AU2021337124B2

AU2021337124B2 - Inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes

Info

Publication number: AU2021337124B2
Application number: AU2021337124A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Darvin Helfgen; Maximilian Vollenbroich
Original assignee: Amex Sanivar AG
Current assignee: Amex Sanivar AG
Priority date: 2020-09-01
Filing date: 2021-06-09
Publication date: 2024-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-09
Also published as: DE102020122833B3; EP3997375B1; WO2022048805A1; AU2021337124A1; EP3997375A1

Abstract

The inner sealing sleeve (1) according to the invention for inserting into pipes is, in particular, a liner end sleeve. The inner sealing sleeve (1) has a sleeve body (2) made up of a band (3) curved in the form of a ring, wherein an inner band end (4) and an outer band end (5) overlap. The sleeve body (2) is expandable, and therefore the inner band end (4) can be displaced relative to the outer band end (5) along an expanding direction U. An arresting arrangement (7) prevents the inner band end (4) from being able to be displaced back, counter to the expanding direction U, relative to the outer band end (5). The arresting arrangement (7) has a slot (8) which is arranged at the inner band end (4), as seen in the circumferential direction, and has a row of teeth (10) and also a latching mechanism (12) with a latching member (13). The latching member (13) is subject to the action of a spring element (14) and engages in the toothing formation of the row of teeth (10) by way of its latching teeth (15).The latching member (13) is subject to the action of a spring element (14) and engages by way of its latching teeth (15) in the toothing formation of the row of teeth (10). The latching member (13) and the spring element (14) are arranged in a chamber (16) of a guide body (17), wherein the latching member (13) can be displaced in the chamber (16).

Description

INNER SEALING SLEEVE FOR INSERTING INTO PIPES

The invention relates to an inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes.

The discussion of the background to the invention herein is intended to facilitate

an understanding of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion

is not an acknowledgement or admission that any aspect of the discussion was part of the

common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.

Where any or all of the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or

"comprising" are used in this specification (including the claims) they are to be interpreted

as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not

precluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

Inner sealing sleeves are used to seal pipelines having leaky pipe connections or

cracks. In particular, it is a so-called liner end sleeve. These are used for the permanent,

tight connection of liner systems to an old pipe or a pipe connection on the manhole side.

An inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes, which is used in the rehabilitation

of pipelines, is known from DE 195 44 877 C1. The inner sealing sleeve disclosed there

consists of an expandable annularly bent steel band, the band ends of which overlap in

the circumferential direction. The inner sealing sleeve includes a locking device having a

slot arranged on the inner band end in the circumferential direction, wherein a

longitudinal edge of the slot carries a row of teeth. Furthermore, a tensioning pinion is

rotatably mounted on the outer band end and engages in the row of teeth. Here, a

latching member is provided, which is acted upon by a spring element and engages in the

toothing of the tensioning pinion.

The sealing sleeve according to DE 10 2016 006 561Al is intended to be used in

particular in the rehabilitation of pipe offsets. The inner sealing sleeve has two sleeve

bodies bent from sheet steel in the form of a truncated cone or essentially cylindrically.

The free ends of the sheet steel of the sleeves overlap in the circumferential direction

thereof. A locking device is arranged in each of these overlapping regions. The two sleeves

are arranged at a distance from one another in adeformable sheath.

In the case of the inner sealing sleeve described in DE 10 2014 111916 B4, each of

the band end parts has at least one opening, wherein the openings in the overlapping

region of the band ends form a pair of openings. A holding element is arranged in each

pair of openings. The holding element consists of plastics material and is manufactured

and used in such a way that it breaks off when the sealing sleeve expands.

