GB2039340A - Pipe-installation - Google Patents

Abstract

A pipe-installation comprises at least one pipe (15) of circular cross- section and an insulation (16) having a parallelogrammatic cross-sectional shape and extending around said pipe, the insulated pipe being fixed relative to a surface (18) of a carrier construction (11). The insulated pipe is held with a planar surface in abutment with the carrier construction surface by means of holders (21,22) which, in turn, are anchored to the carrier construction. For providing a hidden and, at the same time, reliable mounting, the holders are provided with parts (27) which penetrate directly into the insulation (16), preferably at a location on one side of a plane (28) which extends parallel with said carrier construction surface and includes the centre axis of the pipe or each pipe, said one side being that side of the plane remote from the carrier construction surface. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to pipe-installations The present invention relates to pipe-installations of the kind in which one or more pipes of circular cross-section and provided on the outer surfaces thereof with insulating means, is or are fixed relative to a surface of a carrier construction, e.g. a wall, by means of holders fixed to said carrier construction.

In previously known pipe-installations of the aforementioned kind, the insulation is substantially of uniform thickness and consequently each of the conduits formed by said pipes and their insulation has a circular cross-section. When the conduits are mounted on, for example, a wall, they are normally placed at a distance from the surface of the wall and at a distance from each other. As a result hereof, the pipe-installation is relatively unattractive and has a relatively large surface exposed to the surroundings, which is a disadvantage from an insulating aspect.

Moreover, such conduits are difficult to keep clean.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and useful pipe-installation in which the aforementioned disadvantages are at least substantially eliminated.

Accordingly, this invention consists in a pipeinstallation comprising at least one insulated pipe, in which said insulation is of substantially parallelogrammatic, preferably substantially rhombic crosssectional shape; and holder means for supporting said insulated pipe in a manner such as to permit a flat side of said insulation to be placed against a carrier surface, said holder means having as engagement part thereon which is arranged to penetrate said insulation in a manner to secure the at least one insulated pipe to said holder, and having means for securing the holder means to said carrier surface. In this way the pipe-installation will lie against the carrier construction surface in a manner such that the minimum surface is exposed to the surroundings, thereby affording considerable advantages with respect to both insulation and cleanliness.If more than one pipe is included in the installation, said pipes can be placed immediately adjacent one another to form a strip-like unit which can replace a cornice or skirting board, part of a door lining etc. If the pipe-installation is to be placed at a distance from the corner of a room or from a floor, the installation can be given a parallel-trapezium-shaped cross-section, by using a beading having in crosssection the shape, for example, of a correspondingly dimensioned isoscelestriangle.

Conveniently the engagement part of the holder is arranged to penetrate said insulation at a location which lies to one side of a plane which extends parallel with said flat side of said insulation and which includes the centre axis of said at least one insulated pipe, said one side being that side of the insulation remote from said flat side.

The holder preferably has a first part which is intended to abut said carrier surface and be anchored therein; a second part which joins said first part and which is intended to support said at least one insulated pipe, said first and second parts forming an angle with one another which substantially coincides with the obtuse angles of the paralielogrammatic or rhombic cross-sectional shape of the insulation, at least one engagement part, arranged to penetrate said insulation, extending from the free end part of said second part substantially parallel with said first part.

When the pipe-installation comprises more than one insulated pipe, with said insulated pipes arranged one upon the other, greater firmness can be obtained by providing the holder means with a further engagement part which extends in a direction opposite to that of the first mentioned part, so as to penetrate the insulation of an underlying pipe.

The two engagement parts may be arranged so that each of said parts penetrates a respective insulation on mutually opposite sides of said plane.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 illustrates, partly in section and partly in perspective, a pipe-installation according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a holder for use in a pipe-installation according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the holder.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a pipeinstallation comprising two insulated pipes and holders according to Figure 2 and 3.

In Figure 1 and 4 there is shown at 10 and 11 parts of a floor and a wall respectively. Arranged in the corner between the floor 10 and the wall 11 is a pipe-installation, comprising in accordance with Figure 1 three conduits 12, 13 and 14, and in accordance with Figure 4 two conduits 12 and 13.

Each of the conduits comprises a pipe 15 of circular cross section and an insulation 16 surrounding said pipe, said insulation having a parallelogrammatic cross-sectional shape, preferably a rhombic crosssectional shape.

