Pressure balanced undersea hydraulic coupling
AssigneeNational Coupling Company, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Smith, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An undersea hydraulic coupling is pressure balanced to reduce forces tending to urge the coupling members apart during coupling or uncoupling. A seal retainer having an L-shaped fluid passage is used to provide fluid communication between the radial fluid passage in the male member and the longitudinal fluid passage in the female member of the coupling. The seal retainer holds one or more radial seals in the female member upon disengagement of the male coupling member.
Claims16
An undersea hydraulic coupling comprising:
- (a) a male coupling member having a cylindrical probe wall, a central bore, and a radial fluid passage extending between the central bore and probe wall;
- (b) a female coupling member having a first end and a second end, a receiving chamber adjacent the first end and a central bore adjacent the second end, an internal shoulder between the receiving chamber and central bore, a radial seal positioned on the internal shoulder, and a fluid passage extending between the central bore and receiving chamber;
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- (c) a seal retainer insertable into the receiving chamber for retaining the seal on the internal shoulder, the seal retainer having an L-shaped fluid passage having a first end communicating with the radial fluid passage in the male coupling member and a second end communicating with the fluid passage in the female member.
An undersea hydraulic coupling comprising:
- (a) a female member having a stepped central bore, the bore having at least two internal shoulder surfaces, and a longitudinal fluid passage positioned radially outwardly from the central bore;
- (b) a ring-shaped seal positionable on one of the internal shoulder surfaces;
- (c) a sleeve-shaped seal retainer insertable into the stepped internal bore, the retainer having a central bore, the retainer holding the ring-shaped seal on one of the internal shoulder surfaces, the retainer having a radial fluid passage and a longitudinal fluid passage, the longitudinal fluid passage spaced radially outwardly from the central bore to correspond with and communicate with the longitudinal fluid passage in the female member;
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- (d) a male member having a radial fluid passage, the radial fluid passage communicating with the radial fluid passage in the retainer when the male member is fully inserted through the retainer into the central bore of the female member.
A female member of an undersea hydraulic coupling member comprising:
- (a) a body having a first end and a second end, a central bore adjacent the first end with a poppet valve positioned in the central bore and slidable from an open to a closed position, a radial passage extending radially outwardly from the central bore, the poppet valve controlling fluid flow between the central bore and the radial passage, a longitudinal passage connected to the radial passage, the longitudinal passage positioned radially outwardly from the central bore;
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- (b) a seal retainer engageable with the female member, the seal retainer having a central bore and a longitudinal fluid passage positioned radially outwardly from the central bore, and a radial fluid passage connected between the longitudinal fluid passage and the central bore of the seal retainer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.