Quick-Action Couplers

Many fluid systems require that hose be disconnected without excessive fluid loss. For these applications, quick-action couplers are used. They are also used to reduce the time, effort, and skill required to make and break fluid connections. Quick-action couplers are available for hoses from 1/8 to 10 in. diameter. They can typically handle 3,000-psi pressures. Some connectors cannot accept pressures this high; a trade-off is necessary to obtain other important operating characteristics. Self-sealing couplers can be used in any part of a system where the pressure-drop rating on the coupler is permissible. They are suitable for vacuums down to 10≥ torr. On pump supply lines, a size should be selected that will not produce about 1.5-psi pressure drop at required flow. A wide variety of seals and materials are available for these couplers: carbon steel, stainless steel, brass, aluminum, many different plastics, bronzes, titanium, and proprietary metals that are inert to most chemicals. Seals are available in Buna N, Neoprene, butyl, VITON®, silicone, PTFE fluorocarbon, and natural rubber, plus many proprietary compounds. Selection of the right materials is simplified by the compatibility charts furnished by most coupler manufacturers. Many types of couplers are available but all have a few factors in common. Each coupler consists of two halves. Either half may contain a leakproof shutoff valve that closes automatically when the halves are separated, and opens when they are connected. The halves are fitted with a locking device for connecting to each other. connectors are the simplest and least expensive quick-action coupler. They consist simply of a male nipple and a female coupler, joined usually by a spring-loaded ball-bearing sleeve lock. Typical applications are in laboratory equipment and machine tools, where frequent hydraulic connections are required but spillage is unimportant. connectors have one plain side and one side automatically closed by