JP5583488B2 - Flexible tube spacer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a spacer used for alignment of flexible tubes. In particular, the present invention relates to a flexible tube spacer used when a plurality of flexible tubes are laid in parallel at predetermined intervals.

Generally, in order to embed an electric wire or an optical cable in the ground, a corrugated hard polyethylene pipe (hereinafter also referred to as a spiral corrugated flexible pipe) 1 as shown in FIG. Etc. are inserted. Further, in order to lay a plurality of corrugated hard polyethylene pipes 1 in the ground, a plurality of the flexible pipes 1 are arranged in the laying groove and the interval between the pipes 1 is fixed using a spacing gauge or the like, and the flexible pipe 1 It was done to rectify and lay the curl. However, the operation of aligning the flexible tube 1 using the interval gauge requires complicated attachment and removal of the gauge before and after embedding the tube.

A tube spacer has been devised that saves such trouble and aligns a plurality of flexible tubes and embeds them in the ground. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a buried pipe spacer including a base portion and side wall portions upright on both sides thereof, and has a substantially semicircular shape slightly larger in diameter than the outer diameter of the buried tube between the base portion and the side wall portion. A claw portion having a facing interval slightly narrower than the outer diameter of the buried pipe is provided on the inner surface of the side wall portion corresponding to the upper portion of the housing recess, and is fitted to the outer surface of the side wall portion. Disclosed is a tube spacer provided with possible recesses and projections, and provided with recesses and projections that can be fitted to each other on the back surface of the base portion and the upper surface of the side wall portion. It is disclosed that it is possible to simplify the multi-laying operation by connecting and arranging the buried pipes easily. In Patent Document 1, the tube spacers are connected to each other in a lateral direction with the base portion as the lower side and the opening leading to the receiving recess as the upper side, and the tube is pushed into the receiving recess from the upper side. It is disclosed that the pipe is laid.

Patent Document 2 includes an upper split member and a lower split member that can support three spiral corrugated pipes, and a tube receiving surface of at least one of the upper split member and the lower split member. Discloses a tube spacer provided with a protrusion that enters the helical recess of the tube 1 in a state where the tube is supported by the two members. According to the tube spacer, the tube spacer moves in the longitudinal direction of the tube. It is disclosed that it can be avoided reliably.

JP-A-7-280139 JP 11-325320 A

However, when the above-mentioned distance gauge is used, it is necessary to create a dedicated distance gauge according to the conditions specific to the construction site such as the number of pipes and the width of the laying grooves. In addition, in order to bury a long backfill section at once, it is necessary to prepare a large number of interval gauges, and there are many inconveniences in terms of manufacturing and storage of the interval gauges and construction management.

Further, in the pipe spacer described in Patent Document 2, although the three pipes are sandwiched and aligned by the pipe spacer composed of a pair of upper and lower split members, a large number of pipe spacers are used in order to align a larger number of pipes. When arranged in the horizontal direction, the sets of tubes bundled with tube spacers tend to be separated from each other, and may not be aligned well. For this reason, in order to maintain the alignment state of the whole of the many pipes well, it is necessary to add another alignment means such as tying the whole with a string and integrating the whole, and the work becomes complicated. End up.

In order to align a large number of tubes as a whole, it is possible to prepare tube spacers corresponding to the number of tubes to be aligned, but in that case, there are many types of tubes for each number of tubes to be aligned. Therefore, there are many inconveniences in terms of manufacture and storage of pipe spacers and construction management.