Furthermore, an inner sealing sleeve having a sleeve body made of an expandable

annularly bent band, the band ends of which overlap in the circumferential direction,

disclosed by DE 10 2012 111341B3 belongs to the state of the art. A locking device

prevents the inner band end from being displaceable relative to the outer band end in the

direction opposite to the expanding direction. The locking device provided there has at

least two rows of teeth arranged parallel to one another, wherein each of the rows of

teeth is engaged by its own tensioning pinion. The two rows of teeth are arranged at

opposite longitudinal edges of a toothed rack formed at the inner band part. Each of the

two tensioning pinions is assigned its own blocking element, which presses against the

associated tensioning pinion via a respective spring element. This structure is

comparatively complex.

An inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes is known from

DE 20 2018 100 823 U1. This has a sleeve body made of an annularly bent band, wherein

an inner band end and an outer band end overlap. The sleeve body can be expanded, so

that the inner band end can be displaced relative to the outer band end along an

expanding direction. A locking arrangement is provided, which prevents the inner band

end from being displaceable relative to the outer band end in the direction opposite to

the expanding direction. The locking arrangement has a slot arranged on the inner band

end in the circumferential direction and has a row of teeth, and a latching mechanism

with a latching member. The latching member is acted upon by a spring element and

engages in the row of teeth. The latching member and the spring element are arranged in

a chamber of a guide body, wherein the latching member is displaceable in the chamber.

A sealing sleeve for inserting into a pipeline system for the purpose of sealing leaks

in a pipeline system is known from WO 2019/158160.

In particular, the rehabilitation of liner ends, where a liner merges into a pipe,

represents an additional manufacturing effort, since the jumps in the pipe diameters

require a specific manufacturing of the steel profiles. Usually, the outer sealing sleeve is

stretched to the respective diameter via two tensioning bands. This is where the invention

comes in.

Proceeding from the state of the art, it is desirable to provide an inner sealing sleeve

that can be variably adjusted in the diameter and is improved in terms of assembly

technology and component technology.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an inner sealing

sleeve for inserting into pipes, comprising a sleeve body made of an annularly bent band,

wherein an inner band end and an outer band end overlap and wherein the sleeve body can be expanded so that the inner band end can be displaced relative to the outer band end along an expanding direction and a locking arrangement is provided, which prevents the inner band end from being displaceable relative to the outer band end in the direction opposite to the expanding direction, wherein the locking arrangement has a slot arranged on the inner band end in the circumferential direction and has a row of teeth , and a latching mechanism with a latching element, wherein the latching member is acted upon by a spring element and engages in the row of teeth , and the latching member and the spring element are arranged in a chamber of a guide body, wherein the latching member is displaceable in the chamber, characterised in that the spring element consists of an elastic plastics material and the chamber has a central axis arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the slot, and a stop for the latching element is provided in the region of the opening of the chamber.

The inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes according to the invention is in

particular a liner end sleeve that is used in the rehabilitation of pipes at the liner end, in

which a liner merges into a pipe. The inner sealing sleeve can be variably adjusted to a

wide variety of diameters. In this way a flexible inner sealing system is provided which

covers several diameters. The installation of the inner sealing sleeve with a rubber sleeve

surrounding it on the outside is performed by means of an assembly device, for example,

a displacement packer.

The inner sealing sleeve has a sleeve body made of an annularly bent band. In

particular, the band consists of corrosion-resistant steel, preferably stainless steel. In the

case of the annularly bent band, an inner band end and an outer band end overlap in the

circumferential direction. The sleeve body formed from the band can be expanded, so

expanding direction, i.e., in the circumferential direction of the pipe. A locking

arrangement prevents the band ends from sliding back. The locking arrangement prevents

the inner band end from being displaceable relative to the outer band end in the opposite

direction to the expanding direction. The locking arrangement has a slot arranged on the

inner band end in the circumferential direction and has a row of teeth, and a latching

mechanism with a latching member. The latching member is acted upon by a spring

element and engages in the toothing of the row of teeth.

