Steel pipe connecting material

Abstract

To provide a steel pipe connecting material which allows easy operation for connecting steel pipes and does not come off even when a relatively large load is applied to the connected steel pipes, and to provide a connecting material which does not produce a step at the connection between the steel pipe and the connecting material when the steel pipe is connected to the connecting material.SOLUTION: The steel pipe connecting material consists of a main body and a plurality of steel pipe support portions protruding from the main body. The main body and the steel pipe support portions are made of an integral block of material, the cross-sectional shape of the steel pipe support portions is almost the same as the shape of the inner hollow part of the cross-sectional surface of the steel pipe to be connected by this steel pipe connecting material, and the steel pipe can be connected to this steel pipe connecting material by fitting the steel pipe support portions to the steel pipe. Materials such as iron, aluminum, stainless steel, and fiber-reinforced plastic are integrally molded by cutting, plastic processing, a 3D printer, or the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a steel pipe joining material for joining various steel pipes such as square steel pipes and round steel pipes.

Background Art

[0002] Steel pipes can be roughly classified into structural use and piping use. The steel pipe joining material according to the present invention is intended to join structural steel pipes.

[0003] There are various steel pipe joining materials. The steel pipe joining device described in Patent Document 1 is composed of three members and requires rather complicated procedures to join steel pipes. The square pipe joint structure described in Patent Document 2 is for joining pipes for piping, and the joint itself is also made of a square pipe. In this joint structure, the joining of the square pipes can be achieved by simply inserting the square pipes into the insertion part of the joint structure and fastening the insertion part and the square pipes with screws, so the joining operation is relatively simple. However, since the joint structure itself is a square pipe, it is considered that it cannot withstand large loads.

[0004] The square pipe joint component described in Patent Document 3 is composed of a substantially regular hexahedron main body block and a hollow arm block for supporting square pipes, and the hollow arm block is fixed by screwing it to each surface of the main body. In this square pipe joint component too, the square pipes can be joined by simply inserting the hollow arm block into the square pipes and fastening both with screws, so the joining operation is relatively simple. However, since the hollow arm block is screwed to the main body, it is considered that there is a risk that the hollow arm block may come off the main body when a large load is applied to the square pipes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a steel pipe coupling material that enables a simple coupling operation of steel pipes and does not become disengaged even when a relatively large load is applied to the coupled steel pipes. Further, a coupling material that does not cause a step at the joint between the steel pipe and the coupling material when the steel pipe is coupled to the coupling material is also provided. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0007] As a result of intensive studies, the inventor of the present application concluded that a structure that can be coupled simply by inserting a coupling material into a steel pipe is suitable for simplifying the coupling operation of the steel pipe. Therefore, the coupling material is composed of a main body portion and a steel pipe support portion that is inserted into the steel pipe and supports the steel pipe. It is necessary to have a plurality of steel pipe support portions. That is, when connecting two steel pipes with this coupling material, this coupling material needs to have two steel pipe support portions, and when connecting three steel pipes in a branched shape, this coupling material needs to have three steel pipe support portions.

[0008] Furthermore, the inventor of the present application considered that in order to make the connection strong, it is necessary for the steel pipe coupling material itself to have a robustness that is not easily broken, and for this purpose, it is appropriate to form the entire coupling material as a mass of material by integrating the main body and the steel pipe support portion. As the material, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, fiber-reinforced plastic, etc. are suitable. As the processing method, cutting, plastic processing, a method using a 3D printer, etc. can be selected depending on the material.

[0009] Furthermore, it is desirable that the steel pipe support portion fits into the steel pipe to be connected without a gap, and it is appropriate that the shape of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is substantially the same as the shape of the inner hollow portion of the cross section of the steel pipe.

[0010] The shape of the main body can be spherical, regular tetrahedron, square prism, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, etc. Depending on the number of steel pipes to be joined and the joining angles, various shapes can be obtained. However, a square prism or a cube is considered to be the most applicable in many scenarios.

[0011] Also, if there is no step at the joint between the steel pipe and the connecting material when joining square steel pipes, not only is the appearance beautiful, but when placing a plate or the like on the frame formed by joining the steel pipes, the placed object is stable. Therefore, it is desirable that there is no step at the joint between the steel pipe and the connecting material. For this purpose, the step between each surface of the main body part and each surface of the steel pipe support part continuous with that surface is preferably approximately the same as the wall thickness of the square steel pipe joined to the steel pipe connecting material.

