Fluid housing

Abstract

A fluid housing in the form of a valve or sensor housing has a plastically shaped outer housing body made of metal with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, which have protruding tubular ports. On the outer circumference of the ports clamping rings are seated, which are welded to the associated port without the port being welded through.

Claims

1. A fluid housing, comprising an outer housing body made of metal manufactured from a pipe by plastic shaping, which includes a fluid inlet (18) and a fluid outlet (20), wherein the fluid inlet (18) and/or the fluid outlet (20) each has a protruding, tubular port (22, 24), wherein a clamping ring (26, 28) is pushed onto the outer circumference of at least one port (22, 24) and is welded or soldered to the port (22, 24), and wherein the clamping ring (26, 28) has a planar end face (30) facing away from the outer housing body and a clamping surface (32) facing the outer housing body and radially extending obliquely away from the outer housing body and in direction to the end face (30), and wherein an entire fluid-carrying contact region of the ports (22, 24) to the fluid is completely made of one part so that no welding seams are present, and wherein the at least one port (22, 24) provided with the clamping ring (26, 28) has a shoulder (36) against which the clamping ring (26, 28) axially rests, and wherein on the clamping ring's side facing the outer housing body the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) has an axial, tubular tab (76) which is welded to the port (22, 24) adjacent thereto and has a larger outside diameter than the adjacent port (22, 24).

2. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the clamping ring (26, 28) is welded to the port (22, 24) in the region of the shoulder (36).

3. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the port (22, 24) is an integral part of the outer housing body.

4. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) is welded to the pipe (74) on the end face (30).

5. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) is made of another metal than at least the fluid-carrying portion of the port (22, 24) extending radially within the clamping ring (26, 28).

6. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein in the region of the transition from the end face (30) of the clamping ring (26, 28) to the port (22, 24) a circumferential welding seam (38) is provided and the end face (30) of clamping ring (26, 28) and port (22, 24) is machined after welding.

7. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein on the end face (30) a circumferential sealing groove (42) is provided in the clamping ring (26, 28), the end face (30) being machined.

8. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the welding seams (34, 38) for attaching the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) to the port (22, 24) do not extend up to the fluid-carrying interior of the port (22, 24).

9. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one clamping ring (22, 24) is distanced from the interior of the fluid-carrying interior of the port (22, 24) by the wall defining the port (22, 24).

10. The fluid housing according to claim 1, wherein the welding seams (34, 38) for attaching the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) to the port (22, 24) exclusively are laser welding seams.

11. A fluid housing, comprising an outer housing body made of metal manufactured from a pipe by plastic shaping, which includes a fluid inlet (18) and a fluid outlet (20) that are arranged coaxially to each other on opposite sides of the outer housing body, wherein the fluid inlet (18) and/or the fluid outlet (20) each has a protruding, tubular port (22, 24), wherein a clamping ring (26, 28) is pushed onto the outer circumference of at least one port (22, 24) and is welded or soldered to the port (22, 24), and wherein the clamping ring (26, 28) has a planar end face (30) facing away from the outer housing body and a clamping surface (32) facing the outer housing body and radially extending obliquely away from the outer housing body and in direction to the end face (30), and wherein the port (22, 24) is formed in two parts, comprising a pipe (74) protruding from the interior of the outer housing body, the clamping ring (26, 28) sitting on the pipe (74), and a portion (72) of the outer port (64, 66) of the outer housing body, which accommodates the pipe (74) and axially protrudes to the outside with respect to the pipe (74), and wherein the clamping ring (26, 28) rests against the portion (72) and is welded to the same, and, wherein the pipe (74) extends through the outer housing body and through the portions (72) on opposite sides in order to define the fluid inlet (18) and the fluid outlet (20), wherein the pipe (74) axially protrudes to the outside with respect to the portions (72), and wherein a clamping ring (26, 28) each is arranged on both pipe ends.

12. The fluid housing according to claim 11, wherein in the region of the at least one clamping ring (26, 28) only the associated port (22, 24) is fluid-carrying.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a fluid housing in the form of a shaped pipe housing for a fluid valve,

(2) FIG. 2 shows a partial sectional view through the fluid housing according to FIG. 1,

(3) FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the region indicated with X in FIG. 2,

(4) FIG. 4 shows a variant of the region indicated with X in FIG. 2,

(5) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view in the region of the connection of the fluid housing shown in FIG. 1 to the adjacent fluid conduit, and

(6) FIG. 6 shows a view of a second embodiment of a fluid housing according to the invention, here in the form of a fluid sensor housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a lower part of a fluid housing 10 with an outer housing body. The fluid housing here is e.g. a valve housing which is made of a sectionally shaped pipe. The pipe here has been opened laterally before shaping and on the opposite side is provided with an indentation 12 which extends up to close to the opening provided on the opposite side, so as to here form an arc-shaped valve seat 14 (see FIG. 1) for a membrane. Onto the opening a ring-shaped flange plate 16 is welded, on which in turn a control unit with a drive for moving the membrane is mounted.

(8) As can be seen in FIG. 1, the housing 10 hence has an inlet 18 and an outlet 20 extending coaxially thereto. As is usual in diaphragm valves, the fluid hence can flow through the inlet 18 to the flange plate 16, and when the membrane does not rest on the valve seat 14, the fluid can flow over the valve seat 14 to the outlet 20.

(9) The inlet and the outlet each have a tubular port 22, 24, which is an integral part of the shaped pipe.

(10) At the ends of the ports 22, 24 in the region of the outside, the ports 22, 24 are slightly turned off on the circumference, so that they have a smaller diameter. In this region, a clamping ring 26, 28 each is pushed onto the ports 22, 24.

