GB2285798A

GB2285798A - Assembly for storing and paying out a flexible flue liner or other elongate element

Info

Publication number: GB2285798A
Application number: GB9425804A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marcel Le Foll
Original assignee: Tubest SA
Current assignee: Tubest SA
Priority date: 1994-01-19
Filing date: 1994-12-21
Publication date: 1995-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2014-12-21
Also published as: DE19500223A1; FR2715148A1; BE1010523A3; GB2285798B; IT1280787B1; GB9425804D0; FR2715148B1; ITTO950026A1; ITTO950026A0

Description

2285798 ASSEMBLY FOR STORING AND PAYING OUT AN ELONGATE ELEMENT, FOR

EXAMPLE A FLEXIBLE PIPE FOR LINING FLUES The present invention relates to storing and paying out an elongate element, possibly a hollow one such as a pipe, particularly a pipe whose weight per unit length remains relatively low, while nevertheless having a relatively substantial internal section, for example at least equal to 5 cm.

By way of non-limiting example, the present invention will be introduced and described with reference to the flexible metal pipes used for lining flues. These pipes are generally sufficiently flexible, without particular or preferential stiffness, to be wound up an themselves as a coil, and sufficiently resistant to stretching in order to transmit any tension exerted at one of their ends, these two qualities or properties being required for the implementation of the invention explained below.

As regards the storage and paying out of a flexible plastic pipe, in accordance with the document US-A-4,168,788, a use-once winding-up package has been described, this being composed of at least:

- a winding-up core supporting the pipe, and around which the latter is wound up into at least one coil, with one end free for grabbing hold of and paying out the said pipe, - a cardboard box whose internal volume is designed to contain the winding-up core together with the plastic pipe, this box being arranged to support the said core in unimpeded rotation about its axis, still together with the pipe wound up as a coil, this box having a parallelepipedal shape with one dimension parallel to the axis of the said core, - and a journal which can be inserted into the box coaxially with the winding-up core for rotating the latter together with the pipe in a coil, and supported at its two ends by the wall of the box of the winding-up package.

Such a package still has various drawbacks: the stored coil unwinds quite easily it is difficult to store the remaining lengths of pipe - and neither the remaining length nor the paidout length of the said pipe in known.

All this leads to significant losses in time and 5 in product.

1 The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks. More precisely, the subject of the invention is a use-once assembly or package making it possible to fulfil both the functions of packaging, storing and paying-out, as required, an elongate and hollow element as defined previously.

To give a particular case, the present invention relates to a use-once assembly or package making it possible to know the length unwound and/or the length remaining wound up of the elongate and hollow element as defined previously.

In accordance with the present invention, in addition to the winding-up package, there is provided an unwinding device including a frame arranged on one side for halting the winding-up package, an unwinding core mounted so that it can rotate on the frame, with its axis parallel to that of the winding-up core when the windingup package is received by the frame. In register with the unwinding device, the winding-up package includes a front face extending parallel to the same axis, able. to be received by the frame of the unwinding device, with an opening made in the wall of the box f or the passage of the f ree end of the said elongate element towards the winding-up core of the unwinding device - The present invention is now described with reference to the appended drawing, in which:

- Figure 1 represents an overall view of an assembly according to the invention, - Figure 2 represents an exploded view of another embodiment of a winding-up package, which may belong to an assembly according to the invention, - Figure 3 represents a view in perspective of the winding-up package represented in Figure 2, in the state where it is-mounted and being used, V - Figure 4 represents a view in vertical section on the line IV-IV of Figure 3, of the winding-up package represented-in the latter figure, Figure 5 represents another embodiment of the journal of the winding-up package.

An assembly according to the present invention, for storing and paying out a flexible metal pipe 1, is composed of two parts, namely:

- a use-once or disposable part consisting of a winding-up package 19, another part, interacting with the winding-up package 19, consisting of an unwinding device 20.

The winding-up package 19 comprises:

- a winding-up core 3 having a parallelepipedal Is shape which is elongate along its axis 5, supporting a length of pipe 1, and around which the said length is wound up in a coil 2, which includes, on one side, a free end la for paying out the tube 1 and, on the other side, an end which is possibly attached to the core 2, - a box 4 having a parallelepipedal body 7, leaving an opening 7a for insertion of the winding-up core 3 together with the length of tube I wound as a coil, with a cover 8; the internal volume of this box is therefore designed to contain the core 3 together with the length of pipe in a coil 2; the box 4 is arranged to support the winding-up core 3 in unimpeded rotation about its axis 5, together with the coil 2; as shown in Figure 1, the box 4 has one dimension parallel to the axis 5 of the core 3, and a front face 7f extending parallel to the same axis, with an opening 6 parallel to the same axis, made in the wall of the box 4 at its lower part for the passage of the f ree end la of the length of pipe in a coil 2, - a journal 16 located coaxially with the winding-up core 3, for rotating the latter together with the length of pipe in a coil 2, supported at its two ends by the wall of the box 4, and more precisely its two flanks 7b, 7c.

