Clamping devices particularly useful as pipe couplings

Claim 1

A clamping device particularly useful as a pipe coupling, comprising a housing having a bore through one end face for receiving the pipe to be coupled, and a cap rotationally mounted over the housing end face and including a skirt enclosing the housing, and an end wall having an aperture therethrough for the pipe to be coupled; characterized in that said device further includes a plurality of interposer elements comprising a pair of clamping segments interposed between said end face of the housing and the inner face of the cap end wall on opposite sides of the aperture; each of said clamping segments having a convexly-curved outer face, and a concavely-curved inner edge engageable with the outer face of the pipe to be coupled, said cap including displacing means effective upon rotation of the cap to one position, to displace said clamping segments along a rectilinear path radially inwardly to grip the pipe when inserted into the housing, and upon rotation to a second position, to displace said clamping segments radially outwardly to release the pipe; said displacing means comprising cam surfaces, constituted by radially-extending high points and low points formed on the inner face of said skirt, engageable with the outer convex faces of said clamping segments effective to displace said segments radially inwardly upon the rotation of said cap; the inner edges of said clamping segments engageing substantially the complete circumference of the pipe, and being sharpened for biting into the pipe, when the pipe is received within the housing and the clamping segments are actuated to their clamping positions.