Pipe Puller Strut Assembly for Confined Space Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe pulling apparatuses are large, heavy, expensive, and difficult to position within pipes, making them inefficient for installing large pipes in confined spaces like sewers where a sealed path is required.
Innovation Solution
A pipe puller apparatus with a body, main actuator, and adjustable strut assembly featuring shoes and a strut actuator that increases the distance between the shoes, allowing for easier alignment and sealing of pipes without the need for a release mechanism, and is designed to be smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If known apparatus for pulling pipe are used, then the pipe pulling function is achieved, but the apparatus becomes large, heavy, expensive, and difficult to position within the pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe puller is divided into distinct functional modules: a body, a strut assembly with shoes, and a main actuator. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and facilitates easier positioning within the pipe while maintaining the overall pulling function.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe puller apparatus is designed to be positioned within the pipe itself, with the body and strut assembly fitting inside the pipe's interior space. The shoes engage with the pipe's interior wall, effectively nesting the apparatus within the object it is meant to manipulate.
2Reliability
If known apparatus for pulling pipe are used, then the pipe pulling function is achieved, but the apparatus becomes large and difficult to position within the pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The strut assembly incorporates a strut actuator that can dynamically adjust the distance between the shoes, allowing the apparatus to adapt its configuration for easier positioning within the pipe and to engage effectively with the pipe's interior surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoes are designed to engage with the pipe's interior wall, allowing the apparatus to self-position and self-stabilize within the pipe using the pipe's own geometry, reducing the complexity of positioning operations.
3Reliability
If known apparatus for pulling pipe are used, then the pipe pulling function is achieved, but the apparatus becomes expensive
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the apparatus into modular components (body, strut assembly, main actuator), each part can be manufactured using standard fabrication processes, reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining functional reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential components needed for pipe pulling, eliminating unnecessary features found in known apparatus. This simplification reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while preserving the core pulling function.
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
The apparatus enables efficient and cost-effective alignment and sealing of large pipes by allowing for easier maneuverability and reduced operational complexity, improving the installation process in confined spaces.
Implementation Method 1
a strut actuator that increases the distance between the first shoe and the second shoe
Implementation Method 2
a main actuator mounted on the body
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe puller apparatus includes a body and a main actuator mounted on the body. A strut assembly is also mounted on the body and includes a first shoe and a second shoe. The first shoe is adapted to engage a first interior wall of a pipe and the second shoe is adapted to engage a second interior wall of the pipe. The strut assembly includes a strut actuator that is adapted to increase the distance between the first shoe and the second shoe.