Clam Shell Push-to-Connect Fitting with Integral Release Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing push-to-connect plumbing fittings are complex and costly to manufacture due to the need for expensive tooling and forming processes, and often require a separate tool for conduit removal.
Innovation Solution
A plumbing fitting with a two-piece cylindrical cartridge and integral release ring, made from ductile materials like copper alloys, allows for crimped-over assembly and tool-free conduit disconnection using a clam shell design with semi-cylindrical interlocking halves and a grab ring for sealing and gripping conduits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional push-to-connect fittings use metal grab rings with tines and separate release tools, then the gripping and sealing function is reliable, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cartridge body and release ring into a single integrated component. The release ring is formed as an integral part of the cartridge, eliminating the need for separate release tools and reducing the number of parts. This merging maintains the gripping function through the grab ring while simplifying manufacturing processes and reducing assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated cartridge-release ring assembly serves multiple functions: the cartridge provides structural support and positioning, the grab ring grips the conduit, the release ring enables tool-free removal, and the O-ring provides sealing. By combining these functions into a single component, the invention reduces part count while maintaining all necessary functions, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity without sacrificing reliability.
2Reliability
If push-to-connect fittings use expensive tooling and forming processes, then the connection reliability is maintained, but the product cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the fitting into modular components: a housing, a cartridge-release ring assembly, and an O-ring. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured using simpler, more cost-effective processes. The cartridge and release ring can be formed as a single piece using less expensive forming methods, while the housing provides the structural framework. This modular approach maintains connection reliability through proper component design while reducing overall manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated cartridge-release ring assembly is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than repaired. This approach eliminates the need for expensive tooling and complex forming processes, as the entire assembly can be manufactured more economically and replaced as a unit if needed. The cost of manufacturing is reduced by using simpler processes, and the reliability is maintained through quality control of the manufacturing process rather than through expensive post-manufacturing tooling.
3Ease of operation
If separate removal tools are used for conduit disconnection, then the conduit can be removed, but the operation requires additional tools and time
Solution Approach 1:
The release ring is designed to enable the user to remove the conduit without requiring separate removal tools. The release ring features a lever or button mechanism that, when actuated by the user's finger, releases the grab ring's grip on the conduit. This self-service design allows the fitting to perform its own disconnection function, eliminating the need for external removal tools and reducing the number of tools required while improving ease of operation.
4Reliability
If multiple separate components are used in the fitting assembly, then the sealing and gripping functions are reliable, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the cartridge and release ring into a single integrated assembly, the invention reduces the number of parts that need to be handled and assembled. The cartridge-release ring assembly can be pre-assembled and tested as a unit, then installed into the housing in a single step. This reduces assembly complexity and increases productivity, while the integrated design ensures that the sealing and gripping functions work together reliably without misalignment or assembly errors.
Data Source
AI summary
A plumbing fitting includes a housing defining a socket with an internal annular shoulder for sealably receiving a cartridge. A two-piece cylindrical cartridge has semi-cylindrical interlocking halves that lockably engage a grab ring positioned between the interlocking halves of the cartridge. The grab ring has inwardly projecting annularly spaced tines for gripping and holding a fluid conduit inserted into the housing and cartridge past the grab ring. The cartridge includes a ring seal positioned against the annular shoulder and internal wall of the socket for sealably coupling the cartridge to the socket and sealably coupling a fluid conduit to the cartridge. The cartridge may be held within the housing socket by a crimped-over end. Also, an integral release ring may be coupled to the cartridge, such that a separate tool is unnecessary to disconnect a fluid conduit from the fitting.