Waterworks Technology Development Organization Co., Ltd.

Hideki Yoneyama

Akihito Totsugi

Kikuo Saito

Yasushi Shimonaka

A flexible pipe joint apparatus for use in a fluid (e.g., water) transport pipe system for maximally absorbing an external force such as a compression or tensile force applied to a pipe of the fluid transport system due to an earthquake, differential settlement, thermal expansion or contraction of the pipe per se, thus preventing resultant damage at a weak portion of the pipe. The apparatus includes a receiving tubular member and an inserting tubular member insertable into and connectable with the receiving tubular member along a tube axial direction. A stopper portion is formed in an outer peripheral face of the inserting tubular member, the stopper portion projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral face. A retaining portion is formed in an inner peripheral face of the receiving tubular member, the retaining portion coming into contact with the stopper portion of the inserting tubular member so as to prevent slidable displacement between the two tubular members at least on a withdrawal side in a predetermined relative slidable range of the tubular members. The stopper portion includes a plurality of projections formed at a plurality of positions along a periphery of the inserting tubular member. The retaining portion of the receiving tubular member includes a plurality of detaching recesses, each said recess allowing passage of each of the projections axially relative to the detaching recess only when the receiving tubular member and the inserting tubular member are located in a predetermined phase relationship with each other.

Flexible fluid-transport pipe joint apparatus

A pipe connecting apparatus for connecting a first pipe with a second pipe inserted into the first pipe member is disclosed. The apparatus includes an elastic seal to be disposed within a gap formed between an inner peripheral face of the first pipe and an outer peripheral face of the second pipe, the elastic seal being compressed in an axial direction along the axis of the first pipe for sealing the gap, a press ring fitted on the second pipe, the press ring being movable on the outer peripheral face of the second pipe in the axial direction, and a retainer member fitted on the second pipe, the retainer member having a locked condition in which the retainer member is pressed against the second pipe and a released condition in which the retainer member is radially expanded to be released from the locked condition, the retainer member being switched over from the released condition to the locked condition in association with a movement thereof relative to the press ring. A sequentially operative mechanism is operative to press the elastic seal alone in the axial direction while the retainer member is at the released condition in a first state where the compressive force is low, the sequentially operative mechanism being operative to allow the retainer member to be switched over to the locked condition in a second state where the compressive force is high.

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Sanda, Japan

Hideki Yoneyama