Universal Enterprises, Inc.

Dennis W Kerr

Ralph G Ridenour

A tube and fitting assembly for pressurized fluids is provided which may provide a fluid-tight seal up to the bursting pressure of the tube at relatively high temperatures. The tube and fitting assembly includes a malleable tube and a fitting having a first portion forming an external surface, a second portion radially larger than the first portion to form an abutment facing the first portion, and a recess formed within the abutment and facing the first portion. A gasket formed of a high temperature material is provided in the recess. An end of the tube is radially inwardly compressed on the external surface of the fitting and extends into the recess to the gasket. The tube is assembled to the fitting by placing the tube over the first portion of the fitting and the external surface and gripping the tube with jaws having an inward nose projection of a small axial extent at about the forward end of the fitting. The fitting and the tube are longitudinally moved relative to the jaws to longitudinally compress the tube ahead of the nose projection to deform the tube radially inward against the fitting. A portion of the tube is extended into the recess to form a seal between the tube and the fitting by expanding the tube longitudinally into the recess during the step of relative longitudinal movement or by inserting the tube longitudinally into the recess during the step of placing the tube over the first portion of the fitting. Also disclosed are variants of the assembly and method having auxiliary seal members and sleeves used in cooperation with very thin wall tubes.

Tube fitting and assembly method

Tube fitting

A malleable tube is assembled to a rigid fitting by placing the end of the tube over one end of the fitting which has a barb with a locking face facing away from the end of the fitting and a sloping face facing the end of the fitting, the tube is gripped with jaws which have an inward nose projection of a small axial extent and this nose projection grips the tube at about the end of the fitting, force is applied between the fitting and the jaws to relatively move the fitting and tube longitudinally into the jaws until the nose projection has relatively moved past the barb on the fitting.

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Ashland, OH, United States of America

Dennis W Kerr