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US 6,419,278 B1Granted
Automotive hose coupling
AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorGail M. Cunningham
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorGail M. Cunningham
Estimating the term…
A pressure fluid conduit coupling fitting and method of making same, wherein the nipple tube fitting shank is made of specially grooved rigid material. A conventional elastomeric hose conduit having an open end telescopically receives the grooved fitting shank, and a conventional crimp-collar is sleeved over and shrunk-deformed onto the hose open end to permanently sealably secure the coupled conduit connection. An external circumferential surface of the fitting shank has one or more circumferentially continuous sharp edge external grooves of a shallow depth and predetermined width that are defined by the shank ribs formed between the grooves. The junction of the groove sidewalls with the respectively adjacent shank rib surface defines a circumferentially continuous sharp edge formed generally as a 90° junction of these groove sidewalls and rib surface, plus or minus a few degrees. These specially contoured sharp edge, shallow depth external grooves enhance the fluid sealing capacity (pressure rating) of the coupling connection while reducing the magnitude of collar shrink crimping required, and minimize the chances of hose damage because of over-crimping.
In a pressure fluid conduit coupling comprising a nipple tube fitting having a shank with an external maximum outside diameter in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches and being made of rigid material, an elastomeric hose having an interior wall surface of said elastomeric material and an open end adapted to telescopically receive an open end of said nipple tube fitting shank with the external circumferential surface of said nipple tube fitting shank engaging said interior wall surface of said hose, and a crimp-collar sleeved over and shrunk-deformed onto said hose open end and being generally axially coextensive with the axial extent of overlap of said hose telescopically on said nipple tube fitting shank, the improvement in combination therewith wherein said nipple tube fitting shank is provided on its external circumferential surface with a plurality of external circumferentially continuous locking and sealing ribs and grooves including first and second grooves spaced axially from one another by a predetermined distance W2 occupied by an intervening one of said ribs, each of said first and second grooves having an axial width dimension W1, and each of said first and second grooves having a bottom wall formed at a radial depth represented by the predetermined dimension H, as measured from the external maximum outside diameter of said external circumferential surface of said nipple fitting shank in the space between said first and second grooves, each of said first and second grooves being defined by generally radially extending axially spaced sidewalls facing one another and a bottom wall extending axially between the associated groove sidewalls, said external circumferential surface of said nipple tube rib between said first and second grooves having a cylindrical contour of constant diameter, and wherein the junction of each of said groove sidewalls with said external circumferential surface of said nipple tube fitting shank rib defines a circumferentially continuous sharp edge formed by an unaltered lathe cut turning and configured generally as a 90 degrees junction plus or minus about 5 degrees characterized as a sharp linear line-to-line intersection lying in a plane defined by the tube fitting shank axis and any radius extending from the same, and wherein said groove depth dimension H ranges between about 0.004 inches to about 0.015 inches, wherein said groove width dimension W1 ranges between about 0.025 inches to about 0.040 inches, and wherein said groove spacing dimension W2 ranges from about 0.055 inches to about 0.070 inches.
In a pressure fluid conduit coupling comprising a nipple tube fitting having a shank made of rigid material, an elastomeric hose having an interior wall surface of said elastomeric material and an open end adapted to telescopically receive an open end of said nipple tube fitting shank with the external circumferential surface of said nipple tube fitting shank engaging said interior wall surface of said hose, and a crimp-collar sleeved over and shrunk-deformed onto said hose open end and being generally axially coextensive with the axial extent of overlap of said hose telescopically on said nipple tube fitting shank, the improvement in combination therewith wherein said nipple tube fitting shank is provided on its external circumferential surface with a plurality of external circumferentially continuous locking and sealing ribs and grooves including first and second grooves spaced axially from one another by a predetermined distance W2 occupied by an intervening one of said ribs, each of said first and second grooves having an axial width dimension W1, and each of said first and second grooves having a bottom wall formed at a radial depth represented by the predetermined dimension H, as measured from the external maximum outside diameter of said external circumferential surface of said nipple fitting shank in the space between said first and second grooves, each of said first and second grooves being defined by generally radially extending axially spaced sidewalls facing one another and a bottom wall extending axially between the associated groove sidewalls, said external circumference of said nipple tube fitting shank rib between said first and second grooves having a cylindrical contour of constant diameter, and wherein the junction of each of said groove sidewalls with said external circumferential surface of said nipple tube fitting shank rib defines a circumferentially continuous sharp edge configured generally as a 90 degrees junction plus or minus about 5 degrees characterized as a sharp linear line-to-line intersection lying in a plane defined by the tube fitting shank axis and any radius extending from the same.
A method of constructing a pressure fluid conduit coupling tubular fitting having a nipple tube conduit shank made of rigid material and adapted for use in coupling a rigid pressure fluid conduit to an elastomeric pressure fluid hose having an opening at one end adapted to telescopically receive the open end of said nipple tube conduit shank and utilizing a crimp-collar adapted to be sleeved over and permanently shrunk deformed onto the hose end, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.