Fitting with a Coating, Pipeline System and Use of the Fitting or of the Pipeline System

Abstract

A fitting for a sealing, non-releasable pipe connection, including a main fitting body for accommodating at least one pipe which is to be connected, and at least one pressing sleeve. The main fitting body and the pressing sleeve have pressing surfaces, which are assigned to one another. The main fitting body has a pressing surface which, in the installed state, is directed towards the pipe which is to be connected, and is assigned to a peripheral region of the main fitting body. The pressing surfaces assigned to one another on the main fitting body and on the pressing sleeve are formed such that the action of pushing the pressing sleeve axially onto the main fitting body gives rise to the peripheral region of the main fitting body being narrowed radially.

Claims

1. A fitting for a sealing, non-releasable pipe connection, comprising: a main fitting body for accommodating at least one pipe which is to be connected, and at least one pressing sleeve, wherein the main fitting body and the pressing sleeve have pressing surfaces which are assigned to one another, wherein the main fitting body has a pressing surface which, in the installed state, is directed towards the pipe which is to be connected and is assigned to the peripheral region of the main fitting body, and wherein the pressing surfaces assigned to one another on the main fitting body and on the pressing sleeve are formed such that the act of pushing the pressing sleeve axially onto the main fitting body gives rise to a peripheral region of the main fitting body being narrowed radially, wherein a coating is provided on at least one of the pressing surfaces, wherein the coating consists of a material which is softer than that of the pressing sleeve and/or of the main fitting body and wherein the coating has a thickness comprised in a range from 3 m to 10 m, and wherein the pressing surfaces assigned to one another on the main fitting body and on the pressing sleeve slide on one another during a pressing process.

2. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coating is formed from a soft metal or from a soft metal alloy.

3. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pressing surfaces is tin-plated.

4. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coating is applied by electroplating, hot dipping, or powder coating.

5. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coating is formed from an organic sealant.

6. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coating has a layer thickness in a range from 4 to 7 m.

7. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the main fitting body or the pressing sleeve is fully coated.

8. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the pressing sleeve, at least in the area of its pressing surface, is tapered over the length of the pressing sleeve measured in the axial direction, wherein the pressing sleeve has an inner profile which is tapered in particular in a conical, round or bellied manner.

9. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the inner profile of the pressing sleeve is formed without discontinuity, in particular tangentially continuous or curvature continuous.

10. A pipeline system, comprising: at least one fitting according to claim 1, and at least one pipe to be connected to the fitting.

11. The pipeline system according to claim 10, wherein the coating is provided on the pressing surface assigned to the pipe, and wherein the coating is formed from a softer material compared to the pipe material.

12. A method of performing a heating installation, air-conditioning installation, sanitary installation or drinking water installation or an installation for conveying technical or medical fluids, the method comprising: using a fitting according to claim 1.

13. The fitting according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the pressing surfaces is tin-plated.

14. The fitting according to claim 2, wherein the coating is applied by electroplating, hot dipping, or powder coating.

15. The fitting according to claim 4, wherein the coating has a layer thickness in a range from 4 to 7 m.

16. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the main fitting body and the pressing sleeve are fully coated.

17. The pipeline system according to claim 10, wherein the coating is applied by electroplating, hot dipping, or powder coating.

18. The pipeline system according to claim 10, wherein the coating is formed from an organic sealant.

19. The pipeline system according to claim 10, wherein the main fitting body and the pressing sleeve are fully coated.

20. The pipeline system according to claim 10, wherein the diameter of the pressing sleeve, at least in the area of its pressing surface, is tapered over the length of the pressing sleeve measured in the axial direction, wherein the pressing sleeve has an inner profile which is tapered in particular in a conical, round, or bellied manner.