In addition, when a flexible tube is embedded, earth pressure is applied to the flexible tube. However, the tube spacer described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 is a member having a predetermined width in the tube axis direction. Therefore, it has been found that the pipe spacer is subjected to earth pressure and may adversely affect the laying situation of the buried pipe. As an adverse effect, for example, in a portion where there is no pipe spacer, the earth pressure is applied to the buried pipe and the buried pipe is displaced in the sinking direction, but in a part where the pipe spacer is present, the pipe spacer is subjected to earth pressure and the buried pipe As a result of the earth pressure not being transmitted, there is a possibility that only the portion without the pipe spacer sinks and the buried pipe is bent. Conversely, only the tube spacer sinks, and earth pressure applied to the tube spacer is concentrated on a specific flexible tube accommodated in the tube spacer, and the flexible tube may be deformed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to use a flexible tube that can be used for an application in which a plurality of flexible tubes are arranged and can maintain an appropriate interval between the flexible tubes and has good workability. It is to provide an alignment processing means. Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible tube alignment processing means capable of reducing the earth pressure of the buried earth and sand applied to the spacer and reducing the adverse effect on the flexible tube. Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible tube alignment processing means and an alignment processing method capable of aligning an unspecified number of flexible tubes as a whole with only a small number of types of alignment means. It is in.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventor has formed a flexible tube spacer in which a plurality of flexible tube holding portions are connected by a connecting portion with a metal wire having elasticity, and has taken most of the outer periphery of the flexible tube. If the holding part formed so as to surround is provided with an open part that allows the flexible tube to be taken in and out by utilizing the elasticity of the wire, the alignment arrangement process can be completed with one touch, and the alignment arrangement state is appropriately maintained. As a result, it was found that such flexible tube spacers were not subjected to earth pressure, and the flexible tube spacer of the present invention was completed. In addition, if the inventor uses a plurality of the flexible tube spacers and arranges them so that the flexible tubes to be aligned are sequentially connected, only a few types of flexible tube spacers are used. As a result of finding out that any number of flexible tubes can be aligned and arranged in an integrated manner, the present invention has been completed.

The present invention is a flexible tube spacer for aligning and arranging a plurality of flexible tubes in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the flexible tube spacer accommodates and holds at least each flexible tube to be aligned. The holding part is formed of a metal wire having elasticity so as to have two holding parts and a connecting part that connects the holding part and the holding part at a predetermined interval. It is formed so as to surround most of the outer periphery of the tube, and the holding portion is formed to have an open portion that allows the flexible tube to be taken in and out using the elasticity of the wire, and the end of the holding portion is A flexible tube spacer characterized in that the flexible tube spacer extends in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the flexible tubes are aligned to a length of 0.5 to 2 times the diameter of the flexible tube. (First invention)

In the flexible tube spacer of the present invention, the holding portion is further formed so that when the holding portion accommodates and holds the flexible tube, the flexible tube is accommodated and held by the elasticity of the wire. Is preferred (second invention).

Or in the flexible tube spacer of this invention, when a holding | maintenance part accommodates and hold | maintains a flexible tube, it is preferable to form so that a holding | maintenance part may follow a flexible tube outer periphery (3rd invention).

Alternatively, in the flexible tube spacer of the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting portion is formed in a straight line having a predetermined length so that the aligned flexible tubes are separated from each other (fourth invention). .

According to the flexible tube spacer of the present invention (first invention), it is possible to insert the flexible tube spacer into the flexible tube while expanding the opening of the holding portion of the flexible tube spacer with respect to the flexible tube arranged at a predetermined interval. The flexible tubes can be arranged and arranged by a simple operation of connecting the flexible tubes in parallel by the flexible tube spacer. The holding and holding operation of the flexible tube in the holding portion can be performed by using the elasticity of the wire constituting the flexible tube spacer, and can be performed with a relatively light force, and the alignment and placement operation can be completed with one touch. And the flexible tube is aligned and arranged at a predetermined interval by the connecting portion provided in the flexible tube spacer, and the aligned state is maintained well.

According to the flexible tube spacer of the present invention, since the flexible tube spacer is formed of a metal wire, the flexible tube spacer can be made sufficiently thin, and the flexible tube spacer can be flexed. When buried with the pipe, the buried earth and sand falls downward without being hindered by the flexible pipe spacer, so that the earth pressure is prevented from being applied to the flexible pipe spacer. The earth pressure applied to the spacer is also prevented from adversely affecting the flexible tube.
According to the flexible tube spacer of the present invention, the flexible tube is positioned by inserting the portion where the end of the holding portion is extended into the soil below the flexible tube, so that the flexible tube is flexible during the embedding operation. The pipe can be prevented from being displaced, and the accuracy and efficiency of construction can be improved.

