Method and device for reinforcing and/or lining material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962883-B2
Application number	US-201314406561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2013
Priority date	Jun 14, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A reinforcement and/or lining method is provided, wherein a thermoplastic reinforcement and/or lining element is subject to mechanical energy impact and mechanical pressure by a tool so that reinforcement and/or lining material of the reinforcement and/or lining element is liquefied and pressed into porous material to reinforce the porous material. In at least one axial depth, the reinforcement and/or lining element is segmented as a function of the circumferential angle so that at this axial depth the circumferential wall of the initial opening in first regions is in contact with the reinforcement and/or lining element and in second regions is not in contact with the reinforcement and/or lining element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reinforcing porous material or lining porous material or reinforcing and lining porous material, comprising the steps of:
providing an initial opening in the porous material;
providing a thermoplastic element, and further providing a tool and an auxiliary element;
placing the thermoplastic element in the initial opening, the thermoplastic element at least partially encompassing a guiding portion of the tool or of the auxiliary element,
coupling a pressing force and energy into the tool and from the tool directly into the thermoplastic element while a portion of the thermoplastic element is within the opening and in contact with the porous material;
thereby liquefying material of the thermoplastic element to yield liquefied material;
causing portions of the liquefied material to penetrate into structures of the porous material and/or into structures of an element connected to the porous material;
allowing the liquefied material to harden; and
removing the tool;
wherein at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:
A. during the step of coupling a pressing force and energy into the tool, an outer protection element at least partially encompasses the tool and locally prevents the tool from being in contact with the porous material;
B. the thermoplastic element is generally sleeve-shaped and comprises at least one indentation or hole in a sleeve wall;
C. during the step of coupling a pressing force and energy into the tool, in a telescoping region a portion of the tool encompasses a portion of the auxiliary element or a portion of the auxiliary element encompasses the tool, wherein at least one of the tool and of the auxiliary element comprises at least one protrusion facing to the other one of the tool and the auxiliary element, whereby in the telescoping region a contact between the tool and the auxiliary element at locations different from the at least one protrusion is prevented;
D. during the step of coupling a pressing force and energy into the tool, the tool is pressed towards the distal direction, and wherein the tool comprises a distal broadening forming a salient feature that prevents a contact between the tool and the porous material at locations proximally of the salient feature;
E. prior to the step coupling a pressing force energy into the tool, the thermoplastic element is connected to the tool by an axial positive-fit connection, and during the step of coupling a pressing force and energy into the tool, the auxiliary element is pressed against a distal direction to activate the step of liquefying material of the thermoplastic element and to push portions of the liquefied material aside and into the structures of the porous material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least condition A. is fulfilled, wherein the protection element comprises a tap for cutting a thread.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least condition B. is fulfilled, wherein the thermoplastic element is generally sleeve-shaped.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least condition C. is fulfilled, wherein at a distal end of the tool any remaining gap between the tool and the auxiliary element has a width of 0.2 mm or less.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least condition E. is fulfilled, wherein the sonotrode has a threaded outer surface portion, and wherein the threaded outer surface portion is encompassed by the thermoplastic element.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the energy is coupled into the tool in the form of mechanical vibrations.

7. A method of reinforcing an object or lining an object or reinforcing and lining an object, the method comprising the steps of:
providing an initial opening in the object;
providing a thermoplastic element and a tool;
placing the thermoplastic element in the initial opening, placing the tool in direct contact with a face of the thermoplastic element and pressing the tool against the face while energy is coupled into the tool and while a periphery of a liquefaction interface of the tool and the thermoplastic element is within the opening;
thereby liquefying material of the thermoplastic element at the liquefaction interface(s) to yield liquefied material, causing a relative movement of the tool with respect to the thermoplastic element, and causing portions of the liquefied material to penetrate into pores and/or cavities of the object;
allowing the liquefied material to harden; and
removing the tool,
wherein at the liquefaction interface, a full cross section of the thermoplastic element is liquefied.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein no portion of the thermoplastic element that was not liquefied at the liquefaction interface(s) remains in the object or connected thereto after removal of the tool.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a radial extension of the tool is chosen to be approximately equal to or greater than an outer radial extension of the thermoplastic element.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a radial extension of the tool is chosen to be smaller than an inner diameter of the initial opening by at most 10%.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the face of the thermoplastic element is a distal face, wherein the tool comprises a proximally facing surface portion, wherein the liquefaction interface is an interface between the distal face of the thermoplastic element and the proximally facing surface portion of the tool, and wherein during the step of pressing, the tool is pulled towards a proximal direction.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the tool is chosen to comprise at least one radially protruding blade.

13. The method according to claim 7 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:
a. in at least one axial depth, the thermoplastic element is segmented as a function of the circumferential angle so that at this axial depth the circumferential wall of the initial opening in first regions is in contact with the thermoplastic element and in second regions is not in contact with the thermoplastic element;
b. in at least one axial depth of a resulting, lined opening, the thermoplastic material is caused to be segmented as a function of the circumferential angle;
c. in a resulting, lined opening, the thermoplastic material is provided in at least two reinforced regions axially spaced from each other, wherein between the two reinforced regions there is a non-reinforced region;
d. the thermoplastic element does not have the symmetry of a rotational cylinder but is asymmetric with respect to rotation around any axis;
e. the tool comprises at least one radially protruding blade, protruding beyond an outer extension of the thermoplastic element and confining the flow of the liquefied thermoplastic material to certain azimuthal angles.

14. The method according to claim 7 , wherein an auxiliary element is used to exert a counter force during the step of pressing the tool against the end face.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary element comprises a distal foot, wherein during the step of pressing, the tool is pressed towards a distal direction, and the auxiliary element is compressed between the tool and the foot, and wherein after the step of causing portions of the liquefied material to penetrate into structures of the porous material, the auxiliary element is removed.

16. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the tool comprises a distal broadening, wherein the face of the thermoplastic element is a distal end face, and wherein during the step

Assignees

• Woodwelding Ag

Inventors

• Mayer Jörg
• Aeschlimann Marcel

Classifications

• B29L2031/7278

  Couplings, connectors, nipples (B29L2031/7274 takes precedence; for pipes or tubes B29L2031/24; electrical B29L2031/34) · CPC title

• B29C66/7392

  characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic · CPC title

• B29C66/02242

  Perforating or boring · CPC title

• B29C66/7487

  Wood · CPC title

• B29C66/8322

  Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis · CPC title