AU4882602A - Relining of house service lines - Google Patents

Description

S&FRef: 600759

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Watertech Resources Pty Ltd Suite 10, 35-37 Princes Highway Engadine New South Wales 2233 Australia Christopher Paul Meredith Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower,Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) Relining of House Service Lines ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU PR5915 [32] Application Date 25 Jun 2001 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815c 1 RELINING OF HOUSE SERVICE LINES Technical Field The present invention relates to the relining of pipes and more particularly but not exclusively to the relining of house service lines.

s Background of the Invention The normal domestic sewage collection system consists of a drain pipe from the private property. This drain pipe delivers waste from the property into a sewer main generally owned by the local authority. The main sewer line is normally laid in straight sections between manholes or access chambers.

l0 There are a number of technologies currently being practiced for the rehabilitation of pipes and conduits by the insertion of linings. These linings are inserted via the manholes or access points. These methods are particularly relevant to sewer mains which are straight and have access points at each end of the section to be lined.

The need to reline house service lines has not been successfully met by the abovementioned technologies. The small diameter pipes employed in house service lines as well as the severe bends and only having one access point has made existing technology not applicable.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to provide a method of lining a drain pipe having at least one bend.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein a method of installing a liner in a drain pipe having at least one bend, and extending downstream from an access opening to an opening into a further pipe, said method including: providing a liner tube assembly of derived length having opposite first and second ends, said assembly including a textile inner layer, a resin embedded in said textile layer, and an outer sheet layer overlaying said textile layer and resin; closing said first end; fixing said second end relative to said access opening, and inserting said assembly by delivering a fluid under pressure to said assembly to cause inversion of said assembly so that said resin and textile layer are applied to the interior of said drain pipe, and said sheet liner is located internally of said textile layer with said first end protruding from said opening; [R:\LIBD]02354.doc:tyb allowing said resin to cure; and removing said first end.

Preferably, said liner is inserted so that said first end projects into said further pipe, with said first end being removed by an apparatus positioned in said further pipe.

s Preferably, said drain pipe is part of a house service line and said further pipe is a main sewer.

Preferably, said sheet layer is formed of polyurethane and said textile is woven textile material.

Preferably, said assembly, prior to insertion, is of a generally flat configuration so io as to have longitudinally extending edges provided by said sheet layer, with said sheet layer being bonded to said textile except adjacent said edges.

Preferably, said liner tube assembly is inserted with said edges being located in a plane generally transverse of a plane within which the house service line is located.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a house service line; Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the house service line of Figure 1 with a liner applied to the service line; Figure 3 is a schematic part sectioned illustration of the extremity of the house service line with the liner applied thereto; and Figure 4 is a schematic sectioned perspective view of the liner employed in the house service line of Figures 2 and 3.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a house service line This service line 10 includes an access opening 11 providing access to a sewer drain pipe 12. The drain pipe 12 includes a number of bends including a boundary trap 13.

The drain pipe 12 extends to a sewer main 14. More particularly, the drain pipe 12 extends from the access opening 11 to a downstream opening 15 at the sewer main 14.

A tube liner assembly 16 is inserted in the house service line 10 to rehabilitate the line 10. Prior to insertion in the line 10 the assembly 16 includes an inner woven textile tube 17 enclosing a longitudinally extending passage 18. Applied to the tube 17 is a resin.

Overlaying the tube 17 is a seamless outer sheet layer 19 which includes longitudinally extending edge portions 20. The outer sheet layer 19 is secured to the tube [R:\LIBD]02354.doc:tyb 3 17 apart from the edge portions 20. Typically, the layer 19 would be formed from polyurethane.

The assembly 16 is inserted in the house service line 10 by firstly measuring reasonably accurately the length required. More particularly, the assembly 16 would s extend from the upstream inspection opening 11 to the downstream opening 15. The assembly 16 has a first end 21 and a second end 22. The assembly 16 is made ready for insertion by turning inside out a short section of the assembly 16 at the second end 22.

This folded back section is fixed relative to and adjacent the opening 11 so that the assembly 16 extends away from the house service line 10. The folded back section is now pressurised so that the assembly 16 inverts and travels down the pipe 12. The fluid under pressure, may be a gas or liquid (preferably water). When the assembly 16 inverts, the tube 17, together with the resin is applied to the internal surfaces of the pipe 12. The layer 19 which was originally the outer layer of assembly 16 is now located internally of the tube 17.

Pressurising of the assembly 16 continues until the end 21 reaches the extremity of its travel and protrudes through the opening 15 into the sewer main 14. The assembly 16 is then allowed to cure into a hardened state. The end 21 is then removed by a self propelled robotic machine 23 having a driven cutter 24 which moves relative to the end 21 to remove the end 21. The machine 23 is provided with a camera and light assembly 24 so that the cutting operation may be overseen.

Once the end 21 is removed the installation of the assembly 16 is completed.

Curing of the resin in some instances can be enhanced by the application of heat.

This can be achieved by causing heated water to be circulated through the interior of the assembly 16. To enhance this circulation, a tube would extend longitudinally of the assembly 16, which tube is subsequently removed.

Preferably, at each location along the pipe 12, the longitudinally extending edge portions 20 are maintained in a plane normal to a vertical plane through the longitudinal axis of the pipe 12. That is, opposite sections of the edge portions 20 are horizontally aligned.

The assembly 16 is also trimmed at ground level at the opening 11 while any further openings along the length of the pipe 12 may also require opening.

Protrusion of the end 21 into the sewer main 14 is initially detected by the camera and light assembly 24.

[R:\LIBD]02354.doc:tyb 4 The machine 23 has the cutter 24 positioned so that it is the first part of the machine 23 to engage the end 21. Still further it is preferable to have the cutter 24 operable to cut in a forward or reverse direction.

[R:\L]BD]02354.doc:tyb

Claims (7)

1. A method of installing a liner in a drain pipe having at least one bend, and extending downstream from an access opening to an opening into a further pipe, said method including: providing a liner tube assembly of described length and having opposite first and second ends, said assembly including a textile iimer layer, a resin embedded in said textile layer, and an outer sheet layer overlaying said textile layer and resin; closing said first end; fixing said second end relative to said access opening, and inserting said assembly by delivering a fluid under pressure to said assembly to cause inversion of said assembly so iu0 that said resin and textile layer are applied to the interior of said drain pipe, and said sheet liner is located internally of said textile layer with said first end protruding from said opening; allowing said resin to cure; and removing said first end. is

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said liner is inserted so that said first end projects into said further pipe, with said first end being removed by an apparatus positioned in said further pipe.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein said drain pipe is part'of a house service line and said further pipe is a main sewer.

4. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said sheet layer is formed of polyurethane and said textile is woven textile material.

The method of anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein said assembly, prior to insertion, is of a generally flat configuration so as to have longitudinally extending edges provided by said sheet layer, with said sheet layer being bonded to said textile except adjacent said edges.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said liner tube assembly is inserted with said edges being located in a plane generally transverse of a plane within which the house service line is located.

7. A method of installing a line in a drain pipe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 18 June, 2002 Watertech Resources Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON SRA\LIBLLJ 13197.doc:c.a