Conduit repair apparatus

• US 5,119,862 A
• Filed: 02/07/1991
• Issued: 06/09/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Link-Pipe Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Link-Pipe Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Maimets, Lembit, Meadus, Warwick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bryant, III, James E.
• Application Number:
  US07/651,793
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 138/97, 138/98, 138/128, 138/166, 166/285, 166/277, 166/387, 405/150, 405/154
• US Class Current: 138/98
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/163 a ring, a band or a sleeve being pressed against the inner surface of the pipe

Abstract

A pipe repair sleeve and liner with interlocking elements in a form of a coiled sheet which is covered with compressive gasket. An air bag is inserted into the coiled sleeve and moved to the location of the damaged pipe. Once in place, the air bag is inflated. As a result of the inflation, the repair sleeve uncoils and the surrounding gasket is compressed against the damaged pipe. When the air bag is deflated, the sleeve begins to coil and forces a male end of the sleeve into the female end forming a male and female interlocking continuous sleeve inside the pipe. After the repair sleeve is installed in the pipe, the air bag is removed from the sleeve.

Claims

1. A conduit repair apparatus comprising:

(a) a sleeve member comprising;

(i) an outer surface;

(ii) a sheet of material having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge;

(iii) means for locking said first longitudinal edge and said second longitudinal edge of said sheet to form said sheet into a generally tubular configuration;

(b) a compressible covering on at least a portion of said outer surface of said sleeve member, said compressible covering having a first longitudinal edge portion and a second longitudinal edge portion, and extending generally from said first longitudinal edge portion of said compressible covering, in an area proximate said first longitudinal edge of said sleeve member, to said second longitudinal edge portion of said compressible covering, in an area proximate said second longitudinal edge of said sleeve member, said covering and said sleeve being positioned in the form of a coil, in which said first longitudinal edge portion of said compressible covering and said first longitudinal edge of said sleeve overlap said second longitudinal edge portion of said compressible covering and said second longitudinal edge of sleeve, respectively, said covering and said sleeve being movable to an expanded, installed position against the interior of a conduit to be repaired and against which the cover is compressed; and

(c) means for expanding said covering and said sleeve to said expanded, installed position after insertion of said covering and sleeve into a conduit into which the conduit repair apparatus is placed.

2. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for expanding is an air bag.

3. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said air bag is pleated.

4. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sheet comprises a flexible material.

5. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said flexible material is metal.

6. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said flexible material is plastic.

7. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for locking comprises a male locking member, and a female locking member adapted to mate with said male locking member.

8. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said male locking member comprises an elongate element having a predetermined length and said female locking member comprises an outer lip having a length equal to the length of the male locking member and an inner lip having a length shorter than the length of the outer lip.

9. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said compressible material is selected from the group consisting of plastic and rubber.

10. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein said plastic is a plastic foam.

11. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein said plastic foam is polyethylene.

12. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said covering is a gasket.

13. The conduit repair apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein said exterior surface of said outer lip of said female locking member is covered with said covering.

17. The conduit repair apparatus of claim 10, said sleeve having a predetermined thickness and said longitudinally extending groove of said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve having a width substantially equal to said predetermined thickness.

14. A conduit repair apparatus comprising:

(a) a sleeve having a first longitudinally extending edge portion, a second longitudinally extending edge portion, and an outer surface;

(b) a compressible covering positioned on said outer surface of said sleeve for co-movement with said sleeve, said compressible covering extending generally from aid first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve to said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve, wherein said sleeve and said covering form a composite liner being in a coiled, pre-expanded position and being movable to an uncoiled, expanded position;

(c) means for securing said first longitudinally extending edge portion and said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve in said uncoiled expanded position; and

(d) means for insertion within said composite liner and for applying an internal force within said sleeve for expanding said composite liner from said coiled, pre-expanded position to said uncoiled, expanded position.

15. The conduit repair apparatus of claim 14, said means for securing comprising a longitudinally extending groove formed at said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve for receiving at least a portion of said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve.