The latching member and the spring element are arranged in a chamber of a guide

body, wherein the latching member is displaceable in the chamber. The guide body is

designed in particular like a carriage and guides the latching mechanism in the slot

opening. Under the influence of the spring element, the latching member engages with

- 3a

its latching teeth in the toothing of the row of teeth and engages there in an abutting

manner. Thus, a return movement of the inner band end relative to the outer band end

in the direction opposite to the expanding direction is blocked. Depending on the toothing

of the row of teeth, the expanding movement is possible in very fine steps.

One aspect of the invention provides that the spring element is incorporated

between a side wall of the chamber, in particular a rear side wall of the chamber, and a

rear wall portion of the latching member. The spring element presses the latching

member towards the opening of the chamber, wherein the latching teeth of the latching

member project from the opening towards the row of teeth.

The chamber is covered by a cover. In particular, the cover covers an upper flat side

of the guide body.

The guide body is designed like a carriage and preferably has an essentially

rectangular base body configuration. The guide body moves in the slot of the locking

arrangement. The guide body moves along the row of teeth on the one longitudinal edge of the slot. On the other side, the guide body slides along the longitudinal edge of the slot opposite the row of teeth. One aspect of the invention provides that the cover has longitudinally projecting guide tabs. This improves the guiding properties and the movement of the latching mechanism along the slot. At the same time, the upper guide tabs stabilize the locking arrangement as a whole.

The guide body is joined to the outer end of the steel band, in particular, the guide

body is riveted to the band.

According to the invention, the spring element consists of an elastic plastics

material, in particular, the spring element consists of synthetic rubber. The material for

the spring element can be adapted to the respective medium or fluid of use. One aspect

provides that the spring element is made of ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) if it

is used in the sector of drinking water, process water, wastewater or cooling water. If the

inner sealing sleeve is to be used in media of use such as petrol, oil or gases, NBR (Nitrile

Butadiene Rubber) is used as the spring element. This ensures high chemical resistance. For use with high temperature resistance requirements, the spring element is preferably

made of FKM (fluor rubber).

Furthermore, it is provided according to the invention that the chamber has a

central axis which is arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the slot. As a result,

the distribution of force when the latching teeth of the latching member engage can be

advantageously supported. The latching mechanism is self-locking. A disengagement of

the latching teeth of the latching body is counteracted or can be effectively prevented.

The latching member can be moved back and forth in the chamber of the guide

body in a resilient manner. The latching member can therefore be displaced into the

chamber against the spring force and pressed by the spring element towards the opening

of the chamber. During the stretching or expanding operation of the sleeve body, the rear

tooth flanks of the toothing of the row of teeth on the one hand and the latching teeth of

the latching member on the other hand slide off one another. In the opposite direction,

i.e., in the direction opposite to the expanding direction, the toothing of the row of teeth

and the latching teeth of the latching member engage with one another.

According to the invention, the movement of the latching member out of the

chamber, i.e., towards the opening, is limited by a stop which is provided in the region of

the opening of the chamber. The latching member is limited in its direction of movement upwards in the chamber by the top cover. Due to the spring force of the spring element, the latching member is pressed towards the opening of the chamber. The assembly operation is designed to be simple. A recess is provided at the end of the slot for the latching mechanism to pass through. The inner sealing sleeve is also advantageous and efficient in terms of manufacturing technology. The inner sealing sleeve consists of a bent band, preferably made of metal, in particular, steel. The sleeve body can be stretched to different diameters using the latching mechanism. Before bending the sleeve body, the recess for the slit is punched on the flat band. This has the groove-shaped row of teeth on one side and has a recess for the latching mechanism to be passed through. The recess is enlarged in relation to the width of the slot and is designed so that the guide body can be moved through the recess, including the top cover with the longitudinally projecting guide tabs. The latching mechanism or the guide body of the latching mechanism is riveted onto the still unbent band. The band is then shaped annularly to form the sleeve body.

In the finished state, the inner sealing sleeve in the pipe can be pressed to the respective required diameter and can be locked in the respective diameter by the locking

arrangement with the latching mechanism.

