REINFORCING RING WITH SLEEVE
A compression collar is used for reinforcing an interference fit between a piping end and a fitting. The compression collar comprises a reinforcing ring having a tubular geometry with a radially-inward facing surface and a radially-outward facing surface. A sleeve is received around, at least in part, a portion of the radially-outward facing surface of the reinforcing ring and this sleeve wraps around one axial end of the reinforcing ring to form a stop edge thereon.
1 . A compression collar for reinforcing an interference fit between a piping end and a fitting, the compression collar comprising:
a reinforcing ring having a tubular geometry with a radially-inward facing surface and a radially-outward facing surface; and
a sleeve received around, at least in part, a portion of the radially-outward facing surface of the reinforcing ring and wrapping around one axial end of the reinforcing ring to form a stop edge thereon.
2 . The compression collar of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a different material than the reinforcing ring.
3 . The compression collar of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a polymeric material configured to shrink when exposed to heat.
4 . The compression collar of claim 3 , wherein the polymeric material configured to shrink when exposed to heat is PVC.
5 . The compression collar of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a perforation.
6 . The compression collar of claim 5 , wherein the sleeve comprises two perforations positioned parallel to one another and configured to allow a portion of the sleeve to tear when the compression collar is initially expanded.
7 . The compression collar of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing ring is at least one of polyolefin, cross-linked polyolefin, polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, PEX, PEX-a, PEX-b, PEX-c, and PERT.
8 . A method for manufacturing a compression collar for reinforcing an interference fit between a piping end and a fitting, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a reinforcing ring having a tubular geometry with a radially-inward facing surface and a radially-outward facing surface from a cold-expansion material; and
placing a sleeve around, at least in part, a portion of the radially-outward facing surface of the reinforcing ring such that the sleeve wraps around one axial end of the reinforcing ring to form a stop edge thereon.
9 . The method of claim 8 , the method further comprising shrinking the sleeve around the reinforcing ring.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein shrinking the sleeve around the reinforcing ring includes applying heat to the sleeve as the sleeve surrounds, at least in part, the portion of the reinforcing ring.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the stop edge is formed by shrinking the sleeve on the axial end of the reinforcing ring to a greater degree than a remainder of the sleeve that contacts the radially-outward facing surface of the reinforcing ring.
12 . The method of claim 8 , the method further comprising cutting the formed reinforcing ring to a desired length.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cold-expansion material is at least one of polyolefin, cross-linked polyolefin, polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, PEX, PEX-a, PEX-b, PEX-c, and PERT.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of forming the reinforcing ring is performed by extrusion.
15 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the sleeve comprises PVC.
16 . A method of using a compression collar for reinforcing an interference fit between a piping end and a fitting, the method comprising the steps of:
placing the compression collar over the piping end, the compression collar comprising a reinforcing ring having a tubular geometry with a radially-inward facing surface and a radially-outward facing surface, and a sleeve received around, at least in part, a portion of the radially-outward facing surface of the reinforcing ring and wrapping around one axial end of the reinforcing ring to form a stop edge;
expanding the compression collar by expanding the piping end; and
placing a fitting within the piping end.
17 . The method of claim 16 , the method further comprising indicating to a user that the compression collar has been expanded.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of further indicating to a user that the compression collar has been expanded occurs when a portion of the sleeve tears.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the sleeve comprises two perforations positioned parallel to each other that are configured to allow a portion of the sleeve to tear when the compression collar is initially expanded.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of expanding the piping end occurs using a pipe expanding tool.