Pipe Blocking Fixture

Abstract

To facilitate manufacturing of a ball-shaped member of a piping block jig.SOLUTION: A pipeline block jig includes: compression piping 240; and a ball-shaped member 230 connected to a tip end of the compression piping 240 and to be expanded by pressure of gas. The jig blocks an inspected piping 14 by inserting the ball-shaped member 230 into the inspected piping 14 and expanding the ball-shaped member 230 at a predetermined position inside the inspected piping 14. The ball-shaped member 230 is constituted by fitting a first division piece 233 and a second division piece 235, which are divided in two at the maximum diameter part, in an air-tight state. The first division piece 233 is constituted by a non-deformable material and includes a connection part 233c to which the compression piping 240 is connected. The second division piece 235 is constituted by an elastic body to be expandable by pressure of the gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention includes a flexible pressure pipe and a ball-shaped member connected to the tip of the pressure pipe and inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied by the pressure pipe. The present invention relates to a pipe closing jig that inserts the ball-shaped member into a pipe to be inspected and inflates the ball-shaped member at a predetermined position in the pipe to be inspected to close the pipe to be inspected.

Background Art

[0002] The technology related to the above-described pipe closing jig is described in Patent Document 1. The pipe closing jig 110 described in Patent Document 1 is a jig used when performing a leak test on a drainage facility 100, and closes the drainage riser 104 below the drainage pipe joint 102. As shown in FIG. 17, the pipe closing jig 110 includes a flexible pressure pipe 113 and a ball-shaped member 115 connected to the tip of the pressure pipe 113 and inflated by the air pressure supplied by the pressure pipe 113. The ball-shaped member 115 is made of rubber and includes upper and lower lid-shaped portions 115h and a cylindrical portion 115e connecting the upper and lower lid-shaped portions 115h. A plurality of annular ribs 115r extending in the circumferential direction are formed in the axial direction on the cylindrical portion 115e of the ball-shaped member 115.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The spherical member 115 of the above-described pipe blocking jig 110 is made of rubber and is composed of upper and lower lid-shaped portions 115h and a cylindrical portion 115e. Therefore, when manufacturing the spherical member 115, it is necessary to separately mold the upper and lower lid-shaped portions 115h and the cylindrical portion 115e by injection molding or the like and join these parts to each other. Since a high pressure is applied inside the spherical member 115, it is necessary to join the lid-shaped portion 115h and the cylindrical portion 115e firmly and with high precision, which takes time and effort in manufacturing.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the technical problem of the present invention is to facilitate the production of the spherical member of the pipe blocking jig.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The above problems are solved by each invention. The first invention includes a flexible pressure pipe and a spherical member connected to the tip of the pressure pipe and inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied by the pressure pipe. The spherical member is inserted into a pipe to be inspected, and the spherical member is inflated at a predetermined position in the pipe to be inspected to block the pipe to be inspected. The spherical member is configured by fitting a first split piece and a second split piece that are split at the maximum diameter portion in an airtight state. The first split piece is made of a material that cannot be deformed by the pressure of the gas and has a connecting portion to which the pressure pipe is connected. The second split piece is made of an elastic body that can be inflated by the pressure of the gas.

[0007] According to the present invention, the spherical member is configured by fitting a first split piece and a second split piece that are split at the maximum diameter portion in an airtight state. That is, the first split piece and the second split piece have an opening portion at the position of the maximum diameter portion of the spherical member, and the opening portions of both are fitted to each other. Therefore, the second split piece made of an elastic body can be integrally molded by injection molding. That is, it is not necessary to form a spherical member by connecting a plurality of split pieces of an elastic body to each other as in the prior art, so that the molding of the spherical member becomes easy.

[0008] According to the second invention, fitting portions between the first split piece and the second split piece are each formed with an inner flange portion and an annular fitting groove extending in the circumferential direction on the axially inner side of the inner flange portion, and the inner flange portion of the first split piece is fitted with the fitting groove of the second split piece, and the inner flange portion of the second split piece is configured to be fitted with the fitting groove of the first split piece. Therefore, the first split piece and the second split piece can be efficiently fitted together in a confidential state.

[0009] According to the third invention, on the surface of the second split piece, silicone rubber is laminated on a portion that contacts the inner wall surface of the pipe to be inspected due to expansion. Therefore, when the ball-shaped member closes the pipe to be inspected, the adhesion between the surface of the second split piece and the inner wall surface of the pipe to be inspected becomes high, and the sealing property of the closed portion of the pipe to be inspected becomes high.