Further, as in the second invention, when the flexible tube spacer is formed so that the flexible tube is accommodated and held by the elasticity of the wire when the holding portion accommodates and holds the flexible tube, the flexible tube is flexible. The outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube is securely held and held in the holding portion of the tube spacer, and the alignment state of the tubes is more reliably maintained by the flexible tube spacer.

Furthermore, as in the third aspect of the invention, if the flexible tube spacer is formed so that the holding portion is accommodated and held along the outer periphery of the flexible tube when the holding portion accommodates and holds the flexible tube, the flexible tube spacer holding portion can be used. Since the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube is held so as to be closely engaged, the flexible tube spacer is not easily detached from the flexible tube.
If it becomes difficult for the flexible tube spacer and the flexible tube to come off, the already installed flexible tube spacer is prevented from detaching during the work of installing another flexible tube spacer or burying / laying the tube. As a result, the aligned state of the tubes can be maintained more reliably.

Furthermore, as in the fourth aspect of the invention, if the connecting portion is formed in a straight line having a predetermined length so that the aligned flexible tubes are separated from each other, the buried soil is inserted between the flexible tubes. This improves the workability of pipe laying work.

It is a figure which shows the shape of the flexible tube spacer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state by which the flexible tube was arranged by the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the alignment arrangement | positioning operation which arranges and arranges a flexible tube with the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which arranges and arranges many flexible tubes using the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 2nd connection operation which arranges and arranges a flexible tube by the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 3rd connection operation which arranges and arranges a flexible tube by the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the shape of the spiral corrugated pipe | tube arranged by the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of other embodiment of the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of other embodiment of the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of other embodiment of the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of other embodiment of the spacer of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of other embodiment of the spacer of this invention.

Hereinafter, a flexible tube spacer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The flexible tube spacer 2 of the present embodiment is a helical corrugated flexible tube 1 for inserting an electric wire or an optical fiber cable (a corrugated hard polyethylene tube used as an underground tube, FIG. 7). A flexible tube spacer (also simply referred to as “spacer”) used when a plurality of wires are arranged in a bundle and embedded in the ground.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the shape of a spacer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The spacer 2 is a spacer formed by bending into a shape shown in FIG. 1 with a wire having an appropriate elasticity. A pair of holding portions 21 and 21 are provided at both ends of the spacer 2 so as to be able to accommodate and hold a single underground pipe, and the space between the holding portions 21 and 21 is provided in a substantially linear shape. The spacers 2 are formed in the shape of glasses as a whole, with the connecting portions 22 connected to each other so that the holding portions are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

The holding portions 21 and 21 are circular so as to substantially match the outer peripheral surface shape of the tube while surrounding most of the outer peripheral surface shape (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1) of the underground tube 1 to be accommodated and held inside. In addition to being formed in an arc shape, the holding portions 21 and 21 are provided with an opening portion 21b opened toward one direction of the outer peripheral surface of the tube. Further, the open end portions 21a and 21a of the holding portions 21 and 21 are shaped so that the end portions are bent toward the outside of the arc. Further, the holding portions 21 and 21 and the connecting portion 22 are connected at the other end 21 c of the holding portion 21.

As a material constituting the spacer 2, a metal wire having elasticity is used. For example, a hard steel wire defined in JIS G3521 or a piano wire defined in JIS G3522 can be used. In this embodiment, a hard steel wire having a diameter of 3 mm is used. As the wire having elasticity, other metal wires can be used. The cross section of the wire can be a cross section such as a circle, an ellipse, a square, or a flat shape. In the present embodiment, the spacer 2 is composed of a wire having a circular cross section.

As a manufacturing method of the spacer 2, the manufacturing method by the bending process of a metal wire can be illustrated.

