Pipe Transport Trolley Coupling for Faster Shaft Pipe Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe transport devices and joining methods require significant time and effort to lift and transfer large and heavy transport trolleys, and to remove couplers due to interference from the pipes, leading to inefficiencies in pipeline construction.
Innovation Solution
A pipe joining method and device that involves loading pipes on transport trolleys capable of traveling on rails, using a coupler to couple the trolleys, and then sequentially joining the pipes to a rearmost pipe, with improved mechanisms for disengaging the coupler and transferring trolleys without manual lifting, utilizing auxiliary rail devices and remote operation of the engagement pin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the first transport trolley is large and heavy to carry the pipe, then the carrying capacity is improved, but the time and effort to lift and transfer the trolley increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a second transport trolley as an intermediary device to receive the first transport trolley. Instead of manually lifting the heavy first trolley directly, it is rolled onto the second trolley which then transports it to the storage position. This intermediary approach distributes the workload and eliminates the need for direct manual lifting of the heavy loaded trolley.
2Area of stationary object
If the coupling bar is positioned under the pipes to maintain compact structure, then the device footprint is reduced, but the coupling pins become difficult to remove due to pipe interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the coupling bar dynamically repositionable rather than fixed. The coupling bar can be moved from an initial position under the pipes during assembly to a final position extending laterally outward after coupling. This dynamic repositioning allows the structure to adapt to different operational phases, solving the conflict between compact footprint and ease of coupling removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling pins are designed with preliminary extraction features that allow them to be removed before the coupling bar is fully repositioned. The coupling bar's movement creates clearance space in advance, enabling workers to access and remove the pins without pipe interference, even though the bar starts in a compact position under the pipes.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe joining method includes a moving of a first transport trolley with a loaded first pipe and a second transport trolley with a loaded second pipe forward, a joining of one end of the first pipe to another end of a rearmost pipe of a pipeline, a lifting of another end of the first pipe, a moving of the first transport trolley and the second transport trolley backward, a drawing of the first transport trolley from beneath of the first pipe to the near side, a removing of a coupler to separate the first transport trolley and the second transport trolley, a moving of the first transport trolley backward, a drawing of the first transport trolley below the second pipe loaded on the second transport trolley, and a moving of the second transport trolley forward with the first transport trolley.