Description

The present invention refers to a method for producing a press connection arrangement, comprising the steps of: a) connecting a body, which is suited for conditioning a fluid flow within a pipework by re-directing, shutting-off and/or accelerating at least a part of said fluid flow or for providing an adaptation between diameters of different pipework elements, to a socket to form a unit of the body and the socket, b) inserting the end of a tube into at least a part of the unit and c) press-connecting the socket onto the tube in the area of a bead provided by the socket to house a sealing element between the socket and the tube to obtain a press connection arrangement being fluid tight.

Such a method is known from EP 0 507 423 Bl referring to the use of a socket in form of a standardized connector for connecting a body in form of a shut-off member of a water and heating plumbing installation to a pipe, like a tube. The connector is con¬ nected to the shut-off member via a soldering joint, welding joint or adhesive layer. All three alternatives have the drawback of the necessity of an additional material, namely a soldering material, welding material or adhesive, in order to ensure a secure connection.

From DE 298 00 861 Ul a press connection arrangement is known which comprises a socket detachably connected to a body either by screwing, latching, catching, pressing, squeezing or based on a bayonet connection. Those connections are not sufficiently se¬ cure.

US 6,481,086 Bl discloses a method for sealingly interconnecting a pipe with a struc¬ ture such that the pipe is axially moveable with respect thereto. This structure makes usage of an annular sealing member onto which a body is screwed such that a pipe in¬ serted into said member can be moved axially.

A method for assembling two carcass ends is known from WO 01/50056, each of said ends comprising a wound profile and the end areas of overlapping profiles of the carcass pipes being fixed to each other by the provision of one or more punctiform deformation in the common, overlapping profiles.

It is an object of the invention to further develop the known method for producing a press connection arrangement.

This object is achieved in that step a) further comprises: al) screwing a thread of the body into or onto a thread of the socket and, then a2) at least partially processing, comprising deforming and/or spot welding, both the mating threads to create an anti-rotational lock.

With the invention it is proposed that the body and the socket are casted and than ma¬ chined internally as well as externally.

It is preferred that the threads are machined, in particular the thread of the body being machined on an inner surface of the body and the thread of the socket being machined on an outer surface of the socket.

One embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the free end of the body to be screwed onto the socket is formed with an extension of enhanced internal diameter and adjacent to the extension, extending substantially axially, the thread of the body is formed as an internal thread, the free end of the socket to be screwed into the body is formed with the thread as an external thread and adjacent to the external thread a sub- stantial cylindrical portion, preferably provided with an enhanced external diameter, is bordered by a projection extending substantially radially, and a sealing element, in par¬ ticular in form of an 0-ring, is fitted, preferably onto the cylindrical portion of the socket, prior to the assembly of the body and the socket such that after screwing the body onto the socket the sealing element creates a seal between the body and the socket, in particular between the extension, the threads, the cylindrical portion and the projec¬ tion.

In this embodiment it is preferred that the body is screwed onto the socket until the ex¬ tension engages the projection and/or the sealing element is deformed.

In addition it is proposed with the invention that the threads are deformed substantially along at least one inner perimeter of the unit and/or by forming at least one dimple, preferably a plurality of dimples, into the material of both the socket and the body in the region of their threads.

It is also proposed with the invention that the threads are deformed by pressing material of the socket and the body in the region of their threads from the outside of the unit onto at least one deformation element insertable into the unit.

In this respect it is further proposed that step a2) further comprises:

a2.1) inserting the deformation element into the unit, in particular into the socket, preferably moving the deformation element until it engages the internal surface of the socket opposite the external thread thereof, a2.2) applying a pressing action to the outside of the unit opposite the deformation element to force the unit, in particular the material in the region of the threads, onto the deformation element, a2.3) relieving the pressing action, and a2.4.) retracting the deformation element out of the unit. It is preferred that step a2.2) is repeated after displacing, in particular rotating, the de¬ formation element relative to the unit in order to form a plurality of deformations, in particular for forming a plurality of dimples, into the threads.

In another aspect of the invention the same is characterized in that a stop member for the tube, in particular in form of a region of reduced internal diameter of the socket, is provided on the inner surface of the socket, preferably axially between the projection and the thread.

According to the invention it is proposed that the thickness of the socket is reduced in the area of its thread in order to facilitate the deformation thereof, in particular by form¬ ing the socket with an enhanced internal diameter, preferably from the free end thereof until the stop member.

