Method of socketing a pipe

• US 5,928,451 A
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vinidex Pty Limited (Aliaxis SA)
• Original Assignee: Vinidex Tubemakers Pty Ltd (Consolidated Electrical Distributors Incorporated), Uponor B.V.
• Inventors: Johansson, Mats, Jarvenkyla, Jyri
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolin, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US09/043,488
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 156/212, 156/214, 156/242, 156/245, 156/273.3, 156/294, 264/492, 264/249, 264/267, 264/296, 264/322, 264/323, 425/398, 425/393, 425/DIG. 218
• US Class Current: 156/242
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0822 using IR radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 57/02 Belling or enlarging, e.g. combined with forming a groove
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/14 using wave energy , i.e. electromagnetic radiation, or particle radiation using mechanical waves B29C65/06; using ultrasonic waves B29C65/08; pressing means transparent to electromagnetic radiation B29C66/81267
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1412 Infrared [IR] radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/005 Oriented
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/1654 and being inflated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/218 Pipe machine: socket forming apparatus

Abstract

A method of socketing a pipe of oriented plastic having an annular groove inside the socket. An end portion (15) of the pipe is pushed onto a cylindrical mandrel element (11) and the region (l₁) of the end portion at the opening thereof where the groove is to be located is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of amorphous plastic and the crystalline melting point of crystalline plastic, respectively. The rest of the end portion is maintained at a temperature below the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively. The end portion (15) when said region is at a temperature above the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively, is pushed onto a second mandrel element (13) axially aligned with the first mandrel element the bottom portion of the socket being formed by said second mandrel element (13). The rest of the end portion is expanded to form the bottom portion of the socket. The end portion of the pipe is cooled and is then withdrawn from the mandrel elements.

Claims

1. A method of socketing a pipe of oriented plastic having an annular groove inside the socket, characterized in

that an end portion (15) of the pipe is pushed onto a first mandrel element (11;

11A) which is cylindrical and has a diameter corresponding to the inside diameter of the pipe,

that the end portion is heated to a temperature (T₁) which is above the glass transition temperature (T_g) of amorphous plastic and is above the crystalline melting point (T_m) of crystalline plastic, respectively, on said cylindrical mandrel element in the region (l₁) of the end portion of the pipe where the groove is to be located said region being located at the opening of said end portion of the pipe, the rest of said end portion of the pipe being maintained at a temperature below the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively,

that the end portion (15) when said region is at a temperature above the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively, is pushed onto a second mandrel element (13;

13A) axially aligned with said first mandrel element the bottom portion of the socket being formed by said second mandrel element (13;

13A), and

that the groove is formed by means of a core (14) in said region of the expanded end portion when being at a temperature above the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the groove is formed by means of a collapsible core (14).

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the groove is formed by means of a sealing ring slipped onto said second mandrel element (13;

13A) to form said core, said sealing ring being left in the groove formed when said end portion (15) is withdrawn from said second mandrel element.

4. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the groove is formed by means of a separate core slipped onto said second mandrel and having a preformed groove therein, said core being left in the pipe when said end portion is withdradwn from said second mandrel element to receive a sealing ring in the preformed groove therein.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the end portion (15), when said region is at a temperature above the glass transition temperature or the crystalline melting point, respectively, is expanded to an inside diameter corresponding to the inside diameter at the bottom of the groove to be formed.

6. The method of claim 5 characterized in that the groove is formed in said region of the end portion when this is located on said second mandrel element (13) provided with the core (14).

7. The method of claim 6, characterized in that the entire socket after having been pushed over said second mandrel element (13) is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (T_g) or the crystalline melting point (T_m), respectively, to conform by shrinking with the shape of said second mandrel element.

8. The method of any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that said end portion of the pipe is cooled and is then withdrawn from the first and second mandrel elements (11,11A;

13,13A).

9. The method of claim 6 characterized in that said end portion (15) after having been withdrawn from said first and second mandrel elements (11A, 13A) is pushed onto a third mandrel element (13B) and is reheated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (T_g) or the crystalline melting point (T_m), respectively, to conform by shrinking to the shape of said third mandrel element for forming the remaining part of the socket on said third mandrel element having a collapsible core (14B) for forming said groove inside the socket, the end portion being cooled and then withdrawn from said third mandrel element.

10. The method of claim 6 characterized in that the end portion (15) is expanded during heating on said first mandrel element (11).

11. The method of claim 10 characterized in that the end portion (15) is expanded by means of a pressurized sleeve (19) on said first mandrel element.

12. The method of claim 11 characterized in that the end portion is expanded on said sleeve (19) to form a conical socket.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said end portion (15) of the pipe before being pushed onto said first mandrel element (11;

11A) is heated to a temperature close to but still below the glass transition temperature (T_g).

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13 characterized in that the plastic of the pipe is polyvinylchloride.

15. The method of claim 14 characterized in that any temperature above the glass transition temperature (T_g) or the crystalline melting point, respectively, is at most 105°

C.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 13 characterized in that the plastic of the pipe is crosslinked polyethylene.

17. The method of claim 16 characterized in that any temperature above the glass transition temperature (T_g) or the crystalline melting point (T_m), respectively, is at most 190°

C.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 17 characterized in that said end portion of the pipe is pushed over said core (14) on said second mandrel element (13) along a collapsible path (13'"'"') gradually ascending to the top of the core in an expanded state, said path then being collapsed when the end portion is positioned on said second mandrel element.

19. The method of any of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that heating of the pipe is effected by hot fluid spray, IR radiation, or circulating hot gas.

20. The method of claim 19 characterized in that the IR radiation when used for heating the pipe has a wave length which deviates from the wavelengths at which the material of the pipe has IR absorption peaks.