Pipe Gland Assembly With Segmented Grippers for Positive Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical joint pipe connections lack a positive retention mechanism, leading to potential seal failure and pipe deformation under high tension forces, and the manufacturing of glands often requires costly cores that are prone to damage and have limited lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A gland assembly with a joint restraint assembly featuring a gripper and spring mechanism that engages the pipe's outer surface to prevent removal, combined with a core-less manufacturing process for the gland, eliminating the need for expensive cores and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a joint restraint mechanism is incorporated to provide positive retention, then reliability is improved, but the plain end of the pipe length is subjected to high stresses leading to deformation and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The joint restraint mechanism is divided into multiple independent grippers (typically three) distributed around the pipe circumference. Each gripper independently engages the pipe surface, distributing the retention forces across multiple contact points rather than concentrating stress at a single location. This segmentation allows the mechanism to provide positive retention while reducing peak stresses on the pipe material.
Solution Approach 2:
The grippers are designed with localized engagement features that contact only specific portions of the pipe outer surface. The engagement geometry is optimized to distribute loads across larger surface areas of the pipe, reducing point stresses. The local contact geometry and material properties are tailored to achieve high friction coefficients without requiring excessive clamping forces, thereby preventing pipe deformation and cracking while maintaining reliable retention.
2Manufacturing precision
If cores are used in the casting process to produce internal cavities, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and cores have limited lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The core is completely removed from the casting process. Instead of using a physical core to create the internal cavity, the gland is designed with a split or segmented structure that allows the mold to open and form the internal cavity directly during the molding process. This extraction of the core eliminates all associated costs and complexities while maintaining precise internal geometry through controlled mold design and opening sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold design incorporates preliminary action features such as collapsible cores or movable mold sections that prepare the forming cavity structure before the actual casting injection. This allows the internal geometry to be pre-positioned and maintained throughout the casting process without requiring a separate physical core, achieving both precision and cost-effectiveness.
3Manufacturing precision
If cores are used in the casting process, then internal cavities can be produced, but material usage increases and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the core from the process entirely, the patent eliminates the material that would constitute the core itself. Additionally, the core-less molding approach allows for more efficient material distribution in the final cast product, reducing voids and excess material that would be required to accommodate and remove the core. This results in both direct and indirect reductions in material consumption and waste.
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 secure pipe connection resistant to high tension forces and environmental contamination, while reducing manufacturing costs and material waste by eliminating the need for cores.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to engage the gripper and bias the gripper towards engagement with the pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A gland assembly and a method for using a gland assembly are disclosed. The gland assembly can comprise a gland, the gland defining a gland bore; a joint restraint assembly comprising; a restraint base formed on the gland; a gripper disposed within the restraint base; and a spring comprising a retention tab and an engagement leg, the engagement leg configured to engage the gripper; and a gasket defining a recess, the retention tab configured to engage the recess.