The spring element is most preferably made of EPDM for use with drinking water,

raw water, industrial and municipal wastewater or cooling water. NBR is used as the

material for the spring element to ensure chemical resistance for use with petrol, gas or

oils. The spring element is made of FKM for high temperature resistance. The latching

member consists of a high-strength plastics material or metal. The spring element and

latching member are incorporated in the chamber of the guide body and are oriented

there for storage by the upper cover. Otherwise, the latching member can be moved back

and forth in the chamber, whereby it is supported against the spring element. The

restoring forces, the elasticity of the spring element, enable the latching member to

engage in the toothing of the row of teeth in the slot.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to drawings. The

following are shown:

Figure 1 an inner sealing sleeve according to the invention in a perspective

illustration;

Figure 2 the inner sealing sleeve in an expanded position;

Figure 3 the band forming the sleeve body of the unwound inner sealing sleeve;

Figure 4 the band according to the illustration of Figure 3 with riveted latching

mechanism; Figure 5 components of the latching mechanism of the inner sealing sleeve also

in a perspective;

Figure 6 a guide body;

Figure 7 a latching member;

Figure 8 a spring element;

Figure 9 the cover of the latching mechanism;

Figure 10 the inner sealing sleeve according to the invention again in a

perspective illustrating the guide body of the latching mechanism arranged in the recess

of the slot in the inner band end without a cover;

Figure 11 a perspective view of an inner sealing sleeve installed in the region of

the pipe transition between two pipes, and

Figure 12 the installed inner sealing sleeve according to the illustration of

Figure 11 in a vertical sectional view.

An inner sealing sleeve 1 according to the invention for inserting into pipes is

illustrated in perspective in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

The inner sealing sleeve 1 has a sleeve body 2 made of an annularly bent band 3.

The planar unwound band 3 can be seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

The band 3 is bent annularly to form the sleeve body 2 so that an inner band end 4

and an outer band end 5 overlap. The sleeve body 2 of the inner sealing sleeve 1 can be

expanded in the pipe on site. By doing so, the overlapping band ends 4, 5 are displaced

relative to one another. In particular, the inner band end 4 is displaced relative to the

outer band end 5 along an expanding direction U. When installed in a pipe, the inner

sealing sleeve 1 is surrounded on the outside by a rubber seal or a rubber sleeve. This is

not illustrated here. Figure 2 shows the inner sealing sleeve 1 in an expanded position.

The band 3 or the sleeve body 2 has a flare 6 at the front side. The flare 6 is directed

against the direction of flow and improves the hydrodynamics. Furthermore, the flare 6

prevents deposits of solids and also increases the high-pressure resistance during cleaning

or rinsing operations.

The inner sealing sleeve 1 has a locking arrangement 7 which prevents the sleeve

body 2 from contracting again and, in particular, prevents the inner band end 4 from being displaceable relative to the outer band end 5 in the direction opposite to the expanding direction U. The locking arrangement 7 has a slot 8 arranged on the inner band end 4 in the circumferential direction with a slot opening 9 and a row of teeth 10 on a longitudinal edge 11. Furthermore, a latching mechanism 12 with a latching member 13 is provided.

The latching member 13 is acted upon by a spring element 14 and presses the latching

member 13 against the row of teeth 10. By doing so, the latching member 13 engages

with its latching teeth 15 in the toothing of the row of teeth 10 (see also Figure 10).

The latching member 13 and the spring element 14 are arranged in a chamber 16

of a guide body 17. The latching member 13 is displaceable in the chamber 16 to a limited

extent. Against the pressure of the spring element 14, the latching member 13 can be

displaced or pushed inwards into the chamber 16. The restoring forces of the spring

element 14 cause the latching member 13 to be pressed towards the opening 18 of the

chamber 16.

The latching mechanism 12 with the guide body 17, the latching member 13 and

the spring element 14 can be seen in Figure 5. Figure 6 shows the rectangularly configured guide body 17. The latching member 13 is shown in Figure 7 and the spring element 14 is

shown as an individual part in Figure 8.

