Conduit Fitting Stroke Resistance for Repeatable Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conduit fittings, such as flareless fittings, face challenges in maintaining a secure seal and grip over multiple assembly and disassembly cycles, particularly during maintenance activities, as the ferrules may lose their deformation and sealing effectiveness due to repeated tightening and loosening.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a fitting design featuring a stroke resisting member with radially extending recesses that defines a leak detection port, allowing for axial engagement between annular surfaces to resist further stroke and increase tightening torque, ensuring a consistent seal and grip even after multiple remakes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If conventional ferrule fittings are tightened and loosened multiple times for maintenance, then the fitting can be disassembled and reassembled, but the ferrules lose their deformation and sealing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is divided into multiple components: a body, a ferrule, and a stroke resisting member. The stroke resisting member is further segmented with radially extending recesses that create leak detection ports. This segmentation allows the stroke resisting member to independently maintain sealing effectiveness while the ferrule can be loosened and retightened for maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The stroke resisting member is pre-configured with radially extending recesses that define leak detection ports before assembly. This preliminary configuration ensures that the sealing surfaces are properly positioned and that leak detection capability is built-in from the start, preventing sealing degradation during subsequent maintenance cycles.
2Reliability
If the fitting is tightened to ensure a secure seal, then sealing effectiveness improves, but the risk of over-tightening and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stroke resisting member with its radially extending recesses creates a controlled engagement surface that prevents over-tightening. The recesses define leak detection ports that provide feedback on proper tightening, allowing the operator to stop before applying excessive force that could damage the fitting integrity.
3Reliability
If the fitting design includes additional components for stroke resistance, then sealing reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stroke resisting member combines multiple functions into a single component: it provides stroke resistance to maintain sealing consistency, defines leak detection ports through its radially extending recesses, and creates engagement surfaces for the body. This merging reduces the need for separate components while maintaining improved reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stroke resisting member serves multiple purposes: it resists axial stroke to maintain seal position, provides leak detection capability through its recesses, and creates precise engagement surfaces. This multi-functionality achieves reliable sealing without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the reliability of conduit fittings by maintaining a secure seal and grip throughout multiple assembly and disassembly cycles, facilitating effective remakes without compromising the fluid tight connection or requiring additional parts, thus extending the fitting's service life.
Implementation Method 1
a radially outward facing tapered first annular surface of the first fitting component axially engages a radially inward facing tapered second annular surface of the second fitting component
Implementation Method 2
increase tightening torque
Implementation Method 3
the recess defining a leak detection port in fluid communication with the fitting interior volume
Implementation Method 4
a second threaded fitting component that threadably joins with the first fitting component to produce relative axial stroke between the first and second fitting components
Implementation Method 5
a conduit gripping device receivable between the first and second fitting component. When the fitting is pulled-up on a conduit, assembly to this predetermined relative axial position effects a seal between the conduit and a sealing element
Data Source
AI summary
A fitting includes a first threaded fitting component, a second threaded fitting component that threadably joins with the first fitting component to produce relative axial stroke between the first and second fitting components, and a conduit gripping device receivable between the first and second fitting component. When the fitting is pulled-up on a conduit, a radially outward facing tapered first annular surface of the first fitting component axially engages a radially inward facing tapered second annular surface of the second fitting component. At least one of the first and second annular surfaces includes a recess extending from an inner diameter to an outer diameter of the corresponding annular surface, the recess defining a leak detection port in fluid communication with the fitting interior volume when the first annular surface is in axial engagement with the second annular surface.