Watertight lid

Abstract

To provide a water stop lid which can deter development of a breakage by protecting a flexible component which is used for securing sealing performance.SOLUTION: A water stop lid includes: an adhesion body 31 which is fit into a water conduit pipe P and having flexibility; a body 11 accommodated within the adhesion body 31; an expansion ring 21 arranged in a clearance between the adhesion body 31 and the body 11; and an expansion bolt 44 for deforming the expansion bolt 21. The adhesion body 31 has an outer cylinder 33 and an outer wall 36. The body 11 has an inner cylinder 13 and an inner wall 16. A female screw 14 into which the expansion bolt 44 is screwed is provided in the inner cylinder 13. Then, by deforming the expansion ring 21 and making the outer cylinder 33 tightly adhere to the water conduit pipe P, the water stop lid is fixed to the water conduit pipe P and further the water conduit pipe P is blocked to interrupt a flow therein. Also, a substantially entire area of the outer wall 36 is protected by the inner wall 16, and by bonding the inner wall 16 and the outer wall 36 together, development of a breakage can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water stop cover used to temporarily block the flow of water in a water conduit such as an irrigation channel or sewer. [Background technology]

[0002] Irrigation channels and sewerage systems are essential social infrastructure for people's lives, and when new agricultural land or residential land is developed, new systems are sometimes laid, and after some time has passed since their laying, inspections and repairs are carried out to maintain their integrity. Thus, when laying, inspecting or repairing irrigation channels or sewerage systems, it is sometimes necessary to block the water pipes and temporarily stop the flow in order to smoothly carry out the work, and for this reason, technologies such as those in the patent documents listed below have been proposed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a sewer pipe water stop plug that can reliably seal even sewer pipes with chips. This sewer pipe water stop plug is composed of a rubber tubular portion that fits tightly against the inner surface of the sewer, a tubular screw-retaining portion disposed inside the rubber tubular portion, a lid that closes one end of the screw-retaining portion, a pressing portion disposed between the rubber tubular portion and the screw-retaining portion, and a screw that protrudes outward from the screw-retaining portion. By pressing the pressing portion outward via the screw, the rubber tubular portion fits tightly against the sewer pipe, achieving a seal. One end of the rubber tubular portion is integrated with the screw-retaining portion using a fastening band or the like, and the other end is fitted tightly against the sewer pipe by the pressing portion, so the lid and the rubber tubular portion seal the sewer pipe. In this invention, multiple screws are disposed, allowing the rubber tubular portion to bulge locally, enabling reliably sealing even sewer pipes with chips.

[0004] The following Patent Document 2 discloses an attachment device for a sewer main pipe connected to a manhole. This attachment device is primarily composed of three elements: an elastic cylindrical body, an inner ring, and an outer ring. The sewer main pipe is inserted into one end of the elastic cylindrical body, and a fastening band is attached to integrate the sewer main pipe and the elastic cylindrical body. The other end of the elastic cylindrical body is brought into contact with the inner circumferential surface of a drilled hole formed in the peripheral wall of the manhole. At this contact point, an outer ring is placed inside the elastic cylindrical body, and an inner ring is placed inside the outer ring. The inner ring has multiple threaded holes. By displacing a fastener inserted into the threaded holes and pressing the outer ring, the elastic cylindrical body is brought into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the drilled hole, integrating the manhole and the elastic cylindrical body. To prevent the inner and outer rings from separating, one of them has a rod-shaped protruding locking portion, and the other has a receiving portion that receives the locking portion. Therefore, when the elastic cylindrical body is attached, the outer ring remains in a predetermined position, eliminating the need for position adjustment, and realizing efficient construction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-256806 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-172307 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a water stop cover is used to block the flow of a water pipe, a tubular part made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin must be tightly attached to the inner surface of the water pipe. Naturally, this tubular part is weaker than metal, and is therefore susceptible to damage due to severe friction or contact with sharp objects. In this regard, the sewer pipe water stop plug of Patent Document 1 has an exposed, conical rubber tubular middle section that is not protected by a coating. Under adverse conditions, this damage could progress and lead to a water leak. To prevent this, it is necessary to place a coating as widely as possible around the flexible part to prevent the damage from progressing.