[0012] Furthermore, when it is necessary to connect the steel pipes to be joined to each other, if holes are drilled from the surface in the fitting direction of the steel pipe in the steel pipe support part of the main steel pipe connecting material toward the main body part so that the holes communicate with each other, the steel pipes joined to the present connecting material will communicate with each other. Also, even when it is not necessary to connect the steel pipes to be joined to each other, by drilling holes in the steel pipe support part or the main body part, the weight of the connecting material can be reduced.

[0013] The steel pipe connecting material according to the first invention comprises a main body part and a plurality of steel pipe support parts protruding from the main body part. The main body part and the steel pipe support parts are formed from a single mass of material. The shape of the cross-section of the steel pipe support part is substantially congruent with the shape of the inner hollow part of the cross-section of the steel pipe joined by the present steel pipe connecting material, and the steel pipe can be joined to the present steel pipe connecting material by fitting the steel pipe support part into the steel pipe.

[0014] The steel pipe connecting material according to the second invention is the steel pipe connecting material according to the first invention, wherein the shape of the above-mentioned main body part is a square prism, and the steel pipe support parts protrude from 2 to 6 surfaces of the main body part.

[0015] The steel pipe coupling material according to the third invention is the steel pipe coupling material according to the second invention, wherein the shape of the above-mentioned main body portion is a regular hexahedron, the shape of the cross section of the above-mentioned steel pipe support portion is a square, each side of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is parallel to each side of the surface of the main body portion where the steel pipe support portion protrudes, the length of each side of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is shorter than the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion, and the difference between the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion and the length of each side of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is twice the wall thickness of the square steel pipe to be coupled by this steel pipe coupling material, and it is characterized in that no step is formed between the surface of the square steel pipe and the surface of the main body portion continuous with the surface when the square steel pipes are coupled.

[0016] The steel pipe coupling material according to the fourth invention is the steel pipe coupling material according to the second invention, wherein the shape of the cross section of the above-mentioned steel pipe support portion is a rectangle, each side of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is parallel to each side of the surface of the main body portion where the steel pipe support portion protrudes, the length of each side of the cross section of the steel pipe support portion is shorter than the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion, the step between each surface of the main body portion and each surface of the steel pipe support portion continuous with the surface is substantially the same as the wall thickness of the square steel pipe to be coupled by this steel pipe coupling material, and it is characterized in that no step is formed between the surface of the square steel pipe and the surface of the main body portion continuous with the surface when the square steel pipes are coupled.

[0017] The steel pipe coupling material according to the fifth invention is the steel pipe coupling material according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, and is characterized in that the above-mentioned main body portion and the above-mentioned steel pipe support portion are formed by cutting from a block of an integral material.

[0018] The steel pipe coupling material according to the sixth invention is the steel pipe coupling material according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, and is characterized in that holes are drilled from the surface in the fitting direction of each steel pipe of the above-mentioned plurality of steel pipe support portions toward the main body, and the holes communicate with each other.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] The steel pipe coupling material according to the present invention enables a simple coupling operation of steel pipes, and the coupling does not come off even when a relatively large load is applied to the coupled steel pipes. Further, there is provided a steel pipe coupling material in which no step is formed at the coupling portion between the steel pipe and the coupling material when the steel pipe is coupled to the coupling material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described, but it goes without saying that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

Examples

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the steel pipe coupling material according to the present invention. The steel pipe coupling material 1 is composed of a main body portion 2 and three steel pipe support portions 3. In this embodiment, the shape of the main body portion is a regular hexahedron. Each of the steel pipe support portions projects from one surface of the main body portion. The shape of the steel pipe support portion is a regular quadrangular prism. Figure 2 is the front view of this embodiment. The length of one piece of the cross-section of the steel pipe support part 3 is shorter than the length of one piece of each surface of the main body part 2, and the difference between the two is twice the wall thickness of the square steel pipe joined according to this embodiment. Figure 3 shows the state where the square steel pipe 4 is joined to the three steel pipe support parts of this embodiment. There is no step between the surface of the joined square steel pipe 4 and the surface continuous with the surface of the joined square steel pipe of Embodiment 1.

Embodiment

[0023] Figure 4 shows the plan view of another embodiment. In this embodiment, two of the three steel pipe support parts 3 protrude from the opposite surfaces of the main body part. When the square steel pipe of 3 is joined in this embodiment, the overall shape becomes a T shape.

