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For hoses and piping, a quick connect fitting, also called a push fitting, is a coupling used to provide a fast, make-or-break connection of gas or liquid transfer lines. Operated by hand, quick connect fittings replace threaded or flanged connections, which require wrenches. When equipped with self-sealing valves, quick connect fittings will, upon disconnection, automatically contain any fluid in the line.
There is a large variety of quick connect fittings. They are used underwater, in drilling operations, in outer space, and for pneumatic-power, plumbing, heating, electrical, and fire-suppression applications. Quick connect fittings are intended to be applied more easily than traditional fittings, requiring only that the pipes be pushed together firmly to lock the teeth of the fitting firmly. The teeth are forced deeper into the tubing when opposing force is applied to them, preventing their separation from the tubing. An o-ring provides a water-tight and airtight seal. [1] [2] [3]
Fittings come in a variety of generic and proprietary types, with market dominance highly dependent on global region. [4]
North America:
Europe:
Japan:
Unit cost varies from a few dollars for mass-produced compressed air couplings to $1 million for large-bore couplings used in the ship-to-shore transfer of liquified natural gas.
The AN thread is a particular type of fitting used to connect flexible hoses and rigid metal tubing that carry fluid. It is a US military-derived specification that dates back to World War II and stems from a joint standard agreed upon by the Army Air Corps and Navy, hence AN. The Air Corps-Navy involvement is also the origin of the red/blue color combination that was traditionally used in the anodized finishing process.
Storz is a type of hose coupling invented by Carl August Guido Storz in 1882 and patented in Switzerland in 1890, and patented in the U.S. in 1893 that connects using interlocking hooks and flanges. It was first specified in standard FEN 301-316, and has been used by German fire brigades since 1933. Amongst other uses, it has been widely employed on fire hoses in firefighting applications. It is the standard coupling on fire hoses in Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Czechia, Israel, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece. It is also one of the standard couplings on fire hoses in Australia and the United States.
In electrical and mechanical trades and manufacturing, each half of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is conventionally assigned the designation male or female. The female connector is generally a receptacle that receives and holds the male connector. Alternative terminology such as plug and socket or jack are sometimes used, particularly for electrical connectors.
A coupling or coupler is a mechanism, typically located at each end of a rail vehicle, that connects them together to form a train. The equipment that connects the couplers to the vehicles is the draft gear or draw gear, which must absorb the stresses of the coupling and the acceleration of the train.
A hose clamp is a device used to attach and seal a hose onto a fitting such as a barb or nipple.
A garden hose, hosepipe, or simply hose is a flexible tube used to convey water. There are a number of common attachments available for the end of the hose, such as sprayers and sprinklers. Hoses are usually attached to a hose spigot or tap.
A hose coupling is a connector on the end of a hose to connect it with another hose or with a tap or a hose appliance, such as an irrigation sprinkler. It is usually made of steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminium or plastic.
A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of small solids. It can also be used for structural applications; a hollow pipe is far stiffer per unit weight than the solid members.
A jack is a mechanical lifting device used to apply great forces or lift heavy loads. A mechanical jack employs a screw thread for lifting heavy equipment. A hydraulic jack uses hydraulic power. The most common form is a car jack, floor jack or garage jack, which lifts vehicles so that maintenance can be performed. Jacks are usually rated for a maximum lifting capacity. Industrial jacks can be rated for many tons of load.
A fitting or adapter is used in pipe systems to connect sections of pipe or tube, adapt to different sizes or shapes, and for other purposes such as regulating fluid flow. These fittings are used in plumbing to manipulate the conveyance of fluids such as water for potatory, irrigational, sanitary, and refrigerative purposes, gas, petroleum, liquid waste, or any other liquid or gaseous substances required in domestic or commercial environments, within a system of pipes or tubes, connected by various methods, as dictated by the material of which these are made, the material being conveyed, and the particular environmental context in which they will be used, such as soldering, mortaring, caulking, plastic welding, welding, friction fittings, threaded fittings, and compression fittings.
