipe surface under high pressure, forming a large area of ​​micro-mechanical interlock. The soft metal properties of the bushing 21 itself serve as a sacrificial layer, perfectly protecting the pipe body 10 from damage. The rubber pressure block at the end of the ferrule 12 also completes the final sealing compression at this stage.

[0043] When water hammer occurs in the pipeline, high-pressure fluid rushes into the lower cavity of the housing 300 connected to the main body 10, pushing the floating piston 301 to compress the upper air cavity to absorb the impact peak. At the same time, the high-pressure medium enters the two cylinders 31 simultaneously, pushing the piston rod 32 to extend. The linear motion of the piston rod 32 is converted into a lateral force through the drive part 4, driving the push plate 33 to move. At this time, the two push plates 33 transmit the force directly to the ferrule 12 through the connecting part 5, applying an additional axial clamping force proportional to the instantaneous water hammer pressure to achieve adaptive reinforcement with stronger locking as the impact increases. At the same time, the cooperation between the limiting post 52 and the push plate 33 also restricts the nut 11 from rotating and loosening under any vibration.

[0044] After the impact ends, the pipeline pressure drops, and the pressure in the lower chamber of the eliminator 30 decreases accordingly. At this time, the compressed air chamber expands, pushing the floating piston 301 and piston rod 32 to reset. The reset action first releases the compression on the ferrule 12, because the purpose of the additional compression has been achieved, and continuous compression is no longer necessary. Moreover, the release can prevent the pipeline and components from being subjected to unnecessary long-term abnormal stress. However, at this time, the limiting post 52 remains in cooperation with the push plate 33 to limit the rotation of the nut 11, so as to prevent the nut 11 from rotating due to the system vibration or pressure pulsation that may continue after the water hammer impact wave, thereby ensuring that the obtained fastening state will not be accidentally destroyed.

[0045] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the drive unit 4 includes a connecting rod 40 rotatably mounted on the body 10 and corresponding one-to-one with the push plate 33. Both ends of the connecting rod 40 are provided with waist grooves. A guide post 41 that slides through the waist groove below the corresponding connecting rod 40 is fixedly mounted on the push plate 33. The piston rod 32, away from the eliminator 30, slides through the cylinder 31 and is fixedly mounted on a fixing plate 42. A drive rod 43 that slides through the waist groove above the corresponding connecting rod 40 is fixedly mounted on the fixing plate 42.

[0046] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the connecting part 5 includes sliding columns 50. Multiple sliding columns 50 are evenly fixedly installed along the circumference of the two sleeves 12 at their ends that are far apart from each other. After the sliding columns 50 slide through the corresponding nuts 11, they are jointly fixedly installed with a fixing ring 51. The end of the fixing ring 51 that is far away from the nuts 11 is fixedly installed with a limiting post 52 that corresponds one-to-one with the pushing plate 33. The limiting post 52 slides through the corresponding pushing plate 33.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the rotation point of the connecting rod 40 is close to the side of the corresponding push plate 33. Since the rotation point of the connecting rod 40 is close to the side of its corresponding push plate 33, according to the lever principle, this structure makes the lever arm of the drive rod 43 acting on the connecting rod 40 much larger than the lever arm of the guide post 41 at the end of the push plate 33. Therefore, the thrust transmitted from the piston rod 32 has a significant force amplification effect at the connecting rod 40, that is, a small input force is converted into a large lateral output force acting on the guide post 41 of the push plate 33. The amplified force pushes the push plate 33 to slide laterally.

