Locking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10316996-B2
Application number	US-201514847688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2015
Priority date	Sep 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An aircraft pipe coupling includes a first pipe end and a second pipe end connected to each other by a fastener. A locking collar restricts the rotational movement of the first pipe end, the second pipe end, and the fastener with respect to one another. The locking collar includes a first engagement portion and a second engagement portion, one of the engagement portions includes a resiliently deformable engagement surface. The first engagement portion is located over and engaged with the fastener, and the second engagement portion is located over and engaged with the second pipe end.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft pipe coupling comprising:
a first pipe end and a second pipe end, the first pipe end connected to the second pipe end with a fastener, wherein the fastener overlaps the first and second pipe ends; and
a locking collar comprising an sidewall extending entirely around a perimeter of a passage extending through the locking collar, wherein the sidewall extends continuously from a first end to a second end of the locking collar, and the sidewall has an interior surface defining the passage,
the interior surface includes a first engagement portion extending from the first end of the locking collar and along a portion of the interior surface, and the interior surface includes a second engagement portion extending from the second end of the locking collar along a second portion of the interior surface,
the first engagement portion overlaps and engages the fastener;
the second engagement portion, overlaps and engages an outer peripheral surface of an annular extension on one of the first pipe end and the second pipe end,
wherein the second engagement portion includes a resiliently deformable engagement surface which engages a face of the annular extension, wherein the face is transverse to the outer peripheral surface of the annular extension;
wherein the locking collar is arranged to restrict relative rotational movement of the fastener, the first pipe end, and second pipe end, and
wherein the annular extension has a diameter greater than a diameter of the fastener, and a second face of the annular extension is configured to abut against a shoulder in the interior surface of the locking collar, wherein the shoulder is between the first and second engagement portions.

2. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first engagement portion is arranged to conform in shape to an outer surface of the fastener.

3. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second engagement portion is arranged to conform to the outer peripheral surface of the annular extension.

4. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a shoulder between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion.

5. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second engagement portion comprises an annular array of flat surfaces that conform to an annular array of flat surfaces forming the outer peripheral surface of the annular extension.

6. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first engagement portion comprises a resiliently deformable engagement surface.

7. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking collar comprises a one-piece device.

8. The aircraft pipe coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking collar comprises a two piece device.

9. The aircraft pipe coupling of claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a first fastener and the annular extension is a second fastener.

10. The aircraft pipe coupling of claim 9 , wherein the first fastener is a first nut.

11. A method of locking an aircraft pipe coupling comprising:
joining a first pipe end to a second pipe end with a fastener, wherein the fastener engages both the first and second pipe ends;
after the joining of the first and second pipe ends, sliding a hollow locking collar over the fastener to engage a first engagement portion of an interior surface of the hollow locking collar with an outer surface of the fastener such that the first engagement portion overlaps the outer surface of the fastener;
further sliding of the hollow locking collar to engage a second engagement portion of the interior surface of the locking collar with an outer peripheral surface of an annular protrusion on second pipe end, wherein the annular protrusion has a diameter greater than a diameter of the fastener, the annular protrusion is configured to abut against a shoulder in the interior surface of the locking collar, and the shoulder is between the first and second engagement portions;
as the hollow locking collar slides over the outer peripheral surface of the annular protrusion, a deformable, resilient clip on the second engagement portion is deformed radially outward by the annular protrusion;
the deformable resilient clip automatically moves radially inward as the deformable resilient clip slides past the outer peripheral surface of the annular protrusion, and thereafter the deformable resilient clip engages a face of the annular protrusion which is transverse to the outer peripheral surface to lock the locking collar in position over the fastener and the annular protrusion, and
preventing relative rotational movement of the locking collar, the first pipe end and the second pipe end by the engagements between the locking collar with the fastener and the annular protrusion.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the face of the annular protrusion is a first face and the annular protrusion includes a second face, opposite to the first face, and the hollow locking collar includes a shoulder on the interior surface and between the first and second engagement portions, wherein the method further includes abutting the shoulder against the second face of the annular protrusion.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the fastener is a first fastener and the annular protrusion is a second fastener, and the method further includes mounting the second fastener to the second pipe end before the sliding of the locking collar over the second pipe end.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first fastener is a first nut and the second fastener is a second nut.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Wollaston Timothy
• Evans Samuel

Classifications

• F16L19/005 Primary

  comprising locking means for the threaded member · CPC title

• F16L2201/40

  for special environments · CPC title

• B64C1/1453

  Drain masts · CPC title

• F16L58/182

  for screw-threaded joints · CPC title

• B64D37/005

  Accessories not provided for in the groups B64D37/02 - B64D37/28 · CPC title