Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
  • E21B7/28—Enlarging drilled holes, e.g. by counterboring
  • E21B7/30—Enlarging drilled holes, e.g. by counterboring without earth removal
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
  • E21B7/20—Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes
  • E21B7/205—Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes without earth removal
  • E21B7/206—Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes without earth removal using down-hole drives
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L55/00—Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems
  • F16L55/16—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders
  • F16L55/162—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders from inside the pipe
  • F16L55/165—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders from inside the pipe a pipe or flexible liner being inserted in the damaged section
  • F16L55/1658—Devices for covering leaks in pipes or hoses, e.g. hose-menders from inside the pipe a pipe or flexible liner being inserted in the damaged section the old pipe being ruptured prior to insertion of a new pipe

Definitions

• This invention relates to the lining of underground ducts.
• This invention avoids placing excessive tension on the pipe connections by providing a method in which the cable or chain previous- ly attached to the forward end of the enlarging or profiling device is instead fed through the device and through the pipe sections to a rearward pipe section where it is secured by, for example, a plate or fork fitted to the rear end of the pipe.
• This has the effect of putting the pipe connections under compression rather than tension, so that the pipe sections are held together as the profiling device and the pipe are pulled through the bore. Weaker, and hence less expensive, pipe sections can therefore often be used.
• apparatus for lining an underground duct comprising a device having an expandable portion for removing irregularities in or enlarging the duct and having a plurality of radially movable leaf members forming a segmented outer shell, and drive means for driving the leaf members from a retracted configur ⁇ ation outwardly from a longitudinal axis of the apparatus to an expanded configuration, wherein the apparatus is arranged so as to provide a substantially unobstructed axial passage for allowing a chain, cable or the like to pass through the complete length of the apparatus.
• a towing chain is temporarily secured to the profiling device. This may be achieved by including a clamp inside the profiling device, operable by remote control using, for example, a small hydraulic ram.
• a clamp inside the profiling device, operable by remote control using, for example, a small hydraulic ram.
• the clamp preferably comprises a pivotable stop member arranged such that in an operative position its end engages the chain by, for example, pinching it against the surface of a chain guide in the machine or by entering one of the chain links.
• the stop member is coupled to the ram, the force applied to the stop member and hence the chain being controlled by the fluid pressure fed to the ram.
• the clamp acts as a ratchet, movement of the chain in one direction being completely prevented, but movement in the opposite direction being permitted when the force pulling the chain in that direction exceeds a value determined by the ram pressure.
• Figure 1 is a sectional diagram of an underground sewer in the process of enlargement and lining
• Figure 2 is a partly sectional view of apparatus for- enlarging the duct and housing the front end portion of a lining pipe section;
• Figure 3 is a more detailed diagrammatic view of the apparatus showing a device for clamping a towing chain.
• a hydraulically powered profiling apparatus 10 expands the bore of an existing sewer 12 to allow a new lining pipe comprising a plurality of interconnected pipe sections 14 to be pulled into the sewer behind the apparatus 10.
• the apparatus 10 is in two main parts 10A and 10B to give it sufficient length to avoid the tendency of deviating from the required centre line, yet allowing separate insertion of the two parts into the sewer using a manhole 16 of limited width.
• the forward part 10A of the apparatus comprises apparatus as described in my co-pending Patent Application No.84 31174 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
• this part 10A is bolted or otherwise connected to the rear part 10B which is a tube having the same diameter as the maximum diameter of the front part 10A and an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the pipe sections 14 to allow the leading pipe section to move axially inside the rear part 10B.
• the leading pipe section may be clamped to the apparatus 10.
• a chain 18 passes through the whole apparatus 10 and the pipe sections 14 to be attached to a winch (not shown).
• a trapdoor opening 24 provides access to nuts 26 which hold the rear part 10B to the front part 10A.
• the front part 10A of the apparatus has a body portion 10C housing a ram 28 which drives a set of pivot- able leaf members 10D radially outward by means of connecting links 30.
• the leaf members 10D form an inner part of an expandable portion of the machine, their front ends being pivotally attached to a second set of leaf members 10E forming the outer part of the expandable portion.
• These outer leaf members are in turn pivoted on a nose piece 10F.
• the ram 28 is different from that shown in my Application No.84 31174 in that it has an opening centred on the longitudinal axis of the machine to allow the chain 18 to pass through the machine as shown.
• the ram cylinder 28A is annular, as is its piston 28B, the latter being coupled to a ring 32 sliding on an axial tube 34 which encloses the chain 18.
• the ram 28 may be replaced by two or more rams arranged off-axis and each coupled to the ring 32.
• the body portion IOC houses a short hydraulic ram 36 pivotally mounted on the outer wall of the body portion IOC, the piston rod being pivotally attached to a stop member 38.
• the stop member 38 In the drawing the stop member
• the clamping device allows the lining of a sewer as follows.
• the plastics lining pipe sections 14 are attached one by one at the entrance to the sewer as the machine 10 and lining pipe move through the sewer.
• the chain 18 extends from the winch through the apparatus 10 and through the lining pipe section 14 to a plate or fork 42 placed over the end of the rearmost pipe section.
• tension on the chain 18 is released, the plate or fork 42 removed, the chain 18 threaded through the new section, and the plate or fork 42 placed over the rear end of the new section.
• the apparatus 10 is now operated to expand the leaf me ebers outwards and tension applied to the chain with the stop member 24 raised.
• the pipe is now under compression, having butted up against a shoulder or end plate of the rear part 10B of the apparatus 10, and it can be towed through the duct behind the apparatus 10. It has been found that too large a compressive force can cause the pipe to snake and thus jam in the duct. This can be detected by an increase in chain tension at the winch end, and the snaking can be largely pre- vented if the compression of the pipe is limited.
• the clamping device disclosed in the present application allows the correct compressive force to be applied in a relatively simple manner.
• the winch can be stopped and tension on the chain 18 ahead of the apparatus 10 reduced to allow the chain 18 to move rearwardly past the stop member 38 until the tension in the chain behind the machine has reduced to the value (determined by the clamping ram pressure) at which no further movement past the stop member 38 takes place.
• the lining pipe is now under limited compression, and subsequent operation of the winch pulls both apparatus 10 and pipe sections 14 forward without further forward movement of the chain 18 relative to the apparatus 10. With only limited compression applied to the pipe sections 14, snaking can be largely avoided.
• the whole assembly moves forward step by step as described above until the profiling apparatus 10 emerges at the opposite end of the sewer.
• the invention is not restricted to the use of a chain.
• a cable, wire or rope can also be used, in which case the clamp or gripping means may be modified to achieve the best clamping effect.

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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• 1985
  • 1985-09-16 GR GR852253A patent/GR852253B/el unknown
  • 1985-09-18 PT PT8115485A patent/PT81154B/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1985-09-19 EP EP19850904660 patent/EP0195042A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1985-09-19 AU AU48639/85A patent/AU4863985A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1985-09-19 GB GB08523200A patent/GB2164718A/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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