SEPARATION-RESISTANT PIPE JOINT

摘要

A joint having a male joint member and female joint member, in which a raised stop on the male joint member is limited to displacement between a constriction on the female joint member and a locking ring segment, and in which the locking ring segment and constriction are separated by an unobstructed traverse region that allows the male joint member to slide axially when under stress without separation from the female joint member. The rounded shape of the groove that accommodates the locking ring segment acts like a universal joint, allowing deflection between the male and female joint members without separation. The female joint member flares on the inside of its distal region to accommodate such deflection. Thus the male and female joint members have a degree of axial and radial flexibility that prevents separation under stress, such as during earth movement events such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides.

主权项

1. A separation-resistant pipe joint comprising a female joint member, said female joint member comprising:
(a) an inner surface; (b) a circumferential groove on the inner surface to accommodate a locking ring segment, said circumferential groove having a shape consisting essentially of a frustum of an ellipsoid defined by two generally parallel planes each intersecting the ellipsoid such that the center of the ellipsoid is not between the two generally parallel planes; (c) a constriction on the inner surface proximal to the circumferential groove, the constriction having a constriction diameter; (d) an unobstructed traverse region between the groove and the constriction having a regional diameter that is greater than the constriction diameter; and (e) an unobstructed reverse taper region proximal to the constriction, having a second regional diameter that is greater than or equal to the constriction diameter and which increases in the proximal direction.