Male or female fluid coupling element and fluid coupling including such an element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12044338-B2
Application number	US-202217729069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2022
Priority date	Apr 29, 2021
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

This coupling element has a body and a nozzle. The body delimits a housing for partially receiving the nozzle. The nozzle has a tubular part and a flange received in the housing. Two sealing barriers formed by at least one sealing joint are interposed between a rear surface of the flange and a front face of the body, between a front surface of the flange and a rear face of the body, respectively. A plug caps an inner conduit. Portions of the inner conduit communicate through at least one passage opening into an inner volume of the nozzle, forward of the plug, and on an outer peripheral surface of the flange. An inner chamber is separated from the inner conduit by the body, the flange, the plug and the first sealing barrier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A male or female fluid coupling element, designed for joining pressurized fluid pipelines,
said coupling element comprising a body, an nozzle and a valve;
the body extending along a longitudinal axis, between a front side, facing in a press-fitting direction of the coupling element with a complementary connection element, and a rear side opposite the front side;
the body delimiting, on the one hand, a housing for partially receiving the nozzle and, on the other hand, at least a first portion of an inner conduit for circulating fluid in the coupling element, the first portion being arranged towards the rear in relation to the receiving housing and communicating fluidly with the receiving housing,
the nozzle including a tubular part projecting forward from the body;
a second portion of the inner conduit being arranged in an inner volume of the nozzle and delimited on the front by a front opening of the tubular part;
the valve being housed in the inner volume of the nozzle with the possibility of movement between an advanced closed position in which the valve caps the front opening of the tubular part and a retracted opening position where the valve does not oppose the circulation of fluid in the inner conduit;
the nozzle having a flange formed projecting from and towards the rear in relation to the tubular part, the flange being received in the receiving housing with the possibility of movement in relation to the body only parallel to a plane radial to the longitudinal axis; and
a first sealing barrier formed by at least one sealing joint being interposed between a rear surface of the flange and a front face of the body, this front face delimiting the receiving housing on the rear side and being arranged opposite the rear surface of the flange,

wherein
a second sealing barrier formed by at least one sealing joint is interposed between a front surface of the flange and a rear face of the body, this rear face delimiting the receiving housing on the front side and being arranged opposite the front surface of the flange;
a third portion of the inner conduit, intermediate between the first portion and the second portion, is delimited radially around the flange, between an outer peripheral surface of the flange and an inner peripheral surface of the body delimiting the receiving housing radially to the longitudinal axis;
a plug caps the second portion of the inner conduit at the rear;
the second and third portions of the inner conduit are in fluid communication through at least one passage arranged in the nozzle and which opens into the inner volume of the nozzle, in front of the plug, and on the outer peripheral surface of the flange; and
an inner chamber is arranged in the coupling element and separated from the inner conduit by the body, the flange, the plug and the first sealing barrier.

2. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio between an area of a sealing section delimited by the second sealing barrier and an area of a sealing section delimited by the first sealing barrier is between 0.85 and 1.15.

3. The coupling element according to claim 2 , wherein the ratio is between 0.95 and 1.05.

4. The coupling element according to claim 3 , wherein the ratio is equal to 1.

5. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein at least one vent connects the inner chamber to the outside of the coupling element and extends through the body.

6. The coupling element according to claim 5 , wherein the vent extends parallel to the radial plane.

7. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein the inner chamber is delimited by an inner part of the body, which is frustoconical in shape centered on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis, converging towards the rear of the coupling element, and which is connected to an intermediate portion of the body arranged around the inner part by at least one connecting bracket, wherein the first portion of the inner conduit extends between the inner part and the intermediate portion of the body, and wherein the receiving housing opens towards the rear into the first portion of the inner conduit.

8. The coupling element according to claim 7 , wherein a ratio between a thickness of a connecting bracket, measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, and a length of the inner part of the body, measured along the same longitudinal axis, is strictly less than 1.

9. The coupling element according to claim 8 , wherein the ratio is between 0.15 and 0.40.

10. The coupling element according to claim 9 , wherein the ratio is equal to 0.25.

11. The coupling element according to claim 7 , wherein the inner part of the body delimiting the inner chamber, the connecting bracket(s) and the intermediate portion of the body together form a single piece.

12. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein the flange comprises a front collar forming the front surface of the flange and a rear collar forming the rear surface of the flange, wherein when an outer peripheral surface of the front collar is radially in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the body radially defining the receiving volume, an annular clearance of non-zero minimum radial thickness exists between an outer peripheral surface of the rear collar and the inner peripheral surface of the body, and wherein the first and second portions of the inner conduit are in fluid communication through the annular clearance.

13. The coupling element according to claim 12 , wherein the body comprises a cover, fitted into a skirt of the body and which defines a front opening of the body through which the tubular part of the nozzle projects out of the body towards the front, wherein the second sealing barrier is interposed between a front surface of the front collar and a rear face of the cover which surrounds the front opening, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the body is formed on the cover, wherein a rear surface portion of the inner peripheral surface is flared towards the rear and radially faces the outer peripheral surface of the rear collars and wherein the outer peripheral surfaces of the front and rear collars are cylindrical with a circular outer cross-section, of the same outer diameter, and coaxial.

14. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein the rear surface and the front surface of the flange are flat axial surfaces and wherein each sealing joint forming the first sealing barrier and each sealing joint forming the second sealing barrier is received in a respective groove on the back surface of the flange or a groove on the front surface of the flange.

15. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein the plug is a part attached to the nozzle, mounted in a sealed manner in the inner volume of the nozzle opposite a rear inner shoulder of the nozzle.

16. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is equipped with a skirt open towards the rear, wherein the skirt of the valve is pierced with through openings which open onto an outer peripheral surface of the valve, and wherein the nozzle delimits an inner surface capable of interacting radially with the valve, to the rear of the through openings, when the valve is in the retracted open position.

17. The coupling element according to claim 1 , wherein each passage arranged in the nozzle extends along an inclined axis which converges towards the front, towards a central longitudinal axis of the tubular part, with an angle of inclination in relation to this axis of between 30° and 50°.

18. The coupling element according to

Assignees

• Staubli Sa Ets

Inventors

• Durieux Christophe
• Marques Barroca Serafim

Classifications

• F16L37/34

  at least one of the lift valves being of the sleeve type, i.e. a sleeve being telescoped over an inner cylindrical wall · CPC title

• F16L37/50

  adjustable; allowing movement of the parts joined · CPC title

• F16L37/40

  with a lift valve being opened automatically when the coupling is applied · CPC title

• F16L37/02

  in which the connection is maintained only by friction of the parts being joined (F16L37/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16L27/00

  Adjustable joints; Joints allowing movement (of the quick-acting type F16L37/50; for double-walled or multi-channel pipes or pipe assemblies F16L39/04 {; specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics F16L47/18; specially adapted for pipes of brittle material F16L49/08}) · CPC title