ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Canfield joint

Okay, kiddo, imagine you have two straws. One straw is red and the other is blue. Now, we need to make them stick together so we can drink from both at the same time. That's what a Canfield joint is for!

A Canfield joint is a way to connect two pipes, like the straws, so they can move in different directions. It works kind of like a ball and socket joint on your body – your shoulder has one.

So, back to the straws. We're going to connect them with a Canfield joint. One end of the red straw has a ball-shaped part that fits into a cup-shaped part at the end of the blue straw. The ball can move around inside the cup, just like your shoulder moves around in its socket. That means the straws can bend and twist in different directions without coming apart.

This is really useful for all kinds of things, like when you need to connect two pipes in a machine or in your house's plumbing. The Canfield joint helps the pipes move without breaking or leaking. And that's all there is to it – just a simple way to connect two things and keep them moving smoothly!