Fitting assembly evaluating apparatus and methods

Abstract

The present application discloses methods and apparatus for installing fitting components, such as a conduit gripping device, on a conduit to form an assembly. The assembly is joinable with at least one other fitting component to form a fitting. The present application also discloses methods and apparatus for evaluating characteristics of components of a mechanically attached connection. Characteristics that may be evaluated include, but are not limited to, the position of a conduit gripping device on a conduit, an amount of axial compression or stroke of the conduit gripping device, an amount of clamping force applied to the conduit gripping device as the conduit gripping device is compressed, and an amount of torque applied to members that compresses the conduit gripping device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for manually pre-installing a conduit gripping device of a fitting onto a conduit, the apparatus comprising:
 a threaded tool comprising a camming surface, said male threaded tool being threadably joinable with a threaded nut having a drive surface, the conduit gripping device being positionable between said camming surface and the threaded nut drive surface when said threaded tool is joined with the female threaded nut, and 
 aat least one sensor that produces, in response to being actuated by one of the threaded nut and the threaded tool, an output that indicates when the threaded nut and the threaded tool have reached a predetermined relative torquepreinstallation position, said at least one sensor being actuated by said one of said threaded nut and said threaded tool to produce said sensor output when a nut rotating mechanism is manually operated to axially advance said threaded nut relative to said threaded tool to said predetermined relative torquepreinstallation position after said threaded tool is joined with said threaded nut. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the threaded tool comprises a male threaded tool threadably joinable with a female threaded nut. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor produces the output in response to resistance to threaded advancement of the nut, corresponding to the a predetermined relative torque indicative of the predetermined preinstallation position. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said predetermined relative torque preinstallation position corresponds with a predetermined relative axial stroke of the drive surface with respect to the camming surface, sufficient to cause the conduit gripping device to grip the conduit, said predetermined relative axial stroke being less than a full relative axial stroke when the pre-installed conduit gripping device is subsequently pulled-up with a complete fitting. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said threaded nut contacts a positive stop surface of said threaded tool at said predetermined relative axial stroke. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the predetermined preinstallation position corresponds with a predetermined relative torque results resulting from engagement between said threaded nut and said positive stop surface. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said at least one sensor comprises a torque sensor. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the apparatus further comprises the nut rotating mechanism, wherein the torque sensor is integrated with the nut rotating mechanism. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the apparatus further comprises the nut rotating mechanism, wherein said nut rotating mechanism comprises one of a hand operated wrench, a hand operated torque wrench, and a powered wrench. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of the following: a switch, proximity sensor, hall effect sensor, inductive sensor, binary state sensor, linear variable displacement transducer, strain sensor, and analog sensor. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the threaded nut is retained on the conduit with the conduit gripping device after said threaded nut and said threaded tool are advanced to said predetermined relative torque. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus for manually pre-installing a conduit gripping device of a fitting onto a conduit, the apparatus comprising:
 a threaded tool comprising a camming surface and a conduit receiving bore, said threaded tool being manually joinable with a threaded nut having a drive surface, the camming surface being tapered to radially compress the conduit gripping device when the conduit gripping device being positionable is positioned between said camming surface and the threaded nut drive surface when and said threaded tool is joined with and axially advanced relative to the threaded nut, and 
 aat least one sensor that producesincluding a conduit end engagement member disposed in the conduit receiving bore and configured to produce, in response to being actuated by the end of the conduit, an output that indicates when said camming surface and said end of the conduit have reached a predetermined relative axial position, said sensor being actuated by said end of the conduit to produce said sensor output after said male threaded tool is joined with said female threaded nut. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the threaded tool comprises a male threaded tool threadably joinable with a female threaded nut. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one sensor produces the output in response to contact with the end of the conduit. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the apparatus further comprises a nut rotating mechanism, wherein said nut rotating mechanism comprises one of a hand operated wrench, a hand operated torque wrench, and a powered wrench. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of the following: a switch, proximity sensor, hall effect sensor, inductive sensor, binary state sensor, linear variable displacement transducer, strain sensor, and analog sensor. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the predetermined relative axial position corresponds to a bottomed condition of the conduit end in the threaded tool. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the at least one sensor is biased to permit axial advance of the conduit end beyond the predetermined relative axial position. 
     
     
       19. Apparatus for manually pre-installing a conduit gripping device of a fitting onto a conduit, the apparatus comprising:
 a threaded tool comprising a camming surface, said threaded tool being manually joinable with a threaded nut having a drive surface, the conduit gripping device being positionable between said camming surface and the threaded nut drive surface when said threaded tool is joined with the threaded nut, and 
 one or more sensors that produce, in response to being actuated by at least one of the threaded nut and the threaded tool, an output related to an assembly condition of the conduit gripping device positioned between said camming surface and said drive surface, said one or more sensors producing said output when a nut rotating mechanism is manually operated to axially advance said camming surface relative to said drive surface to a relative axial position after said male threaded tool is joined with said female threaded nut. 
 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said sensor output identifies when at least one component of the conduit gripping device is installed in an improper orientation between said camming surface and said drive surface. 
     
     
       21. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said sensor output identifies when at least one component of the conduit gripping device is missing from between said camming surface and said drive surface. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the relative axial position corresponds to engagement of a first portion of the conduit gripping device with the drive surface and engagement of a second portion of the conduit gripping device with the camming surface. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the threaded tool comprises a male threaded tool threadably joinable with a female threaded nut. 
     
     
       24. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the one or more sensors produces the output in response to contact with at least one of the threaded nut and the threaded tool. 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the apparatus further comprises the nut rotating mechanism, wherein said nut rotating mechanism comprises one of a hand operated wrench, a hand operated torque wrench, and a powered wrench. 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein said one or more sensors comprises at least one of the following: a switch, proximity sensor, hall effect sensor, inductive sensor, binary state sensor, linear variable displacement transducer, strain sensor, and analog sensor. 
     
     
       27. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an output device in communication with the at least one sensor, the output device being configured to wirelessly transmit a sensor signal corresponding to the sensor output.  
     
     
       28. The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the output device is configured to wirelessly transmit the sensor signal.  
     
     
       29. Apparatus for manually pre-installing a conduit gripping device of a fitting onto a conduit, the apparatus comprising:
 a threaded tool comprising a camming surface, said threaded tool being threadably joinable with a threaded nut having a drive surface, the conduit gripping device being positionable between said camming surface and the threaded nut drive surface when said threaded tool is joined with the threaded nut, and   a spring-loaded gauging mechanism that provides an indication when the threaded nut and the threaded tool have reached a predetermined preinstallation position, said gauging mechanism being actuated by said one of said threaded nut and said threaded tool when a nut rotating mechanism is manually operated to axially advance said threaded nut relative to said threaded tool to said predetermined preinstallation position after said threaded tool is joined with said threaded nut;   wherein the spring-loaded gauging mechanism comprises one of a spring-loaded mechanical gauge and a spring-loaded electrical sensor switch.