Method and apparatus of lining a pipe
AssigneeLmk Enterprises, Inc.
InventorLARRY W. KIEST, JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for using a bladder in combination with a curable material capable of curing and hardening is disclosed. A curable material capable of curing and hardening is dispensed about an interior wall of a damaged section of a pipe ahead of an inverting end of a bladder. The bladder inverts to push a plate attached to a dispensing unit, pushing the assembly through the pipe, while also compressing the curable material against the interior wall of the pipe. The material is pressed into fractures and the bladder remains inflated until the material cures and hardens, leaving a newly lined pipe. An assembly for forming the lining in the pipe includes a dispensing hose, a dispensing unit, and a bladder.
Claims33
A method of repairing a damaged section of a pipe that obviates the need for a pre-formed liner, comprising:
- dispensing a material capable of curing about an interior wall of the pipe ahead of an inverting end of a bladder;
- compressing the material against the wall of the pipe with the bladder;
- allowing the material to cure;
- and
- removing the bladder from the pipe.
A method of repairing a damaged section of a pipe that obviates the need for a pre-formed liner, comprising:
- positioning a bladder in the damaged section of the pipe;
- inverting the bladder in the pipe;
- dispensing a curable material about an interior wall of the damaged section of the pipe with a dispensing unit ahead of an inverting end of the bladder;
- pushing a plate operatively attached to the dispensing unit with the inverting end of the bladder to move the dispensing unit along the pipe;
- pressing the curable material against the wall of the pipe with an exterior surface of the bladder;
- and
- allowing the curable material to cure.
A method of repairing a damaged section of a pipe that obviates the need for a pre-formed liner, comprising:
- inverting a bladder into the damaged section of the pipe, the bladder having an uneven exterior surface along the length of the bladder;
- dispensing a curable material from a dispensing unit about an interior wall of the pipe ahead of an inverting face of the bladder;
- pushing a plate attached to the dispensing unit with the inverting face of the bladder to move the dispensing unit along the damaged section of the pipe as the dispensing unit dispenses the curable material;
- compressing the curable material between the exterior surface of the bladder and the interior wall of the pipe;
- and
- allowing the curable material to cure.
A liner assembly for repairing an interior of a pipe, comprising:
- a dispensing hose;
- a dispensing unit in fluid communication with the dispensing hose, the dispensing unit having a spinning device adapted to dispense a curable material to an interior wall of a pipe and a plate positioned forward of the spinning device;
- a bladder adapted to press the curable material dispensed from the dispensing unit against the interior wall of the pipe, the bladder comprising an inverting end;
- wherein the inverting end of the bladder is positioned adjacent the plate of the dispensing unit such that the bladder pushes the plate and corresponding dispensing unit through the pipe as the bladder is inverted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.