A combination valve and flanged connector for connecting a metallic or non-metallic pipe directly to the valve body is disclosed. The flanged valve connector includes a radial flange secured on a longitudinal end of the valve body. Secured to the radial flange is a tubular member for receiving the end section of a pipe to be connected with the valve body.
The tubular member has a generally frusto conical end sized to snugly receive a sealing gasket in sealed relationship between the tubular member and the valve body. The tubular member also has a length sufficient to be engaged by a retainer for holding the sealed gasket in place and to also support a follower ring engaging the gasket retainer, the follower ring being provided with a deep, longitudinally extending strengthening flange.
In combination with a valve including a valve body having a longitudinal passageway therethrough, a closure element for said valve body intermediate its ends, operator means acting onsaid closure element to open and close the longitudinal passageway, a flanged valve connector comprising:radial flange means on said valve body on at least one of the longitudinal ends thereof for securing a bolt on compression coupling assembly to said valve body;an enlarged tubular member secured to said radial flange means and extending outwardly from said radial flange means and coaxial with said longitudinal passageway for receiving the end of pipe to be connected with said valve body;said tubular member having a generally frusto conical end opening outwardly and sized to snugly receive a sealing gasket in sealed relationship between said tubular member and a pipe to be connected with said valve body; and said tubular member having an axial length sufficient to be engaged by a gasket retainer having a cylindrical section sized to surround said sealing gasket and the end periphery of said tubular member and a radial section for snugly engaging saidsealing gasket arranged in union with said frusto conical end opening and to receive a follower ring having a deep longitudinal flange extending over the periperal length of said tubular member and engaging said gasket retainer, the follower ringfunctioning to secure the gasket retainer and gasket to said tubular member.
In the pipeline industry there has been a significant renewal of pipe particularly in gas transmission and distribution pipeline systems. In distribution systems cast iron and steel pipe is being replaced by plastic pipe. This replacement posesproblems both in the tie-in connection of the plastic pipe to the metallic pipe as well as in the installation of valves in the renewed pipeline. Where plastic pipe is connected to metallic pipe the connection may be with a mechanical bolt type couplingor with a special steel-to-plastic pipe transition fitting which is welded directly to both the steel and plastic piping.
If a steel valve was necessary at the tie-in connection or elsewhere in a plastic pipeline, it was necessary prior to this invention, to use a stub end valve and to first extend the stub end by welding a short length of steel pipe, or what isknown as a "pup", to each end. This was done in order for the valve ends to accept the installation of mechanical bolt-on type couplings. The valve was then installed into the pipeline by connecting one extended stub end to the metallic pipe with ametallic bolt-on type coupling and connecting the opposite extended stub end to the plastic pipeline with a mechanical bolt-on type coupling.
An alternative valve installation used when steel pipe and plastic pipe were involved, is to use a stub endvalve and to weld one stub end directly to the steel pipeline and to weld the special steel-to-plastic transition fitting to the opposite valve stub end and then to weld the fitting to the plastic pipeline. So far as is known, there has not beenprovided a valve structure which would solve this problem of connecting pipelines of dissimilar or incompatible material and also act to provide valving for the line.
My invention overcomes the aforementioned problems by providing a valve and connector structure which may be attached to the free end of a plastic pipeline or a metallic pipleine to both seal and hold the plastic or metallic pipe to the valvebody, and also to allow the other side of the valve to be welded to a metallic pipe line in the usual fashion.
It should now be clearly understood how the flange valve connector of this invention provides the advantage of a simple and inexpensive manner of connecting pipelines to the valve body forming part of my invention. My flange valve connectoreliminates the need of welding additional elements to the valve body and reduces the number of parts for connecting pipe to the valve body. Also, it should be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that the socket construction of my connector inits simplicity may be modified in structure to accommodate other particular type connector features without deviating from the scope of the invention.
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