JP2009243895A - Tightness test apparatus and tightness test method for tubular joint - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tightness test apparatus which can be installed and perform a test easily. <P>SOLUTION: The tightness test apparatus comprises: a pair of plugs 21, 22 which expand when air is filled therein; a leading plug hose 3 and a following plug hose 4 which transfer air to the pair of plugs, respectively; a test section hose 5 which passes through one plug 22 and is formed with a discharge port 53 toward the other plug 21; a compressor 6 for supplying the plug hoses 3, 4 and the test section hose 5 with air; and a pressure gauge 55 for measuring the pressure in a test section A provided between the plugs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hermetic test device for testing the airtight performance or liquid tightness performance of a test section sandwiched between a pair of plugs, and a tube that is used when a tubular body such as a polyethylene pipe is joined. The present invention relates to a sealing test method for body joints.

  When connecting a plurality of concrete pipes and laying a water and sewage pipe or the like, it is known that an airtight test is performed in order to confirm the water stop performance of the pipe joint (see Patent Document 1). .

The leak-proof test apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 can inspect the leak-proof performance of piping by measuring the pressure inside the tubular body partitioned by a sealing means such as a plug for a predetermined time. it can.
JP 2002-39905 A

  However, the leak resistance test apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 can measure the pressure in the test section, but sealing means such as a plug must be prepared separately.

  In addition, in the case of open-ended pipes such as intake pipes that draw water from lakes and seas, the actual condition is that the joint state of the pipe joints can only be confirmed by visual inspection.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sealing test apparatus that can be easily installed and tested, and a sealing test method for a tubular joint using the sealing test apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sealing test apparatus according to the present invention includes a pair of plugs that expand when filled with a fluid, a plug transport pipe that transports the fluid to the pair of plugs, and one of the plugs. A test section transport pipe in which a discharge port toward the other plug is formed, a fluid supply means for supplying the fluid to the plug transport pipe and the test section transport pipe, and between the plugs And a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the test section sandwiched between the two.

  Here, the pipe connected to the fluid supply means branches to connect to the plug transport pipe and the test section transport pipe, and each transport pipe includes an opening / closing means and a pressure measuring means. It can be configured.

  Further, the sealing test method for a tube joint of the present invention is a sealing test method for a tube joint using the above-described sealing test apparatus, the step of placing one of the plugs in one tube, Arranging the other plug in the other pipe body across the pipe joint, filling the respective plugs with fluid through the plug transport pipe from the fluid supply means, and expanding the plug; The test section includes a step of filling the test section with fluid from the fluid supply means through the test section transport pipe, and a step of measuring the pressure in the test section by the pressure measuring means.

  The hermetic test apparatus of the present invention configured as described above includes a pair of plugs that expand when filled with fluid, fluid supply means for supplying fluid to the plug and the test section, and plugs and test sections from the fluid supply means. A plug transport pipe and a test section transport pipe for transporting fluid to the test section, and a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the test section.

  For this reason, a sealing test apparatus can be easily installed in the structure to be tested and a sealing test can be performed.

  Further, the configuration of the entire apparatus can be simplified by adopting a configuration in which the plug transport tube and the test section transport tube are connected to the tube branched from the fluid supply means. Furthermore, by providing an opening / closing means and a pressure measuring means in each transport pipe, the pressure management of each plug and the test section can be easily performed.

  In addition, a method of sealing a tube joint, which is performed by the steps of placing the plug in the tube, expanding the plug, filling the fluid in the test section, and measuring the pressure in the test section. If so, the sealing performance of an arbitrary test section can be easily inspected.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of an airtight test apparatus 1 as a hermetic test apparatus described in the present embodiment.

  First, the configuration of a tubular body as a structure to be tested in which the airtight test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is installed and the airtight test is performed will be described.

  This airtight test is performed, for example, in order to confirm the water-stopping performance of the pipe joint portion between single pipes when a long pipe is formed by adding single pipes such as polyethylene pipes.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the right side is the leading pipe 71, and the left side is the trailing pipe 72, and the EF joint portion 73 is provided at the tube joint portion of the leading pipe 71 and the trailing pipe 72. The EF joint portion 73 is formed by EF fusion (electric fusion fusion) of polyethylene pipes using an EF socket in which heating wires are embedded in advance. Further, the outer circumferences of the leading pipe 71 and the trailing pipe 72 are covered with coating layers 74 and 74.

  And in the airtight test performed in order to test | inspect the airtight performance of this tubular-body junction part, the airtight test apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is used.

