Gripping Device for Pipe Stub Orientation Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pipe stubs often free fall or become misaligned when passing through holes in structures due to off-axis forces during installation, as existing solutions fail to securely maintain the desired orientation and stability.
Innovation Solution
A gripping device with a sleeve and flange design that automatically grips the pipe as it passes through a hole, maintaining the pipe's orientation and supporting its weight, using a cantilevered gripping feature that creates a friction hold to prevent misalignment and free fall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional clamps or brackets are used to hold the pipe stub, then the pipe can be supported during installation, but the pipe will free fall or become misaligned when dropped into the hole due to off-axis forces
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping feature is designed to be movable relative to the pipe, allowing it to dynamically adjust and conform to the pipe's outer surface. This dynamic adaptation enables the gripper to maintain a secure grip while accommodating variations in pipe diameter and surface characteristics, preventing both free fall and misalignment during installation
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping feature automatically engages with the pipe through friction-based contact as the pipe is inserted into the sleeve. The system is self-adjusting, where the grip force naturally develops in response to the pipe's weight and any applied off-axis forces, eliminating the need for manual adjustment or complex mechanical fastening mechanisms
2Extent of automation
If the gripping feature is located internally within the internal passage, then it can automatically grip the piping as it passes through, but the effective diameter must be less than the internal passage diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping feature is positioned at a specific location within the sleeve's internal passage, creating a localized friction zone. This localized approach allows the majority of the sleeve interior to remain smooth and simple, while only the specific gripping region has the necessary complexity to engage the pipe automatically through friction-based contact
3Ease of manufacture
If the pipe stub is allowed to extend freely through the hole, then installation is simple, but the pipe cannot maintain the desired perpendicular orientation to the structure
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve acts as an intermediary component between the pipe and the structural opening. It provides a guided pathway that maintains the desired perpendicular orientation while allowing the pipe to pass through freely. The sleeve's fixed position in the opening and its cylindrical geometry ensure accurate alignment without requiring complex installation procedures
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 device effectively secures and maintains the pipe's orientation, allowing for easy installation and bending without undue effort, while preventing misalignment and free fall, even under off-axis forces, across various materials and sizes of pipes.
Implementation Method 1
The gripping feature is cantilevered toward the central axis of the sleeve portion to define an effective diameter that is less than the diameter of the internal passage
Data Source
AI summary
Gripping devices and methods for accommodating a piping (e.g., a pipe stub) having a predetermined size, automatically gripping the piping as the piping is pushed through the gripping device, supporting and securing the piping at a predetermined orientation (e.g., perpendicular) to a through-structure as the piping passes through a hole in the through-structure, and thereafter maintaining the piping at the predetermined orientation.