The usage form of the spacer 2 of this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a view showing an alignment arrangement structure in which two flexible tubes 1 and 1 are arranged in alignment by the spacer 2 of the present invention.
Two spiral corrugated tubes (flexible tubes) 1, 1 are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval, and the flexible tubes 1, 1 are held by holding portions 21, 21 of the spacer 2. Are housed and held inside the holding portions 21 and 21 and arranged in an aligned manner. The flexible tubes 1 and 1 to be aligned are accommodated and held inside the holding portions 21 and 21 by the elasticity of the wire constituting the spacer 2. And the holding | maintenance parts 21 and 21 are made to fit in the concave strip part 11 which is a small diameter part of each helical corrugated pipe, and the movement of a pipe axial direction is controlled.

In the present embodiment, the shape of the holding portion 21 is formed in an arc shape so as to follow the outer peripheral shape of the concave strip portion 11 to be fitted, but more preferably, the radius R of the arc of the holding portion 21 is The flexible tube 1 has a size and shape that is slightly smaller than the radius R1 of the concave strip portion 11 of the flexible tube 1. When the flexible tube is fitted, the flexible tube is pressed and held by the holding portion by the elasticity of the wire, and the arc of the holding portion 21 The flexible tube 1 is firmly held by the shape so that the flexible tube 1 does not come off the opening of the spacer 2.

In FIG. 3, operation at the time of arranging and arranging two underground pipes 1 and 1 by the spacer 2 of this embodiment is shown. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the tubes 1 and 1 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. Although not used in the present embodiment, if necessary, a block or the like may be appropriately inserted between the tubes in order to adjust the interval between the flexible tubes 1 and 1. And the flexible tubes arranged side by side while pushing the gap between the open portions 21b and 21b so that the open portions 21b and 21b of the holding portions 21 and 21 of the spacer 2 are directed to the arranged tubes 1 and 1 side. The holding portions 21, 21 of the spacer 2 are fitted into the pipes 1, 1 so that the spacer 2 straddles them.

At this time, since the spacer 2 has elasticity, the space between the open portions 21b and 21b of the spacer 2 is slightly widened, and the holding portion of the spacer 2 can be fitted into the tubes 1 and 1 with a small operating force. The inset state is shown in FIG. In this state, the alignment arrangement processing of the tubes 1 and 1 is completed. In other words, the spacer 2 uses the elasticity thereof so that the open portions 21b and 21b provided in the holding portions 21 and 21 are slightly expanded so that the flexible tube 1 can be taken in and out. The parts 21 and 21 are fitted and attached to the pipes 1 and 1, and the alignment arrangement process is completed with one touch. In FIG. 3, the pair of holding portions are shown to be fitted into the flexible tubes 1 and 1 almost simultaneously, but the fitting of the tube 1 into the holding portion 21 may be performed sequentially. In some cases, this is easier to perform.

In the subsequent aligned arrangement state, preferably, the holding portions 21 and 21 are accommodated and held in a state where the pipes 1 and 1 are pressed and clamped by the elasticity of the spacer 2, and the aligned arrangement state of the tubes Is maintained. Note that the holding and holding of the tube 1 by the holding portion 21 does not necessarily need to be in the pressing and holding state as long as the holding and holding is maintained, and the tube 1 is caught by the end portions 21 a and 21 c of the holding portion 21. It may be accommodated and held.

The pipes 1 and 1 that are aligned and arranged at a predetermined interval in this manner are buried in the ground in a state where the pipes are aligned substantially horizontally, but the spacer 2 is suitable along the pipe axis direction. It is attached to the pipes 1 and 1 at every small interval (for example, 3 to 4 m intervals), and is constructed while being covered with sand or earth together with the buried pipe while maintaining the distance and alignment of the pipes. Here, if the spacer 2 is made of a material that returns to the soil due to aging, such as iron, the spacer will eventually be assimilated with the soil, which is more preferable in that the non-decomposable member does not remain in the ground. .

Next, a method for aligning and arranging a large number of tubes using the spacer 2 of this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 4, five flexible tubes 1 and 1 are arranged in parallel so as to be parallel to each other at a predetermined interval so as to form a substantially flat plate shape, and aligned and arranged using the spacers 2 and 2 of the above embodiment. The alignment arrangement structure is shown. In FIG. 4, detailed shapes such as the helical corrugated structure of the tubes 1 and 1 are omitted, and the tube has a smooth outer surface corresponding to the diameter of the concave portion 11 with which the spacer holding portion 21 is engaged. The flexible tubes 1 and 1 are shown.