  This airtight test apparatus 1 is arranged in a leading pipe 71 and a trailing pipe 72, respectively, and expands when filled with fluid, and plugs that convey fluid to the pair of plugs 21 and 22, respectively. As a transport pipe for a test section in which a leading plug hose 3 and a succeeding plug hose 4 as transport pipes and a follower plug 22 pass through and a discharge port 53 toward the preceding plug 21 is formed. The test section hose 5, the plug hose 3, 4, the compressor 6 as fluid supply means for supplying fluid to the test section hose 5, and the pressure in the test section A sandwiched between the plugs 21, 22 are measured. A pressure gauge 55 as pressure measuring means is mainly provided.

  Here, as the fluid, a gas such as air or a test gas, or a liquid such as water or a test liquid can be used. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where an airtight test is performed using air (gas) as a fluid will be mainly described.

  Further, the plugs 21 and 22 include a plug 21 for the leading pipe 71 installed at the front and a plug 22 for the trailing pipe 72 installed at the rear, and the basic configuration is the same. A schematic configuration will be described by taking the plug 21 for 71 as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plug 21 is a cylindrically-shaped shielding member, which is a cylindrical rubber cylinder 21 b that forms a peripheral surface, cap portions 21 c and 21 c that are disposed at both ends thereof, and a cap. Fixing bands 21d and 21d for fixing both ends of the rubber cylinder 21b to the portions 21c and 21c are mainly provided.

  This rubber cylinder 21b is a member formed by cylindrically forming a sheet material in which a reinforcing fiber layer is laminated between two rubber layers forming inner and outer surfaces, and expands in the circumferential direction when the cylinder is filled with air. However, it is formed so as to expand and contract so as to contract when the internal air is discharged.

  The cap portion 21c is a member formed in a circular lid shape when viewed from the front, and connects the coupler 21a for connecting the plug transport tube and the connecting wire 23 to the end surface facing the test section A. Eyebolts 23a and the like are provided. Here, by connecting the plugs 21 and 22 with the connecting wire 23, even if the pressure in the measurement section A increases, it is possible to prevent only one plug 21 (22) from coming out.

  In addition to these configurations, the plug 22 for the trailing pipe 72 has a passage hose 32 and a penetration hose 52, which will be described later, housed therein, and three couplers 22b and 22c on the end surface opposite to the test section A. , 22d are provided.

  The three couplers 22b, 22c, and 22d are connected to the end portions of the hoses constituting the leading plug hose 3, the trailing plug hose 4, and the test section hose 5, respectively.

  The preceding plug hose 3 includes a passage hose 32 and a connection hose 33, and connects the passage hose 32 by connecting the end of the hose drawn behind the trailing pipe 72 to the coupler 22d. One end of the connection hose 33 is connected to the coupler 22 a on the 32 test section A side, and the other end of the connection hose 33 is connected to the coupler 21 a of the plug 21. As a result, the air passing through the passage hose 32 is sent into the plug 21 through the connection hose 33.

  The leading plug hose 3 is provided with a pressure gauge 35 as pressure measuring means and a valve 34 as opening / closing means, and is connected to a supply hose 61 connected to the compressor 6 via a branch pipe 31.

  Further, the trailing plug hose 4 is connected to the coupler 22 c, whereby air is sent into the plug 22. The follower plug hose 4 is provided with a pressure gauge 43 as pressure measuring means and a valve 42 as opening / closing means, and is connected to a supply hose 61 via a branch pipe 41.

  Further, the test section hose 5 includes a through hose 52 and is connected to the through hose 52 by connecting the end portion of the hose drawn out to the rear of the trailing pipe 72 to the coupler 22b. As a result, air is sent toward the test section A from the discharge port 53 on the test section A side of the through hose 52 constituting a part of the test section hose 5. The test section hose 5 is provided with a pressure gauge 55 as a pressure measuring means and a valve 54 as an opening / closing means, and is connected to a supply hose 61 via a branch pipe 51.

  Further, the compressor 6 is a device for supplying compressed air, and a supply hose 61 connected to the compressor 6 is also provided with a valve 62 as an opening / closing means.

  Next, the installation method of the airtightness test apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the plug 21 in an unexpanded state is installed near the rear end of the preceding pipe 71 (step S1). Subsequently, in step S2, an EF socket is attached to the rear end of the preceding pipe 71.

  Then, one end of the connection hose 33 is connected to the coupler 21a provided on the end face of the plug 21 (step S3). At this time, one end of the connecting wire 23 is also connected to the eyebolt 23a.

  Further, the trailing pipe 72 is installed by bringing the leading end of the trailing pipe 72 into contact with the rear end of the leading pipe 71 inside the EF socket (step S4).

