Composite Butt-Jointed Concrete Pipe for Leak-Resistant Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Concrete pipes with traditional bell and spigot connections face issues such as structural integrity loss due to water permeation, joint leakage, and high manufacturing costs, especially when dealing with thin-walled pipes that require precise tolerances and are prone to damage during installation.
Innovation Solution
The use of fiber-reinforced polymer composite to join cementitious pipe sections without integral end connections, providing a watertight seal and structural reinforcement while maintaining uniform wall thickness and diameter, facilitating easier handling and installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bell and spigot connections are used to join pipe sections, then joint leakage is prevented through rubber sealing gaskets, but the manufacturing cost increases and the installation process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the integral bell and spigot connection structures from the pipe sections. Instead of forming these complex geometries as part of the pipe manufacturing process, the patent uses simple butt joints with external coupling mechanisms, thereby eliminating the need for rubber sealing gaskets and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining leakage prevention through alternative means.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary coupling mechanism that joins two simple pipe ends together. This mediator component handles the sealing and connection functions, allowing the pipe sections themselves to have uniform, simple geometries without complex integral connections, thus preventing leakage while reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If bell and spigot end connections are formed in pipe sections, then connection between pipe sections is enabled, but the manufacturing cost increases due to labor required to produce the end shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the connection functionality from the pipe manufacturing process itself. Instead of forming bell and spigot shapes during pipe production, the patent uses simple butt joints that can be created with basic cutting equipment, and provides connection capability through separate coupling mechanisms, thereby dramatically improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the connection function into a separate component rather than integrating it into the pipe body. This allows the pipe sections to be manufactured independently with simple ends, and the connection capability is provided by separate coupling elements, enabling parallel manufacturing and improving overall productivity.
3Weight of moving object
If thin-walled pipe sections are used, then material usage is reduced and weight is decreased, but maintaining specified tolerances for bell and spigot connections becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex geometry requirements from the thin-walled pipe sections. By removing the need for bell and spigot formations, the patent allows thin-walled pipes to be manufactured with standard tolerances using simple cutting operations, eliminating the precision challenges associated with forming complex end geometries on thin materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary coupling mechanism that accommodates minor dimensional variations in thin-walled pipe sections. This mediator component provides the connection function while compensating for tolerance variations, allowing thin-walled pipes to be joined without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
4Ease of operation
If forceful stabbing process is used to insert spigot into bell connection, then pipe sections are joined together, but the bell or spigot end connections are damaged before service
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the forceful insertion requirement from the connection process. By removing the bell and spigot geometries, the patent replaces the damaging stabbing action with a gentle coupling process where sections are brought together and secured by external coupling mechanisms, thereby preventing damage to the pipe ends during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary coupling mechanism that facilitates connection without direct forceful contact between pipe ends. This mediator absorbs and distributes installation forces, preventing damage to the pipe sections while still enabling quick and easy joining through the coupling mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe joint and elongated cementitious pipe is formed by joining abutting ends of adjacent pipe sections with a fiber reinforced composite material without the need for the pipe sections to have other connection means, such as the standard bell and spigot end connections. Also disclosed is a cementitious pipe including at least two cementitious pipe sections having ends that are joined together with a fiber reinforced polymer composite material. The cementitious pipe sections and resulting cementitious pipe may have a substantially uniform wall thickness and substantially uniform inner and outer diameters near the opposite ends of the pipe sections. Also provided is a method for joining cementitious pipe sections with a fiber reinforced composite material to manufacture an elongated cementitious pipe, such as an elongated concrete pipe.