A cover 19 is provided on the upper side of the guide body 17. The cover 19 can be

seen as an individual part in Figure 9.

The cover 19 covers the chamber 16 in the guide body 17 with the latching member

13 and the spring element 14 incorporated therein.

The latching mechanism 12 is joined to the outer band end 5 by means of rivets 20.

The rivets 20 are indicated in Figure 3 by illustration of the openings for the rivets 20.

Figure 4 shows the band 3 with the latching mechanism 12 riveted on.

The guide body 17 has a rectangular configuration and has the opening 18 of the

chamber 16 on a longitudinal side 21. In the region of the opening 18 stops 22, 23 are

provided. The stops 22, 23 limit the outwards directed movement of the latching member

13 in the chamber 16. The stops 22, 23 are each formed by web strips at the opening-side

longitudinal side 21of the guide body 17.

The latching mechanism 12 slides with its guide body 17 like a carriage in the slot

opening 9 of the slot 8. The longitudinal side 24 of the guide body 17 in the direction

opposite to the opening 18 of the chamber 16 slides on the smooth or non-toothed

longitudinal edge 25 of the slot 8 in the direction opposite to the row of teeth 10.

The spring element 14 consists of synthetic rubber, namely ethylene propylene

diene rubber (EPDM). Depending on the medium of use, the spring element 14 can also consist of NBR or FKM. The spring element 14 is configured as a cuboid and can be solid.

It is also possible for the spring element 14 to have an internal hollow chamber. The spring

element 14 is incorporated between a rear side wall 26 of the chamber 16 and a rear wall

portion 27 of the latching member 13. The latching member 13 has a row of latching teeth

15 at its front side 28. The spring element 14 presses the latching member 13 towards the

opening 18 of the chamber 16 so that the latching teeth 15 of the latching member 13

project from the opening 18 towards the row of teeth 10. The latching teeth 15 will

engage with the teeth of the row of teeth 10. During the expansion movement, the tooth

backs 29 of the latching teeth 15 slide along the toothing of the row of teeth 10. As soon

as a force acts in the direction opposite to the expanding direction U, the latching teeth

15 engage in the toothing of the row of teeth 10 and thus prevent movement of the inner

band end 4 relative to the outer band end 5 in the direction opposite to the expanding

direction U. The expansion operation is almost infinitely variable. The chamber 16 has a central axis K, which is arranged at an angle a to the

longitudinal axis L of the slot 8.

Figures 5 - 9 show the components of the latching mechanism 12. The individual

illustrations are not scaled to one another. The cover 19 covers the upper flat side of the

guide body 17. The cover 19 has two wing-like guide tabs 32, 33 on each of its longitudinal

sides 30, 31. The guide tabs 32, 33 are each arranged at the front and rear end 34 and are

opposite to on another. This configuration supports the carriage configuration of the

guide body 17 or the latching mechanism 12 and contributes to the secure retention of

the latching mechanism 12 in the slot 8.

The slot 8 has a recess 36 at one end 35 for the latching mechanism 12 to be passed

through or to be inserted into the slot 8. The configuration of the recess 36 is adapted to

the external dimensions of the latching mechanism 12, in particular, to the external

dimensions of the cover 19. Due to the lateral guide tabs 33, 34, the cover 19 has a double

T-shaped configuration. Correspondingly, the recess 36 at the end 35 of the slot 8 is

configured in the shape of a double T.

Via the recess 36, the latching mechanism 12 is inserted into the inner band end 4

and positioned in the slot 8. Figure 10 shows the latching mechanism 12 positioned in the recess 36 without its top cover 19. The width of the guide body 17 is adapted to the slot opening 9, i.e., the width of the slot 8. After the latching mechanism 12 is inserted and positioned in the slot 8, the sleeve body 2 of the inner sealing sleeve 1 can be expanded. During the expansion operation, the band 3 or the band ends 4, 5 are guided through the locking arrangement 7. The latching mechanism 12 can only be moved in one direction and prevents the sleeve body

2 from contracting after it has been stretched in the direction opposite to the expanding

direction U. The expansion operation can be continued until the latching mechanism 12

in the slot 8 comes to rest on the slot end 37 opposite the recess 36.

