Double-Walled Elbow Pipe Bending Without Cross-Section Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of double-walled pipe systems is time-consuming and challenging in restrictive spaces due to the need for prefabricated sections and hot-working processes, which can deform the pipe cross-sectional profile and reduce fluid flow rates.
Innovation Solution
A method of manufacturing a double-walled elbow pipe segment using an inner and outer pipe with a support member that allows for bending without hot-working, maintaining the pipe's shape and fluid flow by positioning the support member coaxially between the inner and outer pipes, enabling flexible angle and direction changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal pipe systems are used to convey hazardous fluids, then reliability is improved, but installation time increases due to prefabrication requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to thermoplastic composite material, enabling the pipe system to maintain structural integrity while allowing deformation and bending without hot-working processes. This resolves the contradiction by providing a material that is both suitable for hazardous fluid conveyance and installable in restrictive spaces without time-consuming prefabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a deformable pipe system that can be dynamically bent and shaped on-site using mechanical deformation rather than fixed prefabricated sections. The pipe can be deformed to various angles and configurations during installation, transforming the static installation process into a dynamic one that adapts to restrictive spaces without requiring multiple prefabricated segments.
2Shape
If pipe deformation is achieved by putting the pipe through a former, then shape change is enabled, but wall crumpling occurs decreasing fluid flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thermoplastic composite material with specific structural characteristics that allow the pipe wall to flex and deform without crumpling or collapsing. The material's flexibility enables the pipe to be bent through formers while maintaining its cross-sectional integrity and internal flow capacity, resolving the contradiction between shape change capability and fluid flow maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material structure combining thermoplastic matrix with reinforcing elements that provide both flexibility and structural strength. This composite construction allows the pipe to deform into elbow configurations while preventing wall crumpling, thereby maintaining adequate fluid flow rates despite the bending operation.
3Strength
If hot-working processes are used to manufacture and install metal pipe systems, then structural integrity is improved, but application is limited by hazardous fuel presence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal processing (hot-working) with mechanical deformation processes. The thermoplastic composite material can be cold-formed and bent using mechanical force rather than heat, eliminating the need for welding or hot-forming operations. This substitution enables installation in hazardous environments where fuel is present, as no ignition sources are required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material's thermal properties by selecting a thermoplastic composite that can be processed and installed at ambient temperatures. This parameter change from heat-dependent processing to ambient-temperature deformation resolves the contradiction between structural integrity and installation environment flexibility, allowing work in hazardous areas without hot-working restrictions.
4Ease of operation
If flexible plastic pipe systems are used, then installation ease is improved, but suitability for hazardous fluids is reduced due to melting risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite material system combining a thermoplastic matrix with fire-resistant additives and structural reinforcements. This composite construction provides both the flexibility needed for easy installation and deformation, and the fire resistance required for hazardous fluid conveyance, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and fire safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the material's thermal stability parameters by selecting thermoplastic composites with elevated melting points and enhanced fire-resistant properties. These parameter changes enable the pipe to maintain structural integrity under fire conditions while retaining sufficient flexibility for deformation and easy installation, overcoming the limitations of conventional plastic pipes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a double-walled elbow pipe segment, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an inner pipe member; (b) providing at least one first support member, and positioning said at least one first support member coaxially over said inner pipe member; (c) providing an outer pipe member and slidably positioning said assembled inner pipe member and said at least one first support member within said outer pipe member such that said at least one first support member is supportingly engaged with an outer surface of said inner pipe member and an inner surface of said outer pipe member, and (d) bending a pipe assembly of said inner pipe member, said at least one first support member and said outer pipe member into at least one first elbow section of a predetermined first angle and in a predetermined first direction between an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion of said pipe assembly.