(11) Each clamping ring 26, 28 has an inside diameter which is minimally larger than the outside diameter of the respective port 22, 24.

(12) Each clamping ring 26, 28 has an end face 30 facing the outside, the end face extending at right angles to the centric axis A of the ports 22, 24, as well as an opposite clamping surface 32 hence facing the outer housing body. The clamping surface extends radially obliquely to the outside towards the end face 30, so that the clamping ring conically tapers in a manner radially increasing to the outside.

(13) In particular, the entire fluid-carrying portion of the outer housing body, i.e. the part which is formed by the shaped pipe, is made of the same material. The flange plate 16 is not in fluid contact and therefore can be made of a simpler, less expensive material. A part of the shaped pipe is beaded around the flange in order to prevent fluid contact with the flange plate 16. Furthermore, the two ports 22, 24 completely are made in one piece. Thus, the entire fluid-carrying inner wall region in the interior of the illustrated fluid control device housing is made of the same material, preferably stainless steel. In the region of the ports no welding seam or the like is provided in the fluid-carrying region on the inside.

(14) The clamping rings 26, 28 however are welded or soldered onto the ports 22, 24, which can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(15) For welding in particular laser welding is used.

(16) A first closed circumferential welding seam 34 is obtained between the shoulder 36 provided on the respective port 22, 24, against which the clamping ring 26 or 28 axially rests.

(17) A second welding seam 38 is provided on the end face 30 at the transition of the clamping ring 26, 28 to the port 22, 24.

(18) After welding at this point, the end face 30 is machined and receives its final design by the machining process, so that the welding seam 38 does not protrude with respect to the rest of the end face 30. The entire end face hence is formed by the end face 30 and by the end face 40 of the port 22 or 24 as well as by the welding seam 38 itself.

(19) When producing the end face 30 by machining there is also produced a sealing groove 42 (see FIG. 3) into which a seal 44 protrudes (see FIG. 5).

(20) In order not to produce any sink marks in the region of the welding seam 34, the tubular tab 76 can have a larger diameter than the port also in the region of the transition to the stop, as is shown in FIG. 4. Here, in contrast to FIG. 6, the tubular tab 76 is formed very short. In this region, additional material hence is available for the welding seam when the laser beam impinges on the material, so that no sink marks are produced. FIG. 4 shows the tab 76 before welding.

(21) Due to the fact that the accessibility to the workpieces to be welded is very good, welding of the clamping ring is simplified.

(22) FIG. 5 shows the clamping connection between the clamping ring 28 and a complementarily designed radial flange 46 of an adjacent fluid conduit 48.

(23) A preferably multipart clamp 50 encloses flange 46 and clamping ring 28 and due to the wedge effect provides for axially pressing the two flanges against each other, wherein the interposed seal 44 is compressed. The seal 44 can have a radially outer, cylindrical tab 52 which rests on the radial circumferential surface of the flange 46 and/or the clamping ring 28 and is compressed between the same and the radial inside of the clamp 50.

(24) It should be emphasized that in this embodiment and in the embodiment described below the welding seams 34, 38 never extend up to the radially inner, fluid-carrying wall region of the port 22, 24, which means that no through-welding is effected.

(25) The second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 6 shows a fluid control device housing 10 which is configured as fluid sensor housing and on which a so-called evaluation unit 60 with a display is laterally mounted. The sensor housing consists of several parts connected with each other, which in part are formed by shaping a tube, namely of a centric thicker housing part 62 to which a separate outer port 64, 66 each is attached and welded at its two opposite axial ends. The centric housing part 62 laterally has a bulge 68 with an opening in order to here connect the evaluation unit 60.

(26) The outer ports 66 have an inner portion 70 which is adapted to the outside diameter of the openings in the centric housing part 62 and thereafter a portion 72 decreasing in diameter. The outer ports 66 also are referred to as tubular tabs of the outer housing body.

(27) Beside the centric housing part 62 and the two outer ports 64, 66 the outer housing body in this embodiment also comprises a continuous pipe 74 which at both axial ends protrudes axially to the outside with respect to the portions 72 of the outer ports 66. On this protruding portion a clamping ring 26, 28 each is mounted.

(28) Here, however, (which is not to be understood in a limiting sense) the clamping rings additionally have a tubular tab 76 which in its outside and inside diameter is adapted to the outside and inside diameter of the portion 72.

(29) The tube 74 and the respective outer port 66 together form a multipart port 22, 24 to which the respective clamping ring 26, 28 is welded. In axial direction each clamping ring 26, 28 abuts against the end face of the associated outer port 66 and in this region is welded with a welding seam 34 (as also shown in FIG. 3). In addition, the clamping ring 26, 28 also is welded to the pipe 74 on its end face, so that a welding seam 38 as shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

(30) With respect to the orientation and machining of the end face 30 what has been said before applies. The shoulder in the port 22, 24 here is produced by the different diameters of the pipe 74 and the outer port 64, 66.

(31) The material of the clamping ring 26, 28 is less expensive than that of the respective port 24, 26, i.e. also that of the pipe 74. Here, less expensive steel is used. As this material however does not get in flow connection with the fluid, there is no risk of a corrosion. Moreover, in the embodiment according to FIG. 6 the fluid-carrying part also is made in one piece, here of the pipe 74, so that after the manufacture no welding seams must be machined on the inside.

(32) It applies for all embodiments that the clamping ring 26, 28 is not fluid-carrying on the inside, but that the guidance of fluid in this region is achieved by a one- or multipart portion of the port 24, 26. The clamping rings 26, 28 are distanced from the inner surface of the fluid-carrying defining the interior of the associated port 24, 26. The wall defining the port 24, 26 is separating the inner surface from the clamping ring 26, 28. The clamping rings do not axially protrude over the associated axial ends of the ports.