Each of the conduits 12-14 abuts a surface 18 of the wall via a side 17. The lower edge 19 of the insulation 16 of the lower conduit 12 abuts the upper surface 20 of the floor 10, while the sloping undersurfaces of the overlying conduits 13, 14 cover the sloping upper surface of the nearest underlying conduit 12 and 13 respectively, in a manner such as to give the pipe installation the form of a skirting board with downwardly sloping upper side and a substantially vertical and smooth front side.

Forthe purpose of anchoring the conduits 12-14 to the wall 11 there is used, to advantage, holders of the kind illustrated in Figure 2 and/or Figure 3. The manner in which the holders 21 and 22 of Figure 2 and Figure 3 respectively are used will be seen from Figure 4. The holder according to Figure 2 comprises a first part 25 which is provided with a hole 23 for a nail 24 or some other anchoring means (Figure 4) and which is arranged to abut the wall surface 18, the lower edge of said first part 25 merging with a second part 26 which is intended to support a conduit 12, 13 or 14 and to form an angle with the part 25 corresponding to the large or obtuse angle of the parallel-trapezium-shaped cross-section of the insulation 16.Extending upwardly from the outer end of the part 26 is a further part 27 which is pointed at the top thereof and which is intended to penetrate the insulation 16 of a conduit (12 in Figure 4) supported by the part 26, said part 27 extending substantially parallel to the part 25. The length of the part 26 considerably exceeds half the thickness of the conduit 12, 13 or 14, so that said part 27 will engage the insulation 16 on that side of a plane 28 (Figure 4) remote from the wall surface 18, said plane extending parallel with said surface 18 and including the axes of the pipes 15, thereby effectively supporting the conduit.

The holder 22 shown in Figure 3 is the same as the holder 21 shown in Figure 2, with the exception that a portion of the part 25 is bent downwardly to form a flap 29, thereby to improve the support of the holder 22 against the wall, and that a pointed tab 30 is punched from the part 26 and bent so that said tab extends in a direction opposite to the direction in which the part 27 extends. The tab 30 is intended to engage the insulation 16 of a conduit 12 located immediately beneath a conduit 13 supported by holder 22, in the manner illustrated in Figure 4.

The pipes 15 comprise preferably metal, for example copper, while the insulation 16 suitably comprises a foamed plastics material having good insulation properties. Particular advantage is obtained when the insulation 16 is provided with an external, smooth skin or a separate coating. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the pipe installation can be enclosed for example in a cowling or the like, arranged to be snapped over the pipe-installation, or mounted thereon in any other way, so as to completely hide the joints between adjacent conduuits 12, 13 and 14. The beforementioned separate coating on each conduit, or said cowling, can then be so selected as to obviate the need of painting the pipe-installation or of providing any other form of decoration.

Claims (8)

1. A pipe-installation comprising at least one insulated pipe, in which said insulation is of substantially parallelogrammatic cross-sectional shape; and holder means for supporting said insulated pipe in a manner such as to permit a flat side of said insulation to be placed against a carrier surface, said holder means having as engagement part thereon which is arranged to penetrate said insulation in a manner to secure the at least one insulated pipe to said holder, and having means for securing the holder means to said carrier surface.

2. A pipe-installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said engagement part of said holder is arranged to penetrate said insulation at a location which lies to one side of a plane which extends parallel with said flat side of said insulation and which includes the centre axis of said at least one insulated pipe, said one side being that side of the insulation remote from said flat side.

3. A pipe-installation as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the insulation has a substantially rhombic cross-sectional shape.

4. A pipe-installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holder has a first part which is intended to abut said carrier surface and be anchored therein; a second part which joins said first part and which is intended to support said at least one insulated pipe, said first and second parts forming an angle with one another which substantially coincides with the obtuse angles of the parallelogrammatic or rhombic cross-sectional shape of the insulation, at least one engagement part, arranged to penetrate said insulation, extending from the free end part of said second part substantially parallel with said first part.

5. A pipe-installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein said second part has a further engagement part which extends in a direction opposite to the first mentioned engagement part.

6. A pipe-installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein said further engagement part is arranged to penetrate the insulation of an insulated pipe located immediately beneath another insulated pipe.

7. A pipe-installation as claimed in claim 6, wherein said further engagement part is arranged to penetrate said insulation at a location on the opposite side of said plane to the first mentioned engagement part.

8. A pipe-installation substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the drawing accompanying the specification.