Pipe Placement Guide for Perpendicular Underground Plumbing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of underground plumbing pipes is challenging due to high skill requirements and budget constraints, particularly in accurately placing vertical pipes perpendicularly and connecting them to horizontal pipes without existing structural elements for support or reference.
Innovation Solution
A plumbing apparatus comprising a target placement tool with securing rods and a pipe supporting member, allowing vertical pipes to be aligned and supported perpendicularly, and horizontal pipes to be aligned using additional securing rods and an alignment member, facilitating precise placement without reliance on structural elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional above-ground plumbing devices are used, then they can provide support and alignment, but they require existing structural elements for mounting and are large and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate components: a placement tool for initial positioning and a guide structure with securing rods for stable support. This segmentation allows the device to be portable and easy to install while still providing reliable support in underground plumbing applications without requiring existing structural elements
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure serves multiple functions: it provides alignment references, secures itself to the ground using securing rods, supports the pipe during installation, and can be used for both vertical and horizontal pipe placement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate devices for different plumbing tasks
2Productivity
If traditional plumbing placement devices are used, then they can support pipes, but they are slow to install and disassemble
Solution Approach 1:
The placement tool is designed to pre-position the guide structure and securing rods in the correct locations before the actual pipe installation begins. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming adjustments during pipe installation, significantly improving installation speed
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates quick-release mechanisms and movable components that allow for rapid assembly and disassembly. The guide structure can be quickly secured to the ground and just as quickly removed after pipe installation, minimizing the time the device occupies the worksite
3Measurement precision
If manual alignment methods are used, then no special equipment is needed, but accurate perpendicular alignment of vertical pipes is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure creates a physical copy or template of the desired pipe alignment and perpendicularity requirements. By embedding reference marks and alignment features directly into the guide structure, the complex task of achieving precise perpendicular alignment is simplified to following pre-established physical guides
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure acts as an intermediary between the installer and the pipe, providing physical reference surfaces, alignment marks, and positioning features that mediate the alignment process. This intermediary device translates the abstract requirement for perpendicular alignment into concrete, easily followable physical guides
4Productivity
If horizontal pipes are laid without precise alignment guides, then installation is faster, but misalignment with vertical pipes occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure combines vertical and horizontal alignment references into a single integrated device. The same guide structure that ensures vertical pipe perpendicularity also provides reference marks and alignment features for connecting horizontal pipes, ensuring both vertical and horizontal alignment in one system
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure extends alignment guidance from the vertical dimension to include horizontal dimension references. By incorporating horizontal alignment marks and positioning features into the vertical guide structure, the device provides three-dimensional alignment guidance without requiring separate alignment tools for each dimension
Data Source
AI summary
A plumbing apparatus for placing and supporting a vertical pipe in relation to an installation surface, comprising a plumbing target placement tool, and a plumbing target guide having a pair of securing rods and a pipe supporting member, the plumbing target placement tool allows the securing rods to be precisely embedded into the installation surface over an installation point. The pipe supporting member is attached to the securing rods in vertical alignment with the installation point, and allows the vertical pipe to be vertically inserted, to be supported perpendicularly to the installation surface an in vertical alignment with the installation point. The plumbing apparatus further comprises a horizontal pipe alignment guide that allows horizontal pipe to be positioned along a guide line that runs through the installation point, the horizontal alignment guide being attached to two additional securing rods placed astride the guide line with the horizontal pipe centered therebetween.