Press-Fit Pipe Joint With Interfitting Ridges for Low-Force Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional auger boring methods require time-consuming welding of pipe sections and exert excessive axial forces, making them inefficient and challenging in confined spaces.
Innovation Solution
A press-fit pipe joint system utilizing male and female couplers with interfitting features, such as ridges and ramp surfaces, that allow pipe sections to be joined without welding and with reduced axial forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to join pipe sections in conventional auger boring, then the connection strength is improved, but the installation time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is divided into separate male and female couplers with interfitting features, allowing the pipe sections to be joined by simple insertion rather than welding. The male coupler includes protruding features that fit into corresponding recesses in the female coupler, enabling quick mechanical connection without thermal processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process (thermal-chemical joining) is replaced with a purely mechanical interfitting system. The ramp surfaces and interfitting features provide mechanical engagement and locking, eliminating the need for welders, welding equipment, and associated safety procedures, thereby dramatically reducing installation time.
2Reliability
If conventional welding procedures are used in confined pit spaces, then reliable joints can be achieved, but the operation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is segmented into separate male and female couplers with complementary interfitting features. This segmentation allows the components to be assembled through simple linear insertion movements that are easy to perform in confined spaces, unlike welding which requires precise positioning and access for torches and welders.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of joining pipe ends together directly through welding, the invention inverts the approach by using separate coupler components that interfit. The male coupler with protruding features fits into the female coupler with recesses, reversing the traditional end-to-end joining method and enabling easier assembly in confined areas.
3Strength
If auger boring machines exert high axial forces to push pipe sections together, then the pipe joint can be secured, but the machine's capability is exceeded and the process becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp surfaces are designed with curved geometries that distribute the axial insertion force across a larger contact area and progressively engage the interfitting features. This curved surface design reduces peak forces by allowing gradual deformation and seating of the coupler components during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism incorporates radial interfitting features (protrusions and recesses) that engage perpendicular to the axial direction. This adds a radial dimension to the joining process, allowing mechanical interlocking that secures the joint without requiring excessive axial force, as the radial features provide mechanical locking once engaged.
4Length of moving object
If multiple pipe sections are joined using welding in sequential order, then the casing can be extended to desired length, but the overall productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe system is segmented into standardized sections with matching male and female couplers at each end. This segmentation enables rapid assembly by simply connecting pre-fabricated sections together through their interfitting couplers, eliminating the need for on-site welding of each joint and allowing parallel preparation of multiple sections while one is being installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupler features are pre-formed on the pipe sections during manufacturing, so that when installation is required, the sections can be immediately connected without any additional field preparation or welding setup. The interfitting features are already in place, enabling quick assembly and maintaining continuous boring operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe joint has male and female couplers with interfitting features that join pipe sections together when the male coupler is positioned within the female coupler. The couplers can be separate rings or formed in the ends of lengths of pipe. Typically, a male coupler is at one end of a length of pipe and a female coupler is at the opposite end of the pipe. The interfitting features can include three or more ridges or teeth of a first coupler (a male coupler) and the same number of ridges or teeth of a second coupler (a female coupler) each tooth being positioned in a respective transition region of the coupler. Ramp surfaces of the couplers are positioned at opposite sides of each tooth. The ramp surfaces have respective slopes, and the interfitting features are designed to reduce the forces required to push the couplers together into a locked engagement.