Swivel Misalignment Coupling for High-Pressure Conduit Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional misalignment couplings for high-strength and high-pressure conduits are bulky, heavy, and difficult to assemble, making them unsuitable for systems requiring compact, lightweight, and easily assembled connections, especially in applications where precise alignment is challenging, such as in truck-mounted fluid processing systems.
Innovation Solution
The use of three-bolt swiveling misalignment connectors that allow conduit sections to be securely connected despite misalignment, featuring a swiveling collar and spherical contact surfaces with a seal ring for leak-free seals, and a design with fewer bolts for reduced weight and easier assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional misalignment couplings are used to connect high-strength and high-pressure conduits, then reliable sealing and high-pressure performance are achieved, but the coupling becomes bulky, heavy, and difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is divided into separate components: a first coupling member with a first flange, a second coupling member with a second flange, and a seal assembly. These segmented components can be assembled independently and connected through bolt holes, simplifying the assembly process while maintaining sealing reliability through the dedicated seal assembly with radial and axial seals.
Solution Approach 2:
A misalignment collar acts as an intermediary component between the two coupling members. This collar accommodates angular misalignment between conduit sections while the seal assembly provides the sealing function. The intermediary collar with its spherical contact surfaces allows the coupling to handle misalignment without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms, reducing assembly difficulty.
2Reliability
If conventional misalignment couplings are used to ensure proper sealing, then leak-free connections are achieved, but the coupling becomes bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented into a dedicated seal assembly that can be optimized independently from the structural coupling members. This seal assembly includes radial seals and axial seals that are specifically designed for sealing, allowing the coupling members to be minimized in size and weight while maintaining reliable sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal assembly uses flexible sealing elements including radial seals that can deform to accommodate misalignment and axial seals that provide additional sealing. These flexible sealing components achieve leak-free connections without requiring bulky rigid sealing structures, reducing the overall weight of the coupling assembly.
3Strength
If conventional misalignment couplings with multiple bolts are used, then high-strength connection is achieved, but the coupling becomes difficult to assemble and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The connection function is segmented between the misalignment collar that handles alignment and the bolt assembly that provides structural strength. The collar with its spherical contact surfaces pre-aligns the connection, allowing bolts to be installed with less precision requirement. This segmentation maintains connection strength while significantly improving assembly ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The misalignment collar performs preliminary alignment action before the bolts are fully tightened. The spherical contact surfaces guide the coupling members into proper alignment, and the collar accommodates angular misalignment. This preliminary alignment action reduces the precision required during bolt installation, making assembly easier while maintaining connection strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A swivel misalignment coupling for connecting pipe sections in a high-pressure conduit. In one embodiment, the coupling is a three-bolt coupling having a female coupling member, a male coupling member, and a swiveling collar member. The male and female coupling members have contact surfaces that are spherical to enable sealing contact between them. A seal ring may be positioned between the contact surfaces to ensure a good seal. The collar swivels around the male coupling member to facilitate fastening of the collar to the female coupling member, which holds the male and female coupling members in sealing engagement. Recesses may be positioned radially inward from the attachment points (e.g., bolt holes) of the female coupling member to reduce stress and potential deformation of the contact surface.