[0010] According to the fourth invention, on the surface of the second split piece, a plurality of ribs are formed in the axial direction of the second split piece, which are formed in an annular shape by extending in the circumferential direction of the second split piece. Therefore, due to the function of the ribs, the sealing property of the closed portion of the pipe to be inspected becomes even higher.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it becomes easy to manufacture the ball-shaped member of the pipe closing jig.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Figure 17

[0013] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, a pipe blocking jig according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. The pipe blocking jig 220 according to the present embodiment is a jig used when performing a leakage test of drainage facilities 10 in a building such as an apartment house or an office building.

[0014] [Regarding the outline of the drainage facilities 10] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drainage equipment 10 is installed on each floor by penetrating the floor slab CS that partitions the upper and lower floors of the apartment building. It is composed of a drain pipe joint 12, a drainage riser pipe 14 that connects the drain pipe joints 12 on each floor to each other, and a plurality of drainage horizontal branch pipes 16 that are piped on the floor of each floor and connected to the drain pipe joint 12 on each floor. And as shown in FIG. 9, the end of each drainage horizontal branch pipe 16 on each floor is connected to domestic appliances such as a bathroom drainage trap 17, a toilet 18, and a system kitchen (not shown). In such drainage equipment 10, a leakage test is performed to confirm that there is no leakage at the connection points between the drain pipe joint 12 and the drainage riser pipe 14, the connection points between the drain pipe joint 12 and the drainage horizontal branch pipe 16, and other connection points.

[0015] <Regarding the outline of the leakage test device 20> As shown in FIG. 8, the leakage test device 20 is composed of a closing device 22 that closes the end of a test target drainage flow path K that is the target of the leakage test of the drainage equipment 10, and a test machine main body 30 that applies air pressure to the test target drainage flow path K whose end is closed by the closing device 22 to perform a leakage test. As shown in FIG. 8, the closing device 22 includes a receiving port stopper 24 that closes the upper receiving port 12u of the drain pipe joint 12, a pipe closing fixture 220 that closes a position in the middle of the drainage riser pipe 14, a cap 28 that closes the end of the drainage horizontal branch pipe 16, and the like. Here, instead of the cap 28, as shown in FIG. 9, it is also possible to close the end of the drainage horizontal branch pipe 16 with a pipe closing fixture 220.

[0016] <Regarding the receiving port stopper 24 of the closing device 22> As shown in FIG. 8, the receiving port stopper 24 is a fixture that closes the upper receiving port 12u of the drain pipe joint 12. A through hole (not shown) is formed in the central portion of the receiving port stopper 24, and a pipe connection port (not shown) is provided at the position of the through hole. And an air hose 31 of the test machine main body 30 is connected to the pipe connection port of the receiving port stopper 24. Thereby, the test machine main body 30 can supply pressurized air into the test target drainage flow path K through the air hose 31 and the pipe connection port of the receiving port stopper 24.

[0017] <Overview of the pipe blocking jig 220> The pipe blocking jig 220 is a jig for blocking the drain riser 14 as described above. As shown in FIG. 7 and the like, it is composed of a ball-shaped member 230 that expands by air pressure and expands radially, and a pressure pipe 240 that supplies pressurized air to the ball-shaped member 230.

[0018] <Regarding the ball-shaped member 230 of the pipe blocking jig 220> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball-shaped member 230 is constituted by fitting a first split piece 233 and a second split piece 235 that are split at the maximum diameter portion in an airtight state. The first split piece 233 is made of an aluminum alloy and is formed in a hemispherical shell shape. And at the center of the outer peripheral surface of the first split piece 233, a pipe port 233c to which a connector 241 of the pressure pipe 240 is connected is formed so as to protrude radially outward.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, a bracket 233b to which a suspension cord 236 is tied and connected is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first split piece 233 beside the pipe port 233c. Note that the shape of the bracket 233b can be changed as appropriate. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, an inner flange portion 233f is formed at the periphery of the opening that fits with the second split piece 235 on the first split piece 233. Further, an annular fitting groove 233m that extends in the circumferential direction is formed on the first split piece 233 inside the inner flange portion 233f in the axial direction.

[0020] The second split piece 235 of the ball-shaped member 230 is made of, for example, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM rubber), and as shown in FIG. 4, it is configured to expand by the pressurized air supplied by the pressurized pipe 240 to block the drain riser pipe 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the second split piece 235 is composed of an opening 235x fitted to the first split piece 233, a cylindrical portion 235e, and a hemispherical shell portion 235k. And an inner flange portion 235f is formed at the tip edge of the opening 235x of the second split piece 235. Also, an annular fitting groove 235m extending in the circumferential direction is formed in the opening 235x of the second split piece 235 on the inner side in the axial direction of the inner flange portion 235f.