[0048] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, during actual operation, when a water hammer effect occurs in the pipeline system, generating instantaneous high pressure, this impact pressure is first transmitted to the eliminator 30 connected to the main body 10, and pushes the internal piston rod 32 outward. The piston rod 32 drives the fixed plate 42 at its end to move. The linear motion of the piston rod 32 is converted into a thrust on one end of the connecting rod 40 through the cooperation of the drive rod 43 and the corresponding groove. Under the action of this thrust, the connecting rod 40 rotates, and its lower end groove cooperates with the corresponding guide post 41, thereby converting the rotational motion of the connecting rod 40 into the pushing plate 33 along the main body 10. The lateral linear sliding; when the push plate 33 slides, it will apply a lateral force to the corresponding fixed ring 51. This lateral force is transmitted and converted into an axial clamping force on the slide column 50 and the entire ferrule 12. This realizes that the fluid impact kinetic energy of the water hammer is converted into an additional axial clamping force on the ferrule 12 through the mechanical transmission chain of piston rod 32-connecting rod 40-push plate 33-limiting column 52-slide column 50. The stronger the water hammer impact, the greater the clamping force acting on the ferrule 12, thereby achieving the purpose of using impact energy to instantly strengthen the tightness of the pipe connection.

[0049] At the same time, some of the energy of the water hammer impact force is consumed and transformed during the process of driving the above-mentioned motion, and the impact pressure itself is initially buffered when it enters the eliminator 30 cavity, thus simultaneously reducing the destructive impact of the water hammer.

[0050] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0051] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "number one," and "number two" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first," "second," "number one," or "number two" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0052] In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "connected," "installed," and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] The embodiments described herein are preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water inlet pipe connection structure, comprising a body, a nut, and a clamping sleeve; characterized in that: It also includes fixing mechanisms for reinforcing pipe connections and actuators for converting water hammer energy; The fixing mechanism includes a locking ring and a bushing; the pipe to be connected passes through the nut, ferrule, locking ring and bushing in sequence. The outer surface of the ferrule is a conical surface one that mates with the conical surface set at the port of the locking ring, and the port of the ferrule is provided with a rubber pressure block that compresses against the pipe; the outer surface of the locking ring is a conical surface two that mates with the conical surface set at the inner cavity of the main body port; tightening the nut pushes the ferrule to drive the locking ring axially, and the locking ring generates radial contraction to compress the bushing and distribute the compression and clamp the pipe; The actuator includes an eliminator connected to the upper part of the body, two cylinders connected to the upper part of the eliminator, a piston rod slidably installed inside the cylinder, and a pushing assembly corresponding to the nut on the body. The pushing assembly consists of two L-shaped pushing plates slidably installed on the front and rear sides of the body. The body is provided with a drive part, and a connecting part is provided between the pushing plate and the corresponding sleeve. The piston rod responds to the water hammer pressure to drive the drive unit, which in turn drives the push plate to move. The push plate converts the water hammer impact force into an additional axial clamping force on the ferrule through the connecting part, and simultaneously restricts the rotation of the nut. The drive unit includes a connecting rod rotatably mounted on the main body and corresponding to the push plate one by one. Both ends of the connecting rod are provided with waist grooves. A guide post that slides through the waist groove below the corresponding connecting rod is fixedly mounted on the push plate. The piston rod is slidably mounted through the cylinder at the end away from the eliminator and then fixedly mounted on a fixing plate. A drive rod that slides through the waist groove above the corresponding connecting rod is fixedly mounted on the fixing plate. The connecting part includes a sliding column. Multiple sliding columns are evenly fixedly installed along the circumference of the two sleeves at their ends that are far apart from each other. After the sliding columns slide through the corresponding nuts, they are jointly fixedly installed with a fixing ring. A limiting post corresponding to the push plate is fixedly installed at the end of the fixing ring that is far away from the nut. The limiting post slides through the corresponding push plate. The inner surface of the locking ring is densely provided with serrations, and its tooth profile is an asymmetrical structure, wherein the angle of the tooth surface facing the inside of the connector body is steeper than the angle of the tooth surface facing the nut. The inner wall of the bushing is provided with micro-toothed or knurled patterns to enhance the adhesion to the pipe surface. The bushing is made of a soft metal with higher ductility than the pipe material; The rotation point of the connecting rod is close to the side of the corresponding push plate.

2. The water inlet pipe connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing ring is installed at the end of the pipe that fits into the body.

3. The water inlet pipe connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nut port edge is provided with a guide slope.

4. The water inlet pipe connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nut port is provided with a buffer pad.

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