Patent Application
20130154257
The present invention relates to improvements in a fluid coupling and more particularly to an o-ring face seal end for a hose-embracing shell and an inner tube coupling.
In high pressure fluid systems used in aircraft, construction equipment and machine tools, hydraulic hoses are in extensive use for joining connecting fluid devices and powering peripherals or movable components of these machines. The hydraulic hoses are typically constructed of inner and outer layers of rubber or other elastomeric material with an intervening sleeve as of braided steel wire which imparts mechanical strength to the hose so as to be capable of withstanding repeated bending and pulling and of holding up to the internal high fluid pressures without bursting.
In these applications it is imperative to firmly attach the hose ends to a valve, manifold, or actuator. To this end various different designs for attaching a coupling to different types of hydraulic hose have been used. Some of the designs require the outer covering of the hose end to be stripped down to the braided wire and to provide a coupling at each end that grips the stripped hose end firmly between an internally ribbed or threaded socket and a nipple inserted in the hose end. Other designs utilize an internally ribbed or threaded socket and a nipple inserted in the hose end without stripping the outer layer of rubber away from the hose. These designs are respectively referred to as skive and no-skive methods for attaching the fluid coupling to the end of the hydraulic hose.
The terminating end or connector part of the coupling that attaches to the valve, manifold or actuator has many different and known variations in the industry as well. Many designs are known and have been standardized over the years such flanged o-ring seal styles, 37° and 45° degree flare ends, straight thread o-ring seal, and o-ring face seal designs. Two types of these hydraulic hose couplings are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,728 issued on Nov. 9, 1976 to the Gates Rubber Co. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,106 issued on Jul. 20, 2004 to Parker Hannifin Corp. Each of these couplings use different methods of attaching the coupling to the hose end and each show representative terminating ends that are used to connect to a variety of different fluid devices as described above.
However, each of the known type of couplings require multiple components and redundant manufacturing processes that add expense and increase the number of components and leak points for each fluid coupling joint. For example, flanged joints require four drilled and tapped holes at each joint with a two-piece flange that is positioned around the hydraulic hose coupling end. The four bolts are then tightened to draw the two-piece flange against the coupling end to compress an o-ring in the end of the hose coupling against the valve or manifold. Flare type connectors require a fitting be tightened to the fluid device so that a mating hose coupling can be tightened thereto. This is the same with straight thread o-ring and o-ring face seal connectors as well. Therefore what is needed is a hose coupling that reduces the number of components and the manufacturing costs of a hydraulic system as well as reducing the number of leak points and components that need to be tightened.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a hose coupling for attachment to the end of a hydraulic hose is described. The hose coupling has a body member with a first end portion, a second end portion, an axial length, and a bore centrally located therein and running the axial length of the body member. The bore providing a fluid communication passage there through. The first end has a flange portion having a diameter greater than the diameter of the body member and also contains a groove. The second end is adapted for insertion into the inner diameter of the hydraulic hose. An o-ring is positioned in the groove of the flange portion of the body member and adapted for sealing connection to an external device. A shell member with an annular recess positioned there through is adapted for receipt on the outer diameter of the free end of the hydraulic hose. The shell member supporting the body member and having a free end remote from the first end of the body member. An encapsulated fastener is rotatably and slidably positioned about the body member between the first end portion of the body member and the outer shell.
In yet another aspect of the present invention a hydraulic hose assembly is disclosed. The hydraulic hose assembly includes a length of hydraulic hose having an outer diameter and an inner diameter and used for conveyance of fluid under pressure. A first hose coupling is attached to the end of the hydraulic hose. The hose coupling has a body member with a first end portion, a second end portion, an axial length, and a bore centrally located therein and running the axial length of the body member. The bore providing a fluid communication passage there through. The first end has a flange portion having a diameter greater than the diameter of the body member and also contains a groove. The second end is adapted for insertion into the inner diameter of the hydraulic hose. An o-ring is positioned in the groove of the flange portion of the body member and adapted for sealing connection to an external device. A shell member with an annular recess positioned there through is adapted for receipt on the outer diameter of the free end of the hydraulic hose. The shell member supporting the body member and having a free end remote from the first end of the body member. An encapsulated fastener is rotatably and slidably positioned about the body member between the first end portion of the body member and the outer shell.
