US 11,384,889 B2Granted

Pipe liner and method of making and installing the same

AssigneeINA Acquisition Corp.

InventorsCharles Free, Abu Abraham, Yevgeny Eugene Zaltsman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An eversion liner for lining a pipe includes an impermeable outer portion, inner and outer strength portions inside the impermeable outer portion, and a middle portion including at least one felt layer radially between the inner and outer strength portions. At least one of the inner and outer strength portions is formed from a unitary sheet of strength material that includes parallel chopped strands of fiber. The longitudinal edge margins of the sheet of strength material are positioned in overlapping engagement and joined together by joining structure. The parallel chopped fibers can be oriented transverse to the length of the liner. The joining structure can prevent reduction in a width of the overlapped edge margins as the liner expands during eversion.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An eversion liner for lining a pipe, the liner comprising:

an outer impermeable portion having an interior, the outer impermeable portion comprising a fluid-impermeable material;
inner and outer strength portions, the outer strength portion being located in the interior of the outer impermeable portion, each of the inner and outer strength portions having an interior, each of the inner and outer portions being arranged to form a respective longitudinally extending tube and comprising strengthening fibers, each of the inner and outer portions having a width and opposite first and second longitudinal edge margins spaced apart along the width, at least one of the inner and outer strength portions comprising strength material including chopped strands of fiber gathered into bundles, the bundles being oriented generally parallel to one another and distributed along said at least one of the inner and outer strength portions, each of the bundles extending in a direction from the first longitudinal edge margin to the second longitudinal edge margin of said at least one of the inner and outer strength portions, the first and second longitudinal edge margins of said at least one of the inner and outer portions being positioned adjacent one another and being attached to one another at a seam;
and
a middle portion having an interior, the middle portion comprising felt, the middle portion being located in the interior of the outer strength portion, the inner strength portion being located in the interior of the middle portion
the outer impermeable portion, the inner and outer strength portions and the middle portion being arranged in layers and formed into a liner tube having a longitudinal axis, the seam joining the first and second longitudinal edge margins of said at least one of the inner and outer strength portions extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, said at least one of the inner and outer strength portions being configured for being stretched radially from a first external diameter to a second external diameter larger than the first external diameter, the seam being constructed to hold the first longitudinal edge margin from moving in a circumferential direction relative to the second longitudinal edge margin as the liner tube is stretched radially from the first external diameter to the second external diameter.

2 more elements

A method of manufacturing a liner for lining a pipe, the method comprising:

providing a first strength layer comprising strengthening fibers;
providing at least one felt layer;
providing a second strength layer comprising strengthening fibers;
and
providing an impermeable layer;
wherein at least one of the steps of providing the first strength layer and providing the second strength layer comprises:
providing strength material comprising chopped strands of fiber gathered into bundles, the bundles being oriented generally parallel to one another and distributed along the strength material, each of the bundles extending in a direction from a first longitudinal edge margin to a second longitudinal edge margin of the strength material;
forming a liner tube having a longitudinal axis from the first strength layer, said at least one felt layer, the second strength layer and the impermeable layer such that the second strength layer is located inward of the impermeable layer, said at least one felt layer is located inward of the second strength layer and the first strength layer is located inward of said at least one felt layer;
and
joining first and second longitudinal edge margins of the strength material forming at least one of the first strength layer and the second strength layer together at a seam extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the liner tube, the seam being constructed to hold the first longitudinal edge margin from moving in a circumferential direction relative to the second longitudinal edge margin as the liner tube is stretched radially from the first external diameter to the second external diameter.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/918,523Filed 1 Jul 2020 · continuation
Priority: 20 Mar 2018
Published: US 2020/0332940 A122 Oct 2020
Granted: 12 Jul 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification21 codes

F16L 55/1656
A pipe or flexible liner being inserted in the damaged section: materials for flexible liners
B29C 63/0021
Characterised by the choice of the material: with coherent impregnated reinforcing layers
B29C 65/5042
Using adhesive tape , e.g. thermoplastic tape; using threads or the like: covering both elements to be joined
B29C 65/62
Using mechanical means or mechanical connections, e.g. form-fits: stitching

Family

Application15/926,325Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Mar 2018
US 2020/0332940 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Oct 2020
US 10,704,728 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0293223 A1Published application
US 11,384,889 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.