[0024] Both Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 are of the type having three steel pipe support parts. However, when the shape of the main body part is a quadrangular prism, types having four to six steel pipe support parts can also be manufactured. Also, a type having only two steel pipe support parts can be manufactured. Any type can be selected from these types according to the need for steel pipe assembly.

Embodiment

[0025] Figure 5 is the perspective view of still another embodiment. In this embodiment, holes 5 are drilled in the three steel pipe support parts 3 toward the main body part, and these holes communicate with each other in the main body part. This embodiment can be used when it is necessary to communicate the joined steel pipes with each other. Also, this embodiment has the advantage of being lighter than the type without holes.

Embodiment

[0026] Figure 6 is the perspective view of still another embodiment. In this embodiment, the shape of the steel pipe support part 3 is cylindrical, and this embodiment is used for joining circular steel pipes. Also in this embodiment, holes 5 are drilled in the steel pipe support part, and these holes communicate with each other in the main body part. This embodiment can also be used when it is necessary to communicate the joined steel pipes with each other, and has the advantage of being lighter than the type without holes.

Embodiment

[0027] Figure 7 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment. In this embodiment, the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is rectangular and is used to connect rectangular steel pipes with rectangular cross-sections. The main body portion 2 is lightened by having holes 5 drilled therein. Each of the steel pipe support portions 3 has two steel pipe fixing holes 6. The steel pipes to be connected to this steel pipe connecting material also have holes drilled at corresponding positions, and the positions of the holes of both are aligned, and bolts are passed through both holes and tightened with nuts to fix the steel pipes and the steel pipe connecting material.

Industrial Applicability

[0028] The steel pipe connecting material according to the present invention can be used in a wide range, such as the connection of structural steel pipes for scaffolds, the installation of frames on the cargo beds of light trucks, and the fabrication of shelves used indoors.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0029] 1 Steel pipe connecting material 2 Main body portion 3 Steel pipe support portion 4 Steel pipe 5 Hole 6 Steel pipe fixing hole

Claims

1. A steel pipe coupling material, comprising: a main body portion and a plurality of steel pipe support portions protruding from the main body portion, wherein the main body portion and the steel pipe support portions are formed from a single piece of material, and the cross-sectional shape of the steel pipe support portion is substantially the same as the shape of the inner hollow portion of the cross-section of the steel pipe to be coupled by the present steel pipe coupling material, and the steel pipe can be coupled to the present steel pipe coupling material by fitting the steel pipe support portion into the steel pipe. A steel pipe coupling material characterized by the above.

2. The steel pipe coupling material according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the main body portion is a quadrangular prism, and the steel pipe support portions protrude from two to six surfaces of the main body portion. A steel pipe coupling material characterized by the above.

3. The steel pipe coupling material according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the main body portion is a hexahedron, the cross-sectional shape of the steel pipe support portion is a square, each side of the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is parallel to each side of the surface of the main body portion from which the steel pipe support portion protrudes, the length of each side of the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is shorter than the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion, and the difference between the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion and the length of each side of the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is twice the wall thickness of the square steel pipe to be coupled by the present steel pipe coupling material, and no step is formed between the surface of the square steel pipe and the surface of the main body portion continuous with the surface when the square steel pipe is coupled. A steel pipe coupling material for square steel pipes, characterized by the above.

4. The steel pipe coupling material according to claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the steel pipe support portion is a rectangle, each side of the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is parallel to each side of the surface of the main body portion from which the steel pipe support portion protrudes, the length of each side of the cross-section of the steel pipe support portion is shorter than the length of each side of each surface of the main body portion, the step between each surface of the main body portion and each surface of the steel pipe support portion continuous with the surface is substantially the same as the wall thickness of the square steel pipe to be coupled by the steel pipe coupling material, and no step is formed between the surface of the square steel pipe and the surface of the main body portion continuous with the surface when the square steel pipe is coupled. A steel pipe coupling material characterized by the above.

5. The steel pipe coupling material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the main body portion and the steel pipe support portions are formed by cutting from a single piece of material.

6. The steel pipe coupling material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that holes are drilled from the surface of each of the plurality of steel pipe support portions in the fitting direction of the steel pipe towards the main body portion, and the holes communicate with each other.

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