AU765901B2 - Device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Tracto-Technik Paul Schmidt Spezialmaschinen Actual Inventor(s): Alfons Hesse Address for Service: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: DEVICE FOR CONNECTING A TOWED PIPE TO A TOWING APPARATUS Our Ref 576767 POF Code: 1282/308317 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): -1- TITLE OF THE INVENTION Device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for connecting a towed pipe or pipe string to a towing apparatus, for example a percussion boring machine or a towing head, by means of which the towed pipe can be drawn into the ground or into a preformed pilot bore in the ground.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART In the trenchless laying of pipelines by means of a percussion boring machine and in expanding a pilot bore by means of a towing, displacing, bursting or excavating head the object is to draw in a new product pipe simultaneously with the formation of the bore in the ground or the expansion of a pilot bore. The same applies to the destructive replacement of underground pipelines in which an old pipe is destroyed, for example by means of the chisel head of a percussion boring machine, and the fragments are forced laterally into the ground in order to increase the free cross-section of the underground pipeline so that a towed pipe having a diameter the same as or even larger than that of the old pipe can be drawn in with as little friction as possible at its outer wall.

25 Usually the new pipe is connected directly to the apparatus which is forming or expanding the bore in the ground, in order to prevent collapse of the bore in the region between the towing apparatus and the new pipe. This is mostly done by means of snap or screw connections.

However, in all methods the towed pipe is subjected to high frictional forces, depending on its length and the nature of the wall of the bore, which are still considerable even if a lubricating suspension, for example a bentonl.Ite-water suspension, is used when drawing in the new pipe. Further 2 loadings on the new pipe occur in the case of dynamic drawing in using a percussion boring machine of which the ramming blows can act undamped on the towed or new pipe.

The loads described above make high demands on the connection between the towing apparatus and the new pipe, which usually consists of plastics material, for example PEHD.

While a number of pipe connections exist, these cannot cope with the high loads when pipe lengths of over 100 m and pipe diameters of, for example, 100 to 900 mm, are being drawn into the ground.

One type of existing pipe connection is for use with a percussion boring machine in the destructive replacement of underground pipelines by means of a conical expander head.

This pipe connection serves to connect the new pipe, which is provided with an internal screw thread, to a jacket pipe which is spaced from and surrounds the percussion boring machine and also has an internal screw thread. This is done by means of two intermediate pieces each provided with a screw thread at each end, and requires time-consuming screwing together of the 20 four parts which are to be connected.

S"However, in the case of pipes of plastics materials eee i problems already arise from the fact that the plastics materials in question have a high coefficient of thermal expansion. The resulting thermal expansions make screwing 25 difficult, depending on the outside temperature.

The discussion of the background to the invention herein is included to explain the context of the invention. This is .I not to be taken as an admission that any of the material referred to was published, known or part of the common general 30 knowledge in Australia as at the priority date of any of the claims Starting from this state of the art, the object of the invention is to provide a less expensive but stable connection by which a towed pipe can be fastened to a towing apparatus W:\nary\NODELETE\2365-99.doc and which in particular is able to transmit high tensile forces even in the case of dynamic boring or expanding of a pilot bore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus including an adapter sleeve a towed pipe having a connecting end wherein the connecting end and the adapter sleeve are provided with mutually opposed grooves and locking bars are present in the grooves and the locking bars have an insertion bevel at their insertion end to facilitate their introduction into the grooves and a supporting sleeve located in the connecting end of the towed pipe.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing S 20 apparatus including an adapter sleeve eO o- a towed pipe having a connecting end wherein the connecting end and the adapter sleeve are provided with mutually opposed grooves and locking bars are present in the grooves and the locking bars have an insertion bevel at their insertion end to facilitate their introduction into the grooves, wherein the connecting end of the towed pipe is provided with longitudinal slits.

The locking brings the adapter sleeve and the towed pipe **into a secure but preferably releasable connection.

The locking is preferably effected by means of a locking sleeve which supports the connection of the adapter and the towed pipe in the radial direction on the inside or outside.

Another means of connection in accordance with the invention includes providing the connecting end and the adapter W:Mar)O\Davin\Spei\21365-99-A.doc sleeve with opposed grooves into which preferably releasable locking bars can be pushed, by means of which the adapter sleeve and the towed pipe are locked together. The locking bars can have an insertion bevel and/or a pulling eye in order to facilitate their introduction into the grooves and their removal therefrom. The bars can also have a larger bearing area in the direction of advance than in the opposite direction. To stabilise this kind of connection a supporting sleeve may be provided in the connecting end of the towed pipe, between which and the adapter sleeve the front end of the pipe is then clamped.

