Rod clamp particularly useful as pipe coupling

Abstract

A rod clamp particularly useful as a pipe coupling includes at least two coaxial members with aligned bores adapted to receive the pipe to be coupled, each member having an annular shoulder at least one of which is eccentric such that the members can be rotated with respect to the other to either clamp or release the pipe. In one described embodiment, the two coaxial members are a housing and an end cap, respectively. In a second described embodiment, the coaxial members are a plurality of clamping rings having eccentric openings which are receivable within a housing and are rotated by the housing end cap, the clamping rings being coupled to each other by lost-motion connections such that the more the housing end cap is rotated, the greater the number of clamping rings that become effective to clamp the pipe. A third described embodiment is similar to the first one, except that it includes a clamping ring formed with an eccentric annular shoulder between the housing and end cap and coupled to rotate with the latter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.