Conduit Repair Liner Conformity to Curved Plumbing Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing leaks or cracks in underground conduits, such as sanitary sewer lines, are ineffective for curved sections, particularly 90-degree curves, due to the lack of conformity of repair liners, leading to reduced conduit diameter, potential clogging, and inadequate bonding.
Innovation Solution
A conduit repair system utilizing a resilient, absorbent liner with a central section made of stretchable materials like fleece, impregnated with a bonding agent and secured to an inflatable carrier, which conforms to curved surfaces without forming waves, ensuring even adhesion and structural integrity upon curing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional repair liner is used in curved sections, then the repair process can be completed, but the liner does not conform to the curved surface, creating waves and air-gaps that reduce bonding quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible liner made of thin film material that can bend and conform to curved pipe surfaces. The liner's flexibility allows it to adapt to 90-degree curves and other angular configurations without creating waves or air-gaps, ensuring complete surface contact and reliable bonding throughout the repair area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses curved surfaces by using a liner designed to accommodate curvature. The liner can be wrapped around and conform to curved pipe sections, maintaining continuous contact with the surface even at 90-degree angles, thereby eliminating the wave formation and air-gaps that plague conventional straight-section liners.
2Strength
If the liner is made rigid for structural strength, then it provides good structural support, but it cannot conform to curved surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes composite material construction for the liner, combining flexible components that enable curvature adaptation with structural elements that provide necessary strength. This composite approach allows the liner to simultaneously conform to curved surfaces and deliver adequate structural support for the repaired pipe section.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner incorporates varying material properties in different regions - flexible sections for conforming to curves and structurally stronger sections for providing support. This localized quality distribution allows the single liner to fulfill both conformability and strength requirements in curved pipe repairs.
3Productivity
If a straight-section repair method is used, then the process is simple and quick, but it requires excavation and replacement for curved sections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a universal repair liner designed to work in both straight and curved pipe sections. This multi-functional liner can be applied using a consistent inflation-based method regardless of pipe geometry, eliminating the need for different repair approaches for different section types and maintaining productivity across varied applications.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of removing and replacing curved pipe sections as conventional methods require, the patent inverts the approach by leaving the curved section in place and repairing it internally with a specially designed liner. This inversion eliminates excavation work while maintaining repair effectiveness, significantly improving productivity for curved section repairs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively repairs curved sections by maintaining conduit diameter and ensuring complete bonding, preventing clogging and air-gaps, thus providing superior structural support and durability.
Implementation Method 1
The conduit repair liner is substantially absorbent and soaked in the bonding agent
Implementation Method 2
The liner is wrapped around and secured to an inflatable bladder which is positioned at the rupture and inflated, forcing the repair liner against the inside wall of the conduit
Implementation Method 3
The impregnated composite liner adheres to the damaged inner surface of the conduit and hardens
Data Source
AI summary
A method of repairing a crack or leak in a curved section of plumbing includes wetting/saturating a conduit repair liner with a bonding agent (e.g., epoxy). The conduit repair liner has straps with an end of each of the straps at an edge of the conduit repair liner and a distal end of each of straps has a section of hook and loop material. After saturating is complete, the conduit repair liner we with the bonding agent is wrapped around an inflatable carrier and then both are positioned within the curved section of the plumbing. Now, the inflatable carrier is inflated such that the conduit repair liner adheres evenly to the inside surfaces of the curved section of the plumbing. Next, the inflatable carrier is deflated and removed, leaving the conduit repair liner evenly adhered to the inside surfaces of the curved section of the plumbing.