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US 12,510,194 B2Granted
Mechanical joint restraint
AssigneeMueller International, LLC
InventorsAurelian Ioan Furcoiu, David Edward Woollums
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanical joint restraint can include a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket including: a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end; a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height; a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition; and a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
Claims25
A mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end, wherein the main body is a sealing band;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a pipe collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the first gasket end;
- and
- a ring collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the second gasket end;
- a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition;
- and
- a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
6 more elements
A mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end, wherein the main body is a sealing band;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a pipe collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the first gasket end and defining a pipe collar thickness;
- and
- a ring collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the second gasket end and defining a ring collar thickness;
- wherein two or more of the pipe collar thickness, the ring collar thickness, and a stop lip thickness of the first stop lip are equal;
- a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition;
- and
- a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
7 more elements
A mechanical joint comprising:
- a piping element comprising a flange and defining a socket;
- a pipe length positioned inside the socket;
- and
- a mechanical joint restraint securing the pipe length to the piping element, the mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the first gasket end extending axially past a terminal first end of the pipe length, the second gasket end positioned distal from the first end of the pipe length relative to the first gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end, wherein the main body is a sealing band;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from a remaining portion of the gasket with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a pipe collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the sealing band towards the first gasket end and configured to directly contact an outer surface of the pipe length upon assembly with the pipe length;
- and
- a ring collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the sealing band towards the second gasket end, a sealing band thickness of the sealing band being greater than a thickness of the pipe collar or a thickness of the ring collar;
- each of the sealing band thickness, the thickness of the pipe collar, and the thickness of the ring collar measured in a radial direction relative to the axis of the gasket;
- and
- a gland defining a bore defining an axis and positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end.
10 more elements
A mechanical joint comprising:
- a piping element comprising a flange and defining a socket;
- a pipe length positioned inside the socket;
- and
- a mechanical joint restraint securing the pipe length to the piping element, the mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the first gasket end extending axially past a terminal first end of the pipe length, the second gasket end positioned distal from the first end of the pipe length relative to the first gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from a remaining portion of the gasket with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a pipe collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the first gasket end;
- and
- a ring collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the main body towards the second gasket end;
- and
- a gland defining a bore defining an axis and positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end.
9 more elements
A mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket further defining a ring groove, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end, the ring groove defining a relieved area in a surface of the main body;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition;
- and
- a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
3 more elements
A mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- and
- a second stop lip extending radially outward from a remaining portion of the gasket with respect to the axis of the gasket, the second stop lip defining a second lip height;
- a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition;
- and
- a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
5 more elements
A mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece, elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end;
- and
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from the main body with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- a gland positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end with the mechanical joint restraint in an assembled condition, the gland defining:
- a first plurality of fastener holes configured to align with a first plurality of mounting openings defining a first pattern in a first piping element;
- and
- a second plurality of fastener holes configured to further align with a second plurality of mounting openings defining a second pattern in a second piping element, the second pattern different from the first pattern, the gland interchangeably usable with either the first piping element or the second piping element;
- and
- a gripping ring positioned adjacent to at least one of the gasket and the gland.
7 more elements
A mechanical joint comprising:
- a piping element comprising a flange and defining a socket;
- a pipe length positioned inside the socket;
- and
- a mechanical joint restraint securing the pipe length to the piping element, the mechanical joint restraint comprising:
- a one-piece elastic gasket defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a bore, the bore defining an axis therethrough, the gasket defining a first gasket end and a second gasket end, the first gasket end extending axially past a terminal first end of the pipe length, the second gasket end positioned distal from the first end of the pipe length relative to the first gasket end, the gasket comprising:
- a main body positioned between the first gasket end and the second gasket end, wherein the main body is a sealing band;
- a first stop lip extending radially inward from a remaining portion of the gasket with respect to the axis of the gasket, the first stop lip defining a first lip height;
- and
- at least one of:
- a) a pipe collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the sealing band towards the first gasket end and configured to directly contact an outer surface of the pipe length upon assembly with the pipe length;
- and
- b) a ring collar extending in an axial direction of the gasket from the sealing band towards the second gasket end, a sealing band thickness of the sealing band being greater than a thickness of the pipe collar or the thickness of the ring collar;
- each of the sealing band thickness, the thickness of the pipe collar, and the thickness of the ring collar measured in a radial direction relative to the axis of the gasket;
- and
- a gland defining a bore defining an axis and positioned axially outward from the main body of the gasket with respect to the first gasket end, a surface of the flange and a surface of the gland configured to face each other and receive a portion of the gasket therebetween.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.