16. The conduit repair apparatus of claim 15, said compressible covering being omitted from said portion of said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve, said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve being receivable with said longitudinally extending groove of said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve.

18. The conduit repair apparatus of claim 14, said compressible covering having a predetermined thickness and being resiliently compressible to a lesser thickness than said predetermined thickness.

19. A conduit repair apparatus comprising:

(a) a sleeve comprising a single member movable from a coiled position to an uncoiled position and having a first longitudinally extending edge portion, a second longitudinally extending edge portion, and an outer surface, said first longitudinally extending edge portion having a longitudinally extending groove;

(b) a compressible covering, covering said outer surface of said sleeve, said covering extending generally from said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve to said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve, wherein said sleeve and said covering are movable in unison and form a composite liner, said liner being in a coiled, pre-expanded position and being movable to an uncoiled, expanded position;

(c) means for securing said first longitudinally extending edge portion and said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve in said uncoiled, expanded position;

(d) means for insertion within said composite liner and for applying an internal force within said sleeve for expanding said composite liner from (1) said coiled, pre-expanded position to (2) a slightly over-expanded position, in which said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve is biased over said longitudinally extending groove of said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve and said compressible covering is adapted to be compressed against an interior surface of a conduit to be repaired, and to (3) said uncoiled, expanded position, in which said second longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve is received within said longitudinally extending groove of said first longitudinally extending edge portion of said sleeve.

20. A pipe repair apparatus for providing a liner for sealing a damaged or leaking pipe, tunnel, or conduit, said apparatus being placeable inside said damaged or leaking pipe, tunnel, or conduit, and including a generally elongate member with edges adapted to be fastened together to form a generally tubular configuration inside said damaged or leaking pipe, tunnel, or conduit for repairing the same, said pipe repair apparatus comprising:

(a) a sleeve member having an outer surface, said sleeve member comprising;

(i) a sheet of material having two longitudinally edges;

(ii) means for locking said longitudinal edges of said sheet to form said sheet into the generally tubular configuration; and

(b) a compressible covering mounted upon said outer surface of said sleeve member, said compressible covering having a first portion and a second portion, and extending generally from said first portion, in an area proximate one of said two longitudinal edges of said sleeve member, to aid second portion, in an area proximate a second of said two longitudinal edges of said sleeve member, said covering and said sleeve being in a coiled position, in which said first portion of said compressible covering and said one edge of said sleeve overlap said second portion of said compressible covering and said second of said edges of said sleeve, respectively, and being movable to an expanded, installed position.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, said sheet comprising a flexible material selected from the group consisting of metal and plastic.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, said sheet being coiled.

23. An apparatus according to claim 20, said means for locking comprising a male locking member and a female locking member adapted to mate with said male locking member.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, said male locking member comprising an elongate element having a predetermined length with an outer surface, and said female locking member comprising an outer lip with an outer surface having a length substantially equal to the length of said male locking member and an inner lip having a length shorter than the length of the outer lip.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said outer surface of said sleeve includes said outer surface of said outer lip of said female locking member.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said outer surface of said sleeve includes said outer surface of said male locking member.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26, said male locking member having a portion of said compressible covering mounted upon said male member, said portion having a thickness less than other portions of said compressible covering.

28. An apparatus according to claim 26, said compressible covering covering said outer lip of said female locking member.

29. An apparatus according to claim 20, said compressible covering comprising a material selected from the group consisting of plastic and rubber.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, said plastic being a plastic foam.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, said plastic foam being polyethylene.

32. An apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising means for expanding said covering and said sleeve from said coiled position to said expanded, installed position after insertion of said covering and said sleeve into said pipe, tunnel, or conduit into which said pipe repair apparatus is placed.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, said means for expanding comprising an air bag.

34. An apparatus according to claim 20, said compressible covering being fixed upon and covering substantially the entirety of said outer surface of said sleeve member.