Replaceable union nut
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsKeith R. Grimes, Nuri N. Bracey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two-piece replaceable union nut for repairs on shipboard high pressure air systems. The replacement union nut is employed when an existing union nut has failed (i.e. cracked or broken) or has been identified as sub-standard due to material type or some other shortcoming, but the piping, tailpiece and thread piece are still in satisfactory condition. The two pieces fit around the pipe and mate using machined notches to form a complete union nut that is constrained in all directions and dimensionally equivalent to a standard union nut. The two-piece union nut facilitates replacement of a union nut in service without the need for cutting piping and reattaching the accompanying tailpiece, and testing the system as conventionally required.
Claims8
A replaceable, two-piece union nut for repairing a pipe comprising:
- a top half comprising:
- a partial hexagonal outer surface;
- a partial cylindrical inner surface;
- a first flat end with a cutout portion;
- and
- a second end, opposite the first flat end, with notches;
- and
- a bottom half comprising:
- a partial hexagonal outer surface;
- a partial cylindrical inner surface;
- a first end with notches;
- and
- a second flat end, opposite the first end, with a cutout portion,
- wherein when the top half and the bottom half are combined, the two-piece union nut is constrained in all directions except upwards from the top half, and wherein the notches on the second end of the top half mate with the notches on the first end of the bottom half and fill the cutout portion of the first flat end of the top half and the cutout portion of the second flat end of the bottom half to form a complete union nut, with a cylindrical inner surface having internal threads in the form of a continuous helix for tightening the union nut onto a thread piece, and wherein the complete union nut accommodates a tailpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.