Underground Product Line Pulling via Casing Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited tensile strength of materials like HDPE, PVC, and fiberglass restricts the length of underground pipe installations, leading to potential breaks due to excessive friction during pulling, especially when crossing obstacles like bodies of water.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using a casing to encase the product line and pulling it in tandem with the casing along an underground arcuate path, reducing friction and distributing the tension load, allowing for longer installations by drilling pilot holes and larger diameter paths to guide the pipe, and employing a pulling apparatus with a casing pull head and product line pull head assembly to manage the pipe's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the product line is pulled for extended length beneath obstacles, then the installation capability is improved, but the friction force increases causing tensile strength limit to be reached and breaks to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The installation process is segmented into multiple phases: first installing the product line to a manageable length, then joining additional sections to extend the installation. This allows the system to achieve extended total length while maintaining each segment within safe tensile strength limits during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
A casing is introduced as an intermediary element that envelops the product line during installation. The casing is pulled first, creating a protective tunnel through the obstacle, and the product line is then pulled through the casing. This intermediary structure distributes and reduces the friction force acting directly on the product line, enabling extended installations without exceeding tensile strength limits.
2Ease of operation
If the product line is pulled through the ground, then the installation is completed, but excessive friction causes tension load to exceed material strength
Solution Approach 1:
The casing serves as a mediator that reduces friction between the product line and the ground. By pulling the product line through the pre-installed casing rather than directly through the ground, the friction force is significantly reduced, making the installation operation feasible for extended lengths.
Solution Approach 2:
The casing is installed in advance before the product line. This preliminary action creates a prepared pathway that reduces friction for the subsequent product line installation, making the overall operation easier and enabling extended installations that would otherwise be impossible.
3Length of moving object
If multiple sections of product line are joined and pulled, then the installation length is extended, but the complexity of the installation process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The product line installation is divided into manageable sections that are joined sequentially. Each section can be handled and installed independently, then connected to form the complete extended installation. This segmentation makes the complex task of installing very long product lines feasible through systematic, step-by-step installation.
Solution Approach 2:
Sections of the product line are pre-assembled and prepared before installation. The casing is also installed in advance to create the pathway. These preliminary preparations simplify the actual pulling operation and reduce on-site complexity during the installation process.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments and methods relate to pulling and installing a product line along an underground arcuate path beneath an obstacle, including pulling the product line for an extended length (i.e. a length that might otherwise be deemed impracticable) along the underground arcuate path beneath the obstacle. Embodiments also relate to a pulling apparatus for installing a product line using a casing along an underground arcuate path beneath an obstacle, having a casing pull head connected to the casing, a product line pull head assembly connected to the product line, and a pull bracket connected to the product line pull head assembly and to the casing pull head sleeve frame.