Patent Application
20240230004
This disclosure relates to tapping sleeves for pipes and utilities. More specifically, this disclosure relates to adjustable fastening mechanisms for a tapping sleeve, for example, secured to a tapped pipe.
Tapping sleeves cover a tapped line and generally comprise a pair of opposite hinges or clamps, such as a saddle hingedly coupled opposite a cap configured to clamp and capture a gasket against an outer surface of the pipe that is tapped. Tapping sleeves provide a mechanism to “hot tap” a utility line that is already in service without interruption of neighboring utility services. Tapping sleeves are a standard method for tapping a fluid utility main in a cost-effective manner and facilitate the secure connection with a fluid-tight seal with variable sizes and/or piping materials connected to the main line. The sleeve length typically provides a stable seal. In some aspects, the strength of the sleeve may be greater than the hoop stress capabilities of the tapped line, for example, when the sleeve is steel (e.g., stainless steel) and the main line is a PVC and/or HDPE variant.
It is to be understood that this summary is a limited overview of the disclosure. This summary is exemplary and not restrictive, and it is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor delineate the scope thereof. The sole purpose of this summary is to explain and exemplify certain concepts of the disclosure as an introduction to the following complete and extensive detailed description.
In one aspect, disclosed is a tapping sleeve. The tapping sleeve comprises a flow channel comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a shell partially surrounding the flow channel. The shell comprises a cap shell portion, a clamp, and a flexible shell region. The clamp extends across a circumferential reach between the tapped and cap shell portions. The clamp couples the tapped shell portion to the cap shell portion when the clamp is in a closed position. The flexible shell region is interposed between the tapped and cap shell portions. The flexible shell region is more flexible than the tapped shell portion and the cap shell portions.
In a further aspect, disclosed is a method of manufacturing a tapping sleeve. The method comprises cutting a series of kerfs axially through the planar ductile material. The planar ductile material can be bent into a three-dimensional shape (e.g., a “C” or “U” shape) to define a shell. The shell comprises a tapped shell portion comprising the port, a flexible shell region comprising the series of kerfs, and a cap shell portion. The method comprises coupling a clamp across a circumferential reach of the shell. The clamp can compressively couple the tapped shell portion to the cap shell portion across the circumferential reach.
In yet another aspect, disclosed is a method of installing a tapping sleeve. The method comprises flexing a flexible shell region of a shell by widening a shell between a tapped shell portion and a cap shell portion. The method further comprises sliding the circumferential reach over an outer diameter of a pipe and coupling a clamp extending across the circumferential reach between the tapped shell portion and the cap shell portion of the shell.
Various implementations described in the present disclosure may comprise additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which may not necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims. The features and advantages of such implementations may be realized and obtained by means of the systems, methods, features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations as set forth hereinafter.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain various principles of the disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Corresponding features and components throughout the Figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.
The present disclosure can be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, examples, drawings, and claims, and their previous and following description. However, before the present devices, systems, and/or methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, systems, and/or methods disclosed unless otherwise specified, as such can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting.
In one aspect, an integral flexure tapping sleeve is configured with a living hinge on one side and a clamp on the opposite side. The tapping sleeve is configured with an integral flexure that can use a flexible region to open the sleeve (e.g., over the outer diameter of an existing pipe), and the clamp is tightened to form a water-tight seal. The tapping sleeve with integral flexure and associated methods, systems, devices, and various apparatuses are disclosed herein.
A shell 110 of the tapping sleeve 100 is configured to partially surround the flow channel 104 when the shell 110 is compressed, coupled, and/or attached to a tapped pipe (e.g., main 414 in
The clamp 122 can further comprise a spanner 126. The spanner 126 extends across the circumferential reach 124 and couples the tapped shell portion 112 to the cap shell portion 114. For example, the spanner 126 can rotate to close the clamp 122. For example, the spanner 126 can be a bolt that extends from a protrusion 128 on the tapped shell portion 112 to a receiving bar 130. The receiving bar can be captured within the cap shell portion 114, and the bolt (e.g., spanner 126) can be threaded to the receiving bar 130 to tighten the clamp 122 and seal the tapping sleeve 100.
