GB2303807A - Flange to pipe joint - Google Patents
Flange to pipe joint Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2303807A GB2303807A GB9621204A GB9621204A GB2303807A GB 2303807 A GB2303807 A GB 2303807A GB 9621204 A GB9621204 A GB 9621204A GB 9621204 A GB9621204 A GB 9621204A GB 2303807 A GB2303807 A GB 2303807A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- pipe
- flange
- spigot
- hole
- distal end
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 41
- 238000005304 joining Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 238000005219 brazing Methods 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000004080 punching Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000003801 milling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010420 art technique Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000945 filler Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000007493 shaping process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010008 shearing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910000679 solder Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/15—Making tubes of special shape; Making tube fittings
- B21C37/28—Making tube fittings for connecting pipes, e.g. U-pieces
- B21C37/29—Making branched pieces, e.g. T-pieces
- B21C37/298—Forming collars by flow-drilling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L41/00—Branching pipes; Joining pipes to walls
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L41/00—Branching pipes; Joining pipes to walls
- F16L41/08—Joining pipes to walls or pipes, the joined pipe axis being perpendicular to the plane of a wall or to the axis of another pipe
- F16L41/082—Non-disconnectable joints, e.g. soldered, adhesive or caulked joints
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Flanged Joints, Insulating Joints, And Other Joints (AREA)
Abstract
A method of fixing a flange 1 to a pipe 3 comprises the steps of forming in the flange a spigot 2 which projects from one surface of the flange and joining the distal end 2A of the spigot to the pipe. A hole may be formed in the pipe, after attachment of the flange, in alignment with the spigot, or a hole may be pre-formed, the spigot being fitted in the hole.
Description
FLANGE TO PIPE JOINT
The present invention relates to the production of flange to pipe joints and is particularly concerned with a method of fixing a lateral connecting flange to a connecting pipe, the flange defining a hole for communication with the interior of the pipe transversely of the length or major axis of the latter.
Connecting flanges of this type are often used to attach gas valves, gauges or other components to pipes. The surface of the flange which faces away from the pipe (hereinafter called the frontal surface) defines a sealing face immediately around the opening of the communicating hole, against which any seal used in the attachment of the valve or other component can make a good sealing contact.
According to one conventional technique, a connecting flange of the aforementioned type is fixed to a pipe by means of puddle or plug welding. This involves the formation of an oversized hole in the flange, large enough to admit a welding torch for welding the flange to the pipe around the inside of the hole. It is then necessary to reduce the size of the hole with the use of additional material, such as brazing solder or welding filler, and to machine off the additional material to produce a hole and sealing face of appropriate diameter; this increases the time and cost of the fixing operation.
When a flange with a hole of the proper size is to be fixed to a pipe by traditional welding or brazing, it is necessary to weld or braze between the pipe and the surface of the flange which faces the pipe (hereinafter the reverse surface). This is a time consuming process and may result in distortion of the flange.
The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional techniques.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of fixing a flange to a pipe, including the steps of forming in the flange a spigot which projects from the reverse surface of the flange and joining the distal end of the spigot to the pipe.
In one embodiment, after the joining step, a hole may be made in the pipe, in alignment with the spigot, to form a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the frontal surface of the flange. In another embodiment, the pipe may have a preformed hole into which the distal end of the spigot is fitted during the joining step.
The spigot and flange in the present invention are integral and preferably, the spigot projects at right angles to the flange and is joined to the pipe so that it is substantially at right angles to the length or major axis of the pipe.
The spigot may be formed in the flange, for example, by punching or by the process known in the art as flow drilling. The latter process may result in the formation of a slight rim around the opening of the spigot in the frontal surface of the flange, and this rim may have to be machined off in order to produce the desired sealing face on the frontal surface of the flange.
Unless the pipe is of relatively large diameter or the outer surface of the pipe has a flat to which the distal end of the spigot can be joined, it may be necessary to shape or profile the distal end of the spigot to conform to the outer profile of the pipe prior to the joining step. The distal end of the spigot may be shaped by means of a coining, milling or shearing operation.
Shaping of the distal end may not be necessary when the spigot is to be fitted in a preformed hole in the pipe, as described above.
In some embodiments, preferably those in which the hole in the pipe is made after the joining step, the spigot and the pipe may be joined by brazing or by the combined process of tack welding and furnace brazing. The latter process has the advantage that the braze paste used in furnace brazing penetrates all areas of the joint to be produced at the high temperatures of the furnace and produces a joint with a clean finish.
In embodiments in which the pipe has a preformed hole, the spigot may be joined to the pipe by press-fitting its distal end in the hole to effect a provisional joint and then by furnace brazing or gluing to complete the joint.