[0021] And as shown in FIG. 2, the inner flange portion 235f of the second split piece 235 is fitted with the fitting groove 233m of the first split piece 233, and the inner flange portion 233f of the first split piece 233 is fitted with the fitting groove 235m of the second split piece 235. Thereby, the first split piece 233 and the second split piece 235 are fitted together in an airtight state, and the ball-shaped member 230 is completed.

[0022] <Regarding the production of the second split piece 235 of the ball-shaped member 230> The second split piece 235 of the ball-shaped member 230 is formed by an injection molding method. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second split piece 235 is molded by pressing a rubber material into the mold 40. The mold 40 is composed of an upper mold 41 and a lower mold 43 for molding the outside of the second split piece 235, and an internal mold 45 for molding the inside of the second split piece 235. As described above, since the second split piece 235 is provided with the opening 235x at the maximum diameter portion of the ball-shaped member 230, the internal mold 45 can be easily pulled out from the second split piece 235 when the mold is opened. For this reason, the opening 235x, the cylindrical portion 235e, and the hemispherical shell portion 235k of the second split piece 235 can be integrally molded.

[0023] <Regarding the pressurized pipe 240 of the pipe blocking jig 220> As described above, the pressurized pipe 240 of the pipe blockage jig 220 is a flexible pipe that supplies air to the spherical member 230. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a connector 241 is connected to the tip end. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a connector 244 with a check valve for connecting the pressurized pipe 240 to an electric air pump 50 or a foot-operated air pump (not shown) is connected to the base end of the pressurized pipe 240. Here, the pressurized pipe 240 has a function as a rope for lowering the spherical member 230 from the upper receiving port 12u of the drain pipe joint 12 to a predetermined position of the drain riser 14 on a plurality of floors below. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the suspension cord 236 connected to the spherical member 230 is used as a lifeline when the spherical member 230 is caught in the middle of the pipe.

[0024] Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the spherical member 230 (see FIG. 3) in a reduced diameter state (original shape) and the pressurized pipe 240 can be lowered by a predetermined dimension from the upper receiving port 12u of the drain pipe joint 12 into the drain riser 14. Then, in a state where the spherical member 230 reaches a predetermined position of the drain riser 14, the spherical member 230 is expanded (inflated) by the electric air pump 50 or the like, so that, as shown in FIG. 4, a predetermined position of the drain riser 14 can be blocked. Here, due to the function of the check valve connector 244 of the pressurized pipe 240, the spherical member 230 is held in an expanded state (inflated state) even when the connection between the electric air pump 50 or the like and the pressurized pipe 240 is released.

[0025] Using the above-described pipe blockage jig 220, as shown in FIG. 9, it is also possible to block the drain lateral branch pipe 16 and the drain flow path of the toilet 18. Even when the pressurized pipe 240 is short, the suspension cord 236 is used in consideration of the disconnection of the connector 241.

[0026] <Correspondence between the terms in this embodiment and the terms of the present invention> In this embodiment, the drain riser pipe 14, the drain horizontal branch pipe 16, etc. correspond to the pipes to be inspected of the present invention. Further, the aluminum alloy or the like constituting the first split piece 233 corresponds to the material that cannot be deformed by the pressure of the gas of the present invention, and the pipe port 233c of the first split piece 233 corresponds to the connecting portion of the present invention. Furthermore, the EPDM rubber constituting the second split piece 235 corresponds to the elastic body of the present invention.

[0027] <Regarding the advantages of the pipe blocking jig 220 according to this embodiment> According to the pipe blocking jig 220 according to this embodiment, the spherical member 230 is configured by fitting the first split piece 233 and the second split piece 235, which are bisected at the maximum diameter portion, in an airtight state. That is, the first split piece 233 and the second split piece 235 are provided with opening portions at the position of the maximum diameter portion of the spherical member 230, and the opening portions of both are fitted to each other. For this reason, the second split piece 235 made of EPDM rubber (elastic body) can be integrally formed by injection molding. That is, it is not necessary to form the spherical member 230 by connecting a plurality of split pieces of the elastic body to each other as in the prior art, so that the molding of the spherical member 230 becomes easy.

[0028] In addition, inner flange portions 233f and 235f and fitting grooves 233m and 235m are respectively formed at the fitting portions of the first split piece 233 and the second split piece 235. The inner flange portion 233f of the first split piece 233 is fitted with the fitting groove 235m of the second split piece 235, and the inner flange portion 235f of the second split piece 235 is fitted with the fitting groove 233m of the first split piece 233. For this reason, the first split piece 233 and the second split piece 235 can be efficiently fitted in a confidential state.