As shown in Figure 1, the length of tube located inside the box 4 is wound up in a coil with contiguous turns, which can be joined together by various ties 50, as shown in Figure 2. Each of these turns is in contact with the f our edges of the winding-up core 3 which are parallel to the axis S.

The body 7 of the box has a parallelepipedal overall shape, including five flanks, the front one 7f of which includes the opening 6 and two others of which termed lateral flanks 7b and 7c perpendicular to the flanks 7f, provide the support for the two ends of the journal 16 respectively. This journal is fixed in terms of rotation, and the winding- up core 3 is mounted so that it can rotate freely about it. More precisely, and as represented in detail in Figure 2, on the one hand the is journal 16 forming a spacer piece includes a hollow cylindrical body 9 and two plugs 10 and 11 f orming flanges, which are aligned coaxially on the core 3, attached to the hollow body 9, and located at the two ends of the core 3 respectively, from outside the box 4, and, on the other hand, the wall of this box 4, and more precisely its two flanks 7b and 7c, include two holes 7d and 7e facing each other for the passage of the two plugs 10 and 11 respectively.

The box 4 is more particularly produced and obtained from cardboard; the opening 6 situated. at the bottom of the flank or of the front face If is in this case obtained in the form of a pre-cut fold-down flap 51.

As represented in detail in Figure 3, a graduation 12 of the remaining length of pipe I is applied on the visible side of the coil 2. This graduation is located such that the maximum graduation corresponds to the free end la of the coil.

The unwinding device 20 includes a metal frame 21 arranged on one side to receive and halt the front face 7f of the winding-up package 19, and including on the other side an unwinding core 23 mounted so that it can rotate on the frame 20[sic] with its spindle 23 parallel to the axis of the winding-up core, when the winding-up package 19 is received by the frame 21.

The f rame 21 includes a base made up of two longitudinal members 29 and two cross-pieces 30. Two vertical bra:ckets 31, spaced apart and joined together by a spacer piece 32, integral with the base of the f rame 21, form a rear stop 24 for receiving and halting the front face 7f of the box 4 of the winding-up package 19 when the latter is received by the f rame 21. As a consequence, for example, the distance between the two brackets 31 is matched to the width of the box 4, def ined by the distance separating its lateral flanks 7b and 7c; The brackets 31 and the spacer piece 32 leave a passage 24a which comes into register with the opening 6 in the winding-up package 19 when the latter is received by the frame 21 of the unwinding device 20. Two uprights 33, rotationally supporting the unwinding core 22 with its spindle 23, are fixed vertically onto the front of the frame 21.

On the frame 21 side, four arms 24 for rotating the unwinding core 22 are mounted in the shape of a cross on the spindle 23.

The frame 21 of the unwinding device 20 moreover includes means for rolling along the ground, these means consisting of a small wheel 26 which can move in terms of rotation about a vertical axis at the front of the frame 21, and two fixed small wheels 34 mounted at the rear of the frame 21.

The use of the assembly previously described seems particularly simple.

The pipe 1, as soon as it is manufactured, is wound up as a coil around the core 3, about the axis of the latter. Possibly, ties 50 join together the turns of the coil 2 located on the core 3.

The coil 2 with its core 3, the coil possibly being held together by the ties 12 [sic), is lowered into the open box 4 of the winding-up package 19, and more precisely into the body 7 of the box 4, with the axis of the core 3 horizontal, with the free end la positioned f acing the opening 6. A plug 11 is f itted tightly f rom outside onto one of the ends of the hollow cylindrical body 9. The subassembly thus obtained is inserted via the hole 7e into the body 7 of the box 4, then inside the core 3, via the two perforations 3a and 3b (cf. Figure 2) provided on the two opposing flanks of the said core.

Then the outside of the hollow body 9, opposite the plug 11, comes out of the core 3, then out of the body 7 of the box 4 via the hole 7d. The other plug 10 is then attached from outside onto this end of the hollow body 9, itself penetrating into the hole 7d provided on the flank 7b of the box 4.

The coil 2 together with its core 3, lowered into the open box,.is supported in rotation by the flanks 7b and 7c so that one of its ends, namely la, is in register with the lower opening 6. The cover 8 is then placed on the body 7, to obtain an assembly which can be stored and transported in this state.

For his part, the user has permanent use of the unwinding device 20 described previously.

