GB1566975A

GB1566975A - Pipe liner assembly for inaccessible conduits

Info

Publication number: GB1566975A
Application number: GB4785377A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Cleavenger Associates Inc
Current assignee: Cleavenger Associates Inc
Priority date: 1977-05-09
Filing date: 1977-11-17
Publication date: 1980-05-08

Description

(54) PIPE LINER ASSEMBLY FOR INACCESSIBLE CONDUITS (71) We, CLEAVENGER ASSOCI ATES, INC., an Illinois Corporation, of 122 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60603, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the follow mg statement.

This invention relates to an assembly utilized in repairing without replacement inaccessible conduits.

As an example of an inaccessible conduit, reference is made to the utility pipes which commonly run under ground from a central main pipe line into a building being serviced by such utilities. These underground pipes are generally of metallic construction, and in time become defective and leaky due to the adverse effect of corrosion. The underground pipes are normally accessible through one end located in the building being serviced.

It is an object of this invention to line the defective pipe so that service therethrough can be continued without the inconvenience and expense of digging or trenching to expose the defective conduit.

According to the present invention we provide a pipe liner assembly for placement and retainment within a defective inaccessible conduit, comprising an open ended tubular plastics pipe liner having a diameter less than that of the defective conduit. a tubular end fitting mounted on one end of the pipe liner and insertable therewith into the defective conduit, means for fixedly mounting the end fitting onto one end of the pipe liner, sealing means carried by the end fitting and radially expandable thereabout into sealing and retaining contact with the inner wall surface of the defective conduit so as to seal the interior wall thereof from the pipe liner, means mounted on the end fitting and movable thereover against said sealing means for radially expanding the same, means on the end fitting over which said sealing means is moved by said movable means for guiding the radial expansion of said sealing means about said end fitting and into sealing and retaining position, and means provided by said movable means and engageable by a removable tool freely insertable through the open end of the pipe liner for effecting relative movement of the movable means over said end fitting so as to radially expand said expandable sealing means.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view of the typical pipe installation; Figure 2 is a fragmentary detailed side elevational view of a typical pipe installation together with the liner or by-pass assembly of the invention: Figure 3 is a side view of the installation tool used with this invention; Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the working head of the installation tool; Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the service head utilized in the invention; Figure 6 is a detailed sectional view of the service head adapter as used in the invention; Figure 7 is a side sectional view of the sealing gasket as used in this invention; and Figure 8 is a side sectional view of the compression nut used with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a typical pipe installation. The pipe 10. which usually is of a metallic construction. is connected to a street main 11 by a service tee 12 and runs underground through a building wall 13. The end of the pipe 10 within the building may in turn be connected to suitable feeder lines in any acceptable manner. The pipe 10 normally is adapted to be readily disconnected at the junction within the building between its inner end and such feeder lines in a manner well known in the art.

As the pipe 10 is normally underground and is usually of a metallic material, in time it becomes corroded or broken and thus leaks and becomes defective.

The present invention is directed to a pipe liner for conduits/or pipe and, as such, includes a plastic pipe section 14, adapted to be inserted into the defective pipe 10.

In the present invention the pipe section 14 would be inserted into the open end of the defective pipe 10 from within the building and would extend to approximately the junction with the service tee 12. It is at this point that the pipe 14 must be blindly secured within the pipe 10.

To accomplish this, the pipe 14 is connected to an end fitting 15. as shown in Figure 5. This end fitting 15 includes a compressible metallic cover sleeve 16 which is adapted to be placed over the pipe end as the latter is frictionally inserted upon the elongattd cylindrical stud 17 of the adapter head IS. as secn in Figure 6. The adapter head 18 provides an annular flange 19 which includes a tapered shoulder 20, which in turn terminates into a threaded boss portion 21.

When the end of the pipe 14 has been secured to the adapter head 18, much in the manner of connecting a pipe to an end fitting, a sealing gasket 22 is placed upon the threaded boss portion 21 of the adapter head 18. This sealing gasket 22 has a center bore 23 terminating at one side of the gasket 22 into a flared mouth 24 so as to provide an internal tapered shoulder 25, such as shown in Figure 7.

The internal tapered shoulder 25 of the gasket 22 conforms to and is adapted to sit upon the shoulder 20 provided. by the adapter head 18.

