Pipe Liner Boring Tool for Removing Bulges Without Excavation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing debilitated pipes with liners often result in premature hardening or bulging, leading to inefficient drainage and costly replacement processes, as the liner either needs to be removed or the pipe section replaced, which is time-consuming and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A device with radially extending arms and cutting blades attached to a central shaft, allowing for the removal of debilitated pipe liners without excavation, by rotating the central shaft to cut and remove the liner or pipe surface, enabling precise adjustment to accommodate various pipe diameters and imperfections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a liner is inserted into a debilitated pipe to repair it, then the useful life of the pipe is extended, but the liner may prematurely harden or bulge inside the pipe causing drainage problems
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables the liner to self-correct its own defects by mechanically removing bulges and imperfections through rotation against the liner interior, allowing the liner to restore proper drainage function without external intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses periodic rotation to progressively remove liner material over time, with the continuous rotational motion allowing systematic correction of bulges and imperfections along the pipe length
2Reliability
If the affected portion of the pipe liner is etched out to remove bulges, then the liner can be corrected, but the process is tedious, cumbersome, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces manual etching operations with an automated mechanical rotation system that uses cutting elements mounted on a rotating shaft to mechanically remove liner material, transforming a labor-intensive manual process into an efficient automated mechanical system
Solution Approach 2:
The device introduces dynamic rotation to the otherwise static liner removal process, allowing the cutting elements to continuously engage and remove material through rotational motion, significantly increasing removal efficiency compared to static manual methods
3Reliability
If the pipe is replaced instead of removing the liner, then a functional pipe system is restored, but the process is expensive and requires digging out the pipe section
Solution Approach 1:
The device extracts only the defective liner material through the existing pipe structure using internal cutting elements, leaving the sound pipe infrastructure intact, thereby avoiding the need for complete pipe replacement and extensive excavation
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies localized correction only to the affected areas where bulges and imperfections exist, rather than replacing the entire pipe system, by using adjustable cutting elements that can be positioned to address specific problem zones
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 removal of debilitated pipe liners without structural damage, saving time and money by allowing for the replacement of liners without digging, thus extending pipe life and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
Rotation of the central shaft can cause each cutting device to contact, cut, and/or remove an interior surface of underground pipe or an interior liner thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A device configured to bore out a section of underground pipe or an interior liner therein without the need to dig out the section of pipe can include a plurality of arms extending radially outwardly from a central shaft. The central shaft can be configured to attach to a tool or a robot. The device can also at least one cutting device extending radially outwardly from the central shaft. The at least one cutting device can be configured to move in unison with the central shaft. rotation of the central shaft can cause the at least one cutting device to contact and cut an interior surface of the underground pipe or the interior liner thereof.