Description

[0029] The invention is explained in more detail below by means of exemplary embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a fitting according to the invention with two pipe ends to be connected, in a perspective view,

[0031] FIG. 2 shows the fitting from FIG. 1 in a cross-section before pressing has taken place,

[0032] FIG. 3 shows the fitting from FIG. 1 in a cross-section after pressing has taken place,

[0033] FIGS. 4a-d show various designs of an inner profile of a pressing sleeve according to the invention,

[0034] FIG. 5a shows an uncoated fitting with a pipe after pressing has taken place,

[0035] FIG. 5b shows a coated fitting according to the invention with a pipe after pressing has taken place,

[0036] FIG. 5c shows a further coated fitting according to the invention with a pipe after pressing has taken place,

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a fitting 2 according to the invention for a sealing, non-releasable pipe connection, in a perspective view. The fitting 2 has a main fitting body 4 and two pressing sleeves 6, 8. Two pipe ends 10, 12 of two pipes 14, 16 to be connected are received in the main fitting body 4. The main fitting body 4 and the pressing sleeves 6, 8 are essentially cylindrical in shape. The main fitting body 4, the pressing sleeves 6, 8 and the pipe ends 10, 12 are arranged coaxially to the axis A. The fitting 2 is constructed symmetrically, so that below, by way of example, the pipe connection is described with reference to the pressing sleeve 6 and the pipe end 10, wherein these implementations equally apply for the opposing pipe end 12 and the pressing sleeve 8 assigned to this pipe end 12.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows the fitting from FIG. 1 in a cross-section before pressing has taken place. The main fitting body 4 and the pressing sleeve 6 have pressing surfaces 18, 20 assigned to one another which during the pressing process slide on one another. The main fitting body 4 also has a pressing surface 22 which is assigned to the peripheral region of the main fitting body 4 and which, in the installed state of the fitting 2 illustrated here, is directed towards the pipe 14 to be connected. The pressing sleeve 6 can be pushed onto the main fitting body 4 in the axial direction along the axis A to radially narrow the main fitting body 4.

[0039] In the pre-installed position illustrated here, the end of the main fitting body 4 sits in a receiving section 24 of the pressing sleeve 6. Proceeding from the receiving section 24, the pressing sleeve 6 is tapered in the area of its pressing surface 18 over the width measured in the axial direction. Proceeding from the diameter of the receiving section 24 essentially corresponding to the outer diameter of the main fitting body 4, the pressing surface 18 of the pressing sleeve 6 tapers, so that the diameter of the pressing sleeve 6 is essentially tapered to the outer diameter of the pipe end 10. Of course, an installation clearance is provided between the receiving section 24 and the main fitting body 4 and between the pipe end 10 and the tapered pressing surface 18.

[0040] The pipe 14, the main fitting body 4 and the pressing sleeve 6 are, by way of example, produced from a copper material or steel/high-grade steel. The main fitting body 4 is provided with a coating 26. The coating 26 is a tin coating applied by electroplating. The layer thickness of the coating 26 is approximately 5 m. The main fitting body 4 is fully coated. In FIG. 2, this coating material is not illustrated separately due to the modest relative thickness.

[0041] When the fitting 2 is pressed with the pipe end 10, the pressing sleeve 6 is pushed onto the main fitting body 4 in the axial direction. A pressing tool, which is not illustrated here and is known, for example, from WO 2014/000897 A1, is used for this purpose. The pressing surface 20 of the main fitting body 4 slides along the pressing surface 18 of the pressing sleeve 6 during the axial movement. The end area of the main fitting body 4 is flanged in a direction turned radially inwards. In other words, the pressing sleeve 6 forms a matrix, wherein the pressing surface 20 of the main fitting body abuts tightly on the tapered pressing surface 18 of the pressing sleeve 6 during the pressing process, so that the end area of the main fitting body 4 slides along the inner contour of the pressing sleeve 6 and is thereby plastically deformed. The shape of the pressing sleeve 6 essentially remains unchanged.