Threaded upon the threaded boss portion 21 of the adapter head 18 is a compression nut 26 which provides a center bore 27. a portion of the wall of which is threaded as at 28. The compression nut 26 is provided with axially aligned openings 29 extending transversely to the center bore 27 thereof. which openings 29 in turn frictionally receive a pin 30. As shown in Figure 5, the pin 30 extends transversely with respect to the axis of the center bore 27 formed in the compression nut 26.

When the adapter head 18 is thus assembled onto the one end of the pipe 14 in the manner shown in Figure 5. the whole assembly is then inserted into the pipe 10 which is to be repaired.

When the end fitting 15 together with the pipe 14, is positioned adjacent to the service tee 12 as shown in Figure 2, it becomes necessary to lock and seal the same in such position.

Fo accomplish the locking and sealing of the pipe 14 and the end fitting 15, an elongated tool 31 is employed. This tool 31 consists of a plurality of rod sections 32, preferably of approximately ten-foot lengths joined together by suitable unions 33. The endmost rod section 32 provides an axially extending stud 34 which has threaded thereon a working head 35. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this working head 35 includes an internally threaded bore 36 and terminates at its opposite end into a tapered head 37 which is slotted as at 38, with the slot 38 extending coaxially of the threaded bore 36.

The working head 35, as well as the unions 33, are of a size to be freely projected through the pipe 14 and are so projected until the slot 38 of the working head 35 receives the pin 30 carried by the compression nut 26. Thereupon, a hex head 39 is threadably connected to the last section 32 of the installation tool 31 such that a wrench can be applied thereto to rotate the installation tool 31 together with the working head 35 about its longitudinal axis. As the pin 30 of the compression nut 26 is captured within the slot 38 of the working head 35, it will cause the compression nut 36 to rotate and thread itself upon the threaded boss 21 of the blind adapter head 18. In so doing the compression nut 26 will cause the sealing gasket to move over the tapered shoulder 20 so as to extend radially beyond the annular flange 19 of the adapter head 18, until it is firmly sealed against the inner wall surface of the pipe 10.

When the end fitting is firmly sealed at the innermost end of the pipe 10, the installation tool 31 may be removed by moving it axially through the pipe 14. There can then be inserted in the open end of the pipe 14 an expandable gasket such as hereinbefore described for holding and sealing that end of the pipe 14 within the old pipe 10. thus completing the liner assembly for such service pipe.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A pipe liner assembly for placement and retainment within a defective inaccessible conduit, comprising an open ended tubular plastics pipe liner having a diameter less than that of the defective conduit, a tubular end fitting mounted on one end of the pipe liner and insertable therewith into the defective conduit, means for fixedly mounting the end fitting onto one end of the pipe liner, sealing means carried by the end fitting and radially expandable thereabout into sealing and retaining contact within the inner wall surface of the defective conduit so as to seal the interior wall thereof from the pipe liner, means mounted on the end fitting