The hole in the wall of the pipe, whether it is made before or after the joining step, may be produced by any suitable means, such as drilling or punching.
The method of the present invention enables the production of a joint which has a much narrower sealing face around the hole in the flange than is possible with the prior-art techniques. Moreover, since access for a welding torch is not required, the hole in the flange can be sized according to the particular requirements of use when the spigot is formed.
The joint produced by the method of the present invention also has the advantage over the prior art that the spigot formed in the flange has a wall thick enough to be tapped and the flange is therefore inherently suitable for the attachment of threaded components.
The present invention also comprehends a flange to pipe joint comprising a flange connected laterally to a pipe by means of a spigot which is integral with the flange and defines a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and that surface of the flange which faces away from the pipe. Such a joint may be formed in an existing pipe to which a valve, gauge or other component is to be fitted, or it may be formed in a pipe fitting for connection to a pipe. The invention further comprehends a pipe fitting comprising a neck or spigot and a flange, the neck being suitable for joining to a pipe to define a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the flange surface which faces away from the pipe.
The present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of successive steps in the method of fixing a flange to a pipe according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a variant of the step of Figure 3;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flange to pipe joint produced by the method shown in Figures 1 to 4, and
Figures 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views of successive stages in one step of the method according to another embodiment of the invention.
As shown in Figure 1, in the first step of the method of the invention, a flange plate 1, typically of the order of 1 to 4mm thick, is punched to form a integral spigot or neck 2 which projects at right angles from one side of the plate 1, the reverse surface of the flange in use.
The distal end 2A of the spigot 2 is profiled, for example by milling, to match the outer profile of the pipe 3, shown in broken outline in Figure 2, to which the flange 1 is to be attached, and the distal end 2A and the pipe 3 are then joined by brazing, indicated at 4 in
Figure 3. Once the spigot 2 and the pipe have been joined, a hole 5 is formed in the side wall of the pipe 3, in alignment with the spigot 2, in order to form a hole which communicates between the interior of the pipe 3 and the frontal face 6 of the flange 1, to which a gas valve, gauge or other component is attached in use. The region of the frontal surface around the opening of the communicating hole defines a sealing face 7.
As an alternative to brazing, the distal end 2A of the spigot 2 and the pipe 3 may be joined by the combined process of tack welding and furnace brazing. In this process, the spigot 2 and the pipe 3 are joined by internal and/or external provisional welds, indicated 8 and 9 respectively in Figure 5, and braze paste is then applied to the joint before the provisionally assembled flange 1 and pipe 3 are inserted in a furnace. At the high temperatures of the furnace, the braze paste spreads to all parts of the joint to produce a strong joint with a clean finish.
The walls of the spigot 2 produced by the punching of the flange plate 1 are sufficiently thick that the spigot can be tapped for the threaded engagement of a component 10 in the hole of the finished joint, as shown in Figure 6.
In the embodiment of Figures 7A and 7B, the pipe 13 has a preformed hole 15 in its side wall and the spigot 12 of the flange 11 is joined to the pipe by press-fitting its distal end in the hole 15 (as shown by the arrow in
Figure 7A) to achieve a provisional joint and then by furnace brazing or gluing at the annular zone of contact 14 between the spigot 12 and the pipe 13 (Figure 7B) to secure the spigot to the pipe and complete the joint.
The spigot 2, 12 may also be joined to the pipe 3, 13 by electrical resistance welding or projection welding.
These techniques may allow the spigot to be formed and shaped as it is joined to the pipe, effectively combining the forming and joining steps. A joint produced in this way may undergo a subsequent sealing step of, for example, furnace brazing to ensure that it is fluid tight.
Although the pipes 3, 13 shown in the drawings are of circular cross-section, the invention may be used with pipes of other cross-sectional profiles, for example, square or octagonal. Moreover, the spigot may be shorter than those illustrated so that, instead of there being a gap between the pipe and the reverse surface of the flange in the finished joint, the reverse surface is in contact with the pipe. The internal wall of the spigot or neck may be tapered, especially where the spigot or neck is formed by the flow drilling process.
The preferred joining techniques described above are applicable to flanges and pipes of metal but it will be appreciated that the present invention also has application to flanges and pipes of plastics or rubber, the flange and spigot being moulded in one piece and the spigot being joined to the pipe by the gluing or heatsealing of its distal end to the pipe within a preformed hole or around the site of formation of a hole made after the joining step.
Claims (15)
1. A method of fixing a flange to a pipe, the method comprising the steps of forming in the flange a spigot which projects from one surface of the flange and joining the distal end of the spigot to the pipe.
