Pipe-to-Hose Transition Assembly for Inspectable Welded Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for joining a pipe and a flexible hose using welds face challenges such as obscured internal welds, difficulty in visual inspection, and potential leaks due to manual welding processes, which can lead to deformation and cracking, necessitating complex inspection methods and potential scrapping of the assembly.
Innovation Solution
A transition assembly with complementary pipe and hose ends and an inner surface defining a passage, allowing for independent and spaced connections between the hose and pipe, enabling visual inspection and automatic welding without deforming the hose layers, and facilitating repair and replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual welding is used to join pipe and hose, then the joint can be formed, but the internal weld becomes obscured and difficult to inspect
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is divided into two separate welding operations: an internal weld joining the hose to the internal weldment, and an external weld joining the pipe to the external weldment. This segmentation allows each weld to be independently formed and inspected, with the internal weld remaining accessible for nondestructive testing without being obscured by the external weld.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition assembly acts as an intermediary component between the pipe and hose, providing separate internal and external weldments that facilitate independent welding and inspection. The transition assembly structure allows the internal weld to be formed and inspected before the external weld is applied, resolving the inspection difficulty.
2Productivity
If automatic welding with clamping is used, then welding speed increases, but the thin hose layers may be deformed or perforated
Solution Approach 1:
The welding process is segmented into internal and external operations, allowing the hose to be joined to the internal weldment first without requiring clamping of the thin hose layers. This eliminates the deformation risk while maintaining productivity through subsequent automated external welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition assembly serves as a mediator that receives the hose connection internally, eliminating the need for external clamps that would deform the thin hose layers. The transition assembly structure allows automated welding processes to be applied without direct clamping of the hose.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual welding is used to accommodate irregular hose boundaries, then welding flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex joint geometry is segmented into standardized internal and external weldments with regular boundaries. This allows each weldment to be manufactured using simpler, more consistent processes while still accommodating the overall irregular hose boundary through the transition assembly design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition assembly parameters (dimensions, geometries) are optimized to accommodate irregular hose boundaries while maintaining manufacturability. By adjusting transition assembly parameters rather than welding process parameters, the solution reduces manufacturing complexity while preserving adaptability.
4Shape
If sharp edges are formed in the joint, then structural definition is achieved, but crack propagation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transition assembly incorporates rounded corners and curved transitions instead of sharp edges at critical stress concentration points. This curvature eliminates crack initiation sites while maintaining clear structural definition and joint geometry necessary for functional performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of connecting a pipe and a hose includes providing a transition assembly including a hose end, a pipe end opposite the hose end, and an inner surface defining a transition assembly passage extending through the transition assembly from the hose end to the pipe end, engaging the hose end of the transition assembly with the hose such that a first connection is formed between the transition assembly and the hose, and engaging the pipe end of the transition assembly with the pipe such that a second connection between the transition assembly and the pipe is formed. The second connection is spaced an axial distance from the first connection.