JP2006292058A - Flanged pipe joint and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pipe fitting with a flange and its manufacturing method, having high strength suitable for high-pressure fluid. <P>SOLUTION: In this pipe fitting 1 with the flange composed of a composite material in which reinforcement fiber 2 is dispersed in a base material, the reinforcement fiber 2 is oriented along the longitudinal direction of a pipe conduit 1a from one end of the pipe conduit 1a to an angle portion 1c intersecting with the flange 1b, and oriented along the projecting direction from a tip in the projecting direction of the flange 1b to the angle portion 1c intersecting with the pipe conduit 1a, and the orientation is gradually changed from the direction along the longitudinal direction of the pipe conduit 1a toward the direction along the projecting direction of the flange 1b at the intersecting angle portion 1c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a flanged pipe joint made of a composite material in which a reinforcing material is dispersed in a base material and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a flanged pipe joint suitable for use in high-pressure hydrogen piping in a fuel cell vehicle and a manufacturing method thereof. .

Gasoline (petroleum) is generally used as a vehicle fuel. However, in recent years, the use of alternative energy has been studied because of the danger of exhaustion of oil. As an alternative energy, the use of natural gas is being studied, but natural gas is still a fossil fuel, and emits CO ₂ that is considered to be a cause of global warming. Against this background, in recent years, development of fuel cell vehicles equipped with a fuel cell that generates power with hydrogen and oxygen as an energy source has been promoted.

When a high-pressure hydrogen tank is used as a hydrogen supply source for a fuel cell, high-pressure hydrogen gas is handled. Therefore, it has superior strength as a flanged fitting for the hydrogen gas supply pipe that connects the high-pressure hydrogen tank and the fuel cell. Development of pipe joints with the following is desired. Patent Literature 1 discloses a flanged short pipe (a flanged pipe joint) made of fiber reinforced resin.
JP 2001-205707 A

  Since this flanged short tube is made by dispersing reinforcing fibers in a resin, which is a base material, it has a higher strength than the configuration of only a base material that does not contain any reinforcing fibers. However, at the intersection angle between the short pipe part and the flange, the fluid pressure of the fluid flowing through the short pipe part and the reaction force (surface pressure at the connecting end face) from another flange connected to the flange with a bolt or the like Since the resultant force acts, there is a possibility that the intersecting corner portion swells in the acting direction and a crack occurs on the outer surface.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flanged pipe joint having a high strength suitable for a high-pressure fluid and a manufacturing method thereof.

  In the present invention, the following means are employed in order to solve the above-described problems. That is, the flanged pipe joint of the present invention is a flanged pipe joint made of a composite material in which a reinforcing material is dispersed in a base material, and the reinforcing material has an intersection angle portion between the one end of the pipe line and the flange. Is oriented along the longitudinal direction of the pipe line, and is oriented along the projecting direction from the tip of the flange in the projecting direction to the crossing corner part with the pipe, Then, the orientation gradually changes from the direction along the longitudinal direction toward the direction along the protruding direction.

  In a flanged pipe joint, the flange receives fluid pressure from its coupling end face, while the pipe line receives fluid pressure in the outer circumferential direction (outward in the radial direction of the pipe line) by the fluid existing inside. Therefore, these resultant forces act on the intersecting corner portion (boundary portion) between the pipe line and the flange.

  According to the above configuration of the present invention, the reinforcing material is substantially orthogonal to the fluid pressure acting on the flange, the fluid pressure acting on the conduit, and the resultant force acting on the crossing corner. Since it is oriented, high strength can be obtained. In particular, at the crossing corner, the expansion that can occur by receiving the resultant force is effectively suppressed.

  The method for manufacturing a flanged pipe joint according to the present invention is based on the resultant force of the stress applied in the outer circumferential direction of the pipe due to the pressure of the fluid existing in the pipe and the stress applied in the direction perpendicular to the coupling end surface of the flange. A method of manufacturing a flanged pipe joint, wherein a molten base material including a reinforcing material is poured into a mold along a direction orthogonal to the resultant force, and the reinforcing material is oriented in the flow direction after filling in the mold. Until the molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured.

