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US 6,283,511 B1Granted
Pipe coupling
AssigneeWell Engineering Partners B.V.
InventorGerrit Pieter Kamp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe coupling has coupling members provided with a pin and a box. The outer surface of the pin is provided with axially extending columns of teeth, separated by free slots, and the inner surface of the box is provided with axially extending columns of counter teeth, also separated by free slots. To connect the coupling, the pin is axially inserted into the box and rotated over a fraction of a full turn to make the engagement surfaces of the teeth engage with the corresponding engagement surfaces of the counter teeth, thereby creating an axial pre-tension between the pin and the box. The design of the teeth is differentiated over the length of the pin and the box to be adapted to differences in loads during make-up and in use and the coupling is protected against release and overturning.
Claims21
A pipe coupling comprising:
- a first coupling member having a pin with a free end;
- and
- a second coupling member having a box with an open end;
- said pin having an outer circumference provided with a plurality of teeth, said teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, at least a plurality of said teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the free end of said pin;
- said box having an inner circumference provided with a plurality of counter teeth, said counter teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, said slots being dimensioned to allow axial passage of teeth of said pin and said counter teeth being dimensioned to allow axial passage through said slots defined on said pin, at least a plurality of said counter teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the open end of said box;
- said pin and said box extending coaxially when in coupled condition;
- said engagement surfaces of said teeth and of corresponding ones of said counter teeth being formed to generate an axial pre-tension when said coupling members are mutually twisted in a make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in slots defined between counter teeth and teeth of the other one of said coupling members;
- wherein at least a plurality of said engagement surfaces extend in circumferential sense at sloping angles relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of said pin or said box, at least two of said teeth of the same one of said columns having engagement surfaces extending at different sloping angles.
5 more elements
A pipe coupling comprising:
- a first coupling member having a pin with a free end;
- and
- a second coupling member having a box with an open end;
- said pin having an outer circumference provided with a plurality of teeth, said teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, at least a plurality of said teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the free end of said pin;
- said box having an inner circumference provided with a plurality of counter teeth, said counter teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, said slots being dimensioned to allow axial passage of teeth of said pin and said counter teeth being dimensioned to allow axial passage through said slots defined on said pin, at least a plurality of said counter teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the open end of said box;
- said pin and said box extending coaxially when in coupled condition;
- said engagement surfaces of said teeth and of corresponding ones of said counter teeth being formed to generate an axial pre-tension when said coupling members are mutually twisted in a make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in slots defined between counter teeth and teeth of the other one of said coupling members;
- wherein at least a plurality of said teeth or counter teeth of each column of at least said pin or said box have at least one dimension which has a different value for each of said plurality of teeth or counter teeth in accordance with loads transferred through said teeth or counter teeth in connected condition,
- wherein said value of said at least one dimension of at least one said plurality of teeth or counter teeth in a central portion of each of said columns is smaller than the same dimension of at least two of said teeth of the same column located on opposite sides and closer to opposite ends of said pin or box.
6 more elements
A pipe coupling comprising:
- a first coupling member having a pin with free end;
- and
- a second coupling member having a box with an open end;
- said pin having an outer circumference provided with a plurality of teeth, said teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, at least a plurality of said teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the free end of said pin;
- said box having an inner circumference provided with a plurality of counter teeth, said counter teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, said slots being dimensioned to allow axial passage of teeth of said pin and said counter teeth being dimensioned to allow axial passage through said slots defined on said pin, at least a plurality of said counter teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the open end of said box;
- said pin and said box extending coaxially when in coupled condition;
- said engagement surfaces of said teeth and of corresponding ones of said counter teeth being formed to generate an axial pre-tension when said coupling members are mutually twisted in a make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in said slots defined between counter teeth and between teeth of the other one of said coupling members;
- wherein said teeth and counter teeth have leading ends which are leading when said coupling members are twisted in said make-up sense;
- said leading ends of at least said teeth or counter teeth being mutually staggered in circumferential sense such that, when said coupling members are mutually twisted in said make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in slots defined between counter teeth and teeth of the other one of said coupling members, said teeth and counter teeth start to overlap one by one.
6 more elements
A pipe coupling comprising:
- a first coupling member having a pin with a free end;
- and
- a second coupling member having a box with an open end;
- said pin having an outer circumference provided with a plurality of teeth, said teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, at least a plurality of said teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the free end of said pin;
- said box having an inner circumference provided with a plurality of counter teeth, said counter teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, said slots being dimensioned to allow axial passage of teeth of said pin and said counter teeth being dimensioned to allow axial passage through said slots defined on said pin, at least a plurality of said counter teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the open end of said box;
- said pin and said box extending coaxially when in coupled condition;
- said engagement surfaces of said teeth and of corresponding ones of said counter teeth being formed to generate an axial pre-tension when said coupling members are mutually twisted in a make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in slots defined between counter teeth and teeth of the other one of said coupling members;
- wherein at least one of said teeth of said pin and at least one of said counter teeth of said box engaging said at least one tooth of said pin when said coupling members are in coupled condition are provided with co-operating retainer means which counteract mutual twisting of said coupling members from said coupled condition in a sense opposite said make-up sense.
5 more elements
A pipe coupling comprising:
- a first coupling member having a pin with a free end;
- and
- a second coupling member having a box with an open end;
- said pin having an outer circumference provided with a plurality of teeth, said teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, at least a plurality of said teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the free end of said pin;
- said box having an inner circumference provided with a plurality of counter teeth, said counter teeth being arranged in a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending columns defining slots between said columns, said slots being dimensioned to allow axial passage of teeth of said pin and said counter teeth being dimensioned to allow axial passage through said slots defined on said pin, at least a plurality of said counter teeth each being provided with an engagement surface facing away from the open end of said box;
- said pin and said box extending coaxially when in coupled condition;
- said engagement surfaces of said teeth and of corresponding ones of said counter teeth being formed to generate and axial pre-tension when said coupling members are mutually twisted in a make-up sense from a configuration in which said pin is inserted in said box and in which said teeth and counter teeth of each of said coupling members are located in slots defined between counter teeth and teeth of the other one of said coupling members;
- wherein said coupling members are each provided with an abutment surface facing in make-up sense, said abutment surfaces being in contact with each other when said coupling members are in coupled condition, limiting mutual rotation of said coupling members in make-up sense beyond a predetermined configuration and each being integrally formed with said pin or said box,
- wherein at least one of said abutment surfaces is formed by an axially projecting portion of one of said teeth or counter teeth.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.