Pipe Pulling Lubrication Assembly for Friction and Seizing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Pipe bursting methods face challenges with pipe splitters fracturing during navigation through tight bends, leading to increased labor and costs due to the need for frequent replacement and the use of expensive hardened steel construction.
Innovation Solution
The development of a pipe splitting assembly with a pneumatic hammer and rotatable joint, coupled with a lubricant distribution system to reduce friction and facilitate smoother pipe replacement, including a pipe pulling assembly that uses lubricant passages and jets to minimize skin friction and prevent seizing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If pipe splitter is constructed with hardened steel to increase strength, then the splitter can withstand higher stresses, but the cost increases and the splitter still fractures during navigation through tight bends
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe splitter is divided into multiple replaceable modular sections connected by coupling mechanisms. When one section fractures, only that specific module needs to be replaced rather than the entire splitter assembly. This segmentation allows the use of less expensive materials in individual modules while maintaining overall system strength through the modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from hardened steel to more ductile materials that can better withstand the bending stresses encountered during navigation through tight pipe bends. This parameter change prioritizes fracture resistance and navigability over maximum strength, as the modular design compensates for the reduced individual module strength.
2Ease of manufacture
If pipe splitter is made from less expensive materials to reduce cost, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the splitter may fracture more easily during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The splitter is segmented into multiple modules that can be manufactured independently using cost-effective materials and processes. This allows optimization of manufacturing costs for each module while the cumulative modular design maintains the overall structural integrity needed for pipe bursting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent accepts that individual splitter modules may be consumed or damaged during operation, particularly in difficult burst scenarios. The modular design allows these modules to be replaced rather than repaired, and the system is designed to tolerate module failure without compromising the entire operation or requiring expensive recovery efforts.
3Length of moving object
If pipe splitter navigates through tight bends in the pipe, then the splitter can reach the full length of the pipe, but the splitter experiences increased stress and friction leading to fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The modular segmented design allows the splitter to better accommodate bends and curves in the pipe. Each module can flex or rotate slightly relative to adjacent modules, reducing the cumulative stress that would otherwise build up through the entire length of a rigid splitter during navigation through tight bends.
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 solution reduces the frequency of pipe splitter replacements, decreases labor and costs, and enhances the efficiency of pipe bursting operations by minimizing friction and seizing, allowing for more effective navigation through existing pipes and surrounding soil.
Implementation Method 1
a lubricant distributor coupled to the pipe puller and configured to deliver a lubricant to the pipe puller exterior surface. The lubricant minimizes the skin friction of the replacement pipe and minimizes forces needed to pull the pipe pulling assembly through the existing pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe pulling lubrication apparatus includes a pipe anchor having an anchor body. The anchor body includes a first coupling feature near an anchor body proximal portion and a distal pipe coupling feature near an anchor body distal portion. The distal pipe coupling feature is configured to couple and position a replacement pipe exterior surface near an anchor body exterior surface. The lubrication apparatus further includes a lubrication system including a lubricant conduit extending within the anchor body from the distal pipe coupling feature toward an anchor body intermediate portion between the first coupling feature and the distal pipe coupling feature. The lubrication system includes a lubricant distributor having one or more lubricant passages extending from the lubricant conduit toward the anchor body exterior surface, the lubricant distributor is configured to deliver a lubricant to the replacement pipe exterior surface.