[0042] In FIG. 3, the fitting 2 from FIG. 1 is illustrated in a cross-section after pressing has taken place. The pipe 14 is likewise deformed in the area of the deformed end area of the main fitting body 4 and distorted with the main fitting body 4 by means of the pressing sleeve 6. The face sides of the end sections 10, 12 of the pipes 14, 16 are arranged spaced apart from one another by a stop 28 inside the main fitting body. The end section 12 of the pipe 16 is pressed in a similar way to the end section 10 of the pipe 14.

[0043] In FIG. 4, several possibilities for designing the tapered inner profile of the pressing sleeves 6, 8 are illustrated.

[0044] In FIG. 4a, the profile of the pressing sleeve 6 illustrated in cross-section has a cylindrical receiving section 24. Proceeding from the receiving section 24, the profile is tapered.

[0045] FIGS. 4b to 4d in each case show profile shapes, in which the receiving section 24 merges into the respective pressing surface 18 without discontinuity. On the one hand, by means of these profile shapes in the area of the (smooth) transition from the receiving section 24 to the pressing surface 18 through the flat gradient provided in this area, a pre-installation of the pressing sleeve 6 on the main fitting body 4 can take place, in which the pressing sleeve 6 is held in a self-retaining manner on the main fitting body 4. In addition, at the beginning of the pressing process, starting from this pre-installation position, pushing the pressing sleeve 6 on is made easier by the transition free of discontinuity.

[0046] FIG. 4b shows an inner contour or an inner profile with an overall conical course with an even gradient. The receiving section 24 and the pressing surface 18 merge smoothly into one another. In FIG. 4c, a cylindrically-shaped receiving section 24 merges into a pressing surface 18 which is tapered in a bellied manner. Finally, FIG. 4d shows a pressing sleeve 6 with an inner contour which is continuously curved in the area of the receiving section 24 and the pressing surface 18.

[0047] The effect of the coating 26 on the pipe connection is illustrated below by means of FIG. 5. In particular, the individual FIGS. 5a to 5c respectively show enlargements of a section of the pipe connections in cross-section, wherein these figures schematically reflect test results of tested pipe connections. The illustrated pipe connections were subjected to torsional load after pressing of the fitting 2, 30 had taken place. An enlargement of the area Z of the pipe connection is illustrated in each case.

[0048] FIG. 5a shows a non-releasable, sealing pipe connection which was produced using an uncoated fitting 30 corresponding to the prior art. As can be identified from the enlarged illustration, as a result of the joining operation the gaps 32 have been formed between the pressing sleeve 8, the main fitting body 34 and the pipe end 12 to be connected. In addition, due to the torsional load and/or the pressing process a ridge 36 has been formed which the main fitting body 34 has pushed up on the pipe end 12 to be connected.

[0049] FIG. 5b shows a non-releasable, sealing pipe connection which was produced using a fitting 2 according to the invention. The main fitting body 4 is tin-plated with a layer thickness of approximately 5 m. The gaps 32 between the pressed components pressing sleeve 8, main fitting body 4 and pipe end 12 have been considerably reduced by the lubricating effect of the coating 26 compared to the previously illustrated uncoated state. In addition, no ridge was pushed up between the main fitting body 4 and the pipe end 12 as a result of the torsional load. Compared to the uncoated variant, there is a far flatter and overall enlarged contact between the pressed components, in particular between the main fitting body 4 and the pipe end 12.

[0050] FIG. 5c also shows a non-releasable, sealing pipe connection which was produced using a fitting 2 according to the invention. The main fitting body 4 is tin-plated with a layer thickness of 10 m. Again, it is apparent that there is a far flatter and overall enlarged contact between the pressed components compared to the uncoated fitting 30. With a layer thickness of tin plating which is greater compared to FIG. 5b, the gaps 32 between the pressing sleeve 8, the main fitting body 4 and the pipe end 12 were able to be further reduced.

[0051] As a result of the installation process or the operating loads, tin stoppers 38 can form between the pressing sleeve 8 and the main fitting body 4 and/or between the main fitting body 6 and the pipe end 12, which additionally seal the connection.