The tapped shell portion 112 defines an opening or tapping port 132 that receives the tapped channel 118 into the shell 110 when sealed by the clamp 122. In various aspects, the clamp 122 is configured to releasably couple and/or tighten the tapped shell portion 112 to the cap shell portion 114 when the clamp is in a closed position 134. The flexible region 116 extends between the tapped shell portion and the cap shell portion. Similar to the clamp 122, the flexible region 116 is interposed between the tapped shell portion 112 and the cap shell portion 114, e.g., on the side of tapping sleeve 100 opposite clamp 122. In some aspects, the flexible region 116 can be more flexible than either the tapped shell portion 112 or the cap shell portion 114. Similarly, the clamp 122 can create a hoop stress in the shell 110 that is supported by the flexible region 116 opposite the clamp 122.
In various aspects, the flexible region 116 can define a plurality of slots 136 that extend from an outer surface 138 of the shell to an inner surface 140 of the shell 110. For example, the slots 136 can extend entirely or completely through the shell 110 to form a series of perforations that form the flexible region 116.
The tapping sleeve 100 can comprise a metallic material, such as steel, and more specifically, stainless steel. The thickness of the shell 110 can be at least 0.100 inches thick. In some aspects, the thickness of various components of the shell 110 can be different. For example, the thickness of the tapped shell portion 112 and/or the cap shell portion 114 of the shell is at least 0.100 inches thick, and the thickness of the flexible region 116 can be equal to or less than 0.100 inches thick.
In some aspects, a method of manufacturing the tapping sleeve 100 can comprise cutting a series of kerfs 150, for example, along an axial direction 144, through a planar ductile material that is bent from the planar ductile material into a three-dimensional shape (e.g., a C-shape). The three-dimensional shape can define a shell 110 of a taping sleeve 100 comprising the tapped shell portion 112, a flexible region 116, and a cap shell portion 114. The tapped shell portion 112 comprises the port 132, and the flexible region 116 comprises a series of kerfs 150. The cap shell portion 114 extends opposite the tapped shell portion 112 opposite the cap shell portion 114. The planar ductile material can be cut to form a top edge 152 and a bottom edge 154. The top edge 152 can be bent to define the tapped shell portion 112, and the bottom edge 154 can be bent to define the cap shell portion 114.
The clamp 122 can be coupled across the circumferential reach 124 formed in the 3-dimensional shell 110. For example, the clamp 122 can compressively couple the tapped shell portion 112 to the cap shell portion 114 across the circumferential reach 124. Tightening the clamp 122 across the circumferential reach 124 of the shell 110 can change a hoop force/stress in the flexible region 116. For example, the hoop force/stress in the flexible shell region can change from compression to tension when the clamp 122 is tightened.
The protrusion 128 can be coupled to and/or extended from the tapped shell portion 112 and/or the cap shell portion 114 to facilitate tightening the spanner 126 across the circumferential reach 124. The protrusion 128 can span the circumferential reach to a ridge 156 extending from the cap shell portion 114 and/or the tapped shell portion 112. For example, the protrusion can extend from the tapped shell portion 112, and the cap shell portion 114 can comprise the ridge 156. Similarly, the ridge 156 can be coupled to the tapped shell portion, and the protrusion can extend from the cap shell portion 114. The spanner 126 can then be inserted across the circumferential reach 124 and threadedly coupled to a receiving bar 130 inserted within the ridge 156 to fasten the spanner 126 across the circumferential reach 124. The spanner 126 can extend from the protrusion 128 to the receiving bar 130 when the protrusion is coupled to the tapped shell portion 112 or the cap shell portion 114, and the ridge 156 is coupled to the opposite cap shell portion 114 or tapped shell portion 112.
