GB2295847A

GB2295847A - Tube connector

Info

Publication number: GB2295847A
Application number: GB9424965A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Goodwin
Original assignee: Kee Klamps Ltd
Current assignee: Kee Klamps Ltd
Priority date: 1994-12-10
Filing date: 1994-12-10
Publication date: 1996-06-12
Also published as: GB9424965D0

Abstract

A tube connector for forming a structural interconnection between a first member 10 and a second, tubular type member 11 comprises a head portion 13 for location about the first member, a tail portion 17 integral with said head portion and serving at least in part as an elongate retainer device locatable in a tubular cavity of the second member, an auxiliary elongate tail formation 18 which extends substantially parallel with said tail portion, the tail portion and tail formation being spaced apart by a pivot zone 19 which allows said tail portion and tail formation to pivot one relative to the other about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tail portion, and clamping means 23 operable between the tail portion and tail formation whereby distal ends of the tail portion and tail formation at positions remote from the head portion may be urged part into engagement with a tubular cavity of the second member thereby to resist subsequent axial separation of the tube connector and second member.

Description

TUBE CONNECTOR This invention relates to a tube connector for forming a structural interconnection between a first member and a second, tubular type, member.

It relates also to an assembly of two members interconnected by said tube connector.

Many types of tube connectors have been proposed and used successfully. Some are cheap to manufacture and easy to use, but lack the ability to provide a smooth and/or visually pleasing interconnection. An example of this type of connector is one made from cast malleable iron and having boss formations for location of grub screws whereby two tubular members slid into housings formed by the cast iron connector may be locked into position. The connector covers an end of one or each of the interconnected tubes and therefore it is not necessary accurately to cut to length either of the tubes. Other types of known tube connectors more readily facilitate the provision of a smooth and/or visually pleasing interconnection, but are expensive to manufacture and difficult to use.In particular on site difficulties arise because of the need accurately to cut the tubes to length so that a smooth continuous joint is formed between tubes when integrated together in an assembly.

The present invention seeks to provide a tube connector, and an assembly incorporating said tube connector, which facilitates provision of a structural interconnection that is visually more pleasing than that achievable using known cast components whilst nevertheless avoiding or mitigating the on site assembly difficulties associated with presently known in line type connections.

In one of its aspects the present invention provides a tube connector comprising a head portion adapted for location about a first member, a tail portion integral with said head portion and serving at least in part as an elongate retainer device locatable in a tubular cavity of a second member, an auxiliary elongate tail formation which extends substantially parallel with said tail portion, the tail portion and tail formation being spaced apart by a pivot zone which allows said tail portion and tail formation to pivot one relative to the other about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tail portion, and clamping means operable between the tail portion and tail formation whereby distal ends of the tail portion and tail formation at positions remote from the head portion may be urged apart into engagement with a tubular cavity of the second member thereby to resist subsequent axial separation of the tube connector and second member.

Preferably the clamping means is arranged to be operable between the pivot zone and head portion to draw the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation one towards the other and thereby urge apart said distal ends.

The tail portion and auxiliary tail formation may be arranged in abutting contact at the pivot zone, or may be integral with one another at that pivot zone.

The head portion preferably is shaped so as to substantially wholly surround a first member. More preferably the head portion has two edge zones which define an opening of adjustable size whereby clamping means may be utilised to reduce the size of that opening to cause the head portion to clamp against an appropriately sized first member. That clamping means for reducing the size of the head portion opening may be the same as the clamping means referred to above for causing relative pivotal movement of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation of the connector.

The invention particularly envisages that the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation are interconnected by the head portion and preferably each integral with a respective edge zone of the head portion. In a connector of this type it is preferred that the clamping means is positioned between the head portion and pivot zone and is operable to draw the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation one towards the other.At least one of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation is of a semi-rigid nature whereby operation of the clamping means to draw the tail formation and auxiliary tail formation one towards the other will result in the head portion being contracted so that it may be tightened into contact with and grip a first member and so that tightening operation, or additional tightening of the clamping means will result in increasing separation of the distal ends of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation to bring them into engagement with the tubular cavity of the second member.