The supporting sleeve preferably has a collar which engages between the front end of the towed pipe and a complementary internal shoulder of the adapter sleeve. The external diameter of the pipe in the adapter sleeve is preferably the same as the external diameter of the pipe to be drawn in. The locking bar or bars consist of an elastic material and preferably have a rectangular or square crosssection.

20 The towed pipe can be connected to the connecting pipe through an electric welding sleeve. Such a sleeve is described in the German Offenlegungsschrift 197 18 790, the contents of which are to be regarded as forming part of the present description. Generally butt welding is also suitable for connecting the pipes or pipe sections.

•go• oo oo oo ooe• o •o oo oe DayOin\Spi\Spi\21365-99-A.dc BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to some embodiments shown in the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a percussion boring machine with a connection to the towed pipe which includes a locking sleeve, Fig. 2 is an end view of the towed pipe of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a percussion boring machine with a connection to the towed pipe which includes locking bars, Fig. 4 is a section along the line VI-VI in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a towing apparatus in the form of a back reamer having a connection to the towed pipe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The percussion boring machine 1 includes at its forward end attachment means 2 for a towing cable and at its forward or as shown at its rear end a conical shoulder 3 against which a complementary internal face 4 of an adapter sleeve fits closely. The adapter sleeve 5 has external teeth in the form of ribs 6 of saw-tooth cross-section, which engage in correspondingly shaped grooves 7 of the internal teeth of a towed pipe 8 in the form of a pipe string made up of individual pipes welded together. This engagement can be simply formed since the connecting end 9 of the towed pipe 8 is provided with 25 elongated slits 10 running in the longitudinal direction (Fig.

In this way when the front pipe end 9 is pushed on over the saw-tooth ribs 6 of the adapter sleeve 5 the strtips of the pipe wall between each two slits 10 bend slightly outwards. In the position shown in Fig. 1 the front end (connection end) of the towed pipe again assumes its original diameter; it is locked to the adapter sleeve 5 by the use of a locking sleeve 11, the internal diameter of which is slightly larger than the external diameter of the towed pipe. This is done by pushing the locking sleeve 11 on to the adapter sleeve from the forward end until its internal collar 12 meets the front face 13 of the towed pipe.

The conical faces 14, 15 of the two sleeves 5, 11 combine to form a cone 16, by means of which the ground surrounding the percussion boring machine I is expanded so that the towed pipe 8 can be drawn into the ground without excessive friction at its surface. This is ensured by the larger external diameter of the locking sleeve 11 compared with the external diameter of the towed or new pipe 8, which creates the necessary free space for drawing in the pipe 8.

The percussion boring machine 1 is supplied in the usual way through a hose line 17 with compressed air or nd'thef driving medium. In the hose there is a shock valve 18. By means of a towing cable engaging the fitting 2 the machine can be 15 pulled through the pipe 8 into the adapter sleeve 5 as far as the position shown in Fig. 1.

The connecting end 9 of the pipe 8 can also be provided with circumferential external grooves 19 of rectangular crosssection, which have complementary internal grooves 20 of an adapter sleeve 21 lying opposite them. The adapter sleeve 21 has an internal shoulder 22 having a face running at an angle to the pipe axis and so inclined that a supporting sleeve can be inserted between the front face 23 of the pipe 8 and the shoulder 22 of the collar 24.

.i 25 The adapter sleeve 21 has a larger diameter than the pipe string 8, in order to keep the pipe wall friction low and like the adapter sleeve 5 an internal or inclined face 4 which is in close contact with the conical shoulder 3 of the percussion boring machine i. Further, the adapter sleeve is conically shaped in the direction of advance and is fitted with blades 26 parallel to the axis for destroying an old underground pipe. The adapter sleeve is further provided with an insertion bevel 30 and the connecting end 9 with an insertion cone 31 to facilitate the threading of the connecting end into the adapter sleeve. In addition it is provided with a sealing ring 32 which prevents penetration of dirt or drilling liquid into the interior of the pipe.