[0007] The present invention was developed based on these circumstances, and aims to provide a waterproof lid that can prevent damage from progressing by protecting the flexible parts used to ensure airtightness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1, which solves the above problem, is a water stop lid comprising a fitting made of a flexible material and fitted onto the inner surface of a water pipe, a main body housed inside the fitting, an expansion ring placed in the gap between the fitting and the main body, and an expansion bolt for deforming the expansion ring, wherein the fitting has an outer tube that contacts the inner surface of the water pipe and an outer wall that closes one end face of the outer tube, the main body has an inner tube that is roughly concentric with the outer tube and an inner wall that closes one end face of the inner tube, the inner tube has a female thread for threading onto the expansion bolt, and the inner wall has a larger diameter than the inner tube, the expansion ring is annular with a slit, and the outer tube is fitted tightly to the water pipe by displacing the expansion ring outward via the expansion bolt threaded onto the female thread, and the inner wall and outer wall are bonded together.

[0009] The water stop cover of the present invention is composed of four elements: a sealing body, a main body, an expansion ring, and an expansion bolt. It fits inside a water pipe and completely blocks the flow by sealing it. The sealing body is made of a flexible material, such as rubber or synthetic resin, that can be easily deformed by external force, and is cylindrical in shape with one end closed. The cylindrical portion of the sealing body that fits along the inner circumferential surface of the water pipe is referred to as the outer tube, and the portion that closes one end of the outer tube is referred to as the outer wall. However, the outer wall does not need to completely seal the inside of the outer tube; a hole can be provided in its center. Naturally, the size and shape of the outer tube will be determined depending on the water pipe it will be used with.

[0010] The main body is made of metal and is constructed by welding or other methods to integrate a portion called the inner tube and a portion called the inner wall. The entire body is housed inside the tightly-fitting body. The inner tube is cylindrical and has a smaller diameter than the outer tube of the tightly-fitting body, and the inner wall seals one end of the inner tube. Furthermore, the dimensions of each part are adjusted so that when the inner and outer tubes are aligned roughly concentrically, a gap is maintained at the boundary between them. However, the outer diameter of the inner wall is equal to the inner diameter of the outer tube. Therefore, the inner wall has a larger diameter than the inner tube and protrudes from the inner tube like a flange.

[0011] The expansion ring is a strip-shaped metal plate placed in the gap between the inner tube of the main body and the outer tube of the sealing body. By displacing it outward, it presses the outer tube and seals it against the inner surface of the water pipe. Because the expansion ring must be able to deform outward, it cannot be a continuous ring, but must have one or more slits. If there are two or more slits, the expansion ring will be divided into multiple pieces. The size of the gap between the inner tube and the outer tube is determined taking into account the placement of the expansion ring.

[0012] The expansion bolt, which displaces the expansion ring, is inserted from the inside of the inner tube toward the outer periphery, with its tip contacting the expansion ring. To achieve this, the inner tube is provided with a female thread that engages with the expansion bolt. This female thread can be formed on the inner surface of the inner tube after a hole has been drilled, or it can be used by drilling a hole in the inner tube and then attaching a nut to cover the hole. The expansion bolt is then inserted into the female thread from the inside of the inner tube and then tightened, causing the tip of the expansion bolt to contact the expansion ring. Continued tightening displaces the expansion ring toward the outer periphery, pressing against the outer tube. To ensure uniform displacement across the entire expansion ring, multiple expansion bolts must be spaced apart circumferentially; more than eight bolts are often used to accommodate localized defects on the inner surface of the water pipe.

[0013] After the contact body, main body, and expansion ring are manufactured separately, the main body is placed inside the contact body. The inner wall of the main body is then brought into contact with the outer wall of the contact body, and the inner and outer walls are bonded together with an adhesive. As a result, even if the outer wall has holes or other perforations, the inner wall can block the flow. Furthermore, because the inner wall has a larger diameter than the inner tube, the outer edge of the outer wall can also be bonded to the inner tube. An expansion ring is placed in the gap between the inner and outer tubes, and an expansion bolt is threaded into the female thread of the inner tube. However, the expansion ring does not press against the outer tube before the expansion bolt is tightened.

[0014] When the water stop cover is actually used, the sealing body, main body, and expansion ring are already integrated and are fitted inside the water pipe. At this point, the sealing body is easily elastically deformable, allowing the water stop cover to move smoothly in the axial direction of the water pipe. After the water stop cover reaches the desired position, all expansion bolts are tightened evenly. As a result, the expansion ring moves outward and comes into contact with the outer tube. Further tightening presses the outer tube, causing it to seal tightly against the water pipe. At this stage, the water stop cover is fixed to the water pipe, blocking the pipe and preventing flow.

[0015] In this way, the watertight cover is composed of a sealing body, a main body, an expansion ring, etc., and the inner wall of the main body is sized to protrude like a brim from the inner tube, so that almost the entire outer wall of the sealing body comes into contact with the inner wall, protecting the outer wall. Moreover, by bonding the inner wall and the outer wall together, deformation of the outer wall is suppressed, so even if damage occurs to the outer wall due to contact with a foreign object, the progression of damage can be suppressed.