The invention also refers to a tool for deforming mating threads of a socket and a body of a press connection arrangement produced by a method of the invention, with a de¬ formation tool comprising at least one deformation element, which is insertable into the unit of the socket and the body, the socket and the body being screwed onto or into each other via the threads, as well as displaceable relative to the unit, preferably along an internal perimeter of the unit.

It is proposed that a pressing tool for applying a pressing force onto the outer surface of the unit in the region of the deformation element such that material of the socket and the body in the region of their threads is partially deformed.

It is preferred that the deformation element comprises a supporting element, in particu¬ lar in form of a bar, provided with a pin, the supporting element preferably having a curved outer surface to match the socket inner diameter at the point of dimpling.

Further it is proposed that the supporting element is at least partly cylindrical and/or the pin is extending substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the supporting ele¬ ment . It is preferred that the pressing tool has a curved inner surface to match the socket or body outside diameter at the point of dimpling.

Also it is proposed that the pin has a substantially circular cross-sections and/or a tip at its free and substantially in the form of a part sphere.

In this respect it is preferred that the pin has a diameter of 4 to 8 mm, and the tip of the pin has a length corresponding substantially to said diameter.

It is also proposed that the tip is at least partially arc-shaped, preferably having cut off, in particular over the complete length of the tip, up to half of its circular cross-section.

Still further, the invention refers to a press connection arrangement produced by a method of the invention, with a body, in particular in form of an elbow, a T-element, an adaptor, a connector, a valve and/or an armature, a socket and a tube of a pipework, the body being provided with a thread in order to be screwed onto or into a thread of the socket, mating threads of the body and the socket are at least partially deformable after assembling the socket and the body in order to provide an anti-rotational lock, and the socket being provided with an annular bead to house a sealing element, in particular in form of an 0-ring, and being pressable onto the tube in the area of the bead for a fluid tight connection.

One embodiment of the invention is characterized by a sealing element, in particular in form of an O-ring, being arranged and/or deformed between the socket and the body, preferably in a space defined between the threads, a substantially axially extending ex¬ tension of the body, a substantially radially projecting projection of the socket and a substantially cylindrical portion in particular with enhanced external diameter, of the socket, the projection and the extension most preferably engaging each other.

In yet another aspect of the invention a stop member, in particular in form of a region with reduced internal diameter, provided on the internal surface of the socket for the tube to be inserted into the socket, the stop member preferably being provided between the projection and the thread is proposed. It is preferred that the end of the socket to be connected to the body is provided with the thread, in particular in form of an external thread, said end preferably having a reduced thickness and/or enhanced internal diameter.

In addition it is proposed that the material of the socket is partially pressed into the ma¬ terial of the body in the region of the threads, in particular in form of at least one dim¬ ple.

Still further, it is proposed with the invention that a plurality of dimples is provided, preferably arranged along at least one inner perimeter of the socket.

Finally it is preferred that each dimple has a cross-section in form of a circle or part circle, preferably at least in form of a half circle.

It is the astonishing perception of the invention that the socket and the body can be con¬ nected via a simple screwing connection to form a unit with a subsequent unscrewing of the unit being prevented by at least partially, spot welding and/or deforming material of the socket and the body in the region of the threads of the screwing connection in par¬ ticular in form of dimples, to create an anti-rotational lock.

The invention, together with further objects and advantages, may be best understood, by example, with reference to the following description of one embodiment taken together with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which

figure 1 is an exploded view of three sockets to be connected to one body of a press connection arrangement of the invention;

figure 2 is a partial cross sectional view of a socket assembled with a body shown in fig. 1;

figure 3 is a partial cross sectional view of a socket and a body prior to assembly; figure 4 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of a unit of a socket and a body;

figure 5 is a perspective view of a deformation element and an unit provided by a body and a socket;

figure 6 is a partial cross sectional view of the deformation tool and the unit shown in figure 5 in cooperation with a pressing tool to deform said unit;

figure 7 is a partial cross sectional view of the body and the socket after deforma¬ tion thereof;

figure 8a is a first side view of a pin to be used with a deformation element shown in figure 5;

figure 8b is a second side view of the pin of figure 8a; and

figure 9 is a partial cross sectional view of a press connection arrangement of the invention after assembly.

