Pipe Junction Sealing Packer With Controlled Bending Lateral Arm
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe liner installation apparatuses face challenges in navigating through pipe bends due to rigid or flexible issues, leading to potential damage and excessive force requirements, and require complex mechanisms that can get caught or snagged during insertion.
Innovation Solution
A controlled bending device with an elongate member and spaced blocks that control the degree and direction of bending, allowing the lateral arm to navigate bends with minimal force and prevent snagging, using a flexible elongate member and trapezoidal blocks to manage bending forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the elongate member is made rigid to prevent buckling, then structural stability is improved, but the ability to navigate pipe bends deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate member is divided into multiple rigid sections or blocks that can articulate relative to each other, allowing the structure to bend at controlled points while maintaining rigidity within each segment. This segmentation enables the device to navigate pipe bends without compromising the structural stability of individual sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate member transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system that can adapt its configuration. By incorporating movable joints or articulation points between segments, the device can dynamically adjust its shape to follow pipe bends while maintaining structural integrity during straight sections.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the elongate member is made flexible to navigate bends, then adaptability is improved, but structural stability and resistance to buckling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a continuously flexible member, the invention employs segmented rigid sections that provide structural stability. The articulation between segments provides the necessary flexibility to navigate bends without requiring the material itself to be flexible, thus maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses articulated joints or connection mechanisms between rigid segments that allow controlled bending. These connection points act as flexible elements that enable navigation through bends while the majority of the structure remains rigid and stable.
3Manufacturing precision
If a complex guiding mechanism is used to control bending, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding mechanism is divided into discrete, standardized segments with consistent articulation points. This modular approach simplifies manufacturing and assembly while maintaining positioning precision through the repeated geometric relationships between segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls bending through geometric parameters of the segmented structure rather than complex active control mechanisms. By adjusting the angle and position of articulation points between segments, precise positioning is achieved through passive geometric constraints rather than active control systems.
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 the lateral arm to enter and move through pipe junctions with minimal force, reducing the risk of damage and ensuring precise positioning, with the ability to adjust bending directions and radii for various applications.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate member extending between the proximal and distal ends, the elongate member being flexible in its axial direction to enable the lateral arm to navigate into the target branch pipe during pushing or pulling of the elongate body
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of blocks that are spaced lengthwise along the elongate member and configured such that adjacent blocks, during bending of the elongate member, interact to control a degree and/or direction of bending of the lateral arm
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a controlled bending device in the form of an elongate member, such as a bar or rod, including a series of blocks configured to direct and/or control an extent of bending of the elongate member. The present invention further relates to a sealing packer for use in installing a flexible liner into a junction between a main pipe and a branch pipe, the sealing packer incorporating the bending device in a flexible lateral arm thereof to facilitate guidance of the flexible lateral arm into the branch pipe when the sealing packer is inserted (pushed or pulled) through the main pipe.