Mechanical Joints
- Compression Fittings: primarily seen on copper pipe spudguns, the compression fitting squeezes a metal ring against the pipe between a nut and the fitting body to form the connection. Easier than solder fittings and requiring only a spanner they are much more expensive and are of greater weight.
- Threaded Fittings: commonly available in BSP or NPT (not interchangeable) they generally require a fitting attached to a pipe by other means to allow screwing into another threaded fitting. The exception to this is steel pipe, the ends of which can have the appropriate thread cut into them.
- Flange joints: on large steel spudguns, pipe and fittings are sometimes bolted together by means of flanges with a gasket sandwiched between them to provide an airtight joint.
- Cam Locks: on spudguns with interchangeable barrels a cam lock is sometimes used to connect barrels to the cannon as it provides a quick and simple solution to switching barrels. Two levers either side of the socket side of the fitting rotate internal cams to lock in or release the plug side of the fitting to which a barrel is attached.
Read more about this topic: Spud Gun, Connections
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