Pipe Joint With Interlocking Connector For Vibration Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid transport systems, particularly for larger diameter pipes, face challenges with welded joints that require skilled labor, have health and safety concerns, and are difficult to disconnect for maintenance, while press fit and connector joints are prone to loosening and damage during disconnection.
Innovation Solution
A pipe joint design featuring a conduit with receiving recesses, internal channels for sealing rings, and a connector that fits snugly between grooves on the pipe ends, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without welding, providing a stable and sealable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If welded joints are used for larger diameter pipes, then connection strength and reliability are improved, but skilled labor requirements, health and safety risks, and construction time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The joint system is segmented into separate components: a connector piece with grasping features, a coupling member with engagement features, and sealing elements. This allows the joint to be assembled and disassembled without welding, improving construction speed while maintaining reliability through the interlocking segmented components.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector piece acts as an intermediary component that provides grasping features for tool engagement and transmits forces between pipe sections. This mediator enables controlled assembly and disassembly while maintaining joint integrity, eliminating the need for skilled welding operations.
2Strength
If press fit or welded joints are used, then connection strength is improved, but ease of disconnection for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The joint transitions from a static permanent connection (welded/press fit) to a dynamic reversible connection. The grasping features on the connector piece enable tools to engage and apply forces for controlled disassembly, while the coupling member's engagement features allow repeated assembly and disassembly cycles without damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint is divided into separable components (connector, coupling member, sealing elements) that can be independently removed and reinstalled. This segmentation enables maintenance operations without damaging pipe sections, unlike permanent welded or press-fit joints.
3Ease of operation
If connector with circular cross-section is used, then ease of insertion is improved, but stability against vibration-induced loosening deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connector piece transitions from a symmetric circular cross-section to an asymmetric oval or rectangular cross-section. This asymmetry provides stable facial surfaces for tool grasping and prevents rotation during tightening, eliminating vibration-induced loosening while maintaining ease of insertion through the coupling member's engagement features.
4Manufacturing precision
If end face abutment is used between pipe sections, then positioning accuracy is improved, but fitment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling member acts as an intermediary between pipe sections, providing positioning accuracy through its engagement features while eliminating the need for precise end-face alignment. This mediator absorbs positioning tolerances and enables easy fitment without the difficulties associated with direct end-face abutment.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe joint includes a conduit having two connection ends wherein each connection end comprises: a wall defining a receiving recess for receiving an end of a pipe length; one or more channels on the internal surface of the wall, each channel housing a sealing ring located within the channel; one or more grooves formed to a depth in an internal surface of the wall of the receiving recess; a channel communicating between the groove and an external surface of the connection end, and a connector formed from a length of material which is seatable within the groove via the channel and which is wider than the depth of the groove so that when seated within the groove the connector extends into the receiving recess; first and second pipe lengths to be connected together in the conduit, each pipe length being formed with a groove on its external surface corresponding to the or each groove in the internal surface of the wall of one of the connecting ends, such that the ends of the pipe lengths in the conduit abut each other.