  According to such a configuration, since the reinforcing material is oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to at least the resultant force acting on the intersection angle portion between the pipe line and the flange, the resultant force acts on the intersection angle portion. Thus, the expansion that can occur and the occurrence of cracks due to the expansion is suppressed.

  A manufacturing method of a flanged pipe joint according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing a flanged pipe joint having a flange at one end of a pipe line by pouring a molten base material containing a reinforcing material into a mold. The molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured into the mold from the side corresponding to either the other end side of the pipe line or the front end side of the flange in the protruding direction, and also corresponds to the other after filling in the mold. Overflow from the side.

  According to such a configuration, the direction of the reinforcing material is aligned along the flow of the molten base material including the reinforcing material. That is, an orientation along the longitudinal direction of the pipeline is obtained along the flow in the pipeline, and an orientation along the protruding direction of the flange is obtained along the flow in the flange. An orientation that gradually changes along the flow from the longitudinal direction of the pipe line to the protruding direction of the flange is obtained at the intersection angle with the flange.

  In the method for manufacturing a flanged pipe joint, the molten base material containing the reinforcing material may be poured into the mold from the lower side in the gravitational direction of the mold and overflowed from the upper side.

  According to such a configuration, air with a low specific gravity is discharged from above the mold, so that the disorder of the orientation of the reinforcing material due to mixing of bubbles is suppressed. Moreover, the strength fall by bubble entrainment (pinhole) is also suppressed.

  According to the flanged pipe joint and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, for any of the fluid pressure acting on the flange, the fluid pressure acting on the pipe line, and the resultant force of these fluid pressures acting on the intersection angle portion, Since the reinforcing material is oriented or oriented in a substantially perpendicular direction, high strength can be obtained. In particular, at the crossing angle portion, it is possible to prevent expansion along the direction of action of the resultant force, and thus generation of cracks due to the expansion.

  Further, according to the flanged pipe joint manufacturing method according to the present invention, air with a low specific gravity is discharged from above the mold, so that both the disorder of the orientation of the reinforcing material due to air bubbles and the strength reduction due to the pinhole are suppressed. The

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a flanged pipe joint (hereinafter, pipe joint) 1 according to this embodiment. This pipe joint 1 is formed of a composite material in which countless reinforcing fibers (reinforcing materials) 2 are dispersed in a base metal. As the base material, stainless steel and / or aluminum-based materials are used. Further, as the reinforcing fiber 2, for example, a ceramic fiber can be used, and a short fiber is particularly used.

  Note that the selection of these materials is not limited to the above. For example, the base material may be ceramics or resin in addition to metal. The reinforcing fibers 2 may be glass fibers, carbon fibers, metal fibers, and FRM reinforcing materials. In any case, a known technique can be applied.

  The pipe joint 1 includes a pipe line 1a and a flange 1b provided at one end of the pipe line 1a and extending radially outward (in the protruding direction). The outer peripheral surface of the intersection angle portion 1c between the pipe line 1a and the flange 1b is a smooth concave curved surface. Moreover, the flow path 4 is formed in the inside of the pipe line 1a along the length direction.

  Bolt holes 5 are formed in the flange 1b, and fastening means 6 such as bolts pass through the bolt holes 5, so that the pipe joint 1 and the pipe joint 1 'face the coupling end faces 1A and 1A'. Combined and combined. Further, a seal groove 8 in which the seal 7 is accommodated is formed on the coupling end surface 1A of the flange 1b with respect to the pipe joint 1 '.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcing fiber 2 flows through the flow path 4 along the longitudinal direction of the pipe line 1 a from one end of the pipe line 1 a to the intersection angle portion 1 c with the flange 1 b. Oriented along the fluid flow direction, the flange 1b is oriented along the projecting direction from the end of the projecting direction of the flange 1b to the intersection angle portion 1c with the pipe line 1a. In the portion 1c, the orientation gradually changes from the direction along the longitudinal direction of the pipe line 1a toward the direction along the extending direction of the flange 1b. In other words, along the outer peripheral surface of the intersecting corner portion 1c forming a concave curved surface. Oriented.