The invention may be applied also to provision of a multi-way connector. Thus for a three-way connector in which a first member is secured by the head portion of the connector, two other members, second and third members, may be secured with the aid of two tail portions which are integral with the head portion and extend therefrom at angular positions relative to one another corresponding to the desired relative angular orientation of the second and third members about the longitudinal axis of the first member. In that case one of the tail portions may have associated therewith an auxiliary tail formation which also is integral with the head portion, but the other tail portion should have associated therewith an auxiliary tail formation which is not integral with the head portion.More generally, for an N-way connector, the head portion is provided either with N-l, or more preferably N tail portions. By the use of a head portion having N tail portions, clamping of the head portion to a first member is achieved by drawing together two adjacent tail portions of which one constitutes the aforementioned auxiliary tail formation, whilst discrete auxiliary tail formations associated with the other tail portions can be operated on independently to clamp to the tubular cavities of other members.

Suitable materials for forming the tube connector are aluminium, which may be cast or extruded, or high strength plastics In a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the head portion has associated therewith two tail portions to provide respectively the aforementioned tail portion and auxiliary tail formation the material and dimensioning of the connector is chosen such that at least one of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation is substantially semi-rigid whereby operation of the clamping means results in bending such that the head portion can clamp against a first member and the distal ends of the tail portion and tail formation can be urged apart into frictional engagement with the tubular cavity of the second member.

In use of the tube connector the second member may be positioned to cover only part of the length of the connector tail portion so that the clamping means is accessible. Alternatively part of the wall of the tubular cavity of the second member may be provided with an opening via which the clamping means may be accessible when the second member has been slid over the tail portion (and auxiliary tail formation). In either case an outer sleeve may be provided around the second member and be positionable to cover the end of the second member, preferably shaped at its end so as closely to abut the head portion of the connector. Preferably the wall thickness of the sleeve corresponds substantially with the thickness of the connector head portion.In consequence the head portion of the connector and the sleeve will present protrusions of visually similar extent about both the first and second members. The sleeve may be secured in position in a conventional manner, for example using a countersunk retainer screw. The head portion may have an axial length which is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the sleeve.

The distal ends of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation may be arranged to have either surface, line or point contact with the wall of the tubular cavity in a second member. The contact region may be provided by an end abutment which may pivot relative to the associated tail portion or auxiliary tail formation whereby a contact surface remains parallel with the bore of the cavity irrespective of flexing of either the tail portion or auxiliary tail formation.

At least one of said distal ends, if of metallic material, may have at least a hardened surface region for contact with a tubular cavity of the second member.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an interconnected tube assembly incorporating a tube connector of the present invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the tube connector of the assembly of Figures 1-3; Figure 5 is a sectional view of another assembly incorporating a three-way connector; Figures 6 and 7 show details of parts of connectors of alternative designs, and Figures 8 and 9 are end views of an extruded type connector shown respectively as extruded and subsequent to finishing.

A T-connection of a first metal pipe 10 and a second, branch pipe 11 is formed by means of a connector device 12 a part of which is surrounded by a decorative collar 13.

The tube connector 12 comprises a head portion 13 in the form of a clamp body that defines a through passage 15 for almost wholly surrounding (apart from a small gap 14) the main, first tube 10.

A first tail portion 1 7 and an auxiliary tail formation in the form of a second tail portion 18 are formed integral with the head portion 13 and depend from respective longitudinal edge regions 16 of the head portion.

The two tail portions are of corresponding shape and dimensions.

The tail portions are maintained spaced apart by confronting pivot zones 19 which lie close to but spaced inwards from the distal end faces 20 of the tail portions. Intermediate the pivot zones 19 and the head portion 12 the connector device is provided with clamping means in the form of a bolt 23 which extends freely through a through passage 24 in one, 18 of the tail portions and is screw-threaded in a passage 25 in the other tail portion 17.

The head portion has an axial length (as viewed in Figure 4) which corresponds to the outer diameter of the aforementioned collar 1 3. The tail portions 1 7,1 8 are of smaller dimension in that direction whereby they may be readily received in the bore of the branch tube 11.

