Torque Style Union for Joining Conduit and Tool for Use Therewith

In combination, a torque operable union nut and spanner wrench, the combination comprising:

• a union nut body having an upper peripheral planar face, a lower peripheral planar face and a circumferential side wall connecting the upper and lower planar faces, and wherein the circumferential side wall has a series of protuberances extending outwardly therefrom which define at least two circumferentially spaced wrench receiving formations;
• each of said wrench receiving formations comprising a generally arcuate slot portion which communicates with a transverse opening portion of the formation, each of the slot portions of the receiving formations forming a pair of oppositely arranged, circumferentially spaced nooks formed at opposite ends of each slot, the slot portions and transverse opening portions of the formations further forming a series of circumferentially extending T-shaped beam members when viewed in a plan view;
• and
• a spanner wrench, the spanner wrench having wrench body having a generally arcuate outer periphery and an interior bridge regions, the bridge region terminating at either of two opposite ends with an engagement tang for engaging the wrench receiving formations in the union nut body.

A method of tightening a torque operable union nut, the method comprising the steps of:

• a union nut body having an upper peripheral planar face, a lower peripheral planar face and a circumferential side wall connecting the upper and lower planar faces, and wherein the circumferential side wall has a series of protuberances extending outwardly therefrom which define at least two circumferentially spaced wrench receiving formations;
• wherein each of said wrench receiving formations comprises a generally arcuate slot portion which communicates with a transverse opening portion of the formation, each of the slot portions of the receiving formations forming a pair of oppositely arranged, circumferentially spaced nooks formed at opposite ends of each slot, the slot portions and transverse opening portions of the formations further funning a series of circumferentially extending T-shaped beam members when viewed in a plan view;
• threadedly engaging the union nut with one of a respective pair of pipe components to be joined in a pipeline, whereby rotating the union nut tightens the pipeline connection;
• providing a spanner wrench for tightening the union nut, the spanner wrench having a wrench body with a curved outer periphery and an interior bridge region, the bridge region terminating at either of two opposite ends with an engagement tang for engaging the wrench receiving formations in the union nut body, the spanner wrench body having an upper planar surface, a lower planar surface and a thickness therebetween, and wherein a polygonally shaped opening communicates the upper and lower planar surfaces;
• engaging a suitable torque wrench with the polygonally shaped opening in the spanner wrench body and applying torque to the spanner wrench and, in turn, to the union nut body to turn the union nut body and tighten the union nut.