The spacer 2 of the above embodiment connects and arranges the two flexible tubes 1 and 1, but, as in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is arranged in the direction in which the tubes are arranged, and is connected to separate spacers (for example, 2a and 2b) adjacent to each other in the direction in which the tubes are arranged so that at least one flexible tube (for example, 1a) is shared. If the entire arrangement of the tubes 1 and 1 is sequentially connected, the five flexible tubes 1 and 1 are integrated into a flat plate shape by four spacers 2 and 2 as shown in the left part of FIG. Can be connected and aligned.

The intervals in the tube axis direction of the spacers 2 and 2 arranged in the direction in which the tubes are arranged may be provided such that the spacers 2 and 2 are not so separated as shown on the left side of FIG. As shown on the right side of FIG. 4, the adjacent spacers 2 and 2 may be provided apart from each other in the tube axis direction.

In order to realize such an alignment arrangement structure, the following three alignment arrangement operations may be executed in combination for a large number of tubes 1 and 1.
The first alignment arrangement operation is an operation of arranging the unconnected flexible tubes 1 and 1 in alignment using the spacer 2 of the present invention. This operation is the alignment arrangement operation described with reference to FIG.

The second alignment operation is an operation in which at least one of the already connected flexible tubes and another unconnected flexible tube are aligned using the spacer 2 of the present invention. . An example of this alignment arrangement operation is shown in FIG. 5. In this example, one of the flexible tubes 1 and 1 already connected by the spacer 2 and the unconnected flexible tube 1 are connected. Then, they are aligned by connecting with another spacer 2 (see FIG. 5A), and a total of three flexible tubes are connected and aligned by two spacers. The aligned arrangement state is shown in FIG.

The third alignment operation includes the present invention to include at least one of a set of flexible tubes already connected and at least one of another set of flexible tubes already connected. This is an operation of arranging and arranging using the spacers 2. An example of this alignment operation is shown in FIG. 6. In this example, one of the first sets (left set) of the flexible tubes 1 and 1 already connected by the spacer 2 and the spacer are already provided. One of the second sets (the right set) of the flexible tubes 1 and 1 connected by 2 is connected by using another spacer 2 (see FIG. 6A). ), A total of four flexible tubes are connected and aligned by three spacers. The aligned arrangement state is shown in FIG.

By combining these three alignment operations, it is possible to arrange any number of flexible tubes 1 and 1 in a flat plate shape by simply preparing one type of spacers 2 and 2 and connect them as a whole. Can be placed. The combination of the alignment arrangement operations may be a combination in which the second alignment arrangement operation is sequentially applied subsequent to the first alignment arrangement operation, or the first alignment arrangement operation is repeated. Then, after making several sets of connected flexible tubes, a second operation is added as necessary while connecting the sets of flexible tubes to each other by a third alignment operation. A combination may be employed in which the tubes are connected to and aligned with a set of aligned tubes.

The operation and effect of this embodiment of the present invention will be described.

By using the spacer of the present invention, alignment can be performed so that a predetermined distance is provided between the tubes by a simple alignment operation. The flexible tubes 1 and 1 are accommodated and held in the holding portions 21 and 21, respectively, so that the tubes are connected so as not to be separated from each other, and the connection between the flexible tubes is connected between the holding portions. It is well maintained by the portion 22 and prevents the alignment state from being lost. Moreover, the spacer of the present invention can be made at a very low cost.

Further, the spacer 2 of the present invention is formed of a metal wire material having elasticity, the holding portion 21 for holding the flexible tube is formed so as to surround most of the outer periphery of the flexible tube, and the holding portion is a wire rod. Because it is formed to have an open part that allows the flexible tube to be taken in and out using the elasticity of the tube, the tube and the holding part can be inserted with a relatively light force, and the spacer holding part is attached to the pipe. Alignment and placement operations can be completed with a one-touch operation that only requires fitting. And the spacer 2 of this invention can be embed | buried with attaching to a flexible tube, and its workability is good.

