Tube joining

[Welderpaul]

Just sorting a job out before starting. Miles of 48.3 od chs tubular handrails to fab. Gonna make them up in 5m ish long panels and joint them using some sort of spiggot/socket. They are hot dip galvanised.
Need to joint them as close to an upright as possible to reduce the loading on the joint (2.0kn/m design load)

How have you done it in the past? Method needs to be right, theres going to be thousands of joints. Probably best to have some sort of fixing through the underside to secure. We normally weld two flats inside one end of the tube, and bend them out slightly so the second tube is a tight push fit.
The off the shelf tube joiners are crap pressed things in my experience. Didnt get on with them.

 

[Hitch]

How about the cast type tube joiners....much better than the pressed ones.

 

[busa]

How about the cast type tube joiners....much better than the pressed ones.

+1 on that, we use the cast type expanding joiners, you can really heave them up tight, the pressed version are crap.

 

[Welderpaul]

+1 on that, we use the cast type expanding joiners, you can really heave them up tight, the pressed version are crap.

Anyone got a link to them, the only ones i the catalogue i have here is some cast bits with little 'pips' along the length. Do the ones you are suggesting have a fixing to tighten up?

 

[busa]

Paul.
The ones we use are in two pieces and are tightened using a recessed allen headed grub screw, I'll get some info on supplier tomorrow.

 

[busa]

Here ya go paul....

http://www.brookstubeclamps.co.uk/ecat_itemView.asp?idItem=126&idCategory=32

 

[Hitch]

AS supplies are who we have used a lot for such items.... any key clamp supplier ought to be able to supply them, specify the type you want mind

 

[Bigjoe]

It never ceases to surprise me the amount of knowledge on here!