  Subsequently, in step S5, electricity is passed through the EF socket to heat the heating wire, thereby melting the inner peripheral surface of the EF socket and the end surfaces of the leading pipe 71 and the trailing pipe 72, and fusing each of them. Thus, the EF joint portion 73 is formed.

  After completing the tube joint portion in this way, the plug 22 is installed near the rear end of the trailing tube 72 (step S6). On the leading pipe 71 side of the plug 22, the other end of the connecting wire 23 and the eyebolt 23a are connected, and the connection hose 33 and the coupler 22a are connected.

  On the other hand, on the opposite end face of the plug 22, the end of the hose constituting the preceding plug hose 3 is connected to the coupler 22d, and the end of the hose constituting the subsequent plug hose 4 is connected to the coupler 22c. The end of the hose constituting the test section hose 5 is connected to the coupler 22b.

  The rear end of the preceding plug hose 3 is connected to the branch pipe 31, the rear end of the subsequent plug hose 4 is connected to the branch pipe 41, and the rear end of the test section hose 5 is connected to the branch pipe 51. .

  The branch pipes 31, 41, 51 are connected to one end of the supply hose 61, and the other end of the supply hose 61 is connected to the compressor 6.

  When connecting, the valves 62, 34, 42, and 54 of the supply hose 61, the preceding plug hose 3, the subsequent plug hose 4, and the test section hose 5 are closed.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 7, compressed air (air) is sent from the compressor 6 to the plugs 21 and 22. At this time, first, the valve 62 of the supply hose 61 and the valve 34 of the preceding plug hose 3 are opened, and the plug 21 is filled with air to be expanded. Whether or not the plug 21 is in close contact with the inner surface of the preceding pipe 71 can be determined by the measured value of the pressure gauge 35.

  Further, the valve 42 of the trailing plug hose 4 is opened so that the plug 22 is filled with air and expanded. Whether or not the plug 22 is in close contact with the inner surface of the trailing pipe 72 can also be determined by the measured value of the pressure gauge 43.

  When the injection of air into the plugs 21 and 22 is completed in this way, the valve 34 of the preceding plug hose 3 and the valve 42 of the subsequent plug hose 4 can be closed. And while monitoring the measured value of the pressure gauges 35 and 43, when the pressure falls, the valves 34 and 42 can be opened again and compressed air can be sent into the plugs 21 and 22. In some situations, the valves 34 and 42 can be left open.

  In step S8, air is injected into the test section A formed between the plugs 21 and 22. That is, when the valve 54 of the test section hose 5 is opened, air flows from the discharge port 53 into the test section A, and the test section A is filled with air.

  This test section A is filled with air until the measured value of the pressure gauge 55 reaches the initial value of the airtight test to be performed, and when the predetermined pressure is reached, the valve 54 is closed and the airtight test is started. (Step S9). Usually, the air tightness test is performed by measuring an initially set pressure drop state within a predetermined time.

  After the airtight test, the supply hose 61 is disconnected from the branch pipes 31, 41, 51, the valve 34 of the preceding plug hose 3 is opened, and the plug 21 is contracted. Subsequently, the valve 42 of the follower plug hose 4 is opened, and finally the valve 54 of the test section hose 5 is opened.

  Then, the contracted plug 22 is pulled out from the trailing tube 72, and the connecting wire 23 is further pulled to pull out the plug 21 from the leading tube 71. If it does in this way, a pair of plugs 21 and 22 can be easily collect | recovered after a test.

  Such an airtight test is performed, for example, in order to confirm the airtight performance of the pipe joint portion of the intake pipe 70 laid for taking in deep sea water as shown in FIG.

  Many polyethylene pipes constituting the long intake pipe 70 cannot be bent with a straight pipe, and therefore cannot be joined in advance at a factory. Therefore, for example, polyethylene pipes are joined to each other on the laying ship 8 by butt fusion or the like, and an airtight test is performed using the airtight test apparatus 1 at each tubular body joint. This joining is performed, for example, for about five pieces according to the hull length of the laid ship 8.

  On the other hand, since only about five such joints do not reach the full length required for the intake pipe 70, joining is also performed while laying. That is, the intake pipe 70 in the middle of installation extends obliquely from the tube group laid on the right bottom 91 of FIG. 3 toward the stern chute 83 on the water surface 92, and the upper end of the intake pipe 70 is the leading pipe 71.

  Then, the end portion of the leading pipe 71 and the end portion of the trailing pipe 72 are brought into contact with each other on the joining base 82 to perform joining by EF fusion. At this time, the leading pipe 71 and the trailing pipe 72 are fixed by clamps 81 and 81 so as not to move.