In order to exhibit such an effect more effectively, the size and shape of the holding portion 21 of the spacer 2 are preferably set as follows, for example. The holding portion 21 is formed so as to surround most of the outer periphery of the flexible tube 1 to be accommodated and held. However, in order to increase the certainty of the holding and holding of the flexible tube, the open end 21a of the holding portion and other open portions are provided. The central angle (θ in FIG. 1) formed with the end 21c around the center of the tube is at least over 180 degrees, preferably over 200 degrees, more preferably over 220 degrees.

Also, the size of the opening 21b of the spacer holding portion (dimension B in FIGS. 1 and 3) is smaller than the maximum width (dimension C in FIG. 3) of the outer peripheral surface of the tube facing the holding portion. The held tube 1 is prevented from easily coming out of the holding portion 21 and the flexible tube is dimensioned so that it can be taken in and out of the holding portion by utilizing the elasticity of the wire. Preferably, the ratio of dimension C to dimension B is preferably about C: B = 6: 5. If the B dimension is too small, the operability of the alignment operation for fitting the spacer 2 into the tubes 1 and 1 tends to be poor. If the B dimension is too large, the aligned tubes 1 and 1 are likely to come off from the spacer 2. .

Further, from the viewpoint of reducing the operating force when the spacer 2 is fitted into the tubes 1 and 1, the tip 21a of the spacer holding portion 21 is bent toward the outside of the holding portion, that is, radially outward of the tube. It is preferable that the bent portion serves as a guide for fitting, and the fitting operation can be performed with a light operating force without the tip of the spacer holding portion being caught by the pipe.

Moreover, since the spacer 2 of the present invention is formed of a metal wire, the width of the spacer 2 in the tube axis direction can be sufficiently reduced. As a result, the buried earth and sand flow freely downward from the side of the wire. In the pipe spacer member described in Patent Document 2, it is inevitable that the buried earth and sand is piled on the pipe spacer and the earth pressure is applied to the pipe spacer. There is a risk. However, since the spacer 2 of the present invention formed of a metal wire is not loaded with earth and sand and is not subjected to earth pressure, it is possible to reliably prevent such an adverse effect on the flexible tube.

Furthermore, when the spacer 2 of the present invention has the following configuration, further effects can be obtained.
It is preferable to form the holding portion 21 so that the flexible tube 1 is held and held by the elasticity of the wire when the holding portion 21 holds and holds the flexible tube 1. When the shape is formed, the attachment of the flexible tube 1 to the holding portion 21 is more reliably maintained, and the flexible tube is removed from the holding portion during the work of arranging and burying the flexible tubes. It is prevented from coming off, and the state where the flexible tubes are aligned and arranged at a predetermined interval is maintained better.
In order to do this, the distance between the maximum width portions of the holding portion 21 (dimension A in FIGS. 1 and 3) is smaller than the maximum width (dimension C in FIG. 3) of the outer peripheral surface of the tube to be held. That is, the holding portion 21 may be formed so as to satisfy A <C, and the holding portion 21 may be in a state in which the holding portion of the spacer 2 is elastically deformed in a state where the holding portion 21 accommodates and holds the flexible tube 1.

From the viewpoint of improving the certainty of holding and holding the flexible tube by the holding portion, when the holding portion holds and holds the flexible tube as in the above-described embodiment, the holding portion follows the outer circumference of the flexible tube. It is preferable to form in a simple shape. If the holding portion is formed in this way, the flexible tube is held in such a state that the wire constituting the holding portion and the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube are in close contact with each other. It is prevented in advance that the holding part of the spacer is detached from the flexible tube due to the tool being caught by the holding part, and the aligned arrangement state of the pipe is more reliably maintained. That is, if the flexible tube is a tube having an annular peripheral surface, the holding portion of the spacer is preferably formed in a substantially arc shape, and further, as shown in the above embodiment, the arc of the holding portion is formed. Is preferably smaller than the radius R1 of the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube (that is, R <R1).

