Pipe connectors
AssigneesHunting Oilfield Services (UK) Limited, Kawasaki Steel Corporation
InventorsGeoffrey C. Dearden, Donald N. Jones, Katsuo Ueno
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe connector comprises an internally threaded female member and an externally threaded male member for threaded engagement in the female member. When the members are fully engaged together, an axially and radially directed surface at the free end of one of the members, e.g. the male member, is abutted against a corresponding surface on the other member, e.g. the female member. The surface comprises radially inwardly and outwardly curved surface portions which are relatively dimensioned to be a radial force fit such as to cause deflection of the end portion of the free end of the male member away from the female member as the members are brought into full engagement to bring the surfaces into full engagement.
Claims4
A pipe connector comprising a female member having an internal circumferential surface provided with a thread and a male member having an external circumferential surface corresponding to the internal circumferential surface of the female member, to be received within the female member and provided with a thread for engagement with the thread of the female member, one of said members being provided at the free end with a first generally radially directed annular surface and a second generally axially directed annular surface, and the other of said members being provided with a first annular surface and a second annular surface which make abutting sealing contact with said first and second annular surfaces of the one member, respectively, when the members are fully engaged together, wherein said members are provided with third annular surfaces, respectively, which are located between said first and second annular surfaces and smoothly connect these first and second annular surfaces, radii of curvature of the first and second annular surfaces of the other of the members being larger than radii of curvature of the first and second annular surfaces of the one of the members, diameters of the first and second annular surfaces of the other of the members being smaller than diameters of the first and second annular surfaces of the one of the members, and a radius of curvature of the third annular surface of the other of the members being smaller than a radius of curvature of the third annular surface of the one of the members, whereby a relationship between the radii of curvature of the first, second, and third annular surfaces of the one and the other of the members, respectively, is expressed as follows:
- FR2>MR2>FR1>MR1>MR3>FR3
- where MR1, MR2, and MR3 are the radii of curvature of the annular surfaces of the one of the members, and FR1, FR2, and FR3 are the radii of curvature of the annular surfaces of the other of the members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.