2. A method according to Claim 1, in which a hole is formed in the pipe in alignment with the spigot to form a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the flange.
3. A method according to Claim 1, in which a hole is formed in the pipe before the flange is fixed to the pipe, the distal end of the spigot being fitted in the hole.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot projects from the flange at a right angle.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot is formed by punching.
6. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 4, in which the spigot is formed by flow drilling.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the distal end of the spigot is shaped or profiled to conform to the outer profile of the pipe.
8. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot and the pipe are joined by brazing.
9. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 7, in which the spigot and the pipe are joined by tack welding and furnace brazing.
10. A flange to pipe joint comprising a flange connected to a pipe by means of a spigot which is integral with the flange and defines a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the surface of the flange facing away from the pipe.
11. A flange to pipe joint according to Claim 10, in which the internal wall of the spigot is tapped.
12. A pipe fitting comprising a neck or spigot and a flange, the neck being suitable for joining to a pipe to provide a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the flange surface facing away from the pipe.
13. A method of joining a flange to a pipe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. A pipe having a flange joined thereto substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of
Figures 4, 5, 6 or 7B of the accompanying drawings.
Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A method of fixing a flange laterally to a pipe, the method comprising the steps of forming in the flange a spigot which projects from one surface of the flange and joining the distal end of the spigot to the pipe.
2. A method according to Claim 1, in which a hole is formed in the pipe in alignment with the spigot to form a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the flange.
3. A method according to Claim 1, in which a hole is formed in the pipe before the flange is fixed to the pipe, the distal end of the spigot being fitted in the hole.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot projects from the flange at a right angle.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot is formed by punching.
6. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 4, in which the spigot is formed by flow drilling.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the distal end of the spigot is shaped or profiled to conform to the outer profile of the pipe.
8. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the spigot and the pipe are joined by brazing.
9. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 7, in which the spigot and the pipe are joined by tack welding and furnace brazing.
10. A lateral flange to pipe joint comprising a flange connected to a pipe by means of a spigot which is integral with the flange and defines a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe through the wall thereof and the surface of the flange facing away from the pipe.
11. A lateral flange to pipe joint according to Claim 10, in which the internal wall of the spigot is tapped.
12. A pipe fitting comprising a spigot and a flange, the distal end of the spigot being profiled to render it suitable for joining laterally to the wall of a pipe to provide a communicating hole between the interior of the pipe and the flange surface facing away from the pipe.
13. A method of joining a flange laterally to a pipe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. A pipe having a flange laterally joined thereto substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of Figures 4, 5, 6 or 7B of the accompanying drawings.
15. A pipe fitting for joining laterally to the wall of a pipe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 or 7A of the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB9521002.7A GB9521002D0 (en) | 1995-10-13 | 1995-10-13 | Method of producing a flange to pipe joint |
| GBGB9521086.0A GB9521086D0 (en) | 1995-10-14 | 1995-10-14 | Method of producing a flange to pipe joint |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9621204D0 GB9621204D0 (en) | 1996-11-27 |
| GB2303807A true GB2303807A (en) | 1997-03-05 |
| GB2303807B GB2303807B (en) | 1997-05-07 |
Family
ID=26307948
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9621204A Expired - Fee Related GB2303807B (en) | 1995-10-13 | 1996-10-11 | Flange to pipe joint |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2303807B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0896852A2 (en) * | 1997-05-23 | 1999-02-17 | TEXTRON VERBINDUNGSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. OHG | Nut to be connected to a cylinder |
| GB2332254A (en) * | 1997-12-12 | 1999-06-16 | Aeromatic Co Ltd | Attachment of a gas valve flange to a manifold tube |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB828581A (en) * | 1957-02-15 | 1960-02-17 | Andre Huet | Improvements in or relating to connecting tubes to plates and the like |
-
1996
- 1996-10-11 GB GB9621204A patent/GB2303807B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB828581A (en) * | 1957-02-15 | 1960-02-17 | Andre Huet | Improvements in or relating to connecting tubes to plates and the like |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0896852A2 (en) * | 1997-05-23 | 1999-02-17 | TEXTRON VERBINDUNGSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. OHG | Nut to be connected to a cylinder |
| EP0896852A3 (en) * | 1997-05-23 | 2000-04-05 | TEXTRON VERBINDUNGSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. OHG | Nut to be connected to a cylinder |
| GB2332254A (en) * | 1997-12-12 | 1999-06-16 | Aeromatic Co Ltd | Attachment of a gas valve flange to a manifold tube |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9621204D0 (en) | 1996-11-27 |
| GB2303807B (en) | 1997-05-07 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20001011 |