  As for the tube joint portion joined in front of the stern chute 83 of the laying ship 8 in this way, the airtight performance test is performed by the airtightness test apparatus 1 and if the predetermined airtight performance is provided, the stern chute is performed as it is. The water intake pipe 70 is dropped from 83 toward the water bottom 91.

  Next, the operation of the air tightness test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

  The airtight test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above includes a pair of plugs 21 and 22 that expand when filled with air, a compressor 6 that supplies air to the plugs 21 and 22 and the test section A, The compressor 6 includes plugs 21 and 22 and a plug hose 3 and 4 and a test section hose 5 for supplying air to the test section A, and a pressure gauge 55 for measuring the pressure in the test section A. .

  For this reason, the airtight test apparatus 1 can be easily installed in the pipe body, and an airtight test for inspecting the water stop performance of the pipe joint portion can be performed. That is, as long as the deep water intake pipe 70 has a long overall length and a large number of pipe joints are generated, the airtight test apparatus 1 can be installed, hermetic test and removal can be easily performed. An airtight test can be performed at all joints, and a high quality intake pipe 70 can be laid.

  Further, the configuration of the entire apparatus can be simplified by adopting a configuration in which the leading plug hose 3, the trailing plug hose 4 and the test section hose 5 are formed by branching from the compressor 6.

  Furthermore, by providing the valves 34, 42, 54 and the pressure gauges 35, 43, 55 on the hoses 3, 4, 5, the pressure management of the plugs 21, 22 and the test section A can be easily performed.

  Also, a step of disposing the plugs 21 and 22 in the leading tube 71 and the trailing tube 72, a step of expanding the plugs 21 and 22, and a test section A between the plugs 21 and 22 at a predetermined pressure. If the airtight test method for a tube joint performed by the step of filling air and the step of measuring the pressure in the test section A with the pressure gauge 55, the sealing performance of an arbitrary test section A should be easily inspected. Can do.

  Although the best embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are possible. Are included in the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pressure gauge 55 provided in the test section hose 5 is used as the pressure measurement means in the test section A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a pressure sensor is installed in the test section A. By installing, pressure measuring means can be configured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the airtight test using air has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applied to a liquidtight test in which a liquid is used as the fluid and the liquid is sent to the test section A. Can be applied.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the test object structure is a polyethylene pipe, and the airtight test for inspecting the airtight performance of the pipe joint has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the test target structure is a concrete pipe. The tube may be formed of other materials, and the structure to be tested may be a structure other than the tube, such as a box culvert.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the process which expands a pair of plugs 21 and 22 continuously was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, After installation and expansion | swelling of one plug 21 are completed, the other This may be a process of installing and expanding the plug 22.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the airtight test apparatus of the best embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the flow until installation of an airtight test apparatus and the start of an airtight test. It is explanatory drawing explaining the installation condition of the intake pipe which performs an airtight test.

Explanation of symbols

A Test section 1 Air tightness test equipment (sealing test equipment)
21, 22 Plug 3 Hose for preceding plug (conveying pipe for plug)
31 Branch pipe 32 Passing hose (transport pipe for plug)
33 Connection hose (conveying pipe for plug)
34 Valve (opening / closing means)
35 Pressure gauge (pressure measuring means)
4 Back plug hose (plug transport pipe)
41 Branch pipe 42 Valve (opening / closing means)
43 Pressure gauge (pressure measuring means)
5 Test section hose (transport pipe for test section)
51 Branch pipe 52 Through hose (conveying pipe for test section)
53 Discharge port 54 Valve (opening / closing means)
55 Pressure gauge (pressure measuring means)
6 Compressor (fluid supply means)
61 Supply hose (pipe)
71 Leading pipe (tube)
72 Trailing tube
73 EF joint (Tube joint)

Claims (3)

A pair of plugs that expand when filled with fluid;
A plug transport pipe for transporting the fluid to the pair of plugs;
A test section transport pipe in which one of the plugs is penetrated and a discharge port is formed toward the other plug;
Fluid supply means for supplying the fluid to the plug transport pipe and the test section transport pipe;
A hermetic test apparatus comprising pressure measuring means for measuring a pressure in a test section sandwiched between the plugs.   The pipe connected to the fluid supply means branches to connect to the plug transport pipe and the test section transport pipe, and each transport pipe includes an opening / closing means and a pressure measuring means. The sealing test apparatus according to claim 1. A sealing test method for a tubular joint using the sealing test device according to claim 1 or 2,
Placing one of the plugs in one of the tubes;
Disposing the other plug in the other tubular body across the tubular joint; and
Filling each plug with a fluid from the fluid supply means through the plug transport pipe and expanding the plug; and
Filling the test section with fluid from the fluid supply means through the test section transport pipe;
And a step of measuring the pressure in the test section by the pressure measuring means.

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