Pipe coupling useful at high fluid pressures

Claim 1

Pipe coupling means for gripping a section of pipe to be inserted therein, comprising: (a) a fluid conduit member having an internal passageway extending along an axis for fluid flow therethrough; (b) a deformable annular wedge member coaxial with said conduit member, said wedge member not being connected to any other part of the coupling means; (c) a nut threadable to said conduit member and coaxial therewith; said conduit member comprising: (1) a body section, (2) an internal annular sleeve section coaxial with said axis, extending in one direction axially from said body section, circumferential ridges being formed on the external surface of said internal sleeve section, troughs being formed between adjacent ones of said ridges, (3) an external annular sleeve section coaxial with said axis, extending axially in said one direction from said body section and enveloping said internal sleeve section with a first annular space between said internal and external sleeve sections; and (4) means extending axially from said body section in the direction opposite said one direction, for attachment to a first section of pipe, said sections and means being integrally joined to one another; said nut having an opening through it to permit passage of the pipe section therethrough, and having an outer annular envelope and an inner annular sleeve with a second annular space therebetween, the external surface of said external sleeve engaging threads of said nut and the internal surface of said external sleeve being in sliding engagement with said nut sleeve, and having a tapered camming surface at a region between the nut sleeve and the body section; said annular wedge member having an internal diameter allowing it to slide closely over the exterior surface of a pipe section whose internal surface is fitted over the external surface of said internal sleeve, and having a camming surface which engages the camming section of said external sleeve and having at its end remote from said camming surface, a surface engaged by said nut sleeve, and having at its end opposite said remote end, a surface in engagement with the exterior surface of the pipe section, the external diameter of said internal sleeve section increasing in both axial directions from its diameter at the position where said surface of said wedge member is in engagement with the exterior surface of the pipe section; whereby when the nut is torqued on the external sleeve while a pipe section is inserted into said first annular space and between the wedge and the internal annular sleeve section, the nut sleeve engages said remote end surface of the wedge and urges the camming surface of the wedge to slide on the camming surface of the exterior sleeve, causing the wedge to deflect inwardly so as to compress the pipe section against the exterior surface of the internal sleeve.