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to
For example, the hose coupling 10 shown in
The body member 16 has a first end 26, a second end 28, an axial stem 30 positioned between the first and second ends 26,28 and a bore 32 extending from the first end 26 to the second end 28. A flange portion 34 is fixedly connected or formed on the first end 26 of the body member 16. Flange portion 34 has a groove 36 positioned in a face 38 as shown in
The encapsulated nut 18 that is slidably and rotatably positioned about the first end 26 of the body member 16 and the outer shell 14. The encapsulated nut 18 has a threaded portion 44 positioned on the outer circumference and a receiving portion 46 positioned on the other end. The threaded portion 44 may be left or right handed, inch or metric and may conform to a standard thread designation such as SAE, JIS, DIN, ISO, NH, NPSH, etc. but the threaded portion 44 need not be limited to these designations. The threaded portion 44 of the encapsulated nut 18 is appropriately sized for connecting to the hydraulic device such as a manifold, valve, or actuator for the type of machinery and purpose as stated above. The receiving portion 46 can take on a variety of configurations so that aid in tightening the hose coupling 10 to a hydraulic device such as a manifold, valve or actuator. The receiving portion 46 may have wrench flats or other configurations so that different types of spanner wrenches may be used for example hook-type or pin-type can be used. The hose coupling 10 and the hydraulic hose 12 may rotate or move with the input torque from a wrench on the encapsulated nut 18 during the tightening process, unless the hose coupling 10 is held fixed. Since the majority of shell member 14 is rounded on the single use hose coupling, it is difficult to hold in place. For this reason, the receiving portion 23 may also include wrench flats similar to the receiving portion 46 on the encapsulated nut 18 so that the installer can hold hose coupling 10 in place, i.e. against rotation, during the tightening process.
The hose coupling 10 of the present disclosure as described above can be attached to the free end of a hydraulic hose 12 in number of known different methods. First, there is the single use method were the body member 16 is inserted into the inner diameter 13 of the hydraulic hose 12. In this method the outer shell 14 is crimped into position by a machine that compresses the outer shell 14 into fixed relationship with the outer diameter 15 of the hydraulic hose 12. Then there is the reusable configuration were the outer shell 14 is threaded onto the outer diameter 15 of the hydraulic hose 12. The body member 16 is then threaded first into the end of the outer shell 14 and then into the inner diameter 13 of the hydraulic hose 12. Other methods or variations of attachment methods should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art such as skive and no skive styles etc.
The advantage to the present disclosure is the method of connecting the hose coupling 10 to another hydraulic device such as a manifold, valve or actuator. All that is required of the present design is to tighten the encapsulated nut 18 into the mating device. As the flange portion 34 of the first end 26 of the body member is drawn close to the flat bottom of the threaded inlet or outlet of the hydraulic device the encapsulated nut 18 makes contact with the flange portion 34. Upon continued tightening of the encapsulated nut 18 the flange portion 34 is pushed towards the flat bottom of the hydraulic device causing the o-ring 40 to compress into sealing relationship with the bottom of the port and the face 38 of the flange portion 34 is seated therewith. The present design therefore requires only one aperture be machined on the device that the connection is being made with. The hydraulic hose 12 and the hose coupling 10 can be positioned by rotating the body member 16 relative to the encapsulated nut 18 during the connection process until the desired orientation is achieved just prior to the final tightening takes place. The present design reduces the number of leak points, the number of components and the required machining that takes place for every hose coupling 10 that takes place in the equipment
Other aspects of this disclosure can be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims.