If the length of the connecting portion 22 is set such that the flexible tubes are separated from each other, the embedded soil enters the gap between the flexible tubes when the aligned flexible tubes are embedded. Thus, the earth and sand can be smoothly filled up to the space below the pipe, and the efficiency of construction work can be improved. In addition, tube settlement can be prevented. The degree of separation between the flexible tubes is preferably such that the gap between the tubes is about 0.2 to 1 times the tube diameter.

The shape of the connecting part connecting the pair of holding parts in the spacer is not particularly limited as long as the distance between the pipes to be arranged and arranged can be appropriately maintained. Thus, it is preferable that it is a substantially linear connection part. The connecting portion may be bent or curved, but if it is substantially linear, it is possible to reliably maintain the interval between the holding portion and the holding portion, that is, the interval between the flexible tubes. And it is preferable that a connection part is provided in the vicinity of the line | wire which connects the pipe | tube to be arranged in alignment, and the center of a pipe | tube.

In addition, when a plurality of flexible tubes are connected and aligned by using a plurality of flexible tube spacers of the present invention, they should be aligned by appropriately combining the first to third alignment operations described above. If the entire flexible tube is integrally connected and aligned, the flexible tubes are sequentially connected with a small number of spacers, such as one type or two to three types, regardless of the number of flexible tubes. Accordingly, the entire flexible tubes can be integrally connected and aligned, and a large number of the flexible tubes can be integrally aligned in a flat plate shape.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications. Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. However, in the following description, parts different from the above embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof will be given. Omitted.

In FIG. 8, the spacer 3 of another embodiment is shown. In the spacer 3 of the present embodiment, three holding portions 31 are provided in a substantially linear shape, and these holding portions 31 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 32 to be a flexible tube (shown by a broken line in the figure). To 3 in FIG. 12 are different in that they can be arranged in an aligned manner. The spacer 3 of the present embodiment can also perform tube alignment processing by holding the flexible tube in the holding portion by utilizing its elasticity. Thus, the spacer may be a spacer that connects and aligns three or more flexible tubes.

FIG. 9 shows a spacer 4 according to another embodiment. The spacer 4 of the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that two flexible tubes are aligned by a spacer constituted by a pair of holding portions and a connecting portion, but holds a small-diameter tube. A first holding portion 41 for holding and a second holding portion 43 for holding a large-diameter tube constitute a pair of holding portions, and are spacers for arranging and arranging tubes of large and small diameters. The point is different. In this way, the spacer of the present invention can be used to connect tubes of large and small diameters in parallel with each other and arrange them by arranging the shape and size of the holding portion appropriately according to the size of the tube to be stored and held. Can also be used.

FIG. 10 shows still another modified example of the spacer of the present invention in which the direction in which the holding portion is provided is changed. In the spacer 5 shown in FIG. 10, the pair of holding portions 51, 51 connected by the connecting portion 52 are formed with opening portions 51 b, 51 b in opposite directions, and the left holding portion 51 in the drawing has The flexible tube is inserted from the lower side of the drawing, and the flexible tube is inserted into the holding portion 51 on the right side of the drawing from the upper side of the drawing. If the flexible tubes are arranged and arranged by such a spacer 5, each flexible tube is inserted and held in the holding portion 51 from the opposite direction to each other. In this case, the flexible tube is prevented from being detached from the other holding portion at the same time, and the spacer 5 is attached to the other flexible tube. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform correction work such as reattachment, and to make the pipe alignment and arrangement work easier.

Further, in the spacer 6 of the present invention shown in FIG. 11, the holding portions 61 and 61 are formed in a substantially U shape and connected by a connecting portion 62. In addition, the relationship between the holding portion 61 and the flexible tube at the time of accommodating and holding is such that a part of the holding portion 61 is in light contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube, The end portions 61a and 61b of the holding portion are bent so as to incline toward the inside of the U-shape, and the flexible tube is locked to this portion. As is clear from this embodiment, in the present invention, the holding portion is formed so as to surround most of the outer periphery of the flexible tube, and the holding portion can take in and out the flexible tube by utilizing the elasticity of the wire. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the alignment state while simplifying the tube alignment work, and the holding portion does not necessarily hold the flexible tube by the elasticity of the wire. It is not necessary to hold in a state, or it is not necessary to form the holding portion in a shape along the outer circumference of the flexible tube.

