Preassembled Pipe Fitting With Rotating Housing For Quick Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe fittings require disassembly and reassembly during installation, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, involving multiple pieces and steps.
Innovation Solution
The design of fittings with first and second housing portions that are attached via adjustable fasteners, allowing for angularly oriented surfaces to slide and rotate, enabling pipe elements to be connected without full disassembly, with a sealing element and fluid path between the housing portions for a fluid-tight joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If fittings are designed with bolted housing portions requiring disassembly and reassembly during installation, then the fitting can be securely assembled with adjustable fasteners, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The housing portions are pre-assembled with adjustable fasteners, sealing elements, and tube during manufacturing, creating an 'installation ready' configuration. This preliminary assembly eliminates the need for technicians to disassemble and reassemble multiple components during installation, reducing installation time while maintaining the secure adjustable fastener connection.
2Device complexity
If fittings require multiple pieces and sequential assembly steps, then the fitting can be properly configured with housing portions, sealing elements, and tube, but the installation process becomes complex and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple components including housing portions, sealing elements, and tube are merged into a single pre-assembled fitting unit. This consolidation maintains the functional complexity of multiple components while simplifying the installation operation to a single placement and tightening action, eliminating the need for sequential assembly steps.
3Strength
If housing portions are bolted together securely, then the fitting provides mechanical restraint under high pressure, but the connection members and fasteners increase the number of parts to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The connection members (lugs) and adjustable fasteners are integrated as permanent components of the pre-assembled housing portions. This merging reduces the number of separate parts the technician must handle during installation, while the adjustable fasteners maintain the strong mechanical restraint capability under high pressure thrust and external forces.
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
This approach reduces installation time and effort by allowing pipe elements to be connected in an 'installation ready' configuration, eliminating the need for full disassembly and reassembly, while providing a rigid and fluid-tight joint.
Implementation Method 1
The first and second angularly oriented surfaces are in facing relation and slide over one another when the fasteners are tightened to bring the first and second angularly oriented surfaces in contact
Data Source
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AI summary
A fitting (10) for joining pipe elements together includes housing portions (12, 14) held preassembled in spaced apart relation to permit pipe elements to be inserted without disassembly of the fitting. Elbow and tee fittings include sealing elements (64, 66) which support the housing portions (12, 14) in spaced relation. Angled surfaces (74, 76) on each housing portion (12, 14) interact with one another to rotate the housing portions (12, 14) in opposite directions to form a rigid joint between the fitting (10) and the pipe elements.