Stepped Pipe Fitting for Airtight Different-Diameter Connections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe connection methods, such as welding, require specialized skills and tools, pose fire hazards, and struggle to maintain airtightness and connect pipes with different diameters or varying insertion lengths.
Innovation Solution
A pipe-fitting device with a fitting body having channel portions of different diameters and rotatable fixing nuts, including collets with bending and pressing portions to seal gaps between pipes, allowing easy connection of pipes with different diameters and lengths without welding, using adhesive tape to prevent nut rotation and ensure sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to connect pipes, then connection strength is improved, but specialized skills and tools are required, and fire hazards occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal welding process with a mechanical connection system consisting of a fitting body, fixing nuts, and collets. The fixing nuts are tightened to compress the collets against the pipes, creating a secure mechanical connection that eliminates fire hazards associated with welding while maintaining connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a fitting body as an intermediary component that connects two pipes. The fitting body includes channel portions that receive the pipes and fixing nuts that secure them, serving as a mediator that achieves strong connection without direct welding between pipes, thereby eliminating fire risks.
2Productivity
If a fitting device is used to connect pipes quickly, then working time is reduced, but airtightness between pipes is difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different surface conditions in different parts of the fitting body. The inner surfaces of the channel portions are designed with specific roughness or features to enhance sealing, while other parts maintain smooth surfaces for easy pipe insertion. This localized surface treatment ensures airtightness at critical sealing points without compromising the overall quick-connection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces packing material as an intermediary sealing element between the fitting body and the pipes. The packing is compressed by the collets when the fixing nuts are tightened, creating an airtight seal that prevents leakage while maintaining the quick-connection advantage of the fitting device.
3Adaptability or versatility
If pipes with different diameters are connected, then adaptability is improved, but connection difficulty increases due to gaps or overlaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by designing the fitting body with multiple channel portions having different inner diameters. This allows a single fitting body to connect pipes of various diameters by selecting the appropriate channel portion, eliminating the need for different fitting types for different pipe sizes and simplifying the connection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating different dimensional characteristics in different parts of the fitting body. The channel portions have specifically designed inner diameters that match different pipe outer diameters, allowing each channel portion to provide a precise fit for its corresponding pipe size, thereby eliminating gaps and overlaps that would make connection difficult.
4Adaptability or versatility
If pipes with different insertion lengths are connected, then adaptability is improved, but connection precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by designing the fitting body to accommodate pipes of different insertion lengths. The channel portions are designed with sufficient length and appropriate taper angles to guide and secure pipes regardless of their insertion depth, allowing the same fitting body to handle various pipe lengths without requiring precise insertion control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies curvature through tapered inclined surfaces in the channel portions. These tapered surfaces guide the pipes into the fitting body at an angle, creating a gradual transition that accommodates different insertion lengths and maintains proper alignment, thereby preserving connection precision even when pipe lengths vary.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe-fitting device capable of easily connecting pipes having different diameters includes a fitting body and a pair of fixing nuts. The fitting body includes a first channel portion having a first inner diameter formed in a first inner side of the fitting body, a second channel portion having a second inner diameter formed in a second inner side of the fitting body, the second inner diameter being smaller than the first inner diameter such that a step is formed inside the fitting body at the boundary between the first channel portion and the second channel portion. Each fixing nut is rotatably coupled to a corresponding open end of the fitting body and configured to fix the corresponding one of the first pipe and the second pipe through rotational tightening.