[0016] The invention described in claim 2 aims to improve convenience, and is characterized by the fact that a drain pipe protruding from the inner wall is provided inside the inner tube, and a drain hole is provided in the outer wall on the extension line of the drain pipe, allowing water blocked up inside the water pipe to flow out through the drain pipe and the drain hole. A water stop cover is used to temporarily block the flow of water in the water pipe, but after this blocking, it may be desired to allow the water blocked up inside the water pipe to flow out. Therefore, as in this invention, a drain pipe can be provided in the main body.

[0017] The drain pipe is located inside the inner tube, protruding from the inner wall and integrated with the inner wall by welding or other means. In addition, to allow water to flow into the drain pipe, a hole is made in the inner wall along the extension of the drain pipe, and a drain hole is also made in the outer wall to allow water to flow in. Normally, the drain pipe is blocked so that it can perform its original function as a water stop cover. If it is desired to allow water blocked inside the water conduit to flow out, another pipe or the like is connected to the end of the drain pipe. Naturally, the drain pipe is positioned so that it does not interfere with the insertion and tightening of the expansion bolt. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As in the invention described in claim 1, the watertight cover is composed of a contact body, a main body, and an expansion ring. The inner wall of the main body is sized to protrude like a brim from the inner tube, so that almost the entire outer wall of the contact body comes into contact with the inner wall, protecting the outer wall. Furthermore, by bonding the inner and outer walls together, deformation of the outer wall is suppressed. Therefore, even if damage occurs to the outer wall due to contact with a foreign object, the progression of the damage can be suppressed, maintaining the integrity of the watertight cover. Furthermore, by compressing the outer tube via multiple expansion bolts, it can flexibly adapt to localized deformations, such as defects on the inner surface of the water pipe, and can be used on water pipes that have deteriorated over time.

[0019] As in the invention of claim 2, by installing a drain pipe inside the inner tube of the main body, it is possible to block the water inside the water conduit while allowing the water to flow out. This makes it possible to meet various needs at the construction site, such as water quality testing or supplying water to other locations, and improves convenience. Furthermore, because the inner and outer walls are integrated by adhesive, even when a drain pipe is installed, water will not flow between the main body and the contact body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a specific example of a water stop cover according to the present invention, in which each component is shown separately and a cross section thereof is shown at the bottom of the figure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the process of assembling the components of FIG. 1, with a cross section drawn at the bottom of the figure. [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view showing how the expansion ring of the watertight cover in FIG. 2 is displaced outward to press the outer tube to increase its diameter, and a cross section of the watertight cover is shown at the bottom of the figure. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which the water stop cover of FIG. 2 is fitted to block the flow inside the water pipe, and the lower part of the figure shows the state in which a valve is attached to the connection flange. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Figure 1 shows a specific example of a water stop cover according to the present invention, with each component shown separately and its cross section at the bottom. The water stop cover shown in this figure is used to block the inside of a circular water pipe P and prevent the flow of water. It is composed of a main body 11, an expansion ring 21, a seal 31, and an expansion bolt 44. The main body 11 is primarily composed of two elements: a cylindrical inner tube 13 and an inner wall 16 that blocks one end of the inner tube 13. Both the inner tube 13 and the inner wall 16 are made of metal and are welded together. The inner wall 16 is disk-shaped and has a larger outer diameter than the inner tube 13, so the outer edge of the inner wall 16 protrudes radially outward beyond the inner tube 13.

[0022] The contact body 31 is formed integrally from two elements: a cylindrical outer tube 33 and an outer wall 36 that closes one end of the outer tube 33. It is made of flexible materials such as rubber or synthetic resin. After the contact body 31 is fitted inside the water conduit P, the outer tube 33 is enlarged in diameter to fit tightly against the inner circumferential surface of the water conduit P, ensuring a tight seal. Therefore, the size and shape of the outer tube 33 are determined according to the mating water conduit P, and in a normal state where no elastic deformation occurs, it can be fitted comfortably into the water conduit P. The outer wall 36 is not simply disk-shaped, but has a cutout hole 37 in its center. Furthermore, the outer edge of the outer wall 36 does not protrude radially outward beyond the outer tube 33.

