Grooved Pipe Joint With Flexible Anchoring for Fast High-Pressure Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe joints for fluid transport systems, particularly those used in large diameter pipelines, are costly, time-consuming to construct and maintain, and prone to wear and failure under high internal pressures due to their design, which often requires skilled labor and is not easily reusable or disassemblable without causing damage.
Innovation Solution
A pipe joint system utilizing an elongate flexible anchoring element with multiple anchoring portions and a bridging portion, inserted into strategically placed grooves or channels on the pipe sections, allowing for axial immobility and load distribution, enabling quick assembly, efficient disassembly, and reduced wear on joint components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welded joints are used for large diameter pipes, then joint strength is improved, but construction time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The jointing system is divided into separate modular components: a jointing device with clamping mechanisms, elongate anchoring elements, and groove features in the pipe ends. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured and assembled quickly without requiring complex welding procedures, thereby reducing construction time while maintaining joint strength through the distributed anchoring system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal welding process with a mechanical anchoring system. Instead of using heat and skilled welding operations, the system uses mechanically inserted anchoring elements that engage with grooves in the pipe ends, secured by clamping mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming welding process while providing adequate mechanical strength for large diameter pipes.
2Ease of manufacture
If press-fit or screw-fit joints are used, then assembly is simplified, but joint strength and reliability are insufficient for large diameter pipes
Solution Approach 1:
The jointing system uses multiple discrete anchoring elements distributed along the length of the joint, each providing localized mechanical interlocking. This segmented approach distributes the load across multiple points rather than relying on a single press-fit or screw connection, thereby achieving both assembly simplicity and adequate joint strength for large diameter pipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from simple axial insertion (press-fit) to a three-dimensional anchoring mechanism where elongate anchoring elements engage with grooves at multiple positions along the pipe ends. This dimensional enhancement provides mechanical interlocking in radial and axial directions simultaneously, achieving reliable joint strength while maintaining ease of assembly.
3Device complexity
If single groove anchoring is used, then jointing is simple, but wear occurs under high pressure leading to joint failure
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring system is segmented into multiple discrete anchoring elements positioned at different locations along the joint, rather than relying on a single groove. This segmentation distributes the mechanical and wear loads across multiple contact points, preventing the concentrated wear that leads to joint failure under high pressure while maintaining relatively simple jointing procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the joint have specialized features: grooves are positioned at specific locations to optimize load distribution, and anchoring elements have varied cross-sectional shapes tailored to their specific engagement requirements. This local optimization ensures that each anchoring point is designed for its specific loading conditions, enhancing overall reliability under high pressure while keeping the overall system relatively simple.
4Reliability
If thicker pipe walls are used to prevent wear, then joint durability is improved, but fluid-carrying capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wear protection function is segmented from the pipe wall structure and transferred to external anchoring elements that engage with grooves on the pipe surface. This allows the pipe walls to maintain their original thickness and fluid-carrying capacity while the distributed anchoring system provides the enhanced durability needed to resist wear under high pressure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchoring elements act as intermediary components between the pipe walls and the jointing mechanism. These intermediaries absorb the wear and mechanical stresses, protecting the pipe walls from direct contact and wear. This allows the use of thinner pipe walls that maintain adequate fluid-carrying capacity while the anchoring intermediaries provide the necessary durability.
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
The solution provides a cost-effective, efficient, and reusable pipe joint that reduces axial loading on components, minimizing wear and maintenance costs while maintaining the integrity of the pipe sections, and can be easily disassembled without causing damage.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate flexible anchoring element comprising a plurality of anchoring portions axially spaced apart from one another and joined by a bridging portion therebetween, the anchoring and bridging portions being configured such that each anchoring portion is placeable in a respective one of the said second grooves or channels... whereby upon said insertion and seating of the anchoring element into and between the in-register or aligned at least one first groove or channel and the plurality of second grooves or channels... the first and second conduit sections are united so as to be axially substantially immovable relative to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe joint for joining pipe sections via a receiving recess at one end of the first pipe section including a first groove formed in an internal wall of the receiving recess and accessible via a transverse insertion passage, a plurality of axially spaced-apart second grooves formed in an external wall of a connection end of the second pipe section, and an elongate flexible anchoring strip including a plurality of axially spaced-apart anchoring portions placeable in respective ones of the second grooves, wherein, once the first and plurality of second grooves have been brought into alignment upon insertion of the connection end of the second pipe section into the receiving recess, the anchoring strip is inserted from outside the first pipe section into the first groove and plurality of second grooves so as to be seated therein, thereby uniting and axially locking together the first and second pipe sections.