In forming the connection the connecting end 9 of the pipe string 8 is first inserted into the adapter sleeve 21 together with the already positioned supporting sleevb 25 until the collar 24 lies between the front face 23 of the pipe and the shoulder 22 of the adapter sleeve 21. In many cases, particularly when the pipes to be drawn in are thick-walled or are sufficiently resistant to bending, the supporting sleeve can be omitted. In some cases it can also be appropriate for the connecting pipe to have thicker walls than the towed pipe.

In this situation the annular grooves 19, 20 on the two sides in the connecting end 9 and the adapter sleeve 21 are aligned 15 with one another, so that in each case they form a closed annular passage with a square cross-section. Flexible locking bars 28, for example of steel or plastics material, are then pushed into the two annular passages through respective passages 29 leading to the outer face of the adapter sleeve.

The flexibility of the locking bars 28 should be just adequate to allow them to bend to follow the course of the annular passages. The locking bars then have a sufficiently high resistance to deformation to lock the connecting end 9 and the adapter sleeve 21 securely together even under very high S 25 tensile forces. Preferably, the openings for inserting the locking bars 28 are closed by caps.

In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 the connection end 9 of the towed pipe is connected in the way shown in Figs. 3, 4 to an adapter sleeve 33 by means of two locking bars 28. The adapter sleeve is provided with a connecting eye 34 which is connected by means of a pin 35 to the rear end of a back reamer 36 which serves as an expanding tool. The back reamer is provided with excavating tools 37 and is rotatably mounted: it is caused to rotate by means of a rotary linkage 38 which engages -its front end.

A particular advantage of the connections shown is that they are simple to form and can very easily be released again.

For this purpose, in the connections shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it is merely necessary to slide the locking sleeve 11 and then the adapter sleeve 5 forwards (to the left in Fig. r in the case of the connection shown in Figs. 3to 5 to withdraw the two locking bars 28 from their annular passages 19, 20. No screwing operations are needed. Between the device of the invention and the expanding tool 36 a crevice can be provided which permits the passage opening to be rotated into the position desired for withdrawal of the locking bars 28.

The invention also makes it possible to re-use the connecting end, which only needs to be separated by means of a saw from the pipe string which has been laid in the ground; it can then be welded to a new pipe string. Consequently there is no need to provide the connecting end of each pipe string with teeth (Fig. 1) or with internal grooves (Fig. 3) It is particularly advantageous if the towing apparatus 1 is withdrawn through the towed pipe 8 after releasing the connection so that it can be removed from the starting location. This allows considerably smaller target pits to be provided, from which only the expanding tool 36 has to be removed.

25 Altogether, there is thus provided an economical connection, which is equally easily formed and released, and has a long life and the ability to transmit high tensile forces.

Claims (8)

1. Device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus including an adapter sleeve a towed pipe having a connecting end wherein the connecting end and the adapter sleeve are provided with mutually opposed grooves and locking bars are present in the grooves and the locking bars have an insertion bevel at their insertion end to facilitate their introduction into the grooves and a supporting sleeve located in the connecting end of the towed pipe.

2. Device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus including an adapter sleeve a towed pipe having a connecting end wherein the connecting end and the adapter sleeve are provided with 20 mutually opposed grooves and locking bars are present in the o grooves and the locking bars have an insertion bevel at their insertion end to facilitate their introduction into the grooves, wherein the connecting end of the towed pipe is provided with longitudinal slits.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking bars are elastic. S4. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the e 30 locking bars are releasable. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the locking bars have a pulling eye. locking bars have a pulling eye. W:\MarO\)avin\Spi\21365-99-A.do

6. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bearing area of the locking bars is larger in the direction of advance than the bearing area in the opposite direction.

7. Device as claimed in claim 1, or any one of claims 3 to 6 when dependent, either directly or indirectly, on claim 1, wherein a collar of the supporting sleeve engages between the front end of the towed pipe and a complementary internal shoulder of the adapter sleeve.

8. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the adapter sleeve is conically shaped in the direction of advance.

9. Device as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the adapter sleeve is provided with an insertion bevel and the connecting end is provided with an insertion cone. Device as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the connecting end of the towed pipe is provided with an electric welding sleeve.

11. A device for connecting a towed pipe to a towing apparatus according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 24 July 2003 30 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent Attorneys for: TRACTO-TECHNIK PAUL SCHMIDT SPEZIALMASCHINEN W:\MaryO\Davin\Spci\21365-99-A.doc