[0023] The main body 11 is sized to be able to be housed inside the outer tube 33 of the tight-fitting body 31, but the outer diameter of the inner wall 16 is made approximately equal to the inner diameter of the outer tube 33, so that when the main body 11 is housed inside the tight-fitting body 31, the two are essentially concentric. The inner tube 13 also has a smaller diameter than the outer tube 33, so that a gap is inevitably maintained between the inner tube 13 and the outer tube 33. In addition, a drain pipe 17 is provided inside the inner tube 13. The drain pipe 17 is used to drain water blocked by the water stop cover after the inside of the water conduit P is blocked with the water stop cover, and one end of the drain pipe 17 is integrated with the inner wall 16. Naturally, to allow water to flow into the drain pipe 17, a cutout is provided in the inner wall 16 in an area that blocks the inside of the drain pipe 17. Moreover, the inlet side of the drain pipe 17 is adjacent to the hole 37 in the outer wall 36, so that the drain pipe 17 is not blocked by the contact body 31.

[0024] The expansion ring 21 is a strip-shaped metal plate placed in the gap between the inner tube 13 of the main body 11 and the outer tube 33 of the contact body 31. It is curved in an arc, but here two semicircular rings are used to form an annular ring around the outer periphery of the inner tube 13. Its thickness is adjusted to allow elastic deformation during normal use. The expansion ring 21 is displaceable within the gap between the inner tube 13 and the outer tube 33, and when the expansion ring 21 presses against the outer tube 33, the contact body 31 tightly contacts the water conduit P. To prevent the expansion ring 21 from coming off the main body 11, a fixing pin 25 is attached to the expansion ring 21, and a pin hole 15 is provided in the inner tube 13 of the main body 11. The fixing pin 25 protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the expansion ring 21 toward the inner tube 13. The corresponding pin hole 15 is oval to allow for displacement of the expansion ring 21, and the tip of the fixing pin 25 is inserted into the pin hole 15.

[0025] The expansion bolt 44 functions to displace the expansion ring 21 outward, and the inner tube 13 is provided with a female thread 14 to thread into. After the expansion bolt 44 is placed inside the inner tube 13, its shank is threaded into the female thread 14 and protrudes outward from the inner tube 13. As a result, the tip of the expansion bolt 44 comes into contact with the expansion ring 21. When the expansion bolt 44 is further tightened, the expansion ring 21 is displaced outward and presses against the outer tube 33. To ensure that the two expansion rings 21 are neatly arranged in an annular shape, a tongue 26 and a relief groove 24 are provided at the boundary between them. The tongue 26 is a tongue-like portion that protrudes from the center of the end face of one expansion ring 21, and the corresponding relief groove 24 is a notch in the remaining expansion ring 21 to accommodate the tongue 26. The tongue 26 fits into the relief groove 24, maintaining the two expansion rings 21 aligned in an annular shape.

[0026] When the two expansion rings 21 are displaced outward by the expansion bolts 44, the gap between the two expansion rings 21 inevitably widens where they are adjacent. As a result, there are areas of the outer tube 33 that are not pressed by the expansion rings 21, which could cause water leakage. To prevent this, an extension plate 23 is attached to the inner surface of one end of each expansion ring 21. This makes the two expansion rings 21 continuous even where they are adjacent, allowing the outer tube 33 to be pressed without interruption, preventing water leakage at this point.

[0027] The inner tube 13 in this figure has eight evenly spaced female threads 14, which necessitates the use of eight expansion bolts 44. However, to more reliably prevent water leakage, the spacing between the female threads 14 can be narrowed and more expansion bolts 44 can be used. Also, while this figure shows two fixing pins 25 on one expansion ring 21, this number can also be increased to three or more. In this case, the pin holes 15 must correspond to the fixing pins 25. Additionally, a connection flange 18 is attached to the outlet end of the drain pipe 17 to allow for the connection of other piping, etc., but this is usually closed with a blocking plate 48 to prevent water leakage. The blocking plate 48 is fixed to the connection flange 18 with locking bolts 46 or the like.

[0028] Figure 2 shows the process of assembling the components shown in Figure 1, with a cross section at the bottom. First, as shown in the upper left of the figure, an expansion ring 21 is placed to surround the inner tube 13 of the main body 11, and the fixing pin 25 protruding from the expansion ring 21 is inserted into the pin hole 15 in the inner tube 13. As a result, the expansion ring 21 can be displaced relative to the main body 11, but cannot be detached from the main body 11. Furthermore, where two expansion rings 21 are adjacent, the tongue 26 protruding from one enters the recess 24 of the other, maintaining the two expansion rings 21 aligned in an annular fashion. Furthermore, the backs of the tongue 26 and recess 24 are covered with an extension plate 23, so that the expansion ring 21 seamlessly surrounds the inner tube 13.

