Socket connection for pipes and pipe elements

Claim 1

A connector for connecting pipes, which comprises a pipe having a smooth insertion end, a socket adapted to receive the pipe with radial clearance, and a seal and friction ring; the socket having in its interior a substantially radially extending end shoulder and axially spaced therefrom an annular bead so as to form an annular groove; a base portion of the ring being disposed between the shoulder and the bead and a sealing portion of the ring being situated on a side of the annular bead which is distal from the base portion, the sealing portion having embedded therein a plurality of retaining elements which are distributed in the circumferential direction and each of which has at least two serrated internal edges for acting on the circumference of the smooth insertion end and which are tiltably supported on the annular bead, the radially outwardly oriented circumferential surface of each retaining element diverging towards the sealing portion to define a divergence angle with respect to an envelope surface that contacts all internal edges of the retaining element, the circumferential surface being a sliding surface for axially slidably guiding the embedded retaining element on the annular bead while maintaining the retaining element freely tiltably supported in every axial position.