Pipe Installation Head With Grout Encapsulation for AC Pipe Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Asbestos cement (AC) pipes and other in-ground pipes are difficult to replace due to environmental and health concerns, as existing methods involve splitting and encapsulating AC pipes, which can be inefficient and hazardous.
Innovation Solution
A pipe installation system with a specialized head that includes a tapered nose, grout ejection ports, and a grout conduit, allowing for the installation of a new pipe within the existing pipe while encapsulating remnants with a grout that hardens to prevent asbestos contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods are used to replace AC pipes by splitting and encapsulating them, then the old pipes can be replaced, but the process is inefficient and hazardous due to environmental and health concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The new pipe is installed inside the existing old pipe, with the installation head nested within the old pipe and the new pipe nested within the installation head. This nested configuration allows the new pipe to be pulled through the old pipe without removing the old pipe from the ground, thereby improving replacement efficiency while containing asbestos fragments within the old pipe and grout.
Solution Approach 2:
The old AC pipe, which poses a hazard due to asbestos, is converted into a protective containment structure. By pulling the new pipe through the old pipe and filling the annular space with grout, the old pipe serves to contain asbestos fragments, transforming the hazardous material into a contained element that protects the environment and workers during the replacement process.
2Device complexity
If the grout ejection port is positioned rearward in the leading portion, then more space is available for other components, but the grout cannot be effectively ejected between the installation head and the old pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The grout ejection port is positioned at a specific location on the leading portion of the installation head - forward of the centerline but rearward of the maximum cross-section portion. This localized positioning ensures that grout is ejected at the optimal point where it can effectively fill the annular space between the installation head and the old pipe, while the rest of the installation head maintains its structural integrity and component arrangement.
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
Enables efficient replacement of in-ground pipes without excavating the old ones, ensuring environmental safety by encapsulating asbestos fragments and preventing contamination, while allowing for the installation of new pipes without the need for separate lubrication and encapsulation materials.
Implementation Method 1
The grout conduit is configured to supply a grout from the connection port to the grout ejection port
Implementation Method 2
The leading portion has a cross-section with a tapered nose in which the cross-section increases in a rearward direction from a first end to a maximum cross-section portion
Implementation Method 3
encapsulating remnants with a grout that hardens to prevent asbestos contamination
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe installation system includes a plug assembly, an installation head, a driver assembly, and a grout supply line. The installation head has a leading portion extending along a central axis, a mating portion which mates with a new pipe, a grout ejection port positioned within the leading portion, and a grout conduit connected to the grout ejection port. The leading portion has a tapered nose that extends from a first end to a maximum cross-section portion. The grout ejection port is positioned no further rearward than the maximum cross-section portion of the leading portion. The cross-section of the first end is smaller than a cross-section of the plug assembly. The cross-section of the maximum cross-section portion is at least as big as the cross-section of the plug assembly.