Pleated Elastic Pipe Fusion Chamber Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe fusion technologies face challenges in maintaining climate control and contaminant exclusion during outdoor operations, particularly when dealing with a range of pipe diameters, and require effective seals to ensure the integrity and strength of fusion joints.
Innovation Solution
A seal system using pleated and elastic sheets of cloth that can accommodate various pipe diameters, providing a passive and adaptive solution to obstruct particulates and precipitation, while maintaining climate control by hugging the pipe circumference effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-size seal is used for the largest pipe diameter, then the seal can accommodate large pipes, but it creates excessive gaps when smaller pipes are used, allowing contamination and heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The seal transitions from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic flexible membrane system that can change its configuration. The flexible membrane with pleats and elastic bands allows the seal to dynamically adapt its shape and size to match different pipe diameters, eliminating gaps that would allow contamination and heat loss while maintaining versatility across pipe sizes
Solution Approach 2:
The seal's physical parameters (shape, size, configuration) are changed based on the pipe diameter. The flexible membrane's pleats can be compressed or expanded, and the elastic bands can stretch or relax, allowing the seal to modify its geometric parameters to match the specific pipe diameter being sealed, thus preventing both contamination entry and heat loss
2Ease of operation
If the fusion machine is moved for each fusion operation (pipelining), then operator mobility and on-site flexibility are improved, but maintaining climate control and sealing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible membrane material to create a seal that can conform to the fusion chamber opening regardless of the machine's position or movement. This flexible shell approach maintains seal integrity and climate control even when the fusion machine is mobile, allowing operator mobility while preserving the controlled environment necessary for reliable fusion operations
Solution Approach 2:
The passive seal design with elastic bands automatically adjusts and seals itself when the pipe enters the chamber, requiring no active operator intervention. This self-service mechanism ensures consistent seal integrity and climate control maintenance even during mobile operations where continuous manual adjustment would be difficult
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple operators are used to manually position and insert the seal, then seal placement accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the operation and risk of pipe damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is designed to be self-positioning and self-sealing through its passive elastic mechanism. When the pipe enters the chamber, the elastic bands automatically expand the flexible membrane to conform to the pipe diameter and seal the gap, eliminating the need for multiple operators to manually position and insert the seal while maintaining accurate seal placement
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 seal effectively prevents contamination and maintains climate control within the fusion chamber, ensuring the integrity and strength of fusion joints across a range of pipe diameters, even in adverse environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Each elastic band has a free state length equal to its respective distance across the opening and is elastically stretchable to the length of the cloth's inner edge
Implementation Method 2
a seal is provided for obstructing migration of outside particulates and precipitation between the perimeter of a pipe passage of a pipe fusion chamber and a pipe passing through the passage
Implementation Method 3
The pipe-to-cab seal must minimize heat loss or gain in the climate-controlled air of the cab in cold or hot ambient conditions
Data Source
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AI summary
A seal (10) obstructs the migration of particulates and precipitation into a pipe fusion chamber through its pipe stick entry and pipeline exit passages. Sheets of cloth (21) serially overlap the anticipated center axis of a pipe stick/pipeline which will pass through the machine. The outer edge (23) of each sheet is pleated and fixed to a frame (11) contiguous with the perimeter of the passage (Ein) and the inner edge of each sheet is gathered on an elastic band (37). When a face of a pipe stick/pipeline pushes the sheets away from the frame (11), the pleats (27) and bands (37) cooperate to allow the inner edges (23) of the sheets (21) to slide over the face and hug substantially the entire outer circumference of the pipe stick/pipeline.