Pipe Fitting Socket Sealing for Leak-Free Adhesive Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for joining pipes and fittings, such as solvent cementing, welding, and adhesive bonding, require skilled labor and often result in VOC emissions, and existing adhesives are not strong enough for harsh environments, necessitating cumbersome clamps and secondary seals to prevent leakage during bonding agent injection.
Innovation Solution
A pipe fitting with a tubular member and centering device that maintains coaxial alignment, using a removable clamp to ensure uniform bonding agent application and eliminate the need for secondary seals, featuring a design that allows for easy assembly and reusability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive bonding is used to join pipes and fittings, then the connection becomes permanent and eliminates the need for mechanical joints, but the adhesive may not be strong enough to handle harsh environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite joining system that combines adhesive bonding with mechanical reinforcement features. The adhesive provides the primary bonding while the socket and pipe design incorporate reinforcement elements that enhance structural integrity and environmental resistance, creating a composite joint that leverages the benefits of both bonding methods.
2Ease of manufacture
If brush application method is used to apply bonding agent, then the bonding agent can be applied to pipe end and fitting socket, but excess bonding agent may be deposited into piping water-way or drip from socket entrance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a centering device that is pre-installed in the socket to establish proper alignment and define the bonding agent application zone before the actual bonding process. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the bonding agent is contained within the intended area and prevents excess material from entering the water-way or dripping from the socket.
3Ease of manufacture
If brush application method is used to apply bonding agent, then bonding agent can be applied to pipe end and fitting socket, but special attention must be paid to pipe and fitting tolerances and out of roundness
Solution Approach 1:
The centering device acts as an intermediary component that compensates for variations in pipe and fitting tolerances and out-of-roundness. By providing a mechanical reference and alignment system, the centering device ensures proper positioning of the bonding agent regardless of minor dimensional variations in the pipe or fitting components.
4Productivity
If injection application method is used to apply bonding agent, then bonding agent can be injected into socket, but cumbersome clamps and sealing devices are required to prevent leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from separate external components and integrates it directly into the socket structure through the centering device. The centering device incorporates sealing features that prevent bonding agent leakage during injection without requiring external clamps or separate sealing devices, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining injection productivity.
5Reliability
If secondary additional seal is installed at socket bottom to prevent leakage, then bonding agent leakage can be prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the centering function and the sealing function into a single integrated centering device. The centering device simultaneously provides alignment/centering of the pipe and sealing at the socket bottom to prevent bonding agent leakage, eliminating the need for separate secondary seal components and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliable leakage prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe fitting includes a tubular member having first and second sockets, each configured to receive an end of a pipe section such that a gap exists between an outer surface of each pipe section and an inner surface of the sockets. A pair of ports extend through the tubular member in each socket and are in fluid communication with each gap. The first socket includes a first annular sealing member that seals the first gap, and the second socket comprises a second annular sealing member that seals the second gap. The annular sealing members may have quad seal structures. A first retaining member may engage the first socket to retain the first annular sealing member at the open end of the first gap, and a second retaining member may engage the second socket to retain the second annular sealing member at the open end of the second gap.