Dual-Cable Pipe Pulling to Prevent Tearing During Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe bursting techniques struggle to remove old pipes from the ground without tearing or buckling, especially when high forces are required to overcome soil friction, leading to incomplete pipe removal.
Innovation Solution
A pipe puller system that applies extraction force to both the proximal and distal ends of the pipe using a dual cable system, with adjustable force differentials and optional use of a pipe loosening device to reduce soil friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high extraction force is applied to remove the pipe from the ground, then the pipe can be pulled out, but the pipe may tear or buckle under the high stress
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe is divided into two segments (proximal end and distal end) with separate cable attachment points. This allows the extraction force to be distributed across two locations rather than concentrated at one point, preventing localized stress that would cause tearing or buckling while maintaining effective removal capability
Solution Approach 2:
The problem transitions from one-dimensional force application (single cable at one end) to two-dimensional force distribution (dual cables at both ends). By adding the spatial dimension of force application, the system achieves both high extraction force and uniform stress distribution, resolving the contradiction between removal efficiency and structural integrity
2Device complexity
If a single cable is used to pull the pipe, then the device is simpler, but the extraction force is insufficient to overcome soil friction
Solution Approach 1:
Two cable systems are merged into a coordinated dual-cable extraction system. The proximal cable and distal cable work together simultaneously, combining their forces to overcome the high soil friction that would be impossible to overcome with a single cable, while the coordinated operation maintains reasonable system simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe puller system and methods of pipe extraction are shown. In one example a pipe to be replaced is pulled by attaching a pulling force to multiple locations along a length of the pipe. In one example pulling forces can be varied between different attachment locations to better control or eliminate tearing of the pipe. In one example, a pipe loosening device may be used prior to pulling the pipe from the ground.