Method and apparatus for manufacturing dry liners for pipe repair

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10857742-B2
Application number	US-201716343872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a liner for reinforcing a pipe includes providing a continuous first reinforcing fibers extending in a first direction, moving the first reinforcing fibers in a machine direction such that the first direction is parallel to the machine direction, providing sheets of a material having second reinforcing fibers extending in a second direction, placing the sheets onto the moving first reinforcing fibers such that the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and folding the sheets into a closed shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a liner for reinforcing a pipe, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of continuous first reinforcing fibers extending in a first direction;
moving the first reinforcing fibers in a machine direction such that the first direction is parallel to the machine direction;
providing a plurality of sheets of a material having second reinforcing fibers extending in a second direction;
placing the plurality of sheets onto the moving first reinforcing fibers such that the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and
folding the plurality of sheets into a closed shape to form the liner.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the plurality of sheets further comprises cutting a supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers into discrete sheets.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein cutting the supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers into discrete sheets is performed proximate a conveyor that places the plurality of sheets onto the first reinforcing fibers.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers and the conveyor are mounted on a movable carrier that is movable parallel to the machine direction.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the continuous material having second reinforcing fibers has a width, and wherein cutting the supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers into discrete sheets further comprises modifying a length of the discrete sheets based on a desired diameter of the liner while maintaining the width of the continuous material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the continuous first reinforcing fibers are glass fibers.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a plurality of continuous third reinforcing fibers extending in the first direction onto the folded plurality of sheets.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a continuous foil layer onto the plurality of sheets prior to folding the plurality of sheets.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reinforcing fibers are oriented, continuous glass fibers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the plurality of sheets onto the moving first reinforcing fibers further comprises at least partially overlapping each of the plurality of sheets with one or more adjacent sheets of the plurality of sheets.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the plurality of sheets onto the moving first reinforcing fibers further comprises moving the plurality of sheets onto the first reinforcing fibers with a conveyor while moving the conveyor in the machine direction.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first reinforcing fibers are moved at a first speed in the machine direction and the conveyor is moved at substantially the same speed.

13. A method of manufacturing pipe-reinforcing liners having different diameters, the method comprising:
(a) forming a first liner having a first diameter by:
providing a first layer of continuous first reinforcing fibers extending in a first direction;
moving the first layer of first reinforcing fibers in a machine direction such that the first direction is parallel to the machine direction;
providing a supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers extending in a second direction, the continuous material having a first width;
cutting a first plurality of equal length, discrete sheets of the continuous material, the first plurality of discrete sheets having a first length;
placing the first plurality of sheets onto the moving first layer of first reinforcing fibers such that the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, wherein each of the first plurality of sheets partially overlaps one or more adjacent sheets of the first plurality of sheets;
folding the first plurality of sheets into a closed shape to form the first liner having the first diameter; and

(b) forming a second liner having a second diameter by:
providing a second layer of the continuous first reinforcing fibers extending in the first direction;
moving the second layer of first reinforcing fibers in the machine direction parallel to the first direction;
cutting a second plurality of equal length, discrete sheets of the continuous material having the second reinforcing fibers extending in the second direction, the second plurality of discrete sheets having a second length different than the first length;
placing the second plurality of sheets onto the moving second layer of first reinforcing fibers such that the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and
folding the second plurality of sheets into a closed shape to form the second liner having the second diameter.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein cutting the first plurality of equal length, discrete sheets of the continuous material is performed proximate a conveyor that places the first plurality of sheets onto the first layer of first reinforcing fibers.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the supply of continuous material having second reinforcing fibers and the conveyor are mounted on a movable carrier that is movable parallel to the machine direction.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein cutting the continuous material having second reinforcing fibers into the first plurality of equal length, discrete sheets, further comprises cutting the continuous material with a cutter mounted on the movable carrier.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first layer of continuous first reinforcing fibers are glass fibers.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing a continuous foil layer onto the first plurality of sheets prior to folding the first plurality of sheets.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second reinforcing fibers are oriented, continuous glass fibers.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein placing the second plurality of sheets onto the moving second layer of first reinforcing fibers further comprises at least partially overlapping each of the second plurality of sheets with one or more adjacent sheets of the second plurality of sheets.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein placing the first plurality of sheets onto the moving first layer of first reinforcing fibers further comprises moving the first plurality of sheets onto the first layer of first reinforcing fibers with a conveyor and moving the conveyor in the machine direction while placing the first plurality of sheets onto the moving first layer of first reinforcing fibers.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first layer of first reinforcing fibers is moved at a first speed in the machine direction and the conveyor is moved at substantially the same speed.

Assignees

• Ocv Intellectual Capital Llc
• Owens Corning Intellectual Capital Llc

Inventors

• Beltran Antoni Serarols
• Den Besten Corneilis

Classifications

• B32B38/1816

  Cross feeding of one or more of the layers · CPC title

• B29L2023/001

  Tubular films, sleeves · CPC title

• B29K2309/08

  Glass · CPC title

• B29C70/545

  Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding · CPC title

• B29C70/30

  Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core · CPC title