Pipe-making apparatus and pipe-making method for spiral pipe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10920918-B2
Application number	US-201615569314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A spiral pipe (9) is formed by joining edges of adjacent turns of a strip member (90) while helically winding the strip member using a pipe-making apparatus. A propulsive reaction force for moving in a winding direction of the strip member is imparted to a following strip portion (92) or a preceding spiral pipe portion (91) of the strip member by a propulsive reaction force imparting portion of the pipe-making apparatus. The following strip portion follows a preceding spiral pipe portion that has already been made into a pipe. A resisting force in a direction opposite to the propulsive reaction force is imparted to the strip member along the winding direction by a friction between a resisting force imparting portion and the strip member generated while the strip member is moved forward. In this arrangement, a diameter limiting frame can be omitted, and thereby, the pipe-making apparatus can be downsized.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pipe-making apparatus for forming a spiral pipe by joining edges of adjacent turns of a strip member while spirally winding the strip member along a winding direction, the apparatus comprising:
a body frame movable along the winding direction;
a propulsive reaction force imparting portion having a pair of propelling rollers disposed on an upper portion of the body frame and spaced from a joining step position at which the joining is performed on a bottom portion of the body frame and a motor connected to and drivably rotating at least one of the propelling rollers, the propulsive reaction force imparting portion imparting a propulsive reaction force for moving the body frame forward in the winding direction to a following strip portion of the strip member being caught between the pair of propelling rollers, the following strip portion following the preceding spiral pipe portion precedingly made into a pipe; and
a resisting force imparting portion having a friction plate or a pair of resistive rollers disposed on a same position in the winding direction and catching the preceding spiral pipe portion from inner and outer sides on the same position, the resisting force imparting portion disposed on the bottom portion spaced from the propulsive reaction force imparting portion, the resisting force imparting portion imparting a resisting force along the winding direction to the strip member by friction between the strip member and the friction plate or the resistive rollers rotated reversely or slowly with respect to the propelling rollers when the body frame is being propelled by the propulsive reaction force, a direction of the resisting force being opposite to a direction of the propulsive reaction force.

2. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the resisting force is set at a magnitude that allows the pipe-making apparatus to be propelled and that allows the preceding spiral pipe portion to change its diameter.

3. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the resisting force of the resisting force imparting portion is adjustable in a stepped fashion or a stepless fashion.

4. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsive reaction force imparting portion pushes the following strip portion from in front of the joining step position in a direction of movement toward the joining step position, and wherein the resisting force imparting portion imparts the resisting force toward forward in the winding direction to the preceding spiral pipe portion.

5. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsive reaction force imparting portion imparts the propulsive reaction force toward a returning side in the winding direction to the preceding spiral pipe portion, and wherein the resisting force imparting portion imparts the resisting force toward forward in the winding direction to a portion of the preceding spiral pipe portion spaced from the propulsive reaction force imparting portion in the winding direction.

6. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsive reaction force imparting portion and the resisting force imparting portion are disposed on the same side with each other in the direction of movement with respect to the joining step position.

7. The pipe-making apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a retainer that is held so as to be movable with respect to the preceding spiral pipe portion in the winding direction and immovable with respect to the preceding spiral pipe portion in a width direction orthogonal to the winding direction, wherein the retainer includes a first retainer portion and a second retainer portion spaced from each other in the winding direction.

Assignees

• Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugahara Hiroshi
• Baba Tatsurou
• Sugiyama Yoshirou
• Yamasaki Masahiro
• Nagatsuka Junichi

Classifications

• B29C63/32 Primary

  by winding helically · CPC title

• F16L55/1655

  a pipe being formed inside the old pipe by winding strip-material · CPC title

• F16L55/18

  Appliances for use in repairing pipes (F16L55/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16L55/162 Primary

  from inside the pipe ({F16L55/1612 takes precedence;} specially adapted for bends, branch units, branching pipes, or the like F16L55/179) · CPC title

• F16L1/00

  Laying or reclaiming pipes; Repairing or joining pipes on or under water · CPC title