Flexible Thermoplastic Pipe With Wire Reinforcement For Water Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in developing a flexible water transport pipe that balances weight, maneuverability, cost, mechanical resistance, and the ability to transport large quantities of fresh water without corroding, while being economically viable and ecologically acceptable, especially for coastal regions and deep-sea applications.
Innovation Solution
A flexible pipe with a thermoplastic material reinforced by wires, featuring a knitted, braided, or woven structure with longitudinal threads, and additional reinforcing layers wound in a helix, allowing for high mechanical resistance and self-supporting properties under internal pressure, while being deformable and foldable without compromising burst pressure or axial rupture stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pipe diameter is increased to transport large quantities of fresh water, then the flow rate is improved, but the weight and mechanical resistance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe uses a composite structure combining thermoplastic material with textile reinforcements (knitted, braided, woven, or non-woven layers) and helical wire reinforcements. This composite approach provides high mechanical strength and pressure resistance while controlling weight, enabling large diameter pipes to maintain structural integrity without excessive weight gain.
2Ease of operation
If the pipe is made flexible for maneuverability and storage, then the ease of operation is improved, but the mechanical resistance to pressure and bending deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe employs a flexible wall structure made of thermoplastic material with integrated textile and wire reinforcements. This flexible shell design allows the pipe to be coiled on reels or folded into containers for easy storage and maneuverability, while the reinforcement layers maintain mechanical resistance to internal pressure and bending forces during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of flexible thermoplastic material with rigid textile and wire reinforcements creates a composite structure that simultaneously provides flexibility for maneuverability and sufficient mechanical strength to withstand pressure and bending loads during installation and operation.
3Strength
If the pipe wall thickness is increased to improve mechanical resistance, then the strength is improved, but the weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing wall thickness with homogeneous material, the pipe uses a composite structure with thermoplastic material reinforced by textile layers and helical wires. This provides equivalent or superior mechanical strength with reduced overall wall thickness and weight, as the reinforcement elements efficiently carry structural loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement elements (textile layers and wires) are strategically positioned within the pipe wall structure to provide strength exactly where needed for pressure resistance, rather than uniformly thickening the entire wall. This localized reinforcement approach optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio.
4Strength
If the pipe is designed for deep-sea installation with high external pressure, then the mechanical resistance is improved, but the complexity of withstanding both internal and external pressure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure with thermoplastic material, textile reinforcements, and helical wires provides balanced resistance to both internal operating pressure and external hydrostatic pressure. The multiple layers work together to handle bidirectional pressure loads, simplifying the design compared to single-material structures that would require complex thickness variations.
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 solution provides a pipe that can maintain a circular section under internal pressure, withstand external pressures, and be easily stored and transported, achieving a balance between flow rate, mechanical resistance, and storage efficiency, with reduced material usage and cost, suitable for long-distance underwater installations.
Implementation Method 1
the pipe has, in section, from inside to outside: a first textile ply with a knitted, braided, woven or non-woven structure, having longitudinal threads parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, then, around said first textile ply, at least a second then a third textile ply each: with a knitted, braided, woven, non-woven or unidirectional structure, wound longitudinally in a helix, along the axis of the pipe
Implementation Method 2
the casing and the reinforcing elements are made of at least one thermoplastic material reinforced by wires
Implementation Method 3
of circular section when it is placed under a positive differential pressure between the inside of the pipe and the outside
Implementation Method 4
whose section can crush on itself under the effect of a negative differential pressure
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~5b
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a flexible pipe (11) suitable for transporting fresh water, which has a circular cross-section when it is pressurised and which can collapse in on itself. The tube, which has an outer diameter of between 1 and 7 metres and a length of between 200 and 3000 metres, comprises an envelope (1) which is sealed from the transported liquid, and at least two peripheral reinforcing elements (5a, 5b) increasing the mechanical resistance of the pipe to a positive differential pressure, said pipe supporting a positive differential pressure of between 1 and at least 10 x 10 5 Pa without bursting or cracking.