Pipe Fitting with Spring Section and Elastomeric Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Underground pipes face stress and damage due to ground movements, leading to cracking and leakage, with existing swivel and expansion joints being expensive and not suitable for stable ground conditions, and conventional joints failing under stress.
Innovation Solution
A pipe fitting with a non-helical spring configuration and an elastomeric sleeve, allowing for angular and rotational deformation without failure, and integrally formed during injection moulding, providing a cost-effective solution for stress relief in pipe connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pipe joints are used, then the pipe assembly is simple and cost-effective, but the joints fail under ground movement stresses leading to cracking and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe fitting incorporates a dynamic spring section that allows relative movement between pipe sections while maintaining the seal. The spring configuration enables the joint to deform elastically under ground movement stresses, accommodating expansion, compression, rotation, and bending without failing, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability under stress and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric sleeve acts as a flexible sealing element that can deform with the spring section while maintaining the seal between pipe sections. This flexible component allows the joint to accommodate ground movements without cracking or leakage, improving reliability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
2Reliability
If swivel and expansion joints are used, then the pipe assembly can accommodate ground movement, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the pipe fitting by incorporating a spring section with specific geometric configurations (loop sections, radial/longitudinal orientations) that provide the necessary movement accommodation. This allows conventional-looking fittings to achieve expansion joint functionality at lower cost by optimizing the spring geometry rather than using complex mechanical expansion joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe fitting combines rigid pipe materials with a flexible elastomeric sleeve and spring configuration, creating a composite structure that provides both structural integrity and flexibility. This composite approach enables stress tolerance comparable to expensive expansion joints while using more cost-effective materials and simpler construction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If corrugated flexible pipes are used, then the pipe can accommodate movement, but the interior surface traps sediment and interferes with fluid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe fitting is segmented into distinct functional zones: rigid pipe sections for structural integrity and smooth fluid flow, and a flexible spring section with elastomeric sleeve for movement accommodation. This segmentation allows the flexible components to handle ground movements while the rigid smooth-bore pipe sections maintain unobstructed fluid flow and prevent sediment trapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric sleeve provides the necessary flexibility for movement accommodation while maintaining a smooth interior surface that does not trap sediment. The flexible shell deforms to accommodate ground movements but returns to its original smooth configuration, preventing the flow interference and sediment accumulation associated with corrugated pipes.
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 pipe fitting effectively tolerates expansion, compression, rotation, and bending forces, preventing damage and leakage, and can be used in various applications, including underground systems, offering a cost-effective alternative to conventional joints.
Implementation Method 1
The spring section enables the pipe fitting to tolerate stresses that may include expansion, compression, rotation and bending
Implementation Method 2
an elastomeric sleeve that seals the slots in the spring configuration
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A pipe fitting (40) for coupling pipes together, the pipe fitting (40) having a body (10) with at least two substantially cylindrical rigid open ends (12, 14), each end for joining to an end of a pipe,a section (30) intermediate two of the substantially rigid open ends that has a spring configuration defined by at least one slot and at least one spring member; and a sleeve (30) surrounding the spring section, wherein the sleeve is formed from an elastomeric material that fluidly seals the slot(s) in the spring section.