  In addition, the piping 10 is joined to the other end side of the pipe line 1a. The pipe 10 is formed by forming an FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) layer 1b on the surface of a metal base material 10a. Furthermore, a short tubular fixture 11 formed by FRP is joined to the joint 1d between the pipe joint 1 and the pipe 10 from the outside.

  In the pipe joint 1 configured as described above, the fluid pressure A from the coupling end face 1A toward the right side in FIG. 2 acts on the flange 1b. Moreover, the fluid pressure B which goes to the outer side direction of the flow path 4 (up-down direction of FIG. 2) acts on the pipe line 1a with the fluid which exists in the inside. Then, the resultant force C of the fluid pressure A and the fluid pressure B acts on the intersecting corner portion 1c in the upper right direction in FIG. This resultant force C can cause the crossing corner 1c to expand outward and cause cracks on the outer surface.

  However, in the pipe joint 1 of the present embodiment, the reinforcing fibers 2 are oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to any of the fluid pressure A, fluid pressure B, and resultant force C, so that they act. High strength is obtained in the direction. In particular, at the crossing corner portion 1c, the reinforcing fiber 2 can suppress expansion and cracking.

  In addition, since the pipe joint 1 of the present embodiment is lightweight and has high strength, for example, in a fuel cell system applied to an on-vehicle power generation system of a fuel cell vehicle, fuel is supplied from a fuel supply source such as a high-pressure hydrogen tank to the fuel cell. It is suitable for use in a fuel supply system for supplying gas (hydrogen). Of course, the pipe joint 1 can be used not only for high-pressure hydrogen gas of a fuel cell vehicle but also for various uses.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the pipe joint 1 is demonstrated. What is shown in FIG. 3 is a mold (mold) 20 for manufacturing the pipe joint 1. The mold 20 includes a recess 21 corresponding to the pipe line 1a and a recess 22 corresponding to the flange 1b. A melt inlet 21a is provided at the end of the recess 21 (the side corresponding to the other end of the pipe line 1a), and the melt outlet is provided at the end of the recess 22 (the side corresponding to the front end side in the protruding direction of the flange 1b). 22a is provided.

  As shown in the figure, the mold 20 is disposed with the concave portion 22 positioned upward in the gravitational direction and the opening / closing direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the mold 20 aligned with the gravitational direction. A base metal melt (molten base material) 25 in which the reinforcing fibers 2 are dispersed is injected from the lower melt inlet 21a. The base metal melt 25 rises through a runner formed in the mold 20 and fills the recess 21 and the recess 22. The base metal melt 25 is continuously injected until the base metal melt 25 overflows from the melt outlet 22a, and thereafter (after completion of filling), the base metal melt 25 is continuously injected for a while.

  In this way, the overflow of the base material molten metal 25 from the molten metal inlet 21a of the mold 20 and the overflow from the molten metal outlet 22a allows the reinforcing fibers 2 to be aligned along the flow indicated by the arrows. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the completed pipe joint 1, the reinforcing fiber 2 is oriented along the longitudinal direction of the pipe line 1a from the one end of the pipe line 1a to the intersection angle part 1c with the flange 1b. It will be.

  Further, in the flange 1b, the reinforcing fiber 2 is oriented along the extending direction from the leading end of the extending direction of the flange 1b to the intersection angle portion 1c with the pipe line 1a. Furthermore, the intersection angle portion 1c is oriented along the outer peripheral surface of the intersection angle portion 1c forming a concave curved surface. Therefore, the pipe joint 1 having the above-described configuration can be easily manufactured.

  Further, by filling the base metal melt 25 from the lower side to the upper side in the direction of gravity, air with a low specific gravity is discharged from the melt outlet 22a. Moreover, the strength reduction by bubble entrainment (pinhole) can also be suppressed. Further, by continuing the injection of the base metal melt 25 for a while after the filling is completed, the reinforcing fibers 2 are surely oriented along the flow direction.