[0029] <Modification Example 1> Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a piping port 233c is formed at the center of the outer peripheral surface of the first split piece 233 of the ball-shaped member 230 so as to protrude radially outward and is connected to the connector 241 of the pressure piping 240. However, instead of forming the piping port 233c in the first split piece 233, as shown in FIG. 10, a female thread can be formed in the first split piece 233, and a piping connector 233z can be screwed and fixed to this female thread. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the pressure piping 240 can be formed of an air tube, and a connector 241z connected to the piping connector 233z of the first split piece 233 can be provided at the tip of the air tube.

[0030] <Modification Examples 2 to 5> Also, in the present embodiment, an example in which the second split piece 235 of the ball-shaped member 230 is formed of EPDM rubber is shown. However, as shown in FIG. 12, it is also possible to laminate silicon rubber 235t on the portion that contacts the inner wall surface of the drainage riser pipe 14 or the like, which is the pipe to be inspected, when the second split piece 235 made of EPDM rubber expands. Thereby, the adhesiveness between the surface of the second split piece 235 and the inner wall surface of the drainage riser pipe 14 or the like when the ball-shaped member 230 closes the drainage riser pipe 14 or the like is increased, and the sealing property of the closed portion of the drainage riser pipe 14 or the like is improved. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to laminate silicon rubber 235t on the entire surface of the second split piece 235 made of EPDM rubber. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, by forming a plurality of annular ribs 235v extending in the circumferential direction on the surface of the second split piece 235 in the axial direction, the sealing property of the closed portion of the drainage riser pipe 14 or the like is further improved.

[0031] In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, an example in which the opening 235x of the second split piece 235 of the ball-shaped member 230 is formed only of EPDM rubber has been shown. However, as shown in FIG. 15, a configuration in which an annular wire 235w is inserted into the inner flange portion 235f of the opening 235x of the second split piece 235 is also possible. Thereby, even when a high air pressure is applied inside the ball-shaped member 230, the inner flange portion 235f of the second split piece 235 is less likely to come off from the fitting groove 233m of the first split piece 233 due to the action of the wire 235w.

[0032] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which the first split piece 233 of the ball-shaped member 230 is formed of an aluminum alloy has been shown. However, the first split piece 233 of the ball-shaped member 230 can also be formed of a resin such as plastic, for example. Also, in the present embodiment, the drain riser pipe 14 and the drain horizontal branch pipe 16 etc. have been exemplified as the pipes to be inspected. However, it is also possible to use the pipe blockage jig 220 according to the present invention with an air-conditioning drain pipe, a water supply pipe, a hot water supply pipe, or a gas pipe etc. as the pipe to be inspected.

Explanation of Signs

[0033] 14 ··· Drain riser pipe (pipe to be inspected) 16 ··· Drain horizontal branch pipe (pipe to be inspected) 220 ··· Pipe blockage jig 230 ··· Ball-shaped member 233 ··· First split piece 233f · Inner flange portion 233c · Pipe port (connection part) 233z · Pipe connector (connection part) 233m · Fitting groove 235 ··· Second split piece 235t · Silicon rubber 235v · Rib 235f · Inner flange portion 235m · Fitting groove 240 ··· Pressurized pipe

Claims

1. A pipe blocking jig comprising a flexible pressurized pipe and a spherical member connected to the tip of the pressurized pipe and inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied by the pressurized pipe. The spherical member is inserted into a pipe to be inspected, and the spherical member is inflated at a predetermined position in the pipe to be inspected to block the pipe to be inspected. The spherical member is constituted by fitting a first split piece and a second split piece, which are bisected at the maximum diameter portion, in an airtight state. The first split piece is made of a material that cannot be deformed by the pressure of the gas, and includes a connecting portion to which the pressurized pipe is connected. The second split piece is a pipe blocking jig made of an elastic body that can be inflated by the pressure of the gas.

2. The pipe blocking jig according to claim 1, An inner flange portion and an annular fitting groove extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the fitting portion between the first split piece and the second split piece, on the inner side in the axial direction of the inner flange portion. The pipe blocking jig is configured such that the inner flange portion of the first split piece fits into the fitting groove of the second split piece, and the inner flange portion of the second split piece fits into the fitting groove of the first split piece.

3. The pipe blocking jig according to any one of claim 1 or claim 2, A pipe blocking jig in which silicone rubber is laminated on a portion of the surface of the second split piece that contacts the inner wall surface of the pipe to be inspected due to expansion.

4. The pipe blocking jig according to claim 3, A pipe blocking jig in which a plurality of ribs are formed in the axial direction of the second split piece, which are formed in an annular shape by extending in the circumferential direction of the second split piece, on the surface of the second split piece.

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