[0029] After placing the expansion ring 21 so as to surround the main body 11, they are housed inside the contact body 31, as shown in the upper right of the figure. At this time, as shown in the lower part of the figure, the inner wall 16 of the main body 11 and the outer wall 36 of the contact body 31 are brought into contact and then bonded together. This prevents water from flowing into the contact surface between the inner wall 16 and the outer wall 36. In addition, a drain hole 37 is provided in the center of the outer wall 36, allowing water inside the water conduit P to flow into the drain pipe 17. However, water is prevented from flowing out by closing the drain pipe 17 with a blocking plate 48.

[0030] Expansion bolts 44 are threaded into the female threads 14 of the main body 11, and the tips of the expansion bolts 44 are in contact with the expansion rings 21. However, at this stage, the expansion rings 21 are not in contact with the outer tube 33, leaving a gap, and the outer tube 33 can deform inward. This allows the water stop lid to be fitted easily into the water pipe P. After the water stop lid has reached the desired position, all of the expansion bolts 44 are tightened evenly and the expansion rings 21 press against the outer tube 33, causing the contact bodies 31 to contact the inside of the water pipe P and blocking the flow.

[0031] Figure 3 shows how the expansion ring 21 of the watertight cover in Figure 2 is displaced outward, pressing against the outer tube 33 and enlarging its diameter; a cross section is shown at the bottom of the figure. Tightening the expansion bolts 44 causes the expansion ring 21 to displace outward and press against the outer tube 33, enlarging the diameter of the outer tube 33. As the expansion ring 21 displaces, the fixing pin 25 also displaces, but because the fixing pin 25 has a sufficient length, it will not come out of the pin hole 15. Furthermore, because the pin hole 15 is oval, the fixing pin 25 does not come into hard contact with the outer edge of the pin hole 15 and does not hinder the expansion ring 21 from displacing.

[0032] As the expansion rings 21 are displaced, the tongues 26 may come out of the relief grooves 24 where the two expansion rings 21 are adjacent, but even in this case, the extension plates 23 keep the two expansion rings 21 continuous with no gaps, allowing them to press uninterruptedly against the outer tube 33. Before the outer tube 33 is pressed, the outer edge of the inner wall 16 is adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube 33. Therefore, almost the entire outer wall 36 is protected by the inner wall 16, and even if a foreign object comes into contact with the outer wall 36, the progression of damage caused by this can be suppressed, improving the reliability of the watertight lid.

[0033] Figure 4 shows the state in which the water stop cover of Figure 2 has been fitted to block the flow inside the water conduit P, and the lower part of the figure shows the state in which a valve V has been attached to the connection flange 18. After the water stop cover has been fitted inside the water conduit P, when the expansion bolt 44 is tightened, the expansion ring 21 presses against the contact body 31, which then contacts the inner surface of the water conduit P, fixing the water stop cover in an immovable state inside the water conduit P and sealing off the inside of the water conduit P. Furthermore, by attaching a valve V or the like to the connection flange 18 as shown in the lower part of the figure, the blocked water can be allowed to flow out. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 11 Main unit 13 Inner tube 14 Female thread 15 pin holes 16 Inner wall 17 Drain pipe 18 Connection flange 21 Expanding Ring 23 Extension plate 24 Relief groove 25 fixing pin 26 Tongue piece 31 Close-fitting body 33 Outer tube 36 Outer wall 37 Perforation 44 Expansion Bolt 46 Locking bolt 48 Closure plate P water pipe V-valve

Claims

1. The device is comprised of a contact body (31) made of a flexible material and fitted onto the inner circumferential surface of the water pipe (P), a main body (11) housed inside the contact body (31), an expansion ring (21) placed in the gap between the contact body (31) and the main body (11), and an expansion bolt (44) for deforming the expansion ring (21). The contact body (31) has an outer tube (33) that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the water guide pipe (P) and an outer wall (36) that closes one end surface of the outer tube (33), The main body (11) has an inner tube (13) that is generally concentric with the outer tube (33) and an inner wall (16) that closes one end face of the inner tube (13), the inner tube (13) is provided with a female thread (14) for threading the expansion bolt (44), and the inner wall (16) has a larger diameter than the inner tube (13), The expansion ring (21) is annular and has a slit. The expansion ring (21) is displaced toward the outer periphery via the expansion bolt (44) threaded onto the female thread (14), thereby bringing the outer tube (33) into tight contact with the water guide pipe (P). The watertight lid is characterized in that the inner wall (16) and the outer wall (36) are bonded together.

2. A watertight lid as described in claim 1, characterized in that a drain pipe (17) protruding from the inner wall (16) is provided inside the inner tube (13), and a vent hole (37) is provided in the outer wall (36) on the extension line of the drain pipe (17), and the drain pipe (17) and the vent hole (37) allow water blocked inside the water conduit (P) to flow out.

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