According to fig. 1 a press connection arrangement of the invention comprises a body 1 in form of a T-element to be connected to three sockets 3, 3', 3", one of the sockets, namely socket 3, being connectable at one of its ends to the body 1 after fitting a sealing element 2 in form of an O-ring and pressable at its other end on a tube, not shown, after fitting a further sealing element 4 in form of an O-ring. A respective connection of the body 1 and the socket 3 with both sealing elements 2, 4 is shown in figure 2.

In line with figures 3 and 4 the socket 3 is casted from a tube like bar made in particular out of red brass and subsequently machined externally as well internally to provide an annular bead 30, a cylindrical portion 31, a substantially radially extending projection 32, an internal stop member 33 as well as an external thread 34. A further cylindrical portion with enhanced external diameter 35 is provided between the projection 32 and the external thread 34 at the end of the socket 3 to be connected to the body 1, and said end has an enhanced internal diameter 36. Within the annular bead 30 the sealing ele¬ ment 4 to be arranged between the socket 3 and the non-shown tube is housed, said tube being insertable into the socket 3 until it engages the stop member 33. The body 1 is also produced by casting a substantial tube like bar and than machining the same exter¬ nally as well as internally in order to obtain a substantially radially extending extension 11 as well as an internal thread 10 at the end of the body 1 to be connected with the socket 3. The sealing element 2 is fitted on the socket 3 in the region of the cylindrical portion with enhanced external diameter 35 such that after screwing the body 1 onto the socket 3 the same is deformed in a space defined by the projection 32, the cylindrical portion with enhanced external diameter 35, the mating threads 10, 34 and the extension 11, the extension 11 engaging the projection 32, as best seen in figure 4.

In order to prevent an unscrewing of the mating threads 10, 34 according to the inven¬ tion material in the region of said threads 10, 34 is partially deformed by making usage of a deformation tool 100 as well as a pressing tool 200 shown in figures 5 and 6. The deformation tool 100 comprises a holding means 110 for a substantially cylindrical bar 120 which is displaceable relative to the holding means 110 along its longitudinal axis and is provided with a substantially radially extending pin 121.

In operation, the socket 3 assembled with the body 1 is loaded onto the bar 120 with its upwardly projecting pin 121. The form of the pin 121 can be of a part of a sphere, whereas other forms are also possible to achieve similar effects, namely deforming the material of the body 1 and the socket 3 in the region of their mating threads 10, 34 be¬ tween the pin 121 and the pressing tool 200 which can, for example, be a hand-operated press, that is, a dimple 37 is formed within the material of the socket 3 as well as the material of the body 1 leading to a deformation of the mating threads 10, 34 and, thus, providing an anti-rotational lock between the socket 3 and the body 1, as shown in fig¬ ure 7.

An alternative pin 121 ' to be used with a deformation tool 100 is shown in figures 8a and 8b. This alternative pin 121' has substantially the form of a cylinder with a diameter of preferably 6 mm. Said pin 121' has a tip 122' at its free end over a length corre¬ sponding substantially to said diameter. Said tip 122' is partly arc-shaped and cut off such that a dimple can be formed with a cross section in the form of a part circle, slightly larger than an half circle.

Figure 9 shows a press connection arrangement according to the invention with the body 1 being screwed onto the socket 3, the sealing element 2 being arranged between the body 1 and the socket 3 and the threads 10, 34 being partially deformed (not shown). In addition, a tube 5 is inserted into the unit provided by the body 1 and the socket 3 and engaging the stop member 33 with its free end 50. Further, the socket 3 is pressed onto said end 50 as can be obtained from the indentations 38, 51 and 52 be¬ tween which the sealing element 4 is housed within the bead 30, in order to provide a fluid tight seal.

Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the application to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and probably come within the scope of this contribution to the art. The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth in detail in the appended claims. The features disclosed in the de¬ scription, the figures as well as the claims could be essential alone or in every combina¬ tion for the realization of the invention in its different embodiments. Reference sign list

body sealing element ', 3" socket sealing element tube

internal thread extension enhanced internal diameter

annular bead cylindrical portion projection stop member external thread cylindrical portion with enhanced external diameter enhanced internal diameter dimple indentation

end indentation indentation

deformation tool holding means bar , 121' pin ' tip

pressing tool