Figures 11 and 12 show an inner sealing sleeve 1 installed in the transition region

between two pipeline portions 38, 39. The inner sealing sleeve l is surrounded by a rubber

sleeve 40 on the outside. The rubber sleeve 40 is geometrically adapted in width and

diameter to the pipe transition and the joint offset between the pipeline portions 38, 39

and has sealing knobs 41, 42 of different thicknesses. The sealing knobs 41, 42 run around

the outer circumference of the rubber sleeve 40 and are self-contained. The material of the rubber sleeve 40 is tailored to the respective medium of use.

The rubber sleeve 40 is enclosed and protected in the pipeline system by the flare 6 on

both end faces of the inner sealing sleeve 1.

The inner sealing sleeve 1 can be used to rehabilitate all common types of pipes,

for example, stoneware pipes, concrete pipes, plastic pipes, GRP pipes, cast iron pipes or

steel pipes.

Reference numerals:

1 - Sealing sleeve

2 - Sleeve body

3 - Band

4 - Inner band end

5 - Outer band end

6 - Flare

7 - Locking arrangement

8 - Slot

9 - Slot opening

10 - Row of teeth

11 - longitudinal edge 12 - Latching mechanism

13 - Latching member

14 - Spring element

15 - Latching teeth of 13

16 - Chamber

17 - Guide body

18 - Opening of 16

19-Cover

20 - Rivets

21 - Longitudinal side of 17

22 - Stop

23 - Stop

24 - Longitudinal side of 17 25 - Longitudinal edge

26 - Side wall of 16

27 - Rear wall portion of 13

28 - Front side of 13

29 -Tooth backs

30 - Longitudinal side of 19

31 - Longitudinal side of 19

32 - Guide tab

33 - Guide tab

34-End of19

35 - End of 8

36 - Recess of 35

37 - Slot end

38 - Pipeline portion

39 - Pipeline portion

40 - Rubber sleeve

41 - Sealing knobs

42 - Sealing knobs

U - Expanding direction

K - Central axis L - Longitudinal axis

a - Angle

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Inner sealing sleeve for inserting into pipes, comprising a sleeve body made of an

annularly bent band , wherein an inner band end and an outer band end overlap and

wherein the sleeve body can be expanded so that the inner band end can be displaced

relative to the outer band end along an expanding direction and a locking arrangement is

provided, which prevents the inner band end from being displaceable relative to the outer

band end in the direction opposite to the expanding direction, wherein the locking

arrangement has a slot arranged on the inner band end in the circumferential direction

and has a row of teeth , and a latching mechanism with a latching element , wherein the

latching member is acted upon by a spring element and engages in the row of teeth , and

the latching member and the spring element are arranged in a chamber of a guide body,

wherein the latching member is displaceable in the chamber, wherein the spring

element consists of an elastic plastics material and the chamber has a central

axis arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the slot , and a stop for the latching

element is provided in the region of the opening of the chamber

.

2. Inner sealing sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is

incorporated between a side wall of the chamber and a rear wall portion of the latching

member and the spring element presses the latching member towards an opening of the

chamber, wherein latching teeth of the latching member project from the

opening towards the row of teeth .

3. Inner sealing sleeve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chamber is covered by a

cover.

4. Inner sealing sleeve according to claim 3, wherein the cover covers an upper flat

side of the guide body.

5. Inner sealing sleeve according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the cover has longitudinally

projecting guide tabs.

6. Inner sealing sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the spring

element consists of synthetic rubber.

7. Inner sealing sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a recess is

provided at one end of the slot for the latching mechanism to pass through.