  The time for which the base metal melt 25 is continuously injected even after the filling is completed needs at least a sufficient time for the reinforcing fibers 2 to be oriented along the flow direction of the base metal melt 25 at the intersecting corner portion 1c. This time is appropriately set according to casting conditions such as the content of the reinforcing fibers 2 and the viscosity of the base metal melt 25.

  The reinforcing fibers 2 may be mixed in the middle of the flow path from the supply source (not shown) of the base metal melt 25 to the mold 20 without being dispersed in the base metal melt 25 in advance. Good. In this case, only the base metal melt 25 is supplied to the mold 20 until the molten metal flow at the crossing corner 1c is stabilized, and after the molten metal flow in the mold 20 is stabilized, the reinforcing fiber 2 is Mix in molten metal 25. Thereby, waste of the reinforcing fiber 2 can be prevented.

  Processing of the pipe joint 1 formed as described above, for example, processing of the seal groove 8 or the like, is performed by electric discharge processing, water jet processing, or a combination of these processing methods as appropriate. By doing so, it is possible to easily perform processing while avoiding damage and wear of the cutting edge that may occur when processing with a normal cutting tool.

  After processing the pipe joint 1, the end faces of the pipe 10 and the pipe line 1a are joined as described above. As a joining method, for example, welding or welding is performed. In particular, diffusion welding and friction welding are preferable. Thereby, a high joining force can be obtained. Furthermore, a better bonding force can be obtained by winding the fixing tool 11 around the bonding portion from the outside.

  The pipe joint 1 is not only fixed to the other pipe joint 1 ′ as shown in FIG. 1, but may be coupled to the branch portion 30 as shown in FIG. 4. The branch portion 30 includes a branch channel 31 that branches in three directions, and the pipe joint 1 is fixed facing the opening of each branch channel 31.

It is sectional drawing of the pipe joint with a flange shown as one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic diagram shown about the fluid pressure and its resultant force which act on the flanged pipe joint. It is the figure shown about one manufacturing method of the pipe joint with the flange, and is a sectional view showing the state where the base material molten metal is poured into the metal mold. It is the figure shown about the other usage example of the pipe joint with a flange, (a) is a plane sectional view, (b) is a front view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pipe joint with a flange, 1a ... Pipe line, 1b ... Flange, 1c ... Crossing corner part, 2 ... Reinforcement fiber (reinforcement material), 4 ... Flow path, 10 ... Piping, 20 ... Mold (mold), 25 ... Base metal melt (molten base material)

Claims (4)

A flanged pipe joint made of a composite material in which a reinforcing material is dispersed in a base material,
The reinforcing material is oriented along the longitudinal direction of the pipe line from one end of the pipe line to the crossing corner part with the flange, and the crossing corner part with the pipe line from the end in the protruding direction of the flange. The flanged pipe joint is oriented along the overhanging direction until the crossing angle portion gradually changes from the direction along the longitudinal direction toward the direction along the overhanging direction. A method for manufacturing a flanged pipe joint in which a resultant force of a stress applied in the outer circumferential direction of the pipe line by a pressure of a fluid existing in the pipe line and a stress applied in a direction perpendicular to the coupling end surface of the flange acts,
The molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured into the mold along a direction orthogonal to the resultant force, and the molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured until the reinforcing material is oriented in the flow direction even after filling in the mold. Continue manufacturing method of flanged pipe joint. A method of manufacturing a flanged pipe joint having a flange at one end of a pipe by pouring a molten base material containing a reinforcing material into a mold,
The molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured into the mold from the side corresponding to either the other end side of the pipe line or the front end side of the flange in the protruding direction, and the other side is also supported after filling in the mold. A method for manufacturing a flanged pipe joint that overflows from the side to be operated.   The method for manufacturing a flanged pipe joint according to claim 3, wherein the molten base material containing the reinforcing material is poured into the mold from below in the gravitational direction of the mold and overflowed from above.

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