Each tail portion has an outwardly facing abutment 26 for contact with the inner surface of the branch pipe 11.

In use of the aforedescribed tube connector 12 a first pipe 10 is slid into the tubular passageway 15 defined by the head portion 13 of the connector and the bolt 23 is tightened sufficiently to lightly locate the connector device at the required position on the pipe 10.

The collar 13 is then slid onto the branch tube 11 to a position clear of the end of the tube, and the tube is then slid over the tail portions 1 7,1 8 so as to cover the abutment zones 26 but leave the bolt 23 exposed. The bolt 23 is then further tightened so as to more firmly secure the head portion to the first tube 10 and cause deflection of the tail portions in the vicinity of the bolt thereby to result in pivotal movement of the abutments 26 about the pivot zones 19. In consequence the outer extremities 30,31 of the abutments 26 move radially outwardly into frictional engagement with the bore of the tube 11 whereby a structural interconnection is achieved.

The collar 13 is then slid over the tube 11 to bring its profiled end 33 into abutment with the outer surface of the head portion 12. It is then secured in position by inserting a grub screw (not shown) in a screw-threaded opening 35 and tightening that grub screw against the head of the bolt 23.

Figure 5 shows a tube connector 40 of a kind which provides a threeway connection in which a first tube 41 may have two branch tubes 42,43 secured thereto at the same axial position along the length of the tube 40, and at right angles to one another. The tube 42 is secured to the main tube 41 by a connector device 39 having a head portion 44 which corresponds substantially with the head portion 13 of the first embodiment of the invention, and two tail portions 17',18' corresponding to the tail portions 17,18 also described in respect of the first embodiment.

The head portion 44 differs from the head portion 13 of the first embodiment insofar as it is provided with a second, integral tail portion 46.

The tail portion 46 is of a shape and dimension corresponding to the tail portion 18', but extends from the head portion at a position angularly displaced through 900. The tail portion 46 has associated therewith an auxiliary tail formation 47 of a form generally similar to the tail portion 17' except that it is not integral with the head portion. Instead it is a separate member, and may be of a rigid form.

The tubes 42,43 are secured in position by bolts 48,49 in a manner similar to that described above in respect of the first embodiment of the invention. The bolt 48 extending through the two tail portions 17',18' which are integral with the head portion 40 is tightened first so as to lightly grip the connector device to the first tube 41. The bolts 48,49 may then be tightened as desired so as to grip against the bores of the respective tubes 42,43. Tightening of the bolt 49 causes the tail portion 46 and auxiliary tail formation 47 to come towards one another in the region of the bolt 49 without any necessity for bending movement of either member.

However, there results in a manner similar to that exhibited by the tail portion 17',18' a small outwards movement of the outer edges 50 of the tail portion 46 and auxiliary tail formation 47 such that they come into frictional engagement with the bore of the tube 43. Subsequently collars 53,54 are slid into position and retained in a manner as described above in respect of the collar 1 3. In this embodiment of the invention the collars are of a modified shape, being provided with bevelled surfaces 59 at which they may neatly abut.

It will be understood that tightening of the bolt 23 in the construction of Figures 1-4 or the bolts 48 and 49 in the construction of Figure 5 results in a tilting movement that generally affords only point or line contact between each tail portion or tail formation abutment and the bore of a pipe.

To achieve line or surface contact and thus frictional engagement over a larger area a tail portion or auxiliary tail formation may have a contact shoe pivotally mounted thereon. Two examples of pivotally mounted contact shoes are shown by way of example in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 shows a simple form of contact shoe 60 having a depression 61 that locates on a rib 62 of the tail portion 1 7 so that despite tilting movement of the tail portion 17 the outer face 63 of the contact shoe may lie aligned with and in abutment against the inner surface of the tube 64. Preferably the outer surface 63 is of a part-cylindrical shape having a radius of curvature corresponding to that of the bore of the tube 64. As an alternative to a part cylindrical surface a contact shoe 68 (see Figure 7) may be provided with a toothed outer surface 69.

