Unibody hydraulic nut
AssigneeIntegra Technologies, Inc.
InventorsGordon Britton, David Hughes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unibody hydraulic nut for tensioning multiple threaded fasteners includes an unibody containing two or more pistons to generate a clamping load, castellated locking collars with angled vertical castellations to engage a socket with matching castellations to enable easy turning by remotely operated means to capture the clamping load, internal hydraulic ports contained within the unibody linking each piston, seals to maintain the hydraulic pressure within the multiple annular pressure areas and an external hydraulic pressure port extending through the hydraulic nut unibody to the first pressure area and adapted to be connected to an external pressure source
Claims17
A hydraulic nut for tensioning an assembly, said hydraulic nut comprising:
- a. an outer body;
- b. a plurality of inner bodies adapted to be mounted into said outer body, each of said plurality of inner bodies defining an annular pressure area between itself and said outer body;
- c. sealing means located between each of said inner bodies and said outer body, said sealing means being located adjacent to said pressure areas;
- d. a plurality of locking collars adapted to be mounted on each of said inner bodies;
- e. internal hydraulic ports fluidly connecting said pressure areas together;
- f. an external hydraulic pressure port extending through said outer body to at least one of said pressure areas;
- wherein when hydraulic fluid is pumped through said external hydraulic pressure port, said hydraulic fluid travels to each of said pressure areas via said internal hydraulic ports whereby pressurization of each of said pressure areas is effected substantially simultaneously.
A hydraulic nut for tensioning an assembly, said assembly comprising a flange and a plurality of studs, said hydraulic nut comprising:
- a. an outer body;
- b. a plurality of inner bodies adapted to be slindingly mounted into said outer body, each said inner bodies being adapted to receive and mate with said plurality of studs;
- c. a plurality of annular pressure areas, each one of said pressure areas being defined between each one of said inner bodies and said outer body;
- d. sealing means located between each of said inner bodies and said outer body, said sealing means being adapted to seal said pressure areas;
- e. a plurality of locking collars threadedly mounted on each of said inner bodies and located adjacent to said outer body;
- f. internal hydraulic ports fluidly connecting said pressure areas together;
- g. an external hydraulic pressure port extending through said outer body to at least one of said pressure areas;
- wherein when hydraulic fluid is pumped through said external hydraulic pressure port, said hydraulic fluid travels to each of said pressure areas via said internal hydraulic ports whereby tensioning of said plurality of studs is effected substantially simultaneously.
A method to substantially simultaneously tension a plurality of studs comprised in an assembly, said assembly further comprising a first portion and a second portion, said tensioning being effected with a hydraulic nut comprising an outer body, a plurality of inner bodies adapted to be slidingly mounted into said outer body, a plurality of pressure areas defined by each one of said inner bodies and said outer body, a plurality of locking collars threadedly mounted on each of said inner bodies and located adjacent to said outer body, internal pressure ports fluidly connecting said pressure areas together and an external pressure port extending through said outer body to at least one of said pressure areas, said method comprising:
- a. mounting said hydraulic nut on said first portion;
- b. mounting each of said studs through each of said inner bodies and in said first portion and said second portion;
- c. attaching a hydraulic pressure source to said external pressure port;
- d. pumping hydraulic fluid through said external pressure port, said hydraulic fluid traveling to each of said pressure areas via said internal pressure ports;
- e. substantially simultaneously pressurizing each said pressure areas and creating a gap between each of said locking collars and said outer body;
- f. threading down each said locking collars until each of said gaps is closed and until each said locking collars abuts on said outer body;
- g. removing said pressure source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.