Composite Pipe Liner with Fiber Optic Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipeline materials, particularly metal pipes, face challenges such as corrosion, crack propagation, and inflexibility, leading to safety concerns and high replacement costs, especially in areas prone to earthquakes, and current thermoplastic solutions lack sufficient strength and durability for high-pressure applications.
Innovation Solution
A multi-component pipe liner with a lightweight, high-strength, flexible structure featuring a polymeric layer, fabric reinforcement, and embedded fiber optic sensors for continuous monitoring and communication, allowing for single-pull installation and long-term service at high pressures without significant diameter reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If metal pipes are used to withstand high pressures, then pressure resistance is improved, but corrosion resistance and crack propagation resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thermoplastic polymer layers with fabric reinforcement materials to create a pipe liner that simultaneously achieves high pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, and crack propagation resistance. The composite structure integrates the strength of metals with the corrosion resistance of polymers, eliminating the harmful effects of metal corrosion while maintaining pressure withstand capability.
2Stress or pressure
If metal pipes are used for high-pressure transport, then pressure resistance is improved, but flexibility and earthquake resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible thermoplastic polymer layers and fabric reinforcements that can bend and deform without breaking, enabling the pipe liner to withstand earthquake forces and ground movements. The flexible composite structure maintains pressure resistance while adapting to dynamic environmental conditions, unlike rigid metal pipes that are prone to failure during seismic events.
3Reliability
If thermoplastic pipe liners are used to eliminate corrosion, then corrosion resistance is improved, but strength and durability for high-pressure applications deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by creating a composite structure where thermoplastic polymer layers provide corrosion resistance while fabric reinforcement materials (such as fiberglass or carbon fiber) provide the necessary tensile strength and durability for high-pressure applications. The synergistic combination allows the liner to withstand pressures comparable to metal pipes without suffering from corrosion.
4Strength
If fiber-wound reinforcement materials are used to strengthen thermoplastic liners, then strength is improved, but ease of manufacture and installation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing approach by using thermoplastic polymer layers that can be extruded or formed in continuous lengths, eliminating the need for complex fiber-winding processes. The thermoplastic material can be directly molded or extruded into pipe liner forms, significantly simplifying manufacturing while maintaining adequate strength through the polymer-fabric composite structure.
5Ease of operation
If continuous reinforced thermoplastic pipe liners are used for restoration, then ease of installation is improved, but monitoring and detection capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into the pipe liner by incorporating sensors, fiber optic cables, and communication systems within the thermoplastic structure. This multi-functional design enables the liner to simultaneously provide structural reinforcement, corrosion protection, and real-time monitoring of pipeline conditions, transforming a passive repair component into an active diagnostic system.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for wrapping material onto and around a pipe, the apparatus including a shaft, the shaft rotatable by a driving apparatus, a payout core containing material to be wrapped onto a pipe, the payout core releasably mounted on the shaft, a deflection arm assembly secured to the shaft for rotation by the shaft, rotation of the shaft rotating the deflection arm assembly with respect to the payout core so that the deflection arm assembly takes material from the payout core and wraps the material onto a pipe adjacent the deflection arm assembly, each of the shaft and deflection arm assembly having a central opening through which is movable the pipe as the pipe is being wrapped.