Pre-Assembled Pipe Coupling Assembly for Single-Worker Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is challenging for a single worker to align and secure pipe elements within slip-on pipe couplings efficiently, often requiring multiple workers, which reduces assembly efficiency and increases man-hours in piping systems.
Innovation Solution
A pre-assembled coupling assembly featuring a pipe fitting with a raised lip and groove, where the pipe fitting is inserted into a coupling bore with a gasket, allowing the coupling to be retained on the pipe fitting in a relaxed position, facilitating easier alignment and assembly by preventing accidental disassembly and allowing single-handed operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If slip-on pipe couplings are used to connect pipe elements, then the piping system can be assembled, but it requires multiple workers to align and secure the pipe elements, which reduces assembly efficiency and increases man-hours
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling is pre-assembled onto the pipe fitting before installation, with the gasket already positioned and secured. This preliminary action ensures proper alignment is maintained during the coupling process, eliminating the need for multiple workers to manually align components during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket acts as an intermediary element between the coupling and the pipe fitting. It provides a sealing interface that facilitates easy attachment and detachment while maintaining alignment, allowing single-worker operation without compromising the connection integrity.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple workers are used to assemble pipe couplings, then proper alignment can be achieved, but the man-hours required increase and assembly efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling and gasket are pre-positioned on the pipe fitting during manufacturing, ensuring precise alignment is built-in before installation. This eliminates the need for multiple workers to manually align components on-site, reducing both assembly time and maintaining alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-assembled coupling assembly is designed to be self-aligning during installation. The gasket and coupling geometry guide proper positioning automatically, allowing a single worker to achieve correct alignment without assistance, thereby reducing assembly time while maintaining precision.
3Reliability
If the coupling is designed to be retained on the pipe fitting in a relaxed position, then accidental disassembly is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is designed to elastically deform and grip the pipe fitting automatically when the coupling is assembled. This self-gripping mechanism provides reliable retention without requiring additional locking components or complex fastening systems, maintaining simplicity while preventing accidental disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using mechanical locks or complex retention mechanisms, the design inverts the approach by using the natural elastic properties of the gasket to create retention. The gasket's deformation creates friction and mechanical interlocking that secures the coupling reliably without adding structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for using a pre-assembled coupling assembly, the method including providing a pipe fitting defining an inner end and an outer end, the pipe fitting defining an axis; axially inserting the inner end of the pipe fitting into a gasket, a portion of the pipe fitting within the gasket positioned radially outward from a portion of the gasket; and assembling a housing around the gasket, the housing and the gasket forming a coupling, the coupling retained on the inner end of the pipe fitting when the coupling is in a relaxed position.