A HOSE FITTING

Technical Field

The present invention relates to hose fittings and more particularly but not exclusively the hose fittings employed in the mining industry.

Background of the Invention

It is very common to use hoses for the purposes of conducting fluids under pressure. Frequently hose lengths are coupled and/or a hose coupled to apparatus by means of a hose fitting or fittings, including a female hose coupling member and a male hose coupling member. In the mine industry hoses are often employed to deliver fluids (such as air or hydraulic fluid) under high pressure. Due to these high pressures, a failure in a coupling can be extremely dangerous.

In the mine industry it is known to have a transverse pin extend through the female coupling member and engage the male coupling member to prevent separation. These pins are reusable however they do suffer from fatigue. Accordingly, if a fatigued pin is used, it is vulnerable to fail and may allow separation of the male and female coupling members when a fluid under pressure is passing therethrough. As mentioned, unintentional separation can be dangerous.

A further disadvantage of the above described pin is that it can become dislodged allowing separation of the coupling members.

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially at least one of the above disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein a hose fitting through which a fluid under pressure is to pass, the fitting including: a female coupling member providing a longitudinal passage extending inwardly of the female member from an opening;

a male coupling member having a longitudinal passage and located within the female passage via said opening so that the male coupling member is sealingly connected to the female coupling member to provide for the flow of the fluid under pressure through the passages; and wherein said male coupling member has a transverse groove that is located within the female coupling member, said female coupling member has a transverse passage to be aligned with said groove, and said fitting further includes; a pin assembly in said transverse passage and groove to prevent separation of the female coupling member and the male coupling member, said pin assembly including a first longitudinal portion in said transverse passage, a second longitudinal portion also in said transverse passage and engaged with said first pin portion to prevent separation thereof and removal from within said transverse passage unless there is deformation of said pin assembly.

Preferably, said first pin portion includes a transversely extending projection, and said second pin portion has a recess into which said projection extends to prevent separation of the first and second pin portions.

Preferably, said transverse passage is a first passage, and said female coupling member includes a second transverse passage generally parallel to the first passage, said groove is a first groove, and said male coupling member includes a second groove, said second groove being aligned with said second passage, and said pin assembly includes a first pin member of generally "U" shaped configuration having said first pin portion, and providing a third pin portion with the third pin portion being connected to said first pin portion by a transverse base, and a second pin member, said second pin member being a generally "U" shaped configuration and providing said second pin portion and having a fourth pin portion joined to the second pin portion by a transverse base, with the second pin portion being generally parallel to the fourth pin portion, with the third and fourth pin portions being located in said second transverse passage and engaging in said second groove so that in combination with said first pin portion and said second pin portion, separation of said female coupling member with respect to said male coupling member is prevented unless there is deformation of said first and/or said second pin member.

Preferably, said third pin portion is engaged with said fourth pin portion by a projection engaging in a recess.

Preferably, said third pin portion has a transverse projection, and said fourth pin portion a recess within which the projection of said third pin portion is received to prevent the separation of said third pin portion with respect to said fourth pin portion without deformation of said first and/or pin member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic sectioned end elevation of a hose fitting;

Figure 2 is a schematic further sectioned end elevation of the fitting of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of a female coupling member of the fitting of Figures 1 and 2.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a hose fitting 10. The hose fitting 10 includes a female coupling member 11 and a male coupling member 12. The female coupling member 1 1 has a longitudinal passage 13 extending inwardly of female coupling member 11 from an end opening 14. The passage 13 is circular in transverse cross section as is the male coupling member 12. The male coupling member 12 projects inwardly of the female coupling member 11 via the end opening 14.

The male coupling member 12 has a longitudinal passage 15 that communicates with the passage 13 to provide for the flow of fluid longitudinally of the passages 13 and 15. The female coupling member 1 1 has a pair of transverse passage 16 that extend entirely through the female member 11 and are generally parallel.

The male member 12 has an annular groove 17 providing groove portions 18 that are aligned with the passages 16 when the male member 12 is correctly located within the female member 11.

A pin assembly 19 projects through the passages 16 and engages the groove portions 18 to prevent separation of the female coupling member 11 with respect of the male coupling member 12. The pin assembly 19 can only be removed by deformation of the pin 19 and more preferably by facture of one or more portions of the pin assembly 19. The pin assembly 19 includes a first pin member 20 that engages a second pin member 21 when the pin members 20 and 21 are correctly installed and projecting through the passages 16 as best in Figure 2.

The first pin member 20 is of a "U" configuration so as to have a pair of generally parallel arms 22 joined by an end transverse base 23. The arms 20 provide pin portions that are located within the passages 16.

The second pin member 29 is also of a "U" configuration so as to provide a pair of generally parallel arms 24 joined by a transverse base 25. The arms 24 provide pin portions that are located within the passages 16.

Each arm 22 engages a corresponding one of the arms 24 so that co-operating arms 22 and 24, when located in the passages 16, also project into the groove portions 18 to prevent separation of the female coupling member 11 with respect to the male coupling member 12. More particularly the arms 24 project into the groove 17.

In the above described preferred embodiment, the co-operating arms 22 and 24 are inserted to engage to prevent their separation. In particular the pin member 20 is inserted in the direction 26 and the pin member 21 inserted in the opposite direction 27.

The arms 22 each have a projection 28 having an end abutment surface 29 and a ramp surface 30. The co-operating arm 24 has a pair of recesses 31 and 32, each recess 31/32 being configured to engage a respective one of the projections 28. Each recess 31 includes an abutment face 33 that engages the abutment face 29 to prevent separation of the pin members 20 and 21. The ramp surfaces 30 engage the end extremities of the arms 24 to facilitate movement of the projections 28 past the end extremities of the pin member 21.

During insertion of the pin members 20 and 21, the arms 24 resiliently deform radially inwardly to provide for a passage of the projection 28 longitudinally of the arms 24. Once each projection 28 is aligned with its respective recess 31, the projection 28 is

urged into the aligned recess 31 so that the faces 29 and 33 abut to prevent separation of the pin members 20 and 21.

The recesses 32 provide an engaged position at which the male coupling member 12 can be removed from within the female coupling member 11.

The pin members 20 and 21 can only be disengaged by deforming the pin members 20 and 21 and more particularly causing fracture thereof. Accordingly, the pin member 21 cannot be reused requiring a user to install a new pin member 21 when properly coupling the members 1 1 and 12.