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. acceptable manner. The pipe 10 normally is adapted to be readily disconnected at the junction within the building between its inner end and such feeder lines in a manner well known in the art. As the pipe 10 is normally underground and is usually of a metallic material, in time it becomes corroded or broken and thus leaks and becomes defective. The present invention is directed to a pipe liner for conduits/or pipe and, as such, includes a plastic pipe section 14, adapted to be inserted into the defective pipe 10. In the present invention the pipe section 14 would be inserted into the open end of the defective pipe 10 from within the building and would extend to approximately the junction with the service tee 12. It is at this point that the pipe 14 must be blindly secured within the pipe 10. To accomplish this, the pipe 14 is connected to an end fitting 15. as shown in Figure 5. This end fitting 15 includes a compressible metallic cover sleeve 16 which is adapted to be placed over the pipe end as the latter is frictionally inserted upon the elongattd cylindrical stud 17 of the adapter head IS. as secn in Figure 6. The adapter head 18 provides an annular flange 19 which includes a tapered shoulder 20, which in turn terminates into a threaded boss portion 21. When the end of the pipe 14 has been secured to the adapter head 18, much in the manner of connecting a pipe to an end fitting, a sealing gasket 22 is placed upon the threaded boss portion 21 of the adapter head 18. This sealing gasket 22 has a center bore 23 terminating at one side of the gasket 22 into a flared mouth 24 so as to provide an internal tapered shoulder 25, such as shown in Figure 7. The internal tapered shoulder 25 of the gasket 22 conforms to and is adapted to sit upon the shoulder 20 provided. by the adapter head 18. Threaded upon the threaded boss portion 21 of the adapter head 18 is a compression nut 26 which provides a center bore 27. a portion of the wall of which is threaded as at 28. The compression nut 26 is provided with axially aligned openings 29 extending transversely to the center bore 27 thereof. which openings 29 in turn frictionally receive a pin 30. As shown in Figure 5, the pin 30 extends transversely with respect to the axis of the center bore 27 formed in the compression nut 26. When the adapter head 18 is thus assembled onto the one end of the pipe 14 in the manner shown in Figure 5. the whole assembly is then inserted into the pipe 10 which is to be repaired. When the end fitting 15 together with the pipe 14, is positioned adjacent to the service tee 12 as shown in Figure 2, it becomes necessary to lock and seal the same in such position. Fo accomplish the locking and sealing of the pipe 14 and the end fitting 15, an elongated tool 31 is employed. This tool 31 consists of a plurality of rod sections 32, preferably of approximately ten-foot lengths joined together by suitable unions 33. The endmost rod section 32 provides an axially extending stud 34 which has threaded thereon a working head 35. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this working head 35 includes an internally threaded bore 36 and terminates at its opposite end into a tapered head 37 which is slotted as at 38, with the slot 38 extending coaxially of the threaded bore 36. The working head 35, as well as the unions 33, are of a size to be freely projected through the pipe 14 and are so projected until the slot 38 of the working head 35 receives the pin 30 carried by the compression nut 26. Thereupon, a hex head 39 is threadably connected to the last section 32 of the installation tool 31 such that a wrench can be applied thereto to rotate the installation tool 31 together with the working head 35 about its longitudinal axis. As the pin 30 of the compression nut 26 is captured within the slot 38 of the working head 35, it will cause the compression nut 36 to rotate and thread itself upon the threaded boss 21 of the blind adapter head 18. In so doing the compression nut 26 will cause the sealing gasket to move over the tapered shoulder 20 so as to extend radially beyond the annular flange 19 of the adapter head 18, until it is firmly sealed against the inner wall surface of the pipe 10. When the end fitting is firmly sealed at the innermost end of the pipe 10, the installation tool 31 may be removed by moving it axially through the pipe 14. There can then be inserted in the open end of the pipe 14 an expandable gasket such as hereinbefore described for holding and sealing that end of the pipe 14 within the old pipe 10. thus completing the liner assembly for such service pipe. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A pipe liner assembly for placement and retainment within a defective inaccessible conduit, comprising an open ended tubular plastics pipe liner having a diameter less than that of the defective conduit, a tubular end fitting mounted on one end of the pipe liner and insertable therewith into the defective conduit, means for fixedly mounting the end fitting onto one end of the pipe liner, sealing means carried by the end fitting and radially expandable thereabout into sealing and retaining contact within the inner wall surface of the defective conduit so as to seal the interior wall thereof from the pipe liner, means mounted on the end fitting

and movable thereover against said sealing means for radially expanding the same, means on the end fitting over which said sealing means is moved by said movable means for guiding the radial expansion of said sealing means about said end fitting and into sealing and retaining position, and means provided by said movable means and engageable by a removable tool freely insertable through the open end of the pipe liner for effecting relative movement of the movable means over said end fitting so as to radially expand said expandable sealing means.

2. A pipe liner assembly as defined by claim 1, wherein said means carried by said end fitting and radially expansible thereabout, comprises a resilient gasket.

3. A pipe liner assembly as defined by claim 1, wherein said means movably mounted on said end fitting and adapted for movement thereover against said expansible sealing and retaining means comprises a compression nut threadable upon an axially extending threaded boss provided by said end fitting.

4. A pipe liner assembly as defined by claim 2, wherein said means provided by said end fitting over which said expanding sealing and retaining means is moved by said movable means, comprises an externally tapered shoulder adapted to engage a corresponding internal shoulder provided by said resilient gasket for guiding the radial expansion of said gasket about said end fitting into sealing and retaining position.

5. A pipe liner assembly as defined by claim 3 wherein said rotating means provided by said compression nut comprises a pin extending transversely to the center axis of said compression nut and said end fitting, with said pin retained within a slotted working head mounted on the insertable end of said removable tool whereby relative rotation of said working head within said pipe liner will rotate said pin and said compression nut over said end fitting so as to radially expand said expansible sealing and retaining means.

6. A pipe liner assembly for placement and retainment in a defective inaccessible conduit, said assembly being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.