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US 3,967,837 AGranted
High pressure coupling apparatus
AssigneeConstruction Forms, Inc.
InventorsRobert E. Westerlund, Herbert A. Westerlund
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeConstruction Forms, Inc.
InventorsRobert E. Westerlund, Herbert A. Westerlund
Estimating the term…
Concrete pumping conduits are connected by releasable hinged couplers. The ends of the conduits include metal pipes formed with annular grooves including a circular peripheral base and a stepped end wall immediate adjacent the end of the pipe to define a pair of generally parallel and radially extended, inclined sidewalls. The coupler is formed with inwardly projecting legs with the inner walls similarly stepped and defining a pair of generally inclined radial sidewalls offset in accordance with the offset of the grooved siewalls, but slightly less than such spacing. A sealing gasket is located within the base of the cup-shaped recess with a tongue-like ridge projecting between the two end faces of the pipe ends. The first radially outermost sidewalls of the coupler and the radially innermost sidewalls of the groove engage upon closing to provide a mechanical connection. The gasket is collapsed to seal the joints. The inner secondary, coupling sidewalls of the coupler and pipe grooves are spaced slightly from each other in the closed position. If the first sealing walls breakdown or roll over, the secondary sidewalls move into engagement resulting in a continued operable coupling. The gasket is recessed adjacent the ridge to define adjacent chambers with the outer sidewalls to define lips in sealing engagement with the conduit. The peripheral ends of the pipes are chamfered and engaged by the sealing lips.
In combination, a pair of conduit members located in end-to-end coaxial alignment, each of said conduit members including annular circumferential grooves spaced axially inwardly from the aligned ends and having end sidewalls spaced axially inwardly from said ends, an encircling coupling unit encircling the ends of the conduit members and having means to tighten the coupling unit about the conduit members, said coupling unit including laterally spaced side legs projecting generally radially one each into each of said grooves, said coupling legs each having an inner wall adjacent the sidewall of the corresponding groove, said adjacent sidewall and inner wall being formed to define a first pair of clamping walls adapted to move into engagement upon closure of the clamp unit with the legs spaced from the base of the grooves to tightly clamp the conduit members to each other, said inner wall and sidewall including stepped portions defining at least one additional pair of clamping walls axially spaced from said first clamping walls, the axial spacing of said second clamping walls being greater than the axial spacing of the first clamping walls whereby only upon removal of the first clamping walls the second clamping walls move into clamping engagement upon closure of the clamp unit to maintain firm, physical connection between the conduit members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.