On receiving the winding-up package 19, together with its contents, without removing the cover 8, he forms the lower opening 6, for example by cutting or raising the corresponding f lap 51. The free end la of the pipe is then facing the opening 6. After possibly having cut the ties 50, through tension exerted on the free end la, causing the winding-up core 3 to rotate in the anticlockwise direction, the user can bring the same end la into contact with the unwinding core 22. By making the latter rotate, still in the anticlockwise direction, the user can unwind the desired length of pipe 1 from the package 19 and wind up this length over the core 22. By virtue of the graduation 12 provided on the pipe 1, the user knows or can always calculate the length paid out and temporarily located on the unwinding core 22. Once the desired length has been obtained, he cuts off the pipe 1 between the opening 6 and the unwinding core 22. From this moment on, the pipe 1 is ready to be paid out again.

As the pipe 1 is paid out, by virtue of the graduation 12 present on the latter, the user always knows the length of pipe remaining.

i Figures 2 to 4 represent, according to another embodiment of the invention, a use-once winding-up package 19 which can be used without the unwinding device 20 described previously with reference to Figure 1.

This winding-up package 19 is distinguished from the one described with reference to Figure 1 by the fact that the opening 6 for the passage of the free end la of the pipe 1 is formed at the upper part, and not at the lower part, of the front face 7f of the box body 7.

In accordance with Figure 5, another embodiment of the journal 16 of the winding-up package 19 has been represented. The journal 16 is limited to the alignment of the two plugs 10 and 11 forming flanges, coaxially with the axis of the core 3. Each Plug 10 or 11 includes is a part 27 located inside the box 4, forming a tapered bearing surface for rotation relative to a straight end of the core 3, and another part 28 situated on the outside of the box 4, attached to the part 27, for example by force-fitting, via the hole 7d or 7e provided in the box 4.

Claims

Assembly for storing and paying out an elongate element (1) which in sufficiently flexible to be wound up on itself as a coil (2), and suf f iciently resistant to stretching in order to transmit any tension at one (1a) of its ends, the said assembly comprising a use-once winding-up package (19) composed of at least:

- one winding-up core (3) supporting the elongate element (1), and around which the latter is wound up into at least one coil (2), with one end (1a) free for grabbing hold of and paying out the said elongate element - a box (4) whose internal volume is designed to contain the winding-up core (3) together with the element in the coil (2), this box being arranged to support the is said core in unimpeded rotation about its axis (5), together with the elongate element wound up as a coil (2), the said box having one dimension parallel to the axis (5), characterized in that said assembly comprises an un winding device (20) including a frame (21) arranged on one side for halting the windingup package (19), as well as an =winding core (22), mounted so that it can rotate on the frame with its spindle (23) parallel to the axis of the winding-up core (3) when the winding-up package (19) is halted by the frame (21), and, in register [lacuna] the winding- up package (19) includes a front face (7f) extending parallel to the same axis, able to be received by the frame (21) of the unwinding device (20), with an opening (6) made in the said front face for the passage of the free end (1a) of the said elongate element towards the winding-up core (3) of the unwinding device (20).
2. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that a journal (16) is located coaxially with the winding-up core (3) of the winding-up package (19) for rotating the latter together with the element in a coil (2), and is supported at its two ends by the wall of the box (4) of the said winding-up package (19).
3. Assembly according to Claim 2, characterized in that, on the one hand, the journal (16) of the winding-up package (19) includes two plugs (10, 11) forming flanges which are aligned coaxially on the core (3) and located at its two ends respectively and, on the other hand, the wall of the said box (4) includes two holes (7d, 7e) facing each other for the passage of the two plugs (10, 11) respectively.
4. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the winding-up core (3) of the winding-up package (19) has a parallelepipedal shape which is elongate along its axis (5).
5. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the passage opening (6) in the winding-up package (19) is located at the lower part of the front face (7f) of the box (4).
6. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that, before payingout, the turns of the coil (2) of the elongate element contained within the winding-up package (19) are tied together by a tie (50).
7. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that a graduation (12) is applied on the visible side of the coil (2), the maximum graduation of which corresponds to the free end (1a) of the said coil.
Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the frame (21) of the unwinding device (20) includes a rear stop (24) facing the front face (7f) of the box (4) of the winding-up package (19) when the latter is received by the frame (21), forming a passage (24) in register with the opening (6) in the winding-up package U9).
9. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the unwinding device (20) includes at least one arm (25) for rotating of the unwinding core (22).
10. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in 35 that the frame (21) of the unwinding device (20) includes means (26, 34) for rolling along the ground.
11. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the elongate element (1) consists of a piece of flexible metal pipe, for example a pipe for lining flues.