Moreover, the kind and specific shape of the flexible tube arranged and arranged by the spacer of the present invention are not particularly limited, and are not limited to the spiral corrugated tube in the description of the above embodiment. When the flexible tube is a corrugated tube, the corrugated shape does not have to be a spiral shape, and may be a corrugated corrugated tube in which an annular large diameter portion and a small diameter portion are alternately arranged. . The flexible tube may not be a corrugated flexible tube, and may be, for example, a straight tubular flexible tube having a smooth outer surface. If the flexible tube is a corrugated tube, the spacer holding portion can be engaged with the small-diameter portion of the corrugated shape and aligned, so that the spacer is less likely to be displaced in the tube axis direction and workability is improved. That is, in order to perform the alignment and arrangement work using the spacer of the present invention, the concave portion provided on the surface of the pipe (such as a small-diameter portion, a concave groove provided separately, or between two convex strips). It is preferable to arrange the spacers so that the holding portions of the spacers are engaged.

In addition, the cross section of the flexible tube to be aligned is not limited to a circular shape. For example, even if the tube has a substantially square cross section, the flexible tube can be aligned and disposed using the spacer of the present invention. If the flexible tube has a circular cross section, the spacer holding portion is preferably formed in a circular arc shape, and the spacer holding portion preferably has a shape that follows the outer surface shape of the tubes to be aligned. Thus, the aligned arrangement state can be more reliably maintained.

Furthermore, the use of the flexible pipe that is the object of use of the spacer of the present invention is not limited to underground pipes, for example, a sheath pipe, an air pipe, a drain pipe, and the like that are arranged on the floor for inserting an electric cable. It can also be used as a spacer for alignment.

FIG. 12 shows still another embodiment of the spacer according to the present invention. The end 71a of the holding portion 71 of the spacer 7 is in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the flexible tubes are aligned (the left-right direction in the figure). It is extended in the vertical direction in the figure. The length of the extension portion is preferably about 0.5 to 2 times the diameter of the flexible tube to be embedded, and the extension portion is inserted into the soil below the flexible tube, so that the flexible portion is flexible. By positioning the pipe, it is possible to prevent the flexible pipe from being displaced during the burying operation, and the construction accuracy and efficiency can be improved.

The spacer of the present invention can be used when laying in a state where a plurality of pipes are connected and aligned, and can be particularly suitably used for laying underground pipes. If the spacer of the present invention is used, the pipes can be aligned easily and reliably, and the construction is simplified, so the industrial utility value is high.

1 Flexible pipe (underground pipe)
2 Spacer 21 Holding portion 21a, 21c End portion 21b of holding portion Opening portion 22 Connecting portion 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Spacer 31, 41, 43, 51, 61, 71 Holding portion 32, 42, 52, 62, 72 connecting part

Claims (4)

A flexible tube spacer for aligning and arranging a plurality of flexible tubes in parallel at a predetermined interval,
The flexible tube spacer has at least two holding portions that receive and hold the respective flexible tubes to be aligned, and a connecting portion that connects the holding portions and the holding portions at a predetermined interval. It is made of a metal wire with elasticity,
The holding portion is formed so as to surround most of the outer periphery of the flexible tube, and the holding portion is formed to have an open portion that allows the flexible tube to be taken in and out using the elasticity of the wire .
The end of the holding part is extended in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the flexible tubes are aligned to a length of 0.5 to 2 times the diameter of the flexible tubes. A flexible tube spacer. The flexible portion according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion is formed so that the flexible tube is held and held in a sandwiched state by the elasticity of the wire when the holding portion holds and holds the flexible tube. Tube spacer. The flexible tube spacer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion is formed so as to extend along an outer periphery of the flexible tube when the holding portion accommodates and holds the flexible tube. The flexible tube spacer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting portion is formed in a straight line having a predetermined length so that the aligned flexible tubes are separated from each other. .

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