Underwater pipe and connector assembly and method of assembling an underwater pipe and a connector

A method of assembling an underwater pipe and a connector, comprising the steps of:

• (A) preparing a connector, an underwater pipe, a reinforcing unit and a clamping unit, the underwater pipe made of plastic and having a pipe body extending along a longitudinal axis, and an annular connecting end section at one end of said pipe body, said pipe body having inner and outer circumferential surfaces;
• the connector made of metal and including a tubular connector body extending along the longitudinal axis and fixed in said connecting end section, an annular flange extending radially and outwardly from a peripheral end of said connector body, and an inner coil embedded between said connector body and said connecting end section, the inner coil sleeved on an outer circumferential surface of the connector body;
• the reinforcing unit surrounding said pipe body at a position corresponding to a junction between said pipe body and said connector body, and including at least one annular reinforcing layer made of plastic and at least one outer coil, said at least one annular reinforcing layer including a first fixed cover section fused to and covering said connecting end section, and a second fixed cover section connected to said first fixed cover section along the longitudinal axis (L) and fused to and covering said outer circumferential surface of said pipe body immediately adjacent said connecting end section, said at least one outer coil extending from said first fixed cover section to said second fixed cover section and being embedded between said first fixed cover section and said connecting end section and between said second fixed cover section and said outer circumferential of said pipe body immediately adjacent said connecting end section;
• and the clamping unit removably mounted on said pipe body at the position corresponding to the junction between said pipe body and said connector body, said clamping unit including a support member movably disposed at a position corresponding to said inner circumferential surface of said pipe body immediately adjacent said connecting end section, an inflatable ring disposed between said support member and said inner circumferential surface of said pipe body immediately adjacent said connecting end section, and at least one clamping member detachably clamped around an outer portion of said reinforcing unit;
• (B) inserting the connector body into the connecting end section of the underwater pipe so as to press radially outward the connecting end section;
• (C) consecutively disposing the at least one outer coil and the at least one annular reinforcing layer around the underwater pipe such that the first fixed cover section of the at least one annular reinforcing layer corresponds to the tubular connector body and the connecting end section of the underwater pipe and such that the second fixed cover section of the at least one annular reinforcing layer corresponds to an outer circumferential surface of the pipe body immediately adjacent the connecting end section;
• (D) clamping tightly the reinforcing unit around the underwater pipe using the clamping unit;
• (E) energizing the inner coil and the at least one outer coil so as to generate heat which melts the connecting end section, the pipe body immediately adjacent the connecting end section, and the at least one annular reinforcing layer to integrally connect the underwater pipe and the reinforcing unit as one body and to fixedly connect the connecting end section and the connector;
• and
• (F) removing the clamping unit from the underwater pipe.