The benefits of a shell 110 comprising a flexible region 116 include reduced expenses, enhanced operational use of the shell 110 in different pipe configurations, and a reduced number of components. For example, the process of manufacturing the shell 110 can be reduced because there are fewer independent parts in the shell 110 assembly and a reduced number of processes involved in manufacturing the shell 110.
The utility main 414 can extend through a metallic armor 416 configured with cutouts or recesses 418 to receive gaskets 406a,b. For example, gaskets 406a,b can facilitate a fluid-tight seal between the armor 416 and the shell 426. Moreover, gasket 406a can facilitate the fluid-tight seal in the flexible region 116, and gasket 406b can facilitate the fluid-tight seal across the circumferential reach 420.
A flat washer assembly 422 can be inserted into a protrusion 424 of shell 426 to support the spanners 428. Similarly, the receiving bar 430 is configured to receive the spanner 428 and can be inserted within a ridge 432 of the shell 426. As shown in
The coined flexible region 1004 can be the same or similar to the flexible region 116 described above, except that the coined flexible region 1004 comprises variable thicknesses between a maximum and minimum thickness. In the coined flexible region 1004, no kerf 150 extends entirely through the coined flexible region 1004, e.g., from an outer surface 1010 to an inner surface 1012 of the shell 1006.
The flexible region 1202 can comprise the coined flexible region 1202 and/or one or more kerfs 150. The coined flexible region 1202 can comprise a variable thickness. For example, the thickness of the coined flexible region 1202 can fluctuate between a maximum and a minimum thickness, such that the thickness is variable. In some aspects, the maximum thickness is less than or equal to the thickness of the tapped shell portion 112 and/or the thickness of the cap shell portion 114. The minimum thickness can be equal to or less than half of the maximum thickness. As described above, the thickness of various components of the shell 110 can be different. For example, the thickness of the tapped shell portion 112 and/or the cap shell portion 114 of the shell is at least 0.100 inches thick, and the thickness of the flexible region 1202 can be equal to or less than 0.100 inches thick.
Regarding
The description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present devices, systems, and/or methods in their best, currently known aspect. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects described herein while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.
As used throughout, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a quantity of one of a particular element can comprise two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise. In addition, any of the elements described herein can be a first such element, a second such element, and so forth (e.g., a first widget and a second widget, even if only a “widget” is referenced).
Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another aspect comprises from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about” or “substantially,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint and independently of the other endpoint.
For purposes of the current disclosure, a material property or dimension measuring about X or substantially X on a particular measurement scale measures within a range between X plus an industry-standard upper tolerance for the specified measurement and X minus an industry-standard lower tolerance for the specified measurement. Because tolerances can vary between different materials, and processes and between different models, the tolerance for a particular measurement of a particular component can fall within a range of tolerances.
As used herein, the terms “optional” or “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur and that the description comprises instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.
The word “or” as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also comprises any combination of members of that list. The phrase “at least one of A and B,” as used herein, means “only A, only B, or both A and B,”; while the phrase “one of A and B” means “A or B.”
Unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “monolithic” in the description of a component means that the component is formed as a singular component that constitutes a single material without joints or seams.
To simplify the description of various elements disclosed herein, the conventions of “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inside,” “outside,” “inboard,” “outboard,” “horizontal,” and/or “vertical” may be referenced. Unless stated otherwise, “front” describes that end of the seat nearest to and occupied by a user of a seat; “rear” is that end of the seat that is opposite or distal the front; “left” is that which is to the left of or facing left from a person sitting in the seat and facing towards the front; and “right” is that which is to the right of or facing right from that same person while sitting in the seat and facing towards the front. “Horizontal” or “horizontal orientation” describes that which is in a plane extending from left to right and aligned with the horizon. “Vertical” or “vertical orientation” describes that which is in a plane that is angled at 90 degrees to the horizontal.
One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless expressly stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily comprise logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular aspect.
It should be emphasized that the above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described aspect(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.
