Flush Joint Pipe Connection for Trenchless Borehole Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current trenchless pipe replacement methods are costly and inefficient due to the need for long pit excavations, labor-intensive assembly, and inability to customize pipe lengths on-site, with existing designs requiring offsite manufacturing and using bell sockets that increase external diameters and require joint restrainers for high-pressure applications, limiting their use in pressurized lines.
Innovation Solution
A method for assembling pipes with flush internal and external surfaces using unfinished pipe sticks cut and machined on-site to form male and female ends, locked together with a close fit locking gasket or adhesive, eliminating the need for sleeves, threads, and bell sockets, allowing for customized lengths and markings for fluid type and pressure ratings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bell joint connections are used, then sealing and connection are achieved, but the external diameter is enlarged and longer pit excavation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the bell socket enlargement from the pipe design by using a locking gasket system that fits within the normal pipe diameter. The gasket is installed inside the pipe and locks the joint without requiring the external diameter enlargement that bell joints necessitate, thereby eliminating the need for longer pit excavations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of enlarging the external diameter to accommodate the joint (traditional bell joint approach), the invention inverts the approach by placing the locking mechanism internally. The locking gasket is positioned inside the pipe and secures the joint from the interior, reversing the conventional external enlargement method.
2Ease of manufacture
If offsite manufacturing of bell sockets or threads is performed, then pipe connections are standardized, but on-site customization of pipe lengths is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention prepares the pipe ends with unfinished surfaces that are ready for on-site machining. The pipes are manufactured with standardized dimensions but without final connection features, allowing field workers to machine the exact length and create the locking gasket groove on-site using portable equipment, thus enabling customization while maintaining standardization benefits.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple colored pipes are manufactured for different applications, then fluid type and pressure ratings are identified, but manufacturing and stocking costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses color codes or markings applied to the pipe surface to indicate fluid type and pressure ratings. Instead of manufacturing different colored pipes for different applications, the same base pipe material is used with applied color identification, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and stocking requirements while maintaining clear application identification.
4Reliability
If locking gaskets are used in bell joints, then connection security is improved, but the external diameter must be enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves the locking gasket mechanism from the external dimension (bell joint enlargement) to the internal dimension. The gasket is positioned inside the pipe bore and locks the joint from the interior, maintaining connection security while preserving the original external pipe diameter and eliminating the need for enlarged bore holes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of borehole pipe installation begins with unfinished stick pipes brought to the installation site and then machined or cut to form male and female ends. The pipe ends are then locked together to form a flush joint. The lock can be provided via a groove cut into one of the ends for receipt of a lock gasket, which secures and seals the joint when the pipes are pushed together, and prevents the pipes from being pulled apart. Alternatively, to the groove and lock gasket, the ends can be glued and screwed together, with the screws allowing the joined pipes to be pulled through the borehole before the glue is dry. The pipe joint has flush exterior and interior surfaces to minimize borehole clearance and maximize fluid flow through the pipe assembly.