JIC fittings, defined by the SAE J514 and MIL-DTL-18866 standards, are a type of flare fitting machined with a 37-degree flare seating surface. JIC fittings are widely used in fuel delivery and fluid power applications, especially where high pressure is involved. The SAE J514 standard replaces the MS16142 US military specification, although some tooling is still listed under MS16142. JIC fittings are dimensionally identical to AN (Army-Navy) fittings, but are produced to less exacting tolerances and are generally less costly. SAE 45-degree flare fittings are similar in appearance, but are not interchangeable, though dash sizes 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 share the same thread size. Some couplings may have dual machined seats for both 37-degree and 45-degree flare seats. Komatsu and JIS fittings have flare ends similar to JIC fittings. Komatsu and JIS both use a 30-degree flare seating surface. The only difference is Komatsu uses millimeter thread sizes while JIS use a BSP thread. JIC fitting systems have three components that make a tubing assembly: fitting, flare nut, and sleeve. As with other flared connection systems, the seal is achieved through metal-to-metal contact between the finished surface of the fitting nose and the inside diameter of the flared tubing. The sleeve is used to evenly distribute the compressive forces of the flare nut to the flared end of the tube. Materials commonly used to fabricate JIC fittings include forged carbon steel, forged stainless steel, forged brass, machined brass, Monel and nickel-copper alloys.
Electrical or fiber-optic connectors used by U.S. Department of Defense were originally developed in the 1930s for severe aeronautical and tactical service applications, and the Type "AN" (Army-Navy) series set the standard for modern military circular connectors. These connectors, and their evolutionary derivatives, are often called Military Standard, "MIL-STD", or (informally) "MIL-SPEC" or sometimes "MS" connectors. They are now used in aerospace, industrial, marine, and even automotive commercial applications.
MIL-DTL-5015 is a United States Military Standard which covers heavy-duty circular electrical connectors with soldered or crimped contacts. They are used for both digital and analog signals, as well as power distribution, and are common in various fields, including defense, aerospace, and industrial machinery. The connectors are particularly versatile and reliable, and due to their prevalence, relatively inexpensive.
Also known as pneumatic couplings, quick disconnects, air couplers, quick connect couplers, and quick couplers, hand-operable air-line fittings allow manual disconnection of gas supply lines, including compressed air and breathable air. Most fittings do not have regional standardization but have become de facto standards through popular adoption.
Hose barbs are cylindrical pieces or parts for attaching and securing of hoses (tubing). The barb-like rings on the cylindrical piece allow for an easy push-connection of flexible-plastic or rubber tubing that is not so easily disconnected. Hose barbs are used in machine perfusion and chemistry laboratory equipment. Hose barb fittings are small curved, bent or T-shaped pipes, hoses or tubes with hose barbs on at least one side used to join two or more pieces of piping (hosing, tubing) together. Hose barbs are commonly used in the agriculture industry to connect anhydrous ammonia (NH3) hoses.
Knuckle couplers are a semi-automatic form of railway coupling that allow rail cars and locomotives to be securely linked together without rail workers having to get between the vehicles.
Dixon Valve & Coupling Company, LLC is a manufacturer and supplier of hose fittings and accessories. The company, often referred to as just Dixon, offers products for fire protection, food processing, dairy processing, beverage and brewery operations, industrial manufacturing, mining, construction, chemical processing, petroleum processing and refining, oilfields, mobile tankers and agricultural operations. Dixon Valve, which was founded by H. W. Goodall in 1916, maintains manufacturing, warehouse, sales or service facilities in eleven U.S. states. It also has sales and service offices on five continents. Its international headquarters are in Chestertown, Maryland (USA).
From time to time, a railway decides that it needs to upgrade its coupling system from one that is proving unsatisfactory, to another that meets future requirements. This can be done gradually, which can create many problems with transitional incompatibilities, or overnight, which requires much planning.
ISO 2852Stainless steel clamp pipe couplings for the food industry was an international standard that defines a non-permanent sanitary food-grade piping interconnect method, commonly used in the food processing industry and with dairy farm equipment.
A cam and groove coupling, also called a camlock fitting, is a form of hose coupling. This kind of coupling is popular because it is a simple and reliable means of connecting and disconnecting hoses quickly and without tools.