In the aforedescribed embodiments of the invention the tube connectors are formed of cast aluminium.

An alternative design of tube connector may be formed by extruding aluminium, in which case it may be convenient to produce by extrusion a head portion 80 having an integral relatively thick tail portion 81. The tail portion may then be machined to create a deeper recess 83 separated by a web 84 of interconnecting material that in use serves as a pivot zone (see Figures 8 and 9).

Claims

CIAN:

1. A tube connector comprising a head portion adapted for location about a first member, a tail portion integral with said head portion and serving at least in part as an elongate retainer device locatable in a tubular cavity of a second member, an auxiliary elongate tail 1 formation which extends substantially parallel with said tail portion, the tail portion and tail formation being spaced apart by a pivot zone which allows said tail portion and tail formation to pivot one relative to the other about an axis perpendlicular to the longitudinal direction of the tail portion, and clamping means operable between the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation whereby distal ends of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation at positions remote fran the head portion may be urged apart into engagement with a tubular cavity of the second member thereby to resist subsequent axial separation of the tube connector and second member.

2. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the clamping means is arranged to be operable between said pivot zone and said head portion to draw the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation one towards the other and thereby urge apart said distal ends.

3. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation are in abutting contact at the pivot zone.

4. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation are integral with one another at the pivot zone.

5. A tube connector in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims wherein the head portion has two edge zones which define an opening of adjustable size whereby clamping means may be utilized to reduce the size of that opening and cause the head portion to clamp against a first nrsr3er about which the head portion is located.

6. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 5 wherein said clamping means for reducing the size of the head portion opening serves also as the clamping arans for causing relative pivotal nsvement of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation of the connector.

7. A tube connector in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims wherein the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation are interconnected by the head portion.

8. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 7 wherein clasping means is positioned between the head portion and pivot zone and is operable to draw the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation one towards the other.

9. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein at least one of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation is semi-rigid whereby operation of the clamping means may cause the head portion to grip a first member and also increase separation of distal ends of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation to bring them into engagement with the tubular cavity of said second member.

10. A tube connector in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims and adapted for securing two other members relative to a first member about which the head portion of the connector is securable, said connector device comprising two tail portions integral with the head portion and extending fran the head portion at angular positions relative to one another which correspond to the desired relative angular orientation of said two other members about the longitudinal axis of the first member.

11. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 10 wherein one of said tail portions has associated therewith an auxiliary tail formation which also is integral with the head portion.

12. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 11 wherein the otter of the two tail portions has associated therewith an auxiliary tail formation which is not integral with the head portion.

13. A tube connector in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims wherein a distal end of at least one of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation is adapted for at least line contact with the internal wall surface of a tubular cavity of a second member.

14. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 13 wherein a contact region is provided by an end abutment pivotable relative to the associated tail portion or auxiliary tail formation.

15. A tube connector in accordance with Claim 1 and substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the Drawings.

16. An assembly comprising a tube connector in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims, a first member about which the head portion of the tube connector extends, a second member having a tubular cavity into which the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation of the tube connector extend, and clamping means which urges apart distal ends of the tail portion and auxiliary tail formation whereby said ends are in engagement with the tubular cavity of the second member to resist separation of the tube connector and second member.

17. An assembly in accordance with Claim 16 wherein said clamping means holds the head portion of the tube connector clamped against the first member.

18. An assembly in accordance with claim 16 or Claim 17 wherein an outer sleeve extends around and covers the end of the second member.

19. An assembly in accordance with Claim 18 wherein said outer sleeve is shaped closely to abut the head portion of the tube connector.

20. An assembly in accordance with claim 18 ar Claim 19 wherein the wall thickness of the sleeve corresponds substantially with the thickness of the head portion of the tube connector.

21. An assembly in accordance with any one of Claims 18 to 20 wherein the head portion has an axial length which is rmbstantially equal to the outer diameter of the